Unit 3: The Word: The Great Hope of the Saints
Key Verse:
Revelation 22:18-19 NLT
18 And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
Beloved, take the words of this Book to heart and hold them close…!
What you need to know
Revelation 21:1-2 NLT
1 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,[a] with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
In last week’s lesson, we discussed the River of the Waters of Life that traces its origin from the throne of God, as well as the Trees of Life planted at its banks. Additionally, we considered the ministry of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, the Holy Spirit, and how that it might continue into eternity. This week, we close Chapter Twenty-Two and complete the review of the Book of Revelation. If the Lord is willing, next week will begin the new year’s lesson standard in conjunction with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. So then, the significance of the timing of today’s lesson with the upcoming celebration of Rosh Hashanah brings to it a prophetic beckoning, in that at the end of any given Jewish year, the scrolls were unrolled and restarted, if you will, from the beginning. So then, as we close this Jewish year, what joy awaits as we look toward the new beginning?
Isaiah 34:4 NLT
4
The heavens above will melt away
and disappear like a rolled-up scroll.
The stars will fall from the sky
like withered leaves from a grapevine,
or shriveled figs from a fig tree.
The Lesson
Revelation 22:10 NLT
10 Then he instructed me, “Do not seal up the prophetic words in this book, for the time is near.
We begin with verse ten, where the angel who has acted as John’s guide through New Jerusalem now begins to bring the tour to an end. He admonishes John here at the end to leave the scroll open, to leave it available to those of us who will follow him. In essence. He burdens John with the responsibility of writing the vision and making it plain so that others will be equally enlightened by this magnificent final revelation of Scripture. And for what purpose? Because time is winding up. God’s messenger seeks to impart a sense of urgency to John. We, as God’s messengers, should seek to do the same.
Revelation 22:11 NlLT
11 Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile continue to be vile; let the one who is righteous continue to live righteously; let the one who is holy continue to be holy.”
The angelic messenger continues his admonition. John, forget about the hardcore sinners. Strengthen the believers. Those who do justice, those who are holy, strengthen them, build them up. You will get more done by building leaders than by trying to save the world alone. Charity begins at home. Strengthen the believers. Robert Williams, Ricky Ward, Eric Wright, Robert Dodds, Rodrick James, are you hearing this? A whole leadership conference might be built around these words.
Revelation 22:12-13 NLT
12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
As soon as the angel finishes speaking, Jesus speaks. He confirms the words of the angel, then He confirms His identity to John so that John will understand the authority that His Word carries. It is imperative that John remain singularly focused on what Jesus has instructed. The very fact that it is Jesus who speaks belies the urgency with which John has been tasked to respond. It’s time.
Revelation 22:14 NLT
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.
Jesus is coming to bless. Blessed are all who hear His Word, and wash their robes in His shed blood. They will be permitted access to the Tree of Life. They will live eternally. They will find life at the banks of the River of Living Water flowing out of the throne of God. They will be imbued with power from on High. They will be eternally filled with and by the Spirit of God, the Living Water of God.
Revelation 22:15 NLT
15 Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
This verse is a bit confusing, in that, according to Chapter Twenty, the final judgment is complete, and all whose names were not found in the Book of Life have already been bound into the Lake of Fire. Thus, this verse is repetitive. It is simply restating what has previously occurred. Sin and sinners have met their eternal fate. They are no longer a threat to any within the gates of New Jerusalem.
Many years ago, during the Vietnam war, I read an article about children who had been rescued from the ravages of war. At night, they would whimper and cry, restlessly fidgeting throughout the night. Finally, the attendants discovered that if they gave each child a slice of bread at bedtime, they would sleep more soundly because they were assured of having something to eat when they awoke. Beloved, these words assure the believer, especially the believers of John’s day, that there would soon come a day when there would be o possibility of threat from without. None. Believers could rest in the assurance that they would be safe with God forever. We have His Word on it.
Revelation 22:16 NLT
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne.[e] I am the bright morning star.”
Again, Jesus affirms His Word by, essentially, signing His Name(s) to His statement. He’s Jesus. He is both the Father of David and Heir to the Everlasting Throne. He is the Bright Morning Star! He is the Messiah, The very Lamb of God. He simply Is. Concerning the Morning Star, that was a title that once belonged to Lucifer, but now, in eternity, Jesus is the sole owner of that title, having arisen from the dead with all power in His hands. Yes, in eternity, He has no equal. Amen.
Revelation 22:17 NLT
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life..
The doors of the Church are open. The Holy Spirit beckons to all who will to…come. Anyone who thirsts may come and drink freely from the River of Life. Freely. Let all who hear, who hunger and thirst after righteousness, come and be filled. Eternally. This is the eternal assurance God promises to all who heed this Heavenly invitation. What better way to close this divine scroll?
Revelation 22:18-19 NLT
18 And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
And now John speaks in the angel’s stead. So holy are the words of this prophecy that John warns that the words of the scroll must not be changed, added to, or taken away from for fear of eternal damnation. Beloved, it is so important that the message of the gospel not be compromised. Paul warned that if he or an angel preached anything except the good news of Christ, they would be cursed. John’s final admonition is similar. Listen carefully to what is preached. If it’s not Jesus, it’s not good news.
Revelation 22:20a NLT
20a He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”
And then, once again, Jesus ‘Amen’s’ His word. He confirms John’s preaching with a final Yes, and a warning that He will come soon. We, the saints, are to be ready. Just as the believers in Moses’ day took the Passover meal fully dressed and prepared to travel, we too, are reminded that we must remain ready, awaiting the sound of the Lord’s final Trumpet. Jesus is telling us to stay ‘Woke’, Saints.
Revelation 22:20b NLT
20b Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
You know that thing that happens in the church when the preacher says something that touches you, that quickens the Spirit within you. That is the Spirit within you. John is having such a moment, ending this epic tome with a shout of praise. He Amens the Amen! He acknowledges the Word of the Lord and affirms that he, John, is in agreement with the Lord’s final statement. “Come, Lord Jesus!” I can almost see his feet skipping across the floor of the cave on the Isle of Patmos from which he received and wrote this prophecy. Be reminded that he stated from the beginning that he “was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day…” Now, he confirms that he is in complete agreement with the will of the Lord. Have your way, Lord. Have your way!
Revelation 22:21 NLT
21 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.
Grace. God’s unmerited favor. God’s Righteousness At Christ’s Expense: GRACE! Never forget. Grace is God’s free gift to mankind. The Just shall live by Faith…alone. Let all who will come and accept the free gift of eternal life come. Let them come and drink freely from the River of Living Water. Come!
Selah,
wb
John 3:16 NLT
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[g] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 4:14 NLT
14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
John 11:25 NLT
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
John 7:37-39 NLT
37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”[e] 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given,[f] because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
