The Final Message.
‘And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.’ – Revelation 22:6-10 (NASB)
Vs 1-5 of chapter 22 really belongs to chapter 21. The 22nd chapter begins here in v6. It summarizes the entire book of Revelation. This is the clincher. If you have accepted Christ as your only means of salvation, then the words that He has spoken in Revelation are ‘true and faithful.’ The events outlined in the book are taking place and He is coming soon. We, therefore, need to take the prophecies seriously and be prepared for His return. “Watch and be ready” Jesus and Paul told us. ‘The time is near.’
The central issue in the book of Revelation is worship.
To whom will you give your allegiance and worship? To the dragon, the beast or to the Lamb? It is very necessary not to seal the words of this prophecy. We need to keep what is written, because the time is at hand. We live in a time where there have been great efforts to seal the prophecies of Revelation and prevent people from understanding what God has actually revealed. Some would seek to put it all in the past, others would like to thrust it all into the future. Futurist would like you to believe that God’s people do not experience the things written in this book because they will be raptured away before it all happens. A study of Revelation reveals the tragic fallacy of such an idea. As I have previously explained the word ‘rapture’ is not to be found in the Bible. It is a Latin word which should indicate the source of this lie. It is a beastly lie! The word secret is never associated with the second coming. The second coming will be visible (Rev 1:7, Titus 2:13, Matt 24:30) audible (1Thess 4:16, 1 Cor 15:52, Isa 25:9) unexpected (Matt24:36) The majority will be lost (Matt 7:13-14, Luke 17: 24- 30) and it will occur after the tribulation (2 Thess 2:1-4,8, Dan 12:1-2, Acts 14:22, John 16:33, Matt 13:20-22, Matt 24:29-31)
The book of Revelation concludes with what was introduced at the beginning: the second coming of Christ in power and glory and the establishment of God’s everlasting kingdom. The return of Christ, when He finally will be united with His bride, is the climactic point in the book. However, the book does not put these events in an unrealistic context. That Jesus is coming soon is the first reality. The second reality is that we are still here waiting for His return. While waiting, we must have a clear comprehension of the messages of Revelation, and we can get this understanding by reading the book again and again until the end of all things comes.
The messages of the book of Revelation constantly remind us, while we wait, not to look to the things of the world, but to fix our eyes on heaven and on Him who is our only hope. The Christ of Revelation is the answer to all human hopes and longings amid the enigmas and uncertainties of life. He holds both the future of this world and our future in His hands. The book also reminds us that before the end comes, we are entrusted with the task of proclaiming the message of His soon return to all the world. Our waiting for His return is not passive, but active. Both the Spirit and the Bride call: “ ‘Come!’ ” (Rev. 22:17). We must join that call. It is the good news, and as such, it must be proclaimed to the people of the world.
Thank you for your share in proclaiming this . message, Ross. Maranatha!
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Thank you so much Ross for your daily posts. The book of Revelation is a gift of life to each one who spends time in its pages.
Abundant blessings to you.
Thankyou – The blessing has been mostly mine. 🙂