Blessed

Revelation 22:14-16 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever love and make a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 

‘Blessed are they that do his commandments …’ this is the 14th New Testament prophecy in Revelation (22:14-15) that is unfulfilled. Only people who obey God and keep His commandments are promised eternal life, not those who profess and do not obey.

There are 1,050 commands in the New Testament for Christians to obey. Due to repetitions they can be classified under about 800 headings. They cover every phase of man’s life in his relationship to God and his fellowmen, now and hereafter. If obeyed, they will bring rich rewards here and forever; if disobeyed, they will bring condemnation and eternal punishment. They are not to be confused with the 10 commandments which were abolished with the Law of Moses (Acts 15:24; Gal. 2:16, 21; 3:11).

‘That they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city’ two eternal rights of the redeemed: the right to the tree of life and the right to enter the New Jerusalem.

‘For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever love and make a lie’ seven of the ten classes mentioned in Revelation 21:8 are mentioned again that will be in eternal hell: murderers; whoremongers [Greek: pornois, fornicators]; sorcerers [Greek: pharmakeusin, persons who by use of drugs, medicine, enchanted potions, charms, and enchantments seek to produce supernatural effects in the lives of others]; idolaters [those who practice idolatry and abominable immoral acts in worship of idols, as in point 3]; dogs [false prophets and homosexuals are called dogs in Scripture (Deut. 23:18; Isa. 56:10-11; Php. 3:2; Rev. 22:15)]; lovers of lies and liars (21:8; 22:15).

‘I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches’ from Revelation 1:1, 11 we see that the book was transmitted from God the Father to Jesus Christ, to the angel, to John, to the congregations and then through the written Word to us.

‘I am the root and the offspring of David’ a rod comes forth out of the stem of Jesse – referring to Christ as He descended from the tribe of Judah (5:5; Isa. 11:1).

‘Bright and morning star’ Christ shall rise as a Star out of Jacob (Num. 24:17). The star has been a symbol of regal power among all nations, being often used to herald the rise of, and future glory of, a monarch.