Wonderful – so, let’s break the ending of the Bible down literally first.The last word of the Bible is