Time’s Up!

Revelation 22:11 states, “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.”

It is not how long you live, but how you live that counts. Jesus lived 33 years and changed the world. He didn’t live for Himself, but for you and me and the Heavenly Father. We don’t know how many years we will have to live. We do know that one day that last heartbeat will come and our time will be up.

John Adams, the second president of the United States, did much in the founding of America. At 91, his time was up. He couldn’t have asked for a better day to die than July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence (from pg. 59 of the Founder’s Bible by David Barton).

Revelation 22 is not only the last chapter of the Bible, it is a warning that someday our time will be up. Verse 10 says, “…the time is at hand.” There is no more chance for the unjust to become just, or the filthy to become clean. It is also a time when the righteous and holy person will be rewarded. 

Today is the day of salvation, the day that we can repent, we can change. Yes, the filthy can become holy now. As a teenager, I stood in the pew with others as the altar call was given. I heard many calls to come forward before I finally surrendered. One of the hymns that pulled on my heart was, Almost Persuaded written by Philip P. Bliss in 1871. Verse 3 says, “Almost persuaded, harvest is past! Almost persuaded, doom comes at last! Almost can not avail; Almost is but to fail! Sad, sad that bitter wail: Almost but lost!” I could imagine myself, the first minute in hell, knowing that the day of salvation was over, my time to repent was up, and my eternal destiny was sealed.

I recently watched the film, “Thief in the Night.” When the girl woke up and realized that her terrifying dream of missing the rapture was real, she began to scream. The Bible tells us that in hell there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:50).

Let’s look at the positive side for a moment. Revelation 22:1 says, “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Next we see the tree of life and the curse removed. Finally we see the most wonderful part, “his servants shall serve him” and “they shall see his face.” It makes me think of the song by Grace Adkins, “By and by when I look on his face, I’ll wish I had given him more.” Can you imagine the One that you have walked with for so many years and actually looking on His face? 

The hymn by Jim Hill, (1955), says in the refrain, “What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see, And I look upon His face- the One who saved me by His grace. When He takes me by the hand and leads me thro’ the promised land, What a day, glorious day that will be!”

Although this chapter was written a couple of thousand years ago declaring that the time is at hand, it still has not been fulfilled. Peter wrote (I Peter 4:7), “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” He then goes on to write in I Peter 3:3&4 that there will be scoffers in the last days saying, “Where is the promise of his coming?” What do you think?

In Revelation 22, Jesus says three times that He is coming quickly. The number of heartbeats in the average lifespan is 2.5 billion. At the rate of inflation that’s not so much. You can’t buy one more when your time’s up!