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Revelation X - Epilogue (22:10-21)

Julian Spriggs M.A.

Related articles

Introduction to the Book of Revelation Four main views of Revelation
Structure of the book Main Characters in the book
Virtual Seven Churches Jesus the Lamb
Millennium Rapture and tribulation

Commentary

I: Prologue (1:1-8) II: Letters to seven churches (1:9 - 3:22)
III: Seven Seals (4:1 - 8:1) IV: Seven trumpets (8:2 - 11:18)
V: Seven signs (11:19 - 15:4) VI: Seven Bowls (15:5 - 16:21)
VII: Prostitute / Babylon (17:1 - 19:10) VIII: Seven judgements (19:11 - 21:8)
IX: Bride / Jerusalem (21:9 - 22:9) X: Epilogue (22:10-21)

Prev - Revelation IX

Introduction

The Book of Revelation concludes with a brief epilogue, which contains a series of testimonies to the truth of the book, as well as promises and warnings, and a final benediction. It continues the scene of the angel talking to John which began at the end of the vision of the heavenly city Jerusalem.

Outline

Testimony (22:10-20): To truth of prophecy, and warnings
Benediction (22:21): Grace with the saints

Testimony (22:10-20): To truth of prophecy, and warnings

The angel tells John not to seal up the words of the prophecy, because the time is short. This is in contrast to Daniel, who was told to seal up the vision because it refers to a time many days in the future (Dan 8:26). Here is the same sense of immediacy seen before (1:1,3, 22:6), making the message particularly relevant to his readers, referring either to the coming of Christ, or to the imminent persecutions.

Jesus then declares he is coming soon to repay everyone according to their works. At the end, there will be a final separation between the righteous and the wicked (Mt 25:31-46). He will come to judge the wicked and to reward the faithful. He has the right to judge because he is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, and the beginning and end. Jesus gives himself three titles here which basically mean the same thing. In doing so, he also takes titles originally given to God the Father (1:8). This, once again, declares the deity of Jesus, as he is both the Creator and the judge.

Now comes the seventh and final blessing to the saints. It is given to those who wash their robes, presumably by washing them white in the blood of the Lamb (7:14). The only way to gain the right of access to the tree of life, and to pass through the gates of the city is by trusting in the death of Jesus on the cross to cleanse us from the sin which would otherwise permanently exclude us from God’s presence. By contrast, all others are excluded, and remain outside the city. All who have not washed their robes, showing they have not trusted in Jesus, will not be admitted to the city.

Jesus now gives his own testimony to the words of the book. It was Jesus who originally appeared to John on the Island of Patmos and told him to write to the seven churches (1:11). Here Jesus describes himself as both the root and descendent of David. He now answers the puzzle he set the Pharisees, when he quoted Psalm 110, and asked them how he could be both David’s Lord and his son (Mk 12:35-37). Jesus was the root of David because he created mankind together with God the Father in the beginning (Jn 1:3). He was also the descendent of David, having been born of the royal line of Judah (Mt 1:1-16). So these two titles show that Jesus is both totally divine and completely human. The final name he gave himself is, “the bright morning star”. The morning star is the planet Venus, which shines brightly at the dawn of a new day. Perhaps Jesus can be thought of is the morning star who shines at the start of the eternal day, when there is no more night (21:25). He is also the star out of Jacob that was predicted by Balaam (Num 24:17).

There now follows a series of invitations for people to come. During this life, the way is still open, and will remain open until death, or until Jesus returns. There is still time to come, and avoid all the judgements described in this book. This is an evangelistic appeal to the thirsty to come and drink the water of life as a gift. The Gospel is a free gift of grace, which cannot be earned. So if you are reading this, and have not trusted in Jesus as your Saviour, then, 'Come!'. Come and enjoy the blessings promised to the saints in this book. Jesus says he is coming soon, so don’t leave it until it is too late, and miss out! Believers who are reading this book are also urged to extend the invitation to other people to come. It is not often realised that the Book of Revelation is strongly evangelistic. It extends the invitation to unbelievers to come before it is too late, as well as giving believers a sense of urgency to reach out to others with the Gospel, and share the blessings of new life in Christ they are already enjoying.

