fellowship cemented by the heart's blood
of God, never more to be put asunder.

The Master's Last Words.

And John closes the book with a few personal paragraphs. The vision is
complete. Now come the closing words. For the third time John is
solemnly assured, "these words are faithful and true." And again comes
the voice as of some One always standing by as John is being shown,
"Behold, I come quickly." And again the words with which the book begins
come to seal all its impressions,--blessed is he that reads, and
prayerfully seeks to understand the simple message, and who sets himself
to live his life in the light of this simple tremendous message.

And John is significantly told _not_ to _seal up_ the message. Daniel
had been told to seal up the message given him, for it would not come to
pass until the latter days after great intervening events had taken
place.[183] But there are no intervening events before this message is
to come true. It has been possible for the fulfilment to come in any
generation since John saw and wrote. It is yet more possible, growing
distinctly toward the probable, that these things shall come in our
generation. The words remain open, waiting an expectant fulfilment. They
are not to be sealed up but openly proclaimed, for the time when it is
possible for these things to work out is at hand. This is a present
practical issue.

And meanwhile, during these days of the waiting time each one who reads
or listens, however reluctantly, to the message, will follow the bent of
his own deliberate choice, but with ever increasing intensity. The pure
will become more pure; the bad yet worse. There's no standing still as
we listen.

And again come the solemnly repeated words: "Behold, I come quickly."
His coming is the next step in the great plan. There were then, and
there are now, no great intervening events to be worked out, and waited
for. His coming is imminent. It is a thing to be expected. And He brings
with Him the wages due each one.

And like the signature of certification at the book's beginning,[184]
comes now the personal signature at its close: "I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." So He
personally certifies to us the absolute accuracy and reliability of this
message.

And with the signature come again the gracious pleading and warning
intermingled. Any one who will may wash his robes in the fountain
provided, and may eat of the life-