May 23 | Rev 22: 6-21

Michael Guastella
May 23
3 min read

DAILY READING

Revelation 22: 6-21

REFLECTION

The Tree of Life is Ours If We Plant the Seeds Today

By Michael Guastella

There’s not much “new” that can be said about this passage. (In fact, verse 18 kind of warns us not to even try, so I need to be careful here!)

The simplest way to put it: Revelation 22 is a peek into paradise.

We are taken down a path, literally, of what New Jerusalem looks like and what awaits us on the better side of life. We are given hope that at the end of earthly life is truly only the beginning. There will be no more darkness, no more pain, no more curses or disease – only perfection.

John, having been shown all of this by the angel, is so taken by the beauty of abundance, that he falls to his knees and attempts to worship the angel who showed it to him. The angel, knowing who the Creator is, and therefore he knows that He is the only one that is deserving of this praise, puts a stop to this really quick and reminds him – John and the angel are but fellow servants.

In verses 10 and 11, the final instructions from the angel to John, we are given urgency. The angel is warning us that the time of Jesus’ return is near – and there is an immediate need for us to repent and accept Him into our hearts.

Honestly, the first time I read verse 11, I was confused.

“Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

It was almost like… is the angel actually telling us to keep sinning? On the surface, it’s a complete deviation from the tone of verse 10; with the immediate need for repentance being fired right at us like a warning shot, and then the almost "passive" tone of verse 11. What is going on here? In preparing to write this, I needed to understand this verse better, and researched multiple interpretations of this verse from others.

I learned that, of course, the angel isn't telling us to keep sinning, and this verse is not a passive remark at all – but rather a doubling down. Verse 11 is an exclamation point on the urgency that is required of us! The angel is letting us know that the clock has run out, and time's up. To the reader: it's a proverbial "shaking by the shoulders" that we need to lock in and get it together - and that Jesus will return at any moment.

The final declarations and directions from Jesus in verses 12-15 are how to get through the gates and Jesus signs his name to this declaration in verse 16. The message is clear: Our choices today affect our eternity. The life we have been given is our chance to choose which side of the gates of New Jerusalem we want to be on. Our choices and our free will is our "autobiography", and on Judgement Day, the whole thing will be read aloud by God. And when my last page is finished, I know which side I'd rather be on.

It’s interesting to me that when we talk about the end of the world, a lot of the time, we tend to picture doomsday. The sky is always raining meteors, or the world is exploding around us, there is massive fear, or whatever chaos we tend to drum up in our imagination. But in this passage, it’s not like that at all. Quite the opposite. Again, it’s perfection: no pain, no suffering, no darkness. It’s not even framed as the “end of the world” – but rather, the new world that is going to bring us back to God’s perfect vision.

The last words of the Bible are God directly and intentionally extending an invitation to us to bask in the glory of the tree of life – but also a reminder that the invitation is rapidly expiring. So, it’s time to plant the seeds. Now.

PRAYER

Lord, we know you are coming soon. We know we are not good enough. We want to walk in the garden and rest in the shadow of the tree of life. Give us opportunities to worship you and forgive us for when we fall short of them. Thank you for giving us a crystal clear path to your Throne, and be with us always as we walk down it.

About the Author

MICHAEL GUASTELLA

I have been a Hilliard resident since 2022, and have lived in Columbus since 2014. I am originally from the Cleveland area. I work in downtown Columbus as a government affairs consultant. My wife, Rachael, and I have been attending UALC since early 2024.