Worthy is the Lamb: The Last Testimony of Jesus Christ

Text: Revelation 22:10–16

Theme: Jesus ends his revelation by reminding his people that he is “the beginning and the end” and is soon coming back to judge the wicked and reward the righteous.

Most of you are familiar with what a will and last testament are. It is a legal document by which a person, the testator, expresses their wishes as to how their property is to be distributed at death. Today, the emphasis is on the will part of the document rather then on the testament part. In fact, most wills today do not include a testament — of last testimony — which often included personal advise and admonitions to those whom were receiving property and personal items from the deceased. The Book of Revelation is the last will and testimony of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In its words we catch a glimpse of our inheritance — life under a new heaven, lived upon a new earth, governed by God Himself from a New Jerusalem. But it’s also the last testimony of Jesus and tells us what to expect at his return. This, of course, marks the difference between Jesus’ last will and testament, and every other one that has ever been written. In this case, the testator is not dead! He’s coming back, and his rewards are in his hand.

Revelation is the last book in the Bible, the final book of the apostolic era, and also the book that most clearly describes the end of history and return of Christ. As “the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1:1), it shows Christ reigning as Lord over his church, defending his people under persecution, slaying his enemies, and shining his glory on the eternal city. How fitting that Jesus should now speak at the book’s end. “On the last page of the Bible, before the canon of Scripture is closed for ever, Christ speaks one more time to his church, to us, reminding us of his identity, his return and his final summons to his people.” — Steve Wilmshurst

Revelation 22:16 removes any doubt as to whose testimony is contained in the final message given to John: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches.” In the concluding verses of chapter 22, Jesus speaks as Sovereign, as Judge, and as Savior. In this last testimony, Jesus is himself the Last Word as the canon of Scripture closes and his people wait expectantly for his return.

I. JESUS THE SOVEREIGN

1. throughout the book of Revelation, the sovereignty of God and of Christ has been emphasized as the basis of our hope for the judgment of evil and the salvation of believers

a. chapter 1 declared God as “the Alpha and the Omega” (Rev. 1:8), who thus governs everything from beginning to end

b. chapter 22 ascribes this same sovereign title to Jesus: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (22:13)

2. in this sovereign capacity, Jesus dictates to John how to handle the message of this book: “And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near’ ” (22:10)

a. the Old Testament prophet, Daniel, had several visions similar to the ones the Apostle John see in Revelation

1) but at the end of Daniel, when the prophet asks the Lord for an explanation of what he has seen, the Lord tells Daniel “He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.” (Daniel 12:9, ESV)

2) the book of Revelation are those words

3) Jesus tells John not to seal the message of his book (Rev. 22:10)

b. Daniel was shown events that were far distant to his own generation, so his message had to be sealed to await the proper time

3. in John’s case, Revelation must not be sealed because “the time is near”

A. THE SOVEREIGN COMFORTS HIS CHURCH

1. Revelation described a situation that was urgent in John’s time

a. the Seven Churches of Revelation were facing tribulations and persecutions

1) they needed the courage that the book supplies by declaring Christ’s sovereign victory over evil

2) the early Christians needed to know that whether they found themselves in the Roman court-room, on the Roman scaffold, or in the Roman arena, that they knew in their hearts that “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great”

2. with the sword of the beast against their necks and the seductions of harlot Babylon alluring, it was necessary for John’s readers to know the certain victory of the Lamb who is sovereign over history — that he is Alpha and Omega

a. this has been true throughout the history of the Church

b. at every time, in every place where the state has claimed sovereignty over the conscience of men, and demanded that people worship the state the message of Revelation has been a comfort, reminding believers, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great”

3. the message of Revelation was urgent for the people of John’s own time, and thus for believers throughout the church age as well

a. according to the Bible, the “last days” began when Jesus ascended into heaven and established his church through the apostles,

1) this started the final era of redemptive history

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.” (2 Timothy 3:1, ESV)

“but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1:2, ESV)

b. Jesus therefore gives his last testimony to John “about these things for the churches” (Rev. 22:16)

1) without a doubt the early church lived in expectancy of the imminent return of the Lord

2) but so should every generation of believers

3) the New Testament expresses a tension between imminence and distance of Christ’s coming ... the time is near, yet the end it delayed

B. THE SOVEREIGN COMMANDS THE WORLD

1. in vs. 11 Jesus speaks with sovereign authority to the world: “Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy” (Rev. 22:11)

a. these words connect the end of Daniel’s prophecy with the end of Revelation’s prophecy

b. after Daniel was told to seal up his book, the angel added: “Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly” (Dan. 12:10)

1) the prophecy announces that there would always be godly and ungodly people until Christ returns

2. in John’s case, however, Jesus speaks with a command: “Let the evildoer still do evil” and “the righteous still do right” (Rev. 22:11)

a. Jesus commands not only godly people to be godly but also evil people to do evil

3. this is, perhaps, one of the harshest statements in the New Testament

a. the language of Revelation 22:11 shows that Jesus is commanding, not merely commenting, and that he commands evil and filth just as he commands righteousness and holiness

1) what’s going on here?

b. Jesus is commanding that ungodliness be seen for what it is and that godliness be seen for what it is

ILLUS. Consider our own age where ungodliness is seen as normal, even “Godly” while godliness is seen as un-normal, and even as “evil.” Is this not happening in Western society today, with the propaganda that promotes sexual perversity, celebrates greed, and masks a culture of death? Over the last 50 years the Confessing Church has been told it’s on the wrong side of history on any number of issues — abortion, LGBTQ rights, Feminism, the sexual revolution, and Social Justice. Any time you hear someone say that the church is “on the wrong side of history,” it usually means that the church is unwilling to substitute evil for righteousness.

