The Bible is unified story that points toward the same conclusion. Jackson Wu[1] offers a great, simple visual:
There’s a far more complex one out there that shows all the cross-references as the Biblical narrative unfolds. This is from Chris Harrison.[2]
What we see in the final chapters of Revelation is the end to the unified story the Bible has been telling. One way we know the story is unified – and that this is the appropriate end – is the way the Fall in Genesis is reversed. From a chart found in Biblegateway commentaries:
So, as you might expect, there are sooo many hyperlinks in these last two chapters (I am including the first 10 verses from Chapter 19 as well) not just from the Bible overall but from within Revelation itself.[3]
In addition, John has not stopped recapitulating; 19:1-10, 21:1-8 and 21:9 – 22:5[4] all seem to be part of the same story with different perspectives and details. So, once again, I am going to try to intertwine the visions so that we don’t get distracted by thinking, “Hey, I just read that!” or “Why is this happening again?” I will try to note clearly where each passage originates.
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19:1-8 The scene changed. After this, I heard the great sound of a multitude echoing in heaven. “Praise the Lord! Salvation and glory and power[5] truly belong to our God, for true and just are His judgments. He has judged the great prostitute, Babylon, who polluted the entire earth with her seductive, idolatrous immorality,[6] and He has vindicated the blood of His servants, which she shed.”
Again praise spilled from heaven. “Praise the Lord! Babylon will never rise again. The smoke rises from her ruins forever and ever.”[7] And the twenty-four elders and four living creatures[8] fell on their faces and worshiped God who reigns on the throne. “Amen, Praise the Lord!”
A Voice from the Throne said, “Give praise to our God, all of you, God’s servants, all who reverence Him, small and great.”[9] [10]And I heard what seemed to be an immense crowd[11] speaking with one voice—it was like the sound of a roaring waterfall, like the sound of clashing thunder, saying,
“Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the All Powerful, reigns supreme. Now is the time for joy and happiness. He deserves all the glory we can give Him. For the wedding feast[12] has begun;[13] the marriage of the Lamb[14] to His bride has commenced, and His bride[15] has prepared herself for this glorious day.[16] She had been given the finest linens to wear[17], linens bright and pure, woven from the righteous deeds of the saints.”[18]
21:1 I looked again and could hardly believe my eyes. Everything above me was new. Everything below me was new. Everything around me was new[19] because the heaven and earth that had been passed away, and the sea was gone[20], completely.
21:9-27 And then one of the seven messengers in charge of the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came over to me and said, “Come with me, and I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. He took me away in the Spirit and set me on top of a great, high mountain. As I waited for what I thought was a bride, he showed me (also 21:2) the holy city[21], Jerusalem,[22] descending out of heaven from God,[23] prepared like a bride on her wedding day, adorned for her husband and for His eyes only.
It gleamed and shined with the glory of God; its radiance was like the most precious of jewels, like jasper, and it was as clear as crystal. It was surrounded with a wall, great and high. There were twelve gates.[24] Assigned to each gate was a messenger, twelve in all. And on the gates were inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of Israel’s sons. On the east wall were three gates. On the north wall were three gates. On the south wall were three gates. On the west wall were three gates [twelve in all]. And the city wall sat perfectly on twelve foundation stones, and on them were inscribed the names of the twelve emissaries (disciples) of the Lamb.[25]
My guide held a golden measuring rod. With it he measured the city and the gates and the walls.[26] He measured the city with his measuring rod, and the result was that its length and width and height are equal: [27] 1,444 miles, a perfect cube.[28] And my guide measured the wall; it was nearly 72 yards high, in human measurements, which was the instrument the guide was using.
The wall was made of jasper, while the city itself was made of pure gold, yet it was as clear as glass. The foundation stones of the wall of the city were decorated with every kind of jewel: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.[29] The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate expertly crafted from a single beautiful pearl. And the city street was pure gold, yet it was as transparent as glass.[30]
And in the city,[31] I found no temple because the Lord God, the All Powerful, and the Lamb are the temple. And in the city, there is no need for the sun to light the day or moon the night[32]because the resplendent glory of the Lord provides the city with warm, beautiful light and the Lamb illumines every corner of the new Jerusalem.
