FRIDAY
Today we come to the end of the book and the conclusion. I will keep my comments to a minimum, as it largely reemphasizes themes that we have already talked about at length throughout the book.
Revelation 22:6-21 Jesus Is Coming
6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
17 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 desires take the water of life without price.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
The meaning of these verses are relatively straightforward—a welcome reprieve in Revelation. The only verse that I feel the need to clarify is verse 17. Without a clear referent to the imperative, “come,” it can be unclear what the meaning is here. All three may be an invitation for unbelievers to come to Jesus. They may also be petitions for Jesus to return. With the context revolving around the imminent return of Jesus, I think it is best to take the first two as petitions for Christ to return. It is a little awkward for the Spirit to be inviting Christ to return, but since the Spirit is the one who speaks through the prophets and inspired the writing of this book, I don’t think it is insurmountable. Also, the Spirit produces this longing in believers for Jesus to return.
So, the first two are inviting Jesus to return soon, longing for his justice to be delivered and the new creation to be fully revealed. The last “come” is an invitation for those who thirst for God to find satisfaction in the gospel. It is an evangelistic plea to those who read this book to find their deepest longings satisfied in Christ.
The big idea here is the return of Jesus and longing for his return as the people of God.
Let us end this campaign with John’s words as an expression of our deepest longing for Christ to return soon and make all things new—”Come, Lord Jesus!” May this be our prayer when we witness evil. May this be the cry of our heart when we experience suffering and pain. May this be a declaration of our trust while we seek justice for the oppressed. May we encourage one another with these words when we are tempted to take vengeance into our own hands and retaliate.
“Come, Lord Jesus.”