PBC Forum Class for May 29
Notes from Ray C. Stedman
The City of Glory: Many of you are too young to remember
this, but years ago, before World War II, there was a radio news
broadcaster by the name of H. V. Kaltenborn. He always began his
news broadcast with the words, "Well, we've got good news
today!" That is the way I would like to start this last section
of Revelation. It is indeed good news! The judgments are past,
the terrible plagues upon the earth are ended. We begin with a
view of heaven coming down to earth; a time when the prayers of
God's people for centuries, "Your will be done on earth as
it is in heaven," will be answered.
Chapters 21 and 22 contain almost all the Bible records concerning
the eternal state. Most of the prophetic passages of the Old Testament
that picture a time of great blessing on earth refer to the thousand-year
reign of our Lord which precedes this last great event. Very little
is said in the Old Testament about heaven. But here it is in these
chapters. Following the Great White Throne judgment, recorded
in Chapter 20, John sees a whole new creation spring into being.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any
sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her
husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now
the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They
will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their
God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no
more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of
things has passed away. (Revelation 21:1-4 NIV)
What beautiful words! They bring us full circle, to the beginning
of the Bible again. Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth." That creation is what
is called here "the old heavens and the old earth."
They shall pass away, as we are told, but a new heavens and a
new earth are coming. It is the Apostle Peter who tells us what
happens to the present heavens and earth. In Second Peter he says,
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens
will disappear with a roar. The elements will be destroyed by
fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare,"
(2 Peter 3:10). That ends the old heavens, but now a new heavens
and earth appear where Jesus will continue his reign, not only
upon earth, but throughout the entire reach of the vast universe
of God.
There are four statements in this opening paragraph that tell
us the purpose of the new heavens and the new earth: The first
verse suggests strongly that the New Jerusalem, this great city
that John describes, is to be the capital of the whole new universe.
And it will be a universe greatly changed. It will not be like
the one we have now. I do not believe that this means that God
will eliminate the present heavens and earth but he changes it
and cleanses it. When we become Christians we become new creatures
in Christ, but we are still the same persons, but now changed
and cleansed. So also the old heavens and the old earth will be
cleansed -- by fire. We know today that the present universe in
its farthest reaches (even farther than the new Hubble telescope
can show us), is governed by the same laws. One of them is the
Second Law of Thermodynamics, the law of entropy, which says this
present universe is running down. It is all decaying; losing its
energy; it is growing cold. But in the new heavens and the new
earth apparently that law is reversed. Instead of running down
the universe begins to come together again. Instead of losing
energy it will gain it and manifest a unity, stability, symmetry
and beauty that the old heavens and earth never had. One aspect
of this, pictured here, is that there will be no more sea. A man
said to me last week, "I don't think I'm going to like the
new heavens and the new earth, because I love the ocean."
I understand that feeling. I love the ocean too. But the one reason
we have a salt sea that covers more than half of this planet is
because it is God's great antiseptic to cleanse the earth and
make life possible on earth. Had it not been for the ocean, and
the salt in it particularly, life on this planet would have ceased
many centuries ago. It is the ocean that purges, cleanses, and
preserves it. The sea is an antiseptic in which all the pollution
and filth that man pours into it is absorbed, cleansed and changed.
But there will be no more pollution, no more filth, no more need
for cleansing in the new universe. Though we are not told this,
I think there will be large bodies of fresh water, larger even
perhaps than the Great Lakes, that we may enjoy in that new heavens
and new earth.
