EVEN SO COME LORD JESUS

Revelation Chapter Twenty-two

Sermon of the Week #200713 – March 25, 2007

The twenty-second chapter of the book of Revelation is the last chapter of the Bible, and it contains the last word about several important doctrines of the word of God. When John wrote down the words of this chapter that will be all God will have to say to the human race about the most important issues that can come to the minds of the sons of men. These are things that have been said before, and the next time God speaks to the human race will be on that day when the trumpet sounds and all the dead are raised. The first word in this chapter of the last words is the last word about Heaven.

LAST WORD ABOUT HEAVEN

And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. The water of life is mentioned by Jesus to the woman at the well in John four, “Everyone that drinketh of this water will thirst again, but whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.” There is no well in this world that can completely satisfy, whether it be the well of money, or well of great achievements. Jeremiah had it right in Jeremiah 2:13 when he said of some of the people of God that had turned away, “They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”

Then in John 7:38 the Lord said, “He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water.” And now here in the last chapter of Revelation we find the true source of the water of life as John says, “And he that is athirst, let him come and drink of the water of life freely; drink from the river bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb.”

The words of the gospel song are not meaningless to the Christian as he thinks of eternity, “Shall we gather at the river-Where bright angels feet have trod-With its crystal tide forever-Flowing by the throne of God.”

Concerning Heaven, Paul says in Colossians 3:2, “Set your affections on things that are above, and not on the things that are upon the earth.” This is good advice considering the fact that John says, “His servants shall serve Him.” Heaven is going to be a busy place. It won’t be like that song says, “I’ll go where the loud Hallelujahs are ringing-But I will not take part in the singing-Then weep not for me, friends, if death do us sever-For I’m going to do nothing forever and ever.” No! We shall serve Him.

THE LAST WARNING OF IDOLATRY

Next is the last word of warning against idolatry. Listen to John as he says, “And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel that showed me these things. And he saith unto me, See thou do it not: I am a fellow servant with thee and with the prophets, and with them that keep the words of this book: worship God.”

John is reprimanded for worshiping an angel. The odd thing about this worship of an angel is the fact that this is the second time he did it. In Revelation 19:10 John said, “And I fell down to worship him. And he saith unto me, See thou do it not: I am a fellow servant with thee and with thy brethren.” How could John make the same mistake twice, and be reprimanded both times?

Perhaps it is by the grace of God that the warning could be given to John twice as a remainder to us not to practice idolatry by worship of men or angels. In Acts 10, when Peter went into the house of Cornelius for the conversion of the first Gentile, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet and worshipped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself also am a man.” Since Peter was a man and not God, he did not want anyone to kneel before him.

In the scripture, good men and angels refused the worship of men. The lesson is clear. There is no man on this earth who is worthy for you to kneel before him, either in the flesh, or in the likeness of a statue.

THE WORD OF GOD

Next we consider in this last chapter, the last word on the Holy Bible. One thing he said, “Seal not up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.” He said, “Don’t seal up the words of this book.” That is one of the greatest problems in the religious world today. The Bible is a sealed book. The pages are glued together and cannot be read. Just look at the Bible in your own home. Is it not sealed? It must be because very few read it. I know most church members believe the Bible, but they don’t seem to be able to get it opened. Week after week passes by and the only book in the world authored by Almighty God is stuck shut.

The Devil has convinced most church members that no one can understand it except the preacher. Many preachers take a verse for a text and talk for a half hour about it. The next Sunday he uses another verse and talks for half an hour on it, and by listening to one verse per week for a hundred years, the listeners don’t know any more about the Bible than when they started.

Much of the word of God has been removed from the Bible. It isn’t that somebody has reprinted the Bible and left out part of it. It is just a matter of not preaching any part of the scripture that folk don’t want to hear. If people don’t want to hear what the Bible says about Hell, don’t preach it. If a message on repentance makes people feel depressed, don’t preach it.

The Devil has also had great success in adding to God’s word. One group of Christians may formulate a doctrine according to their opinion, and then not fellowship with others who do not agree with their opinion. They think their opinion is the word of God, when in fact, they have added to the word of God. The world will not be judged by your opinion. Jesus has declared, “The word that I spake unto them, the same shall judge them at the last day.”

THE ALPHA AND OMEGA

And now Ladies and Gentlemen, the last word of the New Testament, on the salvation of mankind, is prefaced by the declaration of Jesus, when he said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they have the right to come to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city.”

His name is first and last in the New Testament. His name is mentioned in the first verse in Matthew when it is written, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ.” His name is the last name in the New Testament. The last verse in the book of Revelation is, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with the saints.”

Again we note in the first chapter of Revelation, Jesus tells why he is the first and the last when He says, “Fear not; I AM the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I AM alive forever more, and I have the keys of death and Hades.”

And then here in the last chapter of Revelation, Jesus again says He is the first and the last, and He tells us how we also can be raised up from the dead, alive forevermore when He says, “Blessed are they that wash their robes that they may have a right to come to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city.”

It is most suggestive when we read in Titus three, “But when the kindness of God our Savior, and His love toward men appeared, not by works which we did ourselves, but by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, which He poured out upon us richly through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

These references should help us consider the baptism of Saul of Tarsus. Saul had seen the Lord, he believed, he was repentant for three days, and at that point was told, “Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins calling on the name of the Lord.” Blessed are they that have washed their robes, and made them white, that they may have a right to come to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city.

