Revelation 22:18-21

The theme of this passage is—

God has placed upon us personal responsibility for our treatment of His Word.

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Dutch Preacher and a Little Dramatic License

One morning in the 1620s, in a little village church, a preacher named John Rogers was preaching on the subject of the Bible in the Christian’s life. He allowed himself some pulpit dramatics. First, he acted the part of God telling the congregation:

“Well, I have trusted you so long with my Bible; you have slighted it; it lies in such and such houses all covered with dust and cobwebs; you care not to listen to it. Do you use my Bible so? Then you shall have my Bible no longer.” And he took the pulpit Bible away.

Then he knelt down and impersonated the people crying to God: “Lord, whatever thou dost to us, take not thy Bible from us; kill our children, burn our houses; destroy our goods but spare us thy Bible.”

Then he acted God again: “Say you so? Well, I will try you a while longer; and here is my Bible for you” (replacing it); “I will see how you will use it, whether you will love it more, observe it more, practice it more, live more according to it.”

At this the whole congregation dissolved in tears. What had happened? Rogers, under God, had touched a nerve, reminding them of their need to pay close attention to the Bible because reverence for God meant reverence for Scripture and serving God meant obeying Scripture. (see Packer, below.)

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John ends the book of Revelation with a warning and some encouragement.

I. John issues a warning about the consequences of adding to the Word of God. vs. 18

vs. 18 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… .

The form of this warning is taken from Deuteronomy 4:2—”You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.” (ESV)

Additions to the Bible are usually made by cults and false religious groups.

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Cults add to God’s Bible as a Source of Authority

The first doctrinal pattern found in most cults is Addition. One should always ask the question of religious affiliation—

“Does this religious group add to God’s word with new Scripture or new interpretations of the Scriptures?”

“While almost every pseudo-Christian group will use the Bible in some fashion, they will usually say that the Bible…is not sufficient and must be supplemented by the cult’s own words.” They do this in one of three ways: 

1. Some add to Scripture new, inspired “revelations” from God (e.g., the apocalyptic revelations of David Koresh of the Branch Davidians).

David Koresh taught that there had been various gospels throughout time (Seven Seals Manuscript, p. 6, Koresh). Based on 1 Peter 1:3-5, Koresh taught, that in the last days another new plan of salvation would be revealed (Seven Seals Manuscript, p. 6). The first seal (Revelation 6:1-2) according to Koresh, is “The Marriage of the Lamb.” (Based on Walker, below) 

See A summary of Koresh’s Seven Seals Manuscript. (Picture above of David Koresh from Wikipedia).

2. Others add to Scripture by declaring that the Bible cannot be understood apart from the indispensable teachings of their group. See this for an example of Scripture Twisting Methods of The Cults.

The biblical text is re-translated, not in accordance with sound Greek scholarship, to fit a preconceived teaching of a cult. Example: The New World Bible translates John 1:1 as “In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the word was a god.” (see Scripture Twisting, below. Any first year Greek student could refute that by referring to a grammar of the Greek New Testament.

3. Others actually insert additional books into the canon (e.g., Apocrypha or pseudepigrapha). See this link to the book of II Maccabees 12:38-45 as validity of prayers for the dead. See also Ecclesiastes 9:5 as validity of prayers for the dead. See Hindu Krishna prayers for the dead also. (Material above was constructed from Walker, see below.)

Preface to the Geneva Bible for the Apocrypha—

The preface to the Apocrypha in the Geneva Bible explained that while these books “were not received by a common consent to be read and expounded publicly in the Church,” and did not serve “to prove any point of Christian religion save in so much as they had the consent of the other scriptures called canonical to confirm the same,” nonetheless, “as books proceeding from godly men they were received to be read for the advancement and furtherance of the knowledge of history and for the instruction of godly manners.” (see Biblical Apocrypha, below.)

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II. John issues a warning about the consequences of subtracting from the Word of God. vs. 19

…19 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.

Enlightenment-oriented Rationalists Take Away from the Scriptures

Subtractions from the Bible are usually made by liberal, enlightenment-oriented persons or churches. “Christians may differ on secondary issues such as the spiritual gifts, eschatology (end-times), mode of baptism, and church government but they always agree on the fundamentals of the faith. One of those fundamentals is the identity of Jesus Christ as God the Son. One can be wrong on secondary doctrines and still be a Christian. Anyone who puts their faith in a counterfeit Christ, however, is a victim of a deadly case of mistaken identity.”

The question must be asked of religious affiliations and literature—

“Does this religious group subtract from the Bible’s clear teaching about Jesus?” 

