The Blessed State Of The Righteous Dead - Part Two

Revelation 14:13

Also in the New Covenant we find imagery that consoles. Jesus made promises that clearly refer to the eternal state, after the Judgment. The Righteous dead will have the right to the tree of life - Re 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.'”; 22:2, 14 “through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” – “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” The Righteous dead will not be hurt by the second death - Re 2:11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.'”; 21:8 “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."’ Their names will not be blotted out of the Book of Life - Re 3:5 “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”; 20:12,15 “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” Yet also those scriptural text that refer to the intermediate state, between death and the resurrection are to reign over the nations with Christ - Re 2:26-27 “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.”; 3:21 “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.”; 20:4-6 “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” They areto walk with Him in white, clothed in white garments - Re 3:4-5 “Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”; see also 7:9-17. -- Jesus describes blessings for the righteous dead prior to eternal state!

The condition of the righteous in the intermediate state has always been one of bliss.... As depicted by the story of the rich man and Lazarus, yet that only describes the condition while the Law of Moses was still in effect. The New Testament indicates that the condition of the righteous dead changed after Jesus ascended to heaven, so that Paradise is now in the presence of God in heaven. Faithful Christians can look forward to being with Christ upon their death. The righteous dead are now in the presence of Jesus, comforted by Him and serving God in His temple, even reigning with Him! “But if righteous dead are in heaven now, what happens after the resurrection and judgment...?” God and Jesus will dwell with them in heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven into a new heaven and new earth – see Re 21:1-22:5. A promise Peter and the early Christians looked forward to - 2 Pe 3:13 “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” Wonderful are the words John heard from heaven...!
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”