REVELATION 22:6-21
the EPILOGUE
Behold, I come quickly...
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We come now to the last recorded words of Christ to the Church. These are his goodbye until we meet again words. We should listen carefully, like we would listen to the last words of a dear friend or loved one. In the book of Revelation, Christ has faithfully passed on his Father's words to you and me. It has been eye-opening, has it not? Line upon line, precept upon precept, we have sat at Jesus feet listening to him tell us about himself … ourselves … and the things that are to come. His words have been honest, straightforward and encouraging. He has opened our eyes and hearts to many things … including peoples, politics, players, spirits, personalities and judgments that are to come during the closing days of Earth's history. Then, to top it all off, he has led us by the hand right on out into eternity so we could get a peek at our eternal home, the New Jerusalem and the new earth upon which it will rest. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rev. 22:6-11 Then he said to
me, ’These words are faithful and true.’ And the Lord God of the
[NU omits “holy”] spirits of the prophets sent his
angel to show his servants the things which must shortly take place.
’Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the
words of the prophecy of this book.’ Now I, John,
[NU changes
“saw
and heard”] am the one who heard and saw these things.
And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the
angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me, ’See that you do not
do that. [NU omits “For”] I
am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and
of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.’ And
he said to me, ’Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the
time is at hand. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is
filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him
[NU
changes “be righteous” to “do right”]
still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.’ 22:6 As the Lord is taking
his leave of us here, he first reassures us that the things he has shared with
us are absolutely true and dependable. His angel says, These words
are faithful and true. He is referring to everything he has said in the
book of Revelation. Every word of it is faithful and true. It has
been given to us from the very One whose nature and name itself is
Faithful and True. He always speaks the truth. Therefore, the angel
confidently proclaims, these things will shortly take place
and, he concludes, blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of
this book. Blessed indeed, aye!? Child of God, the
only solid, dependable, unchanging, reliable, trustworthy thing in this whole
vacillating, ambiguous, truth-starved, deceived world of ours is found between
the covers of our Bibles. It contains God's written words to you and me and is
absolutely faithful and true. It tells us everything we need to
know … from the origin of this universe to its end. It tells us who we are, why
we're here, where we're going, where sin came from, and how God has dealt with
it. It tells us who God is and how we can come into a real relationship with
him. How important God's Word is. Here are a couple of scriptures to remind us
of these truths: Let the word
of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and
admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16 All Scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the
man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Second Timothy 3:16-17 22:7
The second thought
that our Lord leaves us with here is, Behold, I am coming quickly.
Jesus wants his followers to be filled with expectancy and anticipation
of His imminent appearing. Three times, he repeats these same words here … in
verses 7, 12, and 20. Do you think that maybe he feels this is important? Let's
take a moment to look at these words in greater detail. He says: Therefore be
patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer
waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it
receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish
your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. And again, as you have it in
First John 3:23, Beloved, now we
are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but
we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall
see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies
himself, just as he is pure. Do Christ’s words,
I come, grip your heart and life, dear saint? Will they
affect your walk today?
…quickly. Granted, this is speaking from our Lord’s point
of view. Nevertheless, the countdown to the Rapture relentlessly continues today
as surely as that of a space shuttle being counted down to launch. Don’t you
wish we could get a peek at the clock? It has been nearly two thousand years
since John first wrote down Jesus’ words, I am coming quickly. So,
here we are … way down here at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Should
we not be anticipating his coming more than all the saints that have gone before
us? Peter says, But, beloved, do
not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a
thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not
slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is
long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all
should come to repentance. Second Peter 3:8-9 Hebrews
9:28, says, …so Christ was
offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly
wait for him he will appear a second time,
apart from sin, for salvation. Again, as Paul tells the
Thessalonians: And to
wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even
Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. First Thessalonians 1:10
(KJV) And again, as you have it in
Titus 2:13: …looking
for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior
Jesus Christ… 22:8-9 John says, Now,
I John am the one who heard and saw these things? This is his testimony
to the things we have read. He wants us to know that what he has shared with us
is his eyewitness account. Then, he continues,
…I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel
who showed me these things. My, how powerfully all these things
moved the Apostle, John. He was overcome by them. And frankly, he is telling on
himself here. He shares with us that he made the same mistake he made back in
19:10 ... by once again falling down to worship at the feet of another angel!
Just like before, however, the angel wanted nothing to do with this. He
immediately said to John, I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren
the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book.
Worship God.
Let’s stop and think about that for a moment.
Do we worship God? I mean do we really worship him? When there is
an opportune moment … maybe while driving our car or some other occasion
presents itself, do we lift up our hearts to him and tell him how much we love
him and how wonderful he is? Do we ever get on our knees or lift up our hands up
or sing to him? When we awake in the night, do we think about him and find that
we are glad because he is there and, in those quiet moments, we can bask in the
wonder of his presence and worship him without distraction or interruption?
