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Subject 10 : The Revelation (Commentaries on the Revelation)

[Chapter 22-2] Be Joyful and Strong in the Hope of Glory (Revelation 22:1-21)

Be Joyful and Strong in the Hope of Glory(Revelation 22:1-21)
 
Revelation 22:6-21 shows us the hope for Heaven. Chapter 22, the concluding chapter of the Book of Revelation, deals with the confirmation of the faithfulness of the Scriptural prophecies and God’s invitation to the New Jerusalem. This chapter tells us that the New Jerusalem is a gift of God given to the saints who have been born again by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
God made the born-again saints praise Him in the House of God. For this, I am deeply thankful to the Lord. Words cannot express how thankful we are for allowing us to be the saints who, by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, have been forgiven of all our sins before the Lord. Who on this earth would ever receive a greater blessing than what we have received? There is none!
Today’s main passage is the last chapter of Revelation. In the Book of Genesis, we see God making all the blueprints for mankind, and in the Book of Revelation, we see our Lord fulfilling all these plans. The Word of Revelation can be described as a destroying process of this world in order to complete all God’s works for mankind according to His design. Through the Word of Revelation, we can see the Kingdom of Heaven beforehand as revealed by God.
 
 
The Shape of God’s City and Its Garden
 
Chapter 21 speaks of God’s City. Verses 17-21 tell us: “Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”
This Word of Revelation describes the New Jerusalem that God would give to His born-again people. This City of Jerusalem in Heaven, we are told, is built with twelve different kinds of precious stones, with twelve gates made of pearls.
Chapter 22 then speaks of the nature found in the garden of the City of Jerusalem. Verse 1 says, “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” In the City of God, a crystal river flows through its garden, just as God made four rivers flow in the Garden of Eden at the beginning. God tells us that this is the garden that the righteous would enjoy in the future.
The main passage also tells us that the tree of life stands in this garden; that it bears twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruits every month; and that its leaves are for the healing of the nations. It appears to me that the nature of Heaven is such that not only are its fruits eaten, but also its leaves, since the leaves have healing power.
 
 
The Blessings Received by the Righteous!
 
The Bible tells us that in the City of God, “There shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.” It tells us that those of us who have been forgiven of our sins will reign forever with God who has saved us.
Those whose sins have been blotted out by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit while living on this earth will not only receive the blessing of having all their sins disappear, but they will also be God’s own children, have many angels serving them when they go to the Kingdom of God, and reign with the Lord forever. The passage tells us that the righteous would receive from God such eternal blessings as standing at the river of life and eating the fruits of life, and that as a part of these blessings there would be no more disease.
It also tells us that they would need neither the light of this earth nor of the sun, for in God’s glorious Kingdom they would live forever with God, who Himself is its light. The children of God who have received the remission of their sins through the gospel of the water and the Spirit, in other words, will live like God. This is the blessing received by the righteous.
The Apostle John, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus who wrote the Book of Revelation, also wrote the Gospel of John and the three Epistles of the New Testament—First, Second, and Third John. He was exiled to the Island of Patmos for refusing to recognize the Roman emperor as a god. During this exile, God sent His angel to John and showed him what would come to pass on this earth, revealing to him the destruction of the world and the place where the saints would eventually enter and live in.
If we were to describe the Book of Genesis as the blueprint of creation, we may describe the Book of Revelation as the completed miniature of the blueprint. For 4,000 years, our Lord has told mankind that He would make all its sins disappear through Jesus Christ. And in the age of New Testament, when the time came, God fulfilled all His promises, that He would send Jesus the Savior to this earth, that He would have Jesus be baptized by John, and that He would make the sins of the world disappear through Christ’s blood on the Cross.
When mankind fell into the Devil’s deception and was trapped in its destruction because of sin, our Lord promised that He would deliver it from its sins. He then sent Jesus Christ, had Him be baptized and bleed, and thereby saved mankind perfectly from its sins.
Through the Word of Revelation, God has recorded in detail what kind of glory awaits those who have received the remission of their sins, and what kind of judgment awaits the sinners on the other hand. God tells us, in other words, that there are many who would end up in hell even though they have claimed to believe in Him faithfully (Matthew 7:21-23).
Our Lord has saved the sinners from their sins, and He has told us not to seal the Word of the blessings that He has prepared for the righteous.
 
