Responding to His eminent return – Revelation 22

“Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book”(v7).

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done”(v12)

“He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon”(v20)

Oh the excitement  that reverberates through these words of our Lord and Master, The Lamb upon the throne, “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End; the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star”(v13,16), the only Groom of His bride!  The message is short and crisp “I am coming soon”.

This is the climax of history which has been in the making since the foundation of creation! The reunion – of the bright Morning Star with the darling of His heart – those He rescued with His own blood, whom He has prepared as a bride for Himself – is about to finally take place!

It is a shame that the church is too preoccupied with itself  to feel the excitement in the air, too busy with affairs other than the purpose of it’s being to take note of the exciting news let alone respond! But respond we must or we may end up like those foolish five virgins in Matt.25v1-13. Our response must be:

1. Obedience (v7). It is not sufficient to know all that there is to know about this coming King and about our relationship with Him. It is  not enough to know about heaven the home of the redeemed. It is not sufficient to bury ourselves in the works of the kingdom. As Samuel, talking to Saul, said “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice,  and to heed is better than the fat of rams”(1 Sam.15v22). There are blessings in taking to heart and putting to practice what has been revealed in the scriptures (Rev.1v3). Lord, please give me a heart of obedience, a heart that longs to please you!
2. Worship (v8-9). John’s immediate response to the facts of the eminent return was worship! Like him more often than not we are wont to worship the bearer of the message rather than the God who sent the message. The angel’s instruction was clear “worship God” (v9). Thank God that worship is not reserved for when we get to heaven. It is possible now. It is expected now; it enables us to experience the kingdom of heaven here and now. It is the natural response to the fellowship of His presence that we enjoy while still in this tent. Lord, make worship a second nature to me, let worship flow freely from the deepest part of me to the throne of grace on high.
3. Stay focused with perseverance (v11). The king is coming and coming very soon. Keep at the work, keep at worship  and keep holy. Do not get too busy here and there and loose focus. The price would be too much to pay. The shame, too much to bear. The goal is insight. This is the time to press on. Heed Paul’s advise to the Corinthians “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain”(1 Cor. 15v58).
4. Stay rapturable (v14-15). Nothing impure will enter that new city! Only those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, those who have been robed by the Lamb Himself. We must individually obey the command of Paul to his son Timothy “Keep yourself pure”(1 Tim.5v22). The purity and beauty for which heaven is associated with must start from now. It will be too late at the gate of heaven to attempt to be pure.
5. Continue with the twin mandate (v17). We must expectantly look forward to His coming and hasten it by staying at the mandate to “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season”(2 Tim.4v2). The mandate to be His witness from our Jerusalem to the uttermost part of the world still stands. The Spirit and the bride must say come to the Lord Jesus. We must also continue to extend the same invitation to “Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (v17). We must be at work bringing to the fold those of His who are still outside for His coming will be delayed until they have all come in and our number is complete.

Lord Jesus, I respond expectantly to your coming.  “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (v20) and depend solely on your grace to keep me and all who are expectantly awaiting your coming. Amen.

 

Exploring the inheritance of the saints – Revelation 21v9-27

It is amazing, in fact mind blowing, the extent to which the Lord goes to make His bride comfortable.  He had told his disciples about the place He was going to prepare. He said “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14v2-3). I guess when they heard the Lord’s words; their minds could only picture the bricks and mortar that surrounded them in Jerusalem. John who had this first glimpse of the real thing would have been speechless, as indeed he was, when from the mountain top, he viewed the eternal home of the redeemed! Let us just soak in what John saw:

• A brand new city draped in the glory of God, brilliant as very precious jewel like jasper and as clear as crystal (v11).
• It shone with the brightness that dwarfs that of the sun, It in fact had no need of the sun or moon because the glory of God gives it  light and the Lamb is its lamp (v23)
• It is most secure with gates manned by angels and perimeter walls as thick as 65 meters (v12)
• It is beauty and purity at its highest. The walls are made of precious stones right from the foundations and the street of purest gold to the extent that it is as transparent as glass (v21)
• It bears familiar and identifiable markings – the names of the children of Israel and the names of the apostles of the Lamb (v12-13).
• The city happily admits the glory and splendour of the nations (v24)

One striking feature that is absent from the city is the temple, that place of worship where God put His name during the old dispensation, that place that mirrored the presence of God with His people. John emphasised the fact that “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (v22). Who needs a symbol when the real thing is available? The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb have made their dwelling with the redeemed as exclaimed earlier “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (v3). And of course the city does not need the sun given the resplendent glory of He who sits on the throne and of the Lamb (v23).

