The Book of Revelation

Word Study

"curse," Greek katathema (κατάθεμα). The word means an accursed thing, that which lies under God's curse and is devoted to destruction. "And there shall be no more curse." This single phrase closes the story the Bible began. In Eden, when man sinned, God pronounced a curse: the ground was cursed, thorns and thistles came, pain and toil and death entered, and man was barred from "the tree of life" by cherubim and a flaming sword (Genesis 3:17-24). All of human history since has groaned under that curse (Romans 8:20-22). But here, at the end, "there shall be no more curse." The tree of life, lost in Eden, reappears, freely accessible, "on either side of the river," bearing fruit every month, "and the leaves... for the healing of the nations." What was closed is opened; what was cursed is blessed; what was lost is restored, and more than restored. How was the curse removed? By Christ: "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). The Lamb bore the curse in our place, and so the curse is lifted forever. The Bible thus forms one perfect arc: it opens in a garden with the tree of life and a curse, and it ends in a city-garden with the tree of life and no curse, because the Lamb was slain. So katathema proclaims the finished triumph of redemption: the curse that fell in Eden is gone forever, borne away by Christ, and the redeemed dwell in an eternal paradise where nothing is cursed and all is life.

Explanation

The final vision restores Eden and surpasses it: a pure river of the water of life flows "out of the throne of God and of the Lamb," and the tree of life bears fruit for the healing of the nations. "The throne of God and of the Lamb" is one throne, and "his servants shall serve him... and they shall see his face" -- the singular pronouns confess that God and the Lamb are one Lord, and the redeemed will at last behold Him. The curse of Genesis 3 is gone forever; the face of God, once hidden from sinners, is now beheld by His servants. Jesus affirms the certainty of it all -- "Behold, I come quickly" -- and calls for readiness.

Gospel Focus

The final vision is paradise restored, and better than Eden. "A pure river of water of life... proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" waters a city where "the tree of life" bears endless fruit and healing leaves. Note the throne: it is "the throne of God and of the Lamb," and the pronouns that follow are singular, "his servants shall serve him... they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads." God and the Lamb share one throne, one service, one face, one name, for the Lamb is God, the one Lord revealed in Jesus Christ. This is the Oneness of God shining at the very end of Scripture: not two thrones or two objects of worship, but the one God, seen in the Lamb. And the crowning blessing of eternity is stated in four words: "they shall see his face." No one could see God's face and live (Exodus 33:20); but in the new creation, the redeemed, cleansed by the blood, behold the face of God, the face of God unveiled in Jesus, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9). To see His face is the summit of all blessedness. His name is on their foreheads, they are wholly His; there is no night, "for the Lord God giveth them light"; and "they shall reign for ever and ever." Then the book turns to its close. The angel affirms, "These sayings are faithful and true," and Christ declares, "Behold, I come quickly." When John again falls to worship the angel, he is again corrected, "worship God", worship belongs to God alone, yet the Lamb is worshiped throughout, for the Lamb is God. Unlike Daniel, who was told to "seal" his book (Daniel 12:4), John is told, "Seal not the sayings... for the time is at hand": the message is to be proclaimed, not hidden. And a solemn word falls: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still... he that is holy, let him be holy still." The time of decision is short; character is being fixed; the coming of Christ is near. So the last vision sets before us the glory awaiting the redeemed, God's own face, His light, His reign shared with us forever, and presses the urgency of being ready, for He comes quickly.

Word Study

"root," Greek riza (ῥίζα). Christ says, "I am the root and the offspring of David." The two words hold together the whole mystery of who Jesus is. A "root" (riza) is the source from which a plant grows, that which comes before and gives rise to the tree. As the eternal God, He is David's root: David's Maker, David's Lord, the One from whom David and all things came, existing long before David was born. This is the half of the riddle Jesus posed to the Pharisees that they could not answer: if David calls the Christ "Lord," "how is he his son?" (Matthew 22:41-45).

"offspring," genos (γένος). An "offspring" (genos) is the descendant, that which comes after and springs from the line. As the incarnate Son, He is David's offspring: born of David's line according to the flesh, truly a descendant of David, the promised seed. That Jesus is both the "root" of David and the "offspring" of David is no contradiction but the very heart of the Gospel. The answer to the riddle is the incarnation: the one who is David's Lord (his root, his God) became David's son (his offspring, in the flesh). Here at the end of the Bible, Jesus names Himself both: the eternal God who is David's root, and the man of David's line who is David's offspring, one Christ, God manifest in flesh. He adds, "the bright and morning star," the herald of the eternal day. So riza and genos together declare the deity and the humanity of the one Lord Jesus: He is the root, for He is God before all; and the offspring, for God was made flesh. The whole Gospel is in His own last self-description.

Explanation

The Bible closes with the returning Christ's own words: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last" -- the very title God claimed in 1:8, now spoken by Jesus, sealing the truth that the Lord Jesus is the Almighty God. He promises, "Surely I come quickly," and the Spirit and the bride answer, "Come." The final invitation of Scripture is pure grace: "whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." The book of judgment and glory ends not with wrath but with an open door -- a plea to come to Christ -- and a benediction: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." The whole story, from creation to consummation, closes in the grace of the one Lord who is Alpha and Omega.

Gospel Focus

The Bible's closing verses belong to Christ, and they overflow with His glory and His grace. He promises reward and judgment: "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." He declares His deity in the fullest terms: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last", the title of the Almighty on the throne (21:6), and the very name of the LORD in Isaiah, "I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God" (Isaiah 44:6), now spoken by Jesus, for Jesus is that one God. He signs His name plainly: "I Jesus have sent mine angel," and names Himself "the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star", David's God and David's son, the dawning light of the eternal day. Then comes the last and greatest invitation of the Scriptures: "the Spirit and the bride say, Come." The Holy Spirit and the church, together, call the world to Christ; and everyone who hears is to echo the call, "let him that heareth say, Come." The invitation is free and universal: "whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." The whole Bible ends not with a threat but with an open door, a free offer of the water of life to all who will come. A solemn warning guards the sacred text, against adding to or taking from "the words of the prophecy of this book," for God's word is complete and not to be tampered with. And then the final exchange: Christ says, "Surely I come quickly," and the church answers with the prayer that has risen from believing hearts ever since, "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." The last note of Scripture is a longing for the return of the Lord, and the last word is grace: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." For the Apostolic reader this is the perfect close. The Bible ends where it centers, on the Lord Jesus Christ, the one God manifest in flesh, Alpha and Omega, David's root and offspring, who is coming quickly. It ends with the Spirit and the bride pleading with a lost world to come and drink freely. And it ends with the prayer of every waiting saint, "come, Lord Jesus," and the blessing of His grace upon all. Come, then, to the Lamb who bore the curse, take the water of life freely, and look for the day He comes. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.