God’s Final Invitation

REVELATION 22:6-21

Main Idea: Christ invites all who will hear to turn from their sin, trust Him as Lord and Savior, eagerly await His coming, and walk faithfully before Him until He comes.

1. Invitation 1: Obey the Word of God (22:6-7).
2. Invitation 2: Be True to the Worship of God (22:8-9).
3. Invitation 3: Proclaim the Truth of God (22:10-11).
4. Invitation 4: Pursue the Will of God (22:12-15).
5. Invitation 5: Respond to the Invitation of God (22:16-17).
6. Invitation 6: Heed the Warning of God (22:18-19).
7. Invitation 7: Pray for the Coming of God (22:20-21).

Our God takes delight in inviting the peoples of the world, who are made in His image, to come and be satisfied in Him. Time and again throughout the Bible we see God extending an invitation to come and enjoy who He is and all that He provides. Sometimes these invitations are extended through God’s servants; other times they come directly from God Himself:

Proclaim Yahweh’s greatness with me; let us exalt His name together. (Ps 34:3)

Come and see the wonders of God; His acts for humanity are awe-inspiring. He turned the sea into dry land, and they crossed the river on foot. There we rejoiced in Him. (Ps 66:5-6)

Come, let us shout joyfully to the Lord, shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation! Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout triumphantly to Him in song. (Ps 95:1-2)

“Come, let us discuss this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool.” (Isa 1:18)

Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Why do you spend money on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and you will enjoy the choicest of foods. Pay attention and come to Me; listen, so that you will live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the promises assured to David. (Isa 55:1-3)

Follow Me . . . and I will make you fish for people. (Matt 4:19)

Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matt 11:28-30)

Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matt 25:34)

Then, looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” (Mark 10:21)

Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me. (Rev 3:20)

And finally, in the last book of the Bible, the last chapter in the book, we are told in verse 17,

Both the Spirit and bride say, “Come!” Anyone who hears should say, “Come!” And the one who is thirsty should come. Whoever desires should take the living water as a gift.

At the very end our God one last time invites people to come to Him and be saved.

Last words are important words. Indeed, last words are intended to be lasting words, words that make an impression, words that will stay with the listener or the reader. In REVELATION 22:6-21 we come to the last words in the book of Revelation, the last words of the Bible. God’s written Word comes to an end, and so what we find here is of utmost importance to God. It also should be of utmost importance to us. Two themes are dominant: the reliability and authenticity of the book and the imminence of the end.

As the Apocalypse comes to an end, God sends forth His final invitation. Actually, I believe seven invitations are embedded in these final words of the Bible. Here we will discover words of affirmation, encouragement, command, and warning. As our Lord repeatedly challenged the seven churches in chapter 2–3, anyone who has an ear should listen!

Invitation 1: Obey the Word of God

REVELATION 22:6-7

REVELATION 22:6-21 is the epilogue to the book that contains various speakers and subjects. Duvall notes that it has

important parallels with the prologue in 1:1-8, and three central themes that reinforce the overall message of the book: (1) the book is an authentic prophecy from God (22:6-8,10,16,18-19), (2) Jesus Christ’s return is imminent (22:6-7,10,12,20), and (3) those who obey the prophecy will be blessed (22:7,9,11,14,17,18-19). (Revelation, 304)

The angel who began talking to John in 21:9 (also 22:1) tells him, “These words,” the words of the Revelation, are “faithful and true.” They are reliable, dependable. You can trust these words. After all, their source is “the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets,” who inspired and moved them to write (see 2 Pet 1:20-21). Further, in this book, the Lord sent “His angel to show His slaves what must quickly take place.” This recalls the first verse of the book. What you have received is clearly divine revelation. It is from God.

In verse 7 the Lord Jesus speaks directly once again (see 16:15) addressing the imminence and certainty of His second coming: “Look, I am coming quickly.” Some form of the word “come” appears seven times in this final chapter. In light of His “anytime return,” what should our response be? We should “[keep] the prophetic words of this book.” We should diligently and consistently obey God’s Word. Those who do are promised to be blessed (see 1:3).