1) what is Revelation trying to tell us in vs. 11?

4. a time is coming when it will be too late for repentance

a. the polarization of end-time events will tend to fix the character of each individual

1) those who know Christ will live for him even unto martyrdom

2) those who don’t know Christ will live for the false Christ who promises them life and prosperity, if only they will worship him

b. even at the end Christ gives an invitation to the lost

“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 price.” (Revelation 22:17, ESV)

1) but those words will fall on deaf ears ... the evildoer will remain persistent in his or her evil

c. a time is coming when the stand one has taken for Christ or Antichrist will be finally and irrevocably determinative

1) righteous deeds will be seen as being right, and Christ’s holy people will be revealed as holy

2) the opposite will be true for godliness throughout this age and at the end

II. JESUS THE JUDGE

1. in his last testimony, Jesus speaks not only as Sovereign but also as Judge:

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done” (Rev. 22:12).

a. this is the second of three times in this final chapter that Jesus declares his soon return

b. in this instance, he is emphasizing the need to be ready at all times

1) this statement echoes Isaiah 40:10

“Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.”

c. Jesus spoke similarly in his Parable of the Talents, in which he compared himself to a master who went away but then returned “and settled accounts” with his servants (Matt. 25:19)

1) to those who had served him zealously, the master says, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” and enriched them with rewards

2) but unfaithful servants who had done nothing for him were “cast … into the outer darkness” where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”

2. the parable of the talents provides a background for Jesus’ statement that he comes to recompense “everyone for what he has done” (Rev. 22:12)

a. the promise of Jesus’ return means joy and happiness for the believer but fear and remorse for the unbeliever

A. ALL MEN WILL BE JUDGED ACCORDING TO THEIR BEHAVIOR

1. Jesus’ coming as Judge does not refer merely to his return at the end of the age, but also to his sovereign judgments within history

a. in his letter to Thyatira, Jesus warned about a woman he called “Jezebel,” and those who followed her into “sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols” (Rev. 2:20)

1) Jesus warned that he would visit the woman with sickness and bring great tribulation upon that church, unless they repented

2) he summed up his providential discipline, saying, “I will give to each of you according to your works” (2:23).

2. these statements raise the question whether Revelation is teaching salvation by works

a. the answer is made clear in 22:14, where it is seen that only those who wash their sins in Christ’s blood can be saved

1) salvation is not by works, since we are all sinners who are condemned by God’s law

2) the standard of a works-salvation was given by Jesus in Matthew 5:48: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”

b. the Apostle Paul informs us that, by ourselves, we can never meet that level of perfection because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23)

3. what we need is grace!

a. when Christ declares that he will repay everyone for what he has done, the totality of the New Testament teaches that he will repay everyone for what he has done with HIM!

1) the evildoer who does nothing with Christ, but to reject him to the end remains an evildoer on into eternity, and will be judged accordingly

2) the evildoer who does something with Christ, by receiving him as Savior and Lord is made holy and remains holy into eternity, and will be rewarded accordingly

4. salvation by grace alone does not mean, however, that the works of believers are of no importance

a. while good works are not necessary as a condition of a Christian’s salvation, they are necessary as a consequence of a Christian’s salvation

b. the reason God saves us is to be representatives of His Kingdom, and we reveal His redemptive workmanship in us through our good works

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10, NIV84)

1) all true believers must and will do good works, which alone can prove that our faith is real

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26, NIV84)

2) the Apostle James reminds us that a genuine saving faith is evidenced by the good works that it does

3) without works, faith is empty and false

c. a second reason why the works of believers are important concerns the rewards that Christ will give

“each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.” (1 Corinthians 3:13, ESV)

1) the Apostle Paul begins by telling us that on the Day of Christ’s return, our work for the Kingdom will become manifest — it will be judged by the light of our Savior’s own holiness

2) some works, that we believe insignificant or unimportant will be rewarded because they were done for the glory of our Savior, and the Father’s Kingdom

3) on the other hand, some works, that we believe were our best accomplishments for God will, as Paul say, will be burnt up, because they were really done to glorify ourselves before men

a) here is why we need to constantly evaluate the motives behind our good works

d. what are Christian good works?

