Be Faithful, No Matter What

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REVELATION 22:6-15

6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

8 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 them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

 
 

Here we are again reminded of what we were told in the very first verse of the entire book: that the Revelation came to John from God by way of an angel.

And the purpose of that Revelation is to strengthen the church to be faithful no matter what, even to the point of death. This is what it means in Revelation by “wash their robes”—that is, to be faithful to the point of death, just like Jesus, and thereby participate in both his death and his triumph.

 

Recap of the Book So Far

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Our FINAL churchwide Bible study on Revelation will be Wednesday, 3/22, 6:30 PM. Bring a friend!

 
 

REVELATION 19:17-21

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

 
 

The Second Coming results in a complete rout of the enemy.

In John’s vision, judgement on the earth is described in multiple different ways, starting in chapter 6. To put it another way, John describes the same thing—the earth under God’s judgment—to us in different images and with different emphases. In each series of judgments, right before the Second Coming would occur, there is a digression as John describes the church’s mission.

And then each time he circles back to a theme he’s previously discussed, he tells us something new.

Allow me to recap the book’s plot so far and show you what I mean:

  • SET UP: Chapters 4-5, John sees the heavenly throne room.

  • JUDGMENT 1ST DESCRIPTION: Chapter 6, the judgments of the seals (#’s 1-6);

  • CHURCH DIGRESSION: Chapter 7, a description of the messianic army;

  • JUDGMENT 2ND DESCRIPTION: Chapters 8-9, the 7th seal, then the judgments of the trumpets (#s 1-6);

  • CHURCH DIGRESSION: The message of the scroll (chapters 10-11), and then further explication of it (chapters 12-15);

  • JUDGMENT 3RD AND FINAL DESCRIPTION: Chapters 16-19.

    The reason for the digressions is so that John can explain to the church that it has a role in God’s plan: to testify to the truth about Jesus so that the unbelieving nations will hear and repent.

    BUT

    Those who ultimately refuse to repent will face judgment when Jesus finally comes and time runs out.

    This is what is described in graphic terms in John’s vision (19:17-21, above).

    It is not God’s desire that anyone should face judgment. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son” (John3:16); Revelation tells us that the church’s role is to preach repentance in the name of Jesus to all nations, so that all nations might be saved. But God will not force people to repent, and those who stubbornly refuse will finally be destroyed.

 

The Second Coming of Jesus

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REVELATION 19:11-16

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

 
 

THE SECOND COMING

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse!

This is the moment to which the book has been working: heaven is fully revealed on earth. The kingdom has now come.

The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Jesus is a conqueror, but he conquers as a martyr, hence the bloody robe. He comes as truth, which is why he is called The Word.

He strikes down his enemies with the Truth, which is why his mouth is a sharp sword.

His true identity is now revealed (an apocalypse!) to everyone: King and Lord.

 

Hallelujah!

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REVELATION 19:1-5

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
3 Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And from the throne came a voice saying,
“Praise our God, all you his servants,
you who fear him, small and great.”

 
 

Today in our reading of Revelation we finally get to the point toward which the entire book has been proceeding, where what John has seen in heaven (chapters 4-5) comes to earth: the Second Coming of Jesus.