And all peoples of all the nations will walk by its unfailing light, and the rulers of the earth will stream into the city bringing with them the symbols of their grandeur and power. During the day, its gates will not be closed; the darkness of night will never settle in.
The glory and grandeur of the nations will be on display there, carried to the holy city by people from every corner of the world.[33] Nothing that defiles or is defiled can enter into its glorious gates. Those who practice sacrilege or deception will never walk its streets. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life can enter.
22:1-5 My heavenly guide brought me to the river of pure living waters,[34] shimmering as brilliantly as crystal. It flowed out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, flowing down the middle and dividing the street of the holy city. On each bank of the river stood the tree of life, firmly planted, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and producing its sweet crop every month throughout the year. And the soothing leaves[35] that grew on the tree of life provided precious healing for the nations.
No one or nothing will labor under any curse any longer. And the throne of God and of the Lamb will sit prominently in the city. God’s servants will continually serve and worship Him. They will be able to look upon His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads. Darkness will never again fall on this city.[36] They will not require the light of a lamp or of the sun because the Lord God will be their illumination. By His light, they will reign throughout the ages.
(21:3-6)And I heard a great voice, coming from the throne: “See, the home of God is with His people.[37] He will live among them; They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them. The prophecies are fulfilled: He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; Mourning no more, crying no more, pain no more, for the first things have gone away.” And the One who sat on the throne announced to His creation, “See, I am making all things new.” [38]
The Anointed One said, “Write what you hear and see, for these words are faithful and true (also 22:6). It is done![39] (22:12-14) I am the Alpha and Omega, the First One and the Last One, the beginning and the end. See, I am coming soon, (also 22:7,12) and I will bring My reward with Me and pay back every person according to the deeds he has done.
The one who remains true to the prophetic words contained in this book[40] - those who wash their garments[41] - will truly be blessed. I will see to it that the thirsty drink freely from the fountain of the water of life[42] and enter the city through its gates. (21:7-8/22:14-15) To the victors will go this inheritance[43]: I will be their God, and they will be My children. It will not be so for the cowards[44], the faithless, the sacrilegious, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all those who deal in deception[45] in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
The Guide said, (22:6)“These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God who inspired the prophets, has sent His heavenly messenger to show to His servants what must soon take place.”
(22:8-11) I, John, am the one who heard and witnessed these visions. And when I heard and witnessed them, I fell prostrate at the feet of the heavenly guide who showed them to me. But he refused.
(also 19:10) My Guide said, “Stop it. Don’t you see? I am a servant like you and your brothers and sisters, all who hold fast to the testimony of Jesus and keep the words contained in this book. Address your worship to God, not to me! For the testimony about Jesus is essentially the prophetic spirit.”[46]
Write this down: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb.’ What I am telling you are the true words of God.” Do not seal up the prophetic words contained in this book for another day, for the finale is near. Let the one given to evil continue down evil’s path and the one addicted to filth continue to be its servant. But let the one who is righteous journey along the righteous road, and let the holy continue in holy ways.[47]
(22:16-21) Then Jesus said, “I, Jesus, have sent My messenger to show you and guide you so that you in turn would share this testimony with the churches.[48] I am the Root and the Descendant of David, the Bright Morning Star.
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”[49] And let everyone who hears these words say, “Come.” And let those who thirst come. All who desire to drink, let them take and drink freely from the water of life.[50]
Beware, everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book. Know this for certain: if anyone adds to the prophecy of these words, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.[51] And if anyone subtracts from the prophecy of this book, God will remove that person’s access to the tree of life and to the holy city which are described in this book.
The One who testifies to these realities makes this promise: “Yes. I am coming soon.” To which we say, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” 21 May the grace of the Lord Jesus [the Anointed One] be with all [the saints]. Amen.
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So many places to go with this. I will go to four of them, in honor of the shape of the city.
First, the glorious goodness of God’s faithfulness.
