The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all. Amen.
21. our Lord Jesus Christ ] Read only, the Lord Jesus.
with you all ] We should read either only with all, or more probably with the saints. Many authorities omit “Amen” here, as after the benedictions ending many of St Paul’s Epistles.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen – The usual benediction of the sacred writers. See the notes on Rom 16:20.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Rev 22:21
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all
The grace of Jesus Christ
It is the last text in the Bible and it fits well the last day of the year.
It is well we should take a blessing to ourselves, or at least try to fancy that it may be ours, for we need it sorely on this day. Dwell as we will on the brighter side of things, life is very hard, and men and women are hard on one another, and we ourselves are growing hard, and that is the worst of all. We need something to soften, in no enfeebling way, the hardness of life, and of men, and of our own heart. And most of the blessings we seek of our own will, weaken our souls, and in the weakening make us harder in the future. But the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, if we could win it and take it, softens all things by making us stronger towards goodness and truth and righteousness and love. What is it? What is His grace? Whatever it is, it does not come from one who is ignorant of all we need. He has known to the full the weight of human suffering, and the blessing of His grace that is with us is brought home to us by that knowledge. Christ can give inspiration, can bless, and give of His power because He mastered the evil forces of life. None have ever done that so completely, but many can do it in His spirit. And those who do, can help and bless their fellows in proportion to their victory. Remember that this day, you who are in warfare with pain or guilt. You will be able to bring grace and blessing to others in the future, whatever your pain be now, if you conquer it. And, in order to conquer, win His grace who has conquered, and who will give it to you. That grace is, first, kindness, the goodwill of love. It is the showing forth of all those sweet and beautiful qualities which make home and social life so dear, and the showing forth of them in perfection. It is the filial tenderness which laid down the consciousness of genius and all its impulses for thirty years at the feet of His mother in a quiet and silent life and which won her pondering and passionate love. It is the penetrating love which saw into the character of His friends and made them believe in their own capacity for greatness, which led men like Peter and John and James to find out and love one another, which bound His followers together in a love that outlasted death. It is the tender insight which saw into the publicans heart, which when the sinner drew near in tears, believed in her repentance and exalted her into a saint, which had compassion on the multitude and on the weariness of a few, which wept over Jerusalem, which in all human life and the movement of its passions and hopes and faiths did, said, and thought the loving and just thing at the right moment, without doing or saying the weak thing. Think of it all, you who know the story, and an image of the grace of Christ as loving-kindness will grow before your soul. And it will be strange if you do not, ravished with the sight, say, Let that blessed power be mine in life. May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with me. But there is more in it than this. Human love, left alone, spends itself only on those near to us, or on those that love us in return, and, in its form of kindness and pity, on those whom we compassionate. Kept within a narrow circle, it tends to have family or a social selfishness. Given only to those who suffer, it tends to become self-satisfied. To be perfect, it ought to reach, through frank forgiveness, those who injure us; through interest in the interests, ideas, and movements of human progress, those who are beyond our own circle, in our nation, nay, even in the world; and finally all men, those even who are our bitterest foes, through desire that they should have good and be good. It was the very glory of the grace of Christ, as love, that it rose into this wonderful height and universality. All men were infinitely precious and divine in Christs sight, for He saw them all consciously and unconsciously going into the outstretched arms of God. Therefore He could not help loving them all. That is the grace of Christ–the loving-kindness of Jesus–the human love raised into the Divine without losing one touch of its humanity, save only as light is lost in greater light. I pray that this grace of Christ be with you all; the grace of natural love lifted into Divine and universal love through faith in the Fatherhood of God. It is Christs to give because He had it, and when we have it we can give it also. Gain it and give it, and you will be blessed and a blessing. Secondly, grace has another meaning other than loving-kindness. It means the kind of beauty we express by the word charm; and in this sense we may translate the text, The beautiful charm of Christ be with you all. Do you remember how, when the world-worn Pharisee expressed his scorn of the sinful woman, Christ felt her boundless love, and said, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much; how, when Mary sat at His feet and was blamed by Martha, He alone saw love and rightness of choice in her silence; how, when the rude utilitarian saw waste in the extravagant love which lavished on Him the precious spikenard, He accepted it, not for its extravagance, but for its passion; how when Peter had sinned by a threefold treachery, He believed in the repentance, and only gave one look of sore and loving reproach; how, when He was dying, He provided for His friend a mother, and for His mother a son? What charm, what grace in them all! And their beauty could not stand alone. That kind of exquisite sensitiveness flowered through the whole of His life with men. It was His grace, and all felt its charm. Nor is it less seen in His speech than in His act. In directness, in temperance, in a certain sweet wisdom and ordered humanity, and in the beauty that results from these, there is nothing in the loveliest Greek work which matches the parables of Christ, or such sayings as Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these; or Come unto me, all ye that labour, etc. In thinking of Him as the Man of Sorrows, in having imposed on us by the ascetic that He had no form or comeliness, we forget what must have been His irresistible charm. In the reaction which Christendom felt from that heathen worship of beauty which ended in moral deformity, nay, linked beauty to sensualism, the loveliness of Christ was too long hidden from us; we lost the sense of His grace in the meaning which the nobler Greek would have given to the term. Do not you forget it. Seek the blessing of the charm that comes of sensitiveness to the feelings of others, of sensitiveness to all that is beautiful, of an inward harmony of nature, and of the expression of that harmony in beautiful act and speech. Say to yourselves in this sense also, The grace of the Lord Jesus be with me and all. And if we are worthy of it and see it, He will give it to us. It is given, indeed, through our seeing it. The moment we see loveliness we cannot help desiring it, and the moment we desire it we begin our effort after it. It is by being beautiful that Christ gives us of His beauty, and makes us into His image. It is in quite a natural, and not a supernatural manner that we are changed into the same image from glory to glory. Once more, His grace and His love of doing and being the Beautiful was not apart from, or greater than, His love of, and doing of moral things, but coincident with them. Nothing which was false or impure or unjust was, in itself, beautiful to Christ, and the first glory of His grace and charm was its harmony with righteousness. We look at it, then, not only with tenderness, such as we feel for loving-kindness, not only with delight, such as we feel for beauty, but also with all that earnest approval and grave enthusiasm which we give to things and persons who are good. Christs charm has its root in love, and is identical with truth and justice and purity and courage. It grasps the hand of the Platonist and the Stoic alike, without the vagueness of the one and the rigour of the other. And while it holds to the Epicurean so far as the early Epicureans said that pleasure was the highest good because goodness was identical with pleasure, it turns aside from the later Epicureans and from those of our day who put pleasure in beauty first, to the loss or lessening of moral goodness. Guarded thus on all sides, yet taking in all that is noble in all efforts to find the highest good, it was in truth grace in its sense of beauty that Christ possessed. That grace, so guarded, so complete, pray that it may be with you all in the year. It will bless your lives and it will make of you a blessing. It will make you at one with all that is tender, pitiful, dear, and sweet in human loving-kindness. It will make you at one with all that is sensitive and delicate and graceful in manner and speech, and create in you an harmonious soul. Men will think your life beautiful, and inspiration and effort will flow from it. It will make you at one with moral good, just and true and pure. And it will take all that is loving in humanity, and all that is fair, and all that is moral, and link them to and complete them by uniting them to the love of God, and to Gods love for all men; so that to human love and moral love and imaginative love will be added the spiritual love which gathers them all into perfection. (S. A. Brooke, M. A.)
The last words of the Old and New Testaments
(see Mat 4:6):–Just as Christ, in His ascension, was taken from them whilst His hands were lifted up in the act of blessing, so it is fitting that the revelation of which He is the centre and the theme should part from us as He did, shedding with its final words the dew of benediction on our upturned heads.
I. The apparent contrast and the real harmony and unity of these two texts. Lest I come and smite the land with a curse. If instead of the word curse we were to substitute the word destruction, we should get the true idea of the passage. And the thought that I want to insist upon is this, that here we have distinctly gathered up the whole spirit of milleniums of Divine revelation, all of which declare this one thing, that as certainly as there is a God, every transgression and disobedience receives, and must receive, its just recompense of reward. That is the spirit of law, for law has nothing to say, except, Do this, and thou shalt live; do not this, and thou shalt die. And then turn to the other. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. What has become of the thunder? All melted into dewy rain of love and pity and compassion. Grace is love that stoops; grace is love that foregoes its claims, and forgives sins against itself. Grace is love that imparts, and this grace, thus stooping, thus pardoning, thus bestowing, is a universal gift. So there is a very real and significant contrast. I come and smite the earth with a curse sounds strangely unlike the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. So I want you to notice that beneath this apparent contrast there is a real harmony, and that these two utterances, though they seem to be so diverse, are quite consistent at bottom, and must both be taken into account if we would grasp the whole truth. For, as a matter of fact, nowhere are there more tender utterances and sweeter revelations of a Divine mercy than in that ancient law with its attendant prophets. And, as a matter of fact, nowhere, through all the thunderings and lightnings of Sinai, are there such solemn words of retribution as dropped from the lips of the Incarnate Love. There is nothing anywhere so dreadful as Christs own words about what comes, and must come, to sinful men.
II. The relation of the grace to the punishment. Is it not love which proclaims judgment? Are not the words of my first text, if you take them all, merciful, however they wear a surface of threatening? Lest I come. Then He speaks that He may not come, and declares the issue of sin in order that that issue may never need to be experienced by us that listen to Him. It is love that threatens; it is mercy to tell us that the wrath will come. And just as one relation between the grace and the retribution is that the proclamation of the retribution is the work of the grace, so there is another relation–the grace is manifested in bearing the punishment, and in bearing it away by bearing it. He has come between every one of us, if we will, and that certain incidence of retribution for our evil, taking upon Himself the whole burden of our sin and of our guilt, and bearing that awful death which consists not in the mere dissolution of the tie between soul and body, but in the separation of the conscious spirit from God, in order that we may stand peaceful, serene, untouched, when the hail and the fire of the Divine judgment are falling from the heavens and running along the earth. The grace depends for all our conceptions of its glory, its tenderness, and its depth on our estimate of the wrath from which it delivers.
