It is simply said that the glorified are to follow the Lord in victorious power, and nothing more, "clothed in fine linen, white, pure." To call a man a morning star was to class him very high among the heroes. There are also too many who are students, but not devout; they are interested too much in intellectual knowledge and too little in prayer and in service of their fellow-men. In this passage there is an ambiguity of punctuation. God's eternal saving purpose is expressed in Jesus' own words, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10); that is, He desires to save all people. "And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And let him that hears say: Come! I can't deserve that or earn it. The heavenly city, which is the full expression of blessedness on high, has no temple because it is all a temple. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come: and let him that heareth say, Come: and let him that is athirst come: let him that will take the water of life freely." Peter said, "In the last days there will be scoffers that will come along and saying where is the promise of His coming? While the promise of blessing in chapter 1 is a wonderful encouragement to believers, the warnings in this final chapter of Revelation should be chillingto anyone, both believers and unbelievers who tampers with God's Word or distort its meaning. You like to reap where you didn't sow and so forth. In Daniels time, the fulfillment was a long way off; in Johns time, it was much closer. In the preface to his book On Origins, Rufinus adjures in the sight of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, anyone who reads or copies his book, not to add, subtract, insert, or alter anything. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. to be replaced with one that will never wear out. well, we can better understand that he is encouraging us toward a strong Christian Although there is such a levelling of human distinctions, and men have to do directly with God that is men raised from the dead or in their changed condition we still see the holy Jerusalem "the holy city, new Jerusalem," separate from the rest of those that fill the new heaven and earth. "Having a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel." But whatever subsisted then, that which the Spirit here presents as a whole cannot be found realized at any point of time in the past. (Romans 10:14). .The "I" is emphatic; it introduces the final warning; the revelation must not be tampered with. Again John making the mistake that man so often makes worshipping the instrument of God. With Paul even in a prison of cramping circumstances they can say "The Lord is at hand"--He is near. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! Those who insult Gods holiness by changing the message will experience the full wrath of God. I would be interested in arguments showing how everlasting life doesn't The great city was either guilty Jerusalem or Babylon. The Jews did not obey this law, and in fact they supplanted the law with their own traditions (see Matthew 15:3, Mark 7:8 & John 9 etc.). Whereas for the Jew, there are necessary dates and momentous changes that must take place; and hence, as Daniel represents the Jew, we have the difference kept up. The book of Revelation will be much clearer if you understand the beginning. 21 are distinguishing traits of those who are not saved. Next, we'll look at Revelation 22:19, where we read, "And if anyone takes there's nothing I can do to make up for my sins) to that of the Law or works (i.e. So far they were right. But it seems very improbable that there should be such a difference between the first two parts and the third. Then, when the Lamb and His purchase by blood are celebrated in heaven, the four living creatures join the elders, though each is distinct. . 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. When you give don't make a big to-do over it; don't play the Halleluia chorus and do cartwheels. All is opened, and this because we have the Holy Ghost dwelling in us; "for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." So far the description has been of the exterior of the holy city; now the scene moves inside. And he said to me: "See that you do not do this. with a lifetime warranty and it wore out in one year, you would rightly complain that the The Gospel's great theme . So here a description is given of the bride, the Lamb's wife, and we learn how it is that God will use her for unmeasured goodness and blessing and glory in the millennium, as the devil during this age has used Babylon to accomplish his wicked plans here below. But if you decline it, the place will be given to someone else. And if any man shall take away from the prophecy of this book,. As he may be said to do, who denies the authority of this book, which has been done by some, and which the Holy Ghost foresaw; or takes it away from, or denies the reading of it to the people, as the Papists do with respect to the whole Scripture; and who wilfully pervert the sense of it, and will not have the things in it, relating to antichrist, to belong to him. The rabbis, for instance, called Mordecai by that name. Thus the language of symbol is as definite as