Take your Bibles, please, and turn to Revelation 22:6-21. We'll be reading from the King James Version of the scriptures. The Bible says: 6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. 7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. 8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. 9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. 10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. 11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. 18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. {out of the book...: or, from the tree of life} 20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Last words are significant. They carry a lot of weight. When someone closes out a book or a life, they usually want to emphasize the things they consider to be most important. The Bible records the last words of men. The apostle Paul's last words are found in 2 Timothy, chapter 4, and the last words of the Lord Jesus Christ are contained in the four Gospels.
History records the last words of famous men and women. For an interesting study read the book,"All the Last Words of Saint and Sinners," by Lockyer.
God's last recorded words to man are important and worthy of our thought and attention.
Notice first of all, God's Last Promise, in Rev. 22:7,12,20 7 "Behold, I come quickly:" 12 "...behold, I come quickly;" 20 "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen."
He's coming again!
This promise is found throughout the New Testament. According to Clarence Larkin, 1 out of every 25 verses in the NT mention the 2nd coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In John 14:1-3 the Saviour said to His disciples:"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am there ye may be also."
In Acts 1:11 the angels said to the disciples as they witnessed the ascension of Christ, "...Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."
The apostle Paul said in 1 Thess. 4:16,17 - "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
Bless God! I'm not looking for a sign, I'm listening for the shout! Bless God! I'm not looking for the undertaker, I'm looking for the upper-taker! Bless God! I'm not looking for a hole in the ground, I'm looking for a hole in the sky!
The song says: "Some golden daybreak Jesus will come; Some golden daybreak, battles all won, He'll shout the victory, break through the blue, Some golden daybreak, for me, for you."
Secondly, notice God's Last Invitation, in Revelation 22:17. Rev. 22:17 - "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
The Bible is full of invitations for the lost to be saved and the backslider to return. The invitation is always: "Come!"
Isaiah 1:18 - "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 55:1 - "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." Matthew 11:28 - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (unto your souls -v 29)."
The Lord says come! The Holy Spirit says come! The church (bride) says come!
And WHOSOEVER WILL may come! Salvation is open and available to everyone who through faith and repentance will come to Christ. "Whosoever" means ANYONE WHO.
John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever (anyone who) believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Acts 10:43 - "To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever (anyone who) believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins." Romans 10:13 - "For whosoever (anyone who) shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
God loved the WORLD and will save WHOSOEVER ("anyone who") will come to Christ for forgiveness.
A man and his wife were sitting in their living room. The man was reading the Bible. One night he said to his wife, "If this Book is right, we are wrong." Next day, after reading the Bible, he said to her, "If this Book is right, we are lost." A few days later, after having read the Bible, he said to his wife, "If this Book is right, we can be saved!"
One of our hymns goes like this: "Whosoever cometh need not delay, Now the door is open, Enter while you may; Jesus is the true, the only living Way: Whosoever will may come!"
Another song puts it this way: "Whosoever surely meaneth me."
The last invitation in the Bible is God calling sinners to COME and to be saved: 2 Peter 3:9 - "The Lord...is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
Thirdly, look at God's Last Warning in Revelation 22:18 and 19. "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
The last warning is: DON'T MESS WITH THE BIBLE! Don't ADD to it, and SUBTRACT from it.
This warning is posted 3 times in the Bible - in the beginning, in the middle, and at the end.
Deuteronomy 4:2 says: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."
Proverbs 30:5 and 6 says: ""Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
And don't forget our text - Revelation 22:18,19.
The CURSE of God is upon those who tamper with the Bible.
The Bible corrupter is warned that he will lose his part out of the Book of Life and his position in eternity. Will affect his rewards at the judgment seat of Christ.
The Bible doesn't need to be corrected it - it corrects us (2 Tim. 3:16) The Bible doesn't need to be criticized - it criticizes us (Heb. 4:12). The Bible doesn't need to be rewritten - it needs to be reread (Rev.1:3).
The last warning is - don't tamper with God's word.
Finally, notice the Last Prayer recorded in the Bible. Revelation 22:20 says: "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
The last prayer recorded in the Bible is a prayer for the Lord Jesus Christ to return. "Even so, COME, Lord Jesus."
When God answers this prayer, all your problems will be solved.
Do you have health problems? Do you have money problems? Do you have family problems?
When the Lord answers this prayer, all our troubles will be over.
The songwriter put it this way: "Oft-times the day seems long, our trials hard to bear, We're tempted to complain, to murmur and despair; But Christ will soon appear to catch His bride away, All tears forever over in God's eternal day."
"Life's day will soon be o'er, all storms forever past, We'll cross the great divide, to glory safe at last; We'll share the joys of heaven, a harp, a home, a crown. The temper will be banished, we'll lay our burden down."
"It will be worth it all when we see Jesus, Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ; One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase, So bravely run the race till we see Christ!"
Are YOU ready to meet the Lord when He comes? Are you saved? Are you living for Christ?