The End of the Story
Revelation • Sermon • Submitted
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Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
The fact that the river of life flows from the throne of God shows that the source of all life is found in God. This picture that we are shown is also a reminder that in the New Heavens and the New Earth death and all that accompanies it have been completely done away with and that then life will reign supreme.
Then in verse two we read.
through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
I don’t know whether or not there will be essentially a canal that the river of life will flow down some central street within the city. But, those details that we get caught up in. Are not the point of the revelation. Rather, in the New Heavens and the New Earth eternal life is a central part of what life will look like.
And then we are told that on either side of the street is the tree of life with its twelve fruits that yield its fruit each month. Again, will this tree straddle the streets somehow along with the river? Who knows? Not sure I even care. Look, have you ever known a tree to bear fruit every twelve months. Fact is such a thing has never been seen perhaps twice a year but not monthly. Why? Because every tree must essentially die back and then experience regrowth in order for new fruit to grow. In the New Heavens and the New Earth this season of dying will no longer exist. Because death has been completely done away with.
When the passage speaks of the healing of the nations by the leaves of the tree I believe that what is being spoken of is what has already been revealed in a contrast between this age in which we all experience suffering, anguish, pain, and death. But in the age to come and all that are given access to the tree of life will see all of this left behind never to be remembered again.
Then in verse three we read.
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.
Everything in the new age will be transformed by God. And so he is due all of our worship.
In verse four we read.
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
The central hope of our salvation is that we will see the face of Jesus. This is our greatest hope here and now. To one day look into the very eyes of Jesus.
In the Old Testament the saints were told to keep the word of God before them always and so they created what were called phylacteries. They were these little boxes that they would put the small pieces of papyrus with the scriptures written on them and then strap those boxes onto their foreheads. It was symbolic of their desire to keep the word of God foremost within their minds.
In the age to come such things will not be necessary. Everyone will simply know God as he has always intended for us to know Him. We will not need to strive to know Him. He will simply be known.
Then in verse five we read.
And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Again John makes this statement that the Lord will abolish the night. Is this a physical reality or is this statement more metaphorical I’m not certain. The metaphor that stands behind the statement is clearly true. In the end light beats out the darkness and there will be no darkness at all. I ask whether or not this is a metaphor only because it is a common metaphor that John uses. For instance in first John chapter one verses six and seven we read.
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
In the new heavens and the new earth we will finally see this statement in its fullest possible means come true.
So is this a real physical manifestation or is it simply a metaphorical usage of night and day. It certainly is being used I believe in the metaphorical manner. It is also possible as many argue going to be true in the physical sense as well. This is my struggle with this idea. There is a sense in which the new heavens and the new earth is simply a return to that which was meant to be prior to the Fall. That means that the Sun and the Moon, Day and Night will all exist because all of these are seen in Genesis chapter one. This is the reason that I am more inclined to say that John is simply writing metaphorically here and not literally. This is always one of the great struggles in reading the book of Revelation.
The next several verses I am going to run through really quick to be honest because they need little explanation and that is because they are meant to be able to stand on their own with little discussion. What is difficult in this next section is the flow from here until the end.
John is going to appear to write what appear to be somewhat disconnected statements.
From verse six until the end he is going to focus on the authority that the book is meant to play within the life of the church.
So these are very important verses and I’ll be honest should be seen as an encouragement I believe for every church to truly study this amazing book.
So, in verse six we read.
And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
The angel now assures John that what he has seen is both true and reliable.
The last part of this statement that the angel makes is an affirmation that this book is prophetic just as Old Testament prophecy was prophetic and the source of both is the Lord.
In verse seven some of your bibles may have the words in red as though the speaker shifted and Jesus is now speaking. I believe that the flow of the two verses together makes it more likely that the angel is simply quoting what Jesus has essentially stated previously although perhaps not directly.
“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Jesus words are used here to reinforce two basic ideas. First is that his return should always be viewed by the church as being imminent. When no one knows, but we should always live as though his return could be at any moment.
