Revelation 14:13 (KJV) The Final Reality

Revelation 14:13 (KJV)

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.

Realities

There are things that are universally true of all men in all times.

It is universally true that life bears struggle.
Rich or poor, male or female; in good times or bad, life is filled with some sort of struggle.

It is universally true that men war.
We might wish it were not so, but there has never been a time in history where there wasn’t war of some kind among men.

It is universally true that we all die.
This is not a matter of faith but of fact. Whether one is a believer in Christ or not, it is certain: we will all struggle in life, we will all face conflict, and in the end, we will all die.

But Faith!

Faith declares, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.”

In effect, the man without faith is a man without hope. Refusing to accept there is something beyond this life, he strives, wars, and struggles to find some measure of blessing here. He may or may not attain a degree of happiness, but in the end he dies—having lived only for the moment.

Mind you, he must believe there is nothing after death by faith, because he does not know. He simply refuses to accept the evidence for life after death, or he does not like the consequences of it, so he will not face it. Still, his position is one of faith—faith without hope.

The believer in Christ endures the same problems of life—struggles, conflict, difficulties—but he faces them from the position of hope. We who believe cannot know there is life after death any more than the unbeliever can know there is not. The difference is that our faith carries hope. We believe there is life after death, and we believe our faith in Christ brings blessing in death.

Faith in Christ

• Provides hope today
• Promises blessing tomorrow

The faith of the unbeliever offers neither.

#BlessedInTheLord  #FaithThatHopes #LifeAfterDeath #RestAndReward #HopeBeyondTheGrave

The Final Reality: Life, Death, and the Difference Christ Makes

💭 Death is certain—but hope is a choice. Revelation 14:13 reminds us that “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.” Without Christ, death is only despair, but through faith in Him, death brings rest and eternal blessing.

👉 What do you believe happens after death—do you see it as an ending, or as a doorway to hope? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

📲 Hungry for more solid, biblical teaching? Visit marvinmckenzie.org for Bible studies, videos, and resources rooted in the King James Bible.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6800 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
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Revelation 14:13 (KJV)  The Final Reality

Revelation 13:18 (KJV) Pure Wisdom

Revelation 13:18 (KJV)

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

The passage before us is prophetic, future, and pertains to a people of whom believers in this age are promised not to be. My understanding of God’s Word tells me it is superstitious to fret over the number 666. I am not concerned about chips in the wrist, or some other technology, being the mark of the beast. My trouble with those things is personal liberty, for which I believe we must stand and fight.

But even though this passage is prophetic, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. I want, therefore, to make some applications here that may be useful to us.

Here is wisdom.

Wisdom and understanding, I believe, are outside the bounds of time. The Bible says the number of the beast is the number of a man. 666—no matter how many sixes you add to it—always comes short of seven, the number of completion, perfection, maturity, the number that belongs to God.

So far as man is concerned, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Wisdom understands this. Wisdom never trusts the work of man. Wisdom never trusts the wisdom, the reason, the logic of man. Wisdom never trusts the ways, the plans, the schemes of man. Wisdom never trusts the end of man.

Wisdom looks for something—Someone—better, higher, perfect, holy, righteous, impeccable.

Wisdom rejects the schemes of men and places absolute trust in Almighty God.

#Revelation1318 #WisdomFromGod #TrustGodNotMan  #666FallsShort #GodsPerfection

Pure Wisdom: Rejecting the Schemes of Men

✨ Wisdom never trusts in man—it trusts in Almighty God. Revelation 13:18 reminds us that no matter how advanced our reasoning, inventions, or schemes, man always falls short of God’s perfection. True wisdom looks upward.

👉 Question for you: Where are you most tempted to lean on man’s wisdom instead of God’s Word? Share your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear from you!

📲 Hungry for more solid, biblical teaching? Visit marvinmckenzie.org for Bible studies, videos, and resources rooted in the King James Bible.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6800 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Revelation 13:18 (KJV) Pure Wisdom

Numbers 18:7 (KJV) The Gift and Burden of Ministry

Numbers 18:7 (KJV)

Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

As I begin this writing, I want to state my position that the priesthood of our day is the believer and NOT those in the full time ministry.  By viewing the Levitical priesthood as a counterpart to modern ministry, Catholics and others have distorted God’s design and led many into spiritual damage.

That said, I note some things about the priestly office and draw some loose parallels to pastoral ministry.

First, ministry is a gift from God. It’s not for everyone. It is a calling, not merely a choice. It’s a good choice, and I think many in ministry today are there by choice rather than calling. But when God has “gifted” the ministry to you, it changes you in ways others can’t comprehend.

Second, it is a gift of service. It is not a gift of leadership. “Leading by serving” and “serving by leading” are man-made constructs. Christ leads the church—not the pastor.

Third, it is a burden. The priests bore the weight of the sanctuary. I’ve been in the ministry long enough to know there are plenty of sinful things that go on among the people of God. A pastor must not allow himself to become frustrated or angry at those people but patiently bear it and, “line upon line,” teach them, and direct them away from sin.

Numbers 18:1 (KJV)
And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

Finally, those God calls into ministry have a unique relationship to Him. He is their portion. 

I often grieve for those who don’t understand that. Many claim to be Christians, but they don’t seem to have a genuine relationship with God.

Numbers 18:20 (KJV)
And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.

When He becomes your portion, He is completely sufficient.

#GiftOfMinistry #CalledNotChosen #ChristLeadsTheChurch #BurdenAndBlessing #TheLordIsMyPortion

The Gift and Burden of Ministry: God’s Portion for His Servants

👉 Ministry is not a career—it’s a gift from God, a burden to bear, and a relationship that makes Him our portion. ✝️

💬 What do you believe is the greatest challenge in pastoral ministry today—calling, serving, or bearing the burden? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

📲 Hungry for more solid, biblical teaching? Visit marvinmckenzie.org for Bible studies, videos, and resources rooted in the King James Bible.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6800 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Numbers 18:7 (KJV) The Gift and Burden of Ministry

Numbers 17:12-13 (KJV) One Step from Grace

Numbers 17:12-13 (KJV)

And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.

Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?

Barnes writes, “Presumption passed by reaction into despair. Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord? Was there any escape from death, except by keeping aloof from His presence?”

The children of Israel had provoked the hand of God by challenging Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. God judged them by causing the earth to open and swallow them. Instead of repenting, Israel immediately complained that Moses had caused all of this.

God’s interest in putting away the murmuring was answered by Aaron’s rod that budded:

• It was miraculous.
• It was definitive.
• It was enduring (placed with the ark).

Upon seeing the sign and fearing God’s judgment, the people completely reversed course.

At first, they showed too little reverence for the truth.
Now they swung too far to the other side.

But there is something worse than dying: eternal separation from God.

If a man can be brought under such conviction of sin, he is only a step away from opening his heart to the saving grace of God.

#ConvictionOfSin #SavingGrace #Numbers17 #GodsHoliness #EternalSeparation

One Step from Grace: Conviction Leading to Salvation

Have you ever considered whether you are living with too little reverence for God or swinging too far into fear and despair? Aaron’s rod that budded is a powerful reminder that only God sets the standard of truth, and that conviction of sin is meant to lead us toward His saving grace through Jesus Christ.

👉 What do you think is more dangerous—presumption about sin, or despair without hope? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

📲 Hungry for more solid, biblical teaching? Visit marvinmckenzie.org for Bible studies, videos, and resources rooted in the King James Bible.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6800 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Numbers 17:12-13 (KJV) One Step from Grace