David knew the joy of such moments. He said, My soul shall be
satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with
joyful lips. When I remember you on my bed, I meditate on you in the
night watches. Psalm 63:5-6
In the Greek, the angel’s words, worship God,
here are in the imperative tense. This means it is a command.
First John 2:5 says, But whoso
keepeth his Word, in him truly the love of God is perfected:
hereby know we that we are in him. So, like the Nike
commercial says, just do it, dear saint. Obey this command and your love
for God will increase and be perfected. Worship God. 22:10-11 The angel continued,
Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at
hand. Time is short, beloved. The book of Revelation is intended to be
an open book. It is for anyone and everyone to read. No one should be
discouraged from reading it. It is very special. Like the rest of the Bible, is
not just for the people of God. It is also for those who God is drawing to
himself. Therefore, as
the Holy Spirit says: ’Today, if you will hear his voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of
trial in the wilderness…
Rev. 22:12-16 ‘And behold, I
am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every one according
to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega,
[NU reverses “the
Beginning and the End, the First and the Last”] the First and the
Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who
[NU omits
“do His commandments”] wash their robes
that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter
through the gates into the city. [NU omits “But”]
Outside are dogs and
sorcerers
and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and
practices a lie. ’I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these
things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright
and Morning Star.’ 22:12
Our Lord’s final
words to us continue here in verse twelve. They are words that have to do with
our personal relationship with him. They have seven parts: For we
must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one
may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has
done, whether good or bad. 22:13
2. He says, I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. While
we are waiting for him to appear, he wants each one of us to keep our
theology straight. His clear description of himself here, is
unmistakable. He is our God. The name, Alpha and Omega is the same
name used by God the Father for himself back in 1:8 and again in 21:6. Christ
takes it to himself here, as well as the name, the First and the Last.
These are titles associated with the Jehovah of the Old Testament. We read in
Isaiah 41:4,
Who has
performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning?‘I, the
LORD, am the first; and with the last, I am he.’ 22:14
3. He says, blessed are they that
wash their robes that they might have the right to the tree of life and may
enter in through the gates of the city.
While we are waiting for him to appear, he wants each one of us
to keep our soteriology (doctrine of salvation) straight. In Second
Corinthians 13:5a, Paul says, Examine
yourselves, whether you are in the faith; prove you own selves. The only ones to
enter Heaven will be those whose robes have been washed in the blood of the
Lamb. Have your robes been washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you sure? If
this terminology is foreign to you, it simply means you have put your faith in
Christ and asked him save you. He does the washing. Now, there is a problem in
the translation at this point in the KJV Bible. This phrase, wash their
robes, is correct. But the words, keep his commandments are
an emendation (addition by a copyist). They are not a part of the Word of God.
Apparently, some copyist didn’t believe that people could be saved solely on the
basis of the fact that they were washed in the blood of the Lamb … so he added
the words and keep his commandments. I am grateful for the
scholarship that is available to us today so that we can easily tell where the
Scripture has been tampered with. 22:15
4. He warns,
Outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and
murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
While we are waiting for his appearing, he wants us to keep our separation
from the world straight. The things of the world have no place in the life
of a Christian. They belong to the lifestyles of those who will forever be
outside the city of God. By the way, these words emphasize the city’s
existence in John’s day as well as our own. Both the NKJV and the NIV use the
word sorcerers to translate the Greek word
φάρμακοι
(farmakoi) here. In my
opinion, it should be translated druggies. In any case, the point is that
everyone who is outside the city of God are lost and unwashed
people and still in their sins, as enumerated here. 22:16
5.
He says, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to
you these things in the churches.
While we are waiting for him to appear, he wants us to keep our
inspiration straight. Make no mistake about it, this book is the
authoritative Word of God. It is the Word of Christ. While we are waiting
for him to appear, he wants us to keep our Covenants straight. He
declares here, in no unequivocal terms, that he is the Messiah of the Davidic
Covenant with the Jewish people. Are you a Jew? If so, I pray God has opened
your eyes to who Christ Jesus truly is. He is the Root and Offspring of
David. If you are a Gentile (non-Jew), as I am, keep in mind that we are
his adopted and grafted in children. We have been grafted into God’s people, the
Jews, and thereby have access to their New Covenant. As you have it in Romans
11:18, speaking of the Gentiles and using the analogy of a natural
olive tree for Israel, …do not boast
against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support
the root, but the root supports you.
We Gentiles got in by God’s grace, combined with the fact that
Israel stumbled over Christ (Romans 11). This should generate a great
appreciation on our part for our Lord’s great mercy toward us. As you have it in
Romans 9:25-26: As he says also
in Hosea: ‘I will call them my people, who were not my people, and
her beloved, who was not beloved. And it shall come to pass in the place
where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ There they shall be
called sons of the living God.’ All I’ve got to say
about that is GLORY! … how about you? Everyone needs to
keep their Covenants straight. Jesus’ words here are aimed at his Jewish people
and especially his Messianic Jewish believers. He is the King of Israel, David’s
direct descendant through Mary’s line (Luke 3:23-31).
