The End Of The Book

Revelation 22:12-21

Do you ever peek at the end of a book you’re reading?  If it is a suspense story you might want to find out what will happen, and how the story will end.  If it is a mystery, perhaps you can’t wait to see who the criminal is.  I admit that I have sometimes peeked at the last few pages.  I also don’t mind being told spoilers for a TV show or movie, as it can relieve some of the tension.  Our Scripture for today is the last several verses of the Bible, the end of God’s written Word.  We get to see how everything will turn out. 

In the first couple of chapters of the Bible, we read the account of God’s creation, the beautiful Garden of Eden, and how Satan came against God’s creation, tempting men into sin.  Now, in the final chapters of the Bible, we read of Jesus’ defeat of Satan, the new heaven and new earth God has made, and our new home with God.  With all of the terrible things going on in the world today, we might think that Satan and evil will always be victorious.  However, as we read in the final chapters of the Bible, we see that is not so.  God is victorious!

As our Scripture passage opens, Jesus repeats the promise that He has made several times, and that is that He will return, and will bring His rewards to His followers (vs. 12).  The word “quickly” in this verse is not meant to portray the time or day of His coming.  Instead it refers to the suddenness of His coming.  We do not know the day or time of when Jesus will return, but we know that it will happen, and when it does, it will be sudden, taking many by surprise.  Jesus may return at any moment.  An eager anticipation of His return should keep us living productively.  We should be motivated and joyful, knowing that Jesus has prepared great rewards and a wonderful home for us.

As we continue reading, we read of the City of God, the New Jerusalem in God’s heavenly kingdom, and how only those who obey and follow His commandments will be allowed to enter the gates, and to have the right to the Tree of Life (vs. 14).  The first and foremost act of obedience to God is to have accepted His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as Savior, and wash our robes clean in the Blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14).  Only these are citizens of God’s kingdom, and have a right to enter through the gates.  Outside the gates are those who follow sinful lifestyles (vs. 15).  Nothing evil, and no sinner will be in God’s presence to corrupt or harm any of the faithful.

Here we also find the Tree of Life (vs. 14).  If you remember, the last time we saw the Tree of Life was in the Garden of Eden.  After Adam and Eve disobeyed, and ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they were cast out of the Garden of Eden, both as punishment, and also so they would not then eat from the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:22-24).  Adam and Eve had been barred from the Tree of Life because of their sins.  Now, as redeemed through the Blood of Jesus, we may eat from that tree freely.  In the new earth, God’s people will eat from that tree because their sins have been removed by Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Next we read that Jesus is given the name of Bright and Morning Star (vs. 16).  The morning star is generally the brightest star, low in the eastern horizon, just before dawn.  It announces the coming morning.  When Jesus comes, He is the brightest star who will shatter the darkness of sin that has covered the earth for centuries since the Fall of man.  His coming heralds the dawn of God’s glorious day.

Not only will believers eat from the Tree of Life, but we will also be able to freely drink from the water of life (vs. 17).  This is similar to the words that Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:14).  This is an unlimited offer of grace and salvation to all who desire to have their thirsty souls quenched.

In the last few verses of the Bible, we find some warnings (vs. 18-19).  These are warnings against altering the Bible, the Word of God.  Anyone who tampers with the truth, God’s Word, by attempting to falsify, diminish, change, or misinterpret it will incur the judgments described in these verses.

In closing, we read again that Jesus is coming quickly (vs. 20).  He could come at any moment.  So many do not believe or know, and they will be caught unexpectedly.  We must be ready for Him, always prepared for His return.  Because we know the end of the story, we can have peace in the midst of chaos, and be calm in the face of disaster.  We know who wins and that God will triumph!

The Order of Melchizedek

Psalm 110

Our psalm for this week, one composed by David, is the most quoted psalm in all of the New Testament.  It is a psalm that Jesus used to confound the Pharisees when they kept trying to catch Him in His Words.  Peter used it when preaching his first sermon on the day of Pentecost.  And the author of the Book of Hebrews also quoted and made references to this psalm.  Let’s take a look at it.

