Revelation Now :
Daily Devotional Bible Studies in Revelation
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Jesus is Coming Soon : Day 82 
No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place. Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!" Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy. Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. (Revelation 22.3-12)
Description of the City of God.
Here is the final culmination of the description of "the city" of God. There will be no accursed thing there. That is to say, there will be no more of the pollutions which harm the Christian life. The promise will come true that the pure in heart will see God (1). "They will see his face." We may best understand the greatness of that promise by remembering that the Christian is promised a privilege which was denied even to Moses who was told, "You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live" (2).It is in Christ alone that men can see God.
The sight of God produces two things. It produces the perfect worship, where God is always seen and all life becomes an act of worship. It produces the perfect consecration, the inhabitants of the city will have the mark of God upon their foreheads, showing that they belong only to him.
No Darkness There
John returns to his vision that in the city of God there can never be any darkness. "They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun," for the presence of God is there. The vision ends with the promise that the people of God will reign for ever and ever. In perfect submission to him, they will find perfect freedom and true royalty.
The God of the Spirits of the Prophets
The first speaker is one of the angels who have been the interpreters of the divine things to John. Once again he stresses the truth of all that John has seen and heard. "The God of the spirits of the prophets" means the God who inspired the minds of the prophets. The messages John received came from the same God as inspired the great prophets of the Old Testament, and must be treated with equal seriousness.
The second speaker is Jesus Christ himself. He reiterates that his return is not to be long delayed. Then he pronounces his blessing on the person who reads and obeys the words of John's book. The faithful devout student is the best of all students. There are too many who are devout, but not students; they will not accept the discipline of learning and even look with suspicion upon the further knowledge which study brings. There are also too many who are students, but not devout. They are interested too much in intellectual knowledge and too little in prayer and in service of their fellow human beings.
The Author John Speaks
The last speaker is John. He identifies himself as the author of the book. "I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things." Then, strangely enough, he delivers exactly the same warning against angel worship as he did earlier (3) Either John would have removed this passage as a needless repetition, if he had had opportunity fully to revise his book; or he was so aware of the danger of angel worship that he believed it necessary to give the same warning twice. He certainly leaves us in no doubt that worship of angels is wrong and that worship must be given to God alone.
This passage insists that the coming of Christ is close at hand and it must be the Risen Christ who is speaking. The Risen Christ once again announces his speedy coming; and he makes two great claims. He has his reward with him and will render to everyone according to their work. "Christ speaks as the Great Steward, who in the eventide of the world will call the laborers to receive their day's wages." (4)
Words to meditate on
Is your name recorded in the Book of Life?
Words to pray
Thank you for your Word, to show me the way.
Notes
(1) Matthew 5:8 (2) Exodus 33:20,23 (3) 19:10 (4) H. B. Swete
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place."
