Tom Lowe
3/1/18
Book of Revelation Commentary
Topic # C.M.: CONCLUDING MATERIAL (22:6-21)
Lesson: C.M.2: The Testimony of Jesus, the Spirit, and the Bride (Rev. 22:12-17)
Scripture (Rev. 22:12-17, KJV)
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
14 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.
16 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.
17 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.
Introduction
(22:12-16) God devotes a lot of space in Scripture to this basic and important theme—THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST. He closes the Book with a last, lingering look at that finished work which for all eternity will be the wonder of heaven. The finished work of Christ settles what we are, where we are, and whose we are.
(22:17) I.t is fitting for the sacred Scripture to close with a reference to the Holy Spirit. For He is the Author of the Book and the One who has inspired every chapter, every verse, and every line. He is the omnificent genius behind this miracle in words, the Bible.
Commentary
12 And, behold, I come quickly{1]; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
We are reminded of the certainty and the closeness of the return of Jesus . . . not returning simply to be cheered by expectant saints and sons (22:7{2]), but coming with “rewards,” many and varied, to bestow upon each one according to the quality and character of stewardship rendered. The least service even a cup of cold water given in Jesus name will not be overlooked or go unrewarded.
What will your “reward” be? Our reward will be a place in God’s kingdom (see Matthew 25:34-40; Mark 9:47; 10:29-30{3]), not on the basis of merit (good deeds) but because of God’s gracious promise to people of faith (Luke 12:31-32{4]). The Bible records God’s rewarding His people for good works according to His justice. In the Old Testament, obedience often was rewarded in this life (Deuteronomy 28), but obedience and immediate reward are not always linked. If they were, good people would always be rich, and sin would always lead to pain and suffering. The believer’s true reward is God’s presence and power through the Holy Spirit. Later in eternity, believers will be rewarded for their faith and service. If material rewards in this life were to come to us for every faithful deed, we would be tempted to boast about our achievements and to act out of wrong motivations. No act of mercy will be forgotten; no true believer will be abandoned. (For more on rewards, see Matthew 16:27; 19:27-30; Luke 6:23, 35; 1 Corinthians 3:8, 13-15; 9:25; James 1:12.)
Although God’s people will be saved and will enjoy the “reward” of eternity with Him, a number of rewards seem to be given to individuals, according to what they have done. God will look at each individual’s heart; thus, it may be that a quiet saint praying daily beside her bed will receive an even greater reward than a flamboyant, well-known preacher. It may be that the woman who used her gifts to the fullest extent will be rewarded more greatly than the one who believed but was too afraid to reach her potential. God will not bestow His rewards in ways that we humans might. Each believer’s job is to serve God to his or her fullest potential with a heart that is right with Him.
In the previous verse (22:11{5]) we are told, apart from faith in Christ and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, a person goes on sinning until, at death, his character is forever fixed and set in a final, terrible mold. The wicked go on being wicked for all eternity. As he hung on the cross next to Jesus, the one thief died blaspheming and no doubt is still blaspheming. The lost go on sinning and therefore go on suffering. The righteous, on the other hand, continue being righteous, and because they are eternally holy, they are eternally happy. Here we are confronted with the awful fact that a man’s character becomes fixed and unchanging at death. The unjust and filthy will always be unjust and filthy, and the righteous and holy will always be righteous and holy. Here is a challenge; be ready for his coming. The cross of Christ stands between the sinner and the saints, separating the one from the other in time and in eternity.
[1} The word “quickly” means speedily, rapidly. When our Lord comes for His own it will be with lightning-like speed, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:32). His appearing will be with such suddenness that it will catch unawares all who are unprepared.
[2} “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” (Rev. 22:7)
[3} “Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30)
[4} “But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:31-32)
[5} “Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy." (Rev. 22:11) All mankind are originally, naturally, and universally filthy, or defiled with sin. Some are cleansed from it by the blood of Christ, others are not, and these will continue polluted,
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
“Where I am ye cannot come,” was the solemn word of Jesus to those who rejected Him. He would “depart and be with Christ” was the joyful testimony of Paul. Thus we find that there are those who will be with Him. These have two things in which to rejoice. They have the promise of His coming to sustain them. John says, “Behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (22:12-13). That is what the Lord is saying with these two verses! He’s coming back; He keeps on telling us that as the Book runs quickly toward its conclusion; He is coming back, and His rewards are in His hands.