 
Who Are the Unjust and the Filthy?
 
Verse 11 states, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” Who are the “unjust” here? The unjust are none other than those who do not believe in the love of the gospel of the water and the Spirit given by the Lord. Because people commit sin all the time, they must believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that the Lord has given them and thereby live their lives glorifying God. Because only God is the One who is to receive glory from mankind, and because only He is the One who has clothed us in His grace of salvation, we must all live a life that gives all glory to God. Those who disobey God are filthy, for they do not always believe in His Word.
In Matthew 7:23, our Lord told the religionists who profess to believe in Him only by lips, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Our Lord called them as “you who practice lawlessness.” He rebuked them because these people believe in Jesus only through their deeds, instead of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit wholeheartedly. Lawlessness is sin, and not believing in the Word of God with one’s heart. Therefore, when people practice lawlessness before God, it means that they do not believe in the love and the salvation of the water and the Spirit that God has given them. Lawlessness is none other than changing the Word of God at one’s own whim and believing it arbitrarily in whatever way that one feels like.
Those who truly believe in Jesus must accept whatever God has established as it is. We believe in Jesus, but in no way does this allow us to alter God’s plan and the completion of His salvation. The message of the main passage is that God would give eternal life to those who believe in His salvation as it stands on its own, but send to hell those who make changes to God’s Law and believe in whatever way that suits their own tastes.
“He who is unjust, let him be unjust still.” This tells us that such people, in their stubbornness, do not believe in the salvation as set by God. They are the unjust. And this is why the sinners are always unjust.
The passage continues, “he who is filthy, let him be filthy still.” This refers to those who, although they are sinful, and despite the fact that Jesus has made their sins disappear with the water and the Spirit, have no intention whatsoever to cleanse their sins with faith. As such, God would leave alone these faithless people as they are, and then judge them. By giving people conscience, God has made it possible for them to clearly recognize sin in their hearts. And yet they still have no intention to cleanse the sins in their hearts, nor to know the gospel of the water and the Spirit. God tells us that He would let these people be as they are.
Proverbs 30:12 says, “There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness.” The religionist-Christians today are such people who do not even want to be cleansed of their sins. However, Jesus, who is God Himself, came to this earth to save the sinners, cleansed away all their sins by taking the sins of mankind upon Himself with His baptism all at once, was at once judged for all these sins by being crucified, and thereby has indeed saved from sin those of us who believe.
To whomever knows and believes in the Word of the gospel of the water and the Spirit with which Jesus Christ has saved the sinners, our Lord has permitted this person to be forgiven of all his/her sins, regardless of what kind of sinner he/she might be. And yet there are still people who have not received this remission of sin through faith. These are the ones who have resolved themselves to not even try to get their sins cleansed away. God will let them be as they are.
This is to fulfill the justice of God. It is to show that God is the God of justice. These people will be cast into the fire of brimstone that burns forever. They will then realize who the God of justice really is. Although they confess Jesus as their Savior, they are not only deceiving their own conscience, but they are also defiling the conscience of others. Because they have rejected the gospel of the water and the Spirit, God will pay them back according to what they have done. When the day comes, God will bring His wrath to those who deserve His wrath.
 
