Over the last few days we have been looking at the Beatitudes in the Book of Revelation. There are seven in all. What is significant about the Bible is that right up to the last page it is evangelistic! God’s Gospel Message started on page 1 and extends right to the end of the Scriptures. Why? Because our loving, merciful God wants souls saved and gives them repeated and repeated opportunities and invitations to come and be saved. Look at Revelation 22:17:
Rev 22:17 ‘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.’
God’s Gospel Invitation is right up to four verses before the end of His word! The heart of God is evangelistic! That is why He sent His Son! Again we hear the words … “I am coming soon” but note the prefix “Look” and the exclamation mark at the end. Again we need to be reminded of the absolute urgency of getting the Gospel out and of the urgency there is to respond to the Gospel. Also see the “victory chant” in verse 22 … “Yes, I am coming soon.” Let’s consider …
1) The authority of the coming one. Once again we are confronted with terminology associated with Yahweh (Jehovah – LORD). Jesus is speaking and declares whom He is
Rev 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
The Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Used like this in the Bible it refers to the comprehensiveness of God. The verse qualifies this by including First and Last as well as Beginning and End. God is everything and without Him there is nothing. In Jesus using these terms for Himself He is telling us He is Divine … Almighty God. Then we see Him using His humanity in verse 16 … “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” It’s so striking that Jesus declares Himself Godman, Lord, King and Saviour in these verses. He has all the authority to speak as God, but reminds us of His incarnation to redeem a people for Himself.
2) The glorious reward. In verse 12 Jesus says … “My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” The reward is exclusively for the saints … the Children of God and He has it with Him! When He comes for the Second Time, He will reward His own … and this is where the last Beatitude comes in. What have they done?
Rev 22:14 “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.”
The great hope of the Church is Jesus’ coming again because not only will He Judge … He will reward His people. How? The washed robes refers to those who have been pardoned and cleansed by His sacred Blood shed on Calvary’s Cross … but observe the tense of the word “wash”. It is not just implying past tense … it is present continuous tense meaning that the believer is not saved and cleansed by the blood full stop. He or she is continually going through the process of purification until death so that once we breathe our last we shall be ready and cleansed for glory. What a blessed thing … but there is more! Unlike the multitudes who follow false gods and images, the believer has “the right” to enter glory and access the “tree of life” and enter the eternal celestial city! The verse teaches a reversal of the punishment Adam received after his sin in Eden.
Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Through satan’s deceit and Adam’s sin, all mankind are banned from accessing “the tree of life” and banished from God’s presence, but through God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice, believing man may access “the tree of life” and enter into God’s presence forever! O the Gates of Glory are opened to the one who is blood washed.
3) The continued curse. As always, lists of sin or types of sinners in the Bible are never comprehensive, but suggestive. Look at the type of person who may not access those gates to Glory
Rev 22:15 “Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”
Excluded from God’s heaven are “the dogs”. This is a term used for the pagan (Gentile), the unbeliever, for those who refuse the Gospel … and coupled are some descriptions of such people. I suppose if you analyze the list of five categories, you will find they essentially cover all sin. Heaven is blocked out to anyone and everyone who has not and refuses to “wash their robes” … be purified through the Blood of Jesus. The curse pronounced in the Garden of Eden will live on for such people. Banishment!
4) The terrible punishment. It does not matter the size of the church or the ministry … neither does it matter the image of the person or their “incredible miracles” performed. When anyone tampers with God’s pure and perfect Word, their fate is sealed.
Rev 22:18 “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. 19 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.”
To try and add to Scripture or to remove what you don’t like, punishment awaits!
5) The urgent invitation.
Rev 22:17 ‘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.’
Do you need to come to Jesus for salvation today? Come, come now because the invitation will end.
Dear Lord, thank You for grace through Jesus’ Blood sacrifice. Give me a vivid picture in my mind of hell so that I’ll be passionate about evangelism. Amen.