Here then is how we should live in anticipation of the return of the King. Let the Word of God live in your daily life. Let Scripture guide you and shape you. Let it do its powerful work as it, by the Spirit, transforms you into the image of the Lord Jesus. Dennis Johnson says it well in his commentary on Revelation:

Scripture is not a passive cadaver, waiting for curious medical students to dissect it in their quest for information. It is a living, double-edge sword that proceeds from the mouth of the triumphant Son of Man and pierces the thoughts and intents of our hearts. It is a hammer that shatters, a seed that grows, rainfall that never returns to its Giver without accomplishing the mission on which he sent it. Scripture has a job to do in us. (Triumph of the Lamb, 334)

Invitation 2: Be True to the Worship of God

REVELATION 22:8-9

John affirms he is the one who both “heard and saw these things,” the messages and visions of Revelation. Understandably, they were overwhelming. John honestly confesses, “When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me.” Immediately, the angel commands him, “Don’t do that!” The angel knows that to worship anything other than God is idolatry. He explains to John, “I am a fellow slave with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep [i.e., obey] the words of this book.” He, too, is a servant of our great God. Therefore, John, watch out! Think clearly! Always remember: “Worship God!”

John had already received this same warning in 19:10. But like us he had not learned his lesson. Once more he has to be reminded of the basic truth of Exodus 20:3 and the first commandment: “Do not have other gods besides Me.” From this we are once again shown that to take a good thing (like an angel) and turn it into a god thing is to make it into a bad thing (an idol). MacArthur clearly and simply reminds us, “God alone is the only acceptable person to worship. The Bible forbids the worship of anyone else, including angels, saints, the Virgin Mary, or any created being (see Col. 2:18)” (Revelation 12–22, 296).

Invitation 3: Proclaim the Truth of God

REVELATION 22:10-11

Unlike the prophet Daniel who was told, “[K]eep these words secret and seal the book until the time of the end” (Dan 12:4), John is told, “Don’t seal the prophetic words of this book.” Why is his command different? Because “the time is near.” Christ could return at any moment. Eternity is drawing closer. For all of us, it is only a heartbeat away. We dare not silence the Word of God by disobedience, indifference, laziness, or neglect. We must preach it and teach it continually and faithfully. A time is coming when the opportunity to respond to the gospel and the Word of God will be no more.

Verse 11 echoes Daniel 12:9-10, which says, “Go on your way, Daniel, for the words are secret and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; none of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.” Revelation 22:11 contains four commands that serve as warnings and encouragement. It affirms that a day is coming when change will no longer be possible. That is true eschatologically, but it is also true personally. How we respond to the truth of God’s Word in this life will confirm our character and determine our destiny for all eternity. Negatively, the unrighteous will still do evil, and the filthy will forever be filthy. On a positive note, the righteous will still do right, and the holy will still be holy. One’s character will be set, forever fixed in a final condition and disposition. Those in hell will have no heart and passion for God. Those in heaven will delight in their emulation of their Lord. These truths must be told. We dare not be silent. Souls are at stake. Eternal destinies hang in the balance.

Invitation 4: Pursue the Will of God

REVELATION 22:12-15

Verse 12 contains a third affirmation of the imminent return of Christ: “Look! I am coming quickly.” And when He comes, He is bringing his “reward” with Him (see Isa 40:10). He will “repay each person according to what he has done.” Jeremiah 17:10 reminds us, “I, Yahweh, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.” Mounce notes, “The reward will be spiritual blessedness to the righteous but judgment for those who are evil. It is the quality of a person’s life that provides the ultimate indication of what that person really believes” (Revelation, 407). Verse 13 makes clear the One who will render the judgment is fully qualified. He is the “Alpha and Omega,” the A to Z (see 1:8; 21:6), “the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” He sees all and He knows all. Nothing you ever think, feel, or do escapes Him.

There is in verse 14 a seventh and final blessing for the one who loves and obeys God, for “those who wash their robes.” Those who have been washed by Christ in justification continue to wash their robes in sanctification (see John 13:10). Duvall notes that in the first century context this washing “refers to persevering in faithfulness to Christ and refusing to compromise with the world, even in the face of tribulation” (Revelation, 306). These who are faithful in following the Lamb are promised access or “the right to the tree of life” as well as access to the holy city Jerusalem “by the gates.” Eternal life in the eternal city is in their future forever.

