The Bible is a series of divinely-inspired, God-breathed
books, that were written by 40-or-so men “carried along by the Holy Spirit” in
their own time, place, and context to record the revelation of God as pointed
toward, completed in, and resulting from the work of Christ. One can imagine
that finishing a collection of books of this magnitude is no small feat. The
idea of concluding such a work might lead us to wonder with great interest, what
final words will be offered in God’s special revelation? How exactly will this
wrap up? What parting message will be shared? Over the next couple of weeks,
with great reverence and care, we will answer this question as we cover the
final verses in Revelation. Today, as we begin to bring our study of this
important book to a close, we are going to read four statements that work
together in Revelation 22:10-15 to bring the Revelation of Jesus Christ to an
end.
The first statement given
in this context is a prophetic utterance and the first element of this
utterance is a command—“and he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the
prophecy of this book for the time is near” (22:10). In many cases throughout
the Bible, prophets are asked to share things and keep other things hidden or
“unshared.” This is the case for John in the Book of Revelation. Earlier in Revelation
5, John weeps when the seven-sealed scroll appears with no one able to open
it—a scroll containing, at least in part, the unfolding series of judgments
that move God’s plan along to the end. When Jesus emerges to open the scroll,
John is relieved and then permitted to describedwhat ensues (the seals,
trumpets, and bowls). In other cases, John is asked to withhold information. In
Revelation 10:4, John is told to seal up what the seven thunders said to him.
In both ways—in withholding information and in sharing revelation—John serves
as a prophet. Here, John is asked to share the contents of this book
openly—i.e. proclaim the revelation contained in this work to the world. After
all, as was alluded to in 22:7, “the time is near” (22:10). People need to hear
this and be given an opportunity to respond to it.
However, the next element of the final
prophetic message is the realization that often comes with the call to share
what is revealed. The first realization concerns the stubborn—“Let the one who
does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy”
(22:11a). God is realistic concerning the response people will have concerning
his revelation. For many who are stubborn and “stiff-necked,” they will
continue to resist in spite of what has been shared. A similar realization is
given to Isaiah at the front end of his ministry. Immediately after an
experience in the throne room of God in which he was commissioned in a special
way to speak for God to his people, he is told the following: “Go, and tell
this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; keep on looking, but do
not understand. Render their hearts of this people insensitive, their ears
dull, and their eyes dim,…” (Isaiah 6:9-10).
In this case, Isaiah is sent with word from
God to a stubborn and obstinate Judah and Jerusalem. God knows that despite his
messages and overtures, the people will continue down their path of resistance.
That said, he is perfectly willing to provide much-needed and important
revelation nonetheless and was prepared to tell them on the back end of their
failure “I told you so.”
Unfortunately, the same will be true in
John’s case with many who pick up the Book of Revelation and read it. Many will
refuse to believe it and/or resist its many implications and, as a result,
persist in their wrongdoing and wallow in their worldly filth. That said, John,
acting as a New Testament prophet, is still called of God to share what he has
recorded in this volume.
Thankfully, there are others who, in God’s
grace, respond positively to the revelation provided and, as a result, begin a
life of righteousness and holiness unto the Lord—“and let the one who is
righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep
himself holy” (22:11b). These two kinds of people—the wicked and the righteous,
are also identified in Daniel (a book that shares a lot in common with
Revelation).
Daniel 12:9-10-“Many will be purified, many spotless and
refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will
understand, but those who are wise will understand.”
Both in Daniel and in Revelation the Word
reveals that the world will continue to consist of the wicked and the righteous
right up to the end. Given that the end is near, comments like these are
intended to encourage the unsaved to think carefully about the choices they are
making concerning God’s revelation in general and the greatest
revelation—Christ—in particular. Those who enter a relationship with Christ are
made righteous and placed on a path of holiness that will lead them to enjoy
the many blessings that are described in this book in the end. Those who
stubbornly refuse Christ will continue on the path of wickedness all the way to
the eternal separation from God described in this book. In many ways, what is
expressed in this final prophetic message is the same kind of statement God
offered to so many in Isaiah’s day and in Daniel’s day—a sobering front-end
reminder that there are two types of people in the world and it is preferred to
avoid the wicked and unrighteous bunch by responding positively to God’s
revelation.
2. The Final Prediction-22:12
Following the final prophetic message is the
final prediction given in the passage—“Behold, I am coming quickly,…” (22:12a).
Just as Jesus has already done in verse 7, Jesus promises and predicts his
impending return. That he uses “quickly” or “soon” means that people everywhere
ought to treat the return of Christ with great urgency.
There have been people in every age who have believed
that they were living in the very last of the last days—i.e. that they would
see the return of Christ described in the Book of Revelation. There are those
who believe this today. While some might seek to tame this sentiment, I believe
God desires us to live this way, regardless of whether-or-not it may happen in
our lifetime. Consistently in the New Testament, Jesus and the disciples make
the case that his return is soon.
Luke 22:34-36-“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be
weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that
day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on
the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may
have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to
stand before the Son of Man.”
Matthew 24:27-“For as the lightning comes from the east
and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
Matthew 24:42-“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know
on what day your Lord is coming.”
