Revelation · chapter 22 of 22
Updated on
Revelation 22 closes the Bible with the vision of the river of the water of life flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb and of the tree of life, where God's servants will see his face and reign forever. Christ declares three times that he is coming soon, calls himself the Alpha and the Omega and the bright morning star, and invites everyone who thirsts to come. The book ends with a warning about its message, the prayer Come, Lord Jesus, and the grace of the Lord Jesus.
The last chapter of the Bible takes up the images of Eden, the river and the tree of life, and brings them to fulfillment. It works as the epilogue of the whole book: it confirms that the words are trustworthy, calls for obedience and ends with an invitation and a prayer. For the first readers, persecuted and weary, it is a guarantee that the Lord will return and that his promises will be fulfilled.
The angel shows John the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. On either side is the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, one each month; its leaves are for the healing of the nations. No longer will anything be accursed. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city; his servants will worship him, see his face and bear his name on their foreheads; there will be no more night, no need of lamp or sun, and they will reign forever and ever.
The angel says these words are trustworthy and true and that the Lord sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. Christ says: I am coming soon; blessed is the one who keeps the words of this book's prophecy. John falls before the angel to worship him, and the angel stops him: he is a fellow servant with John, the prophets and those who keep this book's words; worship God.
John is told not to seal the words of the book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, the holy still be holy. Christ declares that he is coming soon with his recompense, to repay each for what he has done, and that he is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and last, beginning and end. Blessed are those who wash their robes: they will have the right to the tree of life and enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, sorcerers, the sexually immoral, murderers, idolaters and all who love and practice falsehood.
Jesus affirms that he sent his angel to testify to the churches and that he is the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star. The Spirit and the bride say: Come. Let the thirsty come and take the water of life without price. A warning forbids adding to or taking from the book. The one who testifies to these things says: Surely I am coming soon. John answers: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The river of the water of life flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb, and the tree of life yields fruit each month with leaves to heal the nations. It restores Eden and shows God's abundant life for all peoples.
God's servants will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads. It is the fullness of Christian hope: to behold God without barriers and belong to him completely.
Christ declares that he is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He claims the same titles that God the Father used earlier, a strong affirmation of his deity and of his lordship over history.
The Spirit and the bride say Come, and whoever is thirsty may take the water of life without price. The Bible's final invitation is open, free and addressed to everyone who thirsts.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: From the throne of God and of the Lamb. — Revelation 22:1
Answer: For the healing of the nations. — Revelation 22:2
Answer: They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. — Revelation 22:4
Answer: Not to do so, for he is a fellow servant, and to worship God. — Revelation 22:8-9
Answer: The Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the root and descendant of David and the bright morning star. — Revelation 22:13
Answer: With the prayer Come, Lord Jesus, and the wish that the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. — Revelation 22:20-21
Revelation 22 leaves us with a hope and an invitation. The hope is that Christ is coming and his reward is sure; the invitation is that whoever thirsts may come, take the water of life and also invite others. A group can pray the phrase Come, Lord Jesus as a prayer of trust, not anxiety, and ask whom they can invite to drink.
The final warning reminds us to treat the Word with reverence, neither adding nor taking away. And the Amen closes with grace: not with fear, but with the grace of the Lord Jesus on all. Living with our eyes on his return encourages everyday faithfulness, prayer and service to others while we wait.
Revelation 22 closes the book and the whole Bible with the promise that Christ is coming, the invitation to drink the water of life and the prayer of the church: Come, Lord Jesus. The story that began in a garden ends in a garden city where God dwells with his people, and the text's last wish is that the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.
There are several readings. Some understand soon as imminent, always near and calling us to be ready; others, as sudden, meaning that when it happens it will be swift; and others, as an expression of the certainty that it will happen. In every case the text calls for watchfulness and obedience, not for calculating dates.
It is a warning to those who copied and taught the book, so that they treat it faithfully. The plagues of the book would fall on whoever adds to it and a share in the tree of life would be taken from whoever takes away. It echoes similar warnings in Deuteronomy and underscores the seriousness of receiving God's Word.
It is a title of Christ. The morning star announces the dawn, and it is linked to Balaam's prophecy of a star coming out of Jacob and to the promise to Thyatira. It presents Christ as the hope that announces God's new day.