<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

It Is Written Canada

Chris Holland

The Beatitudes of Revelation

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Do You Hear What I Hear?

The Beatitudes of Revelation- What’s Your Legacy?

The Beatitudes of Revelation- What Left Behind Missed

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Welcome Home

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Are You Wearing the Right Clothes?

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Wedding Invitation

The Beatitudes of Revelation- When the Judged Are Judges


It has stood the test of time. God's book, the Bible, still relevant in today's complex world. It is written sharing messages of hope around the world. Of the world. 24 Sussex Drive has been the official home of the Canadian Prime Minister since 1951.

Protected by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Prime Minister is able to rest securely in his own home. However, on November the 5th, 1995, someone was able to penetrate the defenses of 24 Sussex. Andre Dallier, who was an evening convenience store clerk, made his way to 24 Sussex. He was able to wander onto the grounds and then made his way into the residence. He broke a side door window and then entered.

He entered with 1 purpose, to assassinate Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Dallier suffered from a mental illness and believed that killing Chrétien would make him a national hero. Dahlier was unsuccessful in his attempt and was brought to court for his actions. Dahlier forced his way as an unwelcome visitor into the Prime Minister's residence. Do you know, friends, that the King of the Universe has a residence?

It is His residence, in which He has also prepared a place for you. However, you won't be able to sneak in or break in. There is a requirement that every person who goes there must fulfill. Today we have come to the last of the Beatitudes of Revelation. This beatitude concludes with 1 of the most amazing promises of the entire Bible.

For the last 6 weeks, we have been studying the blessings of the book of Revelation. And in our study, we have discovered that a blessing is something that brings happiness or joy. Now because of this symbolism found throughout the book of Revelation, many are fearful or confused by the book. Yet in the midst of Revelation, God has placed 7 blessings, 7 promises of happiness. The book of Revelation is not a book that should scare us, but rather it is a book that should bring us joy and happiness because of the promises of God.

Each of these promises builds 1 upon the other and now climaxes with the seventh. Listen to the first 6 Beatitudes in brief review. Blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments.

Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Each 1 of these promises of happiness is bestowed upon 1 who is faithful, faithful to Jesus until the very end. And now the seventh beatitude is found in Revelation chapter 22, the very last chapter of the entire Bible, and it says this, blessed are those who do his commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life and they may enter through the gates into the city.

Now, some of you might be just a bit confused right now. I am reading from the New King James Version of the Bible, and if you're reading this verse in the King James Version, you will see that it is the exact same as the New King James Version. However, if you're reading for a newer Bible, then the verse reads as follows, Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and that they may enter the city by the gates." This is the English Standard Version, but almost all modern versions say the exact same thing. Now before we understand this beatitude fully, it is important for us to understand why there is a difference among the translations. Now on a previous episode we talked about the authenticity and reliability of the Bible.

That show is called The Book That Couldn't be silenced. It is available through our website, it is written canada.ca or through our YouTube channel youtube.com forward slash IIW Canada. And while that episode does not specifically answer the question of why the difference in this particular text, we can know and understand that the Bible can be trusted and this slight variation shouldn't be surprising. Now to explain why this is the case, I'm going to give you the Coles Notes version of the history of the Bible today. The New Testament of the Bible was originally written in Greek, and those Greek writings help us to formulate the versions we have today in English.

In ancient literature, the original writing is referred to as the autograph. Previous to the invention of the printing press, almost 700 years ago, each of the autographs would then be hand copied. Those copies then were copied, so on and so forth. Those copies are what we would refer to today as manuscripts. The complete Bible as we know it today comes from a lineage of thousands of manuscripts.

In fact, there are over 5, 000 Greek manuscripts that make up the New Testament. Now over time, as other languages developed, they were also utilized in making copies. This is particularly true of Latin. And so for the New Testament alone, there are over 24, 000 manuscripts that are primarily made up of the Greek and Latin versions. And this, my friends, attests to its reliability.

Now as some of these copies were made, there were at times variations. A different letter here or a different word there. However, some of the best scholars have estimated that any substantial variation only exists in less than one-tenth of 1 percent in all of the New Testament. Now what does that practically mean? That means that of the approximately 140, 000 words of the Greek New Testament, 140 of them have some type of variation.

Here is the key. None of those variations change any meaning of any text. In fact, it led Professor of biblical criticism and exegesis at the University of Manchester, Dr. F.F. Bruce, to stress the following.

