- [Narrator] The final words of Jesus in the Bible.
Revelation, chapter 22, verses 20 through 21.
"He who testifies and affirms these things
"says yes, I am coming quickly.
"Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah,
"be with all the saints, all believers,
"those set apart for God, amen."
The Book of Revelation concludes
with a blessing and a promise.
The promise is that the Lord Jesus is coming quickly.
This could mean soon or suddenly.
The expectation of someone returning unexpectedly
may not generate the same level of excitement or vigilance
as the expectation that someone would return shortly.
Just as the Book of Genesis is known
as the Book of Beginnings, so Revelation is known
as the Book of Completion.
Subjects that were introduced in the first book
are brought to fruition in the last.
We read, "Surely I am coming quickly."
To the very end, the Book of Revelation
emphasizes readiness and watchfulness.
If we don't learn this useful lesson
from the Book of Revelation about being prepared,
then we won't get the message that the book
was trying to convey in the first place.
If the statement "I am coming quickly" were not enough,
Jesus puts emphasis on both sides,
surely before and amen after.
We read the final words of Jesus in the Book of Revelation.
When compared to the other books of the New Testament,
the Book of Revelation stands out as being exceptional.
Not only does it have a message for the church
of the first century to whom it was written
but it also has a message for the church
throughout the ages, particularly those living
in the end times who will see Christ return to Earth.
This one-of-a-kind book was written by the Apostle John,
who also contributed five other books
in the New Testament.
This was his final work and it was written
just before he passed away.
The title of this book, Revelation,
originates from the primary event it describes,
which is a manifestation of Jesus Christ
to the people living on Earth in the final days.
John was to document the things that he had seen.
John sees a powerful Jesus that does not compare
to any typical man.
Revelation, chapter one, verses 12 through 13.
"And after turning, I saw seven golden lampstands."
And in the midst of the lampstands, I saw someone
like the Son of Man, dressed in a robe,
reaching to his feet, and with a golden sash
wrapped around his chest.
This was it.
John reported seeing a vision of the Son of Man,
Jesus Christ, the Revered Savior.
John described the loud voice he heard as distinct
and striking as the sound of a trumpet.
The powerful voice is that of the Alpha and Omega,
the first and the last, who stands at the beginning
and the end of everything.
Because Jesus identified himself with these names
in Revelation, chapter one, verse 18,
we know this was the loud voice of Jesus.
Jesus had warnings to pass along.
After spending a significant amount of time
with Jesus throughout his ministry on Earth,
John at last got the chance to see him in person
after all these years had passed.
Even though John was an apostle and had known Jesus
while he was on Earth, after seeing this magnificent vision,
he was struck with awe.
He had known Jesus while he was on Earth.
Even the three years that John spent on Earth with Jesus
were not enough to sufficiently prepare him for the moment
when Jesus appeared to him in his heavenly majesty.
At this moment, John knew what a miracle
it was that Jesus could shield his glory
and authority while he walked this Earth.
John is told to write about the past, present, and future.
This means that Jesus asked John to write down
everything he saw in his vision
of the glorious, heavenly Jesus.
We then read, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
John's use of this phrase is based on a notion
that is connected to an Aramaic expression
that was common knowledge in the early church.
And that is maranatha.
The phrase, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus,"
shows John's longing for the return of Jesus for his people.
He wants the rapture of the church.
We then read, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
"be with you all, amen."
The book and the Bible ends with a word of grace,
"And grace for all."
Paul also used this phrase as a final word
in some of his letters.
1 Corinthians, chapter 16, verse 23.
"The grace of our Lord Jesus, his unmerited favor,
"his spiritual blessing, his profound mercy be with you."
2 Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 14.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
"and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
In 2 Thessalonians, chapter three, verses 17 through 18,
Paul even indicated that this signature,
no doubt written with his own hand,
was a mark that the letter was genuinely from him.
2 Thessalonians, chapter three, verses 17 through 18.
"I, Paul, write you this final greeting with my own hand.
"This is the distinguishing mark in every letter of mine
"that shows it is genuine.
"It is the way I write, my handwriting and signature.
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you."
Charles Spurgeon, the very popular preacher, commented,
"Whatever you may miss, may the grace
"of our Lord Jesus Christ be always with you.