All the above to be enjoyed by “only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (v27), who are the bride of the Lamb!

Jesus, I bless you for qualifying me for this heavenly city through the price you paid for me on the cross of Calvary!  Keep me pure and help me to keep pure as I await this bliss to be soon revealed. In your precious name I pray Amen

The overcomer’s inheritance – Revelation 21v1-8

It should blows our minds to think of the inheritance that awaits he who overcomes. As Paul reminded the Corinthian christians:

“No eye has seen,  no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor.2v9).

John saw a new heaven and a new earth and a new city, a new dwelling place of God, beautifully prepared, coming forth from God Himself. Not second hand but brand new. God Himself said “I am making everything new”(v5). A place where the travails of present life – death, mourning, crying and pain -  will be non- existent (v4). A place of perfect peace, a place where what is now totally impossible is the common place, as Isaiah saw long ago, a place where:

“The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain”( Isa.65v25)

 This new kingdom will be a place of immaculate purity, a place that will exclude “the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars”(v8). The Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly sojourn talked a lot about this kingdom. In one of them He discussed what will happen at the judgement seat when the redeemed will account for their time while on earth. He said “Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world”(Matt.25v34)

Most exciting however, is the star prize of the overcomers, the  inheritance that will be theirs for all eternity – God Himself, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the One who is not man that He should lie, who says and it stands fulfilled for ever. Hear His declaration “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son”(v7). Even heaven rang out with the great news “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God”(v3). Come to think of it, the new heaven and new earth and new Jerusalem would have been worthless without the presence of the One who sits on the throne! In fact there will be no inheritance but for the relationship with Him since the concept of inheritance presupposes that a person who did not work for some asset is assuming its ownership because of his relationship with the one who accumulated it!

It is a reassuring thought to know that we do not need to wait until eternity to know that there is this inheritance waiting for us. God Himself told Abraham in a vision “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward”(Gen.15v1). Peter was emphatic in his assertion of the inheritance waiting for those who are already into relationship with God the father through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hear him “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you,  who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time”(1 Pe.1v3-5).

Most importantly, The Holy Spirit of God Himself is a deposit in our hearts guaranteeing the inheritance we will enter into some day as Paul tried to communicate to the Ephesians “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory”(Eph.1v13-14).

Father, thank you for your seal of ownership of me in the person of the Holy Spirit who is the deposit guaranteeing what is to come. I pray that the hope of entering into this eternal inheritance will keep me motivated to walking with you all my remaining days here on earth I praise you for the assurance that I will someday enter into it to enjoy the fellowship of your presence for all eternity. Jesus, I worship you for making all these possible through your sacrificial love for me. Amen

The White Judgment Throne – Revelation 20v7-15

It was the late MKO  Abiola who said that he is a fool who sees a locomotive coming, stands on the track facing the oncoming train and pretends that he is invincible!  The Judgement day is coming!  Everyone must stand before the judgement seat of Christ – Every one who had stepped on the surface of this earth even Satan, the beast and the false prophet have had an earlier conviction and sentencing (Rev 20v10).

It is also instructive that the basis of judgment is specific – based on the record of the way we have lived here on earth and as recorded in  only two types of books.  The Book of life and the other books!

What will be the basis of judgment?

1. The good we have done?  I doubt because there are so many moral and good people whose names would be in the books but not in the book of life!  In any case the bible says He saved us not because of deeds we have done in righteousness but because of His mercy (Titus 3v5). It also says that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isa.64v6).
2. The quality of life? – He says all our righteousness are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64v6).
3. By our parentage, Social Status etc? – Paul say it is foolish to use all these as basis of confidence.  He counts all these as loss  compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ (Phil 3v1-11).

It therefore appears that the critical question on that day would be “what did you do with Jesus?”  or put differently, “what is the nature of your relationship with Christ?” This would determine which of the two types of books contains one’s name.

“He who has the Son has life” (1John 5v11-12).

