“Then he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His slaves what must quickly take place.’ ‘Look, I am coming quickly! The one who keeps the prophetic words of this book is blessed.’ … Both the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ Anyone who hears should say, ‘Come!’ And the one who is thirsty should come. Whoever desires should take the living water as a gift. I testify to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this prophetic book, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, written in this book. He who testifies about these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.” (Revelation 22:6–21 HCSB)
Note: I have edited the passage above and omitted the middle section for brevity. I would encourage you to click the link above and read the entire passage yourself.
Have you ever attended a theater production where the author or the star of the production comes out on stage at the end and speaks to the audience? In a very real sense, that is what we have in this week’s passage. We’ve reached the end of the story, and the divine Author steps out on stage and speaks to the audience. If you’ll recall, these words are very similar to those we encountered at the very beginning of the story (see Rev. 1). We are living in the midst of the reality of these things—the promise of Jesus’ return and the certainty of it. As the story of this life draws to a close, the Author steps out on stage and tells us how to live in the meantime. Listen to His advice…
First, He tells us that the Word of God and, more specifically, the challenging words of this book are faithful and true, and we are called to live in complete obedience to them. Notice that the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show us, His slaves, what must quickly take place. Slaves obey the words and commands of their Lord and Master. To do this, we need to clearly hear His Word, know His heart, and trust His will. We often read God’s Word with an agenda. We’re not looking to know His will; we’re looking for either a loophole or an excuse to sidestep His commands. If we want to know the blessing of God, we must be willing to pursue obedience to His Word.
This really comes down to a simple reality check on our part. Do we believe God and trust His Word, or not? When our will and God’s will are in conflict, who is right? When our desires and God’s desires don’t align, whose do we pursue? This is the root struggle we all face: Do we believe and trust that God knows better than we do what is best for our lives? If so, why wouldn’t we obey His Word? Why wouldn’t we follow His will? Why wouldn’t we pursue His desires? If we want to know God’s blessings, we must keep His Word, pursue His will, and align ourselves with His desires.
Next, we find John falling back into his old habit of falling down in worship at the angel’s feet. Why does John keep doing this? Because I think it is indicative of our own struggle. We often worship people or things that are unworthy of our worship. John has been falling down at the feet of the angel who is revealing these scenes to him, and that is called out as false worship: “Don’t do that! I am a fellow slave with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” We need to evaluate our own worship. Do we worship people or things that hold prominence, power, or authority over our lives? Have we placed someone or something in a position of authority or prominence in our lives, and are we giving them worship that belongs to God alone?
Let me state this in a very direct way. Every religious belief and worship tradition outside of proper worship of God is guilty of the sin of worshipping a false god, angelic being, or sinful human. Every created being, creature, or thing is unworthy of worship, regardless of how they might be used by God. As the angel says, “I am just a fellow slave with you, worship God.” Everything in creation exists for God’s purpose and His will. “For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16 HCSB) When we acknowledge that and surrender to it, we fall in worship before Him and Him alone. Be careful. Like John, we have a tendency to worship people and things. They are completely unworthy of our worship, for they were also created by Him, through Him, and for Him. He alone is worthy of our worship.
Next, we must proclaim the truth of God’s Word. The angel also told John, “Don’t seal the prophetic word of this book, because the time is near. Let the unrighteous go on in unrighteousness; let the filthy go on being made filthy; let the righteous go on in righteousness; and let the holy go on being made holy.” The time is near for God’s judgment on man’s sin, so the angel says these prophetic words must be proclaimed. What might seem confusing, at first, are the statements about the unrighteous continuing in their unrighteousness and the filthy growing in their filthiness.
This is very similar to what God told Isaiah: “And He replied: Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive. Dull the minds of these people; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:9–10 HCSB)
In essence, I believe these words (Isaiah 6 and Revelation 22) are words of warning. If we persist in our pursuit of unrighteousness, we will just continue to become more and more unrighteous. If we continue in our filthiness, we will just become more and more filthy. But the angel contrasts this with those who pursue righteousness and holiness. Those who pursue righteousness go on becoming more and more righteous. Those who desire holiness are made more and more holy. The prophetic truth of God’s Word is that if we choose unrighteousness and filthiness, then we will get worse and worse. But those who choose righteousness and holiness will be made more and more righteous and holy. All unrighteousness and filth will be excluded from God’s holy city, but those who choose Him who is righteous and holy will be recipients of God’s grace, will drink the living water, and eat from the tree of life.
Listen to the warning as attested by Jesus: “Look! I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me to repay each person according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. I, Jesus, have sent My angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright Morning Star.” The One who is able to judge us and has every right to do so is giving us this warning. Pay attention to this: We are not made righteous by our good deeds. We are not holy in and of ourselves. We are made righteous and holy only by washing our robes—our actions and our way of living—in the blood of the Lamb. Don’t miss His stark warning!
Now, listen to the invitation: “Both the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ Anyone who hears should say, ‘Come!’ And the one who is thirsty should come. Whoever desires should take the living water as a gift.” God offers us the gift of grace, forgiveness, and cleansing if we will but admit our need and our longing for it. Let those who are thirsty come and drink. Let those who desire take the living water as a gift. We’re invited to come; we’re invited to drink. Will we hear and respond to the invitation? The invitation has been sent out. How will you respond?
Why is it so hard to admit our thirst? Why would anyone turn down this invitation? Because we’re unwilling to admit our sins. We refuse to acknowledge our rebellion toward God. We deny our filth and proclaim our innocence: “I’m not that bad. I’m really a good person. I mean, if anybody is good enough to get into heaven, it’s me!” But nobody gets in on their own merit. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.”
Be careful, there’s one more warning we need to hear and heed. Listen to John’s testimony regarding it: “I testify to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this prophetic book, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, written in this book.” Adding to or taking away from these words carries a dire warning. I think this warning is more than just a caution about your typing or copying skills. It’s about how we understand, interpret, and proclaim them to others. Don’t make them say more than what God intended, and don’t make them say less than He intended. We must be faithful in how we read, understand, and teach them to others.
Honestly, that is one of the reasons I was hesitant to tackle this awesome book. This warning and my desire to be faithful to it have driven my entire approach to how I’ve taught these things to you. I believe that when we get caught up in attempts to identify current events and make them “fit” the objects and images of these visions, we’re adding to or taking away from the words of this book. We must hear their truth without adding our own interpretation to it. So, obey His Word. Worship the One, the only One, who is worthy of our worship. Proclaim the truth of His revelation. Heed the warning of His judgment. And respond to the invitation He alone is able to offer: Come drink! All who are thirsty, come drink!
Finally, pray for His coming. He says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” John responds, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”
Do we long for and pray for His coming? To be honest, I didn’t understand this when I was young. Why would anyone long for, pray for, or hope for Jesus to come? That would bring an end to this life. That would bring the destruction of this world. That would usher in a new heaven and a new earth, and I liked the old one. That was before I truly recognized and experienced the evil that pervades our lives and our world. Now, like my mother and father before me, I long for and pray for His coming. Do you?
Even so, come Lord Jesus!
Leave a Reply