David is the author of our psalm, which is one of several Messianic psalms, speaking about and prophesying about Jesus.  As David composed the first verse, we see the word “lord” twice, yet they have different applications.  The first word LORD is in all capital letters.  When we read the Bible and see the word LORD in all capitals it is because the writer is referring to Yahweh, the personal Name of God.  The writers thought the Name was too sacred to write down, so they used LORD.  The second word “lord” in this verse only has the first letter “L” capitalized.  That is indicating that it is the Hebrew word “Adonai”, which means “master”, similar to feudal times when people had lords over them which they did service and homage to.

As David wrote, the LORD (Yahweh) was speaking to David’s Lord, someone who was master and lord over David (vs. 1).   Yet he was the king of Israel.  How could there be anyone over him?  The Messiah was often termed “Son of David”, as He was a descendent of David’s.  Yet here the Son of David and Messiah was referred to as the Lord and Master over David.  David was subservient to Him, and this showed that the Messiah was Divine.  No one, not even a king as great as David was, is above the Messiah.  Jesus quoted this verse to demonstrate that He, the Messiah, was both the Son of David and David’s Lord, and thus Divine (Matthew 22:41-46).

As the psalm continues, we read that the Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek (vs. 4).  Melchizedek’s name means “king of righteousness”, and he was mentioned very briefly in Genesis 14:18-20.  There he was described as both a king of Salem (believed to be ancient Jerusalem), and also priest of the Most High God.  The name Salem also means peace, so Melchizedek could be said to be a king of peace.  As such, he meets Abraham as the patriarch returned from a battle, and the king and priest blessed him.  The Messiah would also be both a king and priest.  No mention is ever made about Melchizedek’s background or genealogy, no recorded beginning or end, thus resembling the eternal Son of God, and an archetype of the Savior.

Melchizedek was superior to Abraham.  He blessed Abraham, not the other way around, as the greater blesses the lesser.  Abraham also paid him tithes.  Jesus, the Messiah, is called in our psalm a priest in the order of Melchizedek, and thus superior to all priests who came before.  Melchizedek was a priest long before Aaron and his descendants from the tribe of Levi, which were given the role of priest in Israel.  Jesus, in His human incarnation, was born from the tribe of Judah, not from the tribe of Levi.  However, He is our perfect, eternal High Priest, according to the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:5-7; 7:11-28).  In ancient Israel no one held the office of both king and priest simultaneously.  However, that title would be given to Jesus.  He is both king and high priest.  Jesus is the King of Righteousness and King of Peace.  Melchizedek had no successor, and neither does Jesus.  Jesus has an unchangeable priesthood.

After the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached his first sermon to the crowds of people in Jerusalem that day.  At this time the Apostle used this psalm to show that Jesus is the Messiah, that He is seated at God’s right hand, and is Lord over all (Acts 2:32-35).

As we read in the closing verses of our psalm, and also in the words of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 2:2-4), we see that Jesus will be exalted over the nations of the world.  Jesus will be the only ruler, and He will rule in righteousness, holiness, and judgment.

Bringing Something Good From Something Bad

Acts 16:16-34

When something bad happens in our life, when some terrible event takes place, possibly very unexpectedly, what do we do?  Do we collapse in fear, or in anger, or even in defeat?  Do we believe that God can take a very bad situation and bring something good out of it?  In our Scripture passage for today from the Book of Acts, we will read about an event in the life of Paul and his missionary companion Silas that could have been cause for much anger, depression, and possibly fear.  Instead we see praise to God, and how He turned that event into something good.

As our account begins, Paul and Silas were in the city of Philippi, their first major stop on their first missionary trip into Greece, bringing the Gospel for the first time into Europe.  On the first Sabbath in the city, the pair had spoken to some people by the river, and succeeded in bringing several people to the Lord.  As we read, the two men were walking through the city, and a girl who was possessed with an evil spirit started following them, crying out that they had a message from the Most High God (vs. 16-18).  This girl was a medium in contact with demons, who could supposedly predict the future. Her crying out continued on for several days, and was disturbing to both Paul and Silas.  Though what the girl said was true, as they were proclaiming God’s message of salvation, Paul wanted her to stop speaking out.  He did not want to appear to be linking the Gospel with demon-related activities.  This would damage his message about Christ.  Truth and evil do not mix!