III. The alternative which these texts open for us. You must have either the destruction or the grace. And, more wonderful still, the same coming of the same Lord will be to one man the destruction, and to another the manifestation and reception of His perfect grace. As it was in the Lords first coming, He is set for the rise and the fall of many in Israel. The same heat softens some substances and bakes others into hardness. The same gospel is a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death, by the giving forth of the same influences killing the one and reviving the other; the same Christ is a Stone to build upon or a Stone of stumbling; and when He cometh at the last, Prince, King, Judge, to you and me, His coming shall be prepared as the morning; and ye shall have a song as in the night as when one cometh with a pipe to the mountain of the Lord; or else it shall be a day of darkness and not of light. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
These are the last words of the second volume of God to man. The last word that God has to give to man in His holy book is a blessing upon man. Could any one wish you more or better than that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be yours, be mine? Now, look first at what the grace of the Lord Jesus is. The word grace is used in the New Testament in two distinct senses:—First, it is the grace that belongs to Christ Himself; the grace or graces of Christ. Second, it is the grace, or great grace, or great gift that Christ gives to men. Now, look, first, at the grace of Christ–the personal grace. Christ seemingly was the most attractive of men in His personality. He exercised over the men and women of His time a strong personal fascination. It is rather strange that there is no real portrait or picture of Christ in His human form. But I think it is a great advantage rather than otherwise that we have no picture of His person. For myself, I always picture the Lord Jesus as a man of great attractiveness personally, of winning demeanour, and His whole personality one such as to attract and win to Himself. I will give you three simple reasons for this. Notice, first, that Christ was come of a kingly race–of the house of David. Now, David himself was a man famed for his physical beauty; so were his sons–two, at least–men of great physical beauty and attractiveness; and, if there is one great lesson that modern science has taught us, it is the lesson of heredity; and I do not press it too far if I say that Christ had the grace and beauty of His predecessors. In the second place, if you will study Christs life, you will find there are particular occasions when the majesty of His person impressed all around Him, and especially His disciples. Third, He seems to have had a great attraction for children. Now, no one who is not attractive in his personality, and has not sweetness of countenance, has that subtle attraction for children which will draw them to him. It is well to strive to have the graces of Christ. Let us strive, each according to our endowments from the Most High, to exercise this sweet attractiveness of personality–to become not only good and strong men as Christians, but to become attractive and winning; I would venture to say, have the winsomeness of Christ. This seems to me to he the first great personal grace of Christ, winsomeness; but there are deeper and richer graces than this that Christ had, and which we may all have. I would ask you to notice three great graces in addition to His personality–the graces of character, the great root graces. He had that most beautiful of graces–the grace of humility. I have noticed in life that the greater a mans position is, the greater is his power; the higher his position, mentally or worldly, the more he is admired, if he be a humble man; that seemingly the admiration for his humility increases in the ratio of his worldly greatness. Now this is just the wonderful quality about Christ. We speak of the good ones and the great ones of the earth, but there is no one who can compare in the least with Christ, the Son of God, for greatness, power, might, intellect: for every quality that man recognises as great. Christ is the great revelation of God–not merely man but God Himself of very God. And the great and wonderful thing about His humility is that He emptied Himself, as Paul says, of this Divine majesty and power, and came down to this world, became of no repute, humble as the humblest, born in a manger, living and working at the carpenters bench. That is somewhat of the humility of Christ. It is a great virtue. It is a temptation for us all at times, not to feel humble, but to become self-confident. Having put before you the infinite grace and humility of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray for you and for myself that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ–the grace of Divine humility–may he yours, may be mine. His humility was His second great grace; and His third was His unselfishness. Christ, I think, is most wonderful of all for His unselfishness. Christ, the Son of God, endowed with every quality that would make a man a success in the world–endowed with the richest intellectual and spiritual gifts–laid them all aside, or only used them for the sake of others. Pray that the grace of the unselfishness of our Lord Jesus Christ may be ours. And then just a few words upon another grace. I have spoken of His personal attractiveness, His humility, His unselfishness; greater than these gifts and graces is the last–love, love. The measure of a mans greatness, whether he be great in the world or little, the true measure of a mans greatness is his power for love. That is the greatest power for men and women–their capacity for love, Divine love, human love. In Christ you have the most perfect example of it, His Divine love for God His Father, was absolutely perfect. What shall I say of His love to man? We cannot grasp it; a finite mind like yours and mine cannot adequately realise the greatness of the love of God: we can only adore it. Love that led Him to live, to die, to sacrifice everything for men and women like you and me. Above all the graces you can have, get love–love that brightens, love that deepens, love that purifies mens natures. These were simply some of Christs own graces or gifts. What is the great grace or gift that He has to give to men? It is simply the forgiveness of our sins. Is that a little thing? Men seem to think that it is. If you would take a deeper view of yourself and human nature, you would see what a great thing it really is. Sin that caused the death of Gods Son is a dreadful thing; it ruins, and mars, and corrupts your nature and mine. The greatest gift that could be made to men, is the forgiveness of their sins. I have tried to show you the graces of Christs person, His attractiveness, His unselfishness, His humility, and His love; all these gifts are in vain unless you get the great gift of forgiveness of sins from Christ, the foundation of every grace and virtue possible to man. This gift may be had by all here, young and old. It is a gift that is not limited to the young, to little children, to men in the prime of their days, or to old men. It is a great gift for all. If you and I could get first the grace of forgiveness, then those of personal attractiveness, humility, unselfishness, and greatest of all graces and gifts, the love of Christ–love like Christs–earth were heaven now. Men speak of a golden age that shall come; saints and sages have spoken of it; there is an instinctive craving of the human heart after a golden age that shall dawn; could the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ really be with you and me, now were the golden age, not in the time to come, but now, in this daffy life of ours. One day we shall not have to say the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all , but we shall say the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with us all. (Wm. Souper, M. A.)
The free love of Christ
Thus the Bible closes with blessing. In this prayer we have the summing-up of all the blessings which the Word of God has uttered. Man is simply the receiver and the enjoyer of a love as boundless as it is unbought.
I. What is this grace of the Lord Jesus Christ? Free love! Divine favour, unbought, unsolicited, and undeserved! Return to your Fathers house, and be blest! Come, and be forgiven! Look, and be saved! Touch, and be healed! Ask, and it shall be given!
II. How it has been shown. In many ways, but chiefly in the Cross. The words of Christ were grace; the doings of Christ were grace; but at the Cross it came forth most fully. The it is finished of Golgotha was the throwing down of the barriers that stood between the sinner and the grace. The grace itself was uncreated and eternal; it did not originate in the purpose, but in the nature of God. Still its outflow to sinners was hemmed in by righteousness; and until this was satisfied at the Cross the grace was like forbidden fruit to man. Divine displeasure against sin and Divine love of holiness found their complete satisfaction at the altar, where the consuming fire devoured the great burnt-offering, and gave full vent to the pent-up stores of grace.
III. How we get it. Simply by taking it as it is, and as we are; by letting it flow into us; by believing Gods testimony con-earning it. Grace supposes no preparation whatsoever in him who receives it, save that of worthlessness and guilt, whether these be felt or unfelt. The dryness of the ground is that which fits it for the rain; the poverty of the beggar is that which fits him for the aims; so the sin of the sinner is that which fits him for the grace of Christ. If anything else were needed, grace would be no more grace, but would become work or merit. Where sin abounds there it is that grace much more abounds.
IV. What it does for us.
1. It pardons.
2. It pacifies.
3. It liberates.
4. It enlightens.
5. It strengthens.
6. It purifies.
V. How long it lasts: For ever. (H. Bonar, D. D.)
Till we meet again
This is an expression suitable to the most gracious heart, a prayer wherewith the believer may vent his best wishes and express his most devout desires.
I. Consider this benediction.
1. What is this which John desires? The word is charis. It has for its root joy. There is joy at the bottom of charis, or grace. It also signifieth favour, kindliness, and especially love. Jesus Christ Himself is generally mentioned in our benedictions as having grace, and the Father as having love; and our usual benediction begins with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God. Is that the proper order? The order is correct to our experience, and in an instructive benediction the Holy Spirit intendeth this for our learning. The Fathers love is, as it were, the secret, mysterious germ of everything. That same love in Jesus Christ is grace; His is love in its active form, love descending to earth, love wearing human nature, love paying the great ransom price, love ascending, love sitting and waiting, love pleading, love soon to come with power and glory. This grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is therefore the grace of a Divine person. We wish you, as we for ourselves, the grace of God Himself, rich, boundless, unfathomable, immutable, Divine; no temporary grace such as some speak of, which keepeth not its own, but suffereth even the sheep of its own pasture to go astray and perish; but the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it is written, Having loved His Own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end; that grace most potent which said, None shall pluck them out of My hand. This is no small treasure–this grace of a Divine Person. Yet is our Lord Jesus also human, as truly human as He is Divine, and, believing in Him, you have the grace of Jesus Christ the Man to be with you all. May you feel His tenderness, His brotherliness, His grace. He is your Kinsman, and He graciously favours His own kinsfolk. Read the text again, and pause a while in the middle to enjoy The grace of our Lord. The grace that cometh from His Majesty, the grace that cometh from His Headship, the grace that cometh from His Divinely human supremacy over His Church, which is His body–this is the grace which we desire for you all. Read the next word: The grace of our Lord Jesus. May that be with you; that is to say, the grace of our Saviour, for that is the meaning of the word Jesus. All His saving grace, all that which redeems from guilt, from sin, from trouble, all that which saves us with an everlasting salvation–may that be yours to the full. Then comes the other word, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you; may He, as the Anointed One, visit you. May you have that anointing from the Holy One which shall make you know all things.
