The Last Words of the Last Book
Revelation 22:6-21…
Pastor of Messiah's Church
Revelation 22:6-21…
…the last words of chapter 22, the last words of the book of Revelation, the last words of the New Testament, the last words of the Holy Bible.
As we come to the final chapter of Revelation, we hear "famous last words."
You've probably heard that expression, but in reference to what someone is sure will be the case, when in reality, there is a great possibility - even likelihood - that what he envisions, will in no way be the case. "I'll be right back," said the Chase-Pitkin bound husband. Or, how many times have you said something to the effect, "Trust me, you'll see" and then found out that what you thought would be seen was not anything what you had in mind? "Famous last words," we say.
Like Decca Recording Co. in 1962, when considering whether to sign a new British group called the Beatles, said in rejection, "We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." Or Charles Duell, Commissioner at the U.S. Office of Patents in 1899, "Everything that can be invented has been invented." Or Sir Ericksen, the British surgeon appointed to Queen Victoria, "The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon." Or Orville Wright, "No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris." Or those who marveled at RMS Titanic, "not even God can sink her."
"Famous last words." Presumption. What someone was sure would be the case, in reality, was in no way the case.
But the expression "famous last words" takes on a completely different significance as we come to the last words of this last book. For here are recorded the last words of Jesus to His Church - vv.7…12-13…16…20. (Maybe in your Bible they are in red). Since they are spoken by the One who merely spoke and all things were and yet are, they are not presumptuous, like a Chase-Pitkin bound husband or a God-defying ship observer. They are certainties. And v.7 says you are blessed if you heed them.
Heed what? "These things" of "this book," according to many verses throughout the chapter - vv.6-8,9-10,16,18-20. "This book," of course, is the prophecy of Revelation. John was told at 1:11 to write what he saw "in a book." And he did. "These things" refer to the contents and subjects found within the book. Basically, in review, 4 features: the condition of the 1st century churches (chs.2-3), the fall of Jerusalem at 70 AD (chs.4-18), the fall of Rome centuries later (ch.19), and the general sweep of Church history through the Final Judgment (ch.20-21). All of "these things" are under the rule of Jesus Christ (chs.1,22). He oversees it all, and so John fittingly placed the very person of Jesus Christ as the "bookends" of the book, the frame of the vision, since He is both the beginning and the end.
Now, the bulk of the book was in reference to the immediate circumstances of the 1st century Church. For this reason, as the book began (1:1,3-4), so it ends - calling attention to the nearness of the events - vv.6-7…v.10…The bulk of the book - the destruction of Jerusalem - would take place soon after John wrote. Since Jesus Christ came, to whom the temple pointed, why keep the temple? Especially when those professing to belong to God rejected Christ! It must be removed as an act of judgment. And in light of several hundreds of years of Jerusalem's existence, some five years from the time of John's writing until its fall was indeed "near" and "soon to take place."
But this does not mean that the book is irrelevant to you. The last words of this last book call you seriously to consider:
- The Reliability of the Book's Contents
- The Responses to the Book's Contents
Seriously consider...
1. The Reliability of the Book's Contents
This is John's first emphasis in this concluding section (v.6)… "These words are faithful and true" i.e., the book and its contents are reliable. If something or someone is "faithful," that means it or he is reliable. You can be confident that what God has said is true and that it will come to pass just as He said.
This is true of the entire Bible. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is God-breathed," i.e., it is as though God Himself exhaled the very words found in the Bible. Just as when you talk, you exhale breath. The words that are the substance and result of that breathing is a monologue. The entire Bible is basically God's monologue, what He spoke to man. As 2 Peter 1 teaches, God spoke by the Holy Spirit (literally, the Holy "Breath") through chosen men (called Apostles and Prophets) who then wrote His words on parchment. So, if the Bible in general is the very Word of God, then obviously the specific book of Revelation is too. As the angel told John, "these words are faithful and true."
What God says in Revelation is reliable, and therefore, believable. Because it is reliable, we trust it. You don't trust unreliable people, do you? It is true that Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, just as He said. Where is Jews' temple, even today? Where are their priests? Where are their sacrifices? God removed them, just as He said. It is true that the Roman Empire was sacked centuries later. Where are the Caesars? God said He would topple both, and He did. His word is reliable. And that just pertains to what has been fulfilled in the prophecy. There are events yet to come. As sure as God toppled both the persecuting Jews and Romans, He will also bring about those things planned for the future - the discipleship of the nations, the Resurrection and Final Judgment of all mankind, the rewarding of His people with a place in Paradise, the eternal punishment of the wicked in the Lake of Fire. So, you must see the contents of the book as reliable.
