Don’t Desire Damnation

The first entry in this series can be found here.
The previous entry can be found here.

The book of Revelation began in 1:1 by telling us what it would reveal:

The revelation of Jesus Christ

As the book continues, it starts off obvious: Jesus is revealed as glorious (1:10-16). Jesus reveals himself to churches in various ways (2-3). Jesus is revealed as central to God’s throne room (4-5).

But then it gets weird. As soon as Jesus opens the seals (6), the focus appears to shift from a revelation of Jesus to a revelation of the end of the world. It’s not until Revelation 19:11 that Jesus is explicitly revealed again. But by that point, we’re so used to reading the book as a description of the end of the world that we instinctually force the portrait of Christ on his white horse to involve the end-of-the-world. So naturally, when we get to the last passage of the book (22:17-21), we want to think of the end of the world–the so-called rapture.

But this book is not about the “return of Jesus Christ”; it is the “revelation of Jesus Christ.”¹ And revelation means “unveiling.” The revealing of Jesus Christ for who he is: the God we worship; the Lord of the Church; the one in sovereign control of all things (the ultimate point of Revelation 6-20). In our passage today, John concludes his Revelation of Jesus Christ by directing our gaze once again to Jesus.

Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Anyone who hears should say, “Come!” And the one who is thirsty should come. Whoever desires should take the living water as a gift.

I testify to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this prophetic book, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, written in this book.

He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.”

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

Revelation‬ ‭22:17-21 ‭HCSB‬‬

This text boils down to desires. And as the title says, “Don’t desire damnation!” It can be broken into three sections. First, desire life! (22:17). Second, don’t distort! (22:18-19). Third, desire Christ’s presence! (22:20).

Revelation 22:21 reiterates grace to all of God’s people. This is the final revelation of Christ in the book, and it is the lens through which we should view everything in this text (and possibly the whole book). As such, each section will conclude with a gospel call.

Desire life (22:17)

The word “come” is repeated throughout this text (3 times in verse 17; 2 times in verse 20). We are invited to draw near, accepting the invitation to life. But who all is responsible for inviting people to life?

The Spirit is the first one mentioned. The last time the Spirit was described as speaking was in 14:13, but each of the seven letters in Revelation 2-3 were previously described as the words of the Spirit (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). According to 3:1, Jesus is the one to whom the Spirit belongs, which is further highlighted by the reality that each letter concludes by calling people to hear the Spirit (see previous bunch of references), but each letter also begins by saying that Jesus is the one speaking (2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14). Jesus speaks through his Spirit. Through his spirit, Jesus calls people to life.

The Bride also calls people to life. The Bride is the New Jerusalem, the Church of God. Not only does Jesus speak through his Spirit, but Jesus speaks through his Church. Maybe this is one reason why Revelation 1:4 refers to seven Spirits; there are seven churches and the Spirit speaks equally to each (and through each). Through the Church, Jesus calls people to life.

Anyone who hears Jesus calling (through his Spirit in the Church) should turn around–as now a member of the Church him/herself–and call others to come to life.

And if you are thirsty, you should come to life by coming to Christ. This is reminiscent of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4. She had a spiritual thirst, and Jesus satisfied it. Revelation 22:1-5 described the river of life; the reference to thirst in 22:17 reminds us of eternal living water, which is proven by the next sentence. If you so desire–and I hope and pray that you do–please take the water of life as a gift! Or, as this section describes, “Desire life!” Choose it! Take hold of it!

Don’t desire damnation!

Choose Christ!

Don’t distort (22:18-19)

These are two of the most terrifying verses in the Bible. And to be completely honest, it is easy to believe they can’t possibly be true–given the numerous ideas propounded about the meaning of the book of Revelation. But if any of this book is true–these verses must also be true. Additionally, when we compare the first few words of verse 18 with verse 20, it makes it clear that Jesus is the one speaking these words. Do we believe him?

