Hi, I'm Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to serve as your Bible teacher every day on this great radio station, on today's edition of Pathway to Victory.
The Spirit, the Holy Spirit cries out to Jesus the Son, come Lord Jesus, come. And today we have come not only to the end of the book of Revelation, but we've come to the end of God's Word itself. If you have your Bibles, turn to Revelation chapter 22 for our final message in our series, Final Conquest. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress.
Whether you're watching a fireworks display or listening to an orchestra, the greatest moment of any performance comes during the grand finale. And the same is true for the book of Revelation. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress unpacks the magnificent future described in Revelation 22 that awaits all followers of Jesus Christ. Now here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. You have joined us on a historic day today. Today's program features my final message in a series that started in mid-August. Over the last several weeks, we have worked our way through the book of Revelation in a series I've called Final Conquest.
To complement these programs, I've written a brand new book for you. It's titled Mysteries of the End Times, Five Little Known Truths About God's Plans for the Future. And if you've allowed the weeks to slip by without reaching out to request your copy, today's the day to do it. This is the final day I'll mention this special offer to receive Mysteries of the End Times. In my new book, I answer five common questions about biblical prophecy. And the intent of this book is to give you confidence that God's plan for your future is perfect. A copy of Mysteries of the End Times is yours when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory.
And as a bonus, when you respond today, I'll also include a 50-page booklet I've written for you as well. It's called The Major Characters of the End Times. My booklet provides a snapshot of 15 prominent figures who appeared during the end times. And while supplies last, I'm pleased to send you a copy free of charge. Again, the booklet is called The Major Characters of the End Times.
You can get yours by going to ptv.org. Now, let's get started with our final study in the book of Revelation. I titled this last message, The King is Coming. If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn to the book of the Revelation, chapter 22 verse 1. Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming down from the throne of God and of the Lamb. On either side of the river was the tree of life. And it bears 12 kinds of fruit. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
And there's no longer any curse. And the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it. And his bondservants, that is you and I, will serve him. And then verse 4. They will see God's face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
And there will no longer be any night. They will have no need of the light of a lamp, nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them, and they will reign forever and ever. And the angel said to me, these words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his bondservants the things which must soon take place. And behold, I, Jesus Christ, am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.
John was so overwhelmed by what he saw. Look at verse 8. When I saw and heard, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. The angel said, don't do that. Don't worship me, I'm just a servant like you are.
Worship God instead. And then verse 10. And the angel said to me, do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book.
For the time is near. The angel says, let the one who does wrong still do wrong. And let the one who is filthy still be filthy. And let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness. And the one who is holy still keep himself holy. Look at verse 12. Behold, I, Jesus Christ, am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to render to every man according to what? To what he has done. Don't let anybody tell you, folks, that God doesn't care about your works.
No. Your works are going to be the basis by which God judges you. He is coming to judge every man according to his works. We are saved by grace for good works.
We are not saved by good works. And you see that emphasized in the next two verses, verses 13 and 14. I, Jesus Christ, in the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, blessed are those, underline this, who wash their robes so that they might have a right to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city.
Who is it that has a right to the tree of life? Who is going to be welcomed into God's city, the new Jerusalem? Those who have washed their robes. That is a picture of a person who realizes that his own righteousness is not good enough to enter into heaven. The Bible says our righteousness, the best we can do is like a filthy rag to God. But the Bible promises that if we will wash our lives in the blood of Jesus Christ, the blood of Jesus Christ can remove any stain from our life's record. Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow, God promises. That's what the blood of Christ does for us, and that's why he says, blessed are those who wash their robes. Only they will have a right to inherit the kingdom of God. Now, if you have a King James Bible, how many of you have a King James Bible?
You're looking at me and saying, what are you talking about? That's not what my Bible says. If you have a King James Bible, it says, blessed are those that do God's commandments.
Why is that? It's a big difference. If you want to know how to get to heaven, this is a big deal, folks. Do I get to heaven by doing God's commandments, or do I get to heaven by washing my life in the blood of Jesus Christ? Is it by my works and my goodness, or is it by the blood of Christ that I enter into heaven? Big difference. Why does the King James Version say, blessed are those who do God's commandments?
Here's why. The King James Bible was published in 1611, and it was based on a special Greek text, the Greek New Testament, that was assembled by Erasmus in 1516, about 90 years before the King James Bible. That Greek New Testament that Erasmus put together, called the Textus Receptus, was the foundation of the King James Bible. In 1516, when Erasmus was putting together that Greek New Testament, he used three Greek manuscripts of the New Testament to prepare his Greek New Testament, one from the 10th century, one from the 12th century, and one from the 15th century. And as Erasmus sat there and put together that Greek New Testament and he came to this passage, he looked at those three manuscripts, and they all said the same thing.
