“Worship God.” I said last week that those two words at the end of verse 9 is a pretty good summary of the whole Book of Revelation: “worship God.” And we learned that the angel who delivered this message to John, and the Apostle John himself, and the prophets, and everyone who keeps the words of this book, in v9, are called “servants.” God’s servants. Angels and prophets and Christians who believe and obey what this book teaches, are God’s servants. And we learned that, according to verse 13, Christ is God.

But then, in Rev 22:16, the Lord Jesus declares He sent this whole book as a testimony for the churches. It’s relevant for all churches, but the churches He was talking about were the seven churches the Lord Jesus addresses in Rev 1:11. Those churches were a mixed bag. Rev 2-3 are seven personal letters Jesus sent to each of those churches. The Lord had nothing good to say about 2 of them. He was about to “spit one out” of His mouth (3:16). Another was on the verge of having their “lampstand” taken away (2:5). Four out of seven were warned to repent before it’s too late. Think about that. All of those churches surely would have claimed to worship God. All of them surely would have claimed to serve God. But not all of them were. And things were going to get worse.

John foresaw that trouble was coming. Daniel prophesied it too. So did Jesus. Christians were going to be persecuted, and they have been. Churches were going to be tested, and they have been. The history of Christianity is a story of persecution and testing. It has never been easy to serve God faithfully. But the call of this book is to worship God. So in verse 16, the Lord says He sent this message for the churches. And in these verses, the Lord makes two contrasts between true and false churches that help us stay faithful to Jesus. The first contrast is in verses 14-16: between those allowed to “enter the city” in verse 14, and those outside the city, in verses 15-16. The second contrast is in verses 17-19: between those who invite others to come to Jesus, in verse 17, and those who mess with God’s message, in verses 18-19. The Book of Revelation is a call to worship God. I’ve summarized the two points of this passage as two questions to test whether you are faithful to Jesus.

Are you inside or outside the Church? (14-16)

You need to notice three things here: the City, who is in the City, and who is outside the City. “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,” (Rev. 22:14 ESV). The promise of blessing is not for everyone. It is exclusive. It is limited to certain people. Whoever washes their robes. Obviously it’s a metaphor. But look what they’re entitled to: they are entitled to the tree of life. And they get to enter the City. So what is the City? Well you need to turn back to Rev 21:9. The angel told John to come and see the Bride the Wife of the Lamb. That’s a metaphor for the true Church of Jesus Christ. The Church is the Bride of Jesus Christ. But then in 21:10, instead of seeing a woman, John sees a City. The Holy City Jerusalem is another metaphor for the Church. A symbol for God’s Holy People. Well that’s the City here. So how do you get into the City?

The blessing is only for those who wash their robes. Only they are entitled to the tree of life; only they get to enter the City. Again it’s a metaphor. But for what? Well, in Rev 19:7-8, the Bride of Christ is given bright and pure white linen to wear to her wedding, and John explains “the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints,” (Rev 19:8b). So clean and white clothes is righteous deeds. Which means filthy clothes are sins. But back to the blessing in verse 14, the wording points us back to Rev 7:14.  

In his vision, in chapter 7:9, John saw an impossibly massive crowd, beyond numbering, of people of every ethnic and linguistic background on Earth, all of them praising God and the Lamb for His great work of salvation, worshiping before His throne, wearing white robes (7:9). John doesn’t know who they are but an angel tells him, these are the people who make it through the great tribulation. He says, “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” (Rev. 7:14 ESV). The picture is not literal. It’s theological. Washing clothes in blood doesn’t make them white but red. But washing in the blood of Jesus Christ makes you clean. You see, in 7:14, John sees far into the future, and sees the whole number of everyone who will ever be saved by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. So 7:14 says “they have washed their robes,”—they believed in Jesus, put their hope in the death HE died on the cross in their place, and were forgiven, washed, made clean, sanctified and now are glorified. But what does our verse say, in 22:14? “Blessed are those who wash their robes…” not past tense but present tense. Because the time is now. Today is the day. This is your chance. That’s the only way to get this blessing; the only way to have the right to the tree of life. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” That’s exactly what it means “to have the right to the tree of life”—to have eternal life. You can’t have eternal life if you don’t wash your robes in the blood of Jesus. But if you do—see the end of verse 14?—you enter the city. In other words, the only people inside God’s true Church are those who personally repent of their sins and are made clean through personal faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ. Or as Jesus said it in John 3:3, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” And in John 3:5, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

But all those people John sees in chapter 7, everyone gathered in that huge crowd on the last day, the people who washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, they endured tribulation. They suffered persecution. They persevered under pressure and trial. So it’s not just that they had their sins washed away by Jesus, it’s that they stayed faithful to Jesus. That’s who’s in the City in our passage. Believers who never stop believing. Citizens who never leave the City. That’s who enters the Kingdom. That’s the true Church of Jesus Christ. The Bride loves Christ. She is loyal to Christ. And she is faithful to Christ all the way to the end. The other thing you still need to see in verse 15 is who is outside the City. Who is not part of the true Church.

“Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood,” (Rev. 22:15 ESV). This is not saying that in Heaven you’ll be able to see dogs and sorcerers and murderers lurking outside the City. This is a picture of the people who claim to be part of the true Church now but haven’t been washed by the blood of Christ. This is a contrast showing what makes the difference between true Christians and false Christians. Dogs, for example, is how Paul described Jewish church members who told Gentiles that to be a real Christian they had to get circumcised: In Phil 3:2, Paul warned them to watch out for “those dogs who mutilate the flesh.” That’s a very strong word. Jews called Gentiles “dogs” because they saw them as unclean sinners. But Paul is saying the real “unclean sinners” are church members who rely on works of the Law to make you clean instead of relying on the blood of Jesus Christ alone to make you clean. So one study Bible rightly says that “dogs” are a symbol for false teachers in the church.[i] The same with sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers—these are the kinds of things that have no place in the lives of believers. In Gal 5:19, Paul warns, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God,” (Gal 5:19-21). Sorcery is about illegitimate spiritual practices that attempt to manipulate spiritual reality. Sexual immorality and murder is found in lots of false churches. Not just in the Dark Ages, but today! How many “Christians” today say they are “pro choice?” How many “Christians” today endorse same-sex “marriage?” Sexual immorality and murder are found in many churches in this country. Idolatry is more obvious. But the most obvious is what all so-called Christians and so-called churches have in common: they are liars. The Greek word is pseudos. A lie. Falsehood. They love a lie and practice a lie.

The Lord’s solemn warning is so solemn because that’s exactly what often happens: pseudo-Christians fill pseudo-churches and listen to pseudo-preachers. Pope Leo XIV is the latest in a long line of pseudo-Christians and Antichrists. That so-called church is not the Bride but the Prostitute. But the warnings to the seven churches at the beginning of Revelation show us that there are false Christians even in true churches. You need to make sure you are not one of them. You need to make sure your faith in Jesus Christ is real. “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,” (Rev. 22:14 ESV).  So the first thing you must do with the message Jesus sent, is to believe it yourself. And persevere whatever persecution comes. Endure whatever suffering. To the end.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches,” (Rev. 22:16a ESV). Jesus solemnly declares by legal testimony what He did: He sent this message, this book and everything written in it, by His angel, “to you.” The word “you” is plural. He’s not talking to John. He’s talking to the same men He addressed at the beginning of each of the seven letters to the seven churches at the beginning of this book: the “seven messengers [lit. angels] of the seven churches” (1:20). This is really amazing! Jesus makes sure that the men responsible to preach this book to the churches don’t take their salvation for granted! Every individual needs to believe. To be forgiven. To be washed and made new. To be born again. So does the preacher. So do you. The difference between a true church and a false church is that a true church comes to Jesus to be forgiven and made clean.

So come to Jesus! “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star,” (Rev. 22:16b ESV). The way Jesus describes Himself comes from Isaiah. Isaiah 11:1 says that the Messiah, the Christ, would come from the root of Jesse, the father of King David. In other words, from that family tree. Isaiah 11:10 predicts that that Christ, “the root of Jesse,” will have the victory in the end, and stand up like a signal calling the nations to come to worship Him. Lift your eyes and look up! Christ is coming! So come to Jesus! He is the Messiah and His victory is coming. He is the Son of David and His Kingdom is coming. He is the bright morning star and the night is far gone, the dawn is coming soon. So come to Jesus! That’s what a true church does.

The Lord makes two contrasts between true and false churches that help us stay faithful to Jesus. The first contrast calls you to see if you are inside or outside the Church of Jesus Christ. Next…

Are you sharing or twisting the message? (17-19)

In these verses, notice who shares this Gospel and who doesn’t. In Col 1:25, the Apostle Paul describes the Gospel as “stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known…” It’s that same kind of stewardship I want you to see in verses 17-19: first, how true churches deliver the message God gave us. And second, how the false churches fail to deliver the message God gives. “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’,”  (Rev. 22:17a ESV). True churches deliver God’s message. The Spirit says “come” and the Bride says “come.” Together. The Spirit and the Bride say come. To be clear, the Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity: the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. And the Bride is the Church of Christ. And so it is the Spirit of God in the Church of Christ, saying “Come!” So look at that word. It is a command. It is a call. The word “churches” in verse 16 might illustrate this. It’s the word ἐκκλησίαις and literally means “congregations” “gatherings” or “assemblies.”[ii] And I think that helps us understand that the Holy Spirit is constantly calling people, through His Church, to come to Jesus Christ. This is what the preaching of the Gospel is; this is what evangelism is: the call of God to come and believe in the Lord Jesus. But don’t take that call the wrong way: the call to “come” is not merely an invitation. It is a command. The Holy Spirit commands that you come; the Church of Christ, entrusted with the preaching of His Gospel, proclaims His command that you come to Christ. So the Spirit and the Bride command, “Come!”

