I Am Coming Soon!

I Am Coming Soon! Revelation 22:7-17 (NIRV) 6Then the angel said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord God of the spirits of the prophets sent his angel to show his slaves what must soon take place.” 7"Look! I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of the prophecy in this book." 8I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. After I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel. He is the one who had been showing me these things. 9But he said to me, "Don't do that! I serve God, just as you do. I am God's servant, just like the other prophets and all who obey the words of this book. Worship God!" 10Then, he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy in this book. These things are about to happen. 11Let those who do wrong keep on doing wrong. Let those who are evil continue to be evil. Let those who do what is right keep on doing what is right. And let those who are holy continue to be holy." 12"Look! I am coming soon! I bring my rewards with me. I will reward each person for what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the First and the Last. I am the Beginning and the End. 14Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will have the right to come to the tree of life. They will be allowed to go through the gates into the city.” 15"Outside the city are the dogs and those who practice witchcraft. Outside are also those who commit sexual sins and murder. Those who worship statues of gods, and everyone who loves and does what is false, are outside too.” 16"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this witness for the churches. I am the Root and the Son of David. I am the bright Morning Star." 17The Holy Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" Let THOSE who hears say, "Come!" ANYONE thirsty should come. ANYONE who wants to take the free gift of the water of life should do so. 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” In the Old Testament, God promised Israel that He would address all forms of injustice when they questioned Him wanting to know when God said through His prophet Malachi; Soon! Malachi 3:1–3 (NIV84) “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Yes, He will come! This was faithful to Israel’s hope. For a long time, the Lord had not returned, but the expectation based on the promise that He would come stayed alive. The faithful continued to say: He will come. Surely, He is coming soon! But the sceptics mocked and jeered and ridiculed. And then John came to testify. “There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light so that through him, all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.” John 1:6–8 (NIV84) And this was his message: “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. 11 He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. 12 Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God…14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” 15 John testifies concerning Him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’” John 1:9–12 and 14-14 (NIV84) The early Christians accepted that this promise had been fulfilled in Jesus. He came to Israel as the judge promised. And when Jesus was ‘lifted up’ on the cross to die, and then raised from the dead, they were able to understand that God came back just as He promised Malachi to make sinful people Hid family. Because Jesus came, we who believe are God’s children! However, Jesus told His disciples that He had to return to the Father to make sure that we can take hold of our inheritance as God’s children: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1–3 (NIV84) This promise is the origin of the definite and undeniable Christian hope that Jesus would return. This is what our Scripture passage is all about: Listen carefully! Be Alert! Pay attention! Why? “Because,” Jesus says “I’m coming back soon! I’m coming without delay!” It is almost as if He is saying, “I’m already on my way!” But how does secular man view this? “Fake News!” they chant. “Bollocks,” they shout! Seriously? Fake News? Bollocks? It may not be “soon” the way we measure time, but to God, it is like the blink of an eye. By nature, humankind is impatient. We seek instant solutions, instant gratification. And when our cravings are not instantly satisfied, we lose focus and faith. So, Jesus warned regarding His return that people shouldn’t be fooled. For instance, in Matthew 24:32–39 (NIV84) we are told to look at the signs: “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth; this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. “Therefore,” Jesus alerted his disciples, “keep watch because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Matthew 24:42 (NIV84) “But Ah,” our modern 21st Century highly enlightened people say, “He said this 2000 years ago, and it still hasn’t happened! Why should we take it seriously?” Peter explains why: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV84) Patience is the reason for perceived delay. Nevertheless: “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. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 2 Peter 3:10–13 (NIV84) Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:15–5:2 (NIV84) “According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord, himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. 