And Now in Closing

 

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 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. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. “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.” (Revelation 22:12-16 ESV).

 

Every professional speaker has a unique way to draw his audience’s attention to the conclusion; and Jesus is the perfect example of conclusions as He comes to the end of John’s vision. An angel delivers some closing statements from God to John in the earlier portion of this chapter. In today’s passage, however, the angel stands aside, and Jesus speaks directly to John and thus, through John, to his us. He begins with a powerful restatement of His deity and a reminder of His coming to judge creation. In Revelation 22:13, He emphasizes that He is “the first and the last” as well as “the beginning and the end,” comparing Himself to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet (“the Alpha and the Omega”). Of course, this does not mean the Son of God had an actual beginning to His existence or will one day cease to be. These phrases, based on Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; and 48:12, mean that as God, He is before all things and is after all things. He is eternal and self-existent, depending on nothing else for His being.

 

Because He is God, He is “Judge of all the earth” (cf. Genesis 18:25), so He is coming to repay all for what they have done (v. 12). Since all have sinned, falling far short of the Lord’s glory (cf. Romans 3:23), this is bad news for everyone who has not washed “their robes” to have the right to enter the new Jerusalem and eat of the Tree of Life (v. 14). We find here a reference not to our ability to somehow make ourselves worthy of salvation but to faith in Christ. Those who have washed their robes have done so “in the blood of the Lamb” through the great tribulation (v. 14). In other words, believers persevere because their names have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life for all eternity. Outside the New Jerusalem are those whose names are not found in the book of life (v.15). The list of their sins is not exhaustive, as other New Testament lists of those excluded from God’s kingdom show us (i.e.:  1 Corinthians 6:9–10). Probably the sins listed here indicate the transgressions of those who compromise with persecuting regimes such as Rome against the church. We can believe these words because they come from Jesus the Messiah (v. 17). In fact, because they come from Him, we must believe them (cf. John 5:36). Do you believe?