Then the second thing said here is, the New Jerusalem is called
a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Everyone loves that
picture. We all love weddings. The climax is when the bride comes
down the aisle, beautifully dressed for her husband! Everyone
forgets that poor fellow waiting for her at the altar! Every eye
is on the bride because she has prepared herself for weeks to
meet her husband there. This new city is called both a city and
a woman, just as the false bride, "Mystery Babylon the Great,"
was both a city (Rome), and a woman. We have seen how that one
was destroyed for its evil. A bride speaks of intimacy, and a
city speaks of community. So we have a picture here of the redeemed
of God, each one given a body of glory empowered with limitless
energy. When opportunity comes in that day you will not say, as
we often say today, "The spirit is willing but the flesh
is weak," (Matthew 26:41 NIV). No, then you will be able
to respond to every opportunity with a glorified, fresh and living
body. We will live in close intimacy, not only with the Lord himself,
but with each other as well. I often think of that phrase in John's
letters where he says, "It does not yet appear what we shall
be," (1 John 3:2 KJV). I keep looking in the mirror for signs
of change in me. But what do I see? Wrinkles-and zits! But it
won't be like that then. We will have bodies of glory and beauty
that will be like his.
The third thing we are told here is that this will be the dwelling
place of God. Isn't that marvelous? The home of God! The place
where God lives, in his people. This is when the name "Immanuel"
("God with us"), will be fulfilled, and when the New
Covenant will be fully worked out, "They shall be my people,
and I will be their God," (Jeremiah 24:7 KJV). It is all
in this beautiful setting. Heaven, someone has well said, is the
place of "no more" -- no more death, no more sorrow,
no more parting, no more pain, no more tears, no more evil! As
a young Christian I learned a song which I often sing to myself
even yet:
There's no disappointment in heaven.
No weariness, sorrow, no pain,
No hearts that are bleeding and broken,
No song with a minor refrain.
The clouds of our earthly horizon shall never appear in the sky.
But all will be sunshine and gladness,
With never a sob nor a sigh.
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making
everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for
these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It
is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End."
(Revelation 21:5-6a NIV)
He brackets all of time in the phrases, "I am the Alpha
and the Omega, the Beginning and the End." Everything in
between comes from him. These are words of truth that help us
to believe. Remember on the cross our Lord uttered the words "It
is finished," (John 19:30). After the gloom, the darkness,
pain, sorrow and anguish of his separation from the Father, he
cried out, "It is finished!" The basis of redemption
was settled. The sacrifice was ended. The basis was fully laid.
Now he says, "It is done!" Redemption is complete. The
redeemed are safe home in glory. Everything that God wants done
is done! Not one thing is left unfinished. The fourth thing the
passage suggests as the purpose of the New Jerusalem is that it
will be the home of the redeemed:
"To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost
from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit
all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son." (Revelation
21:6b-7 NIV)
What marvelous words! This city will be the home of the redeemed,
and the only qualification for it is that you be thirsty. Nothing
on earth satisfies. Wealth, fame, pleasures and treasures -- none
will meet that deep thirst of the soul. That is why the rich,
the wealthy, the beautiful people, all are looking for something
more. They are not satisfied. But here is the promise to satisfy
that thirst. People who want more -- who want God -- are promised
that they shall drink of the water of the spring of life. These
are also called "overcomers" who "inherit all this,"
all that God has created. Peter tells us in his first letter that
there is waiting for us "an inheritance that can never perish,
spoil or fade, kept in heaven for us," (1 Peter 1:4 NIV).
Those who are thus changed by God's grace are to be forever his
sons. That includes all female believers as well! You godly women
and girls have always had the right to call yourself a son of
God because he is "bringing many sons to glory." So
we shall all be sons of God in that day. Now, by contrast, in
a reference back to what we have seen of the judgment there is
in Verse 8 a description of those who are not admitted:
"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers,
the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters
and all liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning
sulfur. This is the second death." (Revelation 21:8 NIV)
As we have seen all through this book, God does not want that.
He is very reluctant that anybody should be judged or condemned,
but as the word points out, "they judge themselves."
