Owing to unforseen circumstances, this sermon was postponed and delivered two days late in a special assembly on Sunday 14 November 2021

Shabbat shalom kol beit Yisra'el and Mishpachah and welcome back once again. As there seems to be a keen interest in the Book of Revelation with requests that we go ahead with a study of it, I have decided to make one or two forrays into the subject by today looking at what the book has in common with what's already revealed in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament).

Most Christians and Messianics are familiar with the 9 Beatitudes that Yah'shua (Jesus) preached in His famous 'Sermon on the Mount', parts of which He repeated at least once that we know of, although on the second occasion it contained only 4 of the 9 beatitudes and is known as the 'Sermon on the Plain' because of its different geographical location. But how many are aware, I wonder, that there are at least 7 more beatitudes spoken by the Saviour scattered throughout the Gospels or that 8 of their own beatitudes are recorded by the apostles themselves which they may possibly have heard Yah'shua (Jesus) speak or which they were given afresh by the Ruach (Spirit)? 3 of these were by Paul, 3 by James and 2 by Peter In a moment I will refresh your memories on all 24 beatitudes before drawing your attention to 7 more beatitudes spoken by the Master to the apostle John in the Book of Revelation which is what I really want to focus on next week but introduce today. These I have called the 'Apocalypse Beatitudes' which I think are especially important today in this hour of Penultimate Judgment and will become even more important later during the Great Tribulation leading to the Final or Last Judgment.

But before we do that let's be quite certain we understand what a 'beatitude' is. A 'beatitude' is what is known as a 'macarism' by theologians, a word which comes from the Greek, makários meaning 'blessed' or 'happy'. Back in the 1970's when I was a young man the President of Cyprus was a controversial Greek Orthodox clergyman called Archbiship Makarios III, literally, Archbishop 'Blessed'. What makes beatitudes special is that they were employed as a literary didactic or teaching form. They stimulate the memory in a special way because of what they promise. They were used anciently in several cultures (Egyptian, Greek and Hebrew) as a brief summary of essential doctrine which means as a format they're not unique to the Bible. So if you're looking for key doctrinal teachings, search through the various beatitudes in Scripture. Clearly something that blesses you is important! It will affect your whole life. It's Good News, Gospel, Besorah. And that's what one the things we're going to do today will be.

So how does Yahweh use them? Beatitudes are commonly used within the context of divine justice. They tell us what happens to those who follow the precepts taught in them. This is done in a specific way by showing us the clear implications they have for present ethics and for morality. So if you live a certain way in a situation where Yahweh is pouring out His wrath on the wicked, you will be favoured, blessed, happy. You will stand out in sharp constrast to those under judgment. And you will know you are walking in authentic salvation. In other words, beatitudes separate out what might be called 'propositional' or 'theoretical' religion from proactive religion - religion actually lived out. As such, then, they are very good markers to follow in the spiritual life.

You'll find beatitudes in the Tanakh (Old Testament) too, in worship and in the Wisdom literature such as the Psalms and Proverbs [1]. To give you one of the best known, just read the opening verses of Psalm 1:

"Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the Torah (Law, Teaching, Instruction) of Yahweh,
And in His Torah (Law) he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
(Ps.1:1-3, NKJV).

There are therefore usually three components to a beatitude (some have only two):

• 1. The promise of happiness or blessedness, i.e. Yahweh's guarantee;
• 2. What the blessed man or woman does morally or ethically, i.e. the action or proactive component; and
• 3. What the promises of happiness or blessedness will look like, i.e. its reward signs or markers.

I cite this by way of introduction to our theme today because you will find Torah beatitudes right through both Old and New Testaments. These come, as it were, to a climax in the Book of Revelation. So make a mental note of what I am about to share with you so that you can see the inter-connectiveness of all the beatitudes. Yahweh's Law, the Torah, is always the lived-out or proactive component of a beatitude, without exception. This is a most blessed thing, bringing happiness both when it's meditated on or studied and, even more importantly, when it's faithfully lived or 'walked'. By the time we finish in the Book of Revelation you'll see without any doubt whatsoever what the dual nature of blessedness consists of:

• 1. To be in Yah'shua (Jesus); and
• 2. To be obeying His Torah mitzvot or commandments.

