Can I pray for you in any way?
Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“I am Jesus! And I am the one who sent My angel to tell all of you these things for the churches. I am David's Great Descendant, and I am also the bright morning star.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”
Everyone who hears this should say, “Come!”
If you are thirsty, come! If you want life-giving water, come and take it. It's free!
Revelation 22:16-17 CEV
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
While John is the one who wrote down the words in the Book of Revelation, we know that the entire twenty-two chapters are centered on Jesus who presented the revelation which was given by God, a truth we find in the opening two verses of chapter 1:
The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
With this, we come to our verses today from the final chapter of this book, verses where Jesus reminds us of that He provided the revelation to John about what is still yet to come in advance of His return to earth. Look again at verses 16 and 17 of Revelation, chapter 22:
“I am Jesus! And I am the one who sent My angel to tell all of you these things for the churches. I am David's Great Descendant, and I am also the bright morning star.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”
Everyone who hears this should say, “Come!”
If you are thirsty, come! If you want life-giving water, come and take it. It's free!
When we get to the core of the Bible, we see God’s salvation plan to be carried out through His Son. From Genesis to Revelation, this plan is fully revealed and here we find Christ making sure everyone knows that He, the One His Father God placed in full authority over all things in Heaven and on earth, is at the center of hope for all the people of the world, everyone having the opportunity to be part of the bride (the Christian church) which will be wed forever to the holy, divine Bridegroom (Jesus).
This Bridegroom, Jesus, proclaims Himself as the “Great Descendant” of David, a truth foretold in the Gospel genealogies found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. You’ll remember that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, known as the city of David, because His earthly father Joseph, and mother Mary were both in the line of David and therefore had to journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register in compliance with the order from Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1-7).
And so Jesus is indeed the Great Descendant of David, and actually the greatest Descendant when we think about it. He also declares Himself to be the “bright morning star”. He is the Light of the world and no one that truly follows Him in this earthly life will ever walk in darkness (John 8:12). Then, when the new Heaven and earth emerge with the magnificent city of New Jerusalem, we know that Jesus will be the Lamp that shines the light of God on all city dwellers, all those who placed their belief in Him as Savior (Revelation 21:23-24). Indeed, no light is greater than the light of Jesus, the bright morning star.
It is this Jesus, the Lamb of God who came and took away the sin of the world (John 1:29) who invites everyone to come to Him, to come now before He returns for anyone who chose to withhold their belief in Him will be destined for Hell at the moment of great judgment. Further, Jesus makes it clear that the gift of eternal life found in Him is absolutely free. Salvation is open to all people regardless of their socioeconomic standing. The rich, poor, and all those in between are invited to come and receive life giving water that will quench the thirst of the soul forever.
If you are reading this today and you have already accepted Jesus as Savior, bask in the guaranteed hope you have for everlasting life with God and Jesus. Through Christ, you have already gained victory over death and the grace with Heaven as your future home.
For everyone else, those who have rejected Jesus up to this point, my prayer is that you believe in Him today and accept His free offer to come and live with Him forever. I urge you to not allow one more day to go by without knowing you are saved and promise you that it’s a decision that you will never regret.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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