There are two warnings: one against adding words to this book, and one against taking words away from the book. Anyone who adds words will have the plagues added to them. Anyone who takes words away will have their right to eternal life taken away. These are strong warnings about adding to, or taking away from the Word of God, and should be taken seriously. They can also be applied to the whole of the Bible, and to the Gospel. Both adding extra rules to the Gospel, and taking away from the Gospel of grace are to be condemned. Paul gave a similar strong warning, “If anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed” (Gal 1:9).

Jesus gives a final testimony, promising that he is coming soon, again making it sound imminent, calling his people to be ready to meet him. There is an anonymous response of agreement. “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”, an echo of a common prayer of the early church (1 Cor 16:22).

Benediction (22:21): Grace with the saints

The Book of Revelation concludes with a benediction. As noted earlier, this was the way first-century letters concluded, suggesting that this book is a letter. The benediction declares the grace of the Lord Jesus with all the saints. The book and the whole Bible ends with a message of grace. It is the unearned divine favour given through the death of Jesus and received by faith that sets the Christian faith apart from all other religions and belief systems. It is only the grace of Jesus that can change people from the inside and guarantee them a place in the glorious future described in this book.

Prev - Revelation IX

Related articles

Introduction to the Book of Revelation Four main views of Revelation
Structure of the book Main Characters in the book
Virtual Seven Churches Jesus the Lamb
Millennium Rapture and tribulation

Commentary

I: Prologue (1:1-8) II: Letters to seven churches (1:9 - 3:22)
III: Seven Seals (4:1 - 8:1) IV: Seven trumpets (8:2 - 11:18)
V: Seven signs (11:19 - 15:4) VI: Seven Bowls (15:5 - 16:21)
VII: Prostitute / Babylon (17:1 - 19:10) VIII: Seven judgements (19:11 - 21:8)
IX: Bride / Jerusalem (21:9 - 22:9) X: Epilogue (22:10-21)

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The Pseudepigrapha - False Writings
Lost Books Referenced in OT

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OT 4: Divided kingdom and Exile
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OT 6: 400 Silent Years

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Matthew's Gospel Mark's Gospel Luke's Gospel
John's Gospel

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Hebrews James 1 Peter
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The 400 Silent Years
The Ptolemies and Seleucids
Antiochus IV - Epiphanes

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More theological topics include warfare in the ancient world, the Holy Spirit in the OT, and types of Jesus in the OT.

OT People Confirmed by Archaeology
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The Importance of Paradox
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OT People Search
Ephah Converter (volumes)
Holy War in the Ancient World
The Holy Spirit in the OT
Types of Jesus in the OT

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Are chapters 1-11 of Genesis historical?
Chronology of the Flood
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Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9)

Authorship of the Pentateuch
Chronology of the Wilderness Years
Names of God in the OT
Covenants in the OT
The Ten Commandments
The Tabernacle and its Theology
Sacrifices and Offerings
The Jewish Festivals
Balaam and Balak
Tithing
Highlights from Deuteronomy
Overview of Deuteronomy

Studies in the Old Testament History Books (Josh - Esther)

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Dates of the Kings of Judah and Israel
King Solomon
The Kings of Israel
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The Syro-Ephraimite War (735 BC)
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah (701 BC)
King Josiah of Judah
Differences Between Kings and Chronicles
Chronology of the post-exilic period

Studies in the Old Testament Prophets (Is - Mal)

Articles containing studies and helpful information for the OT prophets. These include a page looking at the way the prophets look ahead into their future, a page looking at the question of whether Satan is a fallen angel, and a page studying the seventy weeks of Daniel.

There are also a series of pages giving a commentary through the text of two of the books:
Isaiah (13 pages) and Daniel (10 pages).

Prophets and the Future
The Call of Jeremiah (Jer 1)
The Fall of Satan? (Is 14, Ezek 28)
Daniel Commentary (10 pages)
Isaiah Commentary (13 pages)
Formation of the Book of Jeremiah


Daniel's Seventy Weeks (Dan 9:24-27)

New Testament Studies

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More theological topics include the Kingdom of God and the Coming of Christ.

NT People Confirmed by Archaeology
The Kingdom of God / Heaven
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The Importance of Paradox

Studies in the Four Gospels (Matt - John)

A series of articles covering various studies in the four gospels. These include a list of the unique passages in each of the Synoptic Gospels and helpful information about the parables and how to interpret them.

