Behold, I Am Coming Soon!

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“Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” - Revelation 22:7, NKJV

A.    The Final Words Issued by God Himself

1.     God issues His final Words designed for those who live in the end time, the day of His return to the earth.

“Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and true." And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.” (Revelation 22:6, NKJV)

a.     This passage reveals the identity of the One who has been talking to John throughout the vision.

b.    Jesus sent His angel to show His servants the things that must shortly come to pass.

c.     Our Lord wants His servants to know what the future holds.

2.     The theme of the final chapter of the last book of the Bible is found in

 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” (Revelation 22:7, NKJV)

a.     Jesus has been calling individuals home for over 2,000 years, and it always seems to come too quickly.
“whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14, NKJV)

b.    As the generation who will soon see the physical return of Jesus to the earth, the words have never rung truer.

c.     Three times in this closing chapter of the Holy Scriptures, God repeats this phrase, “Behold, I come quickly.”

d.    His final purpose of this final book of Scripture is to warn us to be ready for His coming.

B.    Keeping the Sayings of Revelation

1.     In chapters 2 and 3 messages are given straight from Jesus to the seven churches of Asia.

a.     We are told what they were doing right and what they were doing wrong.

b.    We should learn from these messages and adjust our conduct accordingly.

2.     In chapter 6 of Revelation, these are the four spirits that seek to control the human race:

a.     Catholicism

b.    Communism

c.     Capitalism

d.    Islamism

3.     In chapter 7, God devotes this entire chapter to the great Jewish-Gentile revival that will be poured out in the end time.

a.     Jesus wants us to participate in this final harvest just before His Second Coming.

4.     In chapters 8-11, the Seven Trumpets are given so that we can understand the world-changing events that are happening all around us.

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:6, NKJV)

a.     Although we are living through the events prophesied in the Seven Trumpets, Jesus told us not to be troubled by these climactic events.

b.    He said we should stay on course and accomplish what He has called us to do in reaping the final harvest.

5.     In chapter 12, we are given an overview of events from the birth of Christ all the way to the end of the Great Tribulation.

a.     Revelation 12:14 reveals the eagle (the U.S.) will stand with Israel against the entire world during the end time.

b.    This passage should give the United States confidence to stand against the Antichrist and his world government.

c.     Most of the nations of the world will be against the U.S.

6.     Chapter 13 reveals Satan’s plan for the last days.

a.     It shows us the Antichrist and his world government.

b.    It reveals the False Prophet and his world religion.

c.     The enforcement mechanism of Satan’s plan to cause all people to worship him – the Mark of the Beast – is disclosed.

7.     Chapter 14 says all who worship the Antichrist and receive the Mark of the Beast will be tormented forever in the presence of the Lamb and His holy angels.

a.     The chapter concludes with an account of the Two Harvests, the harvest of the wheat, and the harvest of the tares.

b.    It provides Revelation’s third account of the Rapture of the church and the Battle of Armageddon.

8.     Chapters 15-16 record the coming Wrath of God that will be poured out upon His enemies during the Battle of Armageddon.

a.     God interrupts the flow of the Book of Revelation to interject the account of His judgment that will be poured out upon false Christianity

9.     Chapters 17-18 are devoted to the judgment of Mystery Babylon and all of her daughters.

“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4, NKJV)

10.  Revelation 19:7 gives us the final account of the Rapture and the Battle of Armageddon,

“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."” (Revelation 19:7, NKJV)

11.  In chapter 20 the binding of Satan occurs for 1,000 years.

a.     The Millennial Reign of Jesus and His church begins.

b.    The Great White Throne of Judgment takes place.

12.  Chapter 21 reveals the New Jerusalem is a portrayal of the bride.

a.     The angel said to John
“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,” (Revelation 21:9-10, NKJV)

13.  The Book of Revelation is finalized in Revelation 22:6-21.

C.    Worship No One Else but God

1.     After seeing all the visions and prophecies given to him in the Book of Revelation, John was overwhelmed.

“Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” (Revelation 22:8-9, NKJV)

a.     John’s impulse was to fall at the feet of the angel that had shown him all of these incredible revelations.

b.    The angel immediately reproved him and reminded him of a truth that none of us should ever forget. When Jesus was tempted by Satan to worship him, Jesus quoted the words of the First Commandment given in Matthew.
”Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE.' ” (Matthew 4:10, NKJV

2.     We all must forever remember there is one and only one God. Never worship anyone else! Never pray to anyone else! He said, “Worship God.”

D.    The Time is at Hand
“And he said to me, "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.” (Revelation 22:10, NKJV)

1.     Many people have questioned the statement “the time is at hand” since the Book of Revelation was written almost 2,000 years ago.

a.     Why did the angel say, “The time is at hand?”

b.    This statement is true because the Book of Revelation covers the entire 2,000 years from the time it was written until now.

2.     The seven churches to whom God sent messages in chapters 2 and 3 existed at the time Revelation was being written.

3.     In chapter 5, we are shown Heaven before Jesus came to the earth as a Lamb. Then we see the Lamb as it had been slain.

