Scripture for the Week: Revelation 22:12-16 // February 2, 2025 (Sunday)

Revelation 22:12-16 (NIV)

[Jesus said] Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city … 16 I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.

Praise the Lord! Greetings to you all [the ministry partners, well-wishers, readers, and brothers and sisters in the Lord] in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Praise God that the Lord has been good to us all during the past week and I believe that He will remain faithful to us for the rest of our life. Therefore, let us continue to worship and adore His holy name! Psalm 100:3 states that Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Again, it is said: Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care (Psalm 95:6-7). We need to be thankful to our Lord God for everything He has done for us so far and all that He has in store for us because it is He who made us in His own image and likeness that we may live for His glory (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7; Isaiah 43:6-7; Matthew 5:16; Romans 15:6; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Philippians 1:11).

The Lord has blessed us with a very promising Scripture passage for our meditation this week, which is taken from Revelation 22:12-16 (mentioned above). In this passage, Jesus introduces Himself as:

*the Alpha and the Omega [v.22:13a / in the Greek alphabet, the letter Α / α (alpha) is the first letter and Ω / ω (omega) is the last letter, which signifies that Jesus is the First and He is the last and there is none/nothing before or beyond Him. states that I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8; also refer to 21:6; 22:13)];

*the First and the Last [v. 22:13b /; when Jesus says, He is the First and the Last, it signifies His existence from the timeless past to the timeless future – there is nothing before Him and there is nothing after Him because He is from all-eternity. He urges His followers saying Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever (Revelation 1:17b-18a; also refer to: Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; John 11:25; Colossians 17:b)].

*the Beginning and the End [v. 22:13c /  Apostle John wrote: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made (John 1:1-3), which signifies that He was in the beginning before either universe or anything in the universe was created for He created everything in this universe, visible or invisible (also refer to: Psalm 90:2; 102:25-27; Colossians 1:16-17; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 1:10-12; 13:8];

*the Root and the Offspring of David [v. 22:16b / David [if not the most powerful king in Israel] was one of the most powerful kings in Israel and he was a descendant of Abraham who was considered as the most esteemed ancestor of the Israelite community and Abraham himself was looking forward to see the day of Christ. During His earthly ministry, Jesus responded to the Jews who were questioning His authority in comparison with their most admired ancestor Abraham: Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad (John 8:56); and Jesus continued, saying: Very truly I tell you, Jesus answered, before Abraham was born, I am (John 8:58; also refer to Matthew 1:1). Now, Jesus testifies about Himself that He is the Root as well as the Offspring of king David (Revelation 22:16b), which signifies that Jesus is both the ancestor/forefather [Root] of king David as well as the descendant/successor [Offspring] of king David who will fulfill God’s promise in David’s life, as Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, praised God, saying:

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days (Luke 1:68-75; also refer to 2 Samuel 7:12; 1 Chronicles 17:11; Isaiah 11:1, 10; Psalm 89:3-4; 132:11; John 7:42)

*the bright Morning Star [v. 22:16c / Jesus identifies Himself as the bright Morning Star. A morning star [perhaps the brightest and most visible star in the sky in the absence of the sun and moon] appears at the end of the night just prior to the sunrise – that is, it appears at a time between the night and daybreak/dawn, which signifies that the morning star is clearly visible at the end of the night when everything is clear and calm and quiet and peaceful; and signals that daybreak/dawn is on the horizon – the sign of a new day filled with hope and anticipation. Yes, Jesus is the bright Morning Star who brought light to those walking in darkness (Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 4:16; John 8:12; Acts 26:18). Prophet Balaam son of Beor, who was brought in by Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time (Numbers 22:1-6) to curse the Israelites who were on their way to Canaan from Egypt, blessed the Israelites instead of cursing them, saying: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth (Numbers 24:17).

