Revelation 22:12-16: a reflection

12“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, to repay to each man according to his work. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city. 15Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

Near the very end of the Bible, Jesus speaks: Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me. He names himself with titles of majesty: the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. The One who speaks is the Lord of all history, present at its start and its finish, and he promises to return. The whole story of Scripture is moving toward this: the coming of Christ to make all things right.

He pronounces a blessing on those who have washed their robes, who belong to him and follow his ways, granting them the right to the tree of life and entrance into the city. The passage also names, soberly, those who remain outside, all who cling to falsehood and evil, a reminder that the invitation is real and the choice matters. But the emphasis falls on the blessing and the invitation. And Jesus adds a tender title for himself: the bright morning star, the light that heralds the dawn.

Let the nearness of these words steady and stir you. Jesus is coming, and he is the beginning and the end, holding all of history in his hands. His promise is not a threat to those who belong to him but a hope: the tree of life, the city, the dawn after the long night. Live today in the light of his coming, washed and ready, longing for the bright morning star to appear. He is coming soon; let your heart answer, come, Lord Jesus.

Lord Jesus, you are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and you promise to come soon. Thank you that your coming is not a threat but a hope for those who belong to you, the tree of life, the city, the dawn. Wash me and keep me ready, and make me long for you, the bright morning star. Come, Lord Jesus, and until you do, let me live in the light of your coming. Amen.