Revelation 22:7-21

1. a blessing pronounced – 7
1. the readers are urged to keep the prophecies of this book
1. "keepeth" means to guard or hold fast
1. few books in the Bible are more in need of guarding than Revelation
2. many interpreters of this book have spiritualized, allegorized, rejected or ridiculed it
3. to those who read it, believe it, and hold fast to the sayings of it; there is a special blessing
2. is there another Book in the Bible so intense, so emphatic, so constant, in its expressions of the good to be gained and the ill to be avoided
3. the Savior knew and foresaw what neglect, prejudice, and mistreatment this Book would encounter in the later ages of the Church
1. God has given us a complete chart of His promised end time actions
2. God has caused this revelation to be made as plain as words can make anything of this sort
3. God has told us over and over of the great importance of studying, treasuring, and making known to the churches what He has shown to us in this book
4. yet many have held it to be a crazy book
1. would He who gave his life for us, give us a Book to hard to understand
2. in this book He tells us of the outcome of all his gracious operations
1. He commands us to note its words, to believe and treasure its contents
2. He promises us a special blessedness in so doing
3. if what he has put into our hands is not at all within the limits of our comprehension, what good is it
3. does not everything that we know about our dear God, rise up to condemn all such thoughts as slanderous
2. a promise is given that Jesus will come quickly
1. the word "quickly" means shortly, without delay, soon; or by surprise, suddenly
2. God is not mistaken in this
3. if you think that it has been a long time and Jesus has not come, you are a sign that He is coming soon
4. Peter tells us that in the last days there will be those who will say, "Where is the promise of His coming?
5. people who suggest that Jesus is not coming, and who say these things are willingly ignorant
1. willful ignorance is inexcusable
2. one day is as a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years is as one day (II Peter 3:8)
3. the Lord Jesus has not yet been gone two days, He IS coming quickly, it could be today
4. let us join in the last prayer in the Bible: "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" – Rev. 22:20
2. John’s response to all that he has heard and seen – 8-9
1. he fell down at the feet of the angel to worship – 8
1. wonderful were the revelations, and wonderful was the knowledge and understanding of the angel
2. this is the second time John did this
1. he had been warned of it, and rebuked for it before
2. this shows the proneness even of good men to fall into sin again and again
3. there is a propensity in mankind to idolatry
4. a second reproof is given, so that repeated instructions can be on record, to prevent the worshipping of angels or anything other than God, in the first ages of Christianity
2. the angels response – 9
1. notice how quickly the words "See thou do it not" were spoken
2. the devil solicits adoration, but the holy angels repel it
3. this incident shows that no saint or angel worship can have the approval of heaven
1. if it was wrong to worship this glorious heavenly messenger, how can it be right to worship and pray to Mary
2. the impulse and intention may be devout and good; but it is a great mistake, and we should take the side of heaven and the holy angels and say to those who do it: "See thou do it not"
3. they do greatly err, because they take Christ's honor from Him and bestowing it upon His human mother or friends
4. there is no person in Heaven or on earth who is worthy of our worship
1. we are to worship God, for He is a jealous God and refuses to take second place
2. God wants us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, strength, mind, spirit, body
3. all that we are; and whatsoever we do, we are to do it all to the glory of God
5. this shows that John fully believed all these revelations, that he was most profoundly convinced that they were from God
3. how John was to handle these revelations – 10
1. not only are we to keep the sayings of this book, but we are to unseal then as well
1. we are not to guard them under lock and key
2. they are to be opened, explained, and proclaimed
3. these sayings were directed to the churches, and are urgently needed by the churches
4. all the more so, as the time draws near for their final and complete fulfillment
2. many book have been written and sermons preached from this book
1. this multitude of exposition has contributed little to the unsealing of this book
2. there is no other book in the Bible that has been so variously interpreted, and fancifully spiritualized
3. we are to guard the words of this book
1. God is surely capable of speaking plan words
2. this book is a revelation of end time events, and not a mystification of them
4. this prophecy did not come from any self-will on John’s part, but by a direct command from God