So what does it mean to add to or take away from the words of Revelation? Does it mean misunderstanding the meaning? Does it mean to accidentally fail to copy all the words when scribes would copy a manuscript? Or is it more nefarious than either of those options?

The same idea is mentioned in Deuteronomy 4:2 and 12:32. In both of these texts, the reason given is specifically to enable complete obedience.

You must not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it, so that you may keep the commands of the Lord your God I am giving you.

Deuteronomy 4:2 (HCSB)

You must be careful to do everything I command you; do not add anything to it or take anything away from it.

Deuteronomy 12:32 (HCSB)

These verses say nothing about punishment for changing the Word of God. And Proverbs 30:6 says that adding to God’s words will simply result in his calling you a liar. So why is Jesus so strict in Revelation 22:18-19 that adding or subtracting will result in damnation (loss of salvation)?

I think it goes back to Mark 9 and the idea of causing someone to stumble. If the reason for the Deuteronomy examples is to enable obedience; it follows that taking away or adding to this book can affect someone’s ability to obey, thus affecting their ability to enjoy the blessings the book promises (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14). If you do this to someone, it would be better to drown in the sea (Mark 9:42–Mark’s version of this curse). Because, as John explains here, hell results for causing people to stumble.

Do you distort the meaning of God’s word? Stop it! There’s hell to pay if you don’t.

If you’re just now entering upon learning the Bible, study diligently, being careful not to say too much or too little about what something means and how it should be applied. Be careful to weigh the whole when discussing the parts. If you study diligently (cf. 1 Timothy 2:15), then it is a sign that you desire life and you will avoid damnation.

Don’t desire damnation!

Choose Christ!

Desire Christ’s presence (22:20)

Jesus’s last words in this book are “Yes, I am coming quickly.” This fits with 1:1, where John explained that God gave this revelation to him to show him “what must quickly take place.” The whole book is bracketed by the idea of “quickly.” A sense of urgency pervades the whole book (1:1; 2:16; 3:11; 11:14; 22:6, 7, 12, 20). As I noted last week, two thousand years cannot be considered “quickly.” The original fulfillment of this book was very likely in the first-century–in 70 AD at the fall of Jerusalem.

Does this mean Jesus is not coming back?

Absolutely not! He will come on the clouds and all people will see him (Matthew 24:30-31). But the immediate, primary fulfillment of this book took place almost 2,000 years ago. If it was for a still-future event, then why did it need to be written two thousand years ago? Why could Jesus not reveal it to someone a few years before it’s set to happen?

The earth is not yet what it should be, so Jesus will not yet return.

We could label this section, “Desire Christ’s return,” but that is such a vague, who-knows-when event that it is kind of unhelpful. Rather, I labelled this section, “Desire Christ’s presence.”

There’s a reason John says in Revelation 1:10 that this vision was revealed to him on the Lord’s Day. The Lord’s Day is Sunday, and it is when Christians have historically gone to church for worship and fellowship. (I want to write a post describing how Revelation 19 can be understood as describing a worship service, but that might have to wait for the full commentary.) But Jesus does not just meet with us on Sundays. He also meets with us daily when we turn to him in prayer or read his Word or fellowship with others over the things of God or partake of the Lord’s Supper.

The way we avoid damnation is to seek Christ’s presence constantly. He is omnipresent (everywhere), so it doesn’t matter where you are–he can meet with you and you can talk to him. He even met John in exile on the island of Patmos (1:9).

Sin will damn us. Christ’s presence causes sin to flee. Let’s turn to him and trust him, seeking his presence always.

Don’t desire damnation!

Choose Christ!

In this with you.

Thanks for reading.

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Notes and References

1. It’s worth noting that 1:1 is more than this short clause. In its entirety, it says, “The revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave Him to show His slaves what must quickly take place” (emphasis added). But as I mentioned last time, this cannot refer to something still future from our present point of view. ↩︎

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