Revelation 22:17-21

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.  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, 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.  He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.  Amen.

The revelation concludes with words of encouragement and words of warning.  It is fitting that these final words of Scripture articulate both the grace and justice of God.  God loving invites humanity into a relationship with Himself.  He also solemnly warns any who would dare try to modify the truths contained in His Word.  Finally, the Word of God concludes with words of hope and anticipation of Christ’s return.

A GLORIOUS INVITATION: The heart cry of all who love Jesus is an invitation for Him to “come.”  The most wonderful invitation anyone could ever receive from the Lord is the invitation to “come.”  Both invitations are seen in this passage.  Jesus has repeatedly promised to come and to come quickly.  The Spirit of God wants the return of Christ to come to fruition as it will put an end to sin, death, and rebellion against the Father.  The Bride of Christ, the Church, longs for the sufferings of this present world to be over so we cry: “come.”  All who hear the Gospel and respond in faith will join this invitation for the Lord to keep His promise and return as He has promised.  The invitation to come and be a part of the Bride is extended by the Spirit to all who hear and are thirsty.  The invitation is to come and drink freely of the water of life.  Unfortunately, many who hear the Gospel are not thirsty.  They don’t recognize their desperate need of forgiveness.  They don’t understand that they are dead and need the free gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.  But, for those who thirst, longing to be forgiven and free from sin, there is an invitation to drink the water of life by trusting Christ and they will never thirst again.  The return of Christ and the salvation it brings to all who believe is glorious.

AN OMINOUS ADMONITION: There is a stern warning to all who read this revelation.  That warning is to never take away from or add to this revelation.  The vision that John received is profound and if we are honest can be confusing.  There are hard things reveled about God and about mankind.  The judgments foretold in this book are not pleasant to consider.  Man may be tempted to ignore or even remove some of these hard revelations.  Others may be tempted to add things to the revelation to make it seem more palatable.  These temptations must be resisted.  The revelation of God must be left as it is.  Adding to or subtracting from the revelation of God is a grave sin that will result in judgment and eternal condemnation.  The plagues described in this book are promised to those to add to this revelation.  Removal from the revelation will result in being removed from having access to the tree of life and the New Jerusalem that was described.  The Gospel is something that can never be altered by either addition or subtraction or it makes it of no effect.  

A JOYOUS CONCLUSION: The conclusion of the revelation is simply a promise from the Lord that He is coming soon and a response from the hearers rejoicing with an AMEN!!! Please Lord Jesus come soon.  We long for the day when we will be free from sin and be able to hear Him call us to come into His presence.  The pain and heartache associated with living in a fallen world with fallen bodies will be forever gone.  This glorious hope is only by God’s grace.  Salvation from sin cannot be earned and is never deserved.  Praise the Lord for His mercy and grace that calls us to come into everlasting life!

APPLICATION: Live with an expectation and longing for the return of Christ.  Hunger and thirst for righteousness and be satisfied by eating the Bread of life and drinking the living water offered to us in the righteousness of Christ through faith in Him.  Never add to or subtract from the revealed Word of God.  Rejoice in the glorious hope of the Gospel and the imminent return of Christ.