A Welcoming Invitation

August 28, 2022 Background Scripture: Revelation 22:8 - 21 Lesson Passage: Revelation 22:10 - 21 Today's lesson takes us literally to the end of the Bible. The Book of Revelation is the only book of prophecy in the New Testament. There are no "missing books of the Bible". There are not previously undiscovered "revelations from God". The reason I can state this emphatically is because of today's lesson. The scriptures in today's lesson warns against adding or taking away from what is written in the Book of Revelation. There are reasons to believe that the other books of the Bible were written prior to the writing of this one. One reason is no other book of the Bible references this one with its groundswell of revelations about Jesus Christ and eternity. It would have been difficult to write to a first century Christian leader or congregation and not mention any of the doctrinal writing in the Book of Revelation. It would have been impossible to be neutral about what John wrote here—either one would agree with it or refute it. John describes the two eternal destinations of souls that depart this world. One destination is the Lake of Fire and the other is the blissful presence of God. People are given the option in this life to choose their eternal destination. This is the importance of clarity in presenting the Gospel message. The Gospel message is the most important invitation a person will ever receive. The message declares the truth of God's love for us and His desire for us to spend eternity in His presence. God gave the Gospel message to the world through the testimonies of many witnesses. Truth is established by the mouth of two or three witnesses. We are also assured of the truth of the book of Revelation. Our lesson today includes two personal statements that are identified by "I, John" and "I, Jesus". John, again, declared that he was an eyewitness to the vision, and he saw and heard the things written in this book. Jesus declared that He sent His messenger, an angel, to give this testimony to the churches. Jesus declared Himself to be both David's Creator and David's descendant. No one else can make such a claim. This is the historic Jesus that is presented by the writers of the Gospel. For thousands of years, the church has endured a lot in this world. The church is strengthened by the knowledge of who she is and what her purpose is in this world. Today, we are sometimes so caught up in sensationalism that we forget the primary purpose of the church in the world. The primary responsibility of the church is to evangelize the loss for Christ. There are many in this world who are lost and on their way to an eternal Hell. The church, indwelt and empowered by the Spirit of Christ, is the only lifeline in the world to redirect them. Salvation is the ultimate goal, but celebration and life as God intended for it to be follows. In essence, the church, as the unified body of Christ, invites sinners to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. This is the union of Christ with his bride, the Church. The "bride-to-be" is tasked with inviting guests/participants to her wedding. By the way, since we only get to experience one side of eternity, we do have to RSVP once we receive the invitation. Today, we refer to that as accepting, or rejecting, Jesus as one's personal Savior. Here is the last blessing printed in the Bible: "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you". When a book such as Revelation is written, how should the closing be worded? Heeding the warning of not adding to or taking away from what is written, a simple one-word sentence is sufficient: Amen. Robert C. Hudson August 11, 2022