1. they constitute His last and crowning gift to His Church and people
2. they are written by His appointment and command
3. they are put into our hands by the specific direction of the eternal God
4. they are God's word to us, and if He commanded the writing of them, how can people excuse themselves from the reading and study them
5. how can any Christian think lightly of them, or put them from him as of no practical worth
6. let us beware, lest we neglect or despise a Book upon which God Almighty has laid so much stress, urgency, and importance
7. how can we think that our duty has been discharged, or the provisions for our highest blessedness fully accepted and used, if we pass it by as a dead letter
4. the proclamation of this book should take place no matter what the response of the hearer – 11
1. if it accelerates the anti-Christian activity, and the wicked become more confirmed in their wickedness, so be it
2. believers must be forewarned, or they too will be deceived and perish
1. the righteous cannot be defended and kept as they need to be without it
2. there is always a twofold effect from the preaching of the divine word
1. it is quick and powerful, and never leaves people where it finds them
2. it either makes them better, or it makes them worse
3. if it does not liberate, it condemns all the more
4. if it does not soften to penitence, it hardens in iniquity
5. unfortunately for the great masses of its hearers, it is an instrument of damnation rather than of salvation
3. these revelations have been given for the most gracious purposes
1. they come to us loaded with spiritual blessing, light, and confirmation
2. they are the very things that set the believer right in their lives, hopes, and aims
3. they shield us from perils which are otherwise impossible to escape
4. yet there is the strangest unwillingness to believe or receive them as they are written
4. the words of the prophecy of this Book must not be sealed up because there are some saved ones whom it will benefit, enlighten, and save from the toils of the Old Deceiver
1. there are righteous ones whom it will establish and secure in their righteousness
2. there are some consecrated ones whom it will the more set apart for God and the more intensify their devotion
5. though the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, yet the wise shall understand, and for them the Book is necessary
5. we are reminded of the certainty and the nearness of the return of Jesus – 12-13
1. six times in the book of Revelation is the promise of a quick return mentioned
1. this is repeated, to confirm the truth of Christ's second coming
2. there is a sense of urgency throughout the book
3. there is also an attitude of expectancy, looking for the soon return of Christ
1. the setting of an exact date is not warranted
2. the believer should always expect Him at any moment, and order his life in light of this blessed hope
2. when the Lord does come, He will bring with Him rewards
1. these will be presented to His faithful servants
2. rewards are appropriated according to their works
3. salvation is apart from works, but rewards are according to works
3. this is the forth time that Jesus refers to Himself as the "Alpha and Omega"
1. three times He calls Himself "the beginning and the ending"
2. four times He calls Himself "the first and the last"
4. the Lord Jesus Christ is both the Creator and Revelator
1. the fact of creation by the Lord Jesus, leads to the fact of revelation by Him
2. He would not create without a purpose, nor would He leave the purpose unrevealed
3. the living Word is revealed by the written Word
6. those who make it into the New Jerusalem, and those who don’t – 14-17
1. the Lord emphasizes the twofold division of all mankind – 14-15
1. there are the saved and the lost
2. there are those who can and cannot enter the holy city
2. the Bible is almost complete, so the Lord conveys a final urgent message
1. it is a warning
2. it is a final gracious invitation
3. it is a promise
3. the Lord’s final promise of blessing is to those who do His commandments – 14
1. assures them of their right to enter into the holy city
2. assures them of their right to partake of the tree of life
4. though no one is saved by keeping the commandments, it is true that all who are saved will love His commandment and sincerely try to keep them
1. Jesus said, "if you love me, keep my commandments"
2. Jesus also said, "if ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love"
3. those who keep His commandments have a right to the tree of life
1. not because they have obeyed the commandments, but because their faith in Christ has compelled and enabled them to keep His commandments
2. their faith cannot be seen outwardly, but their love for Christ commandments has demonstrated to all the genuineness of their faith
5. there is a far greater number of people who will never enjoy the delights of the New Jerusalem –15
