Come, Lord Jesus!
COME, LORD JESUS!
REVELATION 22:16-21
The awaiting church tingles with anticipation at the appearance of the bright morning star. How may we best prepare for that day and speed its coming?
For “the root and the offspring of David” (22:16), see 5:5. While we are used to think of the Old Testament as being summed up in Jesus Christ, we must never forget that it is also the unfolding of his will. “The bright morning star”: two lines of thought converge here. He is the star of Numbers 24:17, proclaimed by the star of Matthew 2:2. He is also the abiding hope as the night grows long, declaring that dawn cannot be far off.
It is normal to take “Come” (22:17) as a call to Christ, as in 22:20. In the context, however, it is more likely to be the appeal to those outside. Day has not yet come, so while the daystar is yet to be seen, the continued appeal goes out.
For anyone to add to or subtract from the Scriptures is a spiritually daring act for which a person will have to give account in the judgment. But that is not the point of 22:18-19, which refer only to Revelation. In looking at the world around us it is easy for those with a reputation as prophetic experts to convince themselves that they are witnessing the fulfillment of the prophecy and so quietly to twist it slightly to prove their thesis. On the other hand, passages that do not suit it can be quietly ignored. It is this way of treating prophecy that has brought it into such disrepute.
For those who live where people have not defiled the world, it can be very beautiful. Humanity has created much which must arouse our admiration and regard in art, music, architecture and literature, though part of our handiwork suggests hell rather than heaven for its place of origin. Married love and the family are such that God is willing to use their language to express his relationship to his people. But over the best there lies the shadow of death, reminding us that sin has left its mark on all. Once the light of Christ’s second coming falls on the scene around us, it is like the traditional transformation scene in a pantomime, where all relationships are changed. Revelation has showed us that beauty and ease for Christians are merely the calm at the center of the cyclone, while the attractiveness of the world hides the corruption beneath. So the heart cries longingly, “Come, Lord Jesus!”