2. Our next division is, How? May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. What meaneth this? Our first answer is the wish that the grace of our Lord may rest upon you as a matter of fact–that He may love you truly and intensely; love you, not only as He loves the world, but as He loved His own which were in the world. Next, may you believe that grace, may you trust that grace, may it be with you because your faith has closed in with it, and you are relying upon it. Still further, may His grace be with you as the object of faith, so that your belief comes to be full assurance, till you know the love which Christ hath towards you, and no more doubt it than you doubt the love of the dearest friend you have on earth. And may His grace be with you, next, as to the favours which flow out of it. May you enjoy all the blessings which the grace of Christ can yield, the grace of a peaceful conscience, the grace of a cleansed walk, the grace of access to God, the grace of fervent love, the grace of holy expectancy, the grace of self-denial, the grace of perfect consecration, and the grace of final perseverance. And may grace be with us, next, so as to produce constant communion between us and Christ, His favour flowing into our heart, and our hearts returning their gratitude. Oh, to come to this pass, that our Well-beloved is with us, and we enjoy sweet mutual intercourse: this is to have the love, or grace, of Jesus with us. May our Lord Jesus Christ thus in His grace be with us, and may He work for us all that He can work. What better benediction could John Himself utter?
3. But, now, the third part of our discourse comes under the head of to whom. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Every now and then you come across a book written by one who is a long way off from understanding all the truth, yet he knows Jesus Christ, and as you read the sweet words that come from His pen concerning the Master you feel your heart knit to Him. If a man knows Christ he knows the most important of matters, and is possessed of secret quite as precious as any in our own keeping, for what know we more than Christ, and what hope have we but in Christ? There is a life which is the same in all that have it, however diverse they may happen to be upon opinion or outward ceremony. There is a life eternal, and that life is Christ Jesus, and to all that have that life we do with intensity of heart say, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
II. The position of this benediction. First, I draw what I have to say from the fact that it is the last word of Scripture. I regard it, therefore, as being the apostles last and highest wish. We cannot do with less than this, and we do not want more than this. If we get grace from Jesus we shall have glory with Jesus, but without it we are without hope. Standing at the end of the Book of Revelation as this does, I next regard its position as indicating what we shall want till the end comes; that is, from now till the descent of our Lord in His second advent. This is the one thing we require, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. May it be with us daily, hourly! May it be with us, instructing us as to our behaviour in each generation! Placed as this blessing is at the end of the book there is but this one more thought–this is what we shall wish for when the end cometh. We shall come to the end of life, as we come to the end of our Bibles. And oh, aged friend, may thy failing eyes be cheered with the sight of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, on the last page of life, as thou wilt find it on the last page of thy well-thumbed Bible. Peradventure some of you may come to the last page of life before you get grace: I pray that there you may find it. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Or, suppose we should not die; suppose the Lord should suddenly come in His temple. Oh, then may we have grace to meet Him. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
A faithful ministers parting blessing
First, His restraining grace. Why, if it were not for this, Gods people would be just as weak and wicked as other folks are. Secondly, there is convicting grace, which from the Lord Jesus Christ acts every day and hour. A man may speak to the ear, but it is the Spirit of God alone can speak to the heart. What does Jesus Christ do in temptations, trials, and afflictions? He fetches His people home, and convinces them that they have done amiss. Thirdly, there is the converting grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is a most excellent prayer in our commination office, Turn us, O good Lord, and we shall be turned. We can no more turn our hearts than we can turn the world upside down; it is the Redeemer, by His Spirit, must take away the heart of stone, and by the influence of the Holy Spirit give us a heart of flesh. Then there is establishing grace. David prays, Create in me a new heart, and renew a right spirit within me. In the margin it is constant spirit; and you hear of some that are rooted and grounded in the love of God, and the apostle prays that they may always abound in the work of the Lord. Again, it is good to have the heart established with grace. There is a good many people have some religion in them, but they are not established. Hence they are mere weather-cocks, turned about by every wind of doctrine. What think you of the Redeemers comforting grace? Oh, what can you do without it? In the multitude of my thoughts within me, says the psalmist, Thy comforts have refreshed my soul. And there are so many afflictions and trials, that if it were not for the Lord Jesus Christs comfortings, no flesh could bear them. In a word, what think you of the quickening grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? Remember David says, Quicken me according to Thy word, quicken me in Thy way, quicken me in Thy righteousness. Gods people want quickening every day; this is trimming our lamps, girding up the loins of our minds, stirring up the gift of God that is in us. It is just with a soul as it is with the plants and trees; how would it be with them if the Lord did not command quickening life to them after the winter? The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with His people in prayer. Who can pray without grace? The grace of God is with His people in His providence. Oh, says Bishop Hall, a little aid is not enough for me. My going on the waters puts me in mind of what I have seen many times. If the sailors perceive a storm coming, they do not choose to speak to the passengers for fear of frightening them; they will go quietly on deck, and give orders for proper care to be taken; and if a sailor can tell of storms approaching by the clouds, why cannot Gods people tell why God does so and so with them? The people of God eye Him in His providence; the very hairs of their heads are all numbered, and the grace of God is with them in the common business of life. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with His people when sick and when dying. Oh, what shall we do when death comes? What a mercy it is that we have got a good Master to carry us through that time! (G. Whitefield, M. A.)
Amen.
The Churchs Amen
I. The last testimony. The whole Bible is the testimony; for in it Christ is both the Teacher and the Lesson, the Witness and the Testimony. But the Revelation is His last testimony; and the marvellous words of the latter part of this chapter are more especially so. Let the Church listen; let the world give heed.
II. The last prophecy. Surely I come quickly. Brief but distinct is this announcement; and it comes from His own lips. He heralds Himself and His kingdom. He puts the trumpet to His own mouth to sound abroad this last message, I come! I who came, and departed, am coming again. I come quickly. Here is something more. He will lose no time; nor delay a moment longer than is absolutely necessary. He will not be slack concerning His promise (2Pe 3:9); He will come and not tarry (Heb 10:37). Surely I come quickly. Appearances may indicate no such thing; the worlds sky may be cloudless, and its sea smooth; men may have assured themselves of prosperous days, and be saying, Peace and safety; yet surely He cometh! As a snare, as a thief, as lightning, He cometh. He, the very Christ, the risen Saviour, Jesus of Nazareth–He cometh! In His own glory, in His Fathers glory, with His mighty angels, in the clouds of heaven, King and Judge, Conqueror and Avenger, Redresser of wrongs, Opener of prison-doors, Binder of Satan, Renewer of creation, Bridegroom of His Church, Star of Jacob, Sun of Righteousness, Owner of the golden sceptre, Wielder of the iron rod, Wearer of the crowns of earth–He cometh!
III. The last prayer–Amen. Even so come, Lord Jesus; or more literally, Yes, surely, come, Lord Jesus; for the words the apostle here uses, in his response, are the same as those used by Christ in His announcement; as if he caught up the Masters words and echoed them. Thus gladly and fervently does the Church respond to the promise; as one who felt the blank created by the Lords absence, and welcomed with her whole heart the intimation of His return. This is the summing-up of her petitions, as was the seventy-second Psalm the filling up of all Davids prayers (Psa 72:20). Are our hearts, like hers, thus beating toward the Beloved One? Is this the burden of our prayers?
IV. The last blessing. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Earthly, human love, is of all things here the most fitted to gladden; how much more, then, that which is heavenly and Divine!
V. The last amen. This is not an amen to this chapter only, or this book only; but to the whole Bible, of which the burden, from Genesis to Revelation, is Jesus Christ, the seed of the woman. It is an amen to the prayer for the grace of Christ; it is an amen to the sigh for the Lords appearing. It is an amen to the prophetic announcement of all the glorious and all the terrible things written in this book. It is the concentrated utterance of the Churchs longings; her glad response to all that God has spoken; the subscription of her name to her belief in all that the Holy Spirit has written; the summing-up of her unutterable groan. How much does this amen comprise! Faith, hope, and love are in it; and, with these, such a boundless satisfaction of spirit as can only get vent to itself in that one brief word, which sums up all the aspirations of its joy, Amen and amen! (H. Bonar, D. D.)
The last amen
Amen is a Hebrew word, signifying truth and certainty in the first place; and then our affirmation of something as a certainty, or our desire that it should be so. It comes also to signify faithfulness and stedfastness in a person, so that that person is himself regarded as truth personified–the truth, the Amen. Hence it is that Christ takes to Himself the designation of the Truth, and the Amen–the faithful and true Witness. Further, it has come to signify faith and confidence–specially faith and confidence in God. It is the word used in reference to Abraham, He believed God, and to Israel, They believed the Lord. But it is with the common use of it that we have now to do–that use of it which we make daily when we conclude even our shortest prayer. Amen; that is, so let it be; let it be according to our request, and according to Thy promise. Used in this way it means much. There are, however, different ways of using it; different feelings with which it is uttered: and it is to these that we would now attend.
I. There is the amen of ignorance. Simple and common as the word is, thousands use it without knowing what it means, or what they themselves intend. It is to them a word, no more; a concluding word or sound, where the voice ceases, and after which the eyes are opened, and the hands unclasped! Are your Amens of this kind? or are they uttered with the understanding–the full realisation of the large and solemn meaning which they contain?
II. The amen of habit. All are not ignorant of its significance. Ask many what they intend by affixing it to their prayers, and at once they will tell you. Yet mark them, and you will find the word slipping from their tongue without any corresponding thought as to its sense. Are your Amens those of habit–pieces of ornament, the useless appendages of useless devotion–or is your soul thrown into them? Are they the essence of your previous petitions-the concentration and summing-up of all your desires?