BEWARE OF THE DOGS

Then John speaks of certain groups that will not be allowed into gates of the city when he says, “Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loveth, and maketh a lie.” Of those six things that can keep people from entering in through the gates into the city, all are familiar to us except the statement, “Without are the dogs.” Who are these dogs that are shut without? Paul referred to dangerous dogs in Philippians 3:2, “Beware of the dogs, beware of the circumcision for we are the circumcision who worship by the Spirit of God, and the glory of Jesus Christ.” A pack of these viscous, dangerous dogs had come to Antioch in Acts fifteen with the message, “Except ye be circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” According to them, salvation comes through Jesus Christ and by keeping the Law of Moses—Jesus plus circumcision saves.

At the conference at Jerusalem in Acts fifteen, the rest of the Apostles and the Holy Spirit decided it, and with the whole church that salvation comes by Jesus and Jesus alone. It is not Jesus plus some other religion that can save. It is Jesus and Jesus alone. And neither is some other religion in place of Jesus, it is Jesus who saves and Jesus alone. It is Christ and Christ alone who is able to save men from the wrath to come. In view of the seriousness of the danger from these dangerous dogs, a note should be included in every church bulletin along with the other announcements, “BEWARE OF THE DOGS!”

THE LAST INVITATION

And now here is the last word, in this chapter of the last words, concerning the last word about the invitation. The last word about the gospel invitation to lost humanity is a fourfold invitation, “And the Spirit and the bride say, come. And he that heareth, let him say, come: And he that is athirst, let him come: he that will let him take the water of life freely.”

First, the Spirit says, “Come.” The invitation of the Holy Spirit is in the words of the Great Commission of Christ. According to Mark, Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, he that believeth not shall be damned.” Then in Luke, the Holy Spirit’s inspired words tell us, “Repentance and remission should be preached in His name beginning from Jerusalem.”

Secondly, the Bride of Christ, which is the church, offers the invitation. Actually the carrying out of the Great Commission is the job of the church. Everything else is secondary.

Thirdly, the person who has heard the gospel offers the invitation. Carrying out the Great Commission is a personal matter with all individual Christians, whether in contributions to various ministries, or in personal contact.

Fourthly, “Let him that is athirst come: he that will let him take the water of life freely.” The important thing about acceptance of the invitation is the fact that our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Perhaps as a Christian, you may have wondered if your name is written in that book. Be assured it is. I know mine is.

Yes, my name is in the Bible- And I know the Bible’s true- It was written there by Jesus- Whosoever- that means you- And He knew it when He wrote it- By that bright and crystal sea- That my name was whosoever- That means you and that means me.

THE SECOND COMING

And now the last word, of all the last words, in this chapter of the last words, is the last word regarding the Second Coming of Jesus. The Second Coming of Jesus is mentioned three times in this one chapter. The first is, “Behold I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book.” The second is, “Behold I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to render to each man according as his work is.” The third is, “Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Evidently, the Lord does not want us to forget the fact that He is coming quickly.

It is true Jesus is coming soon because whenever He comes, it will be sooner than you thought it would be. It will be too soon for those who planned to be ready and just never got around to it. It will definitely be quickly, much too quickly for the unprepared.

Actually the whole process of the Second Coming indicates the word QUICKLY. Matthew twenty-four says, “For as the lightning cometh from the east and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man. Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.” First Thessalonians five says, “When they are saying, peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child.” Second Peter chapter three tells us, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are within shall be burned up.” Peter makes the Second Coming of Jesus look like we are living on a powder keg that could blow any minute. And think of what Paul says concerning the resurrection of the righteous in First Corinthians fifteen, “In a moment in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”  “Behold I come quickly,” and remember, He said it three times.

The story of Jesus is the story of One who lived before the world was created, was born of the virgin, lived as a carpenter, died on the cross, ascended to Heaven, and after ten days established the church. However, there is something missing in that story, something that leaves the plot of His life hanging in the rarefied air of His ascension. That missing part is His Second Coming, and until the promise of the angels comes to pass, until Jesus appears with the clouds in His triumphant return, the story of His life is incomplete.

Regarding the Second Coming, Paul tells us he does not want us to be ignorant concerning those who have fallen asleep, “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first and then we who remain alive unto His coming, together with them will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” The catching up of all the saints will be a great production. He had said, “And I, if I be lifted up will draw all men unto Me.” He was lifted up on the cross; then He was lifted up from the grave; then He was lifted up into Heaven, and when He returns, the magnetic force of His arrival will lift up all the saints, living and dead, from the earth unto Him.

Concerning both the prepared and unprepared, John tells us in the first chapter of Revelation, “Behold He cometh with the clouds and every eye shall see Him, yea and they that pierced Him.” That great day will be a glorious day for the prepared, and a day of horror for the unprepared. The Christian can say with John, “Even so come Lord Jesus”, which is the same thought as found in First Corinthians when the Apostle said, “Maranatha.”

Oh there is much to make us sad in this dark world of ours.

The serpent’s trail is often seen among the fairest flowers.

But we should never yield to grief and falling helpless lie.

We’ll fling our banner to the breeze and Maranatha cry.

What though the host of hell be strong and bold in what they say;

The Lord of hosts is on our side, we’re sure to win the day.

The victor of the cross and tomb is seated now on high’

We’ll fling our banner to the breeze and Maranatha cry.

Ladies and Gentlemen, these are the last words, in the last chapter, of the last book, of the last of the revelation of God to humanity.