Revelation 22:10

Revelation 22:10

In Rev. 22:10-11 the Bible says, "And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." John was told to "seal not the sayings of the prophecy of the book" because the Bible is supposed to be an open book, presented and offered to all. The Bible was never meant to be reserved for an exclusive group to the exclusion of others. God wants everyone to know the wonderful truths of the Bible. That’s God’s attitude about the matter: openness and inclusion.

In order for the truths of the Bible to be offered to all, it requires cooperation and action from those who already know the Bible. In order for the truths of the Bible to become offered to all, those who already know some of the Bible must make sure that they "seal not the sayings of the prophecies of the book." Every Christian in some way can take part in the spread of the gospel. The truth of the Bible is passed from one generation to another. As soon as one generation of Christians stops spreading the truths of the Bible, darkness will spread over the land in its place. Christians should always look for new ways and more effective ways to help spread these truths. Each Christian can do something. Each Christian can dedicate in prayer their resources to God, offering some of their time and capacity and abilities for spreading the gospel and helping to open the prophecies of the book. Rom. 10:14-15 says, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things?"

We should help spread the gospel and teach the Word because it is effective in touching hearts. It’s the power of God unto salvation. We should also be involved in spreading the Word because of what is said at the end of Rev. 22:9. It says, "the time is at hand." That means the time is short. God has given us a wonderful opportunity to spread the gospel and to teach His precious Word to a lost and dying world, but the opportunity is limited. The end is coming. "It’s appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment." For some people their last chance to hear the gospel will be today because they will die today. But no matter how long they live, every person, small and great, will eventually stand before God. We live in the age of grace, but this age will be followed by a time of judgment.

We live in a world of change. As long as you are in this world, you have been given a chance by God to repent and to change, but it will not always be that way. The Bible says in Rev. 22:11, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." Through repentance and through the grace of God that is in Christ, you now have the possibility to change for the better. Every day you are making spiritual decisions that are determining who and what you will be tomorrow. The day will come when your decisions will be etched in stone and you will change no more. He that is filthy will be filthy forever, because it will be the destiny that they have chosen. God’s judgment will simply be God giving each person what that person has chosen. Be careful what you chose. Unless you repent, your choices will last forever.

When will the end come? When will the age of grace and opportunity end? The answer is given in Rev. 22:12-13 where Jesus said, "And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." When Jesus spoke of His return, He did not speak of the judgment. Instead He spoke of rewards that He will give at His return. The greatest reward ceremony that will ever take place will happen in the presence of Jesus Christ at His return. Evidently, it was the intention of the Lord that His people would be highly motivated knowing that there are rewards to gain by serving Him. The rewards that Jesus will give will be based upon work. The amount of work that you do as you are led by God’s Spirit will determine the amount of rewards that you receive from Christ. If you do a small amount of work, then you will receive a small amount of rewards. For those who have done a great amount of work in service to the Lord there will be great reward.

Some people say that they do not care if they receive a reward or not. When they stand before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and see His pierced hands and side, they will care. The Apostle Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit in what he said, and he cared greatly. In II Tim. 4:7-8 Paul said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day."

In the first chapter of the book of Revelation Jesus said that He was the Alpha and the Omega, and now he says it again. He started the age of grace by His life and death on the cross, and He will finish it by His return to the earth. He started the spiritual life of all who are saved, and He will finish and complete our spiritual journey with His return to the earth. He was at the beginning of the world. He was there in Genesis Chapter 1 when the Father and the Spirit and the Son said, "Let us make man in our image…" And Jesus will also be at the culmination of human history when He returns to the earth and says to the world, "It is done, it is finished." He will be there because He is the beginning and the end. The age in which we live is a temporary circumstance. It will end with the return of Christ.

The Bible says in Rev. 22:14-15, "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie." Once again what is emphasized are the actions and the behaviors of human beings. You will be held responsible for everything that you do. If you have not been saved by grace through faith in Christ, the only things that you will have to stand on at the judgment are your own actions and behaviors. We have been given a very high standard from the Ten Commandments and the other commandments in the Bible. That’s why Jesus said to a very religious person, "You must be born again."