Second is a reminder that the church in every age is going to be caught up within this battle per se between Christ and Antichrist. And as a result we need to live lives of unswerving loyalty to Jesus Christ in the face of constant demonic pressure and persecution.
Then in verse eight John is our speaker and we read.
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me,
When John received the revelation that was given to him and he understand God’s full redemptive purpose in what we call the consummation he was so awestruck that his natural response was to worship the angel. And of course we saw that the angel stopped him and redirected him towards the worship of the Lord.
We see this in verse nine where we read
but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
Then in verse ten we read.
And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
At this point it would appear that the speaker is still the speaker that we saw just previously.
And John is told to not keep the words of this prophecy sealed. This appears to be a reference back to the scroll that we first saw that had seven seals. And John was witness to the breaking of those seven seals. This indicated that the contents of the scroll had been up until that point hidden from the eyes of men. But Jesus steps forward as the only one worthy to break the seals and thus open up and reveal the prophecy that was written upon the scroll. And that prophecy is the contents of this book.
And so now that Jesus has chosen the time and person to reveal the contents of the scroll to those contents are now meant to be accessible to all of mankind. And that is the revelation of those things that are still yet to come at the end of this age and the beginning of the age to come.
John in verse twelve again quotes Jesus and he writes.
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
This is basically a repetition of what we read in verse seven. Right.
Throughout the Bible we are giving this picture that Jesus or the Messiah is going to come and he is going to do so in the role of Judge over mankind. And so the scriptures continually remind us that we will one day be judged on the basis of our works.
But what specifically are the works of believers in Jesus Christ. Because we have already stated that our good works are likely filthy rages before Jesus. So what are the good works that we see played out within this book that Jesus expects from us. I do believe that there are a few of them. And I’ll be honest if I had thought through this more clearly I would have probably followed on this series with a series on each of these. Don’t worry those are still going to be seen at a later date though.
So what are these works that I believe the book of Revelation is calling us to every day as Christians. There are three things I believe this book calls over and over. They are patience in tribulation, steadfastness under persecution, and faithfulness to Christ Jesus. I believe that this book shows to us the clear requirements of what it means to do good works in the name of Christ Jesus and these are those works.
Then in verse thirteen we read what we might call the foundation for the authority from which Jesus speaks. And we read.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Jesus is able to stand as judge over all of humanity because he transcends all human experience. None of us can claim to have existed from the beginning of all things and will exist until the end. Jesus is the one who spoke all things into existence. And it is the grace and love of Christ that sustains all things to this very day.
And it is from this position that he is able to stand in judgment over all of humanity.
Then in verse fourteen we read.
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.
Our robes here are essentially representative of the good works that we carry or wear upon ourselves as we walk forward for the first time into the presence of our savior.
The question how is that our robes our works might be washed clean of the taint of sin that must be upon them. There is no one who has walked this earth save Jesus Christ who has not sinned in some way. In fact I would argue that prior to placing ones faith in Christ Jesus it is our nature to be sinful. It is only by the grace of God that evil is restrained within this world. Look if you are sitting here or watching online and you want to argue with me that somehow you have escaped ever sinning or being touched by sin I would say that you are unfortunately foolishly mistaken. All of us are sinners in need of a savior.
In fact in 1 John chapter one, again, in verses eight through nine we read.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John is using very similar language here in his first letter to what we read here in the book of revelation. We all, need to be cleansed from the affect of sin upon our lives.
This final cleansing will happen when we experience the resurrection of the saints. However, it will only occur for those who confess their sin and place their faith in Christ Jesus.
And there is this almost crazy reality that our robes dirtied and stained by sin will be washed clean by the cleansing work of the blood of Christ Jesus.
But for those who place their faith in Christ Jesus and walk in that faith daily will have the right to eat of the tree of life.
Then in verse fifteen we read a condemnation that seems to come from out of no where.
And we read.
Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Look the details of who is being represented here are truly inconsequential. What is important is that these are the ones who according to 1st John chapter one are lost in the darkness and so are incapable of seeing the truth of who Christ truly is. And as a result they dismiss their sin and claim to be righteous in and of their own works. But, the truly unfortunate part of this is that this falsehood that they practice is really only self deception.
