Revelation 22
LOIA Glorious Final Vision
No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. Revelation 22:3
John continues in his attempt to describe the indescribable. He is shown a river of the water of life proceeding from the throne (22:1). The scripture speaks a great deal about this future stream. In Psalm 46:4 it is said: “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.” The Prophet Zechariah adds: “On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter” (Zech. 14:8).
On each side of this river John sees the tree of life with its fruits. All human history has indeed made a great circle. Paradise is now regained. Renewed and obedient man is once again in the renewed garden of God. We see that the tree of life in this new garden yields fruit continually, and the fruit is for the healing or health of the nations (22:2). We are then told that the curse which has long troubled the earth is finished (22:3).
The servants will now serve God forever, and his holy name will be on their foreheads. They will at last see his face (22:4). What a blessed promise! (cf. Matt. 5:8; 1 Jo. 3:2). It is said that “they” being the servants will reign forever and ever (22:5). Indeed, what God began in Genesis he is now finishing in Revelation, as Bible scholar Lehman Strauss outlines very well: [12]
Genesis – The commencement of heaven and earth (1:1);
Revelation- The consummation of heaven and earth (21:1).
Genesis- The entrance of sin and the curse (3:1-19).
Revelation- The end of sin and the curse (21:27; 22:3).
Genesis- The dawn of Satan and his activities (3:1-7);
Revelation- The doom of Satan and his activities (20:10.
Genesis- The tree of life is relinquished (2:9; 3:24);
Revelation- The tree of life is regained (22:2).
Genesis- Death makes its entrance (2:17; 5:5);
Revelation- Death makes its exit (22:2).
Genesis- Sorrow begins (3:16);
Revelation- Sorrow is banished (21:4).
God made man to reign as his vice-regent on earth. This is stated in Psalm 8:6-9: “You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet:
all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (cf. Heb. 2:5-9).
We saw earlier that in his earthly ministry, Jesus talked a great deal about the kingdom of God (Mk. 1:15). Paul and other apostles talked about it too (Acts 19:8). As we have seen, the kingdom is one great key to understanding Revelation.
Again we remind ourselves that it is not man who reigns but Jesus the Messiah who now reigns completely in man. It is totally his victory, and the victory is total. To him be all the glory forever! Now the beautiful prophecy of Daniel 7:18 will become a reality: “But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever— yes, for ever and ever.” Kenneth Tinder remarks about the kingdom saying that this “Christian universe is peopled exclusively with royalty.” [13]
The words of the Revelation are trustworthy and true (22:6), but only those who love the truth (2 Thess. 2:10) and those who buy it, refusing to sell it (Prov. 23:23), will ever get hold of these things. Jerusalem will now be called the city of truth (Zech. 8:3). Only those who love the truth will enter the city or its lovely garden. Those who failed to love the truth have already received a powerful delusion and have believed a lie, resulting in their eternal damnation (2 Thess. 2:10-12).
Once again we are told that these things must soon take place. The Master then adds: “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll” (22:7). We realize once more that Revelation is about overcoming; it is about obedience. What a challenge for present-day lethargic, disobedient Christianity! True religion is about obedience to the very end, even if it means martyrdom. Great and unspeakable blessings of God are in store for the obedient!
The angel in addressing John says, “…I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this scroll…” (22:9). We are reminded by this that even angelic beings have the constant responsibility of obedience, just as we do.
John is instructed by the angel not to seal the words of this prophecy because of the nearness to its fulfillment (22:10). We can praise God that Revelation is no longer a sealed book. Jesus has broken the seals and the least saint is now able to interpret this book with God’s help.
John is told that as the end-day comes the vile will continue to be vile, but those who do right will continue in their righteousness and holiness (22:11). It is amazing that not even the awesome events of Revelation seem able to change the hearts of those beast worshippers, who are truly and permanently hardened toward God.
As he has said before he says again: “Look, I am coming soon!” (22:12). Those who wash their robes will be blessed. Those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb will have access to the city (22:14). Now the Master repeats much that he stated in Revelation 21:8. He breaks the sad news, “Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (22:15).
The road to Zion is a holy road as Isaiah said long before: “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it…But only the redeemed will walk there…” (Isa. 35:8-9). In Zechariah 13:1 the prophet tells us: “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” In Jeremiah 50:20 the prophet says: “In those days…search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none…”
Now as the prophecy ends, we are assured again that it is Jesus, the Root and Offspring of David, the bright and Morning Star, who is giving this word to the churches (22:16). Jesus is the fulfillment of everything promised to Israel through David. Also, like the Morning Star, he is the light-giver and the hope-giver, even for those who have lived through the darkest night of earth’s history.
The Holy Spirit and the Bride (the redeemed community) give the open invitation to “come.” Indeed, all who are thirsty may come (22:17). Today as signs of the world’s end are appearing everywhere, the invitation to a full salvation remains open.
This book of warnings and plagues now closes with a warning and promise of plague (22:18-19). This plague will be upon those who add or take away from this book (cf. Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:5-6). Certainly this includes all those who handle the word deceitfully. It could also apply to those who dare add their own false and ear-tickling scenarios to the Lord’s pure word. In this regard we know that teachers of the word will be judged more severely than others (Jas. 3:1). The plagues of this book may be added to them, or they may even lose their share in the holy city.
Again Jesus warns of his speedy coming (22:20). John then ends by returning the church’s invitation to the Lord. What is here uttered was the prevalent attitude of the earliest Christians, and it is expressed everywhere in the New Testament. In spite of all the great judgments and disasters associated with the Lord’s coming, they eagerly and joyfully await it. They cry out, “even so, come Lord Jesus!” (22:20 NKJV). May we join with them in hastening his coming.
Footnotes
Several sources I have cited here are from the electronic media, either from websites or from electronic research libraries. Thus in some of these sources it is not possible to cite page numbers. Instead, I have cited the verse or verses in Revelation (e.g. v. verse 1:1 or vs. verses 1:5-6) about which the commentators speak.
- Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John, p. 30.
Ladd understands the expression “in Jesus” as equivalent to Paul’s often used expression “in Christ.” This expression seems critical to our understanding of the overcomers.
- Beasley-Murray, New Century Bible Commentary, The Book of Revelation, p. 88.