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Thomas Jefferson’s Mutilated Bible

…Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, and he also created his own version of the Bible. Taking a penknife, he pored over the biblical text in Greek, Latin, French, and English and cut and pasted passages to create what we call The Jefferson Bible, 1820.

Thomas Jefferson cut verses from six copies of the New Testament to create his own personal version. Hugh Talman / NMAH, SI; from https://www.smithsonianmag.com

“To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian, in the only sense he wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence; & believing he never claimed any other.” (Thomas Jefferson, A letter to Benjamin Rush, April 21, 1803, Library of Congress).

“I made, for my own satisfaction, an Extract from the Evangelists of the texts of his morals, selecting those only whose style and spirit proved them genuine, and his own: and they are as distinguishable from the matter in which they are embedded as diamonds in dunghills.” (Thomas Jefferson, A letter to Francis Adrian Van Der Kemp, April 25, 1816, The National Archives).

The last verse of the Jefferson Bible, “There [in the nearby garden] they [Jesus’s disciples] rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.”

There was no resurrection in Jefferson’s edition. (See Kidd, below.)

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What are we to think of a Jesus who does no miracles and was not raised from the dead?

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C. S. Lewis on Christ as: Liar, Lunatic, or Lord of Glory

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to” (Mere Christianity). (see Roat, A., below.)

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These verses are taken as referring to the whole Bible. The Greek text reads ep’ auta—”on top of these things.” John is primarily warning against the altering of his book simply because the judgments and plagues are against the grain of society. Since Revelation comes at the end of the canon and Deuteronomy 4 at the beginning, it is taken secondarily to refer to the whole canon of Holy Scripture. Like literary “bookends” to God’s Word.

This verse does not teach that a person can lose his salvation. The way a person treats God’s Word demonstrates whether or not he is a true Christian.

III. Jesus Himself confirms the veracity of Holy Scripture. vs. 20

vs. 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

This is the third announcement of the imminent return of Christ. Christ adds “yes” to express the certainty of the event. John adds his affirmation—Come [Lord Jesus!]”

IV. Christ’s Church may experience suffering for supporting God’s Word, but Christ supplies the grace to endure it. vs. 21

vs. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

God’s people will need his grace to live in such times as are described in the book. Revelation is a favorite book of the Bible in countries where persecution regularly occurs. They are not removed from suffering, and do not look for a return of Christ to remove them before persecution occurs.

This brings our studies in the Revelation to a close. I will pause a few weeks before going on to the next study.

Notes
(Commentaries on which I rely without direct quotation) 

Biblical Apocrypha. (1560). Geneva Version of the Bible. Accessed 23 September 2021 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_apocrypha

Beale, G. K. (2015). Revelation: a Shorter Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Kindle Edition.

ESV. (2001). Accessed 24 June 2020 from https://www.biblegateway.com

Hendriksen, William. More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (p. 125).

Johnson, A. F. (1982). Revelation in Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Johnson, D. E. (2001). Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Kenner, C. (2000). The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic.

Kidd, T. (2021). “The ‘Jefferson Bible’ and a Founder’s Deism.” Accessed 22 September 2021 from https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/evangelical-history/jefferson-bible-founders-deism/

Morris, Leon. (1987). Revelation in Tyndale New Testament Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Packer, J. I. (1986). Your Father Loves You. Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers.

Poythress, V. (2000). The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing. 

Roat, A. (2019). “What Is the Jefferson Bible?” Accessed 20 September 2021 from https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-is-the-jefferson-bible.html

Scripture Twisting. (2020). Scripture Twisting: Methods Of The Cults. Accessed 21 September 2021 from https://believersweb.org/scripture-twisting-methods-of-the-cults/

Trimm, J. (n.d.) David Koresh’s Seven Seals Teaching. Accessed 21 September 2021 from https://www.watchman.org/articles/cults-alternative-religions/david-koreshs-seven-seals-teaching/

Walker, J. (2013). “Patterns In The Cults” accessed 20 September 2021 from https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/patternsprofile.pdf

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© 2021 C. Richard Barbare All Rights Reserved

Revelation 22:14-17

The theme of this paragraph is—

entrance into the Kingdom of God is by the grace freely offered in Christ.

The invitation is in 22:17. It is broad now. If anyone “wishes to enter let him come.”

I. The blood of Christ makes us fit to enter the Kingdom. vs. 14

vs. 14 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.

The verb “wash” is in the present tense—”keep on washing.” The word “right” is “authority.” John 1:12-13 says—

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right (the authority) to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Anyone can claim that they hope to enter the city, but only those who receive the God-given authority will actually enter. This comes by faith in Christ and His finished work.

