Albert Barnes Commentary Revelation 14:13

"And I heard the voice from heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them." — Revelation 14:13 (ASV)

And I heard a voice from heaven. A voice that seemed to speak from heaven.

Saying unto me, Write. Make a record of this truth. We may suppose that John was engaged in making a record of what he saw in vision; he was now instructed to make a record of what he heard. This passage may be referred to as a proof that he wrote this book while in Patmos, or as the heavenly disclosures were made to him, and not afterwards from memory.

Blessed are the dead. That is, the condition of those who die in the manner which is immediately specified is to be regarded as a blessed or happy one. It is much to be able to say of the dead that they are "blessed."

There is much in death that is sad. We so much dread it by nature. It cuts us off from so much that is dear to us and blasts so many hopes. The grave is so cold and cheerless a resting-place that we owe much to a system of religion which will enable us to say and to feel that it is a blessed thing to die.

Assuredly, we should be grateful for any system of religion that will enable us to speak thus of those who are dead, and which will enable us, with corresponding feeling, to look forward to our own departure from this world.

Which die in the Lord. Not all the dead; for God never pronounces the condition of the wicked who die, blessed or happy. Religion guards this point and confines the declaration to those who furnish evidence that they are prepared for heaven. The phrase "to die in the Lord" implies the following things:

1. That they who thus die are the friends of the Lord Jesus. The language "to be in the Lord" is often used to denote true attachment to Him, or close union with Him. (Romans 16:13, 22; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 7:39; Philippians 1:14; Colossians 4:7).

   The assurance, then, is limited to those who are sincere Christians, for this the language properly implies, and we are authorized to apply it only as there is evidence of true religion.

2. To "die in the Lord" would also seem to imply that there should be, at the time, the evidence of His favor and friendship. This would apply:

   • to those who die as martyrs, giving their lives as a testimony to the truth of religion and as an evidence of their love for it; and

   • to those who have the comforting evidence of His presence and favor on the bed of death.

From henceforth. (Greek: aparti). This word has caused considerable perplexity for expositors and has been rendered in various ways.

Some have connected it with the word blessed—"blessed henceforth are the dead who die in the Lord," meaning they will be blessed from that time onward. Some have connected it with the word die, referring to the time when the apostle was writing—"blessed are they who after this time die in the Lord," intending to comfort those who were exposed to death and who would die as martyrs. Others interpret it as referring to the times contemplated in these visions: "blessed will they be who shall die in those future times."

Witsius understands this as meaning that from the time of their death they would be blessed, as if it had been said, immediately after their dissolution they would be blessed.

Doddridge renders it, "henceforth blessed are the dead." The language is evidently not to be construed as implying that those who had died in the faith before were not happy. Rather, in the times of trial and persecution that were to come, those who escaped these sorrows by a Christian death were to be regarded as peculiarly blessed.

Scenes of woe were indeed to occur, in which many believers would die. But their condition was not to be regarded as one of misfortune, but of blessedness and joy, for:

• they would die in an honorable cause;

• they would emerge from a world of sorrow; and

• they would rise to eternal life and peace.

The design, therefore, of the verse is to impart consolation and support to those who would be exposed to a martyr's death, and to those who, in times of persecution, would see their friends exposed to such a death. It may be added that the declaration made here is still true, and always will be: it is a blessed thing to die in the Lord.

Yea, saith the Spirit. The Holy Spirit; "the Spirit by whose inspiration and command I record this" — Doddridge.

That they may rest from their labours. The word here rendered labour — (Greek: kopos) — means properly wailing, grief (from Greek: koptō, to beat, and hence a beating of the breast as in grief). Then the word denotes toil, labor, effort (John 4:38; 1 Corinthians 3:8; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 6:5; 2 Corinthians 10:15; 2 Corinthians 11:23, 27).

It is used here in the sense of wearisome toil in doing good, in promoting religion, in saving souls, and in defending the truth. From such toils the redeemed in heaven will be released, for although there will be employment there, it will be without the sense of fatigue or weariness. And in view of such eternal rest from toil, we may well endure the labors and toils incident to the short period of the present life, for, however arduous or difficult, it will soon be ended.

And their works do follow them. That is, the rewards or the consequences of their works will follow them to the eternal world, with the word works here being used for the rewards or results of their works. In regard to this, considered as an encouragement to labor and as a support in the trials of life, it may be remarked:

• That all that the righteous do and suffer here will be appropriately recompensed there.

• This is all that can follow a person to eternity. He can take with him none of his gold, his lands, his clothing; none of the honors of this life; none of the means of sensual gratification. All that will go with him will be his character and the results of his conduct here; in this respect, eternity will be but a prolongation of the present life.

• It is one of the highest honors of our nature that we can make the present affect the future for good; that by our conduct on the earth we can lay the foundation for happiness millions of ages from now. In no other respect does mankind appear so dignified as in this; nowhere do we so clearly see the grandeur of the soul as in the fact that what we do today may determine our happiness in that future period when all the affairs of this world will have been wound up, and when ages that cannot now be numbered will have rolled by. It is then a glorious thing to live, and will be a glorious thing to die. (Compare to Barnes on "1 Corinthians 15:58").