Paul finally put a stop to this, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, and in the Name of Jesus, he commanded the evil spirit to come out of her.  However, this caused the slave girl’s owners to become enraged, and they dragged them to the authorities, making false charges (vs. 18-21).  The authorities didn’t bother to check the truth of the matter, and instead had them flogged and put into prison (vs. 22-24).  They did not investigate the charges, conduct a proper hearing, or give Paul and Silas a chance to defend themselves, which Roman law required.  For them to be beaten was illegal, since they had not been convicted of any charges, and it was especially illegal since Paul was a Roman citizen.

The two were chained in a prison.  Things were looking rather down and discouraging for them.  With corrupt officials, what was their chance of getting released?  They were in a lot of pain from the beating, and without any medical attention their wounds could become infected in the filthy prison, and fever could come.  Many strong, healthy men were known to have died from the brutal floggings in that time.  Do we hear Paul and Silas cursing the authorities for their unjust treatment?  Do we hear them complaining to God, asking why He allowed this to happen when they were doing His work?  Do we hear whining and crying?

Despite their terrible situation, Paul and Silas spent their time in the prison praising God, praying, and singing hymns! (vs. 25).  They didn’t do this quietly and secretly, as all the other prisoners listened to them, including the prison guard, and thus the seeds of the Gospel were planted in their hearts.  Paul and Silas did not complain or focus solely on their circumstances.  Their hearts were set on the Living God.  They knew He would faithfully deliver them.  They knew He was worthy of praise.

Their praise of God in the worst of circumstances brought about a miracle deliverance for the pair (vs. 26).  God sent an earthquake which shook loose their shackles and opened the prison doors.  When we bring praise to God, we open the way for Him to work good into our situation.

Not only were the two released from prison, but something even greater happened, and that was the salvation of the jailer, along with his family (vs. 29-34).  That night, rather than listening to the usual cursing and complaining, this jailer had heard prayer, praising, and hymn singing!  That so impressed him that he came asking how he, too, could be saved!  Because of their testimony, the jailor and his whole family were saved.  The offer of salvation was not only to the jailer, but also his family.  However, each member of his family had to come to saving faith in Jesus on their own, and praise the Lord, they did!  I am sure that Paul and Silas felt that the salvation of several souls was well worth a beating and a night in jail!

Paul and Silas may have been in a physical prison, but they weren’t in prison in their hearts.  Instead, they chose to praise God for who He is, in spite of the circumstances.  God then moved in power on their behalf.  Keep giving thanks!  God is big enough to deliver us from our circumstances, and to do a great work through us.  We never know who might be observing us in our trials, watching how we react and what we say.  Our praise through our struggles might just lead someone to turn to Jesus, just as the jailor did.

Looking For Peace

John 14:23-29

If there is one thing that most people in the world could wish for, peace would certainly be on their list.  We all seek peace in our lives and the world.  We hope and pray for it, but rarely seem to find it.  In our Scripture today we see that there are several points that Jesus makes, one of them being a promise of bringing peace to His followers.  Let’s take a look at that promise, along with another point that Jesus makes in this passage.

I will begin with the first statement Jesus made in our Scripture passage, which we find in verses 23-24.  Here, Jesus stated that if someone claims to love Him, to love God, they will keep His Word, they will be obedient to what He says.  Plainly speaking, we cannot claim to love the Lord God, yet disobey what He has said in His Word, the Bible.  Jesus put the words “obey” and “love” together here.  Many people will readily claim that they love God.  They may go to church and gladly sing “Oh, How I Love Jesus”, but when they leave church they make no attempt to obey the Bible.  Words are meaningless without actions to back them up.  Our obedience to God is proof that we love Him.  If obedience to the Word of God is absent, then genuine love for Him is absent, as well.

