“For the enemy rages—there is a great war in the heavenlies even now! And I say, stand together, unite, seek my face for in me there is victory! I am God! I am the one high and lifted up! I am the Sovereign Lord, I am King and I am coming back! I say to you—I will return! Make yourselves ready, prepare yourselves, prepare the way for my coming. For I am coming again and the time is near! Oh my people, I love you. I love you. And I am faithful and I am true.”
What a powerful way the Lord concluded His word to us as He shared three things: His person, our task, and His promise.
What Did He Say About His Person?
What did he say about his person in this word?
• He is God
• He is high and lifted up
• He is Sovereign
• He is King
• He is faithful
• He is true
Our Lord’s description of being faithful and true is seen throughout the book of Revelation. While much of the Apocalypse depicts what is to come, these particular words speak to something valid about Christ’s person for all time; that is, He who was, and is, and is to come!
“He is faithful. The word is pistos; it means absolutely to be trusted. He is true. The word is alethinos and has two meanings. It means true in the sense that Jesus Christ is the one who brings the truth and who never at any time has any falsehood in anything that he says. It also means genuine, as opposed to that which is unreal. In Jesus Christ we meet reality” (Barclay).
What Did He Say About Our Task?
What did He say about our task in this word?
• We are to stand together
• We are to unite
• We are to seek His face
• We are to make ourselves ready
• We are to prepare
• We are to prepare the way
Again, the Revelation speaks to us, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7 NASB).
Two things that really spoke loudly to me from this passage as it relates to His Direct Word? Lamb and love.
1. “It is interesting that this is the marriage supper of the Lamb, and not of ‘the King’ or ‘the Lord.’ The one title that Christ wants emphasized for all eternity is ‘the Lamb,’ for it speaks of His love for the church and the price He paid to purchase it. Of course, the church has to ‘make herself ready’ for this supper.[1]
2. “Though in one sense she ‘made herself ready,’ having by the Spirit’s work in her put on ‘the wedding garment,’ yet in the fullest sense it is not she, but her Lord, who makes her ready by ‘granting to her that she be arrayed in fine linen [v. 8].’ It is He who, by giving Himself for her, presents her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, but holy and without blemish. It is He also who sanctifies her, naturally vile and without beauty, with the washing of water by the word, and puts His own comeliness on her, which thus becomes hers.”[2] However it must be remembered that even as our Lord does the work, it does not negate my actions to allow Him to work in my life through personal obedience. It is an obedience based in love—His love for me and my love for Him.
What Did He Promise?
And what did He promise in this word?
• I am coming back
• I will return
• I am coming again…and the time is near
• I love you
The promise of His return was the final “on earth” testimony the Eleven heard post-resurrection and pre-Pentecost and it is how He chose to close this word to us:
“And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.’”
– Acts 1:10-11 NASB
He is coming again; how I want to be ready!