“He who does not believe in Christ stands condemned already” (John3v18).

The book of life is slim compared with the other books because:

• few are those who dared to follow Christ (Matt 7v13-14)
• All their sins have been washed away prior to the judgement day (Isaiah 1v18, 1Cor 6v11)
• God has forgotten their sins and lawless acts (Heb 10v17, Heb 8v12, Jer 31:31-34)

Lord Jesus, thank you for writing my name in the book of life.  Thank you for the new life given to me!  Help me to be active in pointing the millions who are lost to you in view of the coming judgement.  AMEN.

(Further study.  The type of judgement to be faced by those whose names are in the book of life. Rev:22v12)

Aspiring for higher service in heaven – Revelation 20v1-6

I had a friend at school who jokingly said that his only desire was to get into heaven -  even if his heavenly position was not more than that of a gate keeper! The point is that heaven will not be a flat society with everyone doing everything. True all the redeemed will be citizens of the new kingdom. We shall all be engulfed with  the business of serving and worshipping our Lord and King forever and ever. But some will be entrusted with higher responsibilities than others.

1. Earlier  we read of the firstfruits of the redeemed, a special service team made of 144, 000  who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They are the purest of the pure, virgin – fresh, who never  had sexual intercourse, who were blameless and never were stained with lies or falsehood. They bore the mark of the Lamb and were his personal assistants as it were. There is even a song in heaven that only they would sing! (Rev.14v1-5).
2. There is the white-robed, golden-crowned body of Elders – twenty four of them – whose throne surround the throne of the Lamb and perpetually engaged in the act of worship.
3. John “saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge”(v4) – those who will reign and rule with Him for a thousand years! Those who, like the church at Thyatira, had been acknowledged for their love, faith, service and perseverance, who had kept themselves pure and without compromises and had held on patiently to and done His will to the end. To this special group, the Lord had promised: “I will give authority over the nations—He will rule them with an iron sceptre; he will dash them to pieces like pottery – just as I have received authority from my Father”(Rev.2v26-27).
4. Then there is the group of martyrs who lost their lives for the testimony of Jesus Christ (v4), who refused to worship the beast  and  be branded with his mark,  who despite their extreme suffering remained faithful to the end.  They precede other redeemed by coming to life and reigning with the Lamb for a thousand years!

The point to be made is that like salvation, it will be too late to aspire for these noble service when we are in heaven. This is the time to do it. It is what is done while we are still here in flesh and blood that will determine the privileges we enjoy or the responsibilities that is entrusted to us in heaven. No wonder the Lord’s letters to the churches are replete with the statement “I know your deeds” and the Sprits response to the blessings on the dead in Christ is that ““they will rest from their labour, for their deeds will follow them”(Rev.14v13).

Father, help me to be committed to your service here and now as I aspire to the privilege of higher service in the new kingdom. This  I pray through my Lord Jesus Christ the King who is coming to reign forever. Amen

 

Going to battle a victor – Revelation 19v11-21

Two thousand years ago, He went to battle, “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces  he was despised, and we esteemed him not”(Is.53v3). But He was victorious! Death could not hold Him captive. The one in whom “the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell”(Col. 1v19) was vested with all authority in heaven and on the earth and under the earth  “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”(Phil.2v9-11).

This same Jesus, at the fullness of time, having settled His bride in the mansion He had gone to prepare, marches triumphantly to the final battle at the head of the    heavenly army, “dressed in a robe dipped with blood”(v13) with many crowns on His head and the sword of judgement proceeding from His mouth He marches out a victor and there is no contest whatsoever even though “the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army”(v19).   This victor who “has a name written on Him that no one  knows but He himself” only (v12), who is the Faithful and True (v11), The Word of God (v13), King of kings and  Lord of lords (v16) comes out a clear victor!

What a fearful thing to face the “the fury of the wrath of God Almighty” (v15) which He goes forth to administer  with justice. Definitely, I will rather be at the wedding supper of the Lamb (Rev19v9) than to be the meal at the “great supper of God”(v17-18) for the birds of the air.

And what a blessedness to be on the right side of this victor! The participation at His wedding supper, the everlasting enjoyment of the music of heaven as perfect worship holds sway, the revelling in the  fellowship of His presence as the redeemed enjoy the mansions above. Nothing can compare with being on the victory side.

