Jesus is Coming (Revelation 22:7-21)

Revelation of Jesus Christ and the Voice of Prophecy

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What is one reward you remember getting?

EXPLORE IT

What promise did God make? (Rev.22:7)

What blessing did Christ promise us? (Rev.22:7)

Who did Jesus say is a blessed person? (Rev.22:7)

How did the revelations John saw affect him? (Rev.22:8)

What command was given to John by his angelic assistant? (Rev.22:9)

Why was John commanded not to seal up the prophesies of this book? (Rev.22:10)

What additional instructions did the angel give? (Rev.22:11)

When Jesus comes, what will He bring with Him? (Rev.22:12)

How did Jesus describe Himself? (Rev.22:13,16)


Who will be entitled to citizenship in the New Jerusalem? (Rev.22:14)

Who will be barred from entering the heavenly city? (Rev.22:15)

What is the consequence of living a life of disobedience to God, no matter what it involves? (Rev.22:15)

What was Jesus’ method for getting His message to us? (Rev.22:16)

What invitation is given by the Spirit and the bride? (Rev.22:17)

What warning did John give? (Rev.22:18-19)

How do we know for sure about Christ’s return? (Rev.22:20)

How did John bless His readers? (Rev.22:21)

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What do you think is the point of telling everyone to continue doing what they are doing, whether good or bad? 

What is involved in responding to God’s invitation to come to Him?

APPLY IT

What can you “continue to do right” this week?

Commentary

Verses 7-21 of this chapter form the epilogue to the book of Revelation. Having taken the reader through the amazing sweep of future history all the way into the eternal state, all that is left for John to record is this divine postscript. By this point in the Apocalypse, all the glorious and gracious purposes that God ordained before the foundation of the world will have been attained. The devastating judgments of the Tribulation will have been carried out, and their memory will remain only in the torment of the damned. The Lord Jesus Christ will have returned in blazing glory, executed His enemies, and reigned on earth for a thousand years. All rebels, both angels and humans, will have been sentenced to their final, eternal punishment in the lake of fire. The present universe will have been “uncreated,” and the eternal new heaven and the new earth created, in which the King of Kings will be reigning with His Father. The holy angels and the redeemed of all the ages will be dwelling in eternal bliss with Him in the new creation, particularly in heaven’s capital city, the New Jerusalem. From His throne in the center of that majestic city, the brilliant, blazing glory of God will radiate throughout the re-created universe. Absolute and unchanging holiness will characterize all who dwell in the universal and eternal kingdom of God. They will constantly praise, worship, and serve Him throughout eternity in an environment of perfect peace, joy, and fulfillment.

Nothing more clearly communicates that sense of urgency than the repetition of the phrase “Behold, I am coming quickly” (vv. 7, 12; v. 20). That declaration is the refrain of this passage. The phrase appears three other places in Revelation; in 3:11 it is a promise of blessing, as it is in its three uses in chapter 22. In 2:5 and 2:16, on the other hand, the phrase warns of Jesus’ coming in judgment. In 3:3 and 16:15, Jesus likens His coming to the unexpected coming of a thief. (Unlike a thief, of course, Jesus will come not to steal, but to take back what is rightfully His.) Since Jesus could rapture His church at any moment, triggering all the end-time events culminating in His return, believers (and unbelievers) need to be ready.

The threefold repetition of the phrase “I am coming quickly” in this passage (vv. 7, 12, 20) reinforces the reality of the imminent return. The adverb tachu (“quickly”) does not refer to the speed at which Christ will travel from heaven to earth when He returns; instead, it has the connotation of “soon,” or “before long.” The point is that “the Judge is standing right at the door” (James 5:9), poised to return at any moment.

“And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.” (22:7) 

Kai (and) marks a change in speakers (vv. 8, 9). The speaker is no longer the angel who spoke in verse 6, but the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who is coming quickly. He pronounces the sixth of seven beatitudes in Revelation (v. 14; 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6): “Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.” Three other times the words of … this book (Revelation) are called prophecy (vv. 10, 18, 19). Though prophecy can refer to any message about the past, present, or future, the Apocalypse is a book largely consisting of future predictions and promises. 