7.
He says, I am the Bright and Morning star.
While we are waiting for his appearing, he wants us to keep our
eschatology (events of the end times) straight. Continuing the
theme that he is the Root and Offspring of David, he reminds us,
by using this Old Testament title, that he, the Messiah, will appear one bright
day to rule the world just as the Word of God has said that he would. The title,
or name, Star, is rooted in
Numbers 24:17 and emphasizes Christ’s Second Coming. There
we read, I see him, but
not now; I behold him, but not near; a Star shall come out of
Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter
the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult. Peter, in his letter to the Jews,
also alluded to this prophecy in Second Peter 1:19,
saying, And so we have
the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that
shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star
rises in your hearts… The prophet, Samuel, said, The God of
Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be
just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be like the light of the
morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds,
like the tender grass springing out of the earth, by clear shining after
rain.’ Second Samuel 23:34 What a blessed event it will be
when the Morning Star appears for all his covenant people to
behold and shine before them forever more!
But to you who
fear my name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in
his wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.
Malachi 4:2
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Rev. 22:17-20 And the Spirit
and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’
And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water
of life freely. For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the
prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him
the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the
words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the
Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in
this book. He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming
quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. 22:17 Here, at verse 17, we
come to the closing words of the book of Revelation. The Lord chooses to end his
Revelation with an invitation to be saved. He extends it here, three times. What
a heart for people Jesus has. Come,
he says. Come to Christ. Come and get the water of life freely.
The invitation rises up off this page from three different sources. First, it
comes from the Spirit (Christ’s Holy Spirit). Second, it comes
from the Bride (Christ’s Bride, the Church). And third, it comes
from all who hear (are able to hear … in other words all the
saints from all time who are other than the Church) the words of this prophecy.
All three invite the lost to, Come here. I have often heard the
opinion that Revelation is a book that is far too difficult for unbelievers or
new believers to tackle. But do you know what I’ve discovered? People, in
general, are very interested in this book. When my youngest son was in High
School, he said that the young people there were more interested in this book of
the Bible than any other. Its words held a peculiar fascination to them. Christ
anticipated that God-given curiosity and he takes advantage of it here to
lovingly invite all of his unsaved readers to come to him. …for the Son of
Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10
If you are unsaved, dear reader, it is no accident that you have
been reading the book of Revelation. Christ’s Holy Spirit has been speaking to
you. He is saying, Won’t you come to Christ? If he is speaking to
you right now … and you are willing … just bow your head and pray, Lord
Jesus, please save me. Thank you for dying for my sins on the cross. Please wash
me in your blood and forgive my sins and make me your child. From this day
forward, I wish to give my life to you and begin looking forward to your
appearing. Thank you for saving me, Lord, Amen.
Romans 10:13
promises, For whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved. (KJV) 22:18-19 The closing words of
the book are a warning against tampering with this book of the Word of God. To
those who would add to it, he says, God will add to him the plagues that
are written in this book. Those who would take away from
it, he warns, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the
holy city, and from the things that are written in this book.
The penalty for tampering with this book will be huge. Not only will it
bring punishment, but also, the loss of one’s part in the Book of Life. I
believe this means that such a one will lose his or her chance to be saved. It
is not referring to the salvation of those who already have it. Only an unsaved
man or woman would be so stupid and presumptuous as to deliberately mess with
the Word of the living God. Perhaps one of the saddest illustrations of this is
found in the life of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of
Independence. Jefferson’s 1820 Bible is preserved at the Smithsonian in
Washington, D.C. The amazing thing about it is that Jefferson used a razor to
meticulously remove all the passages that had anything to do with miracles or
even a hint of the deity of Jesus Christ. When he was done, he pasted what was
left into a bound plain page book. Jefferson’s new “bible” had no loaves and
fishes, no walking on water, no water into wine and no Resurrection and no deity
of Christ. He eliminated them all. He dismissed such passages as mere
superstition. He left only those parts in his “bible” that he considered
more believable and important, as reflected in his work, The Life and Morals
of Jesus of Nazareth. Amazing presumption, was it not? An article about him
and his bible can be found in the January/February 2009, issue of AARP
magazine.
22:20 The last words of
Revelation come like a sweet refrain and a persistent echo … Surely I am
coming quickly. John enthusiastically responded, even so come Lord
Jesus! John himself says goodbye to us, as well, adding The grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Thank you, John. Thanks
for everything. Well, there you have it, God’s strange work … as
given by the Father to the Son to his angel to John to show to you
and me, his servants, things to come. And strange but wonderful things they will
be when the words in this book come to pass. Grace and peace … beloved. Comments, questions, suggestions
and insights welcome at: munsonh@gmail.com. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas
Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 