Revelation 22:20 Commentary and Bible Study

It is Christ speaking. The things spoken of are in this book are awesome and dreadful. It emphasises that our enemies are powerful and relentless in their attempts to defeat us. Their intention is nothing less than our total and eternal destruction and yet there is one fighting for us whose power and wisdom dwarfs the devil and all his armies. For the believer there is no alternative to all-out war with the powers of darkness. Victory can only be achieved by complete identification with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is present with us now by his Spirit, but absent from the body. Though we do not doubt his ability to keep us in our present circumstances, we will never be entirely at rest until we see with our eyes what he has promised us. He knows far better than we do the ferocity of our enemy, for we have not yet resisted to bloodshed, as he has, in striving against sin. His second coming is the great consolation that we wait for. Everything that we hope for is suspended on this event. It is fitting that these final words of Scripture turn our eyes towards the coming of our Lord and teach us what should be our posture while the world remains.Until that day we are kept by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. That grace is not an item put in our hands, but is an attribute of God operating in his heart governing all his acts towards us. Grace enables him to give to us even though we are already in his debt. Grace is not an investment by God on which he expects to make a hansom return. In a sense it is a genuine loss to him for he pardons sins that do not deserve to be pardoned; he bears with our constant falls and failings; he gives what no one could demand from him. The revelation of the grace of God is the eternal fuel for the worship not only of men but of angels. Its unreasonableness and freeness are a ceaseless source of wonder to those privileged to stand, accepted, in God’s presence. Only grace can see us through to the end of our pilgrimage. Knowing that we have a boundless supply of grace through Jesus Christ, we confidently press on to our heavenly home, determined that nothing shall turn us aside, but that soon we will lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of us. Here is the response of the people of God, ‘Even so come Lord Jesus.’ Or as it's more perfectly translated, but it sounds a little inelegant, ‘Even so, be coming Lord Jesus.’ That is a literal translation, and it may be better. We don't have the audacity to pray to the Lord almost as if we are presuming to order him: ‘Come.’ It sounds somehow more fitting, more humble, more of an appeal to say, ‘Lord, be coming. Be on your way. Be it soon.’ It is our duty to look forward to the coming of the Lord, to desire it, to make it our great anticipation and hope. We must not stop thinking about the Lord's return. It is the greatest balm or comfort we can have. When confused or in distress, or when under attack: the Lord is coming soon. It is the greatest comfort in bereavement, the greatest stimulation in all trials, to serve him and make him known. It is vital for us to keep reflecting on the coming of the Lord, and make it our chief delight – ‘Even so, come Lord Jesus.’