Revelation 22

21 verses

The river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flows from the throne of God and the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city, sustaining the cosmic renewal and providing eternal life to all who drink. The tree of life bears twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations—Genesis 2-3 restored and perfected, the curse upon creation reversed and nature itself participating in restoration. The throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads—the ultimate beatific vision, the direct unmediated encounter with God that Adam lost at the Fall now restored eternally. I am coming soon, the risen Christ declares, establishing the imminence of the parousia and the urgency of readiness and faithfulness; I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end—the eternality of Christ encompassing all history. The Spirit and the Bride say Come, and let everyone who hears say Come, and let everyone who is thirsty come, let everyone who desires take the water of life as a gift—the open, universal, free offer of salvation to all humanity through the blood of the Lamb. Surely I am coming soon, the risen Christ declares finally, and the church responds Amen, come Lord Jesus (Marana tha), expressing the eschatological longing and expectation that characterizes Christian hope and awaits the consummation of all things.

VERSES IN THIS CHAPTER

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