Jesus' Final Words in the Bible

I have always liked the beginnings and endings of a book.  The Bible begins and ends in a very powerful and dramatic way.  Today we look at the ending of the Bible, the end of Revelation. 

It is interesting that the Bible ends with the very words of Jesus.  And it must be noteworthy to consider the final words of any man; but that would be especially so of Jesus, the greatest man to ever live, the very Son of God. 

In Revelation 22, we hear these words of our Lord:  "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last."

Then John writes:  "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city."

Shortly after, Jesus gives these final words:  "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches.  I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star."

The final message here is twofold:  1) He is coming quickly.  This seems odd since it has been 2000 years since He was on earth.  But His point seems to be that we should feel a sense of urgency in the way we live our lives.  2) When He comes back to get His own, He will bring His reward with Him.

The Lord certainly understands us humans; after all, He created us.  He knows that we perform best when there is a carrot at the end of the stick......thus, His promise of a reward.  This reminds me of the verse in Hebrews 11:6, "For without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."  Here we see that we must have belief in His existence, but must also recognize that He will reward us.

Jesus has made this promise to us, His followers, that He will come again to get us......and He will reward us for our diligence in seeking and following Him.  What a blessing!  Let's be sure that we are in that number, that we will have a right to the tree of life, and that we may enter through the gates into the wonderful city that Jesus has prepared for us.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!