Here there are three attitudes of heart which result in five visible
deeds that mark the lost. The three attitudes are the reasons
why some will miss this beautiful city. First, the cowards, i.e.
the fearful, those who are afraid to take on the yoke of Christ,
who fear to confess Christ, who are unwilling to be unpopular
for a little while. They shrug their shoulders and turn away from
the offer of life. Then there are the unbelieving, those who know
it is true, but don't want it and refuse the evidence, deliberately
turning their backs on truth. Third, there are the vile. The word
means "to become foul." You do not start out that way,
but by feeding your mind with filthy things -- foul literature,
filthy attitudes and actions, you become foul-minded. If any of
these are your attitude, then out of it will flow murders, fornication,
adultery, occult practices, and finally, hypocritical living.
Jesus warned of that -- those who profess to be Christians but
really there is no change in their lives. None who practice these
activities will be in the city of God. In these eight verses we
have looked at the purpose of the New Jerusalem. Now John is given
another vision of it and describes it in wonderfully symbolic
language as the great city of God: First, we are informed as to
the structure of this city.
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the
seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show
you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." And he carried me away
in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the
Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone
with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very
precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great,
high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates.
On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three
on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve
foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles
of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:9-14 NIV)
I am sure someone is asking, "Is this literal or is it
symbolic?" I hope, by now, as we have been going through
this book, you have come to realize that you do not have to make
that choice. God loves to use literal things that remain symbols.
The cross behind me is literal (i.e., the cross mounted behind
the pulpit at PBC), but it is also a symbol of the death of Jesus.
It is both at the same time. So, all through this book, we find
the blending of the literal and symbolic. I believe there will
be a great, visible city of incredible brilliance and glory, located
somewhere above or within the atmosphere of the earth, which also
will picture activities and relationships that are going on within
the community of the saints. Those will be characterized by stability,
by symmetry, by light, by life and ministry. That is what is described
here. The literal is very evident; the symbolic perhaps needs
a bit of interpretation.
The high wall of the city speaks of separation and of intimacy.
If you want to have an intimate garden party, you meet in the
yard behind a wall. That wall shuts out other things and people.
It speaks of intimate fellowship and separation from intrusion.
The whole of Scripture with one voice speaks of God's desire to
have what he calls "a people for my own possession."
Everything in the universe is, in a sense, his possession. All
animals, all creatures, are his. There are billions of angels
and they all belong to him. But the saints are peculiarly God's
own possession. That is because he has made them to correspond
to himself. He can share with them the deepest things in his life
and in his heart. They satisfy him and fulfill him just as a bride
satisfies and fulfills her husband.
The gates describe means of access and egress from the city. There
is an amazing verse in John 10 where Jesus says, "Whoever
enters through me will be saved, and he will go in and out and
find pasture," (John 10:9 NIV). That seems to be a portrayal
of the widespread ministry of believers throughout the eternal
ages. The new universe will surely be as big or bigger than it
is now -- and it is mind-blowing in its immensity now! Billions
of galaxies, far larger than our own galaxy of the Milky Way,
fill the heavens as far as the eye can see by means of the greatest
telescopes we have, and still we have not reached the end. That
means that there will be new planets to develop, new principles
to discover, new joys to experience. Every moment of eternity
will be an adventure of discovery. Those gates are named for the
tribes of Israel. It is a perpetual reminder that "salvation
is of the Jews," (John 4:22 KJV). Access to the city is through
Israel. I believe that pictures the truth that has come to us
through the Old Testament prophets and the godly practices of
the nation. Many of these brilliant passages that now entrance,
but puzzle, us will come to life then as we have never known them
before. They will lead us out to new adventures that we have never
dreamed of in our wildest imaginations.
The foundations speak of what is underneath which gives stability
and permanence. They are named for the 12 apostles. Judas, of
course, was replaced in the apostolic band by Matthew as we are
told in the first chapter of Acts. These foundations speak of
New Testament truth and practice. Things that we only faintly
grasp now will be wonderfully understood and experienced then,
especially the three things that abide forever: faith, hope, and
love! "These three," says Paul, "and the greatest
of these is love," (1 Corinthians 13:13). It beggars language
to describe this. I find myself stumbling and unable to express
fully the beauty that is portrayed here, but I hope that the inner
eye of your imagination will make much of it. Now we are given
the measurements of the city.