"In what silver points you or any of us may fail,
may we never come short of the grace
"of our Lord Jesus Christ."
The last verse of the Old Testament contains a curse,
"Lest I come and strike the Earth with a curse."
Malachi, chapter four, verse six.
The final words of the New Testament are all about grace,
which is fitting given that grace is the central theme
of the New Covenant and defines how God
interacts with humanity.
Grace is a peaceful close to a book
filled with the thunders of divine judgment.
John wishes for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
to be with God's people.
There are three interesting variant readings
in the manuscript here.
The traditional NKJV reading is more profitable.
"Christ's grace is wished to you all."
In its original form, Revelation was known
in ancient Greek as apokalypsis, apocalypse.
The word means a revealing, an unveiling.
The Book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ
in the sense that it belongs to him.
He is the one doing the revealing.
Jesus is the person the book tells us about.
Why do we need a revelation of Jesus?
We read, "Which God gave him to show his servants."
This is a significant reason why God chose to reveal
this information about Jesus Christ to humanity.
He gave it to show his servants.
God revealed this information so that it may be shared
with others and not kept a secret.
This is an apocalypse, a revelation,
not apocrypha, something hidden.
The Book of Revelation is a book of predictive prophecy.
It makes predictions about things that will take place
in the future or at least in the future
relative to the period when it was written.
Although not all prophecy may be considered predictive,
it is abundantly evident that this prophetic text is.
Some would say that we should not be concerned
with prophecy, that it is a frivolous exercise.
But if God was concerned enough to talk about it,
we should be concerned enough to listen.
Some tell us that what is yet future
ought not to be examined into
till after it has come to pass.
I can hardly realize that this is seriously meant.
Size. John added a final prayer.
"Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
Amen is verily or absolutely.
This book began with a revelation
about the Lord Jesus Christ and it ends the same way,
with a great hope of his return.
Revelation is full of eternal hope for believers
and fearful judgment for the lost.
It describes events both on Earth and in the Heavens.
It speaks of bliss for the saved
and tragedy for the unsaved.
It shows forth the glories of God, the Father,
and of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is the final revelation of God's perspective on history
and his prophecies regarding the future.
John ended with a benediction of grace, verse 21,
and the certainty of an amen.
Thus, the New Testament begins with Jesus Christ
and ends with a promise of his grace.
Throughout, he is the subject.
The New Testament begins with his first coming
and ends with the promise of his second coming.
In this video, if the lesson to the righteous is fear not,
I believe that the lesson to the ungodly
is fear and tremble.
Christ hath the keys of death.
If you pass away at this moment,
you have not the key of death.
Oh man, what would become of thee?
Oh woman, what would become of thee?
I implore you to take a moment to reflect
on your actions and seek God's guidance.
I implore you to listen to his gospel.
We are told how to be saved.
Matthew, chapter 28, verses 19 through 20.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
"baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son
"and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow
"all that I commanded you.
"And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
So yield to his gospel.
Trust in him who died on Calvary
and lives to make intercession now.
Trust in him. Be baptized in his name.
Confess your sins and acknowledge yourself
to be his disciple.
This is the gospel. Reject it at your peril.
Submit to it.
It is my sincere desire that you walk worthy
as a follower of Christ.
For the unsaved, death brings to an end the chance to accept
God's gracious offer of salvation.
Hebrews, chapter nine, verse 27.
"And just as it is appointed and destined
"for all men to die once and after this comes
"certain judgment, for the saved, death ushers us
"into the presence of Christ."
2 Corinthians, chapter five, verse eight.
"We are, as I was saying, of good courage and confident hope
"and prefer rather to be absent from the body
"and to be at home with the Lord.
"But I am hard pressed between the two.
"I have the desire to leave this world
"and be with Christ, for that is far, far better."
Philippians, chapter one, verse 23.
"So real is the promise of the believer's resurrection
"that the physical death of a Christian is called sleep."
1 Corinthians, chapter 15, verse 51.
"Behold, I am telling you a mystery.
"We will not all sleep but we will all be changed."
1 Thessalonians, chapter five, verse 10.
"Who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep,
"we will live together with him."
Revelation, chapter 21, verse four.
"And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes
"and there will no longer be death.
"There will no longer be sorrow and anguish or crying
"or pain, for the former order of things has passed away.
"We look forward to the time
"when there shall be no more death."