And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
I would desire permission to consider this verse by itself, for the blessedness and sweetness of it. I do not say but that it might be supposed to have an immediate reference to that age in which it was written. But I do say, that the general, yea, the universal consolations of it, are such, as to suit all ages of the Church of God. Everywhere, and upon all occasions, it must be allowed, that the dead are blessed dead, which die in the Lord. And John, being commanded by a voice to write it down, evidently shows, that God the Holy Ghost will have the Church to know their blessedness in this particular. A few of the more striking features will prove it.
As first. The blessed dead, which die in the Lord, die in union with Christ. They are, in fact, part of himself; members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. And, in the sight of God, to all intents and purposes, they are one. For as Christ is the head of his body the Church, where the head is, the members must be; so that though dying out of time, they still live to him in eternity. And this is what the Apostle said: For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's, Romans 14:8
Secondly. The dead are blessed, which die in the Lord, from henceforth: because, from the moment of their death, and from henceforth, they are God out of the gun-shot of the enemy. No heresy, no powers of darkness, neither men nor devils, can anymore annoy them. Oh! the blessedness of being freed from the malice of the world, and from the powers of darkness. Satan cannot anymore forever, throw his fiery darts, to distress the child of God. Even if this had been all, it would have been sweet, to have heard the voice from heaven, saying, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.
Thirdly. They are blessed which die in the Lord, because their own body of sin shall no more distress them. No further sorrows shall arise from the out-breakings of sin, or the indwelling of corruption. No tears shall fall anymore from pain. No anguish from heart-distresses. They rest from their labors, and sorrow and sighing are done away.
And, lastly, to mention no more. Dying in the Lord, they rest in the Lord, their spirits are with the Lord. Hence they are blessed in the Lord. Their works follow them. What works? Not good works, for they have none. Lord saith the Prophet, thou hath wrought all our works in us! Isaiah 26:12. Not their bad works, for the Lord hath washed away all their sins in his blood, 1 John 1:7. What works then are these, which are said to follow the blessed dead? Perhaps their works and labor of love, in seeing the fruit of their prayers answered in the Church's prosperity. The cries of the soul awakened by grace, and therefore the Lord's work in them, answered in mercy, when meeting before the throne the redeemed of the Lord brought home, like themselves, by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.