Reliable because they originate in Jesus Christ. Note the relation of v.6 to v.16…an angel told John. But who sent the angel? Verse 16 - Jesus. Jesus sent the angel who revealed these "faithful and true things" to John, who then gave them to the Church. Jesus > angel > John > Church, that was the chain of command. The source of it is Jesus. And is He unreliable?
But there is more to this than just recognizing the chain of command. The Bible as a whole, and the book of Revelation as a part, are a reflection of the very person of Jesus Christ. What did the angel say about the words John had received? "Faithful and true." Now look over at 19:11…What does that say Jesus Christ is called? "Faithful and True." The character of God is seen in that which is His. Like the creation reflecting God's wisdom, power, and glory (Ps.19:1-6, Rom.1:19-20), like His Word reflecting His goodness, holiness, righteousness, perfection, and truth (Rom.7:12; Ps.19:7-9), and like His people reflecting His wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth, the Revelation reflects Jesus Christ. It is not only from Jesus. It is about Jesus. Through it, Jesus reveals Himself. It is Jesus telling the Church who He is, what He has done and will do.
Do you remember how the prophecy started? "The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants" (1:1). The book is not simply a tapestry of prophetic events. It is more. It is a drama wherein Jesus Christ is shown to be who He is in and over the events described. The book is about Jesus.
Particularly, Jesus as Lord and God. Again, vv.6,16 …He claims the title of Deity. He is not only the Son of God, but God the Son. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is ruler of the kings of the earth. He is one and the same as the Almighty, the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. That's God - the sum and substance of everything that is, was, and will be. He is all in all. From Him and to Him are all things. There is an inclination to think of God only in the sense of "from Him are all things" and not "to Him are all things"… If the true God is your God, you not only receive all things from Him, but you do all things to Him. He is the sum and substance of your life, or else, He is not your God, at least by conviction.
But in addition to being Lord and God, He has shown Himself as Lamb and Judge. At 22:16, Jesus is…This same expression was used beginning at 5:5, followed by a fuller description of Jesus as a Lamb. It is also used at Isaiah 53, the monumental passage of Jesus' death for sinners, as prophesied under the Old Testament. We normally think of lambs as tender, soft, polite, cuddly animals. But not this Lamb. This Lamb, like the sacrificial animals of the Old Testament, shed His blood, since it is through the shedding of blood that sins are forgiven. Sin is a violation of God's law. And His penalty for sin is death. "The wages of sin is death." And what is symbolic of death but the shedding or pouring out of one's blood? So blood must be shed as God's judgment against sin.
But this Lamb, the man Jesus Christ, like the sacrificial lambs of the Old Testament, was offered in the place of sinners. As Isaiah said, "All of us, like sheep, have gone astray…the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him…a Lamb led to the slaughter" (Is.53:6-7). He became one of us. We are straying sheep. So, He became a lamb. We deserve to die, but He died for sinners. Literal lambs could not take away sin. But this one could, for He is God. Only God can save. Only God can forgive sin, since it is ultimately against Him. This Lamb, since Lord and God, takes away the sin of the world. So, that Jesus is a Lamb reveals that He alone is the sacrifice for your sin.
And in light of the uniqueness of this Lamb, throughout the judgments of chs.6ff., it is specifically the Lamb who brings judgments against his opponents. Again, contrary to our normal expectation of a lamb. He is the Lamb who judges. He is Lamb and Judge. Because of His death for sinners, Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to sit at God's right hand to rule as Judge over the affairs of men. We've already looked at His temporal judgments on men and nations (chs.4-19), as well the Final Judgment at the end of history (20:11-15). We are reminded of that again as a famous last word, 22:12-13…
So, it is necessary to receive this book as a reliable message from Jesus Christ, wherein He reveals Himself as Lord, God, Lamb, and Judge. He does (and will) relate to man in those capacities. He will sustain and govern the universe as Lord and God. He offers salvation to the weary sinner as Lamb. And, you will give account of your life to Him as Judge. "These words are faithful and true."
But Jesus calls you seriously to consider a 2nd element. And it flows out of the former.
Seriously consider:
2. The Responses to the Book's Contents
Since the book is from and about Jesus Christ, any response in light of the book is a response directed against Him. All of you - whether believers or unbelievers - will respond. So it is really not whether you respond, but rather, how you respond. If you do not heed the things of this book, you turn your back on God. If you heed them, you are and will be blessed. Whatever you do, know that you do it toward Him.
