‘Day 259

¹³ And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.¹⁴ Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand” REV 14:13,14 (NASB)

The spectre of death haunts every human being. We hope against hope that an exception might be made in our case, but as the years go by, we increasingly realize the limitations that death places upon our lives. Today, more than ever, we need a foretaste of the blessedness he has promised in Revelation.

When all is said and done in the Book, everything ends up with the Son of Man, Jesus. He is the Lamb, the Bright and Morning Star, the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth. But in a secular, post-modern world people want to know why they should follow Jesus in the midst of all the excitement and distractions of life. The following may help to put things into perspective.

If I gave you a quiz on famous events, sporting personalities, or politicians – chances are you wouldn’t be able to answer one question. The shocking thing is that none of these events or people occurred on the sidelines. The answers to the questions I would ask filled headlines all over the country. We are not talking about ordinary people. And yet most of us have already forgotten them. Why? Because, as famous as they may have been, what they did didn’t truly change our lives. Their achievements made the headlines but did not make a difference over time. However, if I asked you about people who have been meaningful, or made a difference in your life you could rattle off names and reasons.

That’s why the Book of Revelation is so obsessed with Jesus. For nearly two thousand years, no one has made more of a difference in this world than Jesus. Through His death, resurrection, and heavenly reign He has changed the world and changed my life. I may care about who will win the state of origin this year, but Jesus is the one that will still matter to me ten years from now. If you are spending time with this book we are reflecting on, you probably know what I’m talking about.