 
Give to Everyone According to His Work
 
There are two kinds of people on this earth: those who have met the Lord, and those who have not. Our Lord will pay everyone back according to his/her work.
No one can be justified on his/her own, but justification comes from Jesus. He took all the sins of mankind upon Himself with His baptism all at once, carried the sins of the world to the Cross, and on the Cross faced all the judgment of sin that mankind itself should be facing. Mankind could become righteous by believing in this truth. Those who believe in this truth are the ones who have met the Lord.
God asks those who are sinless, who know and believe in this truth, to preach the gospel on this earth and keep His holy Word as they live on. God says, “he who is holy, let him be holy still.” We must keep this command in our hearts, defend our holy faith, and always preach the perfect gospel. Why? Because too many people in this world remain ignorant of this true gospel, and as a result their faith is all wrong.
There are those on this earth who unconditionally support the doctrine of incremental sanctification. Although our Lord has already made mankind’s sins disappear, these people still pray for the forgiveness of their sins daily, even as now. Offering their prayers of repentance on a daily basis, they try to cleanse away their sins, to be incrementally sanctified so that they would finally become the righteous who no longer commit any sin, and to thus be a match for Jesus. But Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the King, the Prophet and the High Priest.
The true servants of God not only carry out their task of making sure that everyone is truly forgiven of sin, but they also lead everyone to the truth as the co-workers of God. God’s servants are the ones who, through the written Word, have the exact knowledge of the things that would come to pass.
Verses 12-13 say, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Our Lord indeed is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. We must believe in everything that the Lord has spoken to us in fear.
Our Lord will reward the saints with the blessings that are far greater than their works, for He is glorious and merciful. He is the merciful and compassionate One who has saved us from all our sins, and, as the Word of Revelation tells us, the God of power and justice who would complete His work of salvation. And this completion of salvation, which is soon to come, is permitting to the saints the glorious entrance into the City of the New Jerusalem, the generous and sufficient rewards of our Lord for their works.
 
 