4.     Afterward, we see the prophecy of the Four Horsemen representing the four spirits that would control the nations of the earth from Christ until His Second Coming.

5.     All of these things explain why the angel instructed John to not seal up the book because the time is at hand.

E.    The Last-Minute Call

1.     Revelation 22:11-20 is specifically directed at the people that will be on earth at the time of the conclusion of the events of the Book of Revelation.

a.     Revelation 22:11-12 speaks to those who are living right before the time of the Rapture:
“He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still." "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” (Revelation 22:11-12, NKJV)

b.    Jesus decides to give one more appeal in Revelation 22:14-15,
“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. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” (Revelation 22:14-15, NKJV)

c.     This passage repeats the call made to mankind throughout the Old and New Testaments.
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;” (Deuteronomy 30:19, NKJV)

F.     I am the Root and the Offspring of David

1.     Throughout the Book of Revelation, Jesus declares who He really is.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8, NKJV)

“When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” (Rev 1:17-18)

2.     As Almighty God who created all things, He is the root of David; as the Son of God, He is the offspring of David!
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” (Rev 22:16)

G.    Whosoever will, Come

1.     As the Book of Revelation draws to a close, Jesus is still calling for His prized creation, the human race, to come to salvation.
“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the water of life without cost.” (Rev 22:17)

a.     This passage is telling the world that God’s Spirit is calling everyone to salvation.

b.    The bride (the church) is also saying, “Come.”

c.     The most wonderful message of this scripture is “whosoever will” may come.

2.     It is not God’s will for anyone to be lost.

a.     “Who” will means whoever desires to come can be saved.

b.    If you want to be saved, you can be!

H.    A Final Warning

1.     God issues a solemn warning in Revelation 22:18-19,
“I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” (Rev 22:18-19)

a.     Apparently, God did not want any of the prophecies of the Book of Revelation to be tampered with.

b.    He said if anyone added to the prophecies found in Revelation, He would add unto that person the plagues found in the book.

2.     In verse 19 God said if anyone would take away the words of the Book of Revelation, God would take away his part out of the Book of Life.

a.     This is a very important truth that God warned a person’s name could be removed from the Book of Life.

b.    Many people teach that once a person’s name is written in the Book of Life, it cannot be removed; however, this scripture teaches the opposite is true.

c.     This is not stating that anyone besides ourselves can remove our name from the Lamb’s Book of Life.

d.    Through our own actions, we could cause our names to be removed from the Lamb’s Book of Life even after they were once written there.

3.     Another very important truth is revealed in verses 18 and 19. Not only should we not add or take away from the Book of Revelation but we should also not alter any of the Scriptures.

a.     The Apostle Paul said in II Timothy 3:16,
“All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;” (2Ti 3:16)

b.    Every one of us should have a deep reverence for the sacredness of God’s Word.

c.     We should never attempt to alter it to fit our lifestyle or to justify something we are doing wrong.
“Forever, LORD, Your word stands in heaven.” (Psa 119:89)

4.     The conclusion of this marvelous book in found in Revelation 22:20-21,
“He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. ” (Rev 22:20-21)

a.     For the third time in this final chapter of Revelation, we receive the warning from Jesus that He is coming quickly.

b.    John adds his own commentary by saying, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

c.     John signs off with this final salutation, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

Activation: Knowing the time is short, that we are most likely the final generation who will witness the events of the end time, what is our role? We are the bride who is to say, come. Ask the Lord to embolden you to say, “come” to those who are in your life.

I.      Conclusion and Review

1.     There are three sections of the Book of Revelation according to John in Revelation 1:19:

a.     Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

• The things which thou hast seen – Chapter 1
• The things which are – Chapters 2 and 3
• The things which shall be hereafter – Chapter 4
  
  

b.    The prophetic portion of the Book of Revelation begins when John is shown the things which must be hereafter.
“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” (Rev 4:1)

2.     There are four divisions of Revelation which dramatize the Second Coming of Jesus.

a.     Revelation 4:1 – Revelation 8:1,5

b.    Revelation 8:6 – Revelation 11:19

c.     Revelation 12:1 – Revelation 14:20

d.    Revelation 15:1 – Revelation 19:21

e.     Each of these divisions end with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Rapture.

3.     There are four accounts of the Rapture in Revelation.

a.     Revelation 8:5 – “And there were voices, and thunderings, an earthquake and great hail.”

b.    Revelation 11:15-19 – “And there were voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake and great hail.”

c.     Revelation 14:14-16 – This is the first of the Two Harvests, the harvest of the wheat, which is the Rapture.

d.    Revelation 19:7-11 – The Marriage of the Lamb is come, and the bride has now made herself ready.