Blessed are those who keep God's commandments. So that's what he put in his Greek New Testament that ended up in the King James Version. But since 1611, in the almost 500 years since 1611, we have discovered earlier, older Greek manuscripts, older by hundreds and hundreds of years that were much closer to the time of the original text. And those older manuscripts said, blessed are those who wash their robes. In other words, the text we now have of the New Testament that are closest to the original say, blessed are those who wash their robes. And that explains the difference between the King James Version and the newer versions. It's not a case of these and those.
That's a minor deal. The difference between the King James and the newer versions like the New International, the New American Standard is these newer versions use the older manuscripts. And therefore, are more accurate, closer to the original date. You say, well, wait a minute. Why would some scribe sitting there in the 10th or 12th or 15th century, why would they write and change the text from blessed are those who wash their robes, why would they change that, somebody, to blessed are those who keep God's commandments? Why would somebody tamper with God's word like that?
Dr. Criswell has a great word about that. He said from the very beginning of time, man has said God's grace isn't enough. I need to add my good works. Surely there is something I can do to earn God's forgiveness. Since the beginning of time, people have been trying to hang a sign above the cross of Jesus Christ that says necessary but not enough. We try to add our works to God's grace and God says no. It is by grace and grace alone that you've been saved.
And that's why you see the change here. No, the original text, God said blessed are those who wash their robes. Look at verse 15. And outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices lying. Don't let anybody tell you everybody's going to heaven.
They're not. There are those inside the wall who are part of the New Jerusalem, the part of God's kingdom, and there are those outside the wall who will be there forever. Now look at verses 16 and 17, the final invitations of the Bible. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bride and morning star.
Now look at this, verse 17. The spirit and the bride say come and let the one who hears say come. This first invitation is an invitation for Jesus Christ to come back to earth.
And notice who issues this invitation. The spirit, the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is not some it.
It is a he. He's a part of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is grieved by the sin and the rebellion he sees in the world today and he cries out to Jesus the Son, come Lord Jesus, come. But it's not only the Holy Spirit who longs for Christ. It's the church of Jesus Christ.
The bride says come. I tell you, I look at you when you're singing about Christ's return, your faces light up because that's the desire of every believer, every true church, for the Lord to come. And let the one who hears say come. Whoever is a child of God longs for the return of Jesus Christ.
You know, that is not true of the unbeliever, but it is the believer who longs for the return of Jesus Christ. And the Bible says a second invitation and let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.
This is a second invitation to whosoever will to take the water of life without cost. Don't let anybody tell you that Jesus just died for some people's sins, for just a select few. Jesus died for all of the sins of the world and not just some people, anyone who is willing to repent of his sin and place his faith in Jesus Christ can be saved and secure forever. The gospel is for everyone.
And that's why he says whoever wishes to take the water of life without cost, let him come. You know, when we designed this beautiful new campus here at First Baptist Dallas, we wanted this campus to be not just for us. We wanted it to be a witness for the entire city and the entire world. And that's why the centerpiece of this beautiful campus is that magnificent fountain outside on top of the fountain is the cross of Jesus Christ lifted high so everybody can see it. The cross that represents the shed blood of Jesus Christ apart from which there is no forgiveness of sin. And then cascading down from that cross is water, the water of life.
And then it lands in the fountain and it bursts up into the air with those tremendous jets. There's a biblical picture there. It comes from John 4.14. It's Jesus' words and we have them at the base of the fountain for everybody who walks by to see. Remember what Jesus said, whoever drinks of the water I give him shall never thirst. For the water I give to him will become in him a well of living water springing up to eternal life. That's God's invitation.
Whoever wishes to take the water of life without cost, let him do so. God's final invitation of the Bible. And then there is a word of special warning. Look at verse 18. I testify to everyone who hears the words of this prophecy, of this book. If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book. Everybody should add anything to any of God's word, but there's a special warning. If you add to the book of Revelation, God is going to add to you the pledge you've read about in this book.
You say, how can people add to the book of Revelation? You see it all the time in books, in some Christian television, in some churches. These Christian crackpots who are trying to predict when Christ is coming back again.
Don't you see it often? I remember back in 1988, the guy who wrote the book, 88 Reasons Jesus Christ is Coming Back in 1988. He didn't come. Author after author, preacher after preacher trying to predict when Christ is coming back. That's adding to the word of God.
In Matthew 24, 36, Jesus himself says, about that day and hour, no man knows, nor do the angels, nor does the Son of God, only the Father knows. The problem is when you add to the book of Revelation or add things that aren't there, people write you off as a crackpot yourself. People decide that the book of Revelation is just filled with errors because they think it's predicted when Christ is coming back. People are kept from reading the very important prophecy about the Lord's return. Verse 19, 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. How do you take away from the book of Revelation?
You see it again in these intellectual Christian circles who talk about, well, we've got this new understanding of the book of Revelation. It's already happened. It's already taken place.
They call it the Preterist view. Everything in this book has already happened. It's already taken place. This is history, not prophecy. Wouldn't that be a sad thing? If you and I had already lived through the millennium, the reign of Christ, or the return of Jesus Christ and somehow we missed it, talk about a bummer.