Revelation 3:11-“I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have,
so that no one may seize your crown.”
See also Matt. 25:13; Rom. 13:11; 1 Thess.
4:3-18; 2 Pet. 3:10-12
If they believed this, how much more should
we and how much more seriously should we consider how we live and minister in
light of this?
Along with the prediction of his second coming,
Jesus predicts what will come along with his return to the earth—“and My reward
is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done” (22:12b). It
is important to acknowledge that in Revelation, the “reward” is not salvation (so
that none should believe that works bring about a right relationship with God).
Instead “rewards” in Revelation focus on the end times and relate to eternal blessings
that will be given to believers for their faithful walk with Christ. In other
words, though believers are not saved by works, good works done in faith are
rewarded by God in the end. The rest of the New Testament shares the same
testimony.
1 Corinthians 3:8, 12-13-“Now he who plants and he who waters are
one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor…Now if any
man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because
it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what
sort it is.”
Again, believers, while not saved by works,
will be rewarded according to their good works done in faith by the grace of
God. One motivating factor behind such works done in this life ought to be the
imminent return of Christ who could come back any moment. This final prediction
intends to motivate good works from those who belong to Christ—those kinds of
works that will be rewarded in the end.
3. The Final Theological Statement-22:13
Following this final prediction is a final theological
statement—“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning
and the end” (22:13). Here, not once, not twice, but three times Jesus refers
to himself as the sovereign Lord of all. Each element of the triad here
endorses parallel references to the start and finish of history. The
theological point being made with these titles—Alpha and Omega, the first and the
last, the beginning and the end—involves the eternality, preexistence, and
authority of Christ and reiterates his divinity in those terms. No one is
superior to Him as he is the ultimate Alpha. No one is worthy of “first” priority
except He who occupies “first” place on the list of supremacy. No one has been
from the beginning except Him. All other things have a starting point.
Similarly, there is no authority higher than the “Omega” that will exist in the
end. All others simply share in the program that he has authored. There is no
one worthy to give the “last” word on the matter other than He. All other words
are judged against His. There is no one else who decides the “end” except Him.
All others are subject to his will. What Jesus shares here is a power message
of his divinity, beautifully captured in a fitting triad of completion.
What renders this statement especially
beautiful is that this theological claim also satisfies the second and
concluding element of an inclusio (bookend) found in the Book of
Revelation. Both at the beginning (Rev. 1:8) and end of the book (here in 22:13),
God and Christ (respectively) refers to himself as the beginning of all things.
Literarily, this establishes that the same One who ordained the beginning of
the world will bring it to its end. He is both the Creator and the Recreator.
4. The Final Beattitude-22:14-15
The last statement
made in this passage is a final beatitude given in two parts. Initially, the beatitude
addresses those to whom a blessing applies—“Blessed are those who wash their
robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter by the
gates into the city” (22:14). Though this is the last of the seven beatitudes in
the book (see 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7), the one unifying theme is
the necessity of remaining true to the Lord in order to participate in the
resurrection to eternal life (Osborne, Revelation, 789).
Here in 22:14, the
imagery of washing their robes speaks of ridding one’s life of the filth of
this world and striving to live in purity before God (Osborne, Revelation, 789).
These are those who have been made right before God in salvation and, as a
result, pursue holiness in Him –exchanging their garments of sin and shame for
the robes of righteousness. According to this blessing, these will be granted
access to the tree of life and entry into the gates of the holy city. In other
words, eternal life and uninhibited access to God’s presence is promised to the
righteous.
In stark contrast to those called “blessed”
are those left “outside” the gates—i.e. those who are prohibited from enjoying
the fruit from the tree of life. These are identified in verse 15—“Outside are
the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the
idolaters and everyone who loves and practices lying,…”. As with the list of
iniquities found in 21:8, this verse is not intended to serve as an exhaustive
list of unpardonable sins. Instead, it denotes the kinds of practices that are
witnessed on a regular basis in the lives of those who are not in right
relationship with God. Their being “outside” the boundaries of heaven indicates
that they will not enjoy the blessings described earlier—those blessings that
come from access to the tree of life and proximity to God’s glorious presence.
So What?
These four statements—a prophetic utterance,
prediction, theological statement, and beatitude—lend themselves to important
applications for our lives today. First, the prophetic utterance highlights that
faithfulness to share God’s message is its own reward and we ought not base our
success on how many or who responds so long as we are faithful to proclaim what
God has revealed. Second, the prediction indicates that we ought to be spending
what little time we have left before Jesus’ return performing those works that
please him and forsake that which is trivial or against God’s will. The
theological statement ought to engender confidence that regardless of what we
perceive around us, God is sovereign over it all and will bring to a perfect
close what he has started. The beatitude ought to have us checking ourselves to
see if we are in the faith and cause us to share that faith with those still on
the outside looking in. Ultimately, these final statements are a call to be
busy—busy sharing what God has made known, knowing that He is in control and
pleased by our efforts to share him with those around us. This business ought
to be fueled by the imminence of his return, the glory of the blessings that
are coming for the saved, and doom that will befall those who don’t enter into
a relationship with Christ in time.
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