Dig In:
Dig Deeper:
THE FINISH LINE: What an amazing way to end our journey through the Revelation this year, looking forward to the time when all things have been fully restored! The Bible begins with a perfect garden, in which God communes each day with His people. The Bible ends with the exact same thing. The access to the tree of life, which Adam had been expelled from is now fully restored and becomes the centerpiece of the restored garden of Eden; the curse is over.
PRESENT TENSE: Vss. 12-13 are not a prediction of what Jesus will say in the future, they are His words for you right now at this very moment. He wants you to know that He is coming soon, and that His settlement is with Him. He will pay back everyone for what they have done, both the good and the bad. That means that as you make sacrifices for Jesus now, you will be rewarded for them in the everlasting world to come. That's a pretty good deal!
THE REASON WE READ: This chapter also has several verses dedicated to the importance of the words that John had written down as this amazing vision he experienced unfolded. This importance is exactly why we've made such a big deal this past year about reading God's Word each and every day. Of course the emphasis being made in this chapter are focused on the book of Revelation, but we know that God puts this same value on all of His Words, in both the Old and New Testaments.
THIS BLESSING IS FOR YOU: Go back to the very opening verses of the Apocalypse (Revelation). The revelation comes from Jesus and is given to John (v1) for your blessing (v3). The revelation John receives continues to chapter 22, verse 12. The remaining verses in chapter 22 are different, a nuance which the 2011 NIV notes by giving it the heading of Epilogue. This is because of the way Jesus addresses you in v16, using a plural pronoun. In English, both the singular and plural forms of 'you' are the same, which is different than most other languages. A better way to understand v16 is this:
I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give y'all this testimony for the churches...
Jesus wasn't speaking to just John in v12-16, He is speaking directly to you.
Discuss:
EYE FOR DETAIL— What phrase does Jesus say twice in this chapter? (v7, 12)
Follow the AAA Prayer Pattern:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The Lord God who will for ever and ever be the light of the new heavens and new earth
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for His Word, and pray that you will neither add to nor take away from it.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