1. their names are not in the book of life
2. they will be confined forever in the lake of fire
6. a list of some of the prominent categories of sinners
1. dogs
1. a particularly obnoxious group of people
2. the Bible mentions dumb dogs and greedy dogs – Isaiah 56:10-11
3. the term "dog" is used as a synonym for "sodomites" in Deuteronomy 23:17-18
4. the sin of homosexuality and prostitution of any kind are an abomination to the Lord
2. sorcerers are associated with pagan religious ceremonies, and the use of drugs
3. whoremongers has to do with wicked sexual practices
4. murderers are those who destroy the body, as well as those who destroy the soul
5. idolaters are those who worship images
6. in case someone feels self-righteous about never having committed any of these sins, the Lord adds liars to the list
1. unless forgiven and cleansed by the blood of Christ, they will be barred from the holy city and its tree of life
2. all it takes is one unforgiven lie, and the lake of fire will be their eternal home
7. notice how modern all these sins are – 15
1. homosexuality has become acceptable in many so called Christian circles
2. sexual permissiveness is rampant in our churches
3. drugs and alcohol are commonplace (alcohol is a drug)
8. Jesus is the One who has given us this revelation –16
1. there has been no mention of the church since the beginning of Revelation 4
1. no churches are seen in the book of Revelation during the tribulation, millennium, or new earth time period
2. the institution of the local church seems to have vanished from the scene
3. there will probably be many liberal religious organizations on earth after the tribulation, but the true churches will have been raptured out at the coming of Christ in the clouds
4. these liberal religious organizations are not even identified as churches, and rightly so
5. these will all make up a religious coalition headed by the great harlot Babylon
6. they will be eliminated when the worldwide religious worship of the beast is ordained at the middle of the tribulation
2. this message from Jesus is intended primarily for the true churches, during this present age
3. Jesus again reveals that He is the God/man [root and offspring of David]
1. there is no other way that one could be both an ancestor and a descendant of the same person
2. He is the Creator of all nations, and He is specially identified with His chosen nation
3. He occupies forever both the throne of the universe and the throne of Israel
4. Jesus is identified a "the bright and morning star"
1. it appears at the darkest time of the night (just before dawn)
2. its appearance indicates that the sun will be coming up soon
3. Jesus will come at a very dark time, but then the eternal day will come
9. the last invitation – 17
1. the invitation is to come
1. come to the Savior
2. come and partake of the blessings of the gospel
3. come and be saved
2. the design of this verse
1. to show the freeness of the offers of the gospel
2. to leave a deep impression of the ample provision which has been made for the salvation of a fallen race
3. nothing could be more appropriate at the close of revealed truth, than to announce, in the most clear and attracting form, that salvation is free to all, and that whosoever will may be saved
4. the Holy Spirit entreats all to come
1. in all the recorded invitations in the Bible
2. by all His influences on the understandings, the consciences, and the hearts of men
3. by all the proclamations of mercy made by the preaching of the gospel, for these are methods in which the Spirit invites men to come to the Savior
5. the bride, the church invites all to come and be saved
1. by its ministers, whose business it is to extend this invitation to mankind
2. by the lives of its members, showing the excellency and the desirableness of true religion
3. by all its efforts to do good in the world
4. by the direct appeals of its individual members
6. "the bride" is a title of excellency, and stands in opposition to adultery
1. she is a bride, not a whore
2. the false church is not a bride, but the whore, and often called so
3. she desires not Christ's coming, no more than an adulteress desires the return of her husband
4. the bride, being a chaste virgin, longs for it, and invites others in
7. whoever hears the gospel, let him go and invite others to come [let him that heareth say, Come]
1. the authority to make the invitation is not limited to the ministers of religion
2. it is not even confined to those who accept it themselves
3. all persons, even though they do not accept of it, are authorized to tell others that they may be saved
4. one impenitent sinner may go and tell another that if he will he may find mercy and enter heaven
5. how could the offer of salvation be made more freely to mankind
8. whoever desires salvation, let him come freely [let him that is athirst come]
1. every one that has any sincere wish to be saved, is assured that he may live