The Creator began and will end time itself. Alpha and Omega is the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; it’s like saying he is the A and the Z, or even A-to-Z. Here, then, is the symbol that Jesus Christ has everything within Him and needs nothing from any other source. And there is the idea of eternity. He includes in Himself all time, for He is the first and the last. And there is the idea of authority. The Greeks said that Zeus was the beginning, the middle, and the end. The Jewish rabbis took over this idea and applied it to God, with their own interpretation. They said that, since God was the beginning, He received His power from no one; since He was the middle, He shared His power with no one; and since He was the end, he’d never handed over his power to anyone.
14 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.
But those who will be with Him not only have the promise of His coming; they also have the provision of His cross to sustain them. John says, “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the city.” Here again, the FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST is in view; it is in “THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB” that spiritual raiment is cleansed (7:14{6]). It is the FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST alone which opens up the way through the gates of the city to “the tree of life.” So then, John tells of those who will be with Him and will have this double anchor for their souls as they wait for His coming.
Greek authorities tell us that in the original language this should read “Blessed are they who have washed their robes,” not “blessed are they that do His commandments,” because certainly, we know that eternal life does not depend upon keeping the commandments. (Romans 10:4: “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”) We cannot inherit eternal life by keeping the commandments. Here we are assured that those who live spotless, consecrated, dedicated, Spirit-filled lives will be rewarded to the highest degree—or, as John puts it in 2 John 8, they will receive a full reward. Certainly, there will be degrees of rewards in heaven and throughout eternity. Those who live spotless lives will be blessed (happy) and they will have the right to partake of the fruit of the “tree of life,” and they will have the right to go “through the gates of the city.”
This phrase—“blessed are they that do His commandments,” (or “Blessed are they who have washed their robes,” (NIV)—shows man’s part in salvation. It is Jesus Christ who in His Cross alone has provided that grace by which man can be forgiven, but man has to lay hold of that sacrifice. To take a simple analogy, we can supply soap and water, but we cannot compel a person to use them. Those who enter the city of God are those who have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
This verse is a call to believer’s to strive daily to remain faithful and ready for Christ’s return. They do not need to be saved over and over, but they should continue to “wash their robes” and so remain clean and ready.
[6} “I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Rev. 7:14)
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
There are those who will be without Him, too. John says, “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and who so ever loveth and maketh a lie.” Verse 15 does not mean that just outside the city limits are dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, idolaters, etc.; instead, they will be in the lake of fire, as described in 20:15{7] and 21:8; nor is it meant to be an exhaustive list of sins. This verse refers to the same group and place as Revelation 21:8. There is no need to be confused about this verse. Those who are consecrated are happy, and happiness in this life will be rewarded with full joy and abundant reward on the other side. The emphasis is that nothing evil and no sinner will be in God’s presence to corrupt or harm any of the faithful. This may be an echo of Psalm 101:7:?“No man who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no man who utters lies shall continue in my presence.”
The word “dogs” was an eastern term of contempt for all vile, unclean, and injurious persons. It will be terrible enough for the lost to be tormented in the lake of fire, but their agonies will be intensified by the knowledge that they are “without.” They will have full knowledge of all that might have been theirs in heaven but which is forever lost to them now. The agonies of the rich man in hell must have been greatly intensified by the sight of the blessings of Lazarus. The damned rich man was not only conscious of where he was but of what he had missed. The lost will be exiles in the universe. The shame and the scandal of their sin will haunt them forever. They will be cut off from all that is holy and good and noble and beautiful. They will recall neglected opportunities. They will remember old friends they knew who were saved and are now walking the streets of gold. They themselves, however, are shut out, to face the remorse, the despair, the misery, and the pain of a lost eternity. Hell will be made infinitely hotter and more unbearable by a lost eternity. Hell will be made infinitely hotter and more unbearable by the thought of what they have lost by rejecting the FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST.
[6} “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:15)
[7} “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Rev. 21:8)
16 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.
Again the Lord Jesus speaks, and we are assured that this is not a riddle, not a book of confusion, but the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Christ had sent his “angel” to show John all that would come to pass (1:1{8]), so that the testimony could be given to the churches (all churches, but especially those mentioned in chapters 2-3 who would receive this letter). He says, “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.” That is whose we are! He is the Lover of the church, the Lord of the earth, and the Light of creation; and we belong to Him! How we should thank God for the FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST which lies behind all these magnificent statements in this closing section of this book.
It is the opinion of some that the Lord Jesus is here giving, as it were, His credentials. “I am the root and the offspring of David,” he says. That is a reference to Isaiah 11:1—“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Jesus is saying that in Him is the fullness of this prophecy, that He is at one and the same time the eternal source of being from which David came and his promised descendant.