J.     Four Timelines of the Book of Revelation

1.     The timeline for the Seven Seals

a.     The First Seal – Revelation 6:2 – The white horse which is the symbol for Catholicism.

b.    The Second Seal – Revelation 6:4 – The red horse is the symbol for communism.

c.     The Third Seal – Revelation 6:5 – The black horse which represents capitalism

d.    The Fourth Seal – Revelation 6:8 – The symbol of Islamism

e.     The Fifth Seal – Revelation 6:9-11 – Represents souls under the altar, a scene from the Great Tribulation

f.      The Sixth Seal – Revelation 6:12-17 – A depiction of the Heavens opening, and this Seal occurs during the Battle of Armageddon.

g.     The Seventh Seal – Revelation 8:1,5 – 30 minutes of silence in Heaven, the Rapture which concludes with the words, “And there were voices, and thunderings, an earthquake and great hail.”

2.     The timeline of the Seven Trumpets

a.     The First Trumpet is found in Revelation 8:7 and symbolizes World War I.

b.    The Second Trumpet occurs in Revelation 8:8-9 and represents World War II.

c.     The Third Trumpet is the Chernobyl Nuclear Explosion found in Revelation 8:10-11.

d.    The Fourth Trumpet in Revelation 8:12 talks about the shortening of the days.

e.     The Fifth Trumpet in Revelation 9:1-11 provides information about the Gulf War and Saddam Hussein.

f.      The Sixth Trumpet in Revelation 9:13-21 predicts World War III.

g.     The Seventh Trumpet in Revelation 11:15 describes the Rapture and the Battle of Armageddon.

3.     The timeline of the Seven Vials

a.     The First Vial is found in Revelation 16:2, where there are grievous sores placed upon those who have taken the Mark of the Beast.

b.    In the Second Vial of Revelation 16:3 the sea became blood.

c.     Under the Third Vial in Revelation 16:4 the rivers become blood.

d.    Under the Fourth Vial in Revelation 16:8-9 men will be scorched by the sun.

e.     Under the Fifth Vial in Revelation 16:10 there will be a great plague of horrible darkness.

f.      Under the Sixth Vial in Revelation 16:12-16 the Euphrates River will be dried up to make way for the Kings of the East to come down for the Battle of Armageddon.

g.     The Seventh Vial of Revelation 16:17-21 reveals history’s greatest earthquake, the greatest hail that has ever happened and also the Rapture.

4.     The timelines of the Seven Seals, the Seven Trumpets and the Seven Vials integrated

a.     The First Seal represents Catholicism which began around 300 AD. The Second Seal symbolizing communism began about 1848 AD. The Third Seal is capitalism and the Fourth Seal represents Islamism.

b.    Then the arrival of the First Trumpet, World War I in 1914 and then afterward the Second Trumpet, World War II in 1939.

c.     In 1986 the Third Trumpet sounded, which was the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

d.    Under the Fourth Trumpet the Berlin Wall fell and the days were shortened.

e.     The Fifth Trumpet was the Gulf War in 1990.

f.      The Sixth Trumpet is the Euphrates River War or World War III.

g.     The Fifth Seal represents the souls under the altar and the Great Tribulation.

h.     The Sixth Seal, the Sixth Vial, Armageddon and the Wrath of God all happen simultaneously.

i.      Under the Seventh Seal, Seventh Trumpet and Seventh Vial, all happening at the same time, there is silence in Heaven, which is when the Rapture takes place.

K.    The timeline for the Final Seven Years

1.     The Final Seven Years begins with a treaty signed between the Palestinians and the Israelis, the Middle East peace treaty.

a.     This treaty launches the Final Seven Years preceding Armageddon and the Second Coming of Jesus to the earth.

b.    Under this peace treaty, the Temple Mount will be placed under a sharing arrangement.

c.     The prophesied end time revival will begin, and this revival will continue throughout the next seven years culminating at the Second Coming of Jesus to the earth.

2.     During the first 31⁄2 years of the seven-year period, the Jews’ Third Temple will be built.

a.     As soon as the temple is built, then animal sacrifices will be resumed.

b.    The Jewish people still feel obligated to offer the sacrifices under the Old Testament law.

3.     Halfway through the seven-year period, the final 31⁄2 years begin.

a.     At this time, there is a War in Heaven between Satan and his angels and God and His angels.

b.    Satan will be defeated and consequently, he will be confined to the earth and forbidden from ever appearing again in Heaven.

c.     At this same time, the Abomination of Desolation will occur and the Antichrist will be revealed.

d.    The False Prophet who supports the Antichrist will also appear on the world scene.

4.     The Great Tribulation occurs at the beginning of the final 31⁄2-year period.

a.     Satan will send out his two witnesses, the Antichrist and False Prophet.

b.    The Two Witnesses will be sent out by God and will begin their ministries.

5.     During this final 31⁄2 years, the Antichrist will expand his control over the world.

a.     Toward the end of his reign, he will implement the Mark of the Beast to make sure everyone pledges allegiance to him and worships him. At the end of the seven years, the Second Coming of Jesus to the earth will take place.

b.    The Jews will meet their Messiah at this same time. The Antichrist and the False Prophet will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit for the next 1,000 years.

6.     Jesus Christ will be crowned King of kings and Lord of lords!

a.     This will put us into the next 1,000-year Millennial Reign of peace with Jesus Christ and His church.