Then in verse sixteen Jesus again speaks and we read.
“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.”
This is again Jesus stating that he is the one who stands behind this book and therefore gives it authority over the church.
And the reason for His authority over this book is that Jesus is the Messiah. The three descriptions that Jesus uses here are all Old Testament identifications given to the coming Messiah.
He is the root is a reference from Isaiah chapter eleven verse one which reads.
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
This verse actually encapsulates both phrases the root and the descendant of David. But the second isn’t clearly stated. Only in a manner of speaking as he is the fruit that will come forth from the root and therefore through the line of David.
This is clearly shown however in Jesus lineage in the book of Matthew which begins in chapter one verse one and reads.
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
The Old Testament stresses that it is the Davidic kingship that will one day rescue the people.
Finally the bright morning star is a reference to a prophecy concerning the Messiah in the book of Numbers chapter twenty-four verse seventeen which reads.
Numbers 24:17 (ESV)
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the forehead of Moab
and break down all the sons of Sheth.
From the line of Jacob will come David one day and from the line of David will come the Messiah who will crush all that stand against the people of God. And even here the people of Moab and Sheth were more often than not used in the Old Testament to represent sin within the world.
All of these are references to the fact that Jesus will one day return as the conquering Messiah that Israel and the people of God everywhere have live in anticipation of for generations.
What was missed was that he first had to come as the suffering servant. But will soon return as the conquering king. But what he truly comes to conquer is not the rebellious nations. That will happen. But his goal his crowning achievement will be to conquer both sin and death.
Then in verse seventeen the church is given an invitation by John and it reads.
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.
John invites all who hear the invitation of the Holy Spirit and the Church to come and taste of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and to know that the price for your sins has already been paid by the blood Jesus.
Then in verse 18 we read.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,
Now we read of this ominous warning to never change or add to the words of this book. Look one of the things that I believe this means is that we, the bride of Christ, need to be very careful how we interpret and therefore use this book. We may think that we are not adding to or changing the words of the book. But when we misinterpret and misuse this book we are essentially adding to and changing the words of this book. It i not simply about rewriting this book.
Then in the second half of the warning in verse nineteen we read.
and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
I hope that everyone understands that Jesus takes this revelation of who He is to this world and what is yet to come very seriously. And so use the words of God found within this book with caution.
Finally in verses 20 and 21 we receive a final affirmation concerning Jesus return and we read.
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
The word soon here is not meant to be a marker of time. But rather is a means to convey the means that Jesus return will occur. There will be little warning and His return will seem quicker than we might have expected. As a result we, the church, are called to live as though His return is imminent at any moment.
So What?
So What?
We have read the end of the story and I want to leave us with just a few questions to think through. I will give you no answers. Because I believe that each of these is different for each of us. And your responses will be based upon where you are in life right now, and what it is that Jesus is calling you to at this point at this very moment in your life in order to prepare yourself and those around you for the imminent return of Jesus. Oops. I kinda gave away my questions will all of that.
But here you go.
How does Jesus imminent return change how you view what is truly important in your life right now?
How does Jesus imminent return change how you view your role within the church in order to advance the kingdom of god here and now?
How does Jesus imminent return change how you view those around you who do not know Christ Jesus?
Do you see the demonic pressure and persecution that is coming against those within church, against the church, finally against the fallen around us? How can we best pray against those influences?
Finally how are we walking out the good works that we have been called to by Christ Jesus.
How are we expressing patience? That means we also need to figure out where our patience is not being seen well.
How are we walking steadfast under the persecution of satan? And listen if the weight of this is too great to bear, how are you reaching out to the Church for prayer and support?
Finally and most importantly, how are we walking daily in our faithfulness towards Christ Jesus. Because apart from this one single answer that you give there is truly nothing else within this world that carries any value whatsoever.
Amen
Amen.
Prayer
Benediction
The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
And may the Lord bless you through the study of this book so that you might be blessing to those whom He has called you to bless.
Amen