There is a heaven and there is a hell, and every person will end up in one of those two places. In the last few chapters of the book of Revelation we have been told some of the wonderful things about eternal life in the city of God. I hope that you are doing what you can to make the city where you live a better place, but no matter how good it gets, it will not compare to the streets of gold and the gates of pearl in the new Jerusalem where the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the light of it. Sometimes people try to describe the torments of hell and how horrible it will be for those who end up there. One of the greatest sufferings of hell may be found in the preposition that is used in Rev. 22:15 talking about those who will have chosen to reject God, it uses the word "without." They will be outside of heaven. In this life both the saved and the lost, both the believers and the unbelievers, enjoy the blessings of God. God gives rain and sunshine and the opportunities of life to all equally. But the day will come when all that is good, and all that is just, and all that is beautiful, and all that is enjoyable will be found only in the Kingdom of God. How horrible it will be to be "without."

But no one has to end up being "without" because of the love of God and because of the invitation that is given to all. Rev. 22:16-17 says, "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Concerning the invitation to the lost to be included in the Kingdom of God, first Jesus said that He had a message to be given to the churches. The message of invitation must be taken first of all to the churches because it’s the believers who must get involved in taking the gospel to the unsaved. How shall they believe except they hear, and how shall they hear without a preacher?

In telling us to take this special message to the churches and to the lost world, Jesus reminded us of the central theme to the message when he said, "I am the root and he offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." Why would Jesus want to remind us of His connection to King David in the same context as reminding us to take the message of the gospel to a lost world? One reason is because of the great, eternal promise that was made by God to David. The promise of salvation that God offers to the world is associated with the promise that God once made to David about mercy. David needed mercy, just like we do. In Romans Chapter 4 the Apostle Paul used David as an example of grace and mercy that helps to explain salvation. David wrote in the Psalms, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity."

When Jesus spoke of His message of salvation to the world, in Rev. 22:17 He said that if anyone was "athirst" let them come. This speaks of the will of man, and the power of man to choose his eternal destiny. Everyone has freedom of choice. God did His part. He sent His Son to die for the sins of the world. He offers an invitation to "whosoever will." Now the question is: what does each person want, and what will each person choose. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Seek and ye shall find." Here in the last chapter of the book of Revelation He says to let those who are thirsty come and "take the water of life freely."

Notice what the cost is to man to take the water of life. Jesus said that we could take it "freely." Salvation is free to the sinner. There is no money to pay to obtain it. There are no good works to do to merit it. It’s free. The reason it’s free to us is because someone else paid for it. Jesus paid it all. He paid for our salvation by dying on the cross and shedding His precious blood. The price has been paid. The invitation has been given. Now the question is: will you come to Jesus to freely receive eternal life?

We are in the last chapter of the book of Revelation. The world has been given one last invitation to be saved, and in the next two verses the world is also being given one last reminder of the importance of the Bible. Rev. 22:18-19 says, "For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, an out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." We must not add to the things that are taught in the Bible and we must not take away. In other words the Bible has all that we need for faith and practice in the service of God.

Some people have erred concerning this warning because they have added to the things that are taught in the Bible. They have added with other books that they claim to be just as important. Other people have added by adding their own interpretations on top of the scriptures. We are supposed to preach and to teach the clear teachings of the scriptures, not our own private interpretations. "If any man speak, let him speak as of the oracles of God." And even more people have added to the scriptures by adding their traditions on top of and in place of the Bible. Are you sure that the things that you believe come from the Bible, or do they come from the teachings and the traditions of man?

Rev. 22:20 says, "He which testifies these things saith, Surely, I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." In the next to last verse in the Bible, we are reminded of one of God’s promises. He has made many precious promises to His believers, but this is the one that He chose to remind us of: His second coming. No matter what happens to us in this world, we always have the promise that Christ will one day return and change the world. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and He will return again.

The last verse of the Bible says in Rev. 22:21, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." The most important thing that anyone needs as an enablement to face pressures, responsibilities, or other difficulties in life is grace. We are saved by grace, and we must learn to live by grace or else our efforts are futile. We live in the age of grace. This age of grace will end with the return of Christ, but we are totally dependent upon His grace until He returns. If you want to wish that something good happen to someone, or if you want to pray that something beneficial come their way, there is nothing better that you could hope for or wish for than exactly what is expressed in the last verse of the Bible that says, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

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