Home / Revelation: Verse by Verse / Revelation 22
Restoration, Worship and Invitation to Salvation
- Passage
- Revelation 22
- Taught
- July 20, 2025
Summary
The slides frame Revelation 22 as going back to the beginning while keeping the end in mind, with three themes: restoration, worship and invitation. Verses 1–5 are set beside Genesis: God’s presence with humanity again (Genesis 3:8, Revelation 22:4), the tree of life restored (Genesis 3:22–24), the river of life (Genesis 2:10), the curse removed (Genesis 3:16–19), light without the sun (Genesis 1:16, John 8:12), humanity’s dominion fulfilled (Genesis 1:28), and the serpent’s deception answered by the Lamb. The slides note that salvation lessens the curse for now but does not remove it, and that keeping people from the tree of life after the Fall was an act of mercy.
Verses 6–11 call for worship of God alone, recalling chapter 7, and tell John not to seal up the prophecy, unlike Daniel 12:4, because the time is near (Greek tachei, speed and promptness). Verses 12–17 are the invitation: Jesus brings rewards, blesses those who wash their robes, is the Root and Offspring of David and the Bright Morning Star, and the Spirit and the bride say “Come!” to all who are thirsty.
Verses 18–21 warn against adding to or taking away from the prophecy and close with “Come, Lord Jesus!” The slides end with four responses: be assured of a restored, perfect eternity, share the Good News because Christ is coming soon, handle God’s Word accurately and with reverence, and pray for Christ’s return.
Three themes
The slides organize the chapter this way:
- Restoration (22:1–5). Eden restored: the river, the tree of life and God’s face.
- Worship (22:6–11). “Worship God!” and an unsealed prophecy.
- Invitation (22:12–21). Jesus’ rewards, his invitation to come, and a closing warning.
How to respond
The final slide gives four responses:
- Trust the promise of a restored, perfect eternity.
- Share the Good News, because Christ is coming soon.
- Handle God’s Word accurately and with reverence.
- Pray for Christ’s return: “Maranatha!”
Questions to talk about
- Where do I most long for the curse to be undone, and what does Revelation 22:3 say to that?Revelation 22:1–5.
- Whom could I invite to “come” and take the free gift of the water of life this week?Revelation 22:17.
- Do I handle God’s Word with the reverence this closing warning asks for?Revelation 22:18–19.