The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to
measure the city, its gates and its wall. The city was laid out
like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with
the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide
and as high as it is long [that is about 1500 miles]. He
measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement,
which the angel was using. (Revelation 21:15-17 NIV)
When God measures something it is a sign of his ownership.
The number 12, which is everywhere in this account -- 12,000 stadia,
144 cubits (that is 12 times 12) wide -- is in Scripture the number
of government. So this is a fulfillment of that wonderful word
in Isaiah, "the government shall be upon his shoulder, and
his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God,
the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace," (Isaiah 9:6).
It is a city of beauty and of symmetry, just as long as it is
wide, just as tall as it is long. I do not think you need think
of that as a cube; it is more probably a pyramid. It will be a
city of perfect proportions. That is what it symbolizes -- perfectly
proportioned wholeness!
Everybody wants that. Everyone wants to be a whole person. People
say, "I want to be me. I want to fulfill myself. I want to
get my act together." Many pick the wrong way to do it. They
think that it is all up to them. The one message of the Word of
God is that you cannot find your own way. Try to fulfill yourself
and you will lose yourself. But if you let God fulfill you, then
you will be fully filled -- a wholeness perfectly proportioned,
containing nothing awkward, nothing out of balance, but all in
harmony. Our friend, Eugene Petersen, whom I have quoted many
times in this study, has put it well. He says,
The two symbolic cities of the Apocalypse, Babylon and Jerusalem, show [how a wall creates group consciousness and interrelatedness]. When evil reaches its highest density it forms a whore-city. That city is a concentrate of evil and is destroyed. Likewise, when God-consciousness and the interrelatedness of love reach their highest density, a bride-city is formed. Not only is the size and shape of the city revealed, but the materials from which it is made are given to us.
The wall was made of jasper [imagine a great diamond
shining in the sun], and the city of pure gold, as pure as
glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every
kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second
sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth
sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth
beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth,
and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls,
each gate made of a single pearl. The street of the city was of
pure gold, like transparent glass. (Revelation 21:18-21 NIV)
Let your imagination picture that marvelous city -- gleaming
transparent gold, with foundations sparkling with light in cascading
colors, pouring forth from great jewels embedded in the sides
-- a kaleidoscope of light and glory! What are those foundations?
As we have already seen, they are the twelve apostles. This then
portrays the truth that the apostolic revelation is filled with
light. There is a verse in Ephesians 3 where the Apostle Paul
speaks of "the manifold wisdom of God that is to be made
known by the church to rulers and authorities in heavenly places,"
Ephesians 3:10). That is describing this same phenomena. The word
"manifold" is literally "many-colored," --
the many-colored wisdom of God -- fresh wisdom flashing from old
truth from the apostles.
The gates are made of single pearls. You have heard many jokes
about St. Peter and the pearly gates, which we usually conceive
of as a single great pair of gates. But there are twelve gates,
each one is a gigantic pearl, and St. Peter is nowhere to be seen
at any of them! God must have some huge oysters somewhere in this
new universe for each gate is but a single pearl! Pearls speak
of beauty out of pain. Beauty comes from pain in an oyster. I
have a message I preached years ago on the parable of the Pearl
of Great Price. I called it The Case of the Irritated Oyster,
because a pearl is formed when a tiny grain of sand gets inside
an oyster's shell and the oyster becomes very uncomfortable. It
feels like crackers in bed. To relieve its pain it covers the
irritant with a soft lustrous nacre that hardens into a beautiful,
glowing pearl. It describes beautifully how the redeemed come
from the pain of Jesus. He was the husbandman who came looking
for a pearl of great price. He found one, a beautiful pearl which
came out of the pain that he suffered as he went through the terrible
anguish of the cross. Out of that pain came the church of Jesus
Christ, the pearl of great price. He sold all that he had to buy
it. This means that the redeemed will never forget for all eternity
the pain and shame of the cross of Christ. They will sing forever,
In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o'er the wrecks of time.