Although, there are very many names and/or titles mentioned in the holy Scriptures to introduce Christ Jesus to its readers [such as (i) the Word of God (Revelation 19:13), (ii) Immanuel (Matthew 1:23), (iii) the Messiah (Matthew 1:1; John 1:40-42; 4:25), (iv) the Wonderful Counselor, (v) Mighty God, (vi) Eternal Father, (vii) Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6); (viii) the Son of God (Mark 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; John 1:34), (ix) the Son of Man (Matthew 16:13; Mark 8:31; Luke 17:30; Revelation 14:14), (x) the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36; 1 Peter 1:19; 1 Corinthians 5:7), (xi) the King of kings (Revelation 17:14; 19:16a; 1 Timothy 6:15), (xii) the Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14; 19:16b; 1 Timothy 6:15), (xiii) the Good Shepherd (John 10:11); (xiv) the author of life (Acts 3:15), (xv) the Savior of mankind (John 3:16; 4:42; Acts 4:12; 1 John 4:14), (xvi) the first born of the dead (Revelation 1:5), and so on], the above mentioned names/titles are spoken by Jesus Himself to introduce Himself to His faithful followers to let them know that He is who He says He is. When Jesus introduced Himself as the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:13,16), He did not say these names/tittles just for the sake of saying it but He literally meant that He the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:13,16); as well as every name/title that are mentioned in the holy Scriptures. He [Jesus Christ] existed before the creation of the heaven and the earth and everything in them, and He exists in the present age, and He will continue to exist even when the earth and heaven will pass away. He is the only One who could give us eternal life  (John 3:36) because He exists endlessly from eternity to eternity.

After introducing Himself, Jesus specifically says that He sent His angel (divine messenger) to give Apostle John this testimony for the churches (Revelation 22:6,16) as it was mentioned earlier in the book of Revelation: The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John (Revelation 1:1; also refer to: Revelation 22:8-9). The passage tells us several factors that includes promise of Christ’s return, promise of receiving rewards for righteous living, the right (permission) granted to the tree of life, the right (permission) granted to go through the gates into the city, and so on. Through this Scripture passage, Christ gives hope to His faithful followers, especially those who are going through a tough time in their life due to their faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus encourages His faithful followers that He is coming back soon and He is going to reward each person according to what they have done. So, hold on to what has been entrusted to each one’s care (Proverbs 4:13; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 1:14; 2:16; 6:20; 2 Peter 3:17) and hold on to the faith they have in Christ Jesus and continue their walk with Jesus on a day-to-day basis without being distracted (1 Corinthians 16:13; Hebrews 4:14; 10:23).

God placed before His people blessings (life) and destruction (death) and they are free to choose whatever seems good for them (Deuteronomy 30:15). The Biblical principle is that those who live a righteous life will receive blessings in this life and eternal life in the world to come (Deuteronomy 30:16, 19-20; Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:29-30; John 5:29a; Romans 6:23; Galatians 6:7-8); and those who lived an unrighteous life will reap its consequences, that is, destruction/death (Ezekiel 18:20; Matthew 10:28; 25:46; John 5:29b; Romans 6:23; Galatians 6:7-8; Hebrews 10:26-27; Revelation 20:14-15). Apostle Paul stated:

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:7-10)

Jesus said: I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done (Revelation 22:12; also refer to Matthew 16:27). Prophet Isaiah prophesied that See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him (Isaiah 40:10). These words signify both a promise and warning. When Jesus returns, He will give back each person what their deeds deserve. Jesus is coming back for several reasons: (i) to fulfill God’s promises regarding Him and the rest of God’s creation including mankind (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:44; Romans 10:4); (ii) to take His faithful followers with Him to be where He is (John 12:26; 14:3; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17); (iii) to reward His faithful people who lived a righteous life; (iv) to judge the world, especially the unrighteous and the wicked (Psalm 96:13; Matthew 16:27; John 5:22, 27; Acts 10:42; 17:31; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Timothy 4:1; 1 Peter 4:5); and (v) to establish and reign the Kingdom of God for ever and ever as the King of kings and the Lord of lords; and so on. God promised rewards for those who live faithfully before Him and declared punishment for those who do not live according to the righteous laws and decrees and commandments He has given to us. Regarding the judgement of God, Apostle Paul stated that: We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10; also refer to: Matthew 16:24; Revelation 20:12-13). Revelation 20:11-15 states that:

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15)