Jesus was born King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2); He died as King of the Jews (Matthew 27:37). Jesus shall reign as King of the Jews (Zechariah 9:9). Not only is He King of kings, Lord of lords, and King of the Jews, but He is also “the bright and morning star.” Jesus is both David’s Root and Offspring. But as the Creator of all, He existed long before David. As a human, however, Jesus was one of David’s direct descendants (See Isaiah 11:1-5; Matthew 1:1-17). As the Messiah, He is the bright Morning Star, the light of salvation to all (See 2:28; 2 Peter 1:19). This great revelation of himself—Jesus the King, the Bridegroom—stirs the slumbering affections of the Bride. Her heart is moved. Jesus has kindled a fire in her soul which cannot be put out. She heard her lover say, “I am the bright and morning star.” The Bride immediately answers, “And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come!” To call a man a “morning star” was to place him very high among the heroes. The rabbis, for instance, called Mordecai by that name. More than that, this would recall the great Messianic prophecy: “A star shall come forth out of Jacob” (Numbers 24:17). And this would awaken other realms of thought. The morning star is the herald of the day which chases away the darkness of the night; before Jesus, the night of sin and death flees away.
The true Church—consecrated, true believers—long for the coming of Jesus. We are not shirkers of our duty, but it would be wonderful if Jesus would come this moment! We would be caught up to meet Him in the clouds in the air. We would attend the marriage supper of the Lamb. What a glorious day that will be! No wonder the Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!”
[8} “The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,” (rev. 1:1)
17 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 Spirit and the Bride have an invitation to give. The Bride, we know, is the Church. But what are we to understand by the Spirit? It may be the Spirit who is operating in all the prophets and who is always calling men back to God. Much more likely, though, John uses the Spirit for the voice of Jesus Himself. The regular ending of the letters to the seven Churches is an invitation to hear what the Spirit is saying (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). Now, the speaker to the seven Churches is the Risen Christ; and, therefore, quite clearly there the Spirit and the Christ are identified. “The Spirit and the Bride say; Come!” probably means that Christ and His Church are joining in the invitation to accept all that He has to offer. “Let him that hears say; Come!” symbolizes the great truth that every Christian is to be a missionary. He who has been found by Christ must find others for Christ. But there is also an invitation to all the thirsty souls to come to Jesus Christ, so that their need may be satisfied. It must remind us of God’s great invitation, “Ho, every one who thirsts come to the waters, and he who has no money; come, buy and eat! come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1); and also of the great word of Jesus himself, “He who comes to me shall not hunger; and he who believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). In Christ alone, the longing of the soul can’t be satisfied.
“COME!” is the grandest word in the gospel! It first rang out in the days of Noah when God was about to pour out His wrath against the world. The ark was finished and complete salvation provided, when God stepping inside the ark, turned to Noah and said, “Come.” Again and again, the blessing word rings out, and now, before closing the book forever, the Spirit sounds it out again. The Spirit says, “Come!” and the saints say, “Come!” and the very sinners who hear the message and respond say, “Come!” It is the last welcome, and those who refuse to heed it will one day hear in its place the dreaded word, “Depart!”
But please notice, it is not the Spirit in the Bride (the church), but the Spirit and the Bride. And both say, “Come.” That is, the Church indwelt by the Holy Spirit is longing for His return. When His church is dwelling in Him, “A glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle . . . but . . . holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27), then He shall be satisfied. And not until he appears will the church be fully satisfied.
Then each individual hearer says, “come!” This is the day when every believer should be crying out, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” This is the day of grace; the day of God’s longsuffering. The day of God’s mercy. The call today is to every thirsty soul to every weary, disappointed soul. The invitation today is “Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him drink of the water of life freely.” When Jesus had met the woman at the well, He had told her of the living water that he could supply (John 4:10-15; see also Isaiah 55:1; John 7:37). This image is used again here, as Christ invites anyone to come and drink of the water of life. The gospel is unlimited in scope—all kinds of people everywhere may come. Salvation cannot be earned, but God gives it freely. Any thirsty individual is invited to take and drink of the water of life freely.” This is the last invitation in the Bible.
Let every lost sinner come! “Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Let everyone within the sound of that welcoming invitation, who is conscious of a deep thirst of the soul, come and drink of the WATER OF LIFE. The water of life itself is offered here, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God. This world is a wilderness indeed, a desert as barren and bare to the soul as the trackless sands which led to King Solomon’s mines. Men and women are dying of spiritual thirst. Yet here is the water of life, and here the invitation! How strange is the insanity which keeps men from flinging themselves on their faces before God and drinking deep of the water of life? The rich man in hell wanted just a single drop to ease the torment of his thirst. When he was alive, he might have come and received eternal access to the river of life. But he never came. Now for all eternity, he must be tormented, with his cravings and longings forever unquenched. So then, this last welcome rings out from the Spirit of God—“Come!”