One of the reasons the Messianic Community (Church) or Body of Christ is so fragmented into over 32,000 denominations is because it does not properly live out the Torah terms of the beatitudes. Rather, it claims that blessedness no longer comes through conscious Torah obedience but only by the Ruach (Spirit). This is a half-truth. What we are obedient to will always be confirmed by the Ruach (Spirit) but if a person claims to have the Ruach (Spirit) but consciously disobeys a mitzvah (commandment) this is proof that he is being led by a false or counterfeit spirit. That is why you need to know the difference between being filled with the Spirit (Ruach) and being filled with spirits. There who claim to be filled with the former who are filled with the latter. So be wary of those who say they are 'spirit-filled' but who consciously and deliberately reject the Torah-commandments.

Genuine spiritual regeneration always leads to spontaneous Torah-obedience because an authentic rebirth results in the Torah being written on the heart! (Jer.31:31-34; Prov.3:1; Is.51:7) And this will be a main point that I shall make throughout: the Ruach (Spirit) in a person who is spiritually regenerated through authentic repentance and total surrender to Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) will always be driven by ahavah (love) - his love of Messiah and his love of people - to the Torah mitzvot (commandments). And you'd be astonished by the amount of selective blindness in the denominations to this truth. To be sure, there is grace (undeserved loving kindness) in the days of ignorance and blindness so you cannot assume that someone who is breaking the commandments and doesn't know any better because he's been lied to isn't regenerated at a Pesach (Passover) level. So be very careful before you judge anyone lest you be judged by Heaven too. We are all Torah-disobedient to one degree or another and we all need to walk daily in repentance. So be patient and generous as Yahweh is patient and generous toward you. Don't become an 'ultra-messianic'.

So ín a nutshell, beatitudes name a situation or action in which they declare how Elohim's (God's) blessing or favour may be experienced and thus they exhort others to manifest this way of life and so experience this blessed situation for themselves. Beatitudes shine a light on the existential part of the faith - what we experience, and often the humanistic aspect which is one of the three overlapping spheres in which the complete believer lives that include trusting in Christ and obeying the mitzvot (commandments) (see Venn diagram below). In other words, faith (trusting) always leads to faithfulness (covenant obedience, loyalty and love) in the faith (doctrine, teaching, instruction. That's what the biblical word 'faith' means/is. It has a threefold dimension like so many key theological truths (e.g. the trinity of Faith, Hope and Love).

For those who ignore, reject or act in opposition to the divine precepts contained within them, the blessing-beatitude is reversed and experienced as a condemnation and judgment. So I think you'll find it both interesting and practically useful to know what these existential or experiential precepts consist of. What beatitudes don't point to is just as important as what they do point to so that you don't go chasing after the wrong kinds of things with which to experience your religious faith. That's how false spirits can lead to counterfeit feeling-based religion which plagues the charismatic movement in particular (though by no means exclusively).

So beatitutes - teaching statements on blessedness or happiness - are found in the Bible's Old Testament wisdom literature but they're also found in one place in its apocalyptic writings which will be a useful pointer and clue when we come to the Book of Revelation...and I am speaking of the Book of Daniel [2]. Let's take a look at that passage:

"Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days" (Dan.12:12-13, NKJV).

"Elohim (God) will bless everyone who patiently waits until one 1,355 days have gone by. So, Daniel, be faithful until the end! You will rest, and at the end of time, you will rise from death to receive your reward" (Dan.12:12-13, CEV).

This is a very important beatitude because it speaks of the importance of patience as we wait for prophecies to be fulfilled, not getting anxious but understanding that for most of the great divine predictions we will have to await the resurrection at which time we will be fully rewarded for our faithfulness. Many of the blessings are promised far, far into the future but in the meantime we are promised that we can have rest, shalom or peace in the assurance that Yahweh's promises are guaranteed even if we must wait until we are raised from the dead and stand in His presence as 'faithful ones'. That's an important component of emunah - of having faith (trusting) and continuing to be faithful (no arrogant and presumptuous 'Once Saved, Always Saved' heresy here). In a situation of crisis, the seer Daniel reveals the imminent reversal Yahweh is to bring about.

This brings us to another important understanding: beatitudes tend to declare Yahweh's judgment on the present as well as promising His anticipated, favourable verdicts in the future. There is a 'now' and a 'future' element to trust and obedience. In other words, they require a way of life now - the Yah'shua/Jesus-trusting, Torah-obedient life - that (and this is the important truth) is consonant, is harmonious or is in agreement with, Yahweh's righteous verdict. You can't, therefore, separate trusting from doing: they're inseparable. All of this, which we glean from the Tanakh (Old Testament) - and there's still more we need to consider - is reflected exactly in wisdom and apocalyptic material of the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament) - there is no difference. Thus Paul says to the Roman qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones):

"Do you have emunah (faith)? Have it to yourself before Elohim (God). Happy (blessed) is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves (allows, a decision that a thing is right)" (Rom.14:22, NKJV).