We might protest that obeying God is too hard, that we slip up, make mistakes, and fail all too often, and that is true.  None of us can obey God every day without failing now and again.  We can’t do it in our own power.  However, as Jesus continued on, He promised us that He would send the Holy Spirit to be our Helper (vs. 25-26).  He promised that the Holy Spirit would come to believers, and would teach us from God’s Word.  He would bring to our remembrance every thing that His Word had said, as in our own power we can’t remember everything written in the Bible.  When Satan comes to tempt us into sin, then we need to pray to God, and the Holy Spirit will give us verses from the Scripture that we can claim and use as a sword to fight back against the tempter’s wiles.

As we continue on in our passage, Jesus proclaimed a very special promise to His followers, which was that He promised to give us His peace (vs. 27).  People desperately crying out for peace.  Where can we find real peace?  This world has never known a time when there wasn’t a war going on somewhere.  The hippies and “flower children” of the 1960’s never found it.  Nor those who chose drugs.  Obtaining wealth and power won’t give us peace.  Only when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives will we discover true peace.

The peace that the Bible is talking about here is not the absence of armed conflict, but is instead a divine sense of spiritual well-being that stands against our natural fears and anxieties which we face on a daily basis.  With Jesus, we can have peace within ourselves no matter what is happening in the world around us.  With God’s peace we can be in a state of tranquility or quiet even though there are anxious times and circumstances all around us.  It is a peace of heart, mind, and soul.  We know that no matter what happens, we are in the care of Jesus.

Everyone who has accepted the Lord Jesus as Savior has peace with God.  This was made possible through the shed Blood of Jesus.  However, not every believer has the peace of God, as we see in so many believers who suffer with worry and anxiety all through their life.  We can have this peace, though, as Jesus promised it to us here as part of our inheritance.  He doesn’t want us to struggle and work at obtaining this peace through our own efforts, which will only fail.  Instead, we are to rest in Jesus and the peace He alone can bring, focusing on Him and His faithfulness.

When we rest in Jesus, casting all of our cares and worries upon Him, we can have that peace.  It will keep us from fear and worry, because it brings us straight to Him, and teaches us to depend on Him in everything we face.  No matter what our circumstance is, Jesus will sustain us, strengthen us, and enable us to walk through it victoriously.  No matter what we are going through, God promises to give us peace at all times and in every situation.

When we look around at people, we see fear and anxiety in them, but it is not necessary, if they would only turn to Jesus.  When we feel fear or uncertainty, we need to stand on God’s promises that we find in His Word.  The promise of the Peace of God will heal our troubled heart, and take away all fear.

The New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:22-22:5

In one of my favorite childhood movies, The Wizard of Oz, one grand scene is when Dorothy and her companions enter the Emerald City.  As a rather young child when I watched the movie, the Emerald City seemed like a most spectacular place.  The characters in the movie were all happy, thinking that their desires would now be met.  Yet, the excitement and glory of that place is nothing in comparison to what we see here in our Scripture passage today from the Book of Revelation.

As we open our Scripture today, we read what the Apostle John wrote as he was given a vision of the New Jerusalem, God’s eternal city in heaven.  Here he describes just a bit of the glory of this heavenly city.  Some of you may have had the opportunity to visit some of the great cities around the world, yet they each had some faults.  Many of them have crime in some parts of the city.  If you stray away from the typical tourist areas, you may find the slums and dirtier parts that the tourist boards don’t want you to see.  However, in the New Jerusalem you will not find any place like that.  Let’s take a closer look at what we will find as we read from the final chapters of the Bible.

First, John tells us that there is no Temple in the New Jerusalem (vs. 22).  That is because God Himself will be the temple in which everything exists.  The presence of God literally fills the new heaven and new earth.  For believers who are welcomed into the New Jerusalem, it will be like entering the limitless presence of the Lord.

As we read in verse 23, and later in verse 5, we see that there is no need for the sun or moon for any light.  We might wonder how that could be, and where would light come from.  Genesis 1:3 tells us there was light before the sun and stars were created and existed, which we read of in Genesis 1:16.  The Apostle John tells us in I John 1:5 that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.  Believers will enjoy the Lord’s pure light in heaven because He will be with us forever.

