His Reward is With Him
“And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.” Rev 22:10
Again, John gives the message that the time is short, which goes against the thought that the fulfillment of the book will be over 2000 years in the future. He is basically saying that the time to use the information in the book was not intended to be in a distant future, but from John’s time onward. The time to tread the path of discipleship “is at hand.”
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Rev 22:11
Here, John is giving a principle. When we move from one point or sphere in our progression to another, whether it be on earth or the afterlife, we are what we are. If we are flawed now we will not have some magic performed on us to make us perfect in the kingdom of heaven. We must obtain a level of perfection now instead of living below our abilities while exclaiming “Lord I believe!” and expecting God to do the rest for us.
“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev 22:12
Again, we are told that Christ comes quickly. As soon as the disciple embraces the inner life, the Christ within comes quickly and performs the magical work of the soul.
Next, we are told that the reward given out at the coming of Christ is with him. This does not make much sense when attempting to apply it to the traditional interpretation, but all becomes clear when applying it to the disciple as he seeks the presence of he inner Christ. When soul contact is achieved and the Christ consciousness is felt, a great reward is obtained. The disciple indeed realizes that he is rewarded according his works. He sees that people are in delusion about life being unfair. Small slices of the life of the soul may seem unfair, but when seen as a whole, life is indeed fair, making God fair.
We reap as we sow, and when the disciple finally reaps the presence of the inner Christ, the reward of this presence negates all sufferings and difficulties from the past.
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” Rev 22:13
We assume this is Christ or God speaking, but it is interesting to note that the person who is speaking is the angel, who was one of his brothers – perhaps a fellow apostle who was earlier killed. Why is this angel speaking as if he were the voice of God?
The answer is simple. When a disciple becomes one with God to the point that he can speak as did Jesus and say “I and my Father are one”, then the voice of God or Christ can speak through him as if He were them.
The angel says he is Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, because in the beginning he was one with God and in the end he is also one with God.
The only difference is that, in the end, he has a realization of what life would be like without this oneness; and when the final union is achieved, he is conscious of the quality of life he is experiencing.
A Foundation Principle
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev 22:14
What are the commandments that the disciple is expected to obey? For the ancient Israelite, the thought of obeying the Ten Commandments, the laws of Moses, and the sayings of the prophets would come to mind. On the other hand, Jesus put a twist on this meaning by giving out the principle that underlies all the commandments:
“Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matt 22:35-40
So, why is loving our neighbor like loving God? Because God is in our neighbor as well as ourselves.
Verse 40 is the key verse leading us to the principle:
“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
This tells us that every law, every commandment and every inspired saying of the biblical prophets is based on the higher law of love.
Let us examine just one commandment – “Thou shalt not steal.”
Now, if one really loves his brother, will he steal from him? No, he will not. In fact, the commandment could be written this way: “If you love your brother, you will not steal from him.”
Paul expanded on this principle by saying,
“Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” II Cor 3:6
Following a commandment or teaching mechanically with a black-and-white mindset kills the love behind the words. Instead, the seeker will suffer restriction, meanness of spirit, suppression and a lack (or complete absence) of love.
The real key to following the principle behind the commandments is to look to the God of love within the heart and use the best possible judgment in following the direction that it leads.
The day when people would realize this was predicted by Jeremiah:
“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
“And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jer 31:33-34
This day, in which black-and-white commandments would not be needed because the law of love will be written in our “inward parts”, has been looked for by prophets long before Jesus.
Jesus summed the principle up in another way in the form of the Golden Rule:
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Matt 7:12
The latter part of verse 14 tells us that those who keep the commandments “have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”
However, this right comes not through the letter but through the Spirit. Only when true love is manifest can the life of God grow within.
“For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” Rev 22:15
This repeats some items from the list previously covered with two new ones. The first is “dogs.” Why would dogs be considered so vile that they cannot enter the New Jerusalem?
In ancient Jerusalem, dogs were rarely taken as pets and were somewhat wild, savage and scavengers. Someone hateful or an enemy was often called a dog.
It is amazing that humanity has had such a change of heart toward dogs that they are now called “man’s best friend.” It just goes to show what a little love can do, even for an animal.
Male prostitutes were also called dogs by the Jews, so it is possible that this verse refers to them. Whatever the case, a dog, here, definitely refers to a repulsive or vile person.
The other thing that is new in this list is the phrase “whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”
It is interesting that the greater the sin against the law of love, the greater is the temptation to lie. We all recognize that murder is one of the worst things we can do, and almost all murderers will tell any lie possible to escape detection.
But the lie that is considered especially evil here is by one who loves. When a person is committed to another and betrays him or her through an affair, he will almost always lie to cover it up. He covers it up so his normal life can go on, so his spouse or partner will still accept him.
It is interesting indeed that the lie in an adulterous relationship is condemned more than the betrayal itself. This is because a lie causes a dark cloud to gather between our consciousness and the inner God. The lie often causes more damage than the act that caused the lie.
A person can commit great transgression, honestly face the repercussions and still move forward, but if he lies, the dark cloud that follows slows his progression and often causes him to become lost to his own soul. This is a great tragedy that must eventually be faced and overcome.
Nov13, 2006
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