What 1 am seeking to stress is that CHRISTS PROMISE "I AM COMING SOON" refers to more than His final coming. There is a distinct contrast between the city John describes and the ancient Babylon, in that the latter was built on the plain of Shinar, while the former is expressly said to have seven heads, and these explained to mean seven mountains. How can it be said that this vile, corrupt, idolatrous system of the last days was guilty of the blood of all martyrs? It is confirmed by the testimony of Jesus, which is the Spirit of prophecy. Next they will seize her resources. as the Complut. The writer of Hebrews was any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." But they are irrigating tomato plants now with Mediterranean Sea water. Such a fence as this God set about the law (Deuteronomy 4:2), and the whole Old Testament (Malachi 4:4), and now in the most solemn manner about the whole Bible, assuring us that it is a book of the most sacred nature, divine authority, and of the last importance, and therefore the peculiar care of the great God. You must with the best authorities leave out this addition, if you would have the true force of the verse. Revelation 22:18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy What, then, is the meaning of this curious passage which seems to say that men must remain as they are? ", How like those two disciples are we! "And he that spoke with me had a golden reed as a measure, that he might measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. Second, this verse does not state if any man take away any words from the entire Bible We see here that this verse of warning is very specific to the words of the book of THIS prophecy. How this precisely fits in, let me say, with the state of feeling in these modern times; for "constitutionalism," as men call it, is the fruit of the Teutonic system supervening on that of the broken up Roman empire. The Other Half of the Gospel (Ephesians 2:8-10), The Asbury Revival-What We Can Learn From It. When the second beast appeared, he even strove to put to death those who would not worship the beast, nor pay homage to his image, nor receive his mark. And from the things which are written in this book - The promises that are made; the glories that are described. "Let your light so shine before men that when they see your good works they glorify your Father which is in heaven"( Matthew 5:16 ), because we will be rewarded according to those works that have right motivation. A single verse dispels clouds of arguments. It is a time of strong delusion, be it remembered. Lord we want to serve You because we love You. If the person who corrupts Revelation is an unbeliever, he or she will have no part (share) in the blessings of the new creation. She does not, it is true, say, "Come quickly." A believer in Christ bases His whole faith on the Word of God. 12:1). Start your free trial today! Ultimately, the book of Revelation points to the holiness of God. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. So this applies to ANYONE, not just believers. "Every word of God proves true. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you, and you be found a liar" ( Proverbs 30:5-6). And how shall they hear without a preacher? Here Jesus is talking to John and He is declaring the same thing. The Apostle Jude uses even stronger language: For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Who were they? They broke up the beast yet more than Babylon. "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, Come, gather yourselves together unto the great supper of God; that ye may eat flesh of kings, and flesh of chiliarchs, and flesh of strong [men], and flesh of horses, and of those that sit on them, and flesh of all, both free and bond, both small and great." And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely ( Revelation 22:17 ). This is termed a revelation, but it is a revelation of symbols; an exhibition of enigmas, to which no particular solution is given, and to which God alone can give the solution. I hope that you will again look at these issues. The next day Martin looks out of his window saying to himself "Was it just a dream--or will He come indeed?" Required fields are marked *. Things are just going to go on and on and on. The book must not be ignored because we find its language unfamiliar. "His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many diadems." And he said unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand ( Revelation 22:10 ). 2 Thessalonians 1:6 , Does This Mean It Is Okay To Wish Bad On Our Enemies? He is coming, and coming soon for us. Likewise Paul speaks of being shipwrecked when a believer runs astray which is not losing one's salvation (1 Timothy 1:19), but an act of loving discipline by the Father. Sometimes they have contended for its application to pagan Rome. The verse has nothing to do with the . When the thousand years expire, Satan reappears on the scene to the sorrow and ruin of the Gentiles who were not born of God. We should also note that the text does not say that God will remove a name from the Book of Life. He equally expresses what God is. Copyright David L Simon 2007 - 2023 This material may be freely distributed provided acknowledgement of the author is made www.life-everlasting.net, This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. writes, "Now I say, as long as a heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave, Little do they know, because they believe not what is here written, that it is about to come out of the abyss or bottomless pit. The consequence of perverting the gospel was excommunication and being put out of the congregation, until they had learnt the lesson. But it was no such evil which astounded the prophet. "And he that sat upon him called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war." Victory only comes to those in Christ. And it appears to me that here we are bound to account for the presence of these others that are at the marriage-supper of the Lamb, but appear as guests, and not at all in the quality of the bride. 