Verse 15 stands in striking contrast to verse 14. Those whose destiny is the lake of fire are described as those “outside” the holy city. The list here recalls 21:8. Mounce’s comments are instructive:

John describes six (or perhaps seven, depending upon how one views the two kinds of liars) types of evildoers who are excluded from the city. The term “dog” is used in Scripture for various kinds of impure and malicious persons. In Deut. 23:17-18 the term designates a male cult prostitute. In the Jewish culture of first-century Palestine it was used in reference to the heathen (Matt. 15:22ff), and in Phil. 3:2 Paul turns the tables and applies it to the Judaizers. Those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, murderers, idolaters, and all liars are to be excluded along with the dogs. To love and practice falsehood is to be totally devoid of truthfulness. These have become like their leader, Satan, “who leads the whole world astray” (Rev. 12:9; also 13:13-15; 16:14). (Revelation, 408)

Invitation 5: Respond to the Invitation of God

REVELATION 22:16-17

Jesus authenticates the message of Revelation in verse 16. He, Himself, sent His angel “to attest these things to [John] for the churches.” And this Jesus is the Root (i.e., source) and the Offspring (i.e., descendant) of David (see Isa 11:1,10). He is before David as God and comes from David as man. He is the root and fruit of David! He is the God-man who is also “the Bright Morning Star” (see Num 24:17). The Christology of the end of Revelation is staggeringly high and exalted.

Verse 17 contains the great invitation of Revelation. It could be said to be the great invitation of the Bible. It is a fourfold invitation to all persons of the world to come and be saved.

1. The Holy Spirit says come!
2. The bride, the church of Jesus, says come!
3. The one who hears is told to extend the invitation to come!
4. The one who is thirsty is invited to come.

All who desire the eternal living water of life are invited to come and be saved without price because Jesus has already paid it all. Isaiah 55:1 says,

Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!

Jesus said in John 7:37, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to me and drink!” Charles Spurgeon, in reflecting on both the content and location of verse 17, wisely says,

To my mind, the solemnity of this invitation lies partly in the fact that it is placed at the very end of the Bible and placed there because it is the sum and substance—the aim and objective of the whole Bible. It is like the point of the arrow and all the rest of the Bible is like the shaft and the feathers on either side of it. We may say of the Scriptures what John said of his Gospel, “These are written”—all these books that are gathered together into one library called the Bible—“These are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And that believing you might have life through His name.” So far as you are concerned, this blessed Book has missed its purpose unless you have been led by it to come to Christ!

It is all in vain that you have a Bible, or read your Bible, unless you really “take the water of life” of which it speaks. It is worse than vain, for if it is not a savor of life unto life to you, it shall be a savor of death unto death! Therefore, it seems to me that this is a very solemn invitation because all the books of the Bible do, in effect, cry to sinners, “Come to Jesus.” (“Oft-Repeated Invitation”)

Invitation 6: Heed the Warning of God

REVELATION 22:18-19

As the book of Revelation draws to a close, God issues “a severe warning against adding to or taking away from its prophetic message” (Mounce, Revelation, 409). The warning is all-inclusive: “everyone.” It is also comprehensive: do not add to the book (22:18), and do not subtract from the book (22:19). To tamper with and distort God’s Word—in this context meaning the Apocalypse but by implication all 66 books of the Bible—is to invite God’s judgment into your life.