But how should you respond?
First, be worshiping. Notice vv.8-9…an amazing scene. No less than John the Apostle worshiping an angel! And this as the 2nd time (cf. 19:10)! What is this but a lesson that even those viewed as strong, Godly people are prone to severe error - even idolatry? God calls you, as He does all angels, and in this case John, to worship in truth.
And this means more than mere church attendance. He calls you not only to the act of worship, but to be a wholehearted, whole minded worshiper of Jesus Christ. This was God's design and goal in creating you. Dt.6:5…Revelation 14:6-7 reveals this in regard to all mankind…Worship is rooted in the fact that God is Creator of all men, but especially in light of the fact that He is the Judge of all men… And if there is a Judge of mankind, that means that something is wrong with mankind. No society needs a judicial system unless sin or injustice is a reality. And because of and since Adam's fall, the earth is a sinful society.
Man, created to be a worshiper of God, goes after idols. Once upon a time, Adam had not only the desire, but the ability to worship God. But having fallen by eating the forbidden fruit, he, and all his posterity, are unable and undesirous of worshiping God. Like a dog that prefers Gravy Train to lettuce, like a child who prefers chips to broccoli, so man prefers sin over righteousness. At times, you prefer idols to God. How do I know you have a tendency to prefer idols? Because the Apostle John was holier than us all, and even he bowed before an angel. Having heard throughout the book of judgment after judgment for the wicked, and encouragement after encouragement for the righteous, it is clear that a purpose of the book is that we worship God. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth, for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.
A second part of your response is to be warned. The revelation was written to particular churches in Asia Minor. Five of seven were on the verge of apostasy. They needed to be warned of the consequences of straying from the Lord they professed. Many had already done this in various ways. Christians, especially if they were Jewish, were constantly harassed by their Jewish countrymen for embracing Christianity, which was to them a false teaching. Others tended to compromise Christian doctrine or ethics amidst the idolatrous practices of the Romans. They were called to see the dangers and avoid them. You can understand this when it comes to children - whether you're a parent or not…
There are really three sets of warnings, vv.11-13, v.15, and vv.18-19. Let's look at these. Verse 11… The warning is really to the genuine Christians to persevere in righteousness and holiness. Just before Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC, God commanded the Israelites to worship idols (Jer.44:25, cf.Ezk.20:39). Now, you may be saying, "Wait a minute! You just said we are to worship God. You've followed that up by giving God's warning. Now you're telling us God commands the worship of idols? And how is v.11 a warning if God is there saying sinners should stay the way they are?"…
You need to understand that this language is taken right out of Old Testament passages that condemn backsliders and apostates. They had so hardened themselves on God's truth that they were beyond recovery. Under Isaiah, Israel was told to "keep on listening but do not perceive, keep on looking but do not understand" (6:9). And Jesus cited this same passage when speaking the parables in the presence of many Jews of the 1st century. They had all the outward trappings of religion, but they did not have the substance of it. Their lives were Godless. Many professed the truth, but did not practice it. And in not practicing it, they came under the threat of imminent judgment. And it could be that some here are approaching this also?…
This is similar to vv.18-19…The idea is not taking your Bible and cutting out the prophet Amos, or the Gospel of Mark. It's not about adding the Songs of Twila Paris or an Epistle of Frank to the Jamaicans. (Obviously, these things are wrong). The language is drawn right out of the Old Testament. When Israel went into the Promised Land, God warned them not to compromise with the gods or religious practices of the nations. After that exhortation, He said, "Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it" (Dt.12:32). Again, on the plain of Moab, God warned about being stubborn and presumptuous with His commands, and said, "…every curse which is written in this book will rest on him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven.
Then the LORD will single him out for adversity from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant which are written in this book of the law (Dt.29:20-21). It meant for the 1st century Christian that if he hardened himself by prolonged disobedience to God, he would place himself under God's judgment (plagues) which were to fall on that generation. For us it means the same, in principle: prolonged disobedience essentially teases God into judgment.
And this is the gist of v.15…dogs (sexually immoral and idolatrous people), sorcery (magical, secretive knowledge often gained by drug usage) …The warning is that those who continue in these will stray to the point of realizing/receiving what I call "divine frustration" - "you want to continue in those sins? Ok. V.11: Let the one who does wrong still do wrong…" It's not judgment, quite yet. It's the point of divine frustration, wherein God, having sent numerous calls to repentance, withdraws them together with the means for their recovery. It is a dangerous place. Like the people of Noah's generation. Like Pharaoh. Like the Jews under both covenants. And these churches of Revelation were in danger of that very apostasy.