Those who ignored His invitation to follow Him (Deuteronomy 30:17-20; Matthew 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 16:24; 19:21; Mark 1:17; 2:14; 8:34; 10:21; Luke 5:27; 9:23, 59; 18:22) and willfully lived a life that is centered on themselves and based on the worldly standards would face its consequences according to what all they have said or done. At the same time, people those who accepted His invitation and followed Him wholeheartedly and obeyed everything He commanded and lived a righteous life would receive a great reward based on their word and deed: such people …

    • …left everything and followed Him (Matthew 4:20, 22; Mark 1:18, 20; Luke 5:11), which means they ignored who they are and left behind everything they had and followed Him
    • …obeyed His commandments and lived a life worthy of their calling (Deuteronomy 30:16; Psalm 25:14; Isaiah 1:17; Matthew 6:33-34; Ephesians 2:10; 4:1), which means, they gave God preference and lived accordingly
    • …sat at His footstool and learned (Isaiah 55:3; Matthew 11:29; 16:16; Luke 10:39; John 6:68-69; 13:14-15), and proclaimed what they saw and heard from Jesus
    • …believed that they are called by God to live a life that was worthy of their calling for the glory of God (Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; Philippians 1:27; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; Hebrews 3:1)
    • …lived according to the pattern Jesus lived and/or showed them (Matthew 5:48; John 1:37-39; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6), they ignored their own life-style and lived a life according to the Word of God.

Such are the people who are blessed by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and they will continue to be called the Blessed as it mentioned in the book of Revelation:

    • Blessed are those who (i) read aloud the words of this prophecy and (ii) hear the words of this prophecy and (iii) take to heart the words of this prophecy (Revelation 1:3)
    • Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on for they will rest from their labor and their deeds will follow them (Revelation 14:13)
    • Blessed are the ones who stay awake and remain clothed for they will not go naked and be shamefully exposed (Revelation 16:15)
    • Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9)
    • Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection for the second death will have no power over them and they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years (Revelation 20:6)
    • Blessed are those who keep the words of the prophecy written in this scroll (Revelation 22:7)
    • Blessed are those who wash their robes for they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city (Revelation 22:14)

Dear friends in the Lord, unlike some of the Pharisees, Sadducees, teachers of the Lord, priests, and prophets who measured/compared their life with their own words and deeds, let us try to read the Scripture thoroughly and understand God’s Will in our life and live our life according to the trustworthy and true Word of God. Jesus communicated His message to John by sending His angel to him and by asking John to write down the prophecies he has heard and saw in his vision for the benefit of the future generations (Revelation 1:11, 19; 22:6, 8a, also refer to: Exodus 17:14; Deuteronomy 27:8; Psalm 102:18; Isaiah 30:8; Jeremiah 30:2; Habakkuk 2:2;  Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16). The revelation God gave to Jesus Christ to show his servants what must soon take place was revealed to John by the sending of an angel. John testified that everything he saw in his vision is to help Jesus’ followers to walk in His ways faithfully. We, God’s people, will be enjoying our eternal life in the City of God in the new earth and new heaven with the throne of God and of the Lamb in the center of it.  God and the Lamb will be reigning for ever and ever and we will be drinking from the river of water of life that flows from the throne of God and the Lamb.  And we will be eating from the tree of life that will bear twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month, and its leaves will help heal the nations.  And ultimately, our life with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit will be joyful and peaceful. Apostle John stated what he heard and saw about God’s plan for His people, as it is mentioned:

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever (Revelation 22:1-5).

Let us work tirelessly to keep the inheritance that is promised to us and pray that God will enable us to achieve the God-given goal of spiritual maturity and our heavenly inheritance. May God bless us all! Amen!

Hello friend, thank you for reading the above-mentioned Bible passage and the written note. Let me ask a question before you close this browser: Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? If so, walk with Him every moment of your life, be strengthened spiritually, and live a life worthy of His calling. If you are not yet a disciple of Jesus Christ, it is not too late for you to come and follow Him and become a beneficiary of His saving grace. May the Lord God Almighty bless you and strengthen you as you grow daily in the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

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