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.
The transcendent light of this city is described next.
I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or
the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light,
and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light,
and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night
there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into
it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does
what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are
written in the Lamb's book of life. (Revelation 21:22-27 NIV)
All through Revelation we have seen a temple in heaven described.
That temple remains throughout the millennium, as the original
of which the earthly temple is a copy. But in the new heavens
and earth there is no temple. Why? Because the true temple, of
which the one in the old heavens is a picture, is the True Man,
Jesus himself. God in man that is the temple! Thus Paul, in First
Corinthians, says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit, who is in you?" (1 Corinthians 6:19a
NIV). If God dwells in you, you are a part of this heavenly temple.
You share the honor of being the home of God, the dwelling place
of God. And from that comes radiant light. People can see all
things by that truth. So glorious is it that there is no need
for the sun or the moon. It does not say they are not there; it
simply says there is no need for them in this city of God. There
will never be night there because it is lit continually by the
glory which is God in man. The gates will never be shut because
there is no night there and therefore no need for protection.
Cities close their gates at night because they are in danger.
But there is nothing to destroy in this new world to come. The
kings of the earth will bring their glory in, not to compete with
the glory of God, but to have it revealed by the light of God.
Nothing impure will enter because only the redeemed are admitted.
Finally, the life of this city is described in the opening words
of chapter 22:
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as
clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side
of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,
yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are
for the health [not healing, as translated in the NIV]
of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne
of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will
serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their
foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the
light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will
give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation
22:1-5 NIV)
What a glorious picture of abounding fertility, of life on
every side -- a river of life, a tree of life. Both of these are
found in the Old Testament. Psalm 46 says, "There is a river
that makes glad the city of God," (Psalm 46:4a). Ezekiel
describes a river flowing out from the throne of God. It is a
wonderful river to swim in, he said. The tree of life is found
in the Garden of Eden. It is right there, along with the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil. But here it is back again.
The river symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Jesus said on one occasion
of those who believe in him, "out of his innermost being
shall flow rivers of living water," (John 7:38 KJV). John
comments, "This he said of the Spirit, which those who believe
on him should receive," (John 7:39 KJV). The tree is a symbol
of Jesus himself. He is the way, the truth and the life, the tree
of life. When we obey the Word of God we are eating and feeding
on Jesus and drawing life from that nourishment. That is what
this signifies. It brings spiritual health. We flourish when we
follow his word and obey and live by it. No wonder that from this
magnificent scene of life there flow three wonderful ministries:
First, empowered service. His servants will serve him. There is
nothing they could ask for more than that; there is no greater
pleasure or joy than the service of God. And they will be in intimate
fellowship -- they will see his face, and bear his name, just
as a bride bears her husband's name and sees his face. And they
will have enlightened authority. They shall reign forever and
ever. Do you think heaven is going to be boring? No, boredom is
a sign of selfishness. When you are bored, it is because you are
selfish. You want someone to do something for you; you want some
excitement to minister to you. But all selfishness will be ended
then, and therefore there will be no boredom in heaven. There
is continual excitement, discovery, anticipation -- and constant
gratitude and praise. The rest of the book is simply an epilogue.
As the book began with a prologue, so it ends with an epilogue.
It consists mostly of assurances. Many people neglect the book
of Revelation. They distrust it and do not understand it. They
need reassurance that it comes from God and speaks the truth.
So the epilogue is made up of assurances, the first one from "the
God of the spirits of the prophets."
The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and
true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his
angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."
(Revelation 22:6 NIV)
There is a guarantee right from God himself that these words
are to be believed. They are trustworthy and true. Then an assurance
from Jesus himself.
"Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the
words of the prophecy in this book." (Revelation 22:7 NIV)
Read it, study it, keep it, he says. You will be blessed and
strengthened by it, and made ready to meet him when he comes.
Then there follows a word from John:
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when
I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet
of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me,
"Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your
brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book.
Worship God!" (Revelation 22:8-9 NIV)
We have an account like this in Chapter 19 where the same
thing is recorded. Personally I do not believe that John made
the same mistake twice. I think here he is referring back to what
he did in Chapter 19. He is reminding us how he reacted when he
heard all these things. He says, in effect, "When I had heard
them and seen them I was so confused, so uncertain, and so overwhelmed
that I fell down to worship at the angel's feet." He is recounting
his most embarrassing moment, and reminding us that it was quite
the wrong reaction. Let it lead you, rather, to worship God. When
you read this book, open your heart and praise the God of glory
who gives us such a fantastic future as that described here. Then
there is another word from the angel:
Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy
of this book, because the time is near. Let him who does wrong
continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile;
let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is
holy continue to be holy." (Revelation 22:10-11 NIV)
That is a reminder again that each day we are working out
one of two separate destinies. Either we are on the right track,
following the Lord, walking with him, doing right, or we have
already made a choice for wrong and our lives are falling apart.
If that is the course you are determined on, then evil is what
will follow. There is no other escape than the way of faith in
Christ. You will have to continue the way you are going. Then
a reassuring word comes from Jesus again,
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I
will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and
the End." (Revelation 22:12-13 NIV)
That is a wonderful renewal of his promise that when he comes,
all this shall become true. The next word is a reminder of the
two destinies once again,
"Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may
have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates
into the city. Outside are the dogs [that is an ancient word
for those who practice homosexuality], those who practice magic
arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone
who loves and practices falsehood [that is, those who pretend
to be something they are not]". (Revelation 22:14-15 NIV)
That is a most solemn warning, a reminder that what we do
and believe from day to day is leading us in one direction or
the other. Then yet another word from Jesus:
I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for
the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David [he
is the root from which David came, and he is also David's son],
and the bright Morning Star [the one who promises to come
for his own before the Son of Righteousness arises]."
(Revelation 22:16 NIV)
Notice the many times through this closing section we have
the promise that Jesus is coming soon. Many people read that and
say, "How can that be? This was said centuries ago."
Some even say, "John and the other apostles were wrong. They
said he was coming soon, but 2,000 years have gone by and he still
hasn't come. It shows how wrong this book is." But if you
read this book remembering that it is a book that links time and
eternity together, you will understand that everything here, either
the destiny of the lost or the destiny of the righteous, takes
place the minute you die. It is never any further away than your
own personal death. That could be very soon, couldn't it? It may
yet be some time before it breaks into time, but it will not be
long before each of us leaves time and enters eternity. The book
then closes with an invitation and another brief warning:
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come! And let him who hears
say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever
wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation
22:17 NIV)
That is the invitation. It comes from the Spirit of God himself,
and from the redeemed of God (the Bride), and from each individual
Christian. All voices join to exhort the reader: "Come!"
Take the free gift of life. It is waiting for all who come to
Christ. Then the warning:
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this
book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the
plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away
from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share
in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described
in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19 NIV)
In other words, do not change a thing! This is the truth of
God. Do not change it -- do not subtract from it or add to it.
It is what God says. As a symbolic book, it requires interpretation,
but be careful. Do not take away its meaning by emphasizing the
symbolic at the expense of the literal. Do not destroy its intent
by accepting only the literal without understanding what it symbolizes.
Believe it, because the final word from Jesus is:
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming
soon." (Revelation 22:20a NIV)
So let all God's people say:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20b NIV)
And as we close the book, I join John the Apostle in saying
to you:
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen. (Revelation
22:21 NIV)
From God's Final Word, http://raystedman.org/revelation
May 29, 2005.