Bird's-eye view
We have arrived at the final words of the final book of the Bible. This is the great conclusion, the summation of everything God has revealed to us. The tone is one of ultimate finality and urgent imminence. The prophecy is not to be sealed up because the time for its fulfillment is right on top of the original audience. This nearness of the time creates a great sorting, a great division. The character of every man is fixed, and their trajectories are set. Jesus Himself speaks, identifying Himself as the eternal God, the Alpha and Omega, who is coming quickly to render a final verdict according to works. This verdict separates humanity into two distinct camps: those inside the city, blessed with access to the tree of life, and those outside, the dogs and sorcerers and liars. The book climaxes with a series of invitations, layered one on top of another. Jesus identifies Himself as the fulfillment of all prophecy, the Spirit and the Bride issue the great evangelistic call to "Come," and this is followed by a fearsome warning against tampering with this sacred text. The book ends where the Christian life is lived, in the tension of a promise and a prayer: "I am coming quickly," and our response, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."
The central thrust of this passage is to drive home the reality that history has a point, a destination. That destination is the return of Jesus Christ. Because this return was "near" for the first-century church, it establishes the pattern for all of church history. We live in the last days, the era between the first and final comings of the Lord. In this era, the word of God is open, clear, and active. It forces a decision. It sorts mankind. It invites the thirsty to drink freely, and it warns the arrogant not to trifle with the very words of God. This is not a time for fence-sitting; the king is about to appear, and everyone must declare their allegiance.
Outline
- 1. The Final Message: Come (Rev 22:10-21)
- a. The Unsealed Prophecy and the Fixed States (Rev 22:10-11)
- b. The Coming King and His Just Reward (Rev 22:12-13)
- c. The Two Destinies: Inside and Outside the City (Rev 22:14-15)
- d. The King's Own Testimony (Rev 22:16)
- e. The Great Invitation (Rev 22:17)
- f. The Solemn Warning (Rev 22:18-19)
- g. The Final Promise and Prayer (Rev 22:20-21)
Context In Revelation
This passage forms the epilogue to the entire book of Revelation, and indeed, to the entire biblical canon. John has just witnessed the vision of the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, descending from heaven (Rev 21:1-22:5). He has seen the final state of the redeemed, dwelling with God in a restored creation, with the river of life and the tree of life. Now, the angel who has been guiding him, and Christ Himself, provide the concluding remarks. These verses tie up all the themes of the book: the imminence of Christ's coming (a theme from the very first chapter), the importance of faithfulness and obedience ("keeping the words of this prophecy"), the final judgment, the identity of Jesus, the free offer of the gospel, and the authority of Scripture. It moves from the glorious vision of the future back to the present reality of the reader, urging a response in light of what has been revealed. The book began with a blessing on those who read, hear, and keep its words (Rev 1:3), and it ends with a final blessing and a final warning, sealing the prophecy not with concealment, but with a command to proclaim it because the time is at hand.
Key Issues
- The Imminence of Christ's Return ("The Time is Near")
- The Fixing of Moral and Spiritual States
- Judgment According to Works
- The Identity and Deity of Christ (Alpha and Omega)
- The Nature of the Blessing (Washing Robes, Tree of Life)
- The Identity of Those "Outside" the City
- The Evangelistic Invitation of the Spirit and the Bride
- The Inviolability of Scripture
The Time is Near
One of the central keys to understanding the book of Revelation is to take its own time statements seriously. Five times in this book, Jesus says He is "coming quickly" (Rev 2:16, 3:11, 22:7, 22:12, 22:20). The book opens and closes by insisting that "the time is near" (Rev 1:3, 22:10). The modern evangelical church has largely adopted a futurist reading of Revelation, pushing its fulfillment thousands of years into our future. But this does violence to the plain meaning of the text. The original audience in the seven churches of Asia Minor would not have understood "near" and "quickly" to mean "in a couple of millennia."
