Revelation 22:6–21 (ESV)
Jesus Is Coming
6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this
book.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the
angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and
the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
12 “Behold,
I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside
are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I,
Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
17 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.
18 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, 19 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.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Because John’s message is about the ultimate triumph of good over evil, it is always
relevant and all the more as the world slides further into chaos and corruption. On one level, Rv powerfully confirms what we already fear, i.e., our world and everyone in it is doomed. More profoundly, however, this Book is about transcendent hope. It shows
how infinitely greater God is than evil. By offering a vision of the new creation soon to be revealed, Rv draws us on toward our blessed hope in Christ. To Him be power and glory throughout the ages!
I pray: Blessed Redeemer, help us to keep these holy words and thereby conquer sin, death, and the devil. May we, along with Your whole Church on earth and heaven, continue praying with full confidence and a joyful expectation,
“Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!” Amen.
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 2236.