Some articles look at the life and ministry of Jesus, including his genealogy, birth narratives, transfiguration, the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and the seating arrangements at the Last Supper.

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Unique Passages in the Synoptic Gospels
The SynopticProblem
Genealogy of Jesus (Matt 1)
Birth Narratives of Jesus
Understanding the Parables
Peter's Confession and the Transfiguration
Was John the Baptist Elijah?
The Triumphal Entry
The Olivet Discourse (Mark 13)
Important themes in John's Gospel
John's Gospel Prologue (John 1)
Jesus Fulfilling Jewish Festivals
Reclining at Table at the Last Supper
The Holy Spirit as the Paraclete

Studies in the Book of Acts and the New Testament Letters

A series of articles covering various studies in the Book of Acts and the Letters, including Paul's letters. These include a page studying the messages given by the apostles in the Book of Acts, and the information about the financial collection that Paul made during his third missionary journey. More theological topics include Paul's teaching on Jesus as the last Adam, and descriptions of the church such as the body of Christ and the temple, as well as a look at redemption and the issue of fallen angels.

There are a series of pages giving a commentary through the text of five of the books:
Romans (7 pages), 1 Corinthians (7 pages), Galatians (3 pages), Philemon (1 page) and Hebrews (7 pages)

Apostolic Messages in the Book of Acts
Paul and His Apostleship
Collection for the Saints
The Church Described as a Temple
Church as the Body of Christ
Jesus as the Last Adam
Food Offered to Idols
Paul's Teaching on Headcoverings
Who are the Fallen Angels
The Meaning of Redemption
What is the Church?
Paul and the Greek Games

Romans Commentary (7 pages)

1 Corinthians Commentary (7 pages)

Galatians Commentary (3 pages)

Philemon Commentary (1 page)

Hebrews Commentary (7 pages)

Studies in the Book of Revelation

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There is also a series of ten pages giving a detailed commentry through the text of the Book of Revelation.

Introduction to the Book of Revelation
Characters Introduced in the Book
Structure of Revelation
List of Allusions to OT
The Description of Jesus as the Lamb
Virtual Seven Churches of Revelation
The Nero Redivius Myth
The Millennium (1000 years)
The Rapture and the Tribulation
Different Approaches to Revelation
Predicted Dates of the Second Coming

Revelation Commentary (10 pages)

How to do Inductive Bible Study

These are a series of pages giving practical help showing how to study the Bible inductively, by asking a series of simple questions. There are lists of observation and interpretation questions, as well as information about the structure and historical background of biblical books, as well as a list of the different types of figures of speech used in the Bible. There is also a page giving helpful tips on how to apply the Scriptures personally.

How to Study the Bible Inductively
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II. Observation Questions
III. Interpretation Questions
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V. Determining the Historical background
VI. Identifying Figures of Speech
VII. Personal Application
VIII. Text Layout

Types of Literature in the Bible

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It is most important that when reading the Bible we are taking note of the type of literature we are reading. Each type needs to be considered and interpreted differently as they have different purposes.

How to Understand OT Narratives
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OT Wisdom Literature
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Search for Geographical Locations
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Biblical Archaeology in Museums around the world

A page with a facility to search for artifacts held in museums around the world which have a connection with the Bible. These give information about each artifact, as well as links to the museum's collection website where available showing high resolution photographs of the artifact.

There is also page of photographs from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem of important artifacts.

Search Museums for Biblical Archaeology
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Christian Ethics
Never Heard the Gospel
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Why Does God Allow Suffering
Handling Disappointment

How to Preach

These are a series of pages giving a practical step-by-step explanation of the process of preparing a message for preaching, and how to lead a small group Bible study.

What is Preaching?
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V. Presentation and Public Speaking
VI. Preaching Feedback and Critique
Leading a Small Group Bible Study

Information for SBS staff members

Two pages particularly relevant for people serving as staff on the School of Biblical Studies (SBS) in YWAM. One gives helpful instruction about how to prepare to teach on a book in the SBS. The other gives a list of recommended topics which can be taught about for each book of the Bible.

Teaching on SBS Book Topics for SBS