God might have abandoned his creation in disgust because of Babylon’s wickedness, just as he might have abandoned the Israelites in the wilderness because of the golden calf. But out of sheer mercy [and grace] he will come to dwell with his people, and that mercy will flow out to flood the whole world. Creation is not abolished but fulfilled, not thrown away and replaced but renewed from top to bottom. (N.T. Wright, Revelation For Everyone)
What we see happening in the end for the cosmos we see happening now in all of us. God might have abandoned us in disgust because of our sin and our following after our own idols, but he hasn't. Out of sheer mercy and grace he dwells with us, first in the Incarnation of Jesus and now through the Holy Spirit that not only dwells with us but makes a temple of us. We are not thrown away; when we enter the Kingdom through the work of the King we are regenerated in the “now” and will be replaced from top to bottom in the “not yet” – mortal putting on immortal, corrupt putting on incorrupt.[52] To quote Mercy Me, that’s not just good news – it’s the best news ever.
Second, God’s global invitation into the Kingdom should inform our presence in the world.
John’s readers may find it hard to see in their neighbors on the street anything but cold, hostile stares and the threat of informing the authorities. They may be so aware of the present rule of the dragon, the monster and the false prophet that all they want is to escape, to be rescued, not to hold out to their neighbors God’s repeated and generous invitation.
But see they must, because the mercy of God is vast and his invitation wide as the world. Because he is who he is, the creator whose purposes are gloriously fulfilled in the slaughtered lamb, he will go on inviting and welcoming and pouring out the water of life for all the thirsty.
(N.T. Wright, Revelation For Everyone)
Revelation paints in vivid color the terrible nature of evil: it is abusive, self-destructive; callous, greedy, dehumanizing, deceptive, false. It destroys peoples and cultures. It ravages the world. This is why Revelation calls everyone to salvation. You can join Babylon and beasts in their destruction, or sit at the table at the wedding feast of the Lamb.
This Revelation should simultaneously open our eyes and break our hearts. Those under the deceptive sway of dragons, beasts, and false prophets need the gospel, not hostility. Those in bondage need rescuing, not hatred. Those dying for a drink of Living Water need people carrying buckets of it them, not withdrawing in fear or shaming them for pulling water from the wrong well.
We’ve all been there, right? We are hardly in a position to point fingers. We are, however, in a position to hold out to our neighbors God’s repeated and generous invitation. And who is our neighbor? Everybody.
Third, Revelation reminds us to be a particular kind of people in a particular kind of community.
This is the message of Revelation: the loving, liberating, life-giving Lamb who is Lord invites any and all to become part of his community of disciples, his faithful bride, and thus enter into God’s new creation. Revelation is, at its core, an evangelical book, a word of good news, an invitation to follow the Lamb into the new creation.
This is an invitation to a deeply rooted public discipleship of faithfulness, hope, and love in the middle of a sometimes hostile world that follows after other lords and gods. Christian churches and individuals are called to bear witness to God’s present transcendent reality and reign, as well as God’s future… renewal and final victorious rule in which there will be true life, peace, and justice for all.
(Uncivil Worship And Witness: Following The Lamb Into The New Creation, Michael Gorman)
We are called to be deeply rooted disciples in a community that previews the renewal of all things. I think church communities should give people a glimpse of heaven. That can’t happen without deeply rooted disciples: rooted in Jesus; in Scripture; in accountable community; in humility, repentance and forgiveness; in the hard but glorious work of loving God and loving others. It is from good roots that good fruits come.
Finally, the city is the bride. That stupendous city descended from heaven is the church. It wasn’t created in that moment. It was the bride of Christ that has been preparing herself for 2,000 years with what she had been given. So…that’s a vision of us – and all who have gone before and will come after us - as we move into the New Heaven and New Earth.
But the passage says the bride prepared herself with what she has been given. The bride doesn’t look amazing because on her own. We know this, right? Read church history. Read the headlines about scandals just in the American church right now. The bride’s got some issues. She might be clothed with the “righteous deeds of the saints,” but let’s be honest, we didn’t make those on our own power.
