"No Substitute"

August 28, 2022

Background: Revelation 22:8-21; Print: Revelation 22:10-21;

Key Verse: Revelation 22:18-19; Devotional: Psalm 119:97-104

Revelation 22:10-21 (NKJV)
¹⁰  And he said to me, "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.
¹¹  He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still."
¹²  "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
¹³  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last."
¹⁴  Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
¹⁵  But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
¹⁶  "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star."
¹⁷  And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
¹⁸  For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;
¹⁹  and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
²⁰  He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
²¹  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Revelation Chapter 22 (Commentary)

22:10-11 The words of the book were not to be sealed up because the time is near (22:10). Rather, they are to be read—which will lead people to one of two responses. Some will not heed the admonitions and continue on a path of rebellion against God. As John puts it, the filthy will still be filthy. Others, however, will heed the warnings and move in the direction God wants them to go, namely, righteousness (22:11).

22:12-14 Jesus—the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (22:13)—is coming soon to reward each believer according to his work (22:12). The reward will include access to the tree of life and the city (22:14). The greater a person’s faithfulness in earthly life, the greater his or her access will be to special blessings in the eternal state.

22:15 The wicked, those who never received Jesus as their Savior, will remain under the curse and be separated from the blessings described in this chapter. Among them will be those whose base, sensual living made them like dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

22:16 Revelation was written specifically for believers. That’s why Jesus declares, I . . . have sent my angel to attest these things to you for the churches. It’s about the future, but it’s for the present-day church. The bright morning star is another way of referring to the sun. In the daytime, it is the one star sufficiently luminous and powerful to light the entire earth. Spiritually speaking, Jesus is “the bright morning star” because he is the most powerful source of spiritual illumination and is the sole source of eternal life.

22:17 John ends the book with an evangelistic invitation. The Holy Spirit, the church, and anyone who hears the message all beckon sinners to come to Christ. Anyone who is spiritually thirsty may have his or her thirst quenched by Jesus. And best of all, this spiritual satisfaction is free.

22:18-19 Don’t mess with the Word. That’s John’s admonition in these verses, and it applies specifically to the book of Revelation. It has two components. First, do not add to the prophecy of this book. The penalty for doing so will be the plagues that are written in it (22:18). Second, do not take away from the words of the book. Those who do so will have their heavenly rewards taken away, namely, their share of the tree of life and the holy city (21:19).

22:20 Much of Revelation is difficult to understand because of its symbolism, but the book concludes by underscoring with notable simplicity two central themes. First, Jesus is coming soon. You can understand this even if details of the rapture, the tribulation, the second coming of Jesus, the millennium, and the eternal state remain unclear.

Second, the glorious future in store for followers of Jesus should inspire worship. John’s response to all that was revealed to him was an exclamation of worshipful affirmation: Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

22:21 The wrath to come on all who do not acknowledge Jesus as Savior contrasts with the grace of the Lord Jesus available to everyone during the church era. It is with a prayer for that saving grace to be broadly bestowed that John closes the book.