Notice there are only two beatitude components here - he doesn't say what the blessings will consist of. In other words, this is Torah at work in, and through, the conscience which takes obedience to the next level as you would expect if it is supernaturally written on the heart by the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit). I won't cite examples from the Book of Revelation just yet as I want to save that material for later. I'll leave a list of other Old Testament beatitudes for you to check up for those who would like to do their own further research [3].

So that's all I want to say on the Tanakh (Old Testament) for now. Let's go to the 9 beatitudes at the begtinning of the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew - I will read the 4 parallel Sermon on the Plain beatitudes of Luke 6:20-21 as well which differ only inasmuch as they point chiefly to outer rather than inner things so that you can see how the Master unfolded His teachings gradually as His listeners became progressively more sensitised to spiritual realities. And finally, I am going to add the apostle Peter's two beatitudes at the end as they are of the same theme. We'll use the Gospel of Matthew as our primary text, chapter 5, beginning at verse 3:

• 1. "Blessed (happy, to be envied, spiritually prosperous, favoured, existentially saved, satisfied irrespective of outward circumstances, filled with life-joy, who know grace - AmpV &c; the plaintive/melancholic, the powerless - CCMW) are the poor in spirit (those who depend only on Yahweh - CEV; who know their need for Elohim - JBP, NEB; rating themselves as insignificant - AmpV),
  For theirs is the kingdom of heaven (see #8 too).
  
• 1. "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of Elohim (God).
• 2. Blessed are those who mourn (grieve, are sorrowful), For they shall be comforted.
  
• 2. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
• 3. Blessed are the meek (those who claim nothing - JBP; those of a gentle spirit - NEB, JB; humble - GNB), For they shall inherit the earth.
  
• 4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (those who want to obey Him, those who want to see right prevail - NEB; those who want justice - KNT; uprightness, AmpV), For they shall be filled (completely satisfied - AmpV).
  
• 4. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled.
• 5. Blessed are the merciful (those who show mercy - NEB), For they shall obtain mercy.
  
• 6. Blessed are the pure in heart (utterly sincere - JPB), For they shall see Elohim (God).
  
• 7. Blessed are the peacemakers (makers and maintainers of peace - AmpV, bringers of shalom or inner well-being - CCMW), For they shall be called sons of Elohim (God).
  
• 8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven
  
• 9. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the nevi'im (prophets) who were before you" (Matt.5:3-11, NKJV, NKJV).
• 8 & 9. "Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude (excommunicate, shun) you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake" (Lk.6:20-21, NKJV).
• "8 & 9. But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed...If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Ruach (Spirit) of glory and of Elohim (God) rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified" (1 Peter 3:14; 3:14, NKJV)

These 9 Matthean beatitudes, with the four Lucan ones in parallel which I suspect forms the earlier of the two sermons, the last of which (the 9th) is essentially an expansion of the 8th, are loaded with meaning, which is why I have given you some alternative translations. You can dig deep into these for hours (a reason they are so spiritually potent and memorable) which I did in an indepth teaching in 1999 and 2015 called, The Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes, the Covenant of Salt and the New Covenant Law which I invite you to study afterwards so that I can get to, and focus on, the Apocalpyse Beatitudes. Every believers should be deeply immersed in these. They are core Christian/Messianic teaching.

The two sets of beatitudes (Matthean and Lucan) show that Yah'shua is concerned both for the inner and the outer man (physical poverty in the Lucan Sermon on the Plain and spiritual poverty in the Matthean Sermon on the Mount) - it isn't one or the other but it is the inner condition that matters the most because it's that which indicates, or is evidence of, 'savedness' or not, and therefore determines the kind eternity each individual is heading toward. In other words, as we have already seen from parallel beatitudes in the Tanakh (Old Testament), they promise eschatological or end-time rewards for the virtuous who manifest these characteristics in their lives. But don't misunderstand me: these are not things we should consciously strive for apart from regeneration in Christ, but rather they should be the supernatural manifestation of those who are rightly-related to Him. You can end up living these beatitudes in one of two ways. If you try to manifest these character traits in your own strength or by your own will, you will ultimately fail. Rather, we are to view these character traits as signposts or divine signatures showing where we stand in relation to the Saviour. They are the evidence of being 'born again' or spiritually regenerated. These things 'happen' because the 'supernatural' becomes 'natural' or 'second nature' to us, things that come spontaneously that we shouldn't even need to consciously 'produce'.