1) good works involve caring for the people around us — especially those in need

2) good works can also include the duties involved in the Christian life — worship, intercessory prayer, sacrificial stewardship, and giving to support evangelism and missions, encouraging fellow believers, fellowship between believers

3) good works is exhibiting the fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control

e. good works are believers' love-offerings to God

1) Ephesians 5:2 tells us that our walk in Christ, our good works in Christ, are the sweet-smelling aroma of a sacrificial love-offering to God

5. Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done” (Rev. 22:12)

a. Christ clearly cares deeply about the kind of lives that we lead and the works that we do

b. if we are believers, our reward will depend on how we have served him and what we have done with the talents he entrusted to us

6. Christ is Sovereign, and he is Judge

a. the ungodly life begins in rebellion to Jesus’ reign and ends in a righteous condemnation from Jesus’ throne

b. the godly life begins with forgiveness through Christ’s blood and culminates with Christ’s blessing and reward in the last judgment

III. JESUS THE SAVIOR

1. it is appropriate that Christ appears at the end of Revelation as Sovereign and Judge, since these themes play such a large role in the book

a. his final testimony, however, is given as Savior, since Christ’s true purpose in Revelation is to speak to his people for their deliverance from sin and salvation into eternal life

b. indeed, when we speak of Christ’s bringing a recompense for his people, his primary reward is stated in the final beatitude of Revelation: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates” (Rev. 22:14)

1) as judgment is by works, here we find that salvation is by grace through faith in the blood of the Lamb

2. Rev. 22:14 refers to the cleansing from sin that comes through faith in the blood of his cross

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” (Ephesians 1:7, ESV)

a. through the blood of Christ our sins are cleansed, our penalty is paid, and we are made acceptable to enter into the presence of the glory of God and receive his blessing of eternal life

b. the believer’s salvation has three tenses to it — past, present, and future

1) past tense — we were saved from sin’s penalty — the bible calls it Justification

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV)

2) present tense — we are saved from sin’s power — the bible calls it Sanctification

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18, ESV)

3) future tense — we are saved from sin’s presence — the bible calls it Glorification

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3:20–21, ESV)

3. we are cleansed from sin by Christ’s blood, and thus through faith we receive eternal life

a. when Adam fell into sin, God barred him from the garden of Eden, “lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever” (Gen. 3:22)

b. but in Christ, our right to the “tree of life” is to be restored by God

1) all that was lost by the breaking of God’s covenant in the garden has been regained through the new covenant in Christ

ILLUS. John Bunyan envisioned the glorious conclusion of the Christian life when he depicted Christian and Hopeful as passing into the Celestial City at the conclusion of Pilgrim’s Progress: “I saw in my dream the two men enter the gate. As they did, they were transfigured. They had garments that shined like gold. Harps and crowns were given them. The harps for praise and the crowns for honor. Then I heard in my dream all the bells in the city rang again for joy. It was said to them, “Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

4. at the end of Revelation, Jesus holds out the invitation to come into the Kingdom

“ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about 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 price.” (Revelation 22:16–17, ESV)

a. the encouragement is to come to Christ now, because a time is coming when those who refuse to come to him will be refused entry into the Kingdom

“Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” (Revelation 22:15, ESV)

b. how great is the contrast for those who refused Christ and his gospel in this life

1) forever and ever they are consigned to eternal darkness

2) those sins listed in this passage are, of course, not an exhaustive list of sin, but are representative of all those who refuse to come to our Christ

5. but even great sinners can be saved

a. it’s to the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood that Jesus, a few verses later, says “Come”

His name was Joachim von Ribbentrop. He was executed for “crimes against humanity” on October 16, 1946, at the U.S. military prison in Nuremberg, Germany.

Ribbentrop had been foreign minister to Adolf Hitler in the Nazi Third Reich and had plotted the deceptions that plunged the world into a bloody war. Now, condemned to die and standing on a scaffold with the noose around his neck, von Ribbentrop was asked for his final words. The last testimony that he gave is a testimony to the grace of God to the vilest of sinners.

Revelation 22:15 records Jesus’ condemnation of evil men like Ribbentrop and his Nazi colleagues. They were like dogs who had defiled themselves in immorality, murder, and idolatry. Yet while they lived, they still had the opportunity to be saved by turning to Christ. This was the belief of U.S. Army Chaplain Henry Gerecke, the Lutheran minister assigned as chaplain to the Nazi war criminals. While others looked on these men with contempt, Gerecke met with them one on one to witness and pray, and he invited them to attend worship services.

At first, Ribbentrop had rejected Gerecke with scornful abuse, but he attended the worship services as a respite from the boredom of his cell. Under Gerecke’s faithful preaching of the gospel, however, God’s Word was pressed to his heart and Ribbentrop came to faith in Christ.

The morning finally came for Ribbentrop to face his execution. Gerecke walked with him to the scaffold. With the noose over his head, Ribbentrop plainly and clearly gave his testimony: “I place all my confidence in the Lamb who made atonement for my sins. May God have mercy on my soul.” He then told Gerecke, “I’ll see you again.”

Can a Nazi war criminal be forgiven so as to stand spotless before the throne of God? He can through the blood of Christ, which fully pays the greatest debt of sin and washes clean all who come to God in Jesus’ name. The same salvation is offered to everyone now through faith in Christ, before he returns to judge every soul. Jesus gives this as his last testimony in the Bible: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates” (Rev. 22:14).