5:19, Rev. He is here with me. In order to be But whatever subsisted then, that which the Spirit here presents as a whole cannot be found realized at any point of time in the past. descriptions as being true. At the same time they urge unbelievers to accept eternal life from him. Again, the affirmation of the truth of what God is declaring for your skeptical mind that finds it hard to believe that God should do such a thing for us. "Oh, he's a spiritual man." In Daniel's time it was not at hand. It does not say that their names are blotted out from the Book. This city is seen now as the holy vessel of divine power for governing the earth during the millennium, "having the glory of God: and her brightness was like a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.". We know from the rest of the Bible, though, that our salvation is secure. Denying God is punished by death, and after the second resurrection such a sinner is cast into the Lake of Fire. And in these visions the book describes the struggle in every individual, in every generation between good and evil, and in every case the Lord comes in judgment on evil and brings victory to the good. 21 are distinguishing traits of those who are not saved. There are many example of cults and major religions whose writings are stated to be inspired and more authoritative than the Canon of the Lord God Most High, e.g. From the shallow, it may look like it. believe this interpretation in these verses because of 1 John 1:19. The first were such as came out of heaven after Christ, being already raised from the dead and glorified. If only an imperial city, what has this to do with mystery? Before this warning is given, Jesus tells John to write down a blessing to believers in the first seven verses. The One who gives meaning to life.--All right thinking depends on right application and use of the relationship of a person with Jesus Christ. "The nations shall walk in the light of it," Any one of spiritual judgment can see that it should not be "nations of them which are saved." Taking away "his part" from the tree of life and the New Jerusalem does not mean he will lose his salvation either. So be it. So this How, quickly is He coming for you? May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ rest or be upon or be with all of you. Let us bear this in mind. He will return soon. Christians who believe a person can lose their salvation point to the term "blotted out" in connection with the Book of Life. "So be it. and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. After so many sorrows, trials, difficulties, dangers, how sweet to have such a word, and to know that He who speaks is the holy and the true, and surely about to come in the faithfulness of His love! As Christ comes to live in us as the power, the inexhaustible resources of God to enable us to live this present life triumphantly. I am never alone." but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face ( Revelation 22:3-4 ); "Blessed are the pure in heart", Jesus said, "for they shall see God" ( Matthew 5:8 ). In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Thank you for writing and expressing your views. Also, to "take away" for the book would mean to ignore or dismiss the It is to Jesus. In Second Enoch there is the picture of a river in Paradise, which issues in the third heaven, which flows from beneath the tree of life, and which divides into four streams of honey, milk, wine, and oil (2Enoch 8:5). The words of Revelation 22 mimic those of the Law adding to Gods commands (Deuteronomy) or Gods prophecies (Revelation) is sin; it places that person above God either overtly or surreptitiously and both are punishable. (Mt 19:24) demonstrates that I will give to him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. Is the King James Bible Only One That's "True"? (i) There comes a time when it is too late to change. Why then is the book of life mentioned? "Sow a thought and reap an act. The decisive victory of Christ at His Cross decided the end of the conflict. Death and hades, which had so long been executioners in a world where sin reigned, and were still doing their occasional office where righteousness is to reign, themselves disappear where all traces of sin are consigned for ever. It means that it is given to unbelieversnot believers. . Of course they will be preserved through that crisis in some sort of way suitable to divine wisdom. We see a similar warning given by Moses as he addressed the people of Israel before they entered the Promised Land. oneself from Christ, Paul says, "I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. But still it is a very solemn fact to read, and that which we are bound to preach that even in the perfect state of eternity, while there is the brightness of the heaven and of the earth into which no evil can enter, you have all the evil that ever has been all the wicked of every clime and of every age cast into the fixed condition of eternal judgment in the lake of fire. correct. The living creatures are, from Revelation 5:1-14 coupled with the elders, as we find them in the beginning of Revelation 19:1-21. All the dispensational names of God disappear. And Scripture tells us that Jesus is the last Adam, and the only way to salvation. So what are they to hear? Not so good. 5. The warning pertains to the prophecy in Revelation. The simple fact of conquering far and wide, and of exercising vast political power in the earth, does not constitute any title to such a name. There are thrones filled with certain persons, who reign along with Him. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, beholding the beast that he was, and is not, and shall be present." This is the second death." There are many who are not so; but the Lord does not forget them. concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not So we'll go back now and retrace the rebellion of man from the beginning; its effect upon man, mankind and God's patient dealing in love, longsuffering as He draws forth His plan and draws man to His plan that ultimately we might share with Him that eternity in His kingdom of love and grace.So may the Lord be with you and may the Lord bless you and may He prepare your heart as we prepare to start through once more. On the contrary, it proved the immediateness of communion. A stranger CAME to them, and talked with them, lifted up their hopes and faith, "but their eyes were holden and they did not know Him. This verse is usually involved in the debate concerning eternal security. It is not now the temple opened there, and the ark of the covenant seen when Israel's security is seen, as the object of God's counsels; nor is it a door opened above, as we saw it when the prophet was giving his introduction to the prophecy of God's dealings with the world as a whole, though in both cases all manifestly clusters round the Lord Jesus. That is, what does; Does the consequence described in these verses mean that a believer (Christian) loses his or her salvation? - FSB. God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is Thus the difference is complete between past history (if we look at the extinction of the empire and the rise of the ten kingdoms) and the certain fulfilment of the prophecy in the future, when we look at what God has really told us. I do not suppose that many words are required by the present audience to show that we are not to understand the scene as a mere figure of Christianity. But along with that God warns of her ruin, and calls on His people (verse 4) to come out of her. Who is the predestinated? However, now that I believe I want to serve God and I offer myself to God to serve Him, and the works that I do for God, I will be rewarded for them, those works that are done out of a pure motivation.Now, there are a lot of works that people do that there will be no reward. But A, B, Aleph, Syriac, Coptic, and Andreas omit "and"; then "which are written in this book" will refer to "the holy city and the tree of life." It is, therefore, by no means impossible that these words are the words not of John but of a later scribe, anxious that none should alter the book in the days to come. We have here a solemn ratification of the contents of this book, and particularly of this last vision (though some think it may not only refer to the whole book, but to the whole New Testament, yea, to the whole Bible, completing and confirming the can on of scripture); and here, 1. The last scene shows Martin sitting at the table on which burns a solitary candle. Hence the horns and the beast join together and desolate the harlot. They had actually seen goodness in the form of Jesus nailed to a Cross on Good Friday. salvation. God in His providence did sanction the great empires of old; and the principle continues as long as the church is here below. confined to those who claim to be Christians, but also include all pagans and idolaters. They are all to reign concurrently with the beast. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18 KJV), Website Design byWebnetave.com Web Design Avenue. These compose the third class here spoken of. Hence He must have come back previously to both. Is Christian Exclusivism Really Reasonable? "You remember the one who received the five talents? So it is a Salvation issue to be sure. 1999 2023 Come Reason Ministries. NO! The church cannot hear of Him as the bright morning star without at once desiring that He should come. He comes to guide, strengthen, encourage and help us. To the Christian this book is not sealed. And the city lieth foursquare, and its length is as much as the breadth." I am going to make you ruler over ten cities. This is a mistake. We briefly referred to this promise in the Study notes on this chapter under "5"--"WORDS OF HIS COMING. In short, Babylon, the disgusting counterpart of the holy city, in earthly ambition seeks the kings and the masses for her own present objects, while the other suffers now and will reign then. Scriptures on Whether True Christians Can Lose Their Salvation But in the time really contemplated here all this political shuffling will be over. Now, you remember when he talked to Daniel, he said seal up those things and don't write them, for they are for the end. (18-19) I testify unto every man that heareth.--Omit "For," and read, I testify to every one that hears. (see former notes on 13:18--the number "666" of the beast). (a) There is the idea of completeness. Much more likely, John uses the Spirit for the voice of Jesus himself. May our hearts answer freely to His word of love and truth with our "Amen." This brings in idolatry, real shameless idolatry too, not merely that subtle working of the idolatrous spirit that every Christian has to guard against. Maybe that is why Jesus gives this stern warning. You can have it back again." "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it; that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you" ( Deuteronomy 4:2). But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His (John 6:39). It is very evident, therefore, that the saints in a glorified state are here represented as following the Lord out of heaven. But we know that this approach is doomed to failure. We do not mend matters by hasty conclusions, we only complicate the truth. 