III. The amen of unbelief. It seems strange that a word like this should ever be uttered in unbelief; yet such is the case. Nay, sometimes it would seem as if the most unbelieving part of our prayer is that which should be the most believing–the Amen. We may well wonder how it should be so. It seems almost incredible that a word like this, meant to be associated with faithfulness, and truth, and certainty, should be connected with unbelief, nay, should be the utterance of unbelief–the frequent, the daily utterance of unbelief; yet so it is. Our unbelieving Amens are about the most melancholy parts of our prayers–the worst indications of distrust in- God.
IV. The amen of faith. This is the true Amen; the Amen of souls who have heard the gracious words of Him who cannot lie, and who act upon these. But why should Amen be thus linked with faith? Because that which calls it forth is not simply a desirable thing, but a truth and a certainty. It has to do with such things as the following:
1. The free love of God. In every prayer we keep our eye on this; for without the recognition of this grace, this abundant grace, what would prayer be?
2. The truthfulness of God. God is true–truthful, faithful; we will not make Him a liar in any one thing, in any of our communications with Him-least of all in our prayers.
3. The power of God. What He has promised He is able also to perform. He is able to do for us exceeding abundantly, above all we ask. In addition to these things, to which the faith of our Amens attaches itself, we would only further say that it specially leans upon the Cross of Christ in connection with these three. It is round that Cross that this faith flings its arms; if is here that it sits down in quiet satisfaction.
V. The amen of hope. We say, Hallowed be Thy name, and we add the Amen of hope; Thy kingdom come, and we add the Amen of hope; Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven, and we add the Amen of hope. We hear the Lords own voice from heaven saying, Surely I come quickly, and we add with the apostle: Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen! Each time we utter the Amen in connection with these blessed futurities, does our hope kindle up anew–the hope calling up the Amen, and the Amen making the hope to shine out with fresh brightness? In anticipating such a future, how can we utter a cold, heartless, passive, or despairing Amen?
VI. The amen of joy. It is the joy of conscious pardon; the joy of friendship with God; the joy of adoption and heirship; the joy of our whole new created being; the joy because of the blessedness in prospect. Past, present, and future–all furnish us with materials for joy. And in our thanksgivings for the past, we breathe out an Amen of joy; in our consciousness of present peace and heavenly favour, we repeat our Amen of joy; in our pleadings for larger blessing to ourselves and to our world, we say Amen with gladness; and in our pressing forward to the mark for the prize of our high calling, looking for and hastening to the coming of the day of God, we say Amen and Amen with ever-deepening joy of heart. (H. Bonar, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ] May the favour and powerful influence of Jesus Christ be with you all; you of the seven Churches, and the whole Church of Christ in every part of the earth, and through all the periods of time.
Instead of , you all, the most excellent MSS. and versions have , all the saints. This reading Griesbach has received into the text as indisputably genuine.
Amen.] So be it! and so shall it be for ever and ever. The opinion of Dr. Priestley, concerning the authenticity of this book, and the manner in which it is written, should not be withheld from either the learned or pious reader. “I think it impossible for any intelligent and candid person to peruse this book without being struck in the most forcible manner with the peculiar dignity and sublimity of its composition, superior to that of any other writing whatever; so as to be convinced that, considering the age in which it appeared, none but a person divinely inspired could have written it. These prophecies are also written in such a manner as to satisfy us that the events announced to us were really foreseen, being described in such a manner as no person writing without that knowledge could have done. This requires such a mixture of clearness and obscurity as has never yet been imitated by any forgers of prophecy whatever. Forgeries, written of course after the events, have always been too plain. It is only in the Scriptures, and especially in the book of Daniel, and this of the Revelation, that we find this happy mixture of clearness and obscurity in the accounts of future events.” – Notes on Revelation.
The Subscriptions to this book are both few and unimportant: –
The CODEX ALEXANDRINUS has simply-The Revelation of John.
The SYRIAC doubles the Amen.
The AETHIOPIC. – Here is ended the vision of John, the Apocalypse; Amen: this is, as one might say, the vision which he saw in his life; and it was written by the blessed John, the evangelist of God.
VULGATE and COPTIC nothing.
ANCIENT ARABIC.-By the assistance of our Lord Jesus Christ, the vision of John, the apostle and evangelist, the beloved of the Lord, is finished: this is the Apocalypse which the Lord revealed to him for the service of men. To Him be glory for ever and ever.
HAVING now brought my short notes on this very obscure book to a conclusion, it may be expected that, although I do not adopt any of the theories which have been delivered concerning it, yet I should give the most plausible scheme of the ancients or moderns which has come to my knowledge. This I would gladly do if I had any scheme to which I could give a decided preference. However, as I have given in the preface the scheme of Professor Wetstein, it is right that I should, at the conclusion, give the scheme of Mr. Lowman, which is nearly the same with that of Bishop Newton, and which, as far as I can learn, is considered by the most rational divines as being the most consistent and probable.
The scheme of the learned and pious Bengel may be found in the late Rev. John Wesley’s notes on this book; that of Mr. Lowman, which now follows, may he found at the end of Dr. Dodd’s notes.
Among other objections to this and all such schemes, I have this, which to me appears of vital consequence; its dates are too late. I think the book was written before the destruction of Jerusalem, and not in 95 or 96, the date which I follow in the margin; which date I give, not as my own opinion, but the opinion of others.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
21. ourso Vulgate, Syriac,and Coptic. But A, B, and Aleph omit.
Christso B, Vulgate,Syriac, Coptic, and ANDREAS.But A and Aleph omit.
with you allso none ofour manuscripts. B has, “with all the saints.” A andVulgate have, “with all.” Aleph has, “withthe saints.” This closing benediction, Paul’s mark in hisEpistles, was after Paul’s death taken up by John. The Old Testamentended with a “curse” in connection with the law; theNew Testament ends with a blessing in union with the Lord Jesus.
Amenso B, Aleph,and ANDREAS. A and VulgateFuldensis omit it.
May the Blessed Lord who hascaused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, bless thishumble effort to make Scripture expound itself, and make it aninstrument towards the conversion of sinners and the edification ofsaints, to the glory of His great name and the hastening of Hiskingdom! Amen.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. That is, let a sense of the love of Christ, shown in all his regards to his church and people, which is always the same in itself, though the saints have not always the same perception of it, abide upon you: may you see your interest in the redeeming grace of Christ, in all its branches, and in his justifying, pardoning, sanctifying, and persevering grace; let the fulness of grace in Christ be the object of your trust and confidence; may you have a supply from it to enable you to overcome every temptation, to exercise every grace, and discharge every duty. This shows this book was written in the form of an epistle, and sent to the seven churches of Asia, Re 1:11 and through them to the churches in all ages. It begins with a salutation of them, Re 1:4 and ends with one commonly used by the Apostle Paul in all his epistles, 2Th 3:17. The Arabic version, instead of “you”, reads “us”; and the Complutensian edition and the Syriac version read, “with all the saints”.
END OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with the saints ( ). John’s own benediction, an unusual ending for an apocalypse, but suitable for one meant to be read in the churches (1:3f.). Grace is Paul’s unvarying word in conclusion of his letters, as is true of Heb 13:25. “The saints” or the consecrated ( ) is John’s constant word for believers in Christ (Rev 8:3; Rev 11:18; Rev 13:7; Rev 13:10; Rev 14:12; Rev 16:6; Rev 17:6; Rev 18:20; Rev 18:24; Rev 19:8; Rev 20:9). It is a good word for the close of this marvellous picture of God’s gracious provision for his people in earth and heaven.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Our Lord [] . Omit.
With you all [ ] . The readings differ. Some read meta pantwn with all, omitting you. Others, meta twn aJgiwn with the saints.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (he charis tou kuriou lesou) “The grace of the Lord Jesus;- Grace that was offered to man in Eden, in Paradise, thru the ages, thru Christ, is offered and will continue to be available to lost men who receive this message, until he comes again, Joh 1:14; Joh 1:17; Tit 2:11-13.
2) “Be with you all, Amen,” (meta panton) “Be (abide) with you all; what “you all?” the answer is first, to those to whom the book of Revelation was addressed, to the Churches; second, to all who read the Bible or hear it, Rev 22:16; Joh 3:16.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(21) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ . . .There is some variety of reading among the MSS. We ought probably to read, The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all (or else, following the Sinaitic MS., be with the saints). Amen. In any case, it is the grace or free pardon of the Lord Jesus which is the last word left in our ears. It reminds us that whatever be the dangers or difficulties, the afflictions or persecutions which have been pictured in the book, there is strength and love in the Lord; it reminds us that whether we are readers or interpreters of this book, or whether we are trying to carry out its teachings practically in daily life, our power and wisdom must come from Him. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Without Him it had not been written; without Him it cannot be understood; without Him it cannot be obeyed. This grace of Christ our Lord, for mind and heart and life, the writer prays may rest with those who read this Commentary, that they may be led into deeper knowledge of Him who is our life. The writer asks the reader to pray that this grace of Christ may rest in forgiveness and love upon him who has now finished his task of commenting on this book, whose hidden meanings must far transcend our knowledge and our expectations. May He (He alone can) open our eyes to see the shining towers of the Heavenly Jerusalem; may He unseal our ears to hear the heavenly music to which it is being built; may He bind us by His love to that sweet service and citizenship which is perfect freedom, and bring us to that spiritual city which is full of divine enchantments
For there is nothing in it as it seems
Saving the King; though some there be that hold
The King a shadow, and the city real;
Yet take thou heed of Him, for, so thou pass
Beneath this archway, then wilt thou become
A thrall to His enchantments, for the King
Will bind thee by such vows as is a shame
A man should not be bound by, yet the which
No man can keep; but so thou dread to swear,
Pass not beneath this gateway, but abide
Without among the cattle of the field.