Blessed Are Those Who Do His Commandments

 
Continuing on with verse 14, the main passage tells us, “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” There are many people who claim, based on this verse, that salvation comes by deeds—by observing, in other words, His commandments.
But in fact, “doing His commandments” means believing in and keeping all the written Word of God with faith. John the Apostle wrote, “And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment” (1 John 3:23). So, when we believe in the true gospel of the water and the Spirit, and devote ourselves to preaching the gospel to save all the lost souls throughout the whole world, we are doing His commandments in His presence.
The truth is that all the sins we commit throughout our lives have already been blotted out through the baptism that Jesus received from John the Baptist. Following this baptism, our Lord’s blood on the Cross, His resurrection, and His ascension have made us be born again and allowed us to live a new life in His truth.
Whenever we fall into sin after being born again, we must return to the Word of truth that has cleansed us of all our sins; realize that our roots are such that we cannot help but sin; and, returning once again to the faith of the Jordan River where our Lord took upon all our weaknesses, shortcomings, and sins, be baptized together with the baptism of Jesus and be buried together with Christ who died on the Cross. When we do so, we can finally be freed from the sins committed after being born again, and be washed clean. We must hold onto the righteousness of God by reaffirming our eternal salvation of atonement and thanking Him for His permanent and perfect salvation.
Jesus has already washed away all the sins of this world. The problem is found with our conscience. Although our Lord has already taken care of the sins of the world with His baptism, because we the human beings do not realize that the Lord has thus cleansed away all our sins with His baptism and crucifixion, our conscience remains troubled as sinners. We therefore are apt to feel that we still have sin left in us, when in fact all that we have to do is just believe that all our sins have actually been washed away already through the gospel of the water and the Spirit given by Jesus Christ.
If our hearts have been hurt by our sins, with which truth can we then heal the wounds of these sins?
These wounds, too, can all be healed by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit—that is, by believing that our Lord took all the sins of the world upon Himself by being baptized by John at the Jordan River, and that He made all these sins disappear by carrying them to the Cross of Calvary and shedding His blood on it. In other words, the sins of our deeds that we commit after receiving the remission of sin can also be washed away when we confirm once again our faith in the gospel that Jesus Christ has already cleansed away all our sins, including these sins of our deeds.
The sins of this world were washed away all at once when Jesus Christ received His baptism and was crucified. As such, neither the sins of the world nor the personal sins of ours need to be washed away twice or thrice, as if they must be cleansed continuously. If someone teaches that the remission of sin is attained little by little, then the gospel that he/she is preaching is a false gospel.
God has made the sins of the world disappear all at once. Hebrews 9:27 tells us, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” As we die once because of sin, it is God’s will that we should also receive the remission of sin at once. Coming to this earth, Jesus Christ took all our sins upon Himself at once, died once, and was judged in our place at once as well. He did not do these things for several times.
When we receive the remission of sin by believing in Jesus Christ with our hearts, then, it is also right for us to believe all at once and receive the eternal remission of all our sins. Because the sins that we commit from then on hurt our hearts from time to time, all that we have to do is go before the Word of this salvation, that our Lord has washed away our sins all at once, and cleanse and heal our tainted hearts with faith: “Lord, I am so full of shortcomings. I’ve committed sin again. I was unable to live a whole life according to Your will. But when You were baptized by John at the Jordan River and bled on the Cross, did You not take care of all these sins of mine also? Hallelujah! I praise You, Lord!”
With such faith, we can confirm our remission of sin once again and thank the Lord always. This last chapter of Revelation tells us that by going before Jesus Christ, who is the tree of life, and by believing that the Lord has already washed away all the sins of the world, those who have received the remission of sin have earned the right to enter the Kingdom of God, the Holy City, through their faith.
Whoever wants to enter the city of God must believe that Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of mankind eternally by receiving His baptism at once and shedding His blood. Though we all have many acts of shortcomings, by believing in the baptism and the blood of Jesus Christ our Savior, our faith can be approved by God as true, and we can all go before the tree of life.
Only by believing in Christ’s baptism and blood can we have the right to drink the water of life flowing in the city of New Jerusalem and to the fruits of the tree of life. Because the qualification to enter the New Heaven and Earth, which can never be allowed to be taken away by anyone, comes only from the gospel of the water and the Spirit, we must defend our faith and also preach it to many others. Likewise, the phrase “(to) do His commandment” means for us to overcome the world by faith—that is, to believe in and keep the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and to devote ourselves to preaching the true gospel all over the world.
In Matthew 22, Jesus tells us “the parable of the wedding feast.” The conclusion of this parable is that those who do not have their wedding garments on should be cast into outer darkness (Matthew 22:11-13). How can we wear our wedding garments to participate in the marriage supper of the Lamb, and what are the wedding garments? The wedding garments that enable us to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb is the righteousness of God given to us through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Do you believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit? If so, you are then beautifully clothed in His righteousness so that you can enter Heaven as a sinless bride of the Son.
We, the born-again, also commit sin every day. However, only the righteous who have been forgiven of their sins before God are qualified to wash away their daily sins from their garment of righteousness with faith. Because those whose sins have not been forgiven are not qualified to wash away their sins, they would never be able to cleanse themselves of their sins with their daily prayers of repentance. That we have been saved from the sins of the world by believing in the Lord was all made possible by knowing and believing that the Lord has washed away all our sins of the world by coming to this world, being baptized, and shedding His blood.
We can confirm, in other words, that our daily sins have already been washed away only in His true gospel. Those who have received the remission of sin from the Lord through the Word of the water and the blood can also have the conviction of their salvation from the sins that they commit as they go on with their lives.
It is because our Lord has made our sins disappear all at once that we can also wash away the sins that we commit with our own acts by believing in this salvation of eternal atonement. If this were not the case, if our Lord had not washed away all our sins at once, in other words, how could we ever become sinless?
How could we ever enter into the Holy City of Heaven? How could we ever go before Jesus Christ, the tree of life? By believing in our Lord who has made all our sins disappear, we can enter the Kingdom of Heaven as the clean and spotless people; and whenever we sin in our lives, by going before our Lord and confirming that He has made these sins disappear also, we can be freed from all such sins. That’s why I tell you that only the born-again are privileged to be forgiven their daily sins by faith.
King David committed great sins before God, even though he was a servant of God. He committed adultery with a married woman, and killed her husband who was a faithful subject of his. Nevertheless, he praised God for His merciful forgiveness like this:
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit. (Psalm 32:1-2)”
Who is the most blessed in this world and before God? The blessed are none other than those of us who have been born again; who have been saved; and who, whenever sin is committed in our lives, look toward the fact that the Lord has made all our sins disappear, go to the spring of life everyday, and wash away our tainted hearts daily. This is ruminating on our deliverance and confirming our Lord’s great grace of salvation.
Only the righteous have received the remission of sin, making all their shortcomings whole. Their acts are whole, and so are their hearts. Having thus become the righteous without blemish, we can then enter the Kingdom that God has prepared for us, the Kingdom of Heaven. If we would only accept what Jesus Christ, the gate of salvation and the tree of life, has done for us, His power would be revealed, and we would therefore all receive the remission of sin and enter Heaven.
 