Are you? I couldn't help but think about this passage in the context of how Christians were processing the Clinton Square event…praying with Muslims…praying with sinning Christian churches…That's a good illustration of compromising with the syncretistic influences of error. And that was fairly common in the 1st century… That's why Jesus gave more "coming quickly" statements (vv.7,12,20). They're not in reference to the Final Coming. The book of Revelation doesn't deal with that as an actual event, though the Bible does elsewhere. Whenever Jesus talked about "coming quickly" it was always in view of imminent judgment on the sinning churches of the 1st century - 2:5,16 / 3:3,11…
But the principle remains. May it never be that doctrinal indifference or ethical malaise characterize this church. Beware, lest in professing the truth you do not practice it, lest in professing to have salvation you receive judgment, thinking you are entitled to the gates of the city and the tree of life (v.14), and yet finding yourself barred from it v.15…v.19…According to John's words if you are barred from the city, you don't just wander around outside. You are cast into the Lake of Fire. So be warned! In the name of Christ, I urge that if there is anyone here today that is meddling with sin, convicted by sin, or senses that he is drifting away from the truth, that you come, seek, and find the grace of the Lamb, and not the gavel of the Judge.
And this makes the 3rd response all the more appealing - be welcomed into the city - vv.14-15…The city is a picture of the Church. The tree of life is the nourishment of your soul in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Verse 17…The water of life is the wellspring of Jesus salvation, a fountain opened up and gushing forth for the cleansing of sin and impurity. These words are a welcome - an invitation - to whoever is needy to come to Jesus Christ for the healing of his soul.
Sinning Christian, you are in need of constant nourishment. Sinner, you are in need of citizenship in and entrance to the city. Both of you, have just come from the hot, scorched desert of sin. You are famished and parched. Enter the city. It has a narrow gate, so do not be deceived by the ease of the other broad gates you may see. Since your clothes are filthy from the desert, wash your robes. Look at the tree of life. Its fruit is good for food. It will make you wise. It is pleasing to your eyes? Put forth your hand. Take. Eat. Be strengthened. Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Then take also from the water of life. It's free! Don't bring the coins of self-righteousness or the checkbook of human achievement. It will cost you nothing because it cost Christ everything. He paid for sin at the cross with His blood, so take the water freely - whoever is thirsty. Drink deeply.
So, you must seriously consider, and seriously respond. For God is reliable to do all He says He will, just as He says He will. He will come quickly to those whose hearts and lives are not with Him, but He will welcome the needy, the hungry, and the thirsty. I urge you, "come." These are faithful and famous last words of the Lord Jesus.
Human history has recorded, to some extent, the "famous last words" of men and women. Among these, the words of the Scottish patriot William Wallace stand out in my mind. He not only labored during his life for, but also cried in the hour of his death for, "Freedom!" You may remember the reenactment of that moment, if you saw the movie Braveheart. "Freedom!" Wallace lived by it, spoke of it, fought for it, and then died for it, all that others might rejoice in it.
With that same fervor, the Church should have on her lips before the world till her final day those famous last words, "Come! Come! Let the one who is thirsty, come." True, spiritual "freedom" in Jesus Christ. Having seriously considered, and that you may seriously respond to Jesus and His famous last words of this famous last book, consider the ultimate in famous last words, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen."
------- O Lord our God, there is none like you - slow to anger, rich in mercy, abounding in lovingkindness to those who fear you and keep Your commandments, but visiting the iniquity of those who hate you. We give thanks that there is forgiveness with You that You may be feared, that with Jesus Christ there is quenching for the thirsty tongue and satisfaction for the hungry appetite. By the power of Your Holy Spirit draw sinners such as ourselves to You. Cause us to be enlivened and renewed by Your Word. Unite our hearts to fear Your name, and we will walk in Your truth. Forgive our sins and careless strays from Your law. Sensitize us to Your holiness. Enable us to see the greatness and sufficiency of Jesus Christ, and that in seeing Him, we might be enabled more and more to turn from our sins and find refuge in Him. We pray in His great name, Amen.
Messiah's Church Reformed Presbyterian
Telephone: (315) 451-2148
meeting at 8181 Stearns Road
Clay, NY 13041