The apostle Peter also taught that believers’ knowledge of end time events should cause them to live holy lives. In a passage describing the future Day of the Lord, the destruction of the present universe, and the coming of the new heaven and the new earth, Peter wrote, “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God…. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” (2 Pet. 3:11-12, 14). The glorious future realities described in Revelation compel a commitment on the part of believers to lead holy lives. Christ’s imminent return demands immediate obedience.

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.” (22:8-9)

As it did in verse 7, it marks a change of speakers; the speaker is no longer Christ, but John, who names himself for the first time since 1:9. The inspired apostle adds his testimony of the truthfulness of Revelation to that of the angel (v. 6), declaring I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. Then, overcome by what he heard and saw, John fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed him these things. He had the proper response, worship, but being overwhelmed with amazement, John inadvertently directed it to the wrong object. The apostle knew that angels were not to be worshiped; in fact, he had earlier been rebuked for attempting to do so (19:10). But like Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:28), Daniel (Dan. 8:17; 10:9), and Peter, James, and he himself at the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:6), John simply collapsed in wonder and worship.

Because God alone is to be worshiped (Ex. 34:14; Matt. 4:10), the angel said to John, “Do not do that.” He hastily reminded the apostle that he, too, was a created being, declaring I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Far from being a legitimate object of worship for John, the angel was actually his created fellow servant, and not only his, but also of John’s brethren the prophets, and of all believers, defined here as those who heed the words of this book. Throughout Scripture, angels are seen serving God’s people. They were involved in giving the Law to Israel (Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2) and are frequently seen protecting believers (Ex. 23:20; 2 Chron. 32:21; Ps. 91:11; Dan. 3:28; 6:22; Acts 5:19; 12:7-11). Summing up the ministry of angels to believers, the author of Hebrews asks rhetorically, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14).

Calling the bewildered apostle back to the one and only object of worship, the angel commanded John to worship God. A proper understanding of Revelation should elicit worship; thus, worship is a major theme in the Apocalypse (4:8-11; 5:8-14; 7:9-12; 15:2-4; 19:1-6). As noted above, God alone is the only acceptable Person to worship. 

And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” (22:10-11)

Continuing his message to John, the angel commanded him, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book.” The message of the Apocalypse is not to be hidden (10:11); it is a message to be spread and proclaimed to produce obedience and worship. Thus, unlike Daniel (Dan. 8:26; 12:4-10), John was instructed not to seal up the words of Revelation. Immediate proclamation of this book is called for because the coming of Christ has been imminent for every generation from John’s day until the present.

That the specific words of Revelation are not to be sealed up stresses again that there is no hidden, secret meaning apart from the normal sense of the text. If the truth is not clear in those words, then this command is nonsense. If the plain, normal understanding of the words of Revelation does not convey the meaning God intended its readers to grasp, then those words are sealed.

At the beginning of Revelation, John was commanded, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches” (1:11). The message of the Apocalypse, that Jesus will return bringing blessing for His own and horrifying judgment on the ungodly, is too critical not to spread. Thus, to fail to preach Revelation is not only foolish (1:3), but sinful. Any Christian who fails to learn its truths is forfeiting blessing; any preacher who fails to proclaim its truths is sinfully unfaithful to his mandate. Not to preach the book of Revelation is to fail to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ with the glory that is due Him. More than just a failure to teach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), it is outright disobedience to the command not to seal up the words of the Apocalypse. It robs believers of the end of the divine story of history in all its wonder and fullness. No one should preach who does not rightly divide and proclaim this book.

The angel’s next statement seems strangely out of place in this context: “Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” Some may think its connection with the command that preceded it is not immediately apparent. But the truth it dramatically conveys is that people’s response to the proclamation of the truth will fix their eternal destinies. Those who hear the truth but continue to do wrong and be filthy will by that hardened response fix their eternal destiny in hell. On the other hand, the one who continues to practice righteousness and keep himself holy gives evidence of genuine saving faith. The adverb eti (still) may have the sense of “yet more.” In that case, the meaning is that those who do wrong and are filthy in this life will be even more so in eternal hell, where there will be no good influences to mitigate their evil. In contrast, those who are righteous and holy in this life will be perfectly holy in their glorified bodies in heaven.

