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Our last study introduced this section as an epilogue to the Revelation. As an epilogue, these final paragraphs add clear words of exhortation to the multiplied figures, metaphors, and images of the book. John aims with an archer's skill in driving arrows with urgent heed to press on in faithfulness to Christ. He had not given them a lifeless cadaver to dissect and analyze in order to satisfy their curiosity. He had given them—and us—a living word, a sharp sword that exposes the thoughts and intentions of the heart, a hammer that shatters the stoniness of spiritual lethargy, a seed that brings forth fruit, a light that dispels the darkness of despair and fear, and a goad to spur faithfulness in the face of worldly opposition [cf. Dennis Johnson, The Triumph of the Lamb, 334].
For those lost in the middle of the seals, trumpets, and bowls, John calls for knowing the power of the triumphant Lamb's death and resurrection. For those squeamish in the face of suffering for the gospel, he gives stunning reminders of Christ's return as Eternal Judge. He calls for the church to act the part as the Bride of Christ, to no longer swallow the idolatrous ways of the world but to live as those washed in the blood of the Lamb and welcomed into the New Jerusalem.
So, how about you? You've been journeying through this book as well. You've read it, discussed it, quoted it, and listened to it explained. Now, what will you do with Revelation and its message? You've seen that its message contradicts the modern escapist interpretations. It is a book for the church in every age. Its message was for churches of Asia Minor in the first century just as it continues to speak to the churches of the 21st century. Revelation calls for action as the redeemed of the Lamb. It challenges our alliances with the Great Harlot of this world. It demonstrates the incompatibility of those bearing the name of Christ with those bearing the mark of the beast. It urges us to live courageously in the midst of opposition and persecution.
John has shown us how to live in this world as the Church of Jesus Christ . We must pursue faithfulness in the light of Christ's triumph at the cross that will be fully consummated when He returns as Judge. Keeping an eye on the cross and on Christ's return spurs us to persevere in the faith. What does this perseverance look like? Consider how John addresses it in our text.
Five sharp statements alert us to the unfolding of Christ's consummation. The angel shows Christ's bondservants—that is, all believers— "the things which must soon take place." Jesus declares, "I am coming quickly." The angel tells John, "For the time is near." Jesus declares again, "Behold, I am coming quickly." Then He reiterates in verse 20, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Some have taken these verses to imply immediacy on the fulfillment of Christ's return. That has led to interesting interpretations. Others have scoffed at the thought of Christ's return since He has delayed for nearly 2000 years.
However, the quickness of Christ's return is never measured on our timelines but from God's perspective. Delay, from our point of view, means continuation of gospel work—more opportunities to call sinners to Christ through gospel proclamation. God's patience in exercising eternal judgment demonstrates the greatness of His mercy. Simon Kistemaker observes, "The term soon expresses the sober reality that the consummation is at hand. When the sins of this evil world reach to heaven and leave no room for additional sins between heaven and earth (18:5), then the cup of wrath is full and the end has come" [ NTC: Revelation, 585].
The last verses of Daniel 12 close with this strange word: "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time." Then the heavenly messenger explains that two distinct groups will ultimately emerge: those whom God purges, purifies and refines, who also will have insight to understand the workings of God; and those who are wicked. The wicked will be evidenced by their continuation in wickedness and their inability to understand the things of God.
Verses 10-11 in our text are based on Daniel 12:9-10. Instead of Revelation being sealed, the angel commands John, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near." In other words, what Daniel did not understand of God's unfolding of His purpose in history, the coming of Christ to establish His eternal kingdom, the ultimate defeat of the kingdoms of this world, and the consummation of Messiah's kingdom, John has explained. Revelation may be mysterious to many due to its apocalyptic language but it's not a closed book!
"For the time is near" points to the events set forth in Revelation—not to chronological time [ kairos rather than chronos]. The death and resurrection of Christ set in motion this movement toward the end. Nothing stands between Christ's first and second comings. That's why John can use "soon," "quickly," and "near" as adverbs describing the divine action of consummating His kingdom.