For, an ye heard a music, like enow
They are building still, seeing the city is built
To music, therefore never built at all,
And therefore built for ever.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
21. Be with you all The true reading more comprehensively is, with all the saints. And so our seer, whose unspeakable honour it was to close the sacred canon, dismisses the whole Church of all the then coming ages with the apostolic benediction. To which, at this, the solemn close of his own labour, the humble commentator adds his own deep AMEN.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
John closeth all with the sweet apostolical benediction. The grace Of OUT Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen. Reader! this is among the greatest of all blessings, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, including, as it doth, the Father’s love, and the Spirit’s fellowship. All grace can only be in Christ. And all grace only from Christ. And all the actings of our faith upon grace, from the grace given us by Christ. Oh! then, for the Lord, to give out largely, fully, daily, and momently to his people grace, that of his fullness we may all receive, and grace for grace. Once more, may the Lord both say it and confirm it, the grace Of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen.
REFLECTIONS
BLESSING, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. Lord! upon the bended knee of thanksgiving and praise, let all thy Church praise thee, for this among all thy other unnumbered mercies, that thou hast given to thy servant John, this precious portion of thy sacred word, to show unto thy Church things which must shortly come to pass. Blessed be the Lord for the accomplishment of such parts, as have been already fulfilled, and of others that are now fulfilling in the earth. And do thou, Lord, give thy servants grace, to wait in full exercise of faith and hope, the accomplishment of all that remains to be fulfilled. And since thou hast caused it to be left upon record for the encouragement of the faithful, saying, blessed is he that read eth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein, Rev 1:3 . Lord! I beseech thee, let these blessings be my portion, that I may both read, and hear, and keep those glorious truths, by thy grace in my heart.
Let the blessed prospect of this reign of Christ in his Church, comfort and encourage all thy people. And while here below, let the souls of thy redeemed both drink and be satisfied with the streams of that river, which make, glad the city of God. Oh! for grace, to sit down oft by faith, till the Lord shall take my soul home to sit down forever in full enjoyment, under the Tree of Life. Precious Lord Jesus! be thou my Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end of all my spiritual joys. Thou that art the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star; be thou my all in all, in life, in death, in time, and to all eternity. Blessed be the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for all the fulness of blessings, and Jesus, and all his fulness in blessings, both for the life of grace that now is, and for that life of glory which is to come.
And be thou thanked with all the love and affection of a brother, faithful John! for thy tenderness to the Church in Jesus, and for all thy ministry and labor of love. We regard the servant while we bless the Master. And blessed be our God and Savior, for calling thee to the ministry, highly honored Apostle of our God! When Jesus shall come to be glorified in his saints, and admired in all that believe, how will Jesus our God and Savior shine in all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, encircled with all his Apostles and Prophets, and Martyrs, and the redeemed out of all nations, and kindreds, and tongues, who have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Oh! for the poorest and unworthiest of all the Lord’s redeemed ones, to be found in the throng, and to join the hymn of salvation and praise, with all the Church of God forevermore.
And now, Reader, in folding up the whole of my Poor Man’s Commentary, while I lay low in the dust before God, under a conscious sense of unworthiness, and my continued short comings, I desire to set up a renewed Ebenezer to the praise of his grace, who hath hitherto helped me, and borne with me, all the way through, in the many years since first I entered upon it, to the hour of writing with my pen the last line of it. The more I contemplate the subject, the more I stand amazed at the Lord’s goodness, and my undeservings.
I know not whether, after all my endeavours and earnest desires to exalt the adorable name of Jesus, I have succeeded so far, as that the Reader may perceive, that this is the sole object I have all along had in view. To speak of Him as He really is, I know, is impossible. Neither men nor angels are competent to this service. For, of Him it must be said, without any strain of language, THERE IS NO END OF HIS GREATNESS. But, I have only labored so far and in the best manner I have been able, to hold up, and hold forth, the Lord Jesus Christ as God’s Christ, and as the sole perfection of all his people. Oh! that the Lord by his grace, may so seal Him in my heart!
And now, Reader, farewell! I hope the Lord hath pardoned, and will pardon all the errors of this Poor Man’s Commentary, and that you will pardon them also. And having said this, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build his whole family up, and to give them an inheritance, among all them which are sanctified. Amen. To the one only God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be endless praises. Amen, and Amen.
PLYMOUTH, CHARLES VICARAGE,
April 13, 1816,
Once more made memorable in being my birth day, counting Sixty-three years of the Lord’s grace, and my sins.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Ver. 21. The grace of our Lord ] An epistolary conclusion. The Revelation is rather to be counted an epistle than a book. Read it as sent us from heaven, and ruminate what ye read.
Deo soli Gloria.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Rev 22:21 . A benediction at the close of the reading (Rev 1:3 , Rev 22:7 ) before the congregation, rather than an epistolary epilogue to the Apocalypse. The epistolary form in which apocalypses, like historical and homiletical writings of the age, were occasionally cast, was connected with their use in Christian worship. Such open letters of pastoral counsel were circulated by means of public reading, and were indeed designed for that end. They were not to be rejected as merely local ( cf. Rev 2:7 ; Rev 2:23 , Rev 22:7-21 ; Mar 13:14 ; Mar 13:37 ), any more than their contents were to be arbitrarily treated by individuals (Rev 22:18 ; Rev 22:1 ) in accordance with their own predilections.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Malachi
THE LAST WORDS OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
Mal 4:6
It is of course only an accident that these words close the Old and the New Testaments. In the Hebrew Bible Malachi’s prophecies do not stand at the end; but he was the last of the Old Testament prophets, and after him there were ‘four centuries of silence.’ We seem to hear in his words the dying echoes of the rolling thunders of Sinai. They gather up the whole burden of the Law and of the prophets; of the former in their declaration of a coming retribution, of the latter in the hope that that retribution may be averted.
Then, in regard to John’s words, of course as they stand they are simply the parting benediction with which he takes leave of his readers; but it is fitting that the Book of which they are the close should seal up the canon, because it stands as the one prophetic book of the New Testament, and so reaches forward into the coming ages, even to the consummation of all things. And just as Christ in His Ascension was taken from them whilst His hands were lifted up in the act of blessing, so it is fitting that the revelation of which He is the centre and the theme should part from us as He did, shedding with its final words the dew of benediction on our upturned heads.
I venture, then, to look at these significant closing words of the two Testaments as conveying the spirit of each, and suggesting some thoughts about the contrast and the harmony and the order that subsist between them.
I. I ask you, first, to notice the apparent contrast and the real harmony and unity of these two texts.
And the thought that I want to insist upon is this, that here we have distinctly gathered up the whole spirit of millenniums of divine revelation, all of which declare this one thing, that as certainly as there is a God, every transgression and disobedience receives, and must receive, its just recompense of reward.
That is the spirit of law, for law has nothing to say, except, ‘Do this, and thou shalt live; do not this, and thou shalt die.’
And then turn to the other. ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.’ What has become of the thunder? All melted into dewy rain of love and pity and compassion. Grace is love that stoops; grace is love that foregoes its claims, and forgives sins against itself. Grace is love that imparts, and this grace, thus stooping, thus pardoning, thus bestowing, is a universal gift. The Apostolic benediction is the declaration of the divine purpose, and the inmost heart and loftiest meaning of all the words which from the beginning God hath spoken is that His condescending, pardoning, self-bestowing mercy may fall upon all hearts, and gladden every soul.
So there seems to emerge, and there is, a very real and a very significant contrast. ‘I come and smite the earth with a curse’ sounds strangely unlike ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.’ And, of course, in this generation there is a strong tendency to dwell upon that contrast and to exaggerate it, and to assert that the more recent has antiquated the more ancient, and that now the day when we have to think of and to dread the curse that smites the earth is past, ‘because the true Light now shineth.’
So I ask you to notice that beneath this apparent contrast there is a real harmony, and that these two utterances, though they seem to be so diverse, are quite consistent at bottom, and must both be taken into account if we would grasp the whole truth. For, as a matter of fact, nowhere are there more tender utterances and sweeter revelations of a divine mercy than in that ancient law with its attendant prophets. And as a matter of fact, nowhere, through all the thunderings and lightnings of Sinai, are there such solemn words of retribution as dropped from the lips of the Incarnate Love. There is nothing anywhere so dreadful as Christ’s own words about what comes, and must come, to sinful men. Is there any depth of darkness in the Old Testament teaching of retribution half as deep, half as black, and as terrible, as the gulf that Christ opens at your feet and mine? Is there anything so awful as the threatenings of Infinite Love?
And the same blending of the widest proclamation of, and the most perfect rejoicing confidence in, the universal and all-forgiving love of God, with the teaching of the sharpest retribution, lies in the writings of this very Apostle about whose words I am speaking. There are nowhere in Scripture more solemn pictures than those in that book of the Apocalypse, of the inevitable consequences of departure from the love and the faith of God, and John, the Apostle of love, is the preacher of judgment as none of the other writers of the New Testament are.
Such is the fact, and there is a necessity for it. There must be this blending; for if you take away from your conception of God the absolute holiness which hates sin, and the rigid righteousness which apportions to all evil its bitter fruits, you have left a maimed God that has not power to love but is nothing but weak, good-natured indulgence. Impunity is not mercy, and punishment is never the negation of perfect love, but rather, if you destroy the one you hopelessly maim the other. The two halves are needed in order to give full emphasis to either. Each note alone is untrue; blended, they make the perfect chord.
