Heaven is more than a destination; it is a motivation. Knowing that we shall dwell in the heavenly city ought to make a difference in our lives here and now. The vision of the heavenly city motivated the patriarchs as they walked with God and served Him (Heb. 11:10, 13–16). Knowing that He was returning to the Father in heaven also encouraged Jesus Christ as He faced the cross (Heb. 12:2). The assurance of heaven must not lull us into complacency or carelessness, but spur us to fulfill our spiritual duties.
We must keep God’s Word (vv. 6–11, 18–19). Because what John wrote is the Word of God, his words are faithful and true (see Rev. 19:11). The same God who spoke through the prophets also spoke through the apostle John. As the “capstone” of God’s revelation, John’s book cannot be divorced from the rest of the Bible. If we deny that John wrote the truth, then we must also deny the prophets.
What does it mean to “keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (Rev. 22:7)? Basically, it means to guard, to watch over, to preserve intact. We must not add to the Word of God or take anything from it (see Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:5–6). And this responsibility is especially great in light of Christ’s return. The word shortly in Revelation 22: means “quickly come to pass.” The church has expected Christ to return since the days of the apostles, and He has not yet come, but when John’s prophesies begin to be fulfilled, they will happen very quickly. There will be no delay.
The warnings in Revelation 22:18–19 do not suggest that people who tamper with the Bible will be brought back to earth to suffer the tribulation’s plagues, or that they will lose their salvation. Nobody fully understands the Bible or can explain everything in it, and those of us who teach the Word sometimes have to change our interpretations as we grow in knowledge. God sees the heart, and He can separate ignorance from impudence and immaturity from rebellion.
It was customary in ancient days for writers to put this kind of warning at the close of their books, because the people who copied them for public distribution might be tempted to tamper with the material. However, John’s warning was not addressed to a writer, but to the hearer, the believer in the congregation where this book was read aloud. By analogy, however, it would apply to anyone reading and studying the book today. We may not be able to explain the penalties given, but we do know this: it is a dangerous thing to tamper with the Word of God. The one who guards the Word and obeys it will be blessed; the one who alters it will be disciplined in some way.
For a second time, John was overwhelmed by what he saw and heard, and he fell down to worship the angel who was speaking to him (see Rev. 19:10). The angel gave John three words of counsel: do not worship angels; worship God; and do not seal up the Revelation. The prophet Daniel was commanded to seal his book (Dan. 12:4), because the time was not yet ready. John’s book was an “apocalypse,” an unveiling (Rev. 1:1), and, therefore, it must not be sealed.
Once again, the Holy Spirit is reminding us of the living unity of God’s Word. We have seen in our study how John, led by the Spirit, reached back into the Old Testament and used many of the images found there, including Daniel’s prophecy. Scripture is its own best interpreter.
Does Revelation 22: suggest that God does not want men to repent and change their ways? No, because that would be contrary to the message of Revelation and of the gospel itself. The angel’s words must be understood in light of the repeated statement, “Behold, I come quickly” (Rev. 22:7, 12), as well as his statement, “For the time is at hand” (Rev. 22:10). Jesus Christ’s coming will occur so quickly that men will not have time to change their characters.
Revelation 22:11, therefore, is a solemn warning that decision determines character, and character determines destiny. Suffering believers might ask, “Is it worth it to live a godly life?” John’s reply is, “Yes! Jesus is returning, and He will reward you!” Next comes John’s second admonition.
We have the responsibility of serving the Lord (vv. 12–14). “My reward is with me” implies that God is mindful of our sufferings and our service, and nothing will ever be done in vain if it is done for Him. At the judgment seat of Christ, believers will be judged according to their works, and rewards will be given to those who have been faithful.
Throughout church history, there have been those who have (to use Dwight L. Moody’s words) become “so heavenly minded that they were no earthly good.” They quit their jobs, sold their property, and sat and waited for Jesus to return. All of them have been embarrassed, of course, because it is unbiblical to set dates for His coming. It is also unbiblical to become careless and lazy just because we believe Jesus is coming soon. Paul faced this problem with some of the believers in Thessalonica (2 Thess. 3).
