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Revelation

About this book
Chapter 22

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life—water⁠ as clear as crystal—pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb,⁠ 2 flowing down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations.⁠ 3 And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him, 4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.⁠ 6 Then the angel said to me, “These words are reliable and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon.” 7 (Look ! I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy expressed in this book.) 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw them, I threw myself down to worship at the feet of the angel who was showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Do not do this! I am a fellow servant⁠ with you and with your brothers the prophets, and with those who obey the words of this book. Worship God!” 10 Then he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy contained in this book, because the time is near. 11 The evildoer must continue to do evil, and the one who is morally filthy must continue to be filthy. The one who is righteous must continue to act righteously, and the one who is holy must continue to be holy.” 12 (Look ! I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to pay each one according to what he has done!⁠ 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end!)⁠ 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access to the tree of life and can enter into the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood! 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star!”⁠ 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say: “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wants it take the water of life free of charge. 18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy contained in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.⁠ 19 And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book. 20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Texts in conversation

Compare Hymn to a Universal God and Revelation 22:13

Classical · New Testament

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Summary

Revelation 22 describes Jesus as the beginning and end of creation, language similar to Greek traditions, such as a hymn from Egypt in honor of a universal god identified with Poseidon. The hymn calls this deity the source and completion of creation.

Passages

Hymn to a Universal God

Classical · Fragment P.Col. Inv. 1171
Hail Heaven, hail Poseidon
Dwelling in the southern region
Protecting cities
Hail the beginning, hail the end of everything
... establishing an equal destiny
... and bringer of light, hail you greatest
delightful gifts
... guide of the summer ...
forefather
300–200 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Hymn to a Universal God

Revelation 22:13

New Testament
10 Then he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy contained in this book, because the time is near. 11 The evildoer must continue to do evil, and the one who is morally filthy must continue to be filthy. The one who is righteous must continue to act righteously, and the one who is holy must continue to be holy.” 12 (Look ! I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to pay each one according to what he has done! 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end!) 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access to the tree of life and can enter into the city by the gates.
92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

References

"... Compare with Christ as 'beginning' and 'end' in Revelation 21:6; 22:13 ..."
L. Koenen, “Ein Hymnus auf den Allgott (P. Col. inv. 1171),” ZPE 4 (1969): 19–21.
... The divine title 'the Beginning and the End [and the Middle] of all things' is drawn from Hellenistic religious and philosophical tradition and has a cosmological rather than a temporal significance, as the detailed study by W. C. van Unnik (Het godspredikaat) makes clear. The Derveni papyrus, found carbonized in Macedonia and dating from ca. 350 B.C., contains lines from an Orphic poem that is probably much earlier (col. 13, line 12): 'Zeus is the beginning, Zeus is the middle, all things are fulfilled by Zeus.' This is virtually identical to the saying found in Ps.-Aristotle De mundo 7 ...
David E. Aune, Word Biblical Commentary: Revelation 17-22 (Dallas: Word, 1998), 1124–1126.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Hymn to a Universal God and Revelation 22:13

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