THE CONCLUSION TO THE BOOK OF REVELATION

THE CONCLUSION OF THE BOOK

Rev. 22:6-21

"And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

The grand story has come to an end. The vision is over. The record now stands. Only one thing remains, and that is a responsibility to impress men with the importance and the insistence of this message. That is what follows.

The Importance of These Things Recorded in this Book vs. 6-11

"And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still."

"filthy still" This startling pronouncement, apparently uttered by Christ Himself, indicates that the direction of one’s character, as developed in this present life, will continue the same trend in the future life. In fact, the word “still” could well be translated “more.” That is, those who refuse the righteousness of Christ in this life will not show regret or repentance when consigned to hell in the future life, but will increase in ungodliness and ugliness instead. That may even be a part of hell’s torment, existing forever in an environment of increasing corruption, in solitary confinement as well as no body with which to perform their lusts and desires. Those with Christ in the new Jerusalem, on the other hand, will continue to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

The are Faithful. That is, They are Sure to Happen vs. 6-7

"And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book."

"blessed" The promised blessing at the beginning of the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1:3) is here repeated at its end, with an emphasis on the vital importance of keeping (that is, safeguarding against dilution or distortion or addition) the “sayings” (that is, the very words) of the book, right up to the always imminent coming of the Lord.

They are Fearful. That is, They are Soon to Happen vs. 8-9

"And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God."

They are Final. That is, they will Seal the Facts vs. 10-11

"And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still."

Fixed in their moral state at this point. Too late to change your moral, spiritual state as far as your relationship to the King. All believers must be glorified at this point for flesh and blood cannot enter the Kingdom. You cannot inherit in the fullest sense until you have a glorified body.

The Invitation to These Things Recorded in This Book vs. 12-17

"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

His life conception. Destiny has been fixed by the choice of the human will.
There were things planned from the foundations of the world e.g. Matt 25:34; John 17:24; Heb. 2:5 4:3; Eph. 1:4; Rev. 13:8; 1 Pet 1:20 and He that laid those plans, Whose heart desired this outcome was Eternally the Ever-Present One. PERSONAL: See note on Alpha and Omega in Psalms 41:13.  The Alpha and Omega, mentioned also in Rev 1:8, 21:6 and 22:13, are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.
"Blessed" This is the seventh and last of the “beatitudes” in Revelation. See also Revelation 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7.
 "do his commandments" Some manuscripts read “wash their robes” instead of “do His commandments,” and it is true that men are not saved by the law but by grace through faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. There is a reference (Revelation 7:14) to the tribulation saints who have “washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” and the latter rendering would be consistent with that particular verse. However, there are at least a dozen other references in John’s writings to keeping the commandments of Christ (John 14:15,21; 15:10 (2); 1 John 2:3-4; 3:22, 24; 5:2-3; Revelation 12:17; 14:12). Although no one is saved by keeping commandments, it is surely true that any person who is genuinely saved will love His commandments and seek to keep them. Jesus said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15), and John would add: “Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar” (1 John 2:3-4). It seems that the strong weight of internal evidence, as well as textual evidence, favors the traditional King James rendering.
"dogs" The inclusion of “dogs” along with whoremongers, murderers, and other gross sinners would indicate that the sin of being a “dog” is also a flagrant perversion of God’s moral law. The most likely connotation of the use of such a pejorative here would be in reference to the sin of sodomy, commonly practiced by the licentious Gentiles of John’s time, even in their pagan temple worship (Romans 1:26-27). This meaning is derived from God’s command in Deuteronomy 23:17-18: “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” The sin of homosexuality, as well as prostitution of any kind, is “abomination unto the LORD,” and whatsoever “worketh abomination” shall not enter the city (Revelation 21:27).
"churches" This is the first reference to “churches” since the letters to the churches at the beginning of the book (e.g., Revelation 3:22). This is undoubtedly because there will be no true churches as such in the world during the events of the tribulation period, as recorded in Revelation 4-19. However, everything in the book is intended for the instruction of the churches in this present age—hence, this reminder.
"David" The Lord Jesus Christ is both David’s Creator and his descendant (Matthew 22:41-46). That can only be true if He is both God and Man, the God/Man.
"morning star" Satan had aspired to be “Lucifer, son of the morning” (Isaiah 14:12), where “Lucifer” can also be translated “Day-Star” (Hebrew haylel), referring to Venus, the bright star of the dawning. Here, however, after Satan has been forever banished to the lake of fire, Christ proclaims that He alone is “the bright morning star,” where “morning” in this case is the Greek orthoinos, always referring only to Venus, the star of early dawn. At the end of his Revelation, the Lord is reminding all readers that He, not Satan, is the harbinger of eternal light and life. The great conflict of the ages between Satan and Christ, the old serpent and the promised Seed of the woman, will soon be over. Christ is the true Day-Star, Son of the morning.
"whosoever will" This final invitation of the Bible urges “whosoever will” to come to Christ. The water of everlasting life is freely available to all who thirst for God and His righteousness. There is no need for anyone to go to hell, but salvation is given only to those who will to come. Then, those who have come in answer to the invitation, the Bride, through the indwelling Spirit, join in the invitation, but in addition will cry out for Christ to come. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

The Invitation is Given with the Incentive of Prominence vs. 12-13

"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."