2. no matter how unworthy he is; no matter what his past life has been; no matter how old or how young, how rich or how poor; no matter whether sick or well
3. the invitation is freely made to all to come and be saved
9. notice the persons to whom this benefit is offered, to "whosoever will"
1. shows that salvation is not forced upon us against our wills
2. it is for any who want it
10. the offer, let him take it "freely"
1. grace is the free gift of God, as well as eternal life
2. God will not sell His good things; if he did, such is our poverty that we could never buy them
3. we must understand it only as a freedom from merit, not a freedom from endeavor
4. God's offer in the gospel is conditional; He offers His Son, but on a condition of our acceptance of His terms
5. if a man has a mind to keep his sins, he shall have no mercy, even though they be small
6. if he is willing to leave his sins, and to accept the Savior as offered, he shall not be excluded from mercy, though they be great
7. Christ said, "Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely"
7. the final warning and the final blessing – 18-21
1. a warning against a willful perversion of the teachings of this book – 18
1. the object is to guard this book against being corrupted or changed
2. because symbols were used, there was a great danger that changes would be made by well-meaning persons with a thought to make it appear more plain
1. to attempt to furnish a more full and complete revelation is forbidden
2. a profession that new truth had been communicated by inspiration is false
3. we have the actual words of the Lord, and He has promised to bless all who keep them
4. precise words are needed to convey precise thoughts
1. we will think the thoughts He desires us to think, if we believe His words
2. no other words are needed or appropriate
3. the reference here is to the book of Revelation
1. at that time the books which we call the Bible were not collected into a single volume
2. this passage does not refer to the whole of the sacred Scriptures
1. though the principle is one that is applicable to all of Scripture
2. how else would God be able to tell us when His revelation is complete
3. it is obvious that no one has a right to change any part of a revelation which God makes to man
4. to presume to add to it, or to take from it, or in any way to modify it; is wrong
5. God is telling us that His revelation is complete at the end of this book
4. Jesus promises an extremely severe judgment on those who ignore this warning
1. God will add unto him the plagues that are written in this book
2. God would bring severe judgment upon the corrupters of religion
3. such a person would be regarded as an enemy of His religion, and would experience a more fearful doom
4. if anyone presumes to come forth with some supposed new "revelation," that act will demonstrate that he does not really know the Lord at all
5. this can only mean that all such false prophets will participate in the coming great tribulation
2. if it was a deadly serious crime to add to the words of Scripture, it is even more dangerous to take away from them – 19
1. the cults add to the Word of God, and the liberals take away from them
2. the penalty for removing anything from this book
1. removal of one’s name from the Lamb’s book of life
2. those who add to this book may end up in the tribulation, but the possibility exist that they may repent
3. those who presume to judge and reject any part of God’s Word, reveals an attitude of hardened rebellion to the revealed will of God
4. their names will be removed from the book of life, and eternally reserved for the lake of fire
3. this is a most serious warning to any who would tamper with the Holy Scriptures
8. one last promise to return quickly – 20
1. even though His promise to return was made 2000 years ago, His coming is always imminent
1. each passing year brings it nearer
2. when He does come, all the event prophesied to accompany His return, will be fulfilled speedily, certainly, and completely
2. to this wonderful promise, John replies with a deep felt "Amen" (so be it)
1. he had seen the glories of the world to come, and now he could only earnestly long for the reality of it
2. the final prayer of the Bible is a plea for Jesus to come quickly
9. John adds his personal greeting to all his friends in the seven churches – 21
1. the Holy Spirit is also sending this message to all the churches everywhere
2. the greeting [The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all]
1. it was a similar greeting used by Paul, Peter and John himself in other places
2. the Christian life begins by grace, is sustained by grace, and should always manifest grace
3. when we fall, as we often do, there is still forgiveness through grace
4. God is able to make all grace abound to all that believe and obey His Word
5. the exceeding riches of His grace will be manifest toward us in the ages to come
3. to this we can only answer as John did "Amen"