22:14,15 Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and that they may enter into the city by the gates. For you have taken away the key of knowledge. Should John 1:1 read "the word was a god"? Second observation: It is a warning to those who reject the invitation (unbelievers). The church is heavenly; and in heaven there are no times nor seasons. "Oh, how my heart yearns for the Lord to come and the establishing of His kingdom. Creature lights are gone. The problem is that even the majority of Christian church religions do not preach on the Book Of Revelation nor Bible Prophecy at all. They do not like it, so they change it. Instead of taking warning from the wickedness of those before her, who had seduced on the one hand, and persecuted. It can govern and bless but not convert man. Is God Unfair to Those Raised in Other Faiths? He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. On these I may say but a very few words. Yet grace despised necessarily ends in judgment. Every passage dealing with unbelievers states that their names were not found in the Book In short, no testimony can avail, no work, power, or glory without the word of God applied by the Spirit of God. Then we have another glorious description. Salvation is God's work, not ours (Titus 3:5), and it is His power that keeps us. It is plain that they are not in this city. I Jesus have sent my angel to testify unto you these things in the churches ( Revelation 22:15-16 ). When it said here that "God would take away his part out of the book of life," the meaning is not that his name had been written in that book, but that he would take away the part which he might have had, or which he professed to have in that book. writes, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, Attach a tilde (~) to the front of a word to omit results containing that word. It should not be "and which had not," but rather, "and those who had not worshipped the beast, nor his image, neither had received his mark upon their forehead, and on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." necessarily so, as God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should "for God so loved the world" ). It will be remembered that it was said to them that they must wait. expert in Hermeneutics, but I do know that there are several passages in the New Testament So, there will be a medicinal value in the leaves of the tree. (Deuteronomy 4:1-2), It is natural to try to modify a message we dont like into something more palatable, and Israels Law was no exception. The only right principle in everything is to go to the source of divine truth, and to seek there refreshment and strength and fitness for whatever our God calls us to. These are the words of promise of the Christ who said "Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." No Christian, therefore, will ever have his or her name erased from the Book of Life. THE GREAT INVITATION ( Revelation 22:17 ). "For the gifts and calling of 1. fol. Finally they will destroy her. You know it is going to be new, because these don't exist anymore here. This does not intimate we have seen that there is only one act of raising, but that all who share that resurrection, whenever raised, are raised before the millennium begins; so that when the reign of Christ takes place, all such have part in the first resurrection, including Christ Himself, raised at least 1800 years before the church; then the church, with the Old Testament saints; then these Apocalyptic saints at any rate some years after. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years." If you are being threatened by the false doctrine that you can lose your salvation, study these scriptures. Let him who is thirsty come and let him who wishes take the water of life without price. Speaking in Tongues and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ confirms what has been affirmed, and pledges himself for the fulfilment of all the prophecies . Closely allied with this is the picture so common in Scripture of the fountain of life; we have it in Revelation 7:17; Revelation 21:6 in the Revelation. Patience or endurance of hope is what becomes us. And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. It is an added digression for the purpose of describing an object already named passingly in the foregoing series, which closes at Revelation 21:8. The reason is manifest there is a hinderer "one that letteth." Bear this in mind: to leave the last part out is fatal to any accurate understanding of the Revelation. I feel because I talked about the bible before and a way I perceived it ( I didnt say it was a fact i said it was my perception at the time ) that I will lose my part in the book of life. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.". It is true, the beast's judgment is only referred to as a defeat under the hand of the Lamb. 7th District AME Church: God First Holy Conference 2023 | Thursday We have just seen that it is the eternal state. But here there is neither; and this again is an evidence of gain, not of loss. Can I lose my salvation based on revelation 22:19??? "And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, nor light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever ( Revelation 22:3-5 ). Ultimately, the book of Revelation points to the holiness of God. The tricky part in this particular verse is that it talks about us losing our "share" or "part" in the blessings of salvation. I just started getting into the bible and started learning more about the bible and my faith. For less than $5/mo. was not attempting to write some kind of "crypto-Greek" for his readers (then will not forgive your transgressions." Behold ( Revelation 22:6-7 ). Holding on to what others knew before them, or little more, they reduce themselves to a minimum of the truth. The Jewish rabbis took over this idea and applied it to God, with their own interpretation. The beast is the expression of the will of man setting itself up in direct antagonism to God. And it's great what man has been able to do messing around with some of the genetic codes of some of the plants and trees.When I was a kid we lived off of North Broadway Street here in Santa Ana, and we had a tree that had both Navel and Valencia oranges growing on it, as well as grapefruits and lemons. And then we come to a most cheering disclosure: "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of those beheaded on account of the witness of Jesus, and on account of the word of God: and those who had not worshipped the beast, nor his image, and had not received his mark upon their forehead, and on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."