Rewards will be given to the energetic servant.

The Invitation is Given with the Incentive of Privilege vs. 14-15

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."

The right will be given to the saved to partake of the tree of life and to enter the city.

"The tree of life" is one of the many allusions in Revelation to Genesis. In order to keep fallen man from eating of "the tree of life," God drove him from Eden and placed cherubim at the gate to guard the way to the tree (Gen 2:9; 3:22,24). "The tree of life" appears three times in Rev 22 (vv. 2, 14, 19 [Gk.] ), where the new paradise is described. Gen 2:9; Rev 22:2,14

The Invitation is Given with the Incentive of Price vs. 16-17

"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

The water of life will be given without price (freely) to any who desire to partake.
Promises from Rev. 21:6 has come about. Cf. Isa 55:1.

"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."

 

The Inviolability of These Things Recorded in This Book vs. 18-21

"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
"the words" Note the importance of the words! The conveyance of precise thoughts requires the use of precise words. Only the doctrine of verbal inerrancy adequately expresses the true nature of Biblical inspiration. This warning at the end of the book of Revelation (in fact, the end of the Bible) stresses the necessity of literal interpretation. Actually, a literal interpretation is not an interpretation at all, for it takes the words at face value, assuming that the Holy Spirit (using the thoughts and abilities of the human writer whose words He inspired) was able to say exactly what He meant to say. Any kind of allegorical or figurative interpretation of those words (unless directly indicated as required in the context) assumes that the interpreter knows better than the Holy Spirit what He should be saying, and such an attitude is presumptuous, if not blasphemous.

No revisions to the Revelation of Jesus Christ are needed. Any additions or deletions have to do with what are imperfections and that will not be tolerated from sinful creatures. The precision and faithfulness to detail with this revelation cannot be improved upon by men. See also Deut 4:2; Deut 12:32; Prov 30:5-6; Jer 26:2.

The Preservation of the Message is Guaranteed by the Sentence upon the Destroyer vs. 18-19

"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

The Attestation of the Message is Guaranteed by the Person Who Gave the Message vs. 20

"He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

"come quickly" Here is Christ’s last, and greatest, promise. Although the promise was given over 2000 years ago, His coming has actually been imminent in every generation. In the scale of eternity, of course, even 2000 years is a very brief period of time. In any case, His coming is sure, and when He does come, all the events associated with it will indeed take place quickly, as described in this book. In the meantime, we must simply obey His command to “occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13).
 come, Lord Jesus. Here is the last, and most appropriate, prayer of the Bible. The Lord, indeed, taught us that our first request in praying should always be, in effect: “Thy kingdom come. They will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Our attitude always should be to “love His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8) and to “abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28).

 These are the last words before the benediction. They are the words of the Lord Jesus and the words of those who bear His name, and wear His sign. The words of the Lord Jesus are the words of His confidence, and of His strength. To that glorious consummation He is coming, and that all the time. The word "quickly" must be interpreted, not by our finite lives, and our small almanacs, but by His age abiding life, and our age-abiding life in Him. By one reckoning of the years, well nigh two millenniums have gone since John heard these words, and certainly another millennium will pass before the City of God shall come. But to Him to Whom a thousand years are but as a day, surely He cometh quickly. The haste of God may seem slow to men if they measure by the small span of an earthly life. To them also it will be great haste, if they measure it by the eternal life. The one sure thing is that He cometh! Through patience, through wrath, through all the processes, He cometh. Nothing can prevent His coming. That very assurance gives urgency to the answering cry of His own- "Amen, come Lord Jesus"! That coming is the only hope of the world, and there is no desire so pure, so strong, so influential in all highest ways, as that He should come indeed.

 To His glorious consummation He is coming, and that all the time. Quickly is not interpreted by our finite lives but by His age-abiding life. The haste of God may seem slow to men if they measure by the small span of an earthly life. To them also it will be of great haste if they measure by eternal life.
The Apocalypse is also the Book of the Second Coming of Christ. After six verses of introductory material, the main body of the book opens with the glad announcement: "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him" (Rev. 1:7). And the final word from Christ Himself, uttered from His present throne of grace in heaven, is the promise, "Surely I come quickly"; to which John responds with the last prayer recorded in Scripture, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20).

The Benediction of the Message is the Assurance that it Will be Realized  "Grace." vs. 21

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

Paul always began and ended his epistles with reference to the grace of Christ, and so did John here in Revelation (note Revelation 1:4). It is all of grace—we live, are saved, live and die—all by the grace of God in Christ. And that isn’t all. “In the ages to come,” our God of all grace will “shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 2:7). In the words of John’s benediction, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will indeed be with us all throughout the eternal ages to come, and we can only whisper in awe and thanksgiving: “Amen!”