Jesus. I thank you and rejoice in you because you are the victor and have won the victory for me  now and for all eternity. Help me to live in that victory today and always in your precious name. Amen

 

Savouring the final victory of the Lamb – Revelation 19

The nearest our minds can picture of the scene in heaven after the overthrow of the kingdom of this world is what happens when a nation wins the world cup! Suddenly, the whole nation erupts into jubilation, the months and strain of preparation is forgotten, the pains and injuries are forgotten and the doubts about the ability of the team manager to make the right team selection are forgotten. Everybody suddenly gets caught up in the celebration!

John tells us that praise worship, “that sounded like a roar of great multitudes”, erupts in heaven at the final defeat of the forces of evil with the following distinct characteristics:

• Our God is at the center of the praise worship! All His great attributes are ascribed to Him – salvation, glory and power, His sovereignty, His judgement and His justice. The attributes of the individual participants recede to the background at the face of the glory and awesomeness of the King of heaven! No doubt the recognition of the individuals within the Kingdom would follow based on what they had done while in the kingdom of the world but for now and all eternity, the central focus of our worship must be the King of glory Himself and none other.
• The whole population of the kingdom is caught up in the celebration! All the servants of our God – the angels, the twenty-four elders, the four creatures and the redeemed both great and small from every nation and tribe. They rejoice at the fact that the victory is final forever as “..the smoke from her  goes up for ever and ever.”(v3). They are happy that the Lord Himself has avenged the blood of His servants. They are excited that our Lord God Almighty reigns!

The second reason for celebration in heaven is the final consummation of the union of the Lamb and His bride, the church He came to redeem. There is a wedding ceremony, the wedding supper of the Lamb, and how blessed to be part of and be in attendance at the wedding party! In line with the parable of the wedding banquet He shared while here on earth (Matt.22v1-14), only those in the right attire will be admitted into the hall and we are told that the linen used to make the party dress is the righteous acts of the saints! Indeed, “they will rest from their labour, for their deeds will follow them”(Rev.14v13). Make no mistake about it, the deeds or righteous acts did not get the bride into heaven but helped to adorn her and make herself ready and beautiful for her Groom.

Father, thank you for the celebration time that is coming. Thank you for the privilege to be part of it. I bless you in the name of my bridegroom, Jesus Christ the Lamb of God whose birth we celebrate today. Amen.

Obeying the call for separation – Revelation 18

“Then I heard another voice from heaven say: Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues”(v4)

The fact is that until the last terrible hour when the judgement of God is finally visited on the kingdom of this world, saints, purchased by the blood of the Lamb will continue to have their residence in this earthly kingdom. In His love, those whose names had been written in the Lamb’s book of Life before the foundation of the world, who are yet to be members of His fold would continue to be rescued as the count down approaches through the work of the Holy Spirit who convicts and the obedience of the saved as they carry out the great commission.

Given the wealth, and excessive luxuries around us however, we all stand the danger of being so enthralled with the trappings of the earthly kingdom that we also stand the danger of being stained and soiled by the dirt and corruption around us and in the process be visited, by default, with the great judgement of God that is around the corner! We face the danger of backsliding, of lack of focus and of being too engulfed in doing seemingly good things that we miss the core purpose of our being. And this danger is not new – Lot, when being rescued from the judgement of God on Sodom and Gomorrah by the Angels hesitated and we are told that “When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them” (Gen.19v16) and even then, Mrs Lot ended up not making it to safety once she looked back.

The purpose of the call for separation therefore is two fold:

• The first is “so that you will not share in her sins”. The kingdom of the Lamb to which we belong is the embodiment of purity and beauty and we are told that “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev.21v22). We therefore run the danger of directly or otherwise being stained with the sins of our earthly residence thereby being kept out permanently from the eternal kingdom.
• Secondly, the purpose is “so that you will not receive any of her plagues” Suffice it to draw on the Lord’s warning “Remember Lot’s wife!”(Lk. 17v28).

It is important to constantly keep in mind the fact that we have a role to play in staying prepared for the kingdom to which we belong. While the plan for our salvation was completed before the foundation of the world and executed out of love without our help or instrumentality, we have every role to play in keeping ourselves separate from getting so involved and engaged with the programmes of this kingdom that we forget that we are only pilgrims, passing by. John’s advice is crystal clear “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 Jn 2v15-17).

