In The Word
Read: Revelation 22:6-21
6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 And he *said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
The Final Message
10 And he *said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 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.”
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the water of life without cost.
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 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.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.”Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
“I am coming quickly,” is spoken three times by Lord Yeshua in today’s reading. Knowing that Yeshua could return at any moment, we should be motivated to act properly and be faithful in our service to Him. Faithful and complete obedience to God’s Word is the sign of genuine salvation. Yeshua reminds us that what we do on earth matters to Him: “My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:12). Each believer will stand before Yeshua to have their works judged, and He will reward those who were faithful.
An expectation of Yeshua’s return should also motivate us to share His good news to a lost and dying world. We long for Yeshua’s return, but we understand that He may delay to allow more people to repent from sin and turn to Him in salvation (2 Peter 3:9). He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). He has given us the responsibility of sharing the Gospel with others. We long for Yeshua’s return for our good, but we also long to share His Good News with others for their good. Who do you know that needs to hear the message of salvation?
Do not let Yeshua’s delay lead you into carelessness or complacency, but motivate you to fulfill your spiritual callings of holiness and evangelism. John’s last prayer in Revelation 22:20 was, “Even so, come, Lord Yeshua!” Are you ready?