Revelation 22:5

Revelation 22:5

In Revelation chapter 22 the Apostle John is continuing to describe for us the great future that awaits all those who are saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The last couple of chapters of the book of Revelation are wonderful chapters to read over and over and to think about often because of the tremendous things that are said about heaven, and the New Jerusalem, and all the other circumstances concerning the eternal existence that God has planned for His children. We have already been told that there will be no evil in heaven, because the devil will be cast into the lake of fire. There will be no sin in heaven, because sinners such as you and I will be washed pure by the blood of Christ, and whatsoever defiles shall be forbidden to enter there. There will be no sorrow or crying because God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes. There will be no more death because we will be forever with God. Revelation 22:5 says, "And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."

In the Bible darkness is symbolic of spiritual darkness. If someone does not know God in a personal way through faith in Jesus Christ, then they are spiritually blind. One of the main characteristics of this world is that for the most part the world sits in darkness. If people do not see things the way that you do, it may be because they are in spiritual darkness. The way to win these people over is not through argument or debate or the acquisition of political power, but through the preaching of the good news of salvation that is in Jesus Christ. They must come to know the truth, if they are to escape the darkness that holds their hearts and minds. Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."

There will be no darkness in heaven, because the light of the truth that proceeds from God and from the Lamb shall permeate every inch. In this life there is a great contest and competition between the forces of darkness and the forces of light. The message of Revelation chapter 22 makes it very clear who will win the contest. Of course, the Almighty God will win. Of course, those who know and serve the Almighty God through Jesus "shall reign for ever and ever."

The Bible says in Revelation 22:6-7, "And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book." You must take sides. You will take sides. You are either a truth-seeker, or you have been deceived. You believe that which is true, or else you believe that which is not true. In the infinite wisdom of God, He decided that the method of revealing His truth to the human race in the age in which we live would be primarily by the means of the written Word. God chose certain men over the centuries who were close to Him, and God inspired these men with the Holy Spirit to write the words that were true concerning the things of God and of Christ. That is why the Bible is the most important book in the world. It is the Word of God. It is the truth.

This part of the Bible tells us the truth about the end of the age: how things are going to turn out and what will be the final climactic event that will take us from the age of grace into the Great Tribulation and then on into eternity. Jesus said, "Behold, I come quickly." The return of Christ is the next great prophetic event that all believers can look forward to with great anticipation and hope. Christ will return. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. They shall look upon Him whom they have pierced. He will transform all things. He will tread the winepress of the wrath of God alone. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.

Do you have problems, sorrows, difficulties, or persecutions? Of course you do, if you believe in Jesus. Jesus told His disciples, "In the world you shall have tribulation." The Bible says, "They that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Where do you look for your deliverance? That is the question. What is your hope for an end to this way of tears and burdens and sorrows, and for the final establishment of a better way? If you think that political power or the changes in a government’s policies are going to somehow change the characteristics of the world in which we live, then you are wrong. Jesus said, "I come quickly." That is the message of Jesus to His believers who live in a world of sorrow and opposition and spiritual darkness. Our hope is in the return of Christ.

Until He returns, we have been given a way to follow. We have been given a guidebook, and a philosophy of life, and a standard to live by that comes from the teachings of our Master. The best teachings and the greatest teachings that have even been given to man came from the words of Christ Himself. Until Christ returns to change this world of woe, the best life that can be lived has been spelled out for us by God. He created the world. He created man and human nature. Therefore, He knows what behaviors will bring the greatest benefits and the highest fulfillment to those who live on this earth. That is why Jesus said in Revelation 22:7, "Blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecies of this book."

If you want to have the best life possible for you in this world, then keep "the sayings of the prophecies of this book." There are universal moral laws because there is a God who created the universe. God has given us standards and laws, not to bind us, but to free us. If we do things God’s way, we will be happier and more successful. For every action there is a reaction. For every behavior there is a consequence. The right behavior will result in good and beneficial consequences. The wrong behavior will result in negative and regretful consequences. Do right until the stars fall. Thank God for forgiveness, but there is one thing better than forgiveness: doing the right thing and not needing to be forgiven. Beware. You will reap what you sow. God is not a respecter of persons. Everyone is treated perfectly equally regarding the immutable law of cause and effect. If the scripture says, "Thou shalt not lie," then those who lie will suffer for it, and those who tell the truth will benefit. If the scripture says, "Love your enemies," then those who hate their enemies will suffer for it; and those who love their enemies will benefit from it. If the scripture says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," then those who commit adultery will suffer as a result of it, and those who have the sexual union only in marriage will benefit from doing so.