Greg Beale gives an illustration that may prove helpful in understanding John's use of "near." When the Allies landed at Normandy on D-Day, the Germans occupying and defending France might have said, "The Allies are near!" Yet they were only on the beach; it would be months before all of France would be liberated. Nearness indicated the certainty of what was unfolding not its completion. The same is true with the way that John uses the term [ NIGTC: Revelation, 1130].
Further, the warning of nearness calls attention to the distinction God's kingdom brings to humanity. Just as when the children of Israel left Egypt by God's hand, a distinction was made between those whom God redeemed and those He judged. The redeemed crossed the Red Sea in deliverance; the rest faced death by the receding Red Sea. And why did the latter face such judgment? They did not belong to the Lord God. He had not chosen them or redeemed them. Instead, their hearts were hardened.
Akin to this and Daniel 12:10, John shows the distinction made as "the time is near. 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." Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life will continue in righteousness and holiness. Fakes cannot continue their pretense forever. Some among the churches of Asia Minor only played the part as Christians while actually being unbelievers. They infiltrated and infected some of the churches. But their masquerade would not last. As one writer expressed it, "One either grows in grace and stature as a Christian or sinks deeper into hardness and indifference as a sinner; there is no standing still" [Homer Hailey, Revelation, 428, quoted in Kistemaker, 588]. That's what John expresses in this verse.
This is a difficult verse, especially for our sensitive American ears. Yet we must see the warning posed by such stark imperatives. Just as the message of the ancient prophets increased the blindness of the unbelieving and shocked the believing remnant out of their complacency, John's Apocalypse does the same [cf. Beale, 1132]. The gospel transforms us or hardens us—there's no middle ground. This reminds us that there's no fence-straddling when it comes to the gospel—you are either for Christ or against Him. It reminds us of the eternal danger of spurning the gospel as well as the ongoing responsibilities believers have to obey the gospel. While calling all who are thirsty to take the water of life freely (22:17), here he reminds us of the ultimate need for electing grace as shown in the names written in the book of life ( e.g. 20:15; 21:27). We are reminded as well of the certainty of judgment and the certainty of reward. The distinction is clear: the defiant unbelieving spiral toward judgment; while the elect give evidence of their faith by righteous pursuits and holy character.
Jesus calls us to attention in light of His return: "Behold, I am coming quickly." Or we can translate it, "See here! I am coming quickly!" The statement commands our attentiveness. It jerks us from our complacency. The King of kings comes quickly!
The word translated "quickly" [ tachu] is used in vv. 6 ("soon"), 7 ("quickly"), 12, and 20 ("quickly"). It is difficult to determine whether the word means "rapidly," as immediate action, or "in a short time," as compared to the larger frame of eternity [cf. BAG, 814-815; Beale, 1135]. Since we're told that no one knows the day or the hour of Christ's return (Matthew 24:36), then it seems that the emphasis falls on the suddenness of Christ's return. It calls for alertness, spiritual sobriety in the midst of the world's allurements.
In line with this, Christ assures us that His coming brings His righteous judgment: "and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." The only other time that "reward" is used in Revelation is in 11:18. There the meaning is two-fold: (1) "the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great," (2) "and to destroy those who destroy the earth." Since John has just identified the character and practice of believers and unbelievers in 22:11, the reward is a righteous satisfaction of justice. For those still in their sins—the reward is eternal destruction. For those giving evidence of being believers by practicing righteousness and keeping themselves holy in character—the reward is eternal life. Jesus is not implying a merit system. One is a believer only by the grace of God and the merit of Christ in His perfect obedience and atoning death. But rather the character and works of the believer and the character and works of the unbeliever make them clearly identifiable. The point is that with His coming there will be no more delays. Those purchased by the blood of the Lamb will enter into the eternal reward that He has provided. Those rejecting the Christ of the gospel will enter into all that God has promised (and warned) for eternal damnation.
Yet many refuse to give heed. For that reason Jesus declares again His authority as Sovereign Lord over creation and judgment. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." God is called "the Alpha and the Omega" in 1:8 and 21:6. The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, the A to Z, implies that He created the world, He will bring creation to its consummation, and He is Lord of everything in between. The three titles "connote the totality of polarity" [Beale, 1138]. They emphasize Christ as Sovereign Lord who by His power created the world and by His power will judge it. He rules and reigns, and no rebellion by humanity or devils can thwart that rule.