That would be the ultimate bummer to say we've already experienced it and we didn't even know it. That's what it means to take away from the book of Revelation. The Bible says anybody who does that will have his place and his rights to the tree of life taken away as well. Pastor, are you saying somebody could lose his or her salvation? I'm not saying that at all. Romans 11 29 says, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
But what I am saying is this. I don't care if you are a pastor, professor, or the pope himself. If you take away from this book, you're going to hell, not because you have lost your salvation, but because you never had it to begin with. No true believer will tamper with any of this book in any way because he knows it is God breathed. Every verse, every word, every jot and tittle of it, that is the final warning in the Bible. And then John closes with these words. Verse 20, he who testifies to these things says, yes, I, Jesus Christ, am coming quickly. I'm coming quickly.
Some people say, Lord, you said that 2,000 years ago. Where are you? What's the holdup?
Where's the delay? Remember in 2 Peter 3 verse 8, Peter wrote, in the last days, scoffers will come with their scoffing saying, where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the beginning, things have remained the way they are beloved. Don't let this fact escape your notice that with the Lord, a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day. God didn't slow about his promise. He's not off schedule. According to God's calendar, it's only been two days since Christ made those words.
He's coming back and he's coming back quickly. Then John adds this postscript, amen, so be it, come Lord Jesus, come. That's not the desire of an unbeliever. No unbeliever I know is saying, come quickly, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Every unbeliever knows that death or the return of Jesus Christ, either one means the end of everything important to that unbeliever.
The end of his career, the end of his status, the end of his possessions, it is all over and all that faces him as an eternity of God's judgment. But it is the true believer who says, amen, come quickly, Lord. Because for the believer, the coming of Christ means there shall no longer be any mourning or crying or pain or death for the first things will have passed away. Father Joseph Seis pictures the church waiting for Christ's return as a young lady waiting for her lover to return from a long journey. Now, this was written in the language of yesteryear, so just listen carefully for this final minute and see if this word picture doesn't speak to you like it did to me. Someone has painted the picture of a maiden whose lover left her for a voyage to the Holy Land, promising on his return to make her his beloved bride. Many told her that she would never see him again, but she believed what her lover said. And evening by evening, she went down to the lonely shore and kindled there a beacon light inside of the roaring waves to hail and to welcome the returning ship, which was to bring her again to her betrothed. And by that watch fire, she took her stand each night, praying the winds to hasten on the sluggish sails that he who meant everything in the world to her might come. Even so, that blessed Lord who has loved us and to death has gone away to the mysterious Holy Land of heaven, promising on his return to make us his happy and eternal bride.
Some say that he's gone forever and that we shall never see him again. But his last word was, yay, I come quickly. And on the dark and misty beach sloping out into the eternal sea, each true believer stands by the love lit fire, looking and waiting and praying and hoping for the fulfillment of his word. And on one of those nights, while the world is busy with its frivolities and laughing at the maiden on the shore, a form shall rise over the surging waves as once it did on Galilee to vindicate forever all of this watching and devotion and bring to the faithful and constant heart a joy, a glory, and a triumph, which never more shall end.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Even though today's message on Pathway to Victory represents our final study in this series, I'm hoping this program sparks a brand new beginning for you. May this be the first of many occasions that you revel in the coming of our King Jesus. The book of Revelation has captured my imagination and my heart for more than four decades.
It's the reason I prepared this series for you. But it's why I wrote the brand new book called Mysteries of the End Times. Please don't let today slip by without calling, writing, or going online to ptv.org to request your copy.
Today is absolutely the last day we'll mention Mysteries of the End Times. My book is sent to your home with my thanks for your financial investment in Pathway to Victory. Your generous gift today is what sustains and accelerates this ministry of faith. And I'm pleased to send my new book to you not only as an expression of my thanks, but with the hope that it becomes a source of encouragement to you over the coming years. In closing, let me give a shout out to our Pathway partners and all who give generously to this nonprofit ministry. God has chosen to elevate Pathway to Victory to a position of prominence and influence for the gospel, and it's directly tied to the faithful giving from friends like you.
So please keep up the good work. Together, God is using our partnership to pierce the darkness with the light of His Word. David? Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. Today, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request a copy of Mysteries of the End Times. That's the brand new book by Dr. Robert Jeffress. Call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org.
And when your gift is $100 or more, you'll also receive the complete CD and DVD teaching sets for this month's series on the book of Revelation. Plus, we'll also send you the bestselling book by Dr. Jeffress called Final Conquest. But this is the final day we'll be mentioning these resources, so be sure to get in touch right away. To make your request, call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org. You can write to us at this address, P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins, inviting you to join us next time for the start of a brand new study on the Ten Commandments.
It's called The Ten. That's Monday, here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Imagine waking up to the sight of Alaska's majestic coastline or spotting wildlife from the deck of a luxurious cruise ship. Experience these unforgettable moments on the Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska with Dr. Robert Jeffress. Relax with us in Alaska and I guarantee you'll come home spiritually and physically refreshed. To book your spot on the 2024 Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska, go to ptv.org.
