B The Closing Testimony of John, Ch. 22:17‐20
These verses contain the final witness, warning, and exhortation of the Apostle, which is given to the churches before the book is closed, concerning all the things which are written therein.
1 A Last Universal Invitation of Grace, Ch. 22:17
“Come!” “Come!” “Come!” A thrice repeated call to all men to come to Christ for the free gift of life eternal, is fervently uttered before the book is closed forever. The beloved disciple with ardent zeal sends out this final call to the unsaved, and thus the message of judgment throughout the book reaches a fitting close in a full, free, and urgent invitation to all men of every class to accept the offer of salvation. This certainly appears to be the natural meaning of the passage, as is made clear by the appeal in the latter part of the verse, which would otherwise lack coherence, viz. “And he that is athirst let him come: he that will, let him take of the water of life freely.” The verse is, however, regarded by many as belonging to the words of Christ just preceding (v. 12‐16), though it is more likely, but we cannot say certainly, spoken by John. Either connection is possible, and does not materially affect the sense. Another, perhaps the more common though less likely interpretation, makes the word “Come”, repeated in the first half of the verse, a call to Christ to come again, referring to his promise in the twelfth verse; and regards the passage either as the words of Christ affirming the witness of the Spirit and the Bride who entreat him to come, or as an answering cry from John on behalf of the church.(591)
2 A Last Impressive Warning of Exhortation, Ch. 22:18‐19
“If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: and if any man shall take away ... God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city.” These are the authoritative words of a messenger conscious of divine authority, and are intended to preserve the integrity of his message.(592) They are similar in form to the warning given in Deuteronomy (Deut. 4:2; 12:32), guarding against the deliberate falsification, or misinterpretation, of a divine message.