any other. Then, when we read his admonition to run with endurance and to finish "So, I'm coming quickly. dismiss this verse as not focusing on losing one's salvation at all. Not so. Exactly the same thing is repeated here, and what makes it more apparent is the similarity of the introduction on each occasion. "So be it. Revelation 22:19(NASB) . With that love of freedom which they carried from their German forests, they would not allow the one iron rule of the ancient empire to subsist longer, but set up each their own kingdom in the different fragments of the dismembered empire. prophecy of this book." When its own season arrives, as it surely will, the divine hindrance is to be removed, and the devil then is allowed to do his worst. Then come others in the condition of separate spirits or souls, whom the prophet saw two different classes of them those beheaded for the witness of Jesus and the word of God, and those who refused the beast in every form, The proof of the third class should have been given a little more distinctly than in our version. was not addressed to Christians only, but to "everyone who hears the words of the And this is entirely confirmed byRevelation 17:1-18; Revelation 17:1-18, where it was told us that they are with Him when He comes. Nothing of the sort can be plainer. For who knows not the horrors of Mariolatry? For remark, the beast or Roman empire is described here as that which once existed, which then ceased to exist, and which assumes a final shape when it reappears from the bottomless pit. of Life means that they had a claim to it previously and now lost it. You don't get salty tomatoes. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! "He who comes to me shall not hunger; and he who believes in me shall never thirst" ( John 6:35). Thus the difference is complete between past history (if we look at the extinction of the empire and the rise of the ten kingdoms) and the certain fulfilment of the prophecy in the future, when we look at what God has really told us. So, the Lord assures you these are true and faithful sayings. Christ speaks first to His people as they suffer for Him. "For the gifts and calling of How this precisely fits in, let me say, with the state of feeling in these modern times; for "constitutionalism," as men call it, is the fruit of the Teutonic system supervening on that of the broken up Roman empire. Did Jesus Die For Our Sins So That Us Bad People Could Become Good People? The book has recorded much concerning judgment, but the invitation to accept Gods salvation remains open to the end (16-17). for Christ. [Note: Beasley-Murray, p. Revelation 3:5 "HE THAT OVERCOMETH, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels." Revelation 3:5. "The Spirit and the Bride say: Come!" And the church replies "Amen. After so long a tarrying how blessed! No one can soberly deny that Babylon in some sort had a place then; but that the special, and above all, the full character of Babylon was manifested as here portrayed is another matter. 19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. However, Revelation is the last and final book no other inspired word was written after the Apostles died and since Revelation forms part of the Canon, the warning belongs to the whole Bible. Every one who loves and acts falsehood is shut out. This verse declares it, and there is no other interpretation that can stand even a moment's fair discussion. There is nothing in Jesus to harm him; there is every thing to bless there is Himself to be enjoyed, even if they have failed in the full knowledge of it here below. ", "And, behold, I am coming soon. As believers we may have issues of wrongly interpreting a passage but that is not the same as actually changing the words themselves! The words of Revelation 22 mimic those of the Law adding to Gods commands (Deuteronomy) or Gods prophecies (Revelation) is sin; it places that person above God either overtly or surreptitiously and both are punishable. There are certain things to note about this solemn warning. Conclusion: Revelation 22:18-19 is a warning: If you reject Gods offer of life, you will experience Gods wrath. For Christ has not only a supreme but an exclusive place. Life is dark and tragic with despair for many troubled people on earth today. and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. We have just seen that it is the eternal state. Babylon must hear, I do not doubt, the final testimony of God the gospel of the kingdom that is to go forth in the last days; but she loves her pleasure and power, and refuses truth. And they said Alleluia a second time; and her smoke goeth up unto the ages of the ages." These are the martyrs of Revelation 6:1-17, those long since seen under the altar, poured out like burnt-offerings to God. Scripture provides examples of men who have added to or taken away from the Word of God. Is the King James Bible Only One That's "True"? Now we find the symbol of the bride brought before us, and the elders and the living creatures disappear. It gives a retrogressive account of Babylon's character, and shows how it morally compelled the divine judgment. For a short time (what a mercy that it must be only for a short time!) It is all plain and simple "the beast that was, and is not, and shall be present.". He which testifies these things saith, Surely I come quickly. The Alexandrian copy, one of Stephens's, and the Complutensian edition, read, "the tree of life"; and so do the Syriac and Ethiopic versions; the sense is the same; see John 15:2 and out of the holy city; the new Jerusalem, before described, a part in which is a right to enter into it through the gates, and possess the glories of it: what is mentioned here is only a seeming one, which wicked men may flatter themselves with; and the meaning is, that such shall never enter into it, and enjoy the happiness of it, but shall ever be without, Revelation 21:27. and from the things which are written in this book; the blessings promised to the overcomers in Revelation 2:7 which such as detract from this book shall have no share in. On the contrary, it proved the immediateness of communion. What it does warn against is distorting the teaching which the book contains. He did this to comfort and caution his readers and to affirm the authority of this book. The sun has disappeared, dissipated, gone. Verse Revelation 22:6. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. And, if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. The chief difference is that in man's case it is God who raises him, whereas in the empire's not God but the devil will raise it again. Whatever the case, Jesus made the warning with a purpose and that is for sure. Thus the divine testimony is not confined to the gospel or the church, but the prophetic Spirit which characterizes the Revelation as a whole, after the church is translated, is equally a testimony of Jesus. "And no curse shall be any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him." None but Rome corresponds. Where is the promise? And we look now at the last words of this book and we notice that they are: The Lord God has spoken to open the door of revelation to His people. What is the meaning of Christian redemption. such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." As to some of the other passages you cite, we can briefly examine them also. (John 5:24 compared with Romans 14:1-23 and 2 Corinthians 5:1-21.). "And death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. The morning star is the herald of the day which chases away the darkness of the night; before Jesus the night of sin and death flees away. The Spirit of God contrasts with the fall of Babylon the marriage. Here occurs a remarkable change in the sequence of the visions, though easily understood; for it must be evident that there is nothing to follow this in point of time. Clearly, therefore, it is future. So first we are told there is a blessing for believers who are paying attention to the Prophecy in the Book of Revelation. Copyright 2011-2023, Third Millennium Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. Little do they know, because they believe not what is here written, that it is about to come out of the abyss or bottomless pit. THE LAST WORD IS OF HOPE AND BLESSING (verses 20, 21). But the attempt, again, to apply what is said here to a future city of Babylon in Chaldea seems to me no less vain. The Book of Revelation opened with a blessing on all who obey its instructions (Revelation 1:3), and it closes with a strong curse on all who disobey it. "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. A: No. This can have two meanings. We must therefore look a little into the two objects Babylon and the beast. The decisive victory of Christ at His Cross decided the end of the conflict. Scripture and facts refute all such theories. riches become a hindrance to seeking salvation at all, not losing salvation. So, thats the first observation: This is a common way to stress the importance of obedience. [Come Lord Jesus and establish Your kingdom.] The first were such as came out of heaven after Christ, being already raised from the dead and glorified. This sanction is like a flaming sword, to guard the canon of the scripture from profane hands. Again, death and hades are said to come to their end, personified as enemies. Couldn't God Just Judge Satan Before Man Fell? That is, Satan will be the spring of its final rise and power; he, and not God in any way whatever, will give it its character. 1999 2023 Come Reason Ministries. "Don't do that. as the Complut. H. B. Swete identifies the river of life with the Spirit. Those who enter into the city of God are those who have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Before this warning is given, Jesus tells John to write down a blessing to believers in the first seven verses. We have already considered a very similar list in Revelation 21:8 of those who were cast into the lake of fire. And what shall we say of the wonderful wisdom of the Lord? God's invitation to you to come and to share in the glories of His eternal kingdom. But what I particularly call your attention to is the exceeding importance of heeding the retrospect at the bride, or new Jerusalem here, and the consequent removal of the difficulty caused by taking the last vision of this book as part of the prophetic series which begins in Revelation 19:1-21.
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