05/02/2026
Sunday May 10, 2026
Final words: He Is Coming!
Revelation 22:6-21
The 20th century saw the rise of a generation that not only rejected much of what the elders held as truth but even began to doubt the concept of “truth” itself! The tragic result has been a philosophical system known as “relativism” or “postmodernism.” It's the belief that “truth” should be defined as merely the commonly held beliefs of a particular culture or society. As such, the belief systems that individuals or groups used to make sense of their world aren't necessarily valid for another person or group.
Paul the apostle warned his young protege’ Timothy that a primary characteristic of the latter days would be the widespread rejection of truth.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 - Apostasy
But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
In light of this warning, the book of Revelation provides exactly what the coming end-times generation – and every generation – needs: objective, certified, reliable truth. When armed with this truth, people can face their fallen world with greater security, deeper faith, and stronger courage.
Revelation 22:6-7
And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bondservants the things which must soon take place. 7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.”
The pronoun he in verse 6 refers to the angel who has been guiding John on his tour of the New Jerusalem. As John stared breathless at the profound brilliance and magnitude of our eternal home, the angel knew what John needed to hear: “These words are faithful and true.” The description of the New Jerusalem can be trusted.
All of this is meant to communicate three important exhortations that are particularly compelling for a confused culture.
First, We are to believe what is faithful and true. Because the book of Revelation has both warnings and promises which come from God the Father through Christ by the power of the prophetic Spirit it could not be more reliable. This inspired source of truth can be trusted.
Second, We are to anticipate what has been predicted.
Isaiah 46:11
Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, surely I will do it.
We are to live in a constant state of readiness, not neglecting our duties or failing to prepare for the future, but always looking forward to the soon-coming Christ to take us home.
Third, We are to heed what has been revealed. Hearing is not the same as heeding. Heeding implies responding to admonitions and obeying commands. The primary purpose of prophecy is not knowledge, but obedience.
Revelation 22:8-11
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 But he said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed 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 one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.”
Following the verification by the angel, the apostle John stamped his own seal of approval on everything he had seen and heard. He placed his reputation on the line when he affirmed that he himself actually saw the things he described. However, he was overwhelmed by the message that he momentarily lost control of his senses and fell down to worship the angel who had just led his heavenly tour!
John's impulsive worship of the wrong object should serve as a warning to each of us. How easy it is for finite, fallen creatures to get caught up in a moment and forget the One who deserves our full affection. How prone we are as humans to mistake the gift for the giver when we receive another of His remarkable blessings. Thankfully, the angel immediately rebuked John, turning his attention back to God and God alone.
The angel completes his message to John by instructing him not to seal up the prophecy of the book. The details of the book will become clearer as the end nears, but the big picture of the book is not difficult to discern. It was meant to be read, studied, understood, and applied, not sealed up and stacked on a shelf to collect dust. The warnings of the book of Revelation must be proclaimed in order to turn as many as possible away from the Lake of Fire. At the same time, we believers must keep our eternal home at the center of our current hope, letting its truth encourage us as we await our coming Lord.
The final words of the angel seem strange. Perhaps we should paraphrase it this way:
“You wrongdoers, go ahead and keep on doing wrong. Just see what happens. And all unclean sinners, keep rolling in the mud. Just ignore God's offer of cleansing. You’ve seen what is in store for you. As for you, righteous and holy saints, keep practicing righteousness, keep being holy – and you'll get your reward in due time.”
Revelation 22:12-16
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to 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 may enter by the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
As with a legal document affixed with the signatures of several witnesses, Jesus Himself undersigned John's account with His own testimony of its truthfulness. In doing so,
He issued five declarations, each of which summarizes a major message of the book of Revelation.
First, Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming quickly. After more than 2,000 years, Jesus' declaration might appear to be another false claim of a charlatan. However, it helps to know that the Greek term translated “quickly” has less to do with how soon Jesus will come and more to do with the suddenness of the event when it occurs. God alone knows the exact moment of Christ's return. Christ coming is certain and imminent – it could be this very day.
Second, Jesus said, “My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” When the Lord Jesus returns to earth, He will bring judgment to those who rejected His free offer of salvation, by grace alone through faith alone. The time for repentance will have run its course, and each person's eternal destiny will have been permanently sealed. The unsaved will receive what they deserve for their sins.
Third, Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” We learned earlier that in the Greek alphabet Alpha is the first letter and Omega is the last. He is a source of all that is true, from beginning to end.
Fourth, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the Tree of Life, and may enter by the gates into the city.” “Those who have washed their robes,” symbolizes those who have been forgiven of their sins – who have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God (Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
Fifth, Jesus said, “ I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root of the descendant of David, the bright morning star." His last statement testifies to the truth of the whole book of Revelation. Like a king affixing a royal seal to an official document, Jesus ties His reputation as the Son of David and Son of God to the prophecies of the book. Once the warnings and promises have been uttered, there is no turning back. The words of the book are faithful and true because they were given by the One who was all together faithful and true.
Revelation 22:17
17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.
The last five verses in the book of Revelation represent the last God breathed words we have before the return of Christ. In a few lines, the Spirit of God expresses the underlying purpose and message of the entire book of Revelation.
