Read Revelation 22:6–11
Questions from the Scripture text: What does the angel say about his words in v6? How did he come to be the one who was showing this to John? When must these things happen? Who is now speaking in v7? How do you know? What is He doing? At what speed? What must the blessed one keep? Which words? What two things does John refer to experiencing at the beginning of v8? How does he respond to them? But whose feet do they turn out to be? What does the angel say in response (v9)? What three groups of servants does he identify? What does he say to do instead? What does he tell John not to do (v10)? Why not? What will happen to people, in which four conditions, upon the return of Christ (v11)?
What is the Lord Jesus doing right now? Revelation 22:6–11 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word read in the public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Lord Jesus is doing everything necessary for His soon return, and urging us to respond to His Bible in repentance and faith.
Having climaxed the book—and the entire Bible—with the glorious end of all things in v1–5, the book winds down with a strong appeal to readers and hearers, centering on three statements that Christ is coming quickly (v7, 12, 20). In this section, Jesus emphasizes the necessity of keeping the words of the book, because of the finality of one’s condition upon the return of Christ.
The angel asserts that the words that he is giving John are faithful and true (v6). But then John hears a different voice, the voice of Jesus Himself, in v7. We know this because of the use of the first person “I,” and because of John’s response in falling down to worship. He has done this before in 19:10, but this seems to be more understandable, due to the change in the voice and the brightness of the vision that is brighter than the sun. Blinded by light, and going by his hearing, John concluded that it was Jesus Who was in front of him.
There are two wonderful things about glory here. The first is the zeal of Christ in hastening it. We are impatient, and so small-minded, that we cannot see what Jesus communicates with the present participle in v7. He is diligently doing everything to come. His coming includes not just His physical return, but the gathering of all of His elect. The second wonderful thing is the brilliance of the glory into which His coming brings us. Even the vision of it blinded John; how great will the reality of it be! What comfort and joy we should get from our Redeemer’s zealous work to bring us to such a glorious conclusion!
So, we must heed Him Who is doing all of His work with such zeal and diligence to hasten this end. For, He has also given us our part in the preparations: “Keep the words of the prophecy of this book” (v7). That is how the angel describes the elect, who are the third group of servants (together with him, and with John and the other Bible-writers, whose spirits are governed by God, v6): the elect are “those who keep the words of this book” (v9).
Here is a magnificent vision, but the vision itself does not commend to us ecstatic or mystical experiences of Christ. Jesus Himself, instead, emphasizes words on pages. We are not to hope for new words immediately given by the Spirit, or heed what He gives us to feel, or what He “lays upon someone’s heart” (cf. Ezek 13:2–3!). Even in this most glorious and true of visions, Jesus commends to us the words on the pages of the Bible. The words of the Bible are the very words of God, and our part in being prepared for our departure from this world, or for the coming of Christ, is to keep the words on the pages of the Bible.
Jesus’s quickness about His own work is paired with an urgency for us to keep the words of the book. Daniel was told to seal up the words of his prophecy, because acting upon it belonged to future generations (cf. Dan 8:26, 12:4). John is told exactly the opposite. He was not to seal up this book, because every generation since his has needed to act upon this book immediately (v10). When we depart this world, or when Christ returns, everything will be set for eternity. Whether we are still unrighteous before God and filthy before God, or whether we have been made righteous in Christ and consecrated as holy in Him, in whichever condition we are found at the end of our life in this world, in that condition we will find ourselves for all eternity (v11)! Keep the words of this book; repent and believe into Jesus Christ
How does your perception need to change in order to see Jesus as “coming quickly” already? What would you say to someone who emphasizes immediate revelation over the words of the Bible? If you died today, or Jesus returned today, in what condition would you remain for all eternity?
Sample prayer: Lord, forgive us for failing to see how diligently and zealously the Lord Jesus hastens to bring us into glory. And forgive us for not being urgent with ourselves and others about the condition of our souls. Grant that we would keep the words of the Bible, we ask through Christ, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP32AB “What Blessedness” or TPH389 “Great God, What Do I See and Hear”
No comments:
Post a Comment