The gates of the New Jerusalem will never need to be shut (vs. 25).  In the past, city gates would be closed at sunset to protect the residents from criminals and bandits on the outside.  In this heavenly, eternal city there will be no such people.  There will be no night, which frequently in the Scriptures symbolized wickedness and evil.

There is a river which flows through the heavenly city.  Unlike many rivers here on earth, which most of us would never consider drinking from, this river is pure, and clear as crystal (vs. 1).  The source of this river is from the throne of God and the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is called the water of life.  The water of life is a symbol of eternal life, which comes to us only through Jesus (John 4:7-14).

John further tells us that there is no more curse (vs. 3).  The curse on humanity and on earth came as a result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience.  That curse is now completely finished.  God will never have to judge sin again since it will not exist in the new heaven and new earth.  In addition, in the New Jerusalem we will see God’s Face (vs. 4).  Here on earth no human could see God’s Face and live (Exodus 33:20-23).  However, the residents of heaven can look on God’s Face without harm, because they, too, are now holy.

Not everyone will be allowed into the New Jerusalem.  Only those whose names are in the Lamb’s Book of Life (vs. 27).  Seeing how wonderful the heavenly city will be, especially compared with the mess this world has become, most people will say that is where they want to be.  They want to get their name on that list, but might wonder how.  The only way to have your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life is to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.  One’s background, personality, or good works will not grant entrance into the New Jerusalem, and will not get your name in that Book.  Just acknowledge that you are a sinner, and nothing you can ever do will cleanse those sins.  Only the Blood of Jesus, shed on the Cross for your sins, can do that.  His sinless life and sacrificial death paid that price. Personally accept what He did for you, and call upon Him to save you.  Then your name will be added in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and you can one day join the redeemed in the New Jerusalem.

God's Face Shining Upon Us

Psalm 67

Think back to your childhood or youth.  Did you ever have a day when you were a bit apprehensive about facing either your parents, or perhaps a teacher?  Before you walked into the room, you were anxious as to whether they would be upset about any particular matter, or whether they were in a good mood.  How happy and relieved you were when you saw your parents or teacher’s smiling face!   You could now relax, as everything was just fine!  In our brief psalm for today the author is looking for a smile from God.  Let’s see what His Word has to say to us.

We can tell a lot about someone’s mood by the look on their face.  As I opened this message with, if we walk in and see a smile upon our parents, a teacher, or a boss’s face, we know things are fine.  However, we’d better be careful if we see a scowl or worse!   In former days, when a citizen would approach the king with their petition, they were careful to check the look on the king’s face.  If he was smiling, it was safe to approach.  It was said that the king’s face would shine upon his people.  If not, they’d better quickly leave.

Our psalmist is praying that God would shine His face upon His people (vs. 1).  When we know that God’s face would be shining upon us, we know that His blessings will follow.  He is looking towards us and looking on us with favor.  However, for those who would not see a shining face, they might expect judgment and His wrath (Psalm 34:16).  They are those who do evil.

How can we ensure that the Lord’s face would shine upon us?  The first thing is to have accepted God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as your personal Savior.  Our sins have separated us from God, but Jesus came and bridged the gap, making atonement for our sins with His Blood on the Cross.  When we accept Jesus as Savior, we receive His righteousness as our own, and thus God sees that on our account, not our own sinful nature.  We can enter His presence through the Blood of His Son, and we can expect that God will shine His face upon us.

For those who refuse His Son, who spurn and reject the Lord Jesus and the sacrifice He made, they cannot ever expect that God’s face will shine upon them.  It is true that we are all sinners.  However, God sent His Son Jesus to pay that sin-price, if only we will accept Him.  For those who don’t, who refuse Jesus, they are saying in effect that the Blood Jesus shed is of no worth, that it didn’t matter, that they can be accepted by God through some other way, whether it is through good works, some other religious figure, or some other religious path.  Their thinking is wrong!  There can only be judgment and wrath for those who would spurn the precious Blood of Jesus.

