Revelation 22:16-21
The End Times

In my last post, we examined Revelation 22:11-15 ~ God’s Completed Work. In this post, we conclude our study of Revelation by investigating Revelation 22:16-21 ~ Final Blessing & Curse and Conclusion.

¹⁶ “I, Yeshua, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the Messianic communities. I am the Root and Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star. ¹⁷ The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’ Let anyone who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let anyone who is thirsty come  –  let anyone who wishes, take the water of life free of charge.” ¹⁸ I warn everyone hearing the words of the prophecy in this book that if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues written in this book. ¹⁹ And if anyone takes anything away from the words in the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the Tree of Life and the holy city, as described in this book. ²⁰ “The one who is testifying to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon!’” Amen! Come, Lord Yeshua! ²¹ May the grace of the Lord Yeshua be with all!” ~ Revelation 22:16-21 (CJB)

I, Yeshua, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the Messianic communities harkens back to Revelation 1:1-2.  It’s as if He has put a bow on the whole scroll as a gift to His followers.

I am the Root and Offspring of David. King David sprang from this Root, because Yeshua pre-existed David (Micah 5:1(2), Yochanan 8:58), and through Yeshua, everything, including David’s ancestor Adam, was made (Yochanan 1:1-2, 14). But Yeshua is also David’s offspring; in particular, He is the promised Son of David who would be the Messiah (see Matthew 1:1). Yeshua’s Davidic ancestry is referred to in the rest of the Brit Hadashah also at Mattew 1:6, 9:27, 15:22, 21:9; Luke 1:32, 2:4, 3:31; Romans 1:3; 2 Timothy 2:8. In Revelation, the term Root of David is also found at 5:5. As for the bright Morning Star see Revelation 2:28 and 2 Kefa 1:19.

The Final Invitation

The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’ Let anyone who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let anyone who is thirsty come  –  let anyone who wishes, take the water of life free of charge. This final invitation consists of three comes. Moved by what we have read in this book and looking around at what is happening in our world today, we join our voice and say to the lost, “Come!”

As in verses 14-15, either Yeshua or Yochanan may be speaking here. No matter which, both the Spirit and the Bride, the Messianic Community, also identified with the New Jerusalem (21:2), agree with Yeshua in reiterating his call to the thirsty to take the water of life free of charge (see 21:6).

Yeshua had just said, I am coming soon! (v. 12). The Spirit, the bride, and whoever hears, join in the chorus and prayer, Come. Yeshua answers, Yes, I am coming soon (v. 20). It is His last recorded word, the parting message to His waiting bride as He passes out of sight. The passage contains an invitation to sinners to come to Him, that they may be ready when He comes. As a result, some will ask Yeshua to save them, and others will harden their hearts further. It is for each to decide – choose life or choose death. This decision has eternal consequences. If you have not accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior yet – don’t delay. Ask Yeshua to be your Lord and Savior and receive His free gift of eternal life! ( see 2 Corinthians 5:17; 6:2; John 14:6; Romans 5:8; Mark 1:15).

A Final Warning Against the Mutilation of God’s Word

I warn everyone hearing the words of the prophecy in this book that if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues written in this book. ¹⁹ And if anyone takes anything away from the words in the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the Tree of Life and the holy city, as described in this book. The final warning follows the form of Deuteronomy 4:2, which reads: In order to obey the mitzvot of Adonai your God which I am giving you, do not add to what I am saying, and do not subtract from it. Yochanan’s warning refers to the Book of Revelation, not to the whole Bible.

Adds to them is not about those who amplify to have a better understanding, nor is it addressed to those who in their zeal to understand fail to interpret the actual meaning correctly. The warning seems to fit those who claim additional revelations or who write other volumes and claim them to be an inspired part of the Bible. Since it is recognized by all of Orthodoxy that claimed another revelation from God is the sign of a cult, it is those who would take away that might well be those closer to home! It is not unusual for many Believers even pastors and teachers to ignore the Biblical prophecies, even entire books of prophecy – Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Revelation, and all the rest, which are essential parts of the Bible which the Lord has given. Many of these same people go a step further and deny the miracles as recorded in the prophecies of the Scriptures, saying that future events will not be nearly so horrific or apocalyptical. It would not be wise to be among those who are always picking the Bible apart rather than just trying to live by its teachings.

The Final Prayer

“The one who is testifying to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon!’” Amen! Come, Lord Yeshua! ²¹ May the grace of the Lord Yeshua be with all!” M. R. DeHaan frames these final words: [1]

Revelation began with Him, and ends with Him, and is about Him. We have written this book that you who are unsaved might come to Him and that those of you who have come might love Him more and look with new eagerness for His return… The night is dark, and the world seems to be in the throes of death. Humanity is engulfed by turmoil and confusion. The dark clouds of coming judgment and distress are upon the horizon, and the rumblings of coming judgment may be heard. Men everywhere are wondering about the future, and some are despairing. One of those days or nights, however, while the world is occupied with its frivolities and empty pleasures and scoffing at the Word of God, a form will rise above the lashing waves, as on Galilee, to vindicate forever the devotion and the patient watching of that remnant in all ages who have not abandoned the hope of His coming again, and take them home to the realms of bliss where sorrow and sighing, loneliness and heartache will never be known and where, with loved ones gone before, we shall rest forever in the perfect service of our perfect Lord. “Even so, Come. Lord Yeshua.”

With this concluding thought by Dr. DeHaan, we have now analyzed and evaluated each of the 404 verses of the Book of Revelation, from Chapter One, verse one to Chapter Twenty-two and verse twenty-one.

Remember the opening verses of Chapter One introduced us to the purpose of the book. This is the revelation which God gave to Yeshua the Messiah so that he could show his servants what must happen very soon. He communicated it by sending his angel to his servant Yochanan, who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Yeshua the Messiah, as much as he saw. ~ Revelation 1:1-2 (CJB)

The Kehilah is instructed to say Amen at the close of the public reading of the book. The two final sentences, one for heaven and one for the earth, set the tone for those inspired to do the Lord’s will. So I echo the words of Yochanan: Come, Lord Yeshua and May the grace of the Lord Yeshua be with all.

In my next post, we’ll begin a new series based on the Letter to the Messianic Jews (Hebrews).

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[1] A Layman’s Commentary on Revelation by Don Jones.