The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. 

Revelation 22:21 

As we come to the end of the year, so also we come to the end of this little work. It is of the utmost importance that, as we have begun, so also we finish. It has been the purpose of this work, from its’ beginning, right away through to the end, to magnify and glorify, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the Grand Subject of the Church. He is the Object of all our affection. He is our Theme; our Song; and our Joy. As we part, at this close of the year, we would leave with you, a benediction which will, once again, point you to Christ:  ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.’ It was the Grace of Christ that brought salvation unto us, and us unto salvation. It is the Grace of Christ which has upheld us through every hardship. He has graciously showed us Himself in the means of grace. He has graciously provided for us ‘life and breath, and all things.’ He has done, ‘exceeding abundantly, above all that we ask or think.’ He has not come even close to finishing what He has started, for ‘we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.’ Everything occurring now, and all that will occur in the incoming years, will be ordered and arranged for our good, and for His Glory. With these things in view we leave you with this benediction, ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.’ May God Make it so in every life. 

Our Gracious Savior, Great Shepherd of the sheep, 
You have safely led us thus far,  
for which we praise Your Holy Name, 
and offer abundant thanks. 
So by Your power, crown this year with grace,  
and give us hope for all our future days until our faith becomes sight. 

He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely, I am coming quickly.’ 

Revelation 22:20 

Christ has always been clear about the fact that He will return. During the Last Supper when He spoke to His disciples, He said, ‘And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.’ Our text is the last utterance of Christ in the Scriptures. He says, ‘I am coming quickly.’ We may understand the word ‘quickly’ to mean ‘soon.’ God’s version of soon and ours are very different. There was a long span of time between the promise of the coming of the seed of the woman in Genesis, to His arrival in history. According to Hebrews, He has come ‘at the end of the ages.’ It has been two thousand years since He ascended. To us, that seems a long time to wait for His return. To Him, it is a brief period of time. Thus, ‘I am coming quickly,’ carries with it great expectation. We look forward to the day when the faith shall be sight. We anticipate His return with power and glory. We know He has always been as good as His word. All He has spoken has come to pass. This will be no different. The providential plan of the Sovereign God is proceeding according to the Divine schedule. Christ will come, as He has promised. He will not disappoint. Jesus never fails. 

Our Gracious Master and our God, 
we rejoice that You are as good as Your Word. 
With all the saints of God, we pray, 
‘even so, come, Lord Jesus.’ 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

There shall be no night there:  They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light.  And they shall reign forever and ever.

Revelation 22:5

What will we do in eternity?  When we discussed Revelation 22:3, we considered the words, ‘His servants shall serve Him.’  This is an indication that the eternal state involves much more that merely sitting on clouds and strumming harps.  As we look at our text, we realize that not only will the redeemed serve Christ in the eternal state, but also, ‘they shall reign forever and ever.’  As John began his writing of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, he referred to this idea when he wrote, ‘To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father.’  If we put Revelation 22:3 and 22:5 together, we come to the conclusion that at least some of the service that the redeemed render to Christ in the eternal state is that they reign with Him.  This is a remarkable prospect and more than we can easily grasp.  The Scripture does not give details regarding over whom or over what we shall reign, or how that rulership will look.  It does say that this reign will last forever and that it will be the occupation of those who are Christ’s.  Today, we are the servants of all in the imitation of Christ.  Now is the hour of our humiliation.  What follows is a future that involves reigning with Christ forever and ever.

O Christ, Our King and Savior,
we rejoice that You will reign forever,
and that we shall reign with You.
We praise You that what You have prepared for us
is far beyond anything that we can conceive today.