A Study of Eschatology

Revelation 22:17-21

The Last Call to Faith in Jesus Christ

Every Book in the Scriptures calls for each person to look at faith in God as God's answer for mankind to find victory over sin and death. From Genesis to Revelation it is God calling men and women to be reconciled to Him. God leaves the choice up to men and women, “whosoever will” or “whoever desires” let him or her come and freely partake of this grace gift. The Plan is awesome. The call is simple – (The Faith of God that man will respond and the Faith of Jesus Christ to go to the Cross). Galatians 2:16 Apart from this truth there is no salvation.

The Reason: Revelation 22:17

Revelation 2:17 is a verse of two offerings of grace from God, the first offering is one to come and quench your thirst. People are physically prone to be dehydrated most of their lives and as a result they live thirsty. Physical thirst opens the body to all sorts of disease. We tend to treat our physical needs, with products like soda, alcohol and meds that do little to quench our thirst and heal our health. The eyes darken and the bones become brittle.

Our spiritual conditions often reflect the physical. We thirst and hunger for righteousness, and when we cannot find it we mask the thirst with drugs, alcohol, sex, and other worldly substitutes and our souls become darkened and brittle. Religion resembles the living waters, but when tasted it is nothing more than man's attempt to change the living waters of Meribah. Numbers 20:13 and 24, in other words; religion gives you a glimpse of the promise land, but it is not righteous enough for God to allow you in.

Another way of observing this is to take a quick look at Adam who was created in the image and likeness of God. Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 5:1-3. Mankind was created in the image of God as God planned. Man reacted with a will of his own and this resulted in man being remade in his own likeness, the likeness of sinful flesh. This caused a great vacuum in physical man in that his spiritual likeness of God died and man became a natural being.

The Restrictions: Revelation 22:17

Search the scriptures until your eyes fail you, but you will not find one verse that calls for a limited number of people who can have salvation by grace through faith. Many people teach that salvation is limited, but this verse alone, and if it were the only one in the scriptures it is enough to show that the invitation to come to God is unlimited. Here are a few more verses: John 3:16; Hebrews 9:27-28; Isaiah 55:1-3. So salvation of the elect is God's call, not man's, we are command to preach the Word in all seasons and at every opportunity. 2 Timothy 4:2

The Responsibility: Revelation 22:17

It is impossible to teach people into the kingdom of God. What? Academically a person cannot learn to be saved. Also, a person cannot be won into the kingdom of God by argument. Why? Because salvation is not a problem of the intellect. Also, a person cannot be emotionally promoted into the kingdom of God since emotion alone is not enough. (Matthew 13:3-9 and 18-23) So how does a person get saved? A person gets saved by an exercise of his or her will. In Luke 15:18 the prodigal son recognizes that his life and security of living was in shambles. His self-will reject the teaching of his father will and all argument to lead him to living in his self-will failed to produce a satisfactory life-style. His emotions were like touching an electrical charge. Thus the bible says that the man came to himself, or came to the awareness of his circumstances and he came home to his father. This if you think about it, is how you and me were saved too.

The Requirement: Revelation 22:17

God does not participate in the great deeds of mankind, in other words there is nothing that you or me can do to gain God's favor. God has done one great deed for mankind. It is the only work that pleases Him. As we read earlier in Isaiah 55:1-3 it is not our deeds He is interested in. Throughout the bible God calls and throughout the bible God says. “He who has an ear, let Him hear” So the soul of mankind is void of every spiritual attribute and characteristic, because it is dead. Yet, the ear of the soul that hungers and thirsts for righteousness is very much alive. Now, even so; this passage of scripture is speaking to the nation of Israel. When God was calling me and I was hearing Him this is one of those passages that I heard. Isaiah 1:18.

Well there is much more that we can say about these matters, but we have come to the end of the study. God loves us and He is not willing that we should perish and if we do it will be by the choice of those who close their ears to the gospel... for God so loved the world, and the work of His Son is enough proof. John 3:13-14.