 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. (22:12)

The speaker is no longer the angel, but the Lord Jesus Christ, who repeats His declaration of verse 7, “Behold, I am coming quickly.” As noted in the introduction to this chapter, Jesus’ statement means that His coming is imminent. It teaches the same truth that He expressed in Mark 13:33-37: Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, “Be on the alert!”

When He comes, Jesus will bring His reward … with Him, to render to every man according to what he has done. Believers’ eternal rewards will be based on their faithfulness in serving Christ in this life. Their works will be tested, and only those with eternal value will survive (1 Cor. 3:9-15; 2 Cor. 5:9-10). The rewards believers enjoy in heaven will be capacities for serving God; the greater their faithfulness in this life, the greater will be their opportunity to serve in heaven (Matt. 25:14-30). Knowing that, John exhorted believers, “Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward” (2 John 8). The knowledge that Jesus could return at any moment should not lead Christians to a life of idle waiting for His coming (2 Thess. 3:10-12). Rather, it should produce diligent, obedient, worshipful service to God, and urgent proclamation of the gospel to unbelievers.

In these its concluding verses (vv.13-21), the Bible comes full circle. It opened with the promise of a coming Savior, who would redeem His people from their sins. That promise, which came immediately after the Fall, is recorded in Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Just as the Bible opens with the promise of Christ’s first coming, so it ends with the promise of His second coming.

The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is a compelling theme in both the Old and New Testaments (e.g., Zech. 14:4; Mal. 3:2; 4:5; Matt. 16:28; 24:27; 1 Cor. 1:7; 15:23; 1 Thess. 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2 Thess. 2:1; James 5:8; Jude 14). But nowhere is it given greater emphasis than in the Apocalypse, the “Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1). It is only fitting that this book, whose focus is on the Second Coming, ends with a final invitation considering that glorious reality. Verses 6-12 of this chapter are addressed to believers, demanding their proper response to Christ’s imminent return. Verses 13-21 call unbelievers to repentance. The inspired canon of Scripture closes with an urgent invitation, pleading with sinners to come to Jesus Christ and receive the free gift of eternal life before it is forever too late.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. (22:17)

There are two distinct invitations in this verse, delineated by the two exclamations, “Come.” The first part of the verse is a prayer addressed to Christ; the second part is an invitation addressed to sinners. The first part calls for Christ to come; the second part is the last call for sinners to come to faith in Christ.

The one who hears is further defined as the one who is thirsty. Thirst is a familiar biblical metaphor picturing the strong sense of spiritual need that is a prerequisite for repentance. In Isaiah God calls “everyone who thirsts [to] come to the waters” of salvation (Isa. 55:1). Jesus pronounced those “blessed … who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6). In John 7:37 He gave the invitation, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink,” while earlier in Revelation He promised, “I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost” (21:6; Ps. 107:9; John 4:14; 6:35).

Adding another dimension to the invitation, John writes let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. That unlimited invitation is typical of the broad, sweeping, gracious offers of salvation made in Scripture (Isa. 45:22; 55:1; Matt. 11:28; John 3:15-16). It also illustrates the biblical truth that salvation involves both God’s sovereign choice (John 6:44) and human volition. God saves sinners, but only those who recognize their need and repent. The water of life (or the washing of regeneration, Titus 3:5) is offered without cost (Isa. 55:1) to the sinner because Jesus paid the price for it through His sacrificial death on the cross (Rom. 3:24). God freely offers the water of life to those whose hearts are thirsty for forgiveness, whose minds are thirsty for truth, and whose souls are thirsty for Him.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”…
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” (22:13, 16)

The first reason for sinners to accept God’s final invitation is because it comes personally from the exalted, majestic, glorious Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord’s threefold identification of Himself repeats the same truth for emphasis. This description of Jesus Christ is also a statement of His deity. Obviously, there can be only one Alpha and Omega, first and last, and beginning and end—God. In 1:8 God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” while 21:6 describes Him as “the beginning and the end.” In Isaiah 44:6 God declares, “I am the first and I am the last” (Isa. 41:4; 48:12). That all three titles, which can apply only to God, are used here of Jesus Christ offers convincing testimony to His deity. He is not a created being; He is not merely a great prophet or a great moral teacher; He is not a misguided martyr. He is God the Son, the second Person of the eternal Trinity.