Jesus said, "Blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecies of this book." The word that is translated "blessed" is a Greek word that can also be translated as "happy." Happy is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecies of this book. Who is the happiest person in the world? What person in this world enjoys life the most and has the most joy? The one who is the best and the most consistent at living his life according to the commandments and the standards that God and that Christ have given. Hebrews 1:9 says concerning Jesus, "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Doing the right thing will ultimately result in joy and happiness. Doing the wrong thing will result in sorrow, regret, and unhappiness.

Revelation 22:8-9 says, "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 showed me these things. Then said he unto me, See that you 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." Earlier in this chapter we were told that the sayings of the Bible are true and faithful. If something is true, then there will be evidence to prove that it is true. There are many evidences to the truthfulness of the Bible. There are the historical and archaeological corroborative evidences. In other words, the parts of the Bible that touch on history and archaeology are verifiable. There are also the eyewitness accounts. In any court of law one of the most important pieces of evidence in order to establish the truthfulness of an issue are the eyewitness accounts. If there are eyewitnesses, the jury must weigh very carefully if they consider the witnesses to be truthful or not. The Apostle John said that he saw and heard these things that are written down for us. You be the judge, but be careful how you judge because your eternal destiny may depend upon it. Was John telling the truth or not? If you allow the Spirit of God to touch your heart, you will realize that these words are the truth from Jesus.

In the incident recorded in Revelation 22:8-9 we are given one more time a situation where a person falls down in a position of worship before someone who is not God, and is reprimanded for doing so. Only God should be worshipped. When the Apostle Thomas fell at the feet of Jesus and said, "My Lord and my God," Thomas was not reprimanded. By such incidents we are shown that Jesus is God and Jesus merits our worship. The person before whom John fell identified himself in Revelation 22:9 in three ways. He said, "I am of thy fellowservants, and of the brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book."

The word "fellowservant" means to be a slave with someone. The true servants of God in this world know that they belong to God. They are not their own because they have been bought with a price. If they are true to God, they do what they do out of service to Him. They get their directions and their orders from God. They do not seek to please man. They seek to please God. Most people in the world serve themselves or someone or something other than God. But there are some who serve God. Some of these have greater gifts than others. Some appear to have accomplished more than others, but each only has what God has given them and each has only accomplished what God has accomplished through them. This is what they all have in common: they are “fellowservants”.

They are also brothers. The servant of God spoke to John and said, "I am of your brothers the prophets." The second thing about this person was the fact that he was a brother to John. This comes from the great teaching of the brotherhood of the believers. Ephesians 3:14-15 says, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." Everyone who has been saved through faith in Jesus Christ is a member of the same spiritual family. They have the same spiritual Father. On a percentage basis, there may not be many who serve God, but there are others besides yourself. You are not alone. You have brothers and sisters in Christ who serve the same God that you serve. This is an emphasis on the closeness that believers should have, and it is also an emphasis on the equality between believers. There is no hierarchical clergy in the brotherhood of the believers. That is why Jesus said to call no man father. The pure spiritual family is made up of God as father, and all the believers as brothers and sisters in the family. Most of us do not know it and certainly do not experience it, but once we belong to Christ our closest family is supposed to be that to which we are united with spiritual ties and not the blood ties.

The person who was speaking to the Apostle John in Revelation chapter 22 was a “fellowservant” and a brother. He was also "of them which keep the sayings of this book." What does it mean to "keep the sayings of the book?" Perhaps it means to perform or to put into practice the sayings of the book. Yes, it does mean that. It does no good to say you love the book, if you do not have as your goal to put into practice the sayings of the book. The Greek word that is translated "keep" has as one of its secondary meanings to put into practice, but its primary meaning is to "guard" or to "watch over."

Are you among those who guard the sayings of the book? When Christian groups begin to fall, to fail, and to grow weak, it can usually be traced to a failure to guard the sayings of the book. People will start teaching personal illustrations, current events, or human philosophy, and when they do, faith in Jesus will begin to weaken, because "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." When attacks come against the faith, they usually come against the sayings of the Book first. If the Book gets torn down in your mind as far as being accurate or authoritative, then your faith will have nothing to be grounded upon. When Satan came to tempt Adam and Eve, the first thing that he said to them in Genesis 3:1 was "Hath God said?" He attacked, he questioned, he belittled, and he disregarded the sayings of God. The same method has been used over and over again in the history of the human race. Be on your guard against the wiles of the devil, the vanity of man, and the philosophies of the world. They will take turns trying to find an inroad into your confidence in the sayings of the book.

If you are rooted and grounded in the doctrine of the infallibility of the scriptures, you will be able to hold your ground and take your stand in face of the attacks that will come against the sayings of the Book. You will keep your confidence because you will remember the teachings of Jesus on the subject and He said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away." If you do these things, the day will come when you also will meet the Apostle John and you will be able to say to him just as this person in Revelation chapter 22 said, "I am your fellowservant, and your brother, and of them which keep the sayings of the book."

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