 

Those Who Go before the Tree of Life
 

The reason why those of us who have received the remission of sin always go before the Lord is to confirm that our Lord has made all our sins disappear, to ruminate on the grace of salvation once more, to remember it, and to praise God for it, so that we may all be more than able to enter His Kingdom. This is why we preach the gospel.
A countless number of Christians, unable to meet God’s servants who can guide them by teaching the Bible correctly, are stuck in their misunderstanding of the Word and mistaken beliefs. Even now, there are people who are preoccupied with their acts, offering prayers of repentance every morning and all night long. Why do they do these things? Because they believe that by doing so, their sins would be forgiven. And they believe so because they have been taught erroneous doctrines. But these are unrighteous acts before God. Such people are the pitiful ones who know neither the righteousness of God nor His unconditional love.
The Bible is not something that can be taken lightly, as if it can be interpreted in whatever way one wishes to. And yet because people have interpreted, taught, and believed in it based on their own man-made thoughts, the result has been like the above—that is, they remain ignorant of God’s righteousness and love. Each passage of the Bible has the exact meaning, and this can be interpreted correctly only by God’s prophets who have received the remission of sins.
Going before the tree of life is for us to believe in the Lord while on this earth, to remember everyday that our Lord has made our sins disappear, to praise Him, and to preach this gospel. We, the born-again, are also to remember that He took our sins upon Himself, to confirm this truth everyday, to worship Him with the joy of thanksgiving, and to go before our Lord.
However, it is not an exaggeration to say that Christians throughout the entire world have misinterpreted this passage and mistakenly believe that they can enter the Kingdom of God by having their sins washed away on a daily basis through the prayers of repentance. But this is not what the passage means.
After receiving the remission of sin, our hearts can remain in peace by confirming that our Lord has made all the sins that we commit with our acts disappear. By confirming the remission of ALL our sin, we are no longer bound by sin. This is the way to go before the tree of life in Heaven.
The Scripture is on a whole different dimension from the man-made thoughts. As such, to know the truth, we must first learn and hear the truth from the born-again servants of God.
 
 
Those Who Are Outside the City
 
Verse 15 says, “But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” This Word refers to all those of the end times who are not born again. It is simply amazing that our Lord would depict these people with such accuracy.
One characteristic of dogs is that they regurgitate—that is, they throw up what they had eaten, eat it again, and then throw up again, and then once again eat what they just vomited out. Our Lord says here that these “dogs” would not be able to enter into the City.
To whom do these dog refer then? There are people who cry out, “Lord, I’m a sinner; please wash away my sins,” and then praise God singing, “I’ve been forgiven, you’ve been forgiven, we’ve all been forgiven!” But the next moment, these people once again cry out, “Lord, I’m a sinner; if you would just forgive me one more time, I’ll never sin again.” They then sing again, “I’ve been forgiven by the Blood of Calvary!”
These people go back and forth so much that no one is sure whether they were actually forgiven or not. None other than this kind of people are the “dogs” that the Bible speaks of. Dogs bark everyday. They bark in the morning, they bark in the afternoon, and they bark at dawn. These people do not bark exactly in this way, but they do cry out that they are sinners, even though they have been forgiven of their sins. They become the righteous one minute; they turn into sinners the next minute.
In this way, they are like the dogs that vomit out what’s inside and eat it again, and then vomit it out again only to eat it one more time. In short, the Bible refers to Christians who still have sin in their hearts as the “dogs.” These dogs can never enter Heaven, but must remain outside the City.
Next, who are the “sorcerers?” These are the ones who, taking advantage of the innocent church-goers’ emotions, rob them of their money with their sweet-talking, and the ones who deceive people with false signs and miracles claiming to heal their diseases. Because they all take the name of God in vain, they cannot enter into the Holy City.
Also, the sexually immoral, murderers, idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie cannot enter into the City. When the end times come, dogs and sorcerers would deceive people, and the Antichrist would emerge. The Antichrist who deceives many people with false miracles and signs, steals their souls, stands against God, and seeks to raise himself higher than God and to be worshipped, and all his followers would never be able to enter into the City.
As such, if we fall into the deception of those who claim that we still have sin, or if we fall into the deception of signs and miracles that stir up our emotions, we would all end up outside the City along with the Antichrist and Satan, wailing and gnashing our teeth, just as the Word warns us.
Verses 16-17 say, “‘I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.’ And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”
Have you received your remission of sin freely? Through the Holy Spirit and God’s Church, our Lord has given us the gospel of the water and the Spirit that enables us to drink the water of life. Whoever hungers for the righteousness of God, whoever thirsts after the Word of truth, and whoever wants desperately to receive the remission of sin—to all such people, God has offered to clothe them in His mercy and extended His invitation into His Word, the water of life of His salvation. Receiving the remission of sin is the only path to respond to this invitation to the New Heaven and Earth where the water of life flows.
 
