The Other Beatitudes

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). You probably recognize this popular verse as being from the Beatitudes which Jesus gave at the start of His Sermon on the Mount. (See “Beatitudes to Be . . . So We Can Be in the Kingdom,” United News, July-August 2024).

Another set of Beatitudes that draws much attention are the seven “blessed are/is” statements in the book of Revelation (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14.) A couple of these urge the reader to keep the words of prophecy in this closing end-time book because “the time is near” and Jesus “is coming quickly.”

Both sets of “be in these attitudes” are obviously crucial for a Christian to study and heed. However, many of us don’t notice how many “blessed are/is” verses there are in the rest of the Bible for us to learn from! In the King James Bible there are, according to e-Sword, 91 verses containing this phrase, counting the Beatitudes and Revelation.

A River of Blessings

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly . . . his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His 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” (Psalm 1:1-3).

My whole life I’ve dreamed of owning property by a river or creek. The best I could achieve is a house about a mile away from the Arkansas River. It reminds me of “a river . . . to water the garden” in Eden including the tree of life (Genesis 2:10).  It also points me to the coming temple in Ezekiel 47 which flows so powerfully to the east that it gets deeper as it goes and has trees on both banks. Its water heals everything in its path. On the new earth in Revelation 22:1 will flow “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” On both banks was the tree of life, its leaves for the healing of the nations. The Bible ends the way it began—with a tree of life and a river!  I can’t wait to enjoy this river for eternity!

The Blessing of Your Calling

One of the most important meanings of God’s Holy Day of Pentecost is that only a few people are called now for their chance of salvation as God’s firstfruits to serve with Jesus Christ after He returns to earth to rule. God the Father has personally selected you! (John 6:44). Let that sink in: the most powerful Being in the universe has noticed you and offered you opportunity to serve with Christ! You must daily and continually choose to respond to God’s calling with faith (Revelation 17:14). Jesus “turned to His disciples and said privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; . . . many 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’” (Luke 10:23-24).

A Blessing for Keeping God’s Word

Luke 11:28 gives a basic foundation for being a Christian. “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”  The book of James expresses the same good advice, urging with a glorious promise, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves . . . he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it . . . will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:22, 25).

We will be judged for how we live what we have been privileged to see and hear. Luke 12:37 warns us, “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.” This includes world events, but especially our own spiritual condition!

Verse 43 tells us to always be evaluating if Christ will find us “so doing” at His return—preaching the gospel to the world and preparing a people God calls to respond to it (Matthew 28:18-20). Receiving the Holy Spirit does not go along with an attitude of “Just You and me, Lord.” All of us know of brethren who have wrongly concluded that “God’s apostle said he finished the work, so there’s nothing left for us to do except prepare to marry Christ.” When we repent, are baptized and receive the Holy Spirit, we are placed into the one spiritual Body of Christ—the Church—to participate in its crucial mission.

The Blessing of Forgiveness

Psalm 32:1 defines one of the biggest blessings available to those God is working with now, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Christ made the perfect sacrifice, and when the Father looks at us, laden with sin but trying to overcome, He sees Christ having died in our place. As a result, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity” (verse 2). That gives us peace and a clear conscience!

Blessed for Believing

Jesus told Thomas: “because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). We must keep walking by faith and not by sight until that glorious day we will be resurrected and see Jesus face to face.

Conclusion

We’ve seen a few of the many blessings Scripture speaks of. For a continued Bible study, consider looking up all the verses which mention the word “blessing.” We will need to be living the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 and Revelation. But let’s remember to “be in the attitudes” taught by the many other Beatitudes found in Scripture.