A Revelation Invitation

In 1791 the Bill of Rights was amended to the United States Constitution. These ten amendments addressed specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights for citizens of the United States. Congress cannot pass laws which infringe on these rights. The executive branch is constrained from acting against its citizens contrary to these rights. The courts are obligated to upholding these rights in their rulings. In few countries is the government so constrained in its relationship with its citizens.

Christians are citizens of a country, a kingdom, ruled not by a constitution, but by a king on the throne in heaven who exercises absolute power and is only constrained by his own nature. Do we as human beings have any rights before this throne? Despite God’s unfettered power, Jesus specifies some amazing rights in the pages of Revelation:

“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7b NIV)

“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (Revelation 3:21 NIV)

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” (Revelation 22:14 NIV)

Apparently we do have rights—the right to the tree of life, the right to rule with Jesus in the new creation, the right to enter through the gates of new Jerusalem into God’s presence. These are rights. Wow! It’s inconceivable that we sinners have been granted rights in the kingdom of God. Didn’t we forfeit our rights to demand anything from the king when we sinned against him? How is it possible that we still have the rights described above? Only through the blood of Jesus Christ!

When Jesus died on the cross, he died in payment of our debt of sin covering us with his blood. When we appear before a just God, he cannot punish us whose sins have been paid for. He must constrain himself or else he would not be a just God. He would be unjust to exact a second payment. He has granted us these rights, and they cannot be taken from us. His son’s life giving sacrifice has wiped clean our slate of offenses putting us right before God.

We remain undeserving. But these rights cannot be withheld from us, even by an all-powerful God. He loves his creation, and loved us enough to offer his own son as the Passover lamb to cover our sins with his blood. We can now enter into God’s presence with confidence! We can eat from the tree and live! We can rule righteously with Jesus over God’s good creation! We have been granted these rights.