As our psalm continues, the psalmist urges God’s people to sing forth His praises.  There is always so much to be thankful and praise God for, particularly that we can have His face shining upon us, and that He has brought salvation to us and to people everywhere (vs. 2).   We also can praise Him because we can have His mercy and His blessings.  (vs. 1, 6-7).  We can approach Him with confidence, bringing our prayers to His throne.  He may not always answer our prayers exactly the way we might want, but when we know that His face is shining upon us, we know that He will work everything out for our good (Romans 8:28).

The psalmist testifies that when God answers our prayers, other people, particularly the unsaved, will see (vs. 2).  They will hear of God's ways, and of His salvation.  They will be drawn to Him.  They will hear of God’s work and will praise Him (vs. 3-5).  His face will especially shine upon those who tell others about the Lord Jesus, making His ways and His salvation known to all nations.

The Years The Locusts Ate

Joel 2:21-27

A wasted life, one that has been squandered and misused in sin and depravity, is a sad thing.  However, there is rejoicing if that man or woman turns around and cleans their life up, repents and turns to God.  When the years and the sin have been extensive, can there be any hope that God can use this person?  Can there be hope for any joy for this person, or is it too late for them?  Our Scripture today from the prophet Joel can give us an answer.

The prophet Joel was an earlier prophet in the history of Judah, preaching sometime between the 9th - 8th century BC.  Earlier in the prophecies of his short book, Joel had spoken about locusts, caterpillars, and other insects being sent by God to destroy the people’s crops as a punishment for their sins.  Many people today are not too familiar with plagues of locusts.  We tend to think of them as something scary out of the Old Testament, and fortunately the great swarms that occurred back then are very rare today.  The desert locust is a grasshopper-like insect, which bands together with millions of others and causes mass destruction of crops.  They have been known to have swarms of almost 400,000,000 locusts per square mile.  They can travel close to 100 miles per day, destroying every green plant in their path.  Today they are mainly found only in eastern Africa and parts of southwest Asia.  They are only mentioned a few times in the Bible, once being the well-known plague of locusts in Egypt at the time of Moses, another time being here in Joel, and then just a few other times.  Everyone knew, though, that when the locusts would come, all the crops were sure to be destroyed, and famine might likely follow.  It was a terrifying time.  It would be like a scene out of a horror movie, and I would never want to encounter that!

God used plagues of locusts to get the attention of people, and here in the time of the prophet Joel, He was doing just that.  The people of Judah had fallen into grave sin, had turned their back on the Lord, and had cast His Word behind them.  Due to that, He sent locusts, caterpillars, and other crop-eating insects as we read in Joel 1:4-7.  Because the people were not walking faithfully with the Lord, He sent a plague of locusts as judgment.  Joel warned the people to fear the coming of God’s judgment on sin.  Despite his, and many other godly and faithful prophets and preachers’ warnings, the people continued in sin, and so judgment came.

Judgment on sin is not just limited to the days of the Old Testament.  God still judges sin today.  When we continue in a sinful activity or lifestyle, the day will come when we must face judgment, and the price of sin is steep.  If someone repents and returns to the Lord, He will graciously forgive and accept the errant person.  However, there is a ravaged life, just like the ravaged land after the locusts have moved on.  What then?  Can and will God restore that?

As we read in our Scripture today, Joel promises the people that if they return to the Lord, He will restore the years that the locusts have eaten (vs. 25).  When we repent we will be able to rejoice.  As Joel preached, during the years of sin there was famine or loss, plagues and judgments of God, and mourning.  However, God promises repayment of that destruction if we will repent, ask God for mercy, and follow Him.  Now, if we truly repent, there can be feasting, harvests, and praise.  God’s blessings are promised only to those who sincerely and consistently follow Him (vs. 26-27).  There can still be hope for our future, just like there was for the people of Judah.

The Lord is not absent during dark seasons, even dark seasons brought on by our own sins.  He is always present, and always mindful of us.  If we seek Him with humble hearts, He will bestow His blessings; blessings so wonderful they will cover the darkness of the years that the locust has eaten away.