Therefore, each of us ultimately has to face Christ the Lord. We welcome that reality because of knowing the saving grace of God or shrink from it because of our rebellion against the gospel; but be assured, the day will come when each one of us will agree with the biblical record that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11).
The last of Revelation's seven beatitudes is found in verse 14. Coupled with it in verse 15 is the distinction and separation between the redeemed and the unbelieving world. John intends to set forth the great contrast in these verses. Throughout Revelation, he demonstrated that no middle ground exists between believer and unbeliever. So many want the benefits of Christianity but also embrace the desires for the world in rebellion against God. They are like the Vichy government of France in World War II; not totally against you and certainly not totally for you; a combination of feigned loyalty and obvious disloyalty.
Unfortunately, throughout the years, we've all seen this kind of duplicity. But the coming of Christ ends the hypocrite's charade.
"Blessed are those who wash their robes." We've already seen similar language in 7:14. "These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." In that passage, one of the elders explains the presence of believers gathered in worship around the throne. He looks at the reason they are around the throne; they washed their robes making them white in the blood of the Lamb. The robes symbolize the whole character, even the whole person. That's why the bride of Christ was clothed in "fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints" (19:8).
Notice that John uses a present tense verb for "wash," which implies an ongoing, continuous washing. It's literally, "Blessed are the ones continually washing their robes." Kistemaker rightly points out, "The verb to wash is a participle in the present tense to indicate that sin is a continual polluting agency that needs repeated cleansings" [590]. Just as the children of Israel were told to wash their garments before they presented themselves before the Lord at Sinai (Exodus 19:10), in the same way, believers regularly wash in the blood of the Lamb. "If we walk in the Light as he Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). It is both the cleansing of reconciliation and sanctification implied by this beatitude. Here is a description of the genuine believer. He realizes his sins have separated him from God, so he has cast himself upon Christ, trusting in His atoning death for cleansing and reconciliation to God. But he also realizes that as long as he lives in this life he sins. He seeks to turn from sin, making repentance an ongoing part of his life. Yet he realizes that his sin hinders his fellowship with Christ, so again and again he applies himself to the cleansing blood of Christ's atoning death. Again and again he goes back to Christ. Again and again he applies the gospel that saved him and now, by the Holy Spirit, sanctifies him. That is the Christian; one who so loves his Lord that he seeks to live a life of genuine, unhindered fellowship with Jesus Christ.
As Christian in Pilgrim's Progress began to cross the river to the Celestial City, he grew weak as he thought of his sins, knowing that he did not deserve to enter the City, and fearing that at the end he would not be accepted. But his brotherly companion Hopeful encouraged him. He said that the troubles that distressed him in the river were no sign of God forsaking him but rather the Lord trying him so that he might call to mind what he had received from Christ in the gospel and to live upon Christ in his distress. And then Hopeful added, "Be of good cheer, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole." With that, Christian broke out loudly, "Oh, I see him again!" [John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress, Banner of Truth Edition, 182-183]. That consciousness of the cleansing blood of Christ gives the true believer the hope to persevere to the end.
Because of their authenticity as Christians, Jesus Christ promises great blessing of such grandeur that John resorts to the images and symbols that he has already detailed to explain it. "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 of the city." The tree of life's fruit bears regularly and abundantly, satisfying the residents of the New Jerusalem (22:2). Its leaves, John tells us, "were for the healing of the nations." The scene pictures wholeness, abundant satisfaction, the absence of need, and the removal of every effect of sin. The city's gates never close; each gate is pictured as spectacular, being a single pearl. The only way into the city is by its gates. So what John sets forth is the assurance for those "who wash their robes" that because of Christ's sacrifice, they have a place in the New Jerusalem. It is the right belonging only to the believer because of the blood of the Lamb that grants him access to the New Jerusalem.
"Outside" is not to be taken literally, as though just outside the city gates. Rather, John has already declared the condition and location of the unbelieving at the Judgment—living the second death in the lake of fire (20:14). But "outside" aptly pictures for us the distinction that he intends. He wants us to see the great folly of life without Christ—eternally outside of Christ, eternally outside the joy and light of His presence, eternally outside the gladness of God's blessings.
