New Testament · Prophecy

Revelation 22

Come, Lord Jesus

The final invitation. The Spirit and the bride say: Come. The last words of Scripture are a promise and a prayer.

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1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

3And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

4And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

5And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

6And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

7Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

8And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

9Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

10And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

11He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

12And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

13I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

14Blessed 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.

15For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

16I 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.

17And 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.

18For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

20He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

21The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Understand This

Revelation 22, explained

What Revelation 22 is saying

The angel shows John a river of the water of life flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb through the city, with the tree of life on either side bearing twelve fruits and leaves 'for the healing of the nations.' The curse of Genesis 3 is reversed: God's servants see His face, bear His name on their foreheads, and reign forever. The epilogue contains solemn attestations of the book's authenticity, warnings against adding to or subtracting from its words, and the repeated promise 'I am coming soon' (erchomai tachy). The Apocalypse closes with the church's responsive prayer: 'Come, Lord Jesus' (Erchou, Kyrie Iesou)—the Greek equivalent of the Aramaic Maranatha.

The background behind it

The river and tree of life deliberately restore the Eden imagery of Genesis 2:9–10, creating an inclusio for the entire biblical canon. The tree's healing leaves for the nations draws on Ezekiel 47:12, where trees along the eschatological river produce monthly fruit and medicinal leaves. The Maranatha prayer (1 Corinthians 16:22) was among the earliest liturgical expressions of the primitive church, reflecting eschatological longing.

Themes running underneath

The Genesis-to-Revelation inclusio is theologically deliberate: what was lost in the garden is not merely restored but exceeded—a city replaces a garden, and the river flows from a throne rather than emerging from the ground. The healing of the nations indicates that the new creation addresses not only individual salvation but the restoration of broken international and intercultural relationships. The open canon warning preserves the text's integrity while the 'Come, Lord Jesus' prayer ensures the Apocalypse ends not with information but with worship.

Why it still matters

The final chapter anchors Christian hope not in escape from creation but in its ultimate renewal. The closing prayer models the proper response to apocalyptic revelation: not fear or speculation, but longing for the presence of Christ.

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.