Kilskeery Free Presbyterian Church's last prayer meeting of 2025.
“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus,” Revelation 22:20.
*Those who fully follow Robert Murray M‘Cheyne’s Bible Reading Calendar and read the four chapters listed for each day, will annually read through the Old Testament once and the New Testament and the Psalms twice.
It is by reading God’s Word that we understand His message to us.
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night,” Ps 1:1-2.
“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand,” Rev 1:3.
* This final chapter of Revelation was part of the scheduled reading for today, December 31st. I wish to look at the last verse but one, the verse 20.
Here are the final words of the Saviour in this divine record of His mind, will and purpose for His people.
* Final words of any person are very often most important and noteworthy. When it comes to the Saviour’s words then all are of great importance but we may stress that His last words are especially to be noted.
* Matthew’s record of His last words, before His ascension, are noteworthy.
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen,” Matthew 28:19-20.
It was the Saviour’s will that “all things” that He commanded His disciples were to be preached to all nations.
I might just point out that the essence of apostasy is the abandoning of that command and a substituting of the views and notions of man in the place of the truth of the Gospel!
Let us come to our text.
I. NOTE THE SAVIOUR’S FINAL WORDS.
“Surely I come quickly.”
1. That the Saviour should refer to His return in His final words, shows the place that subject has in the Saviour’s thinking. There are those who think that some of us are too much taken up with the subject of prophecy and the return of Christ!
If that be so, the like criticism may be levelled against Christ? Note verses 7, 10, 12 and our text, verse 20.
2. This was a subject about which He was desirous that His people be fully aware and be assured. See verse 10 — “Seal not . .” When He announced that He would be leaving them, the disciples were saddened.
“But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart,” John 16:5-6.
But He comforted them with this wonderful promise, John 14:1-3.
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also,”
3. I believe I am correct in saying that this subject occupies a great portion of God’s Word. That in itself indicates just how important the study of prophecy is.
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began,” Acts 3:19-21. The return of Christie an essential apart of the gospel message! All the prophets preached ‘repentance’ and the ‘the times of restitution of all things’!
Dear Christian it is to be noted that any minister that does not have that emphasis in his preaching is out of step with the will of God and the message of the prophets!
II. JOHN’S EAGER RESPONSE STEMMED FROM WHAT IT WAS HE HAD BEEN PRIVILEGED TO SEE!
“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter,” Rev 4:1.
I believe I am correct that the Book of the Revelation contains the word “SAW” some 38 times with reference to what was revealed to John.
1. It was Christ Who conducted him on this tour of future events. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,” 1:10. “And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done,” Revelation 22:6.
Note - {1}. 1:10 Christ was behind him - invariably we have our back toward the Lord, even in our best spiritual state! {2}. It was a GREAT voice. The word means ‘loud’. It was meant to be heard! {3}. It was as a TRUMPET. Again the emphasis is it was a voice to be heard and heeded. It was penetrating and above all other sounds. It was the instrument used of God to get the attention of His people. First mention: “When the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount,” Exodus 19:13..
2. The sad lack of eagerness amongst God’s people today emanates from our failure to heed the trumpet of God’s Word and see that revealed to us of the events at the end of this age and the return of Christ. The sleeping of the saints of Matthew 25:5 — “While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept” — speaks of the state of the professing church today! Only the “great voice, as of a trumpet” can awaken us from this sleep.
“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamp,” Matthew 25:6-7.
III. JOHN BELIEVED THE EMPHATIC ASSURANCE OF THE SAVIOUR.
1. This was the third time in this chapter the Saviour had uttered such an assurance.
Indeed, the book had begun with such an assurance!
“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation 1:7.
This is repeated, as we have noted, in this final chapter.
“Behold, I come quickly (without delay): blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book,” verse 7.
“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be,” verse 12.
How we should note the Saviour’s NEED of repeating this truth! Surely it is because we FORGET and live as if it was not true!
2. This was the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness. 1:5. How can ministers seek to dissuade believers from reading and studying this book?
3. John’s response indicates his faith in the promise of Christ and his desire to see it fulfilled. ‘Amen’.
When ‘Amen’ is used at the beginning of a discourse it means ‘this is of a truth.’ When used at the end of a statement it means, ‘so be it, may it be fulfilled.’ This ‘amen’ indicates John’s longing for the day of the return of Christ.
4. Under God, John has shared with us what he saw of future events. Verse. 6. How can Christians ignore, pass over and generally rarely give thought to this glorious book?
At this time of the year, many are given over to reviewing the past BUT let us set our hearts and minds upon that which most certainly is to come and live in the light of that glorious event.