‘Day 336

 “¹ Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and 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.¹² Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves.” Revelation 22:11,12 (NASB)

First-century Christians tended to read texts like the above in a similar fashion. As time went on, they were tempted to think that the Lord was becoming slack in the performance of His promises (2Pet.3:9). But Peter pointed out that the seeming delay of the Advent was due to God’s desire that all would come to repentance. The time between Christ’s first and second comings are an extension of His grace. God’s desire to save is so great that even those who scoff against the reality of His coming receive an extended opportunity to repent.

Those who have genuine faith, however, will find that their faith gets stronger and stronger as the delay gets longer and longer. The key to this text is not the timing of Jesus’ return but the identity of the One who is returning. Those who are waiting for the return of a great friend find their anticipation growing as the time of separation increases. When my wife is away visiting family in Brazil, she gets more beautiful by the day, and my desire to be with her increases with time.

It is out of a living relationship with Jesus that confidence in His soon return is maintained. While we live each day as if it were our last one on earth, the delay will not destroy that relationship. For each day of our lives, the word is, “He is coming soon!”

V12 There are two parts to this text. We tend to seize on the former and ignore the latter. The crucial message is not the nearness of the End, but the fact that our behaviour today affects our reward then. Prophecies like Revelation are not given to satisfy our curiosity about the future, but to teach us how to live today. Ignoring this principle can have sad and deadly consequences. ¹ Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and 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.”

¹² “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work ^h]deserves. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”