Read Revelation 22:18–21
Questions from the Scripture text: What does the Speaker in Revelation 22:18 do? To whom? What happens to those who add to the things in the book? What happens to those who take away from the words of the book (Revelation 22:19)? What three things will they lose? How does Revelation 22:20 identify the Speaker? What is He doing? How does John respond to this? With what greeting does John close the book (Revelation 22:21)?
How does the Bible conclude? Revelation 22:18–21 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word read in the public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Bible concludes with an emphasis upon Christ’s gracious use of the Bible.
Here are the last words of the entire Bible. By Jacob (cf. Genesis 49), Joseph (cf. Genesis 50:22–26), Moses (cf. Deuteronomy 33–34), and others, the Spirit has taught us to pay attention to “last words.” This is confirmed by the solemnity of “testify” in Revelation 22:18 and “testifies” in Revelation 22:20. And even more so by John’s “Amen,” first to Christ in verse 20—then to the entire book, and Bible, in Revelation 22:21.
These important last words of the Bible are about… the Bible! Here, John has had amazing visions and experiences, but what Jesus emphasizes to him are not his experiences but “this book,” that He is having John write. Christians are people of the book, because Jesus says so. Those who would emphasize experiences, visions, etc., find themselves at odds with Jesus Himself.
And it’s not just the Bible that Jesus emphasizes, but especially the preaching of the Bible. He expects that people will “hear” the words of the prophecy of the book. God blesses the reading, but especially the preaching of His Word.
This is because His Word is complete and critical. His Word is complete; nothing may be added to it or taken away from it. His Word is critical; what you do with it is directly correlated to whether you end up in the lake of fire or in the celestial city.
Revelation 22:20 reminds us that this is because it is Jesus Himself Who is using His Word to save. This is the third “I am coming quickly” (cf. Revelation 22:7, Revelation 22:12) in this closing section. We have noted that it is in the present tense, indicating that Jesus is in the process of doing everything necessary unto His return to bring all His elect into glory. And His testifying by means of the words of the Bible is directly connected to this work (Revelation 22:20a).
This is why our hearing and keeping the words of the prophecy of the book is not by our goodness or power, and it does not obtain glory by either merit or achievement.
John affirms that the Word is a means of the grace of Christ by the concluding greeting: “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” It is Christ’s merit and Christ’s power which bring us into glory—by grace as a free gift, and by that grace that is sufficient for us, because His power is perfect in our weakness.
How does your use of the Bible show that you value every word of it as the Word of God? What is your hope for keeping the words of the book?
Sample prayer: Lord, forgive us for when we emphasize amazing experiences over Your complete Bible. Grant that by Your grace, we would value, hear, and heed very Word of Scripture. Thus, bring us at last into glory, we ask through Christ, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP1 “How Blessed the Man” or TPH389 “Great God, What Do I See and Hear”
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