Christ further identifies Himself in His own words in verse 16. But before doing so He tells John, “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you.” Though angels communicated the Apocalypse to John (v. 6; 1:1; 17:1, 7; 21:9), its source was Jesus. The expression “I, Jesus” appears only here in the Bible. It establishes that this final invitation in Scripture is not a human invitation, but a divine call issued personally to sinners by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apocalypse is addressed to the churches (1:11), but though it is written to believers (1:1), they are to proclaim it to the entire world (22:10).

Then, in an astounding, seemingly paradoxical statement, Jesus declares Himself to be both the root (ancestor) and the descendant of David. That phrase sums up the biblical teaching on Christ’s two natures; only the God-man can be both David’s ancestor and his descendant. In His deity, Christ is David’s root (Mark 12:35-37); in His humanity, He is David’s descendant (2 Sam. 7:12-16; Ps. 132:11-12; Matt. 1:1; Rom. 1:3; 2 Tim. 2:8). Finally, Jesus describes Himself as “the bright morning star.” To call someone a star was in biblical times (as it is today) to exalt him (Dan. 12:3). Though Balaam was a greedy prophet for hire, God nevertheless used him to make an accurate prediction of the coming Messiah: “A star shall come forth from Jacob, a scepter shall rise from Israel” (Num. 24:17). Peter wrote of the time when “the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts” (2 Pet. 1:19). Jesus promised to give the overcomers at Thyatira the “morning star” (2:28)—that is, Himself. As the morning star heralds the arrival of the day, so Jesus’ coming will herald the end of the darkness of man’s night, and the glorious dawn of His kingdom. Christ is the “Light of the world” (John 8:12) who calls sinners to drink of the water of life. And to those who heed that call He promises, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28); and “The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37).

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. (22:14-15)

This section begins with the last of the seven beatitudes in Revelation (v. 7; 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6), each introduced by the pronouncement blessed. This blessing is pronounced (most likely by the Lord Jesus Christ) on those who wash their robes. That phrase graphically portrays the believer’s participation in the death of Christ. In 7:14 one of the twenty-four elders said to John, “These [the Tribulation martyrs; 7:9] are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Soiled clothes represent sinfulness in Isaiah 64:6 and Zechariah 3:3, whereas Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18; and Titus 3:5 speak of the cleansing of sin that accompanies salvation. The agency through which that cleansing comes is the blood of Christ (1:5; 5:9; 7:14; Matt. 26:28; Acts 20:28; Rom. 3:24-25; 5:9; Eph. 1:7; 2:13; Col. 1:20; Heb. 9:12, 14; 10:19; 13:12; 1 Pet. 1:2, 18-19; 1 John 1:7).

Those who have experienced the washing from sin that marks salvation will forever have the right to the tree of life. This will be the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise, “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God” (2:7). Those granted access to the tree of life will be allowed to enter by the gates into the city.

The inclusion of dogs on the list seems puzzling at first glance. But in ancient times dogs were not the domesticated household pets they are today. They were despised scavengers that milled about cities’ garbage dumps (Ex. 22:31; 1 Kings 14:11; 16:4; 21:19, 23-24; 22:38). Thus, to call a person a dog was to describe that person as someone of low character (1 Sam. 17:43; 24:14; 2 Sam. 3:8; 9:8; 16:9; 2 Kings 8:13; Phil. 3:2); in fact, the first time blatantly impure sinners are called dogs is in Deuteronomy 23:18, where male homosexual prostitutes are in view. Sorcerers (from pharmakos, the root of the English word “pharmacy”) refers to those engaged in occult practices and the drug abuse that often accompanies those practices (9:21; 21:8; Gal. 5:20). Immoral persons (from pornos, the root of the English word “pornography”) are those who engage in illicit sexual activities. Murderers are also excluded from heaven in the list given in 21:8 (9:21; Rom. 1:29). Idolaters are those who worship false gods, or who worship the true God in an unacceptable manner (21:8). The final group excluded from heaven also includes everyone who loves and practices lying. It is not all who have ever committed any of these sins who are excluded from heaven (1 Cor. 6:11). Rather, it is those who love and habitually practice any such sin, stubbornly cling to it, and refuse Christ’s invitation to salvation who will be cast into the lake of fire.

