Revelation 22: Life flows from the throne, and the prophecy returns to its hearers

Revelation 22 lets the final city breathe before turning the prophecy back toward the people hearing it. Life flows from the throne as a river, the tree bears fruit continually, the curse is gone, and God's servants see his face, bear his name, serve him, and reign without an announced end. The chapter then moves from vision to testimony. The sayings are again called "faithful and true," John is corrected once more for worshipping an angel, and the prophecy is deliberately left unsealed because "the time is at hand." Jesus identifies himself as the source of the testimony sent to the churches. The repeated invitation "Come" reaches both toward his coming and toward the thirsty who may take the water of life freely. A severe warning guards the book from addition or subtraction, but Revelation's last exchange is expectation answered by expectation, followed by grace. The final word after all the book's judgments is not another plague but the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.