II. Those excluded from the Kingdom refuse to be cleansed from sin by Christ. vs. 15

vs. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

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Refusal can be a Response to Christ’s Invitation

I had a teacher who spent much of his time as a younger man traveling with an evangelist who did the preaching while my teacher did the one-on-one work in the prayer room with people who responded to the message and wanted to pray to receive Christ. One young lady went to the prayer room and indicted she wanted to receive Christ. My teacher tried to lead her in the sinner’s prayer.

He asked her to repeat the words after him.

“Dear Lord Jesus,
I know that I am a sinner,
and I ask for Your forgiveness.
I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead.
I turn to You from my sin… .”

She had repeated all the words as he said them, but she stopped short of repeating “I turn to You from my sin.” He asked what the difficulty was. She replied she could not give up her sin. He told her she had to turn from her sin to Christ in order to be saved.

She said, “I’ll take my sin, thank you.” 

She rode back with friends to her hometown still in her sins instead of giving them up to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. 

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The description of salvation has not changed from Paul’s day to ours. Turning to God from sin is the pattern.

I Thessalonians 1:9-10—

9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. [ESV; emphasis mine.]

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The hymn is old and not according to modern tastes. I like what A. W. Tozer said, “We don’t sing the good hymns anymore, just the other ones.”

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This description is not of those who are excluded from the Kingdom in the present. The Scriptures say—

1 “As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (II Corinthians 6:1-2 NIV)

It is a catalog of those who hold onto their sins and do not receive Christ. Realize also that these persons described are not knocking at the doors to get in after Christ’s coming. They are consigned along with the Devil and his angels in hell at the end.

The word “outside” is exō—outside the city spoken of in chapter 21:1-22:5. Note the people who are excluded from entering into the New Heavens and Earth—

(1) “dogs”—kunes—large ravenous beasts of the streets, scavengers, and not the pets we are so fond of today. This is figurative of people of low moral character.

(2) “those who practice magic arts”—pharmakos—”sorcerers,” “those who manipulate people through the use of drugs and magic spells.

(3) “the sexually immoral”—pornos—this covers those who practice all forms of deviant sexual behavior—the most general word for immoral acts in the Bible.

(4) “murderers”—phoneus—killers.

(5) “idolaters”—eidolatres—ones who worship or serve idols—an idol is anything molten, mental or metal that takes God’s primary place in mankind’s heart and life.

(6) “everyone who loves falsehood”—phileō + pseudos—those who may not lie but who may delight in hearing them e.g. gossips. The tense of phileō—is present.

(7) “everyone who practices falsehood”—poieō + pseudos; again the tense is present—in this case the person is the one who “does” falsehood—a liar.

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Luther’s Phrase simul justus et peccator

These people are not simply ones who may have been guilty of such offenses once or more in their lives. Luther described a Christian as simul justus et peccator. (photo left from https://history.info/on-this-day/1483-martin-luther-born-a-day-before-st-martins/)

“In and of ourselves, under the analysis of God’s scrutiny, we still have sin; we’re still sinners. But, by imputation and by faith in Jesus Christ, whose righteousness is now transferred to our account, then we are considered just or righteous. This is the very heart of the gospel.” (See Sproul, below.)

Revelation 22:15 is a description of people who have the described character as a way of life. They will not repent; therefore, they are excluded from entrance into the New Jerusalem.

III. The one who enters the Kingdom is the one who receives the warnings and invitations given to John in his visions through angel. vs. 16

vs. 16 “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.”

Vision of St. Peter Nolasco, 1629 wikiart.org

John uses the word martureō—”to bear witness to.” It is the present infinitive used to indicate purpose. “You’ is the 2nd person plural pronoun—humin. This definitely indicates that the book was and is intended to have an effect on the church of John’s day and every day from then to Christ’s second coming. Christ identifies himself as the Messiah of Israel. And also, Christ is the one who heralds the approach of the day—the morning star.

IV. The speaker invites all to enter the Kingdom now! vs. 17

vs. 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.

Shared from Logos Bible Software https://www.logos.com

This is an invitation for all who are at present interested to make preparation to enter the city. In light of the imminence of the events described in this book, men and women are urged to accept God’s invitation to salvation. The Spirit who inspired the prophets invites people to come. The Bride, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, hears the Spirit’s invitation and invites others to come. There is a further invitation solicited—from “the one who hears.” In other words, those who hear the invitation from the church are in turn commanded to invite others. Two further groups are invited to the city—(1) the thirsty (dipsaō) ; (2) the one who wishes (thelō). This makes the invitation universal. The offer is free, but it is also a command. All men and women have the responsibility to heed God’s invitation. Acts 17:30-31 corroborates this—

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Next time the final paragraph of our study in Revelation.