On the one hand, add to the book, and the Lord Jesus will add the plagues of Revelation, a hyperbole indicating the severity and harshness of the judgment. On the other hand, take away from the words of the book, and Jesus “will take away [your] share of the tree of life and the holy city” (see Deut 4:2; 12:32; Gal 1:6-7). MacArthur once more provides a pastoral and theological perspective on these two verses:

No true believer would ever deliberately tamper with Scripture. Those who know and love God will treat His Word with the utmost respect. They will say with the psalmist, “O how I love Your law!” (Ps. 119:97; cf. Pss. 119:113, 163, 167; John 14:23); and, “I delight in Your law” (Ps. 119:70; cf. Pss. 1:2; 119:77, 92, 174). That does not, of course, mean that believers will never make errors in judgment or mistakenly interpret Scripture incorrectly or inadequately. The Lord’s warning here is addressed to those who engage in deliberate falsification or misinterpretation of Scripture, those whom Paul denounces as peddlers of the Word of God (2 Cor. 2:17). (Revelation 12–22, 310)

The bottom line is clear: Believers love the Word but unbelievers hate the Word. Believers obey the Word but unbelievers disobey the Word. Believers receive the Word but unbelievers reject the Word.

Invitation 7: Pray for the Coming of God

REVELATION 22:20-21

Revelation and the Bible are at their end. One last time the risen Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks. His last words are brief but sure. Coming in the form of testimony, our God and King promises, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Certainly, without a doubt, His coming is imminent, so be ready. As James 5:9 says, “Look, the judge stands at the door.”

Now, given that this promise was made almost two thousand years ago, some sneer and scoff. They mock and ridicule. But doubters would be wise to read 2 Peter 3:1-10 to get heaven’s perspective on the kindness, love, and patience that has delayed His coming. Hearing this promise from the lips of Christ Himself, John is quick to respond and to respond with enthusiasm. “Amen!” So be it. Yes! I agree. So, “come, Lord Jesus!”

Titus 2:13 calls us to wait and look for “our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (ESV). Taken as a whole, the end of Revelation calls us to a clear and simple threefold posture: watch, wait, and witness. Persecution, trials, and suffering may be a threefold companion, but do not grow weary in well doing. God sees and He knows. And He is with you and working through you to advance His kingdom among the nations. How do we know? Just look at the last verse in the Bible, Revelation 22:21. There is our prayer and promise, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.” To this we say with the apostle John, “Amen.” We agree. We believe.

Conclusion

From the moment sin entered history, God has been on a rescue mission to save sinners. Our God is a saving God pursuing lost souls for His glory and the good of the nations. It is therefore not surprising at all that His Word concludes with a final invitation to sinners to come to Jesus and be saved.

Some years ago The New York Times ran a story about the popularity of the Mayberry Day festivals in Mount Airy, North Carolina, where thousands flock to celebrate “a place that never was, a place they choose to believe once existed.” Why the make-believe, why the continued nostalgia over a mythical town in a television series? The article concludes with this thought:

People come . . . less to escape than to search. . . . “All of this tells me that people are really looking for something,” says a 73-year-old barber by the name of Hiatt. “They want to know if there really was a place where people trusted each other, where there’s peace and serenity.” (Sack, “Mt. Airy Journal”)

Well, the Bible teaches that such a place does exist. It is not in a place called Mayberry. It is in a place called heaven and in a person named Jesus. To that place and to that person God extends a final invitation for all to come (22:17).

Reflect and Discuss

1. When was the first time you heard the invitation and call of God? How did you respond?
2. If you were asked by someone why the Bible can be trusted, how would you answer them? How does Revelation 22 answer that question?
3. How can you bring your life into greater alignment with God’s Word as you anticipate His second coming?
4. What good things in your life are you tempted to turn into objects of worship, much like John worships the angel in this passage?
5. John is told to proclaim God’s truth because the end is near. With whom do you need to share the gospel, since their acceptance or rejection of Christ in this life will determine their eternal destiny?
6. Contrast Revelation 22:14 with those who believe all that is necessary to enter heaven is to go to church, pray a simple prayer, or perform a religious ritual.
7. In what sense is the entire Bible, like Revelation 22:17, an invitation? What is it an invitation to do?
8. What are some ways we can take away from the Scriptures, whether intentionally or unintentionally? What are some ways we can add to them?
9. How is one’s reception of the Word of God really a clear dividing line between believers and unbelievers? Is your life marked by reception, obedience, and love for the Word or by apathy, disobedience, and rejection?
10. Conclude your study by praying for the Lord to come quickly and establish His kingdom that will last forever.