Revelation 22 - The Final Countdown
Jesus proclaimed He's coming soon. Does this frighten or comfort you?
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Revelation 22 (ESV)
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life,
bright as crystal,
flowing
from the throne
of God
and of the Lamb
2 through the middle of the street of the city;
also, on either side of the river,
the tree of life
with its twelve kinds of fruit,
yielding its fruit each month.
The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 No longer will there be anything accursed,
but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it,
and his servants will worship him.
4 They
will see his face,
and his name will be on their foreheads.
5 And night will be no more.
They will need no light of lamp or sun,
for the Lord God will be their light,
and they will reign forever and ever.
6 And he said to me,
“These words are trustworthy and true.
And the Lord,
the God of the spirits of the prophets,
has sent his angel to show
his servants
what must soon take place.”
7 “And behold,
I am coming soon.
Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things.
And when I heard and saw them,
I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me,
9 but he said to me,
“You must not do that!
I am a fellow servant with
you
and your brothers the prophets,
and with those who keep the words of this book.
Worship God.”
10 And he said to me,
“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book,
for the time is near.
11 Let the evildoer still do evil,
and the filthy still be filthy,
and the righteous still do right,
and the holy still be holy.”
12 “Behold,
I am coming soon,
bringing my recompense with me,
to repay each one for what he has done.
13 I am
the Alpha and the Omega,
the first and the last,
the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes,
so
that they may have the right to the tree of life
and that they may enter the city by the gates.
15 Outside are the
dogs
and sorcerers
and the sexually immoral
and murderers and idolaters,
and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches.
I am
the root and the descendant of David,
the bright morning star.”
17 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 desires take the water of life without price.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:
if anyone adds to them,
God will add to him the plagues described in this book,
19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy,
God will take away his share
in the tree of life
and in the holy city,
which are described in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says,
“Surely I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.
Amen.
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Previous DIG DEEPER posts on Revelation
Revelation 22 Summary
This book of the Apocalypse (Revelation) began with a benediction, extending a greeting of grace and peace to God's people (Rev 1:4). The Apocalypse ends by describing what these concepts look like, as they're the essence of the new heavens & earth.
This will be a place of grace, in that all who've washed their robes in the blood of Christ, so that they have His pure righteousness are welcomed in and partake of everlasting life (v14). But those who reject God's grace and persist in their sinfulness - that is, everyone who loves and practices falsehood - will be left outside.
It will also be a place of peace. The Biblical concept of peace includes much more than just an absence of conflict. It's a condition described by the Hebrew word shalom, in which everything is the way it's supposed to be, the way things are described in the opening six verses: an everproducing tree of life fed by the river of life.
As with many divine concepts, human language doesn't have the capacity to fully describe what things will be like, so John instead describes what will not be there: nothing accursed (v3), no more night (v5), and no 'dogs' (v15).
Dig Deeper
The Apocalypse ends with three action items you must pay attention to.
First, respond to the invitation to come and take the water of life without price (v17). Although God chose you for salvation before He created anything, He has an expectation that you will act upon the faith that you've been given and enter into His Kingdom.
Second, heed the warning given to not add or subtract from God's Word (v18-19). This doesn't just mean putting in or taking out words, it means that your life must be governed by every word of scripture; living according to what's been given: no more and no less.
Finally, proclaim the final declaration: the simple and often overused word Amen (v21). Living out an amen life means you are fully aligned in every way with the invitations and warnings presented in God's Word.
AAA Prayer :
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Dear Father in heaven, who will for ever and ever be the light of the new heavens and new earth
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will preserve & strengthen you to respond to His invitation.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