There is nobody of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament. The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for many writings of classical writers, the authenticity of which no 1 dreams of questioning. And if the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would be generally regarded as beyond all doubt. So why then the difference in this last beatitude of Revelation? First let's look at the original text.

Right now you see a graphic on your screen that allows you to see the original language. As you can see, the difference in the original language between that keep his commandments and wash their robes is just a few letters in the ancient Greek language. But what is more pertinent to our study is do the differences change the meaning of the text? I would humbly assert to you that the answer to that question is no. It seems clear from the scriptures that those who wash their robes will keep God's commandments, and those who keep His commandments will have washed their robes.

As we continue studying this last blessing found in the book of Revelation, I think that you will find that to be true as well. Now while the robe certainly was a covering worn in ancient times, the robe is also used throughout scriptures as a symbol for one's spiritual condition. We find this apparent need for covering right in the beginning of the Bible with Adam and Eve in Genesis 2.25. There we discover how things first began for them. Genesis chapter 2 and verse 25.

And they both were naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. So in the beginning they did not have a covering, they did not have a robe, They were naked. Now when we think of the word naked today, we think of being unclothed. And while it's true that Adam and Eve were not clothed by any man-made or artificial means, we see that most importantly they were not ashamed. They were sinless or completely innocent.

They had nothing to hide. However, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, This is when they tried to cover themselves. Genesis 3, 7 states, Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. Adam and Eve making themselves clothing from fig leaves, while literal also symbolizes their effort to cover their own sin. Trying to cover our own sins, like Adam and Eve trying to cover their bodies with fig leaves.

It is not effective or practical. But God had a plan for them. And later in chapter 3 and in verse 21 the Bible says, also for Adam and his wife, the Lord made tunics of skin and clothed them. Here God instituted a principle of being covered by him. While Genesis 3 does not explicitly say that the sacrificial system was instituted here.

The reality is that the tunics of skin likely required the death of an animal. And it is here that the imagery for the beatitude we are studying today is found. Friend, we need to be covered, but we cannot effectively cover our own sins. We need to be covered by the robe that Christ provides for us. That robe is spoken of in a number of places in the Bible.

Isaiah chapter 61 and verse 10 tells us of the robe that we need. For he has clothed me with the garment of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. And Zachariah chapter 3 and verse 4, which is a metaphorical judgment scene, speaks again of that garment. Take away the filthy garments from him, And to him he said, See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes." Friends, when we rely on ourselves, we have filthy garments.

And a filthy garment prevents us from entering the city of heaven. What can we do? The beatitude tells us that we need to wash our robe. What do we learn from the scriptures about what it means to wash one's robe? The book of Revelation tells us clearly what the robes are washed in.

In Revelation chapter 7 and in verse 14, speaking of the 144, 000, it says this, These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. This sounds like a great irony. How are robes made white by washing them in blood? What does it mean to be washed in the blood of Jesus? Well, friends, 1 John 1 and verse 7 says this, And the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

And then in 1 John 1, 9, it says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. My dear friends, to wash our robes means to be forgiven of our sins and to be cleansed from all unrighteousness. It means coming to the conclusion that we cannot depend on ourselves, that we cannot fix ourselves, that we can only depend on Him. To be washed in the blood of Christ ultimately means that we have made a decision to no longer live for ourself and that we realize that there is someone to save us from our sin and someone to save us from ourselves. Friends, we are in desperate need of Savior.

Even when we think that we are doing right, The Bible tells us in Isaiah 64, 6, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags. But there is hope. Isaiah 1, verse 18 tells us what happens when we are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be made white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

And with great assurance, the Bible also promises, in Romans chapter 10 and in verse 9, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. What does this look like practically speaking? As you make a decision to give your life fully to Jesus Christ, what does this look like? Romans chapter 6 tells us what that life will look like. Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death, therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that We should no longer be slaves of sin, for he who has died has been freed from sin. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are no longer trapped by the sin in our lives, for sin and self have been done away with. We can walk in the newness of life. And what does that new life look like?

That new life is portrayed in 1 John 2, 3, 4. Now by this we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. He who says, I know Him and does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. This is where the meaning of the 2 translations of the text come together. To wash your robe means that you have been forgiven of your sins and are cleansed from all unrighteousness.