The preterist position, which I hold, understands that the bulk of the prophecies in Revelation were fulfilled in the events leading up to and including the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in A.D. 70. This was the great "coming" of Christ in judgment upon the apostate old covenant system. It was the end of an age, the end of the Judaic aeon. This is why the prophecy was not to be sealed. Daniel was told to seal his prophecy "for the time is long" (Dan 8:26, 12:4). John is told the opposite because the fulfillment was imminent for his hearers. This doesn't mean there is no future application or a final Second Coming. Of course there is. But the primary fulfillment that gives shape to the whole book was near at hand for them, and it serves as the pattern for how Christ governs and judges throughout the entire church age.
Verse by Verse Commentary
10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
The angel commands John to do the opposite of what Daniel was commanded to do. Daniel's visions pertained to a distant future, and so they were sealed. John's vision pertains to events that are about to break upon the world of his readers. The scroll is to be left open, public, accessible. This is not esoteric knowledge for a future generation; it is an urgent message for this generation. The reason is explicitly stated: for the time is near. The Greek here is ho kairos engus estin. Kairos refers to a decisive, appointed time, a moment of crisis and opportunity. That crisis was the impending judgment on Jerusalem, which would vindicate the church and unleash the gospel to the nations in a new way.
11 Let the one who does unrighteousness, still do unrighteousness; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still do righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.”
This is a staggering statement. It is not a command or a permission to sin. It is a declaration of what happens when the time of judgment draws near. The lines are drawn. The time for wavering is over. The pressure of the impending crisis forces everyone to show their true colors. It has a hardening effect. Those whose hearts are set on wickedness will double down on their wickedness. Those whose hearts are set on God will be purified and strengthened in their righteousness. When the end of an age comes, moral and spiritual trajectories become fixed. There is a point of no return. This is what was happening in the final days of old covenant Israel. The gospel had been preached, the signs had been given, and now the nation was being sorted into two camps, with their eternal destinies being sealed.
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to his work.
Jesus Himself now speaks. He repeats the promise of His imminent coming. And when He comes, He comes as a judge with payment in hand. The reward here is not just positive; it is a recompense, a rendering of what is due. He will give to every single person according to what his work has been. This is a bedrock principle of biblical justice. While we are saved by grace through faith alone, we are always, without exception, judged according to our works. Why? Because our works are the necessary and unavoidable evidence of our faith. True faith works. A faith that does not produce righteousness is a dead faith, and it will be judged accordingly. The one who is truly righteous by faith will do righteousness, and the one who does unrighteousness proves he is without faith.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, THE FIRST AND THE LAST, the beginning and the end.”
To undergird the authority of His coming judgment, Jesus declares His absolute deity. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. This is language the Old Testament reserves for Yahweh alone (Isa 44:6; 48:12). Jesus is claiming to be the sovereign Lord over all of history. He started it, He is directing it, and He will bring it to its appointed conclusion. The one who is coming to judge is none other than the eternal God who created all things. Therefore, His judgment is ultimate, inescapable, and perfectly just.
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the authority to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city.
This is the seventh and final beatitude in the book of Revelation. The blessing is for those who "wash their robes." Some manuscripts have "do his commandments," and the meaning is substantially the same. How does one wash their robes? Earlier in Revelation, we are told they "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev 7:14). This is not about moral self-improvement. It is about being cleansed by the atoning death of Jesus Christ. This cleansing is received by faith, and it results in a life of obedience. The result of this cleansing is twofold: they are granted authority (or right) to the tree of life, reversing the curse of Eden, and they are granted entrance into the holy city, the New Jerusalem, which is the Church. Access to eternal life and membership in God's covenant community are the privileges of those who have been washed in the blood of Christ.
15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.
In stark contrast to those inside the city are those who remain outside. This is a catalogue of the unregenerate. Dogs in the ancient world were not beloved pets; they were unclean scavengers, a term of contempt for the wicked and profane. The list that follows is standard biblical fare for those who are excluded from the kingdom of God: sorcerers (those who manipulate spiritual realities for their own power), the sexually immoral, murderers, idolaters, and finally, a summary category that gets to the heart of all sin: everyone who loves and practices falsehood. Sin, at its root, is a lie against the reality God has made. To love and practice lying is to be fundamentally at odds with the God who is Truth. These are the ones who have not washed their robes, and they have no place in the holy city.