First, God continually speaks an invitation to all who are thirsty: “Come!” The entire book of Revelation, in fact, can be regarded as a long invitation to separate ourselves from the pollution of the world and its wickedness and to join God's eternal banquet. The Lord's ultimate reason for revealing future events is to draw people to Himself. The implied invitation woven throughout the book is made explicit in these last words.
In verse 17, “the Spirit and the bride” - speaking, as it were, in unison – marks the first invitation. The church, indwelled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, has been sent to bring the good news of the gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The invitation is made explicit in the rest of the verse: it is for anyone who thirsts for spiritual drink. The offering of Living Water is extended without cost, absolutely free! Only Christ can quench the deepest needs and necessities of the human heart.
Revelation 22:18-19
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.
Following the general invitation, John includes a stern warning. There are two “if . . . then” conditions relating to the act of altering words from the book of Revelation. On the one hand, If anyone adds to the words of the prophecy, then they will fall under the judgment of the plagues in the book. On the other hand, if anyone removes words from the prophecy, then God will remove from them the eternal blessings described in the book. In other words, God is serious about His inspired words!
Even though it's inconceivable that believers would intentionally add to or subtract from God's inspired scripture, there are other ways to accomplish the same thing without actually getting out a pen or eraser. Consider these more subtle ways of altering God's Word.
● Disobeying – willfully rebelling against clear commands of scripture
● Disregarding – intentionally ignoring what is written
● Distorting – purposely twisting the true meaning of God's Word to accommodate our opinions
● Diluting – adding other traditions, texts, or teachers as authoritative “truth.”
Correctly handling the Word of God is vital to the health of the church! This warning addresses those who would intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively disobey, disregard, distort, or dilute God's authoritative Word. We keep the words of God by hearing them, accepting them, internalizing them, and applying them to our daily lives.
Revelation 22:20-21
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Here, at the very end of an often unsettling series of visions describing the eternal destinies of both believers and unbelievers, none other than the Lord Jesus Himself offers this “good word” of reassurance: “Yes, I am coming quickly.” No promise could offer more hope!
Speaking on behalf of all of us, John adds his “Amen” to Jesus’ words. The word amen comes from a Hebrew exclamation based on a verb that means “to confirm, support, uphold . . . to be certain.” – R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, eds. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Chicago: Moody press, 1980, 1:51
In today's vernacular a literal rendering could be, “So be it!”
John then added a personal prayer: “Come, Lord Jesus!” This last phrase may be derived from an Aramaic saying common among first century Jewish Christians: Marana tha, Or, “Our Lord, come! (1 Corinthians 16:22). The Aramaic word mar was the word used to refer to YHWH – the divine name. So here, at the very end of Revelation, John confesses Jesus as the God-man who is coming soon.
Conclusion: hanging on for life
The book of Revelation was written during a difficult time in Christian history. The emperor Domitian, having declared himself to be “lord and god,” tried to force Rome’s traditional religious practices on everyone – especially the Christians. This involved persecuting the Christian “atheist,” who worshiped a God who couldn't be seen.
How difficult it was for Christians to hang on to their faith, their hope, and their love in the midst of such persecution! How tempting it would be to succumb to fear, to deny the source of
eternal life in exchange for temporal living. How encouraging the prophecies and promises of Revelation must have been to those first century Christians whose faith was hanging on by a thread!
In effect, the persecuted righteous still hear the righteous judge say, Don't lose heart; remain faithful; I will vindicate your suffering soon.
The concluding thoughts in this book of comfort come in the form of an invitation, an exhortation, and a benediction, each of which summarizes a major theme for a particular audience. These can be expressed in three succinct statements. Meditate on them. Ruminate over them. Commit them to memory. They will become the support you need to hang on to faith, hope, and love for life.
To those who are lonely and lost: Come! You are invited to receive God's abundant grace, the free offer of eternal life in heaven with Him. He offers victory over temptation, sin, and Satan; ultimate triumph over death and the grave; and glories unimaginable. Don't let misery or pride keep you from accepting His invitation, which is extended especially to you.
To those who are indifferent or apathetic: Wake up! Your present choices have eternal consequences. Christ's return could occur at any moment. And even if He tarries, your physical life could end before the day is up. We can't afford to neglect our spiritual lives for another moment.
To those who are anxious and fearful: Grace be with you! The Lord is sovereign, He will preserve you to the end. When we place our trust in Him, we realize that persevering throughout our lives isn't something done in our own strength, but something accomplished by His power – the infinite power of the King of Kings and the Lord of lords.
It seems God's favorite word is “come.”
“Come, let us talk about these things. Though your sins are like scarlet, they can be as white as snow.”
“All who are thirsty, come and drink.”
“Come to Me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest.”
“Come to the wedding feast.”
“Come follow Me, and I will make you fish for people.”
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink.”
God is a God who invites. God is a God who calls. God is a God who opens the door and waves His hand pointing pilgrims to a full table.
His invitation is not just for a meal, however; it is for a life. An invitation to come into His kingdom and take up residence in a tearless, graveless, painless world. Who can come? Whoever wishes. The invitation is at once both universal and personal.
Scriptures for next Sunday: Deborah and Jael
Judges 4:1-24; 5:1-31