Now there are some other beatitudes that are sprinkled throughout Yah'shua's (Jesus) teachings and I am just going to list these now so that we have a fully rounded exposition of what true blessedness and happiness consist of. Interestingly, they are all in the Gospel of Luke who as you know was a painstaking historian and chronicler who went to a great deal of effort to collect all the apostolic recollections of the Saviour's life and teachings that he could find. I am going to share these with you now without commentary because I think they're self-explanatory. Notice that four of them are two-component² (not saying what the rewards will be) and three are three-component³:

• 10. "Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me"² (Luke 7:23, NKJV)
• 11. "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many nevi'im (prophets) and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it"² (Luke 10:23-24, NKJV).
• 12. "Blessed are those who hear the Davar Elohim (Word of God) and keep it!"² (Luke 11:28, NKJV).
• 13. "Blessed are those servants whom the Master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that He will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if He should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants"² (Luke 12:37-38, NKJV - see Preparedness).
• 14. "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his Master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that He will make him ruler over all that He has"³ (Luke 12:42-44, NKJV).
• 15. "But when you give a feast, invite the poor (see Beatitude #1), the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just"³ (Luke 14:13-14, NKJV - see Festivals, Justification & Righteousness).
• 16. "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of Elohim (God)!"³ (Luke 14:15, NKJV; cp. Jn.6:35,41,48).

Aside from the two beatitudes of Peter which I cited at the end of the Sermon on the Mount beatitudes, there are five more from the apostles which again I shall just read without commentary until we get to the Book of Revelation:

• 17. "Blessed are those whose Torahless (Lawless) deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom Yahweh shall not impute sin (Ps.32:1-2)"² (Rom.4:7-8, NKJV; cp. Heb.8:12; 10:17; 2 Pet.2:8)
• 18. "And the Scripture, foreseeing that Elohim (God) would justify the Gentiles by emunah (faith), preached the Besorah (Gospel) to Abraham beforehand, saying, 'In you all the nations shall be blessed.' So then those who are of emunah (faith) are blessed with believing Abraham"² (Gal 3:8-9, NKJV).
• 19. "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Master has promised to those who love Him"³ (James 1:12, NKJV).
• 20. "But he who looks into the perfect Torah (Law) of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before Elohim (God) and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world"³ (James 1:25-27, NKJV).
• 21. "Indeed we count them blessed who endure"² (James 5:11, NKJV).

With a solid background in beatitudes throughout the whole Bible and especially the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament) we can now look at the ones in the Book of Revelation. I am going to read them out to you now and while I do I would like to ask you to consider how they might resemble the beatitudes we have already studied and how they differ. Here are three questions (amongst others) you could well be asking yourself:

• 1. Which ones are repeats of beatitudes already given?
• 2. Which are completely new? and
• 3. Why this particular set of seven for times of tribulation?

So let's read each of them in turn and next week will examine them more closely. I am using the Revised New American Bible (RNAB) which is an excellent Catholic version which is both literal and very readable:

• 1. "Blessed is the one who reads aloud and blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message (Book of Revelation) and heed what is written in it, for the appointed time is near" (Rev.1:3, RNAB).

• 2. "Here is what sustains the qadosh (holy, set-apart) ones who keep Elohim's (God's) mitzvot (commandments). Blessed are the dead who die in the Master (Lord) from now on...let them find rest from their labours, for their works accompany them" (Rev.14:12-13, RNAB).

• 3. "('Behold, I am coming like a thief'. Blessed is the one who watches and keeps his clothes ready, so that he may not go naked and people see him exposed)" (Rev.16:15, RNAB)

• 4. "Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the lamb" (Rev.19:9, RNAB).

• 5. "Blessed and qadosh (holy, set-apart) is the one who shares in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over these; they will be cohenim (priests) of Elohim (God) and of Messiah (Christ), and they will reign with Him for [the] thousand years (Millennium)" (Rev.20:6, RNAB)

• 6. "Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the prophetic message of this book [of Revelation]" (Rev.22:7, RNAB).

• 7. "Blessed are they who wash their robes so as to have the right to the tree of life and enter the [qadosh, holy, set-apart] city [of New Jerusalem] through its gates. Outside are the dogs (the impure), the sorcerers, the unchaste, the murderers, the idol-worshippers, and all who love and practice deceit" (Rev.22:14, RNAB).

I pray your meditations will be fruitful. So until next sabbath, may Yahweh bless you keep you and open up His heart to you concerning these truths. Amen.

Endnotes