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2. The Last Offer of Salvation (Revelation 22:10-15)
The Reward of the Lord: The Lord holds out his reward for the justified and saints, namely himself! Already Abraham was assured by God: “I am your shield, and your exceeding great reward!” (Genesis 15:1). The Lord does not reward you with something corruptible, but he gives himself to you as an incorruptible reward! He reveals himself to you as your father, your strength, your live, and your resurrection. All, what the Lord is and belongs to him, gave he to us in his Son. “If God be for us, who can be against us? He that did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32).
The reward of Christ to us is not earnings for any performance of ourselves, but God gives himself to the believers solely out of grace. However, the Lord recompenses and entrusts diligent, faithful, believing and sacrificing servants and hand-maids with increased responsibility in his kingdom (Matthew 25:21). So the old topic of some deaconesses is confirmed, “My reward is that I am allowed to serve HIM."
In Islam, however, religion is a business which nobody will regret (Sura Fatir 35:29-30). Allah would recompense him that quotes the Koran, prays and pays the religious tax earnings a pension in the paradise, particularly when he had fought in the holy war. Christ does not know this kind of reward. All what he grants is undeserved grace! In the Last Judgment there is no big balance on which the evil and good deeds will be weighed. We will become righteous solely through grace, the blood of Christ and his righteousness. Our reward is the Lord himself and his Spirit who makes his abode in us and lives in us forever and ever. However, he that insists on his “own” earnings for his assumed good works, may study thoroughly the sayings of the King and Judge who will judge men according to their own works (Matthew 25:31-46).
I am Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last: Twice God himself used this enciphered saying (Revelation 1:8; 21:6) which now his Son also uses the third time (Revelation 1:17; 2:8; 22:13) so as to witness his eternal divinity.
In this particular verse this self-witness of God means that Christ is coming as the last judge with divine authority so as to give the final judgment to everybody! Then, there is no further appeal court available. His sentence is final. His father has delivered to him the whole judgment (John 3:18; 5:25-30), because he took away the sin of the world (John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 5:21). He that accepts his atoning sacrifice as the fundament for his righteousness, does not come into condemnation but has already gone from death to eternal life (John 5:24). However, he that rejects this justification through grace is already condemned as nobody is good in himself (Psalm 14:1-3; John 3:36; Romans 3:10-12).
The world is created by Jesus, the Word of God. Through him, the Lamb of God, the world will also be judged. He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Is this also true in your life?
The Last Chance: Jesus promises in the last of his beauties of the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7; 22:14): Blessed are those who wash their robes! This salvation saying had already been explained by one of the elders round the throne of God, “These are they who came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sits on the throne shall dwell among them.” (Revelation 7:14-15).
Some sensitive people find the blood disgusting and can't do anything with a religion based on blood. These friends should realize that in the orient the blood is viewed as carrier of the soul, as the self of man. God accepted in the Old Testament substitutionary offers and sacrifices instead of the immediate death of the sinner. The blood of Jesus Christ means that he was really stricken for our transgressions and our punishment was certainly upon him. He has sacrificed his own life in place of us. Since then we are considered to be righteous. We are, as it were, sprinkled with his blood, with his self, and will be considered as people who had already served the sentence. The phrase “to wash the robes in the blood of the Lamb” has a cultic meaning: we are regarded as cleansed and sanctified due to the substitution of Christ.
This salvation promise shows us again that nobody will become righteous because of his own works. Even the morally or ethically best of all is a sinner before God. Who that receives his reward from the coming Christ as a righteous and holy man, will not be righteous and holy through himself but solely through the fact that he was sprinkled with the blood of Christ and that he washed his robes in the blood of the Lamb (Hebrews 10:14.22).
While Jesus blesses all who will deliberately become sanctified by his blood, he courts all wicked and unrighteous and asks them to take the last chance for their salvation from the wrath of God and his judgment and to have cleansed their hearts and consciences through the blood of Christ. The accomplished salvation is also available for them. It may get realized in them as soon as they are prepared to listen to Christ, to repent, to die to their pride, to believe and to give thanks for it.
PRAYER: We thank You, heavenly Father, that Your merciful Son freely died for us and wiped off the list of our sins in the heavenly account. Help us to let His precious blood cleanse and sanctify us completely for none of us can produce the required righteousness and eternal life of themselves, but Your Son presents His salvation, and even Himself, to those who believe in Him. Thank You very much Father. Thank You very much Son. Amen.
QUESTION:
- What prevents many sinners from accepting the salvation prepared for them? Why do they neglect the dwelling of the Holy Spirit in them?