II. And now, let me ask you to look with me at another point, and that is, the relation of the grace to the punishment.
And just as one relation between the grace and the retribution is that the proclamation of the retribution is the work of the grace, so there is another relation-the grace is manifested in bearing the punishment, and in bearing it away by bearing it. Oh! there is no adequate measure of what the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is except the measure of the smiting destruction from which He frees us. It is because every transgression receives its just recompense of reward, because the wages of sin is death, because God cannot but hate and punish the evil, that we get our truest standard of what Christ’s love is to every soul of us. For on Him have met all the converging rays of the divine retribution, and burnt the penal fire into His very heart. He has come between every one of us, if we will, and that certain incidence of retribution for our evil, taking upon Himself the whole burden of our sin and of our guilt, and bearing that awful death which consists not in the mere dissolution of the tie between soul and body, but in the separation of the conscious spirit from God, in order that we may stand peaceful, serene, untouched, when the hail and the fire of the divine judgment are falling from the heavens and running along the earth. The grace depends for all our conceptions of its glory, its tenderness, and its depth, on our estimate of the wrath from which it delivers.
So, dear brethren, remember, if you tamper with the one you destroy the other; if there be no fearful judgment from which men need to be delivered, Christ has borne nothing for us that entitles Him to demand our hearts; and all the ascriptions of praise and adoration to Him, and all the surrender of loving hearts, in utter self-abandonment, to Him that has borne the curse for us, fade and are silent. If you strike out the truth of Christ’s bearing the results of sin from your theology, you do not thereby exalt, but you fatally lower the love; and in the interests of the loftiest conceptions of a divine loving-kindness and mercy that ever have blessed the world, I beseech you, be on your guard against all teachings that diminish the sinfulness of sin, and that ask again the question which first of all came from lips that do not commend it to us-’ Hath God said?’ or advance to the assertion-’Ye shall not surely die.’ If ‘I come to smite the earth with a curse’ ceases to be a truth to you, ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ’ will fade away for you likewise.
III. Now, still further, let me ask you to consider, lastly, the alternative which these texts open for us.
But what I seek briefly to suggest now is, not only the order of manifestation as brought out in these words, but also the alternative which they present to us, one branch or other of which every soul of you will have to experience. You must have either the destruction or the grace. And, more wonderful still, the same coming of the same Lord will be to one man the destruction, and to another the manifestation and reception of His perfect grace. As it was in the Lord’s first coming, ‘He is set for the rise and the fall of many in Israel.’ The same heat softens some substances and bakes others into hardness. A bit of wax and a bit of clay put into the same fire-one becomes liquefied and the other solidified. The same light is joy to one eye and torture to another. The same pillar of cloud was light to the hosts of Israel, and darkness and dismay to the armies of Egypt. The same Gospel is ‘a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death,’ by the giving forth of the same influences killing the one and reviving the other; the same Christ is a Stone to build upon or a Stone of stumbling; and when He cometh at the last, Prince, King, Judge, to you and me, His coming shall be prepared as the morning; and ye ‘shall have a song as when one cometh with a pipe to the mountain of the Lord’; or else it shall be a day of darkness and not of light. He comes to me, to you; He comes to smite or He comes to glorify.
Oh, brethren! do not believe that God’s threatenings are wind and words; do not let teachings that sap the very foundations of morality and eat all the power out of the Gospel persuade you that the solemn words, ‘The soul that sinneth it shall die,’ are not simple verity.
And then, my brethren, oh! then, do you turn yourselves to that dear Lord whose grace is magnified in this most chiefly, that ‘He hath borne our sins and carried our sorrows’; and taking Him for your Saviour, your King, your Shield, your All, when He cometh it will be life to you; and the grace that He imparts will be heaven for ever more.
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Rev 22:21
21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Rev 22:21 Notice that “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” being with His people, is the concluding truth presented to an age of persecuted Christians and is the hope of every generation of Christians!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
grace, &c. See Rev 1:4.
our. The texts read “the”.
Christ. Most texts omit.
you all. Many texts read “all the saints”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Rev 22:21. [252] ) Some add, and .[253] Wolf will not have the last word , which is found in many manuscripts, and in all the published editions, omitted. How ready the copyists were to insert the particle Amen in Doxologies and clauses containing a prayer, since it is usually found in such situations, appears from almost all the books of the New Testament, at the close, and from the annotation of Wolf on App. Rev 1:18, where almost all the copyists have absurdly inserted . One copyist who omits it, is of more value than ten who add it at their own pleasure. See App. Crit. Ed. ii. on this passage [where the relation in which Wolf stood to Bengel is distinctly set forth at large]. Now, if any one should write out at full length such a text, for instance of the Apocalypse, as many persons prefer at the present day, he will have a reading which is full, intelligible, tinged with parallelism, that is, interpolated, and almost everywhere made up of the fewest and most recent authorities, which, when compared with the editions, would not much differ from the text published by H. Stephens and the Elzevirs. My recension also, in the margin, indeed, is sometimes deprived of the greater number of authorities; but this happens in those places which were less frequently quoted by the Fathers: nor, however, is it without the support of competent authorities, whose antiquity, together with the exegetical arguments natural to the text itself, makes up for the deficiency in number. With the exception of such passages (for they are to be treated for a while by way of exception), my text in its whole tenor approaches the copies which are by far the most numerous, spread out from the times of John to all ages and countries, whether you look to the Greek manuscripts, or the versions, and especially to the noted Italian Version, or to the fathers, Irenu[254], Hippolytus, Orige[255], Athanasius, Andreas, Tertullian, Cypria[256], Jerome, Primasius, etc.: bound to follow no edition entirely, and yet seldom compelled to betake itself to manuscripts only. The reading is for the most part brief; and where there was a manifold variety, it takes a middle course: it everywhere retains its ancient and austere, that is, its natural character. Of what kind this was, Wolf has discovered, as I think, in the Supplements to his Cur (if he has advanced to this point), and has yielded to the truth more plainly ascertained. He has always been mindful of his own moderation towards me; and all, as I hope, will understand that I also have accurately preserved the laws of moderation. The Exegesis, of which by far the better portion is contained here, proceeds on the same plan. Wherever I have not been able to exchange my own sentiments with the opinion of others, competent judges will, as I hope, recognise not obstinacy (for a sentiment which has been already carefully weighed, through many doubts and considerations, is less liable to change), but love of the truth. And the same persons, when they shall have considered what foundations I first laid, and when they shall have duly weighed what I have replied to doubts put forward from various quarters, will perhaps determine that a suitable defence[257] of other passages also, which no one hitherto has censured, if they shall be censured, will be in readiness for me to make, or will suggest itself to my readers, if I am silent or dead.[258]
[252] 20. , I come quickly) Thus Jesus speaks; John, both afterwards and before, says, Come. These coincide at the one moment. So Psa 27:8, My heart says, (seek ye my face:) Thy face do I seek.-V. g.
[253] So A. Amiat. MS. of Vulg. omits , but adds the . B adds , and the ; Rec. Text, . .-E.
[254] renus (of Lyons, in Gaul: born about 130 A.D., and died about the end of the second century). The Editio Renati Massueti, Parisin, a. 1710.
[255] rigen (born about 186 A.D., died 253 A.D., a Greek father: two-thirds of the N. Test. are quoted in his writings). Ed. Vinc. Delarue, Paris. 1733, 1740, 1759.
[256] yprian (in the beginning and middle of the third century: a Latin father). Ed. Steph. Baluzii, Paris. 1726.
[257] The departed has not been disappointed in his expectation. After his death he has obtained many defenders, most distinguished both for the fame of their learning, and for uprightness of mind; some, indeed, of whom, have either understood or expressed the mind of Bengel more or less accurately than others. There occur to me at present as worthy of mention, for example, C. A. Crusius, a divine of the first rank at Leipsic, in the Vorrede zu Hn. Past. Fehrens Anleitung zum rechten Verstand und Gebrauch der Offenb. Joh. 1760: s. t. fassliche Vorstellung von dem ganzen Buche der Offenb. J. C., wie man es mit oder ohne Berechnung der geheimen Zeiten nutzen soll, republished at Leipsic, 1766: in his Memoranda on the Theology of Prophecy, T. I. Lips. 1764: in the Vorrede zu Hn. Past. Michalis erlutertem N. T. Leipz. 1769, and everywhere: J. F. Burscher, in the Versuch einer kurzen Erluterung des propheten Jeremi, Leipz. 1756: S. B. Fehre, in the Anleitung zum rechten Verstand und Gebrauch der Offenb. Joh., Altenburg, 1760: W. B. Christlieb, in the Grundfeste der Bengelischen Erklrung der Offenbarung J. C. etc., Frkf. und Leipz. 1760: C. F. Schmid, in the allgem. Vorbereitung zu seiner kritischen Untersuchung, Ob die Offenb. Joh. ein chtes gttliches Buch ist? Leipz. 1771: M. F. Roos, in his Auslegung der Weissagungen Daniels, die in die Zeit des N. T. hineit reichen, nebst ihrer Vergleichung mit der Offenb. Joh. nach der Bengelischen Erklrung derselben, Leipz. 1771: J. F. Frisch, in his apocalyptischen Catechismus, oder catechetischen Erklrung der Offenb. Johannis, auf eine deutlich und fassliche Art vor die gemeine Christenheit abgefasset, Leipz. 1773. And to these deserve to be added the anonymous writer in the schriftmssigen Anmerkungen ber die in des D. Ernesti theologischen Bibliothek, B. VI., James 4, befindliche Recension, des Hn. D. Crusii Hypomnemata ad Theol. Proph. betreffend, Frkf. und Leipz. 1766 (in which treatise much strength of interpretation is put forth with remarkable facility, and in particular the memorable passage of Habakkuk, concerning the middle of the years, is manfully vindicated according to the sense of Bengel); and especially J. G. Bhmer, in his erluternden Anmerkungen zu dem-von ihme bersetzten Bengelischen Cyclus oder Betrachtung ber das grosse Weltjahr, Leipz 1773 (where the agreement of the Chronology of Bengel with the observations of Astronomers is proved, as I hope, by no ordinary arguments). In which matter I wish the readers ever to bear in mind, that Bengel, in his Vorrede zur Erkl. Offenb. XIII., wished every one to be questioned in these words: Was in dieser Erklrung enthalten ist, und aus derselben durch eine rechtmssige Folge fleusst, das gilt: hingegen wolle sich niemand bereden lassen, dass ich irgendwo etwas, das doch mit dieser Erklrung keine Verwandtschaft hat, ausgesagt und veranlasset htte, etc. But if any one is anxious to know the rest of the more recent interpreters who adopt altogether different opinions, he must notice J. C. Harenberg, in the Erklrten Offenbarung Johannis, Braunschw. 1759: an anonymous writer in the Apocalypse revealed, in which are brought to light secret things which are there foretold, and have hitherto been concealed, Amst. 1766 (concerning which comp. my Beleuchtung, etc., 16, p. 70, etc.): Ph. F. Hane, in his Entwurf der Kirchengeschichte N. T. wie solche in den erfllten Weissagungen der gttlichen Offenb. Joh. enthalten sind, etc., Leipz. 1768, 1769, 1772: J. S. Semler, in the freyen Untersuchung ber die sogenannte Offenbarung Johannis, aus der Handschrift eines Frnkischen Gelehrten (D. Oeders) herausgegeben, mit eignen Anmerkungen, Halle, 1769 (-which book, though it does not contain a continuous exegesis, but rather a spirited rejection of the Apocalypse, was not, however, to be concealed by me here): Jac. Brucker, in his Anmerkungen zum Englischen Bibelwerk, XIX. Th., oder des N. T. VIII. B. Leipz. 1770: an anonymous writer, s. t. die Offenbarung des heil. Johannis, erlutert, I. and II. Abschn. Halle, 1769, 1772: but especially Ernesti, in his neuen und neuesten Theol. Bibl. 1760-72, and Michaelis, in his Einleitung in die gttliche Schriften des N. B., 1766, everywhere show themselves keen censors of Bengel, as far as it respects their suffrages on the Apocalypse, although they rather confine themselves to general judgments, than descend to the stronghold of the cause by arguments betraying mature investigation. And here, indeed, we may repeat, by way of conclusion, the words of Hellwage (Pref. to new Ed. Ord. Temp. XI.): Let those who are alarmed at the present commotions, review and more closely examine what (Bengel) has said or written. Let those who can, profit by the kind favour of Bengel, in knowing and bearing witness to the truth which he taught; and, by the gift of GOD, let them surpass Bengel, who would wish that very thing, and congratulate us: (comp. altogether die Erkl. Offenb. on ch. xvii. 9,)-, .
