Revelation 22:6-11 – The Truth
The angel told John, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place. Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.” – Revelation 221:6-7. Here the angel refers to the entire book of Revelation. He shows the authenticity of the book and is reinforcing the importance of all that is in it. Everything John saw will come to pass. This prophecy is true and we must believe it. We don’t know when these things will happen, but we know they will. We know because Jesus is Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11).
We know that all the Bible is trustworthy and true, because there are all kinds of evidence. There are archeological finds; it records incredible accuracy; it was written by over 1500 years ago by over 40 different writers and over 3 different continents. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
“Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.” – Revelation 22:7 Three times Jesus says He is coming, Revelation 22:7, 12, 20. He will be coming suddenly and without warning. There are clearly blessings for those who obey. Revelation 1:3 tells us we will be blessed when we read the words of this book. “Blessed” implies that there will be great benefit to those who study and understand this writing. We will be blessed if we “take to heart what is written”. In other words we should pay careful attention and be spiritually alert and recognize the end is near. Then we will be blessed and ready.
John testified that he actually heard and saw and saw these things. He didn’t imagine it. It came from the Lord. John fell down and to worship the angel who showed him all these things, but the angel responded by saying, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words in this book. Worship God!” – Revelation 22:9
“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.” – Revelation 22:10-11. Verse 11 seems confusing. It means that people can do as they choose, but God will not change His plans.
In Daniel 12, Daniel had to close the words of the scroll and seal them until the time of the end. Now the Messiah has come and the time is much closer so now John was told to not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book but to keep everything he saw open. Nothing is this book is secret. The Lord wants us to read it and understand what these things mean. We know that Jesus will return at any time and the events in Revelation will happen, but we don’t know when. There will come a time when it will be too late to repent and change. The person who does wrong will not change. But for now, we have time to repent and change.
We are sometimes tempted to worship things or people in our thoughts words and actions. This is because we live in a corrupt world and we have a sinful nature. If we’re spending too much time in things that are not of God, we should stop and take inventory of our lives. Go to God in prayer and to our Bible for guidance and strength to recognize and resist these temptations.
Principle: The Bible is trustworthy and true.
Revelation 22:12-16 – Jesus Is Coming Soon
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” – Revelation 22:12. Jesus said He is coming soon and when He does He will be the judge. He will punish those who have done evil things and reward those who serve Him. The reward for believers will be in heaven based on their faithful work here in this life.
Jesus revealed this about Himself, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 22:13. These words describe His completeness, timelessness and sovereign authority. Jesus was there before creation and will be there after the old earth and old heaven has gone. He is one with God. He is God.
Jesus tells us that we must be holy and ready for His return. He lists two groups of people; those who have white clean robes and those who do not. Clean white clothes are believers who have lived holy lives. We can’t do that by ourselves. Only the death of Jesus can we be made holy. His blood has washed our clothes clean. If you have accepted Him into your life, you will be accepted in the holy city. The other group are those who don’t accept Him and will not be able to come into the city – the dogs who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Revelation 22:14-15).
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” - Revelation 22:16. This is the 1st time “I, Jesus” appears in the Bible.
Principle: We must be holy and ready for Jesus’ return.
Revelation 22:17-21 – Final Invitation and Warning
“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” – Revelation 22:17 This is the final invitation to salvation. It is an invitation from the Holy Spirit and the church. They work together to bring people to Christ. The Holy Spirit woos us to come to Him. Christ offers eternal life to those who really want it. It is a free gift from God. You can’t work for or earn it. It comes by faith in the Lord Jesus alone. We all hunger and thirst for God even though some don’t really know what they are hungering and thirsting for. They are really hungering for peace, joy and life that lasts forever. Jesus will give this to everyone who believes.
He gives a final warning that anyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book and adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. If anyone takes away words, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life. He will take away your part of the book and tree of life, the holy city, and the things written in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19)
Believers are called to guard and protect this book. We are to defend it from those who deny its relevance, authority, and also those who misinterpret its meaning. God’s Word is already perfect as He is perfect. If we add or take words away from the Bible, we corrupt it. Then it may cause someone to believe things that are not true.
Jesus gives us His final words that He is coming soon. John expected Him to come – “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” – Revelation 22:20b We should have the same anticipation and attitude, too. We should live holy lives and be ready for Him.
Principle: Jesus is coming soon!
Revelation is a book from God telling us that Christ will return. Everything revealed to John will come to pass, because God is the author. His Words are trustworthy and true! “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him.” – Revelation 1:7
Well, we have finished the book of Revelation. WOW! What a book! What a description John has given us on Heaven. Heaven is a physical place and a joyful place. I believe we will recognize our loved ones and all the saints there. We will eat together and fellowship together. In Matthew 8:11 Jesus tells us, “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” It will be heaven because Jesus will be there with us. Hallelujah!
Have a great summer and join me in the fall for study on “People of the Promise: Exile and Return”. Until then I will be posting throughout the summer on a variety of subjects so I hope to see you here. Stay firm and stay awake until He comes. – I encourage you to trust in Jesus and pray for each other.
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