And friend, the only way that we know what sin is, and that it needs to be forgiven, is because of the commandments. Paul points out in Romans chapter 7, and in verse 7, I would not have known sin except through the law. It is only as we do His commandments that we realize our need to wash our robes. Jesus Himself emphasized the importance of keeping the commandments on several occasions. In Matthew chapter 19 and verse 17, He said these words, If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.

He also added in John 14, 15, If you love me, keep my commandments. Our obedience demonstrates that we are in a committed relationship with Jesus. But the keeping of the commandments cannot be done through some mere to-do checklist. In fact, 1 John chapter 5 and verse 3 emphasizes this point. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.

The keeping of God's commandments demonstrate our love to Christ, but keeping them is not a burden. It is not some great encumbering challenge. But through faith and the power of the Holy Spirit, we as God's people are able to be obedient to Him. Those 10 commandments found in Exodus chapter 20. The first 3 commandments give us guidance in our relationship with God.

The fourth commandment is a bridge that helps us connect our relationship to God with our relationship to each other. Then the last 6 commandments having to do with our relationships with each other. What might happen, friends, if each of us through a committed relationship with Jesus kept his commandments and taught others to do the same. Wouldn't this world, wouldn't this nation of Canada look vastly different? No more killing, no more crime, no more hatred.

This is what Jesus desires, that His people would bring a taste of heaven here on earth. This beatitude of Revelation can be read either way because the meaning is just the same. Those who wash their robes will keep God's commandments, and those who keep His commandments will have washed their robes. The fulfilled promise of this blessing is that those who have committed their life to Jesus Christ and have the fruits of obedience manifest in their life, will experience the greatest joy to ever be experienced, the Bible says that they will have access to the tree of life and the gates of heaven. Friends, the story of humanity is a story of paradise lost.

As a result of sin of Adam and Eve, humanity was forbidden to partake of the tree of life. Genesis chapter 3 and verse 24 tells us. Genesis 3 verse 24. And he drove out the man and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. But now here in the last beatitude of Revelation, paradise is restored.

Saved humanity can now partake of the tree of life. Those who have washed their robes, those who have obeyed Jesus can now enter into the joy of the Master. What a wonderful day that will be. The day is coming soon. And here's the beautiful thing.

Jesus is doing and has done everything he can to make sure you're there. Do you want to be there? He wants to take you there. It's your home. He's prepared it just for you.

He died for you so you can be cleansed and come home. Won't you today just make a decision to come to Him all the way, submit to Him that you might be prepared to go home. In letters of crimson, God wrote his love on a hillside so long, long ago. For you and for me, Jesus died. Jesus died, love's greatest story was told.

Ś I love you ś I love you ś That's what Calvary said, I love you, I love you, I love you written in red. Down through the ages God rode His love With the same hands that suffer and bled Giving all that He had to give a message so easily read. I love you. I love you. I love you.

Oh, precious is the flow Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. White as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood, the blood of Jesus. I love you.

I love you, that's what Calvary said. I love you. I love you. I love you written in red. Friends, the 7 beatitudes of Revelation are 7 promises for those who wash their robes and give their life to Jesus.

Friends I'd like to offer to you today the 7 part DVD series, The Beatitudes of Revelation. I know it will encourage you and it will encourage others. Here's the information you need to get today's offer. To request today's offer, just log on to www.itiswrittencanada.ca That's www.itiswrittencanada.ca and select the TV Program tab. For Canadian viewers, the offer will be sent free and postage paid.

For viewers outside of Canada, shipping charges will apply. If you prefer, you may call toll-free at 1-888-CALL-IIW. That's 1-888-CALL-IIW. Call anytime. Lines are open 24 hours daily.

That's 1-888-CALL-IIW. Or if you wish, you may write to us at It Is Written, Box 2010, Oshawa, Ontario, L1H 74. Friends, the Book of Revelation brings happiness and joy. I hope today's program has brought you happiness and joy and encouragement. Thank you so much for watching.

I encourage you to watch again next week. Until then, remember, it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. ♪♪ ♪♪ you

Back to Menu

Series

The Beatitudes of Revelation

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Welcome Home

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Do You Hear What I Hear?

29m

The Beatitudes of Revelation- What’s Your Legacy?

29m

The Beatitudes of Revelation- What Left Behind Missed

29m

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Welcome Home

29m

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Are You Wearing the Right Clothes?

29m

The Beatitudes of Revelation- Wedding Invitation

29m

The Beatitudes of Revelation- When the Judged Are Judges

29m

Sound Doctrine