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. (22:18-19)

It is of great significance that the Bible closes with an affirmation of its truthfulness. Because the words of Scripture are “faithful and true” (22:6), they must not be sealed up, but proclaimed (22:10). Sinners are to be called to respond to the warnings in the Word of the living God or suffer the consequences. All the prophecies of Revelation regarding the doom of sinners will come true. That terrifying certainty should drive people to Jesus Christ to escape the wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:10).

The speaker who testifies to the authority and finality of the words of the prophecy of this book is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 20). His solemn warning against tampering with Scripture applies first to the prophecy of the book of Revelation (1:3). Its stern rebukes of Jezebel and her followers (2:20-23), those who had embraced the “deep things of Satan” (2:24), and those of the “synagogue of Satan” (3:9) would have prompted them to assault it. Down through the centuries there have been others who have both attacked Revelation and seriously misinterpreted it. But considering the repeated warnings against altering God’s Word, Christ’s warning must be broadened to include all of Scripture. 

In Deuteronomy 4:2 Moses cautioned, “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” In Deuteronomy 12:32 he added, “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.” Proverbs 30:5-6 warns, “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.” Thus, the prohibition against altering the Apocalypse by implication extends to all of Scripture. Because Revelation describes the entire sweep of history from the close of the apostolic age to the eternal state, any alteration of it would be an alteration of Scripture.

The canon of Scripture was closed at the end of the first century when Revelation was finished. Thus, any false prophet, fraud, or charlatan who adds alleged new revelations to it (as the Montanists did in the early church and Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, and other false prophets have done in recent times) will face divine vengeance. God will add to such people the plagues which are written in the book of Revelation. God’s judgment will be equally severe on anyone who takes away from the words of Scripture (as the heretic Marcion did in the early church and liberal higher critics have done in modern times)—God will take away their part from the tree of life and from the holy city. Both warnings contain a play on words. Those who add to Scripture will have plagues added to them; those who take away from Scripture will have the blessings of heaven taken away from them.

No true believer would ever deliberately tamper with Scripture. Those who know and love God will treat His Word with the utmost respect. They will say with the psalmist, “O how I love Your law!” (Ps. 119:97; Ps. 119:113, 163, 167; John 14:23); and “I delight in Your law” (Ps. 119:70; Ps. 1:2; 119:77, 92, 174). That does not, of course, mean that believers will never make errors in judgment or mistakenly interpret Scripture incorrectly or inadequately. The Lord’s warning here is addressed to those who engage in deliberate falsification or misinterpretation of Scripture, those whom Paul denounces as peddlers of the Word of God (2 Cor. 2:17).

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. (22:20-21)

The book of Revelation and the Bible close with one final reminder and a benediction. In His last recorded words in Scripture the Lord Jesus Christ, He who testifies to these things, affirms “Yes, I am coming quickly.” His coming is imminent, just as Revelation (and the rest of the New Testament) teaches. John speaks for all true believers when he responds, Amen. Come, Lord Jesus, since Christians are those “who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8). Scoffers may mockingly ask, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation” (2 Pet. 3:4). But things will not continue forever as they are. Jesus will return, just as Revelation predicts. If the certainty of Christ’s return to judge sinners does not motivate people to repent, then nothing will.

For the glorious, comforting truth is that those who humble themselves and accept God’s offer of salvation will find Him gracious. Fittingly, the last words of the Bible, the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen, are an expression of God’s grace toward fallen humanity. The Lord of glory, as He promised in Scripture, offers heaven exclusively to those who, considering His certain return, accept His gracious invitation and return to Him.

THINK ABOUT THIS: The great theme of Scripture is the Lord Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man. His grace is the only salvation for sinners. His death like a lamb for the sins of His people is the only righteousness fallen men can have before God. His resurrection and future coming are the only hope of the world. God’s Son will bring His people into happiness beyond their greatest expectations, for He will bring them into the eternal enjoyment of infinite good: the triune God. All three of the primary Christian graces—faith, hope, and love—focus upon Jesus Christ. Do you trust, hope in, and love God’s Son? If not, call out to God even now to save you. If you do know Christ and His salvation, then use each day to seek grace to grow deeper in faith, hope, and love for Christ, as you prepare for the day of the Lord.