One of the most painful human experiences is that of being ostracized or left out. That kind of alienation strikes at the core of our psyche. Even as small children, to be excluded from those important to us brings the deepest pain.
Here is the simple description of what eternal damnation is— "outside": alienated from Christ, excluded from the Creator's kind provisions, separated forever from those whom God has given life through Christ. Some excluded, perhaps multitudes, have been part of local churches. They've heard the Scripture, to some degree they've tasted of the good things of God without partaking by faith, they've pretended to be Christians, or they may have even called themselves Christians even though intentionally avoiding the way of the cross. John describes them as "everyone who loves and practices lying" or falsehood. Here's the life of the deceiver who thinks that he can slip past the omniscient gaze of God. But no! He is left "outside" the City of God's blessing.
The six particular types of people John identifies bear similarity to those already assigned to the lake of fire in 21:8. "Dogs" was a derisive term applied to those whose chief ambition was satisfying their own desires. "Sorcerers" invoke the use of drugs to turn their spirits away from the truth to live a devilish lie. "Immoral persons" defy the 7th Commandment in an array of sexual indulgences by which the purity of God is mocked. "Murderers" probably refers particularly to those who persecuted to the death God's people, and likely is also used broadly for all murderers. "Idolaters" worship another god or worship the true God by the use of images which He forbids or worship God by their own imaginations and not according to His Word. The point is that they remain in their sins; they are unrepentant; they do not believe God's condemnation of their sin or avail themselves of the only way to forgiveness—through Christ.
Who are these people that are forever "outside"? John answers us in 20:15, "And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
Revelation is not for seminaries or prophecy conferences or book conventions or para-church organizations. Certainly, all of these groups are welcomed to read and study it but its message is not aimed at them. Jesus Christ gave the message of Revelation for the churches that name His name, hold to the gospel, and confess Him as Lord.
Quite simply, Jesus explained, "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches." We see His deity in this statement since God alone commands the angels. Everything the angel spoke, he did at the bidding of Jesus Christ.
The messenger did not address the kings and rulers of this world but "the churches." Though the seven churches of Asia Minor were the immediate recipients, Revelation goes far beyond them and their era to address the churches of every age.
This shows us Christ's care for and desire for His churches. The message of perseverance, worshiping God alone, living distinctly as God's people, and remaining as a faithful, holy people, permeates Revelation. Christ has no desire for His churches to merely entertain themselves with end-times speculative discussions. Revelation is about living as citizens of God's kingdom, prizing the glory of Jesus Christ above all else.
Revelation calls churches throughout the ages to perseverance, God-honoring worship, willingness to lay down our lives for the gospel, and being marked by the name of our God and not by the world. Read Revelation and then analyze the churches of our day. American evangelicalism has grown careless in doctrine and practice, focusing more on entertaining the masses instead of worshiping the Sovereign Lord. We shrink back from living distinctly as Christians, preferring the life of a Christian chameleon to that of the martyrs who've gone before us.
Revelation demonstrates Jesus Christ's concern for churches until He comes to gather His bride. He is watching, exhorting, warning, refining, preparing, and anticipating the church gathered as His pure, spotless bride. Revelation calls us to that kind of serious faith in Christ.
Preeminently, Revelation reveals more of Christ to His church. He declared His Sovereign Lordship in 22:13. In verse 16, Jesus declares Himself as Messianic King. "I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." David called Him Lord as the root and predecessor of David. But David also spoke of his future son and heir whom God would raise up as Messiah ( e.g. Psa. 110; 22). The prophets joined him in that anticipation. Jesus Christ is the Messiah, God's anointed, the Promised One, the Mediator of the New Covenant, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the star that comes forth from Jacob that rises as Messianic King (Numbers 24:17).
Jesus is Savior, Redeemer, Mediator, and Lord. Do you know Him by these titles—personally, experientially, intimately? Do you worship Him as Lord? He calls us to press on in faithfulness as Christians. We do not do so by pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps or by giving it our best try. We do so by keeping an eye on His cross and His return. That glorious tension urges us forward in faithfulness to our King.
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