Dear Student of the Word,
Right now, I am at 39,000 feet on a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt where I will transfer to a flight to Tel Aviv where I will be till May 4. Then I will stop in Rome for four days before I return home. What a great time to send you the next installment in our Revelation study! Revelation 19 paints a picture of heaven where Jesus is exalted and active, interceding and waging war. I explain more about Jesus' heavenly activity in the study you can download below, but here is an excerpt of what I wrote about Revelation 19:8 (after this, there are only three more chapters and we will be finished):
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8Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
19:8 – The Church and her members can prepare by wearing the fine linen that the Lord provides:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Notice that Revelation clearly defines what the linen garments are that the saints are given to wear; they are the good deeds or righteous acts of the saints. The point is that when Revelation wants to identify something that is symbolic, it does so. Therefore, we should be careful not to impose a meaning on any symbol that is not expressly explained in Revelation or in some other book of the Bible.
Salvation is a gift of God, given to all those who believe in Him and trust in His name. Once saved, He expects us to do good works, but He provides the good works for us to do. He provides the garments, so to speak, but expects us to put them on. What are the good works that He has prepared for you to do? Are you doing them?
You do not have to work to find the “works” to perform (He will show them to you), but you must work to accomplish and complete the “works” He gives you. Paul described some of these good works toward widows when he wrote:
No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds (1 Timothy 5:9-10).
These good works are practical and directed toward relieving the suffering or lack that others are experiencing. You are to be mindful that God will present these opportunities to you. A study of Revelation should not involve spending time trying to understand who the antichrist is. A study of the Bible should lead you to perform good works. These works do not earn your salvation, they prove the validity of your salvation.
The rich are especially commanded to do “good deeds.”
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share (1 Timothy 6:17-18).
At times, the more Bible someone knows, the more rigid and legalistic that person can be. Knowledge of the Bible does not qualify us to be God’s watchdog but should prepare us for love and good works. Does the Bible make you a better Christian in deeds or just a more knowledgeable Christian?
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Can you find any other references or examples of good works in the Bible? What are they? Are you doing good works? Are you dressing yourself as a bride for her husband? You need to be aware that God is bringing these good works to you. He has prepared them beforehand for you to accomplish. You need to be watching for them and then be ready to do something about them.
We of all people should be generous and gracious, for we know that God is in control. We worship Him, acknowledging what He has done for us, when we do the things He sets before us to do. See how practical Revelation is. It doesn’t only provide us with knowledge of who God is and what He is doing. It describes for us a life we now live that is to be both practical and sane.
Dear reader, I pray that you will clothe yourself in the good deeds that God has prepared for you. This commentary is not intended to make you more intelligent, but to make you more like Him. It is also not geared to study the antichrist, but the Christ. The knowledge of Jesus should make you a better spouse, obedient child, efficient worker and cooperative church member. Be careful not to make Revelation a book of bizarre interpretations, but of godly knowledge that leads to righteous deeds!
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled Your Life Matters: Daily Reflections from the Book of Psalms. Thank you and soon I will begin sending you my edited studies from James' epistle. After that, we will only have the book of Revelation to complete before the entire New Testament is on the site where this study is posted.
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