1He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3There will be no curse any more. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will serve him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5There will be no night, and they need no lamp light or sun light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.
6He said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord God of the spirits of the prophets sent his angel to show to his bondservants the things which must happen soon.”
7“Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8Now I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who had shown me these things. 9He said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers, the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” 10He said to me, “Don’t seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. 11He who acts unjustly, let him act unjustly still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him do righteousness still. He who is holy, let him be holy still.”
12“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, to repay to each man according to his work. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city. 15Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
17The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” He who hears, let him say, “Come!” He who is thirsty, let him come. He who desires, let him take the water of life freely.
18I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book. 19If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. 20He who testifies these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus!
21The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints. Amen.
Revelation 22
There is no Better Way to Live
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book. 19 If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. 20 He who testifies these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus!
Dear Reader: Thank you for making it through this book of devotional readings. This is the last chapter of the Book of Revelation and the final chapter of not only this book, but of things to come. John describes heaven to us in such wild terms that it’s hard to know if it is an actual description or a metaphor. He opens the end with a description of a river of life and a fruit tree that bears a different fruit each month of the year. This is the end of the vision that Jesus Himself gave to John, the disciple whom He loved. Jesus tells us that we who are reading and listening to these words should be careful not to take away from the words of the book of this prophecy. We should never discount anything that the Bible tells us. It is all the inspired holy word of God Himself. There may be parts of it that we do not understand, and that’s okay. Just don’t take away or diminish any of what you do understand when you read it. Many pick and choose what they want to believe about the Bible. Thomas Jefferson didn’t like the miracles, so he created a version of the Bible which had all of the miracles excised (cut out) of the book that He produced. Jefferson literally “took away” from the words God gave us, and in doing so, he replaced what God wanted to communicate with what Jefferson wanted to communicate. Interestingly, Jefferson’s version of the Bible has never been seen by most of us. And, it will never be seen. Yet, there are many copies of the Bible available on all sides. God’s word will endure forever.
Hence, the end of Revelation is a true warning: if we choose to read the book as Jefferson did, there is no room prepared for us in that Holy City, heaven. Likewise, we shall not be blessed to partake of the “tree of life.” I assume that to mean eternal life with Jesus. In this devotional book, I’ve examined the prophecies that foretold of Jesus’ coming. I’ve cited instances from His ministry on earth. I’ve walked through the early days of the Church in the Book of Acts, listening as Peter, Barnabas, and Paul have brought the gospel to the Jew and to the Gentile. We’ve walked together through the writings of Paul, as revealed by the Holy Spirit, urging us to believe, repent, and walk in newness of life. We’ve received teaching after teaching urging us to walk in the righteousness that is our new identity in Christ and to live lives of holiness by seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit daily, and in doing what He calls each of us to do. This book describes how to be a Christian and how to live not like a Christian, but as a true, devoted Christ-Follower. Each lesson is another look at how to live out the words of this book, The Bible, in real time. That means in real life!
If you are a believer, there is plenty in this book to digest and to pull you closer to Him if you allow Him to do so. If you are not a believer, you are now faced with a choice. It is a choice of eternal consequences. It is a choice that God gives you in His mercy and grace. He loves you, even while you are a sinner (Romans 5:8). By His love, He has attracted you and pulled you toward Himself (Ephesians 2:4-5). He specifically tells you how to enter into a relationship with him (John 3:16), and how to be born again. He likewise tells you what saving belief looks like (Romans 10:9-10). This salvation, offered to you, cannot be earned or deserved. But it is available to you as a free gift through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Reader, are you ready to make such a commitment? When Abraham believed what God had said, God reckoned (or saw) that belief as righteousness. In that moment, Abraham was saved and found a place in the bosom of God for all of eternity. The same place can be set aside for you today. Today can be the day of your salvation. If you have never done so, I urge you to call upon the name of the Lord today and be saved! There is no better way to live.