Notes
(Commentaries on which I rely without direct quotation) 

Athanasiou, K. (n.d.). Imperative. Accessed 8 September 2021 from https://www.greekgrammar.eu/pdffiles/imper.pdf

Beale, G. K. (2015). Revelation: a Shorter Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Kindle Edition.

Carr, A. (1893). Matthew in The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges series. Cambridge: UK, at the University Press. Accessed 30 August 2021 from https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/cgt/matthew-6.html

Hendriksen, William. More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (p. 125).

Johnson, A. F. (1982). Revelation in Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Johnson, D. E. (2001). Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Johnston, J. K. (1992). Why Christians Sin. Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishing.

Kenner, C. (2000). The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic.

Morris, Leon. (1987). Revelation in Tyndale New Testament Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Pray. (2021). Accessed 8 September 2021 from https://www.etymonline.com/word/pray

Poythress, V. (2000). The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing. 

Sproul, R. C. (2019). “What does simul justus et peccatur mean?” Accessed 19 September 2021 from https://www.ligonier.org/posts/simul-justus-et-peccator

Stott, J.R.W. (1986). The Message of Galatians, part of The Bible Speaks Today series. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

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Revelation 22:10-13

Image above in public domain from https://www.publicdomainpictures.net

“The epilogue shows clearly that the purpose of the book is to induce holy obedience among God’s people in order that they receive the reward of salvation.” (see Beale, p. 508; below).

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I would summarize the message of Revelation 22:10-13 as—

God reveals His purposes for the future so John’s churches and ours can walk with God amid the chaos of a world in opposition to God and His people. 

We live in such a chaotic day as did first century believers! We need Revelation’s warnings and promised incentives to help us live as Christians today!

I. We can live, in the midst of chaos, according to that which is revealed to us by John in the Revelation. vs.10

vs. 10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up¶ the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.

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Luther on the Bible

“God is everywhere. However, He does not want you to reach out for Him everywhere but only in the Word. Reach out for it and you will grasp Him aright. Otherwise you are tempting God and setting up idolatry. That is why He has established a certain method for us. This teaches us how and where we are to look for Him and find Him, namely, in the Word.” (Bible Hub quotations).

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What Daniel was commanded to do—seal the prophecy—John is forbidden to do. Revelation does have a present application in all ages of the church. It is not intended to be only for a future people, or for a people in the past. Daniel is in view in Revelation 22:10—

Daniel 8:26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”

Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

John is saying that what was distant to Daniel is being fulfilled now—inaugurated stages of the kingdom and at the very end consummation of the kingdom.

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I have shown the importance of seeing the Kingdom as inaugurated now; and, later the Kingdom to be consummated at the Second Coming. (See the chart above.) We have blessings of the Kingdom now, but not yet the fullness of the Kingdom blessings.

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The word “time” is kairos (an opportune time). “Near”—engos—can be interpreted in different ways—(1) “near” in the sense of distance; (2) “near” in the sense of time. Philippians 4:5 demonstrates the ambiguity of the word engos—(5) Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

What is Paul trying to say? Is it that the Lord Jesus is close to us? Or is it that the return is imminent. Even though both senses of engos are true, I think that the latter is implied in Revelation 22:10—the time of fulfillment is always close in time. Remember, “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4; II Peter 3:8).

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Two Great Presidents on the Bible & Government

It is impossible to righteously govern the world without God and the Bible. – George Washington

Within the covers of one single book, the Bible, are all the answers to all the problems that face us today—if only we would read and believe. – Ronald Reagan

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Only the God who speaks in Holy Scripture can guide us in this murky world at present. We can trust what He has said within the pages of His Book!

II. We can safely conform our lives to God’s Word, but we need to refuse the “world’s mold” which tries to shape our thinking. vs. 11

vs. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

Note the following people are referred to by their character—

(1) “him who does wrong”—[adikon] “an unrighteous person,” or “a person not in a right relationship
with God.”
(2) “him who is vile”—rhuparos “dirty, filthy, unclean, or defiled persons”
(3) “him who does right”—dikaios “righteous persons,” or “persons in a right relationship with God”
(4) “him who is holy”—hagios “a person set apart from sin to serve God,” “a pure person”

John is seemingly commanding men to remain in their present state of character. I thought we were in the salvation business! However, the imperative is not always a categorical command, but sometimes a request or desire (see Athanasiou, below). In other words, we use an imperative—”Sit down”—when someone enters our house and we wish to be polite. It is hardly a categorical command, but is a request from us.