Spirit of the living God, keep me sensitive to the things that delight the heart of the Father while I await the day of coronation so that I will not be kept out of heaven through disobedience. This I pray in the name of the victorious Lamb, the Lord of lords and the King of kings, Jesus Christ my lord and saviour. Amen

 

 

Choosing the kingdom to belong to – Revelation 17

The apostle John says that it “calls for a mind of wisdom” (v9), when it comes to choosing the kingdom to belong to since by our choice, we also choose and must live with the consequences of our choice. The call for a mind of wisdom is also more urgent having regard to the fact that it will no longer be possible, at the time of reckoning, to change our minds when the consequences of the earlier choice begin to be revealed or begin to work itself out.

As the Lord Jesus Christ tried to warn several times during His earthly sojourn, we are confronted with two distinctively contrasting kingdoms:

1. On the one hand, is the kingdom of the earth ruled over by the great prostitute to whom the kings of the earth submit (v18) and to whom both the rulers and the ruled submit to the alluring attractions of her beauty, wealth and flirting pleasures (v4). The population of this kingdom is so uncountable that it is aptly presented as “many waters” as explained by the angel “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.”(v15). It is a kingdom that is full of hostilities even to its own members and also full of intrigues as its rulers scheme out one another through alliances but all within the ultimate purpose of the Creator of the whole universe as the passage says “For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God’s words are fulfilled” (v17).    Of course it is also hostile to the King and citizens of the other kingdom as it drinks “the blood of those who bore the testimony of Jesus” (v6) to the point of intoxication and also makes war against the Lamb.

2. The other is the kingdom of the Lamb who is Lord of lords and King of kings. Who is clearly the victor in the war of the kingdoms and this kingdom is populated by

• “His called, chosen and faithful followers” (v14),
• “those who bore the testimony of Jesus” (v6),
• Those whose names have been written in the book of life from the creation of the world! (v8)

This kingdom is a complete opposite of the earthly kingdom.  As earlier seen in previous chapters, this kingdom is the embodiment of harmony, beauty and wonder as the redeemed revel in the presence of God who sits upon His throne accompanied by the four creatures, the twenty four elders and the uncountable number of angels worshipping and making music beside the sea of glass.

In this kingdom, pain and toil and all the troubles and limitations of the earlier life give way to eternal rest and enjoyment. Paul said of this kingdom “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Cor.13v8).

The only problem is that then, when we see Him face to face, it will be too late to choose which to belong to! As Paul also said to the Corinthians “now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6v2). Now is the time to make the choice!

Father, I thank you that I have made the choice and I am a child of the kingdom of the Lamb. May I experience your kingdom here today and through out life’s journey in the name of the Lamb, who is the Lord of lords and King of kings, my one and only saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen

Facing the consequences of the choices we make – Revelation 16

Chapters 12 & 13 of Revelation chronicle the appearance of the dragon, the beast and its image.  People were forced to worship them.  Many chose, for the comfort and privilege attached thereto, to have the mark of the beast written on their foreheads or on their right hands (13v16-17).  Thus they chose to belong to the beast, learn his ways, benefit from his largesse.

Then the time of reckoning comes.  The term of the beast runs out as the final judgement of God Almighty, the Lord of all the earth, swings into action.

What a personal tragedy for those who were short sighted – those who did not heed the call to patient endurance and faithfulness, the call to a life of obedience and wisdom!

The summary of the judgement is that it brings sufferings – untold torture to man – the very things they sought to avoid by signing on to be branded by the beast!

God, even at this moment, held open another door – a door of rapture but instead they refuse to repent and acknowledge His glory! (v9)

Oh what a lesson – not to be hardened to the point that God is seen as a permanent enemy!  What difference it might have made if in the midst of the suffering, God was acknowledged and a prayer of repentance offered!

In the midst of all those suffering is buried a call for alertness and preparedness on the part of the Saints. Their master says “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.” (v15).

Father, until you call me home, help me to be sensitive to your presence, your programme and your timing that I may be alert, and prepared for the rapture through Jesus Christ, the coming King, my Lord.  AMEN.