Revelation 14:13: And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

The last 3½ years before the Second Coming is called the Great Tribulation.¹ During this time, many saints will literally remove themselves from Modern Babylon² to physically dwell in New Jerusalem (Zion) in Jackson County, Missouri.³ They will be physically protected in the city of Zion until the Second Coming.⁴ Unfortunately, many saints will be unable to physically gather to Zion, but they will remain spiritually gathered in the outlying stakes of Zion.⁵ They will not have the physical protections of New Jerusalem (Zion) and many of the faithful will die in the Lord.⁶ Generally, to die in the Lord means they will die as martyrs⁷ for the Lord⁸ during the Great Tribulation.⁹ Death will be a blessing for them.¹⁰

In Revelation 14:13, the Lord reassuringly speaks to all righteous saints and martyrs that die in the Lord. He speaks with a voice from heaven¹¹ confirmed through the Spirit, which is the Holy Ghost.¹² The Lord's reassuring message to the saints and martyrs is so important that John was told specifically what to write.¹³ The blessings of martyrs that die in the Lord¹⁴ include vindication for their deaths¹⁵ and their resurrection to glory and exaltation¹⁶ in the holy (celestial) city of Zion.¹⁷

The Lord promised martyrs that die in the Lord the blessing of exaltation from henceforth.¹⁸ The word henceforth has been interpreted several ways.¹⁹ Based on the Second Coming context of Revelation chapter 14,²⁰ however, the Lord's message is addressed specifically to martyrs that will die during the Great Tribulation.²¹ This verse offers them hope and reassurance. Of course, the same blessing will come to all martyred saints who receive their gospel ordinances in this life and remain faithful until they die in the Lord.²²

Physical death will bring deliverance to the righteous saints martyred during the Great Tribulation.²³ Death for them will be a blessing and the time of their tribulation will be cut short in righteousness.²⁴ When they die, they shall²⁵ rest from their labours²⁶ in mortality.²⁷ Their reward comes after they die²⁸ because their good works do follow them.²⁹ Every principle of intelligence gained from good works in mortality will rise with the righteous dead in the resurrection.³⁰

Joseph Smith said that Revelation 14:13 should say that the righteous dead "shall continue their work."³¹ This means that righteous members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continue their labors in the postmortal spirit world after they die.³² Their work in the spirit world prepares other disembodied spirits to be resurrected with exalted bodies in the morning of the first resurrection just before the Second Coming.³³