[258] Bengel, J. A. (1866). Vol. 5: Gnomon of the New Testament (M. E. Bengel & J. C. F. Steudel, Ed.) (W. Fletcher, Trans.) (329-388). Edinburgh: T&T Clark.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Chapter 65
The benediction
‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all’
Rev 22:21
The book of Revelation is identified in the first verse of the first chapter as, ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ.’ Setting forth the theme of the whole book, it rings out the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The last verse of the last chapter repeats the heavenly sound. The Lord Jesus Christ is the sum, substance, and glory of every vision seen by John on the island of Patmos. All that John saw and wrote in this book by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit was about the glorious Person and gracious work of our Lord Jesus Christ. And before he laid his pen aside to write no more, he penned his benediction in these words: ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.’ This was Johns prayer for Gods elect. It is an invocation of blessing upon all the saints of God in every place.
How often we read and hear these words without thought or attention. Most commentators either ignore them entirely, or give them only passing attention. Many have heard them recited as a part of a religious ceremony, but have never had the words explained to them. That ought not be the case. The words of this text are full of spiritual instruction, recorded here by God the Holy Spirit, ‘for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.’ (Rom 15:4). Read the text again, slowly, pausing between the words to meditate upon and enjoy this final word from God to man.
‘The grace of our Lord’
The grace we need, the grace John here seeks for Gods people is the grace of our Lord and Master. Grace comes from his Majesty. It is the benefit of his sovereign pleasure. It is the gift of his will. It is the blessing of his throne. Grace belongs to God. And God the Father has given it to his Son as our Mediator, whom he has made Lord over all flesh, to give to whomsoever he will (Joh 17:2). He has mercy on whom he will have mercy. He has compassion on whom he will have compassion. And he is gracious to whom he will be gracious.
‘The grace of our Lord Jesus’
He is the Lord. Therefore he has the right to be gracious. And he is Jesus our Savior. Therefore we know that he will be gracious. His grace is redeeming, saving, preserving, forgiving, justifying, sanctifying, glorifying grace. All grace is in Christ; and if we are in Christ all grace is ours in him (Eph 1:3).
‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ’
He is the ‘Anointed One.’ As Aaron was anointed with holy oil, Christ our great High Priest is anointed with grace. As the oil ran down over Aarons beard and his robe, so the grace of God runs down from Christ our Head to all the members of his body, the church, giving us both the knowledge of and acceptance with God himself.
‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ’
Did you catch that little word ‘our’? What a precious word! What a word of boldness, confidence, and faith! John calls the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the universe, the Lord of glory, ‘our Lord Jesus Christ’! He is ours because he has made himself to be ours. He is ours by covenant agreement. And he is ours by faith. But he is ours! And if the Lord Jesus Christ is ours, then all the grace that he possesses is surely ours too.
Therefore John says, ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.’
This was Johns prayer and desire for all his brethren in his day, and for all who would read his book in the days to come. I want to show you three things about this benediction, given by the inspiration of God the Spirit.
The blessing of it
The one thing we need and must have is grace. And grace is the blessing upon which John focuses his own attention and ours. The word used here is ‘charis.’ It is the word from which we get our English word, ‘charismatic.’ It signifies love, kindness, and favor. The root of the word ‘charis’ is joy. Wherever grace is known and experienced, joy is also found. John is saying, ‘Oh, that you may have the grace, the love, kindness, and favor, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the joy it brings.’
The grace mentioned in this benediction is divine grace
It is ‘the grace of our Lord.’ The original source of grace is the everlasting love of God for his people (Deu 7:8). God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit loved us before the world began. And because God loved us, he is gracious to us. It is written, ‘I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee’ (Jer 31:3). All grace comes to us from God the Father, through God the Son, by God the Holy Spirit.
The grace spoken of is ‘the grace of our Lord’
It is divine grace. Yet, it is ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ That is to say, it is also the grace of a Man, the God-man, our Savior. This grace has the stamp of deity upon it. But it also has the stamp of humanity upon it. It is the tender, compassionate, brotherly grace of our near Kinsman. As Ruth possessed all the love of Boaz, Gods elect always possess all the love, grace, and mercy of their dear Kinsmans heart, the grace of that wondrous, mysterious, complex, delightful Person who is both God and Man, Immanuel, our Lord Jesus Christ. Here are nine things revealed in the Word of God about the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is sure, covenant grace (Jer 31:31-34; 2Sa 23:5).
It is eternal, electing grace (Eph 1:3-6).
It is redeeming, justifying grace (Rom 3:24-26).
It is effectual, saving grace (Eph 2:8-9).
It is sovereign, distinguishing grace (Rom 9:11-23).
It is infinite, rich grace (Eph 3:8; Rom 5:21) (See 1Co 1:26-31).
It is immutable, preserving grace (Mal 3:6; Joh 10:28-30).
It is daily, providential grace (Rom 8:28).
It is unconditional, free grace (Rom 9:16).
This is my hearts prayer and desire for you who read these lines, as it was Johns prayer and desire for all who read what he had written: ‘The grace (all the grace) of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all,’ young and old, rich and poor, strong and weak. May you trust the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May you enjoy all the favors that flow to sinners in the boundless river of grace. May you know the sweet communion of grace. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always and forever: when you pray, when you are tempted, when you are discouraged, when you are tired, when you are weak, when you are in danger, when your heart and flesh fail you, when you have fallen, when you die, and when you stand before God. The blessing of this benediction is grace, ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Next observe…
The position of it
This benediction is at the end. Divine providence has made it the last word of the book of the Revelation, the last word of the Bible, the last word from God to man. It is as though John were saying, as though God through John were saying, ‘Whatever else you may miss, be sure you do not miss this. You must have grace.’ Let the preacher, while preaching grace to others, be sure he possess grace. Let the deacon, as he serves the church, be sure he is in the church. Let the teacher, as he teaches about the Savior, be sure he knows the Savior. When you eat the Lords Supper, be sure you have eaten his flesh and drunk his blood by faith. Have you been baptized in water, professing faith in Christ? Be sure you have been baptized into Jesus Christ. We must have ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,’ or we will perish, no matter what else we have.
As the children of God, those to whom Christ is revealed and by whom he is known, grace is the one thing we must have as long as we are in this world. Therefore John says, ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.’ We will need it to the end to cleanse, teach, guide, protect, strengthen, restore, comfort, and keep us. If we have ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,’ we have all we need. He said, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’ The fact that this blessing has been placed at the end of the Book of God indicates to me that grace is the one and only thing we shall want when the end comes. When our appointed end comes, we will care for nothing but ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ One more thing is revealed in this benediction about grace.
The certainty of it
Look at the last word in the benediction. ‘Amen.’ That word, given by divine inspiration, means, ‘So shall it be!’ And so it shall be! It is a matter of certainty! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ shall be with the ‘you all’ to whom the book of Revelation is addressed. The grace of Christ shall be with all the churches of Christ. The grace of Christ shall be with all Gods elect. The grace of Christ shall be with all who trust Christ. Amen.
Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible
Rev 1:4, Rom 1:7, Rom 16:20, Rom 16:24, 2Co 13:14, Eph 6:23, Eph 6:24, 2Th 3:18
Reciprocal: Jer 28:6 – Amen Mal 4:6 – and smite Mat 28:20 – I am Luk 24:53 – Amen 2Co 13:11 – with Gal 1:6 – the grace Gal 6:18 – the grace Eph 2:5 – grace ye 1Ti 1:14 – the grace 2Ti 4:22 – Grace Heb 13:25 – General Rev 1:19 – and the things which shall be
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Rev 22:21. The grace of the Lord is the favor that is bestowed upon all who are living in faithful service to Him. All can be faithful regardless of human weaknesses, hence no reason exists why anyone should be rejected when He comes. John lovingly thinks of his brethren to whom he is to commit this book and wishes for the favor of Christ to be with them. When Amen is used at the close of a sentence or composition, it means “so be it, may it be fulfilled.” John has no regrets about anything he has been told to write, and hence closes the great book with the sincere endorsement.
Comments by Foy E. Wallace
Verse 20.
Verse 20: He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Rev 22:20) Since John was here writing the epilogue to the apocalypse, and the vision had been completed, the reference to these words of Jesus was the quotation of what he had said to John in the vision. And the words, surely, I come quickly, were not in reference to the second coming of the Christ; but rather the promise to the churches in tribulation. He had so promised, and that repeatedly, to come in the events ready to occur; and the promise had been repeated to each of the seven churches in various forms. These events were shortly to take place and Jesus would therefore in keeping with his promise come quickly. John had testified that Jesus had so promised–and he consistently, believingly and confidently responded, Even so, come, Lord Jesus. And it is the recorded fact that their Lord Jesus did come in the events of that generation to which John belonged, the words of Jesus himself being true (Mat 23:36 to Mat 24:34 –and He whose very name was THE FAITHFUL AND TRUE and THE WORD OF GOD (Rev 19:11-13) was the surety for their fulfillment at that time. The word amen meant so may it be; and even so meant, exactly in that manner. The word even connected with so meant “precisely,” and precise means minutely exact, not varying in the slightest degree from truth and accuracy; and so is an adverb of manner–therefore, the words amen, even so, come, Lord Jesus, meant “so may it be in this manner, come Lord Jesus.” This was the apostle’s six-word closing prayer to the Lord who had testified to him these things on the Aegean island.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
This is an epistolary conclusion, used almost in all the epistles of the New Testament, and so here, because this prophecy was in the manner of an epistle directed to the churches.
St. John began this epistle with this salutation, Rev 1:4 and so ends with it here; he knew there would be a long tract of time intervening between the giving of the promise and the fulfilling of it, between the bride’s making herself ready, and the day wherein the marriage was to be solemnized; he well knew that before the consummation of all things, there were many sad dispensations which the churches would certainly meet with, many false doctrines would be spread, many duties to be performed, many afflictions to be endured, all which would require an extraordinary assistance and special grace; therefore he prays that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may be with them all; teaching us incessantly to desire for ourselves, and to crave for others the auxiliary aids of divine grace, to enable to the acceptable performance of every duty, and to the patient enduring of every trial.
The greatest mercy that can be wished to any, or that any can wish for themselves is the grace of God, to excite and quicken us to our duty, and to assist and help us in the performance of it; and accordingly St. John shuts up this book, and therewith the canon of the whole scripture, in these words, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
How appropriate to end a book addressed to those facing severe persecution with a prayer for God’s favor and good will in their behalf.
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Rev 22:21. The grace The free love; of our Lord Jesus Christ And all its fruits; be with you all Who thus long for his appearing, and with all true Christians. The conclusion, as Bishop Newton says, is truly excellent, as well as all other parts of this book; and nothing could be contrived to leave these things with a stronger impression upon the mind of the reader. In the whole, from first to last, appears the majesty of the divine revealer The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the Author and Finisher of every good work, and of this more especially. This is the sure word of prophecy, whereunto Christians, as St. Peter saith, do well to take heed, and attend, 2Pe 1:16. Attention, then, to this book is recommended to us upon the authority of St. Peter, as well as of the writer, St. John: a double blessing, as we have seen in the book itself, is pronounced upon those who shall study and observe it; first in Rev 1:3, and here again Rev 22:7. Imboldened by which blessings, with Nehemiah, we would pray, Remember us, O my God, concerning this also, and spare us, according to the greatness of thy mercy, Neh 13:22.
And now, to use the words of the pious and excellent Dr. Doddridge, How sweetly and delightfully the canon of Scripture concludes, leaving, as it were, the music of heaven upon the attentive ear! O thou blessed root and offspring of David! O thou bright and morning star, impress on all our hearts these thy gracious words, which thou hast condescended to speak from the throne of thy glory; thereby, as it were, to aid the weakness of our faith in those which thou didst deliver while dwelling in mortal flesh! Then did the compassionate Saviour proclaim, from an eminence in the temple, to a crowded assembly, on a day of peculiar solemnity, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink, Joh 7:37. And now, behold, he makes the same proclamation from the celestial temple: he points as it were, to the fountain-head of happiness, to the springs of the water of life, near the throne of God; and says, Whoever will, let him come, let him take, let him freely take, of this living water, Rev 22:17. Yea, and not content with speaking this language by his Spirit only, he calls on his bride to lift up her melodious voice, to publish this kind invitation. He calls on every one who hears it to echo it back, as if the excess of his goodness overcame him; as if it were necessary to his happiness that men should accept of their own salvation!
With what sacred observance should these books be guarded, which contain a message of such infinite importance! of what dreadful curses are they worthy who presume to add to what is already perfect, or to take away, from that which is in every part divine! Rev 22:18. God forbid that any of us should ever presumptuously attempt to do it! And may we be preserved from those mistaken interpretations, in consequence of which we should teach the world, as by his authority, any thing which he has not dictated, or deny any thing which carries along with it the stamp of such an authority! Have pity, O Lord, upon our weakness! Impute not prejudices which thou knowest we do not allow; and give us a greater penetration of mind to understand the true sense of thy word; a simplicity of heart to receive it; an integrity, so far as the duty of our station requires, to declare it; and a zeal to inculcate and defend it.
While we are thus employed, or employed in any other services which Providence may assign us; whatever labours may exercise us, whatever difficulties may surround us, whatever sorrows may depress us, let us with pleasure hear our Lord proclaiming, Behold, I come quickly: I come to put a period to the labour and suffering of my servants; I come, and my reward of grace is with me; to recompense, with royal bounty, every work of faith and labour of love. I come to receive my faithful, persevering people to myself, to dwell for ever in that blissful world where the sacred volume, which contains the important discoveries of my will, shall be no more necessary; but knowledge, and holiness, and joy, shall be poured in upon their souls, in a more immediate, a more noble, and a more effectual manner. Amen! even so, come, Lord Jesus! Hasten the blessed hour to us, and to all the churches, so far as it may consist with thy wise and holy counsels. And, in the mean time, may thy grace be with us, to keep alive the remembrance of thy love, and the expectation of thy coming, in our hearts; and to animate us to a temper and conduct which may suit the blessings we have already received, and the nobler felicity after which thou hast taught us to aspire! Amen and Amen!
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Verse 21
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The manner in which the Redeemer is spoken of throughout this book, and especially in this farewell benediction, joined as he is constantly with God as the united object of celestial adoration, and represented repeatedly as clothing himself with the names and attributes of supreme divinity,–and yet, on the other hand, steadily separated from God by a marked and clearly-expressed distinction,–leaves us where indeed we ought to expect to be left, entirely in the dark in respect to the nature and modes of existence which pertain to the mysterious principle of divinity. The human mind is uneasy in this darkness and difficulty, and vainly attempts their removal. Some endeavor to cut the knot, by making Jesus a mere human prophet, and changing to metaphors all those declarations of the word of God which assign to him a position apparently divine. This is a very simple view of the subject, and easily understood. But the question, in this, as in all other researches after knowledge, is not what is simple, but what is true. Others, on the other hand, connecting and combining the various declarations of Scripture, and deducing inferences from them, make out what may be called a theory or the Godhead, distinct, defined, systematic, and drawn out into its details. But, on mature reflection, it will appear that he occupies the most truly philosophical ground, who allows, with the most undisturbed and quiet mind, the mystery of the Godhead to rest in the profound concealment in which it has pleased the Holy Spirit to leave it involved,–who draws no inferences, frames no theory or system, but simply reads what is written, and leaves it as it stands, without attempting to throw human light upon what divine revelation has left obscure. He waits for knowledge to come. And in the mean time he adores the Redeemer so unequivocally described as divine. He sees in him a Lamb slain as an atoning sacrifice for sin. In that atonement he finds relief from remorse, and comfort an peace come from it to displace gloomy recollections of sin, and dark forebodings of retribution; and he closes the sacred volume invoking the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, as his only hope of salvation.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
22:21 {11} The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all. Amen.
(11) The apostolic salutation, which is the other part of the conclusion, as I said see Geneva Re “22:6” and is the end of almost every epistle; which we wish to the Church, and to all the holy and elect members of it, in Christ Jesus our Lord, until his coming to judgment “Come Lord Jesus” and do it. Amen, again Amen.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
D. The final benediction 22:21
This benediction wishes God’s enabling grace on all who read the book.
"As in revelation, so in history: grace shall have the last word!" [Note: Beasley-Murray, p. 350.]
God’s grace makes faith, for the unbelieving reader, and faithfulness, for the believing reader, possible (cf. Rev 1:4). This benediction is a prayer that all its hearers and readers may respond to the revelation of this book appropriately. It is an unusual way to end an apocalypse, but it was a common way to close a first-century Christian letter (cf. Rev 1:1).
"We are reminded here again, as in Rev 1:1-4, that the Apocalypse is broadly conceived of as an epistle, the contents of which are apocalyptic and prophetic in genre (see on Rev 1:1-3)." [Note: Beale, p. 1156.]