The bride looks glorious because the King, in His mercy and love, has clothed her in the garments of the kingdom. All we have to do is put them on. So, what has God given the church?[53] I looked up passages in which the Bible talks about “putting on” or “being clothed.” Here’s what shows up. Here’s what God gives us to put on as we prepare.
· compassion
· kindness
· humility
· meekness
· patience
· forgiveness
· love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
· holiness
· truth
· righteousness
· peace
· salvation
· the word of God
So, friends, let’s prepare ourselves. Let’s put on the clothing that befits the bride of Christ. Let’s take the time “now” to point toward the “not yet.” Let’s even now be the preview of coming attractions, where all us can see even now that God’s plan for renewal is being fulfilled in our lives as we speak, and that the renewal we experience even now is simply a foretaste of glory divine in the world to come.
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[1] https://www.patheos.com/blogs/jacksonwu/2019/01/09/all-stories-within-grand-biblical-story/
[2] https://www.chrisharrison.net/index.php/Visualizations/BibleViz
[3] For example, the last chapters highlight the contrast between the church imperfect (1–3) and the church perfected. Whereas 1–3 focused on the churches’ weaknesses during the Church Age, 21:9–22:5 points toward the church’s perfected state for all eternityhttps://daretoventure.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2017/10/20171022-Eternity-Study.pdf
[4] The bride of v. 2 is developed in vv. 9–11; the tabernacle of v. 3 is developed in vv. 22–24; the water of v. 6 is developed in 22:1; the fate of the sinners of v. 8 is developed in v. 27. (Ibid)
[5] See also 4:11; 5:13; 7:10; 12:10 for the same praise.
[6] The new Jerusalem is the antithesis of Babylon. Babylon is the great harlot, a beast; it is infested with demons; it is drunken and murderous. It is a culture of death. Jerusalem is the bride of the Lamb, full of the presence of God; it provides healing and is lacking all pain, tears, and death. It is a culture of life. The culture of the beast has been replaced by the culture of the Lamb; a culture of death by a culture of life; a culture of insecurity and fear by a culture of peace and trust. “Reading Revelation Responsible: Uncivil Worship And Witness: Following The Lamb Into The New Creation, Michael Gorman)
[7] Alludes to Isaiah 34:10 (of Edom); Revelation 19:3 (of Babylon). “Goes up forever and ever” is variously interpreted as a) never ending or b) rising so high into the sky it disappears. Broadly speaking, it signifies a permanent end. They will not live again.
[9] “The Hallel is the name especially applied to Pss 113-118. They had a special role in the Feast of Passover. Most Jewish sources associate the Hallel with the destruction of the wicked, exactly as this passage in Revelation does…Two texts in the great Hallel (Pss 113:1; 115:13) are unmistakably cited in 19:5.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)
[10] All socio-economic distinctions are dissolved in worship (11:18; 13:16; 19:18).
[11] Likely the redeemed multitude in Revelation 7:9.
[12] #laodiceans (3:20).” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Of The New Testament)
[13] “This supper has already begun in the Eucharist, a foretaste of the Kingdom (see Mt 26:29; Lk 13:29; 22:30).“ (Orthodox Study Bible)
[14] See Isaiah 54:5–8; Hosea 2:19, 20; Ephesians 5:26, 27).
[15] “Marriage is a symbol of the union of God with His people (see Is 54:1–8; Ezk 16:7–14; Hos 2:1–23), of Christ with His Church (Mt 22:1–14; 2Co 11:2; Eph 5:22–32). Jesus, the Passover Lamb (1Co 5:7) also the divine Bridegroom (Mt 22:2; 25:1–13).” (Orthodox Study Bible)
[16] “John later identifies the bride as the new Jerusalem, God’s people (21:2–3; cf. 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5:25–27).” (NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible)
[17] “Believers’ righteous deeds do not merit salvation but serve as a fitting, necessary response to and evidence of God’s “righteous acts” (15:4; cf. Eph 2:8–10; Phil 2:12–13; Titus 2:14).” (NIV Biblical Application Study Bible)
[18] “The church that suffered and remained pure is now prepared for a time of glorious celebration…God and His people are about to become one. The marriage feast has been arranged at great expense, and the festivities are about to begin..” (commentary from The Voice translation).