No wonder John added, “Blessed are they that do his commandments” (Rev. 22:14). If we really believe that Jesus is coming soon, we will watch and be faithful (Luke 12:35ff.).
Revelation 22: is a great encouragement to anyone who seeks to serve the Lord. Whatever God starts, He will finish, for He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last (see Phil. 1:6; 2:12–13).
We must keep our lives clean (vv. 15–16). The contrast here is between those who do God’s commandments and enter the city, and those who reject His Word and are excluded from the city (see Rev. 21:8, 27). It is not likely that those who “do His commandments” are a special or an elite group of saints. The phrase is similar to “them that overcome” and characterizes all the people of God. Obedience to God’s Word is a mark of true salvation.
Our Lord’s titles in Revelation 22: are most interesting. The “root” is buried in the ground where no one can see it, but the “star” is in the heavens where everyone can see it. In “the root and offspring of David” we have Jesus’ Jewish, national name, but in “the bright and morning star” we have His universal name. One speaks of humility, the other of majesty and glory.
As “the root … of David,” Jesus Christ brought David into existence. As “the offspring of David,” Jesus came into this world, born a Jew from David’s line. Both the deity and the humanity of Jesus are evident here. For a parallel, see Matthew 22:41–46.
The “morning star” announces dawn’s soon arrival. Jesus Christ will come for His church as “the Morning Star.” But when He returns to judge, it will be as “the Sun of righteousness” in burning fury (Mal. 4:1–3). Because God’s people look for their Lord’s return, they keep their lives clean and dedicated to Him (1 John 2:28–3:3).
We must keep expecting Jesus Christ to return (vv. 17, 20–21). Three times in this closing chapter John wrote, “I [Christ] come quickly” (Rev. 22:7, 12, 20). But He has “delayed” His return for nearly 2,000 years! Yes, He has, and Peter tells us why: God wants to give this sinful world opportunity to repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:1ff.). In the meantime, the Spirit of God, through the church (the bride), calls for Jesus to come, for the bride wants to meet her Bridegroom and enter into her home. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).
But believers ought also to invite lost sinners to trust Christ and drink the water of life. Indeed, when the church lives in expectancy of Christ’s return, such an attitude provokes ministry and evangelism as well as purity of heart. We want to tell others of the grace of God. A true understanding of Bible prophecy should both motivate us to obey God’s Word and to share God’s invitation with a lost world.
If our study of Revelation has been truly led by the Spirit, then we will join John in the Bible’s last prayer:
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”
V E R S I O N SB I B L EAre you ready? Scripture quotations marked nasb are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; niv are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved; and nkjv are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked asv are from The American Standard Version © Copyright 1901. (Public Domain); ph are taken from J. B. Phillips: The New Testament in Modern English, revised editions © J. B. Phillips, 1958, 1960, 1972, permission of Macmillan Publishing Co. and Collins Publishers; and wms are from The New Testament in the Language of the People, by Charles B. Williams. Copyright 1937 by Bruce Humphries, Inc.; assigned 1949 to Moody Bible Institute, Chicago. Scripture quotations marked wuest are taken from The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest. © Copyright Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1961. All rights reserved; ab are taken from The Amplified Bible. Copyright © 1954, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and rsv are taken from the Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971], Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked tlb are taken from The Living Bible, © 1971, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60189. Used by permission; nlt are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved; and sco and srb are taken from the New Scofield Reference Bible, King James version, © 1967 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Reprinted by permission. Scripture quotations marked breck are taken from the Breckinridge Bible, published in 1841 by Case, Tiffany and Burnham. (Public Domain); kjv are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain); and brv are taken from the New Berkeley Version in Modern English. © 1969 Zondervan. All rights reserved. Used by permission.