But then there’ another group. “And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’,”  (Rev. 22:17b ESV). “Let” is not about permission, but command: this is what the one who hears the call must say. It means the one who hears the call of the Gospel must take up the message and call others to come. Think of it this way: As people hear that call and come to Christ, they become part of the Church that calls. They take up the call. They are added to the assembly through whom the Holy Spirit calls people to Christ. It’s just as illegitimate for a Christian to not be part of a local church as it is for a Christian to keep the Gospel to himself. So that’s who this is about: the Spirit of Christ, through the Church of Christ, preaching, “Come!” Come to Christ!

And what does it mean to “come”? “And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price,” (Rev. 22:17c ESV). Human beings are thirsty souls. You try in vain to quench that thirst—to satisfy your soul. But the world just leaves you thirsty. “And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.’,” (Rev. 21:6 ESV). The water of life quenches more than thirst—it quenches death. Eph 2:4 says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-- by grace you have been saved…” (Eph. 2:4-5). That’s why the water is “without price” (22:17)—“without payment” (21:6)—you can only be saved “by grace.” You cannot be saved by earning it, working for it, or paying for it. Jesus Christ already did that. You must take what He paid for and receive His grace. That’s what it means to come. Receive salvation by grace, through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Christ speaks through the Church of Christ calling sinners to come to Christ. And when you hear the call, you must take up the call. The true church shares this Gospel. Now notice who doesn’t.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,  19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.  (Rev. 22:18-19 ESV)

For many years I thought this was a weird warning against shortening the Book of Revelation or adding more chapters. No, it’s a warning not to tamper with the Gospel. If you bought a bottle of Tylenol, got home, and found out it had already been opened, would you trust it? No, of course not! There was a rash of cases, some years back, when that’s exactly what happened. That’s why Tylenol now comes with a tamper-proof seal. When you see the seal intact, it reassures you the contents have NOT been tampered with. It’s the same with God’s Word. Don’t trust a preacher who picks and chooses what to preach. True churches deliver the whole message to show we haven’t tampered with it. These verses, just before the end of the Book of Revelation, are like a seal on the contents. It’s a warning to make sure the whole message gets delivered. “We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God,” (2 Cor. 4:2 ESV). The Holy Spirit has a message for the World. The Bride of Christ has a message for the world. It’s the message Jesus gave us.  Don’t you dare water it down. And don’t you dare add conditions. The Gospel is a call to come to Jesus and drink, without price. It’s grace. Every person who hears now becomes responsible for what he hears. Add to the message and all the plagues will be added to you. Remove any of it and you’ll forfeit your own salvation. It’s justice. It’s fair. It’s proportionate: add—add; take away—take away. So if you hear the Gospel but never share any of it, how much have you taken away? Right: all of it. And if what you do end up sharing with others, if the message you are remembered for is something other than what is written, then you have added, haven’t you?

The Lord makes two contrasts between true and false churches that help us stay faithful to Jesus. A true Christian is a sinner who comes to Jesus to have his sins forgiven. A true Christian is a believer who trust in the blood of Christ to be made clean. And a true Christian is a witness who says, “Let me tell you about my Saviour. Come! Let me tell you the message He himself gave the churches (v16)!” That’s what a faithful and true church does.

Look back at verse 14. Everyone who washes their robes is blessed. Happy. Why? Not just because their sins are forgiven. There’s more. They have the right to the Tree of Life! Yes, but there’s more. They get to enter the City, to be part of the true Church! Yes but there’s more. In verse 1, there is a throne in the middle of that City. And seated on that throne is a Lamb. You see, what makes the City happy; what makes the true Church truly blessed, is Jesus. That’s why He declares Himself to be the Root of David who stand up, in Isaiah 11:10 as a signal calling the nations to come to Him! That’s why He declares Himself the bright morning star, shining brightly as the night gives way to morning so that you come to Him! That’s why the Holy Spirit calls everyone to come; why the true Bride, the true Church calls everyone to come; why everyone who hears and comes takes up that call of the Gospel and says, “Let me tell you about my Saviour! Come to Him! Come to Jesus! Come be washed, be made clean, be forgiven, and be blessed! Let me tell you about my Lord and my King! Let me tell you about the Lover of my soul. Come!” Are you thirsty? Jesus Himself shouted the call in John 7:37, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” So “worship God,” (v9). Worship God by worshiping His Son who saves us by His blood. Worship God by worshiping Christ. And together, let us serve Him.