16 “I, Jesus, sent My angel to bear witness to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
Jesus once more identifies Himself as the source of this revelation. He sent His angel to testify these things specifically for the churches. This book is for the covenant people of God. He then gives three titles for Himself. He is the root and the descendant of David. This is a beautiful paradox. As God, He is the root, the source from which David's royal line came. As man, He is the descendant, the offspring who fulfilled the Davidic covenant. He is both David's Lord and David's son. He is also the bright morning star, the harbinger of a new day. His coming brings the darkness to an end and ushers in the eternal day of God's kingdom.
17 And 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 receive the water of life without cost.
Here we have the great, final, evangelistic invitation of the Bible. It is a layered call. First, the Holy Spirit and the Bride (the Church) together issue the invitation: "Come." This is the central mission of the Church in the world, empowered by the Spirit. Second, anyone who hears this prophecy and understands it is to echo the call: "Come." The gospel is a message to be passed on. Finally, the invitation is directed to the needy: the one who is thirsty, the one who wishes. The offer is for the water of life, which is Christ Himself and the eternal life He gives. And the price is perfectly suited for bankrupt sinners: without cost. It is a free gift of grace. This is the gospel in its purest form, standing here at the very end of the Bible.
18-19 I bear witness 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.
Following the free offer of the gospel comes a most severe warning. This is a bookend to a similar warning given by Moses at the end of the Torah (Deut 4:2). John, speaking with apostolic authority, warns against tampering with this prophecy. To add to it is to presume to improve on God's perfect revelation. The punishment fits the crime: God will add the plagues of this book to such a person. To subtract from it is to diminish God's word, to declare some part of it unnecessary or untrue. The punishment again fits the crime: God will subtract that person's portion from the blessings of this book, the tree of life and the holy city. While this applies specifically to the book of Revelation, the principle extends to the whole of Scripture. God's word is a finished, complete, and inviolable whole. To tamper with it is to invite the most severe judgment.
20 He who bears witness to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The book concludes with a final dialogue. Jesus, the faithful witness, gives His ultimate promise one last time: "Yes, I am coming quickly." The "Yes" is a solemn affirmation. This is certain. This is His final word. And John, speaking for the entire Church, responds with two words. First, "Amen." This is the word of faith. So be it. We believe your promise. Second, "Come, Lord Jesus." This is the prayer of hope. Having heard the promise, the Bride's deepest longing is for the Bridegroom to return. This is the great Christian prayer: Maranatha. Our Lord, come!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
The final sentence is a benediction, a blessing of grace. This is how Paul ended his letters, and it is a fitting end to the entire Bible. Everything, from Genesis to Revelation, is about the grace of God shown to us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our entire salvation, our perseverance, and our future hope all depend entirely on His unmerited favor. And so the Bible ends, as it must, with grace.
Application
This passage brings the entire Christian faith to a sharp and practical point. First, we are reminded that we live in an open-ended story that is hurtling toward a definite conclusion. The King is coming back. This is not a fable; it is the central promise that shapes all of history. This reality should give us a profound sense of urgency. The time is short. We are not to be sealing up the word, hiding it, or being timid with it. We are to proclaim it from the housetops, because judgment is coming.
Second, this passage forces us to confront our own spiritual condition. The coming of Christ fixes our destiny. Are we those who are practicing righteousness, or unrighteousness? Have we washed our robes in the blood of the Lamb? There is no middle ground. You are either inside the city or you are outside with the dogs. This is a call to radical self-examination and, if necessary, to repentance and faith. The invitation is still open. The Spirit and the Bride are still saying, "Come." If you are thirsty, you can come and drink freely.
Finally, this passage calls us to a deep and abiding love for the Word of God. We are to treasure it, study it, obey it, and refuse to tamper with it. In an age of theological novelty and compromise, we must stand firm on the finality and sufficiency of Scripture. And as we do, our hearts should be filled with the same longing that filled John's. As we look at the chaos of our world, as we groan under the weight of our own sin, our hearts should cry out with the Church of all ages, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."