Lesson 28
Epilogue
Final Admonitions – with a bit of urgency
Revelation 22
I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: …
"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.
Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
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.
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon."
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Rev 1:9-11, 19; 22:12-13, 17, 20
“All the glorious purposes of God, ordained from the foundation of the world,
have now been attained. The rebellion of angels and mankind is all and finally subdued,
as the King of kings assumes his rightful sovereignty. Absolute and unchangeable holiness characterizes all within the universal kingdom of God. The redeemed, made so by the blood of the Lamb, are in resurrection and eternal glory. Life is everywhere – and death will never intrude again. The earth and the heavens both are renewed. Light, beauty, holiness, joy,
the presence of God, the worship of God, service to Christ, likeness to Christ – all are now abiding realities. The vocabulary of man, made for life here, is incapable of truly and adequately depicting what God has prepared for those that love him.”
Wilbur M. Smith
Introduction: What God says will happen - will happen
Isa 46:8-10
8 Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels.
9 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.
It will be some kind of city - probably bigger than you thought
I. The Incitement of Imminence Rev 22:6-13
A, The Urgency of Compliance 22:7
Rev 22:7 Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.
Rev 3:11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
Rev 22: 7, 12, 20
1. The blessed 6th Beatitude 1:3, 14:3, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7, 22:14
2. The blessedness of “keeping”
KEEP
tereo denotes (a) "to watch over, preserve, keep, watch," it is used of the "keeping" power of God the Father and Christ, exercised over His people, John 17:11,12,15; 1 Thess 5:23, "preserved"; Rev 3:10; of their inheritance, 1 Peter 1:4 ("reserved"); of judicial reservation by God in view of future doom, 2 Peter 2:4,9,17; 3:7; Jude 6,13; of "keeping" the faith, 2 Tim 4:7; the unity of the Spirit, Eph 4:3;
(b) "to observe, to give heed to," as of keeping commandments, etc., e. g., Matt 19:17; John 14:15; 15:10; 17:6; James 2:10; 1 John 2:3,4,5; 3:22,24; 5:2
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
B. The Urgency of Correctness 22:6, 8-9
Rev 22:6, 8-9
6 The angel said to me, "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."
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me.
9 But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"
1. The designation of angels
Heb 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
2. The danger of emotion
Deut 4:19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars — all the heavenly array — do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.
Col 2:18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.
C. The Urgency of Communication 22:10-11
Rev 22:10-11
10 Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.
11 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."
1. because Christ’s return is imminent
2. because there are no hidden meanings to the words
3. because if the warnings in this book are not sufficient, nothing else will be either
4. because the response to truth galvanizes character
Ps 95:7-8, 11
7b Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert,
11 So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."
Rom 1:24, 26, 28
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.
28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind,
2 Cor 2:15-16
15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?
D. The Urgency of Commitment
Rev 22:12-13
12 Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Luke 12:35-36a, 37a, 38
35 Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like men waiting for their master to return
37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.
38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night.
II. The Benefits of Belief
A. The Advantages of Faith Rev 22:14-17
1. The claim of the righteous
22:14 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.
“And there shall be no more curse – perfect restoration.
But the throne of God shall be in it – perfect administration.
His servants shall serve him – perfect subordination.
And they shall see his face – perfect transformation.
And his name shall be on their foreheads – perfect identification.
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, for the Lord giveth them light – perfect illumination.
And they shall reign forever and ever – perfect exultation.”
A.T. Pierson
2. The condemnation of the unrighteous
22:15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
3. The credentials of the righteous one
22:16 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."
a. the difficulty this raises for cults
Rev 1:8; 22:13, 16
8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.
13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.”
b. the decision this requires of readers
“Thus the very God of all inspiration, and of all inspired men, reiterates and affirms the highest authority for all that is herein written. Either, then, this book is nothing but a base and blasphemous forgery, unworthy of the slightest respect of men, and especially unworthy of a place in the sacred canon; or it is one of the most directly inspired and authoritative writings ever given.”
Joseph A. Seiss
4. The call to all to be righteous
22:17 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.
B. The Advantages of Fidelity
Rev 22:18-19
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.
19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
1. if man adds, God adds
2. if man subtracts, God subtracts
Deut 4:2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.
Deut 12:32 See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.
Prov 30:6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
Rev 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
III. The Affirmation of the Apocalypse Rev 22:20-21
Rev 22:20-21
20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon."
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.
“Fiction has painted the picture of a maiden whose lover left her for a voyage to the Holy Land, promising on his return to make her his beloved bride. Many told her that she would never see him again. But she believed his word, and evening by evening she went down to the lonely shore, and kindled there a beacon-light in sight of the roaring waves, to hail and welcome the returning ship which was to bring again her betrothed. And by that watchfire she took her stand each night, praying to the winds to hasten on the sluggish sails, that he who was everything to her might come.
Even so that blessed Lord, who has loved us unto death, has gone away to the mysterious Holy Land of heaven, promising on his return to make us his happy and eternal Bride. Some say that he has gone forever, and that here we shall never see him more. But his last word was, “Yea, I come quickly.” And on the dark and misty beach sloping out into the eternal sea, each true believer stands by the love-lit fire, looking, and waiting, and praying and hoping for the fulfillment of his work, in nothing gladder than in his pledge and promise, and calling ever from the soul of sacred love, “EVEN SO, COME, LORD JESUS.”
And some of these nights, while the world is busy with its gay frivolities, and laughing at the maiden on the shore, a form shall rise over the surging waves, as once on Galilee, to vindicate forever all this watching and devotion, and bring to the faithful and constant heart a joy, and glory, and triumph which nevermore shall end.
Joseph A. Seiss, The Apocalypse, 1957
TNBS Study Questions preparation for lesson 29
1. Why is Jesus coming back?
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2. The most striking thing to me about John’s vision of Jesus (Revelation 1) is :
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3. The over arching lesson that churches should learn from Revelation 2 and 3 is :
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4. Paul speaks of a “catching away” of believers in 1 Thes 4:13-18. Where is this in Revelation and why do you think so?
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5. In the vision looking into heaven itself (chapters 4-5), the thing that had the greatest impact on me was :
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6. The most disturbing thing about the six seal judgments is :
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7. To me, the worst of the 7 trumpet judgments is : (give reasons)
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8. New information about the bowl (vial) judgments surfaced when I realized :
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9. John says (1 John 2:18) that many antichrists are already here. I will recognize them, and the final one, by :
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10. Jesus said we are not to believe false prophets (Mat 24:24-25). How does Rev 13 help us recognize them?
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11. When Jesus comes in his glory, what are the next 5 things on God’s calendar that we would expect to happen?
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12. The most staggering thing I’ve learned about the coming eternal state of believers (chapters 21 – 22) is :
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13. In what ways does your life demonstrate that you believe Jesus is returning? How have others confirmed this?
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14. If I really believe I should prepare for Christ’s return as I’m commanded, the following things in my life need to change :
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15. The 2 things I wish this class would do differently are :
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16. My suggestion for a future study in this class would be :
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I say this because ______
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17. I have the following closing comments concerning this class :
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