[19] (Isa. 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13).
[20] “This world of ours, made restless and stormy by the lives of men (and hence, figuratively, called the sea) will have passed away.” (Augustine)
[21] “A bride-city captures something of God's personal relationship to his people (the bride) as well as something of their life in communion with him and one another (a city, with its social connotations).” (Expositors Bible Commentary)
[22] “Just as Babylon represents the people of Rome and not simply its location, and just as “Jerusalem” in the OT usually includes the people and not simply the site, the new Jerusalem undoubtedly includes the people of God. This new Jerusalem is like God’s bride Israel in the OT (Jer 2.1; Hos 2.19–20) or Christ’s bride the church (2 Cor 11.2; Eph 5.23).” (NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)
[23] “It is a maxim of the ancient Jews that the tabernacle, the temple, and Jerusalem itself came down from heaven. Midrash Hanaalem, Sohar Gen. fol. 69, col. 271, Rab. Jeremias said, "The holy blessed God shall renew the world, and build Jerusalem, and shall cause it to descend from heaven." Their opinion is, that there is a spiritual temple, tabernacle, and spiritual Jerusalem; and that none of these can be destroyed, because they subsist in their spiritual representatives.” (Adam Clarke)
[24] The visionary city seen by Ezekiel likewise had twelve gates, three on each side, which were named after the twelve tribes (Ezek. 48:31–34). (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Of The New Testament)
[25] The church was the finished structure to be “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20). The twelve tribes and the twelve apostles represent the collective people of God Rev. 4:4). (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Of The New Testament)
[26] Measuring signifies security and protection as well as “securing something for blessing. Ezekiel's elaborate description of the future temple and its measuring was to show the glory and holiness of God in Israel's midst (Eze 43:12). The measuring reveals… perfection, fulfillment, or completion.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary).
[27] The early church fathers saw this cube shape as showing a perfectly balance four-fold gospel (Apringius of Beja), the permanent and unchangeable blessing of the saints (Oecumenius), “nothing is marked by inequality” (Primasius), stability and solidity (Andrew of Caeserea), perfectly stable in faith, hope and love (Bede). (Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture).
[28] The previous use of 12, 144, and 1000 in Revelation plus the unreality of the precise measurements point to a figurative understanding. (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Of The New Testament) “The city is about the same size as the then-known Hellenistic world, suggesting it represents the redeemed of all nations.” https://daretoventure.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2017/10/20171022-Eternity-Study.pdf “12,000 (stadia) and 144 (cubits; 21:16–17) both recall the number of God’s servants …The numbers are being reused to speak of the people of God, because the temple is the body of Christ…. guess what you have in ratio proportion? The Most Holy Place of the old temple (1 Kings 6:20) . [N]ot only will God live with his people in Jerusalem, not only will the entire city be like a temple, but it will be like the Most Holy Place.” (Michael Heisser)
[29] Isaiah described the future Zion as a city similarly (Isa. 54:11–12), as did the extracanonical book of Tobit (Tobit 13:16–18). The square breastplate worn by the high priest contained twelve precious stones, each engraved with the names of one of the twelve tribes (Ex. 28:17–20; 39:10–13). The Septuagint reading of Ezekiel 28:13 gives a virtually identical list as that of the breastplate’s twelve stones. (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Of The New Testament) Michael Heisser disagrees: “The list in Revelation 21 of the gems is entirely consistent (not partly, but entirely consistent) with the description in Ezekiel 28, where what is being described is not a person (the high priest); it’s a place. And the place is Eden.”
