The Prophetic Word - Day 112: Eternal rest can begin now.

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Over the last several days we have discussed what true rest is and what it is not.

We have discovered that rest is not an absence of activity, or even an absence of trouble; but rather, it is the settled, confident state found in being situated, anchored, in Christ, by completely trusting in Him.

Indeed, we discovered that true rest is a person: Jesus Christ. And, His rest is ministered to us by way of His Holy Spirit.

We have also discussed the fact that even many Christians have failed to find true rest because they haven’t submitted everything under the authority of Jesus Christ. Make no mistake, true rest can never be experienced by the one who rebels against the yoke of Christ. The one who will not follow, the one who will not obey, will never find rest.

Throughout the Bible we see God’s people failing to enter into His rest because of their disobedience. Sometimes fear led them to seek help outside of God. Other times, idolatry and lusts led them to reject the Lord’s authority. But, whatever caused them to reject God’s authority, the effect was always the same: disaster.

“God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭28‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’ But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Because God’s people would not accept the rest He offered, they were relegated to their enemies who would teach them lessons in a very harsh way.

Jesus confronted those who rejected Him in no uncertain terms.

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.” ‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭39‬-‭40‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In the above scripture He was referencing the religious leaders who did not believe in Him, did not believe He was Who He said He was.

Sadly, these religious leaders were not only failing to enter the kingdom of heaven themselves, they were putting obstacles in the way of those who followed after them. (They were extrapolating burdensome ordinances and rules from The Law to control the people and for selfish gain.)

““But woe (judgment is coming) to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are [in the process of] entering to do so.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭13‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Unlike the religious leaders, our Lord gave Himself to make it possible for us to enter His rest. And, His commandments are meant to usher us into sonship!

“The scribes and Pharisees tie up heavy loads [that are hard to bear] and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger [to make them lighter].” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭4‬ ‭AMP‬‬

We have discussed the wonderful invitation given us by our Lord Who bids us to come and learn everything we need to know from Him. Yes, His load is easy and His burden is light. And, it is only under His leadership that we find rest for our souls!

As well, in our opening scripture we see that there will be a day when our rest will be complete in Him. But until then, He’s with us, walking alongside us, and bearing what we never could have carried alone.

If you are not experiencing the true rest offered by God through Jesus Christ, turn to Him today! Trust Him completely! Follow after Him more fully! The wonderful rest, the eternal rest He has offered, can begin right now!

Peace to you. Rest to you. Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him! #ThePropheticWord