Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. —Philippians 4:5 (Our Daily Bread)
----------------------------
Revelation 22:6-20
New International Version (NIV)
John and the Angel
6 The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”
7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But
he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with
your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”
10 Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. 11 Let
the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person
continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right;
and let the holy person continue to be holy.”
Epilogue: Invitation and Warning
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs,
those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the
idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride
say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is
thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water
of life.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
----------------------------
The Last Chapter
I have a friend who reads the last chapter first when she starts a
new thriller. “Takes the anxiety out of reading,” she claims. So with
Christians: Because we know the end of the story, we can be centers of
peace in the midst of utter chaos, calm in the face of disaster.
The apostle Paul calls this attitude “moderation” in Philippians 4:5 (
kjv).
It’s a term that implies “peace under pressure.” It refers to the calm
and deliberate strength with which we meet the disquieting circumstances
of our days. Kingdoms may fall, friends may falter, churches may fold,
oceans may rise, and mountains may crumble, but we can be at peace.
How do we maintain such composure? By remembering that “the Lord is
at hand” (Phil. 4:5); He is near. Our Lord is standing just outside the
door ready to burst through and turn everything that’s wrong right-side
up. Then this world and all its troubles will become the kingdom of our
Lord, and “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of
the
Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14).
Jesus said, “Surely I am coming quickly” (Rev. 22:20). Today could be
the day! It’s the very last thing He said in the very last chapter of
His book.
Lord, thank You for dispelling the fear from our lives
by letting us know the end of the story. We can rest
in the assurance that as Your followers we will one
day be with You in Your glorious, eternal kingdom.
No doctrine is more closely linked to practical daily living than that of the Lord’s return.
Bible Reading