1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” This is still the message according to Revelation 16:15 (NIV84) “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.” Friends, this is why it is so vital that we take note of what Jesus said according to Revelation 22:7, "Look! I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of the prophecy in this book." This is the second time in Revelation that we hear something like this. In Revelation 1:3 (NIV84) we are told: “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it because the time is near.” I know that obedience is not a popular theme. But Jesus announced a blessing for those who obey the words of the prophecy in this book. What is the Christian’s work of obedience as detailed in Revelation? Faithfulness! We are called to be faithful to Christ. God praised the Philadelphians for keeping Christ’s words and not denying His name (Revelation 3:8). We are called to be morally clean and prepared for His return (Revelation 7:14; and 22:14). We are called to endure whatever hardship is coming our way patiently (Revelation 14:12). We are called to neither add nor detract from Revelation’s words. What is the blessing to their faith? “They will be called the children of God!” But that is not all, according to Revelation 14:13 (NIV84) we are told that the faithful are blessed with eternal rest, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labour, for their deeds will follow them.” And according to Revelation 19:9 (NIV84) they are blessed with an invitation, “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” Yes, according to Revelation 20:6 (NIV84), we are told that the faithful are blessed eternally: “Blessed and holy are those who have a part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.” According to Revelation 22:14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will have the right to come to the tree of life. They will be allowed to go through the gates into the city.” Friends, serving God begins with our faithful service to Him now. The truth has been unsealed as we are reminded in Revelation 22:10, a response to the truth is commanded in Revelation 22:11, and in Revelation 22:12–13 Jesus punctuates the message by announcing that He is coming to judge, underscoring that announcement with His own declaration of who He is. Jesus says, “Be alert, I am coming soon, bringing my reparation with me, to reward everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” It is repeated again in verse 20. God wants us to have no doubt. Jesus is coming, and He is going to hold people personally responsible for what they have done. No one will have any excuse about the devil making them do it, about God making them into some robotic evildoer, or about their DNA dictating that they would behave in specific ways and not others. We all know that more often than not, we do what we want to do. We all know that we are responsible for what we do. We all know that God will call us to account. Jesus announces here in Revelation 22:12 that he is going to repay people according to their actions. And then in Revelation 22:13, he states three times that he is the eternal God, one with the Father from everlasting to everlasting. He started everything, and he will finish everything. No one will outlast him. No one will escape him. No one will have an excuse based on a pre-existing condition of which he is unaware. Jesus has all the evidence because he has always been. He will judge justly. We hear another voice singing within the church: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony. I am David’s root and offspring, the bright morning star.” The song blends with the echoes of the promise “Look! I’m coming!” Jesus’ voice sounds clear through the echoing repetitions, the urgings, the warnings. Warnings there are indeed! It’s not too late to change now. Wash your clothes in the lamb’s blood, so that you can eat from the tree of life. Because those who don’t, those who love being in control of their own destinies, those who invent lies of every kind to stay in power, will be left stranded (verse 15). Friends, we are not only reminded of Jesus’ inevitable return with these words: I am coming soon. The time is near. I am coming soon. Yes, I am coming soon! We are also called to respond to the call in Revelation. And ‘the Holy Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”’ The Holy Spirit has been a mysterious presence throughout John’s writings, in his Gospel, his letters and his revelation: sometimes sevenfold, sometimes ‘the spirit of prophecy’. It is the Holy Spirit that enables the bride to be the bride. It is the Holy Spirit that enables believers to keep up their courage and bear faithful witness. It is the Holy Spirit that inspires our great shouts and songs of praise. The Holy Spirit goes out from God’s throne and, breathing into and then through the hearts, minds and lives of people of every nation, tribe and tongue, returns in praise to the Father and the Lamb. And we are called to join in when we are ready. Yes, we hear this invitation: Come to the waters. There is still time. Come and take the water of life, freely. The mercy of God is vast, and His invitation wide as the world. Because He has made us as He has, God will not force except with the appeal of love; only those who tell lies about God’s love, and about everything else, will resist (verse 15). But because He is who He is, the Creator whose purposes are gloriously fulfilled in the slaughtered lamb, He will go on inviting and welcoming and pouring out the water of life for all the thirsty. ‘The Holy Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" Let THOSE who hear say, "Come!" ANYONE who is thirsty should come. ANYONE who wants to take the free gift of the water of life should do so. 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”’ Revelation 22:17 and 20 (NIV84) Friends, in Revelation 22:9, the angel told John to worship God. We are called to do the same. The faithful worship God! Meaningful worship starts with a desire to know God. If we thirst for Him, the Bible promises that He will provide for us and satisfy our needs. So, I ask you: Would you like your worship to be completely transformed? Confess any sins that might be hindering your fellowship with God. Then ask God to renovate your heart, to fill you a passionate desire to know Him. Learn to reflect on how God has revealed Himself in the Bible, and ask Him to show Himself to you again. When you see God in a new way, worship will be your only appropriate response. And all along remember why you have committed yourself to the faith. Remember the message of this book. “I’m coming soon.” Remember the words of Jesus’ prophecy. “Yes, I am coming soon.” Don’t ignore the promise of verse 20 “Yes, I am coming soon.” I encourage you to listen to the message; these words; this prophecy and this book. Be alert! Be prepared! Jesus is coming soon. There is no doubt about it. Are you ready? Amen.