Daniel 12:10 Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. This is in mind when John writes. “Opposite heart orientations and behavior patterns have opposite destinies, as will be clear when the Lamb who is the supreme judge comes.” (see Johnson, D. E.; below.)

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John Stott’s Application of an Adage

“You sow a thought and you reap a deed.
You sow a deed and you reap a habit.
You sow a habit and you reap a character.
You sow a character and you reap a destiny.”

(Original source is Ralph Waldo Emerson, according to Good Reads website.)

“Every time we allow our mind to harbor a grudge, nurse a grievance, entertain an impure fancy, wallow in self-pity, we are sowing to the flesh. Every time we linger in bad company whose insidious influence we know we cannot resist, every time we lie in bed when we ought to be up and praying, every time we read pornographic literature, every time we take a risk that strains our self-control, we are sowing, sowing, sowing to the flesh.” (see Stott, p. 170-171; below.)

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The end, both of one’s personal life or the Second Coming of Christ, will cement that person’s character. There will come a time when men will no longer be moved to repentance. As they lived, so they will die. The wicked will be enticed to live more wickedly and the righteous will be inspired to live more righteously. God deals with man as he always has. He is not responsible for the wicked person’s rejection and hardening. “The same sun which melts wax hardens clay. And the same Gospel which melts some persons to repentance hardens others in their sins.” (original source: C. H. Spurgeon or Jonathan Edwards.) In other words, the experience of either hardening or melting, is dependent on the composition of the substance, not on the energy of sun.

Salvation may be all of grace, but damnation is purely by works.

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Salvation is by Grace

The Heidelberg Catechism says—

Q. 1. What is your only comfort in life and death?

A. That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must work together for my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him

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Although I was steeped in the Westminster Catechism, I like the personal nature of The Heidelberg Catechism.

III. We can count on God’s reward at Christ’s coming to compensate for our suffering. vs. 12

vs. 12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.”

“Reward” is misthos which means “payment, wages, what is due—whether reward [remunerative justice] or punishment [retributive justice].” Note that the wicked will be given wages—Romans 6:23—For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God will reward the righteous—I Cor. 3:12-15—

12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—13 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. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

II Cor. 5:10-11—

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

What we are is known to God, and I hope it is also known to our consciences. In every mention of Judgment in the Bible, it states that is on the basis of works. This is not to say that the judgment is based on a person’s performance. If he does right he will earn salvation, and if he does wrong, he will earn damnation. Indeed, not! This would invalidate grace—Romans 3:21-25a—

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

Works simply indicate the person’s character (see chart above). They prove infallibly that the person either received or rejected the gift of God’s grace.

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Script Change

Many years ago in a Moscow theater, matinee idol Alexander Rostovzev was converted while playing the role of Jesus in a sacrilegious play entitled “Christ in a Tuxedo.” He was supposed to read two verses from the Sermon on the Mount, remove his gown, and cry out, “Give me my tuxedo and top hat!” But as he read the words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted,” he began to tremble. Instead of following the script, he kept reading from Matthew 5, ignoring the coughs, calls, and foot-stamping of his fellow actors.

Finally, recalling a verse he had learned in his childhood in a Russian Orthodox church, he cried, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom!” (Luke 23:42 KJV). Before the curtain could be lowered, Rostovzev had trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. (see Johnston, J. K., pg. 121; below.)

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I find when I have made a wrong turn or hear a questionable teaching, the best way out is “to change scripts”—to God’s Word.

I have sickness this week and could not release this blog post until today. Next week, hopefully we will continue with the epilogue of Revelation, although I cannot promise it will be on Sunday. 

Notes
(Commentaries on which I rely without direct quotation) 

Athanasiou, K. (n.d.). Imperative. Accessed 8 September 2021 from https://www.greekgrammar.eu/pdffiles/imper.pdf

Beale, G. K. (2015). Revelation: a Shorter Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Kindle Edition.

Carr, A. (1893). Matthew in The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges series. Cambridge: UK, at the University Press. Accessed 30 August 2021 from https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/cgt/matthew-6.html

Hendriksen, William. More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (p. 125).

Johnson, A. F. (1982). Revelation in Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Johnson, D. E. (2001). Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Johnston, J. K. (1992). Why Christians Sin. Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishing.

Kenner, C. (2000). The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic.

Morris, Leon. (1987). Revelation in Tyndale New Testament Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Pray. (2021). Accessed 8 September 2021 from https://www.etymonline.com/word/pray

Poythress, V. (2000). The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing. 

Stott, J.R.W. (1986). The Message of Galatians, part of The Bible Speaks Today series. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

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