 
Amen, Come Lord Jesus!
 
Verse 19 says, “and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Before God, we cannot believe in whatever way we wish to based on our own thoughts. If it is written in the Word of God, all that we can say is just “yes,” for if anyone were to say “no” to the Word, our Lord would also take him/her away, saying, “You are not My child.” This is why we must believe in Him according to the Word. We can neither add to nor subtract from any of the Word of God, but we must believe in it as it is written.
Holding onto the servants of God and believing in what the Holy Spirit speaks through God’s Church are what the true faith is all about. Yet many people, as they have excluded the gospel of the water and the Spirit from their faith, still have sin remaining in their hearts. Even when the Word repeatedly tells them that only those who are sinless can enter God’s Holy City, they still leave out Jesus’ baptism from their faith, and instead add to it their insistence on such acts as giving prayers of repentance and material offerings.
Those who believe in Jesus as their Savior must be able to confess with their faith that all the sins of mankind were passed onto Jesus through the baptism that Jesus received from John the Baptist at the Jordan River. If you omit Jesus’ baptism you are essentially abandoning your own faith. In other words, if you do not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, even the blood of the Cross is meaningless, and the resurrection of Christ, too, is irrelevant to you. Only those who believe that God has made all their sins disappear freely are relevant to the resurrection of Jesus, and only they can shout out loud for the coming of the Lord Jesus, as the Apostle John does in verse 20.
Verse 20 says, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Only the righteous can say this. Our Lord will soon come back to this earth, according to the prayers of the righteous. Only the righteous, who have received the perfect remission of sin by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, would rejoice and wait eagerly for the quick coming of the Lord. This is because those who are prepared to receive the Lord are only those who are clothed in the garment of the gospel of the water and the Spirit—that is, those who are sinless.
Our Lord is waiting for the day when He would respond to the righteous’ waiting, the day when He comes to this earth. He will reward us with the Millennial Kingdom, and clothe us, who are the righteous, in His great blessings of entering the New Heaven and Earth where the water of life flows. This waiting of our Lord is not that long. As such, all that we can do is just say, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” And, with faith and thanksgiving, we earnestly long for the Lord’s return.
Finally, verse 21 says, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” The Apostle John ended the Book of Revelation with his last prayer of blessings for everyone. He offered his prayer of blessing at the end, with his heart hoping for everyone to believe in Jesus, be saved, and enter the city of God.
My beloved saints, that we have been saved by God means that He has loved us, delivered us from all our sins, and made us His people. It therefore is simply wonderful and thankful that God has made us righteous so that we may enter His Kingdom.
This is the core of what the Bible speaks to us. To make us live forever in His Kingdom, God has allowed you and me to be born again by hearing this true gospel, and He has delivered us from all our sins and judgment. I praise and thank our Lord for His salvation.
It is so fortunate that we have safely received the remission of our sins. We are all people who have been greatly blessed by God. And we are His prophets. As such, we must spread the gospel of the remission of sin to all those souls that are yet to hear this gospel, and also preach to them the Word of Revelation, the completion of the gospel.
I hope and pray that everyone would believe in Jesus, who is the Creator, the Savior and the Judge, and, when the end times come, thereby enter the holy place of the New Heaven and Earth given by the Lord. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you all.
 
This sermon is also available in ebook format. Click on the book cover below.
Commentaries and Sermons on the Book of Revelation - IS THE AGE OF THE ANTICHRIST, MARTYRDOM, RAPTURE AND THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM COMING? (II)