Those who are blessed
(Rev 22:13-15)
Being blessed is surely what everybody wishes. There are two kinds of blessing prosperity and beatitude. Its hard to distinguish them. Revelation 22 encourages us to receive true blessing. Its not about disaster, but about receiving the last real blessing through the disaster.
1. Blessed are those who know that the Lord is Alpha and Omega. Jesus, the Son joined the ministry of Gods creation and fulfilled that of salvation through his crucifixion. Satan will gain power in this world for a while and he incites us to reject Gods reign. However, Jesus, the king of kings will come again, judge us, and establish Gods kingdom on earth. Blessed are those who believe that God, the Alpha who created the universe and Jesus, the Omega will put an end to everything. Only those who know the Lord is the beginning and the end of their life can have their physical and spiritual life completed. Our spouse, children, parents, or money are not the alpha and omega of our life. The incident of divorce, which drove us to meet God can be the alpha of our life. Thats why our interpretation matters. Those who believe this are blessed. In Hebrews 11, the faith chapter, Abraham offered Isaac to God at the end of his 25 year pilgrimage on Gods calling. David was also challenged by the test of Adonai in his latter years. Thus God asked us to offer something, according to what he said in advance, which we need to always keep in mind. From the moment when we opened our church, Ive constantly confessed that Im weak. Yet God has used my weakness. In obedience, I started my pastoral ministry. Now God wants me to focus on the Korean church, sharpening my spirituality with cancer. I thought I had enough. Yet God continues to give me more, asking me to lay down my favorite son, Isaac and receive him back alive. Thus I have been driven by the Word because of my weakness, offering this process itself to God.
2. Blessed are those who wash their robes. Christians have their own robes of school background, reputation, money, and appearance, which, they think cover their reality quite successfully. But the robes cant cleanse themselves. Neither can our self-righteousness. What detergent can remove unclean robes of their stain? Only Jesus blood can do it. Without the love from Jesus crucifixion pouring on us, we cant confess that we are sinners. Gods people need to listen to the Word, confess our sins by reflecting on ourselves, and make our application of being dead and buried. This is the process of QT. Paul said that he considered everything rubbish so that he might gain Christ. All we have is rubbish. By washing our robes and wearing white clothes, we cleanse our shame. By revealing our outer stains, we cleanse our inner pride and spiritual disgrace. Through our constant repentance we can gain our eternal life, and through our birth pain, we can have the authority to pass through the twelve pearl gates. Thus by washing our robes, we can be blessed. As in Acts 4:12, salvation is found in no one else but Jesus. However, we often misunderstand that our knowledge, self-righteousness, our right-and-wrong ethics, our spouse, and our money can save us. Only with the name of Jesus and his holy blood can we wash our robes. I was able to come forward to the tree of life after washing my robes and dumping my rubbish of refinement. When I pretended to be good, I bore no fruit. Yet after confessing that I deserved my suffering because I had chased money and worldly success, God allowed me to lead others to his eternal life.
3. Those who dwell outside the city cant be the blessed. Those who dwell outside the city without faith are not blessed. While some people are moving toward the tree of life by washing their robes, others stay outside the city, doing their five old sins. The sin, most frequently mentioned in Revelation is falsehood. Our lips are dripping with lies. The dogs in verse 15 refers to those who repeat their sinful deeds despite the suffering and resentment caused by the deeds as the dog returning to its vomit in Proverbs 26:11. Whether Christians or not, we are always ready to practice falsehood, committing the same old sins of hypocrisy, adultery, hatred, and idolatry. One of our deacons son made his girlfriend, who had her kid through her ex-husbands and depression, pregnant before marriage. This incident made the deacon confess his two affairs, his secret sins. He was submitted to a disciplinary measure because he confessed his sin after being assigned as a small group leader. But he thanks God for his daughter-in-law, the reminder of his sins and for his testimony used as healing leaves. Meanwhile, another small group leader urged his son to get a scholarship loan with low interest in order to use it for his speculation in shares. What a portrait of us, who dwell outside the city! We need to wash our robes of idolatry, desire, and falsehood. The only clue is repentance. May God bless us all to be a channel of Gods blessing, bringing others to Him, after throwing away our complaints and grudges!
'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Rev 22:13)'