[30] “The ancient Jews teach that "when Jerusalem and the temple shall be built, they will be all of precious stones, and pearls, and sapphire, and with every species of jewels… In the midst of it is the tree of life, the height of which is five hundred years; (i.e., it is equal in height to the journey which a man might perform in five hundred years…” Sepher Rasiel Haggadol, fol. 24, 1. (Adam Clarke)
[31] “The huge cubical city encompasses the whole people of God. In some sense it is the people of God.” (IVP New Testament Commentary)
[32] In a genuinely new Heaven and Earth, there will be planetary bodies. John is making a theological point J“Even while on earth [Jesus] shone with Uncreated Light (Mk 9:2–8; 2Pt 1:16–18).” (Orthodox Study Bible)
[33] “John receives a vision of social life, bustling with activity. Elsewhere in Revelation, the "nations" are the pagan, rebellious peoples of the world who trample the Holy City (cf. comments on 11:2; 11:18)… But here they stand for… the redeemed nations who follow the Lamb and have resisted the beast and Babylon (1:5; 15:3; 19:16; 2:26; 5:9; 7:9: 12:5). (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)
[34] “Joel declared that on the Day of the Lord a fountain would flow out of the Lord’s house (Joel 3:18). Both Ezekiel and Zechariah saw waters of life flowing out of the eschatological Jerusalem (Ezek. 47:1–10; Zech. 14:8).” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Of The New Testament)
[35] “The fruits and leaves of the tree are completely and universally therapeutic, reversing the effects of the fruit of the tree of disobedience (Gn 3:6).” (Orthodox Study Bible)
[36] “No more idolatry, no intellectual darkness; the Scriptures shall be everywhere read…and the Spirit of God shall shine and work in every heart.” (Adam Clarke)
[37] Yet another example of the “now” and “not yet” of Revelation. “The OT also prophesied that God would dwell with His people. The Immanuel prophecy (Is 7:14; Ps 45:5–8) is fulfilled in the Incarnation (Jn 1:14; 17:22), but comes to completion when God will fully dwell (lit., “in-tent”) with His people, restoring the paradise of old (Gn 2; Lv 26:11, 12; Ezk 37:26, 27; Jer 38:33; 2Co 6:16).” (Orthodox Study Bible)
[38] I am making everything new (Isa. 65:17) refers primarily to the final renewing at the End. But the present tense is used and it is worth reflecting that God continually makes things new here and now (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18; 4:16–18; 5:16–17; Col. 3:1–4; etc.). https://daretoventure.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2017/10/20171022-Eternity-Study.pdf
[39] Using the same word that declared the judgment of the world finished, God proclaims that he has completed his new creation: "It is done" (16:17) (Expositors Bible Commentary)
[40] He who overcomes takes us back to the messages to the seven churches.
[41] “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8).
[42] See also the tree of life (Rev. 2:7), crown of life (Rev. 2:10), and book of life (3:5).
[43] “And since you are a son, God has made you also an heir” (Gal. 4:7) “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17).
[44] One list has “dogs,” which seems to be kind of a catch-all word for all these things. HELPS Word Studies: “kýōn – literally, a dog, scavenging canine; (figuratively) a spiritual predator who feeds off others. A loose dog was disdained in ancient times.”
[45] These vices are associated with a context of idol worship in both the OT and the NT as well as in Revelation.
[46] “Prophecy,” says C. C. Ryrie, “is designed to unfold the loveliness of Jesus.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)
[47] “Many will be purified, made spotless and are refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked” (Dan. 12:10).
[48] After the new Jerusalem descends there appears to be no difference between heaven and earth. Perhaps…there is already a sense in which God’s people experience the heavenly city…And this of which they now experience a foretaste…will be perfectly realized hereafter. Heaven will, so to speak, come down to earth. (www.daretoventure.org)
[49] “There are two ways of understanding this verse. First, it may be a gospel appeal throughout, with the Spirit, the bride, and the hearer urging the thirsty to come to Christ for salvation. Or the first three uses of the word come may be prayers for Christ to return, followed by two invitations to the unsaved to come to Him for the water of life (salvation) and thus be ready for His return.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)
[50] The promise to quench the thirst of the saints (Rev. 7:16; 21:6) is finally realized.
[51] Moses also warned hearers of the Law not to add to or subtract (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32);
[52] 1 Corinthians 15: 53-55
[53] Colossians 3:12-14, Ephesians 4:24, Ephesians 6:13-18