And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.
– Revelation 22:7
Oh, this is such an important verse. At the end of the Bible, Revelation 22:7, one, Jesus saying, “I’m coming soon. Believe that. Be ready for that.”
Revelation 22:7 teaches us the imminent return of Christ.
Jesus could come back today or tomorrow, or this week or this month, or in the next year. This could be the day. This could be the year, so be ready. Said, “I’m coming soon.” So blessed, happy, blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this Book. And this is a good reminder to us at the end of the Book of Revelation. This book wasn’t written just to give us a bunch of charts about the end times. This book was written to lead us, to obey God, to worship God. To live like we’re ready for his coming.
That’s the whole point. “Come out from this world,” Revelation 18 said, “and be separate, because the world is going this way and Jesus is coming back to change all of that.” “So endure with faith,” Revelation 13. “Live with me as your first love,” Revelation 2. “Walk with me faithfully, wherever I lead you, like we prayed. Wherever the lamb goes, we go.” Let the Book of Revelation, and really, this applies to the whole Bible, transform your life.
Keep the words of this Book, of the Book of Revelation, of the whole Bible. Keep God’s Word and you will be blessed as you wait for the day when Jesus comes back. I just want to encourage you to think about your life and the last year of your life looking forward to the next year. May it revolve around knowing, studying, memorizing, learning, hiding in your mind, in your heart, the Word of God, and living according to it. And when you do, you will be blessed.
Revelation 22:7 reminds us to occupy ourselves with his Word until his return.
It doesn’t mean everything will go great for you in this world. That’s clearly not the message of the Book of Revelation. No, this world and its ways are falling apart, but God’s Word stands. And those who live according to God’s Word, who keep the words of His Book, will be blessed forever. So God, we pray, help us to keep your Word. Help us to hide your Word deep in our heart. To know it, to study it, to memorize on it, to grow in our love for it, to soak in it in our lives, and to live according to it. God, help us to keep your words in anticipation of Jesus coming.
Yes, God, help us to be ready for the day when Jesus returns. God, do we pray that if today’s the day, that we will be found faithful today when he comes back. If tomorrow is the day, that we will be found faithful tomorrow. Or if it’s next week at any time, then we’ll be found faithful at that moment. If it’s this next year at any time, we pray that we’ll be found faithful at whatever moment you’ve returned faithfully keeping your Word.
Prayer for the Kaikadi People
God, we pray that over our lives knowing so much that your word tells us, including the final command in your word to us, to make disciples of the nations. God, help us. Whenever you return, Lord Jesus, to be found faithful doing that, making disciples of all the nations of the Kaikadi people of India, 401,000 of them who have little to no knowledge of the gospel. God, we pray, help us to faithfully make disciples of the Kaikadi people and thousands of other people groups like them.
God, help us to keep your words, to obey your command, your great commandment, your Great Commission to love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love others as ourselves and to go lay down our lives and making disciples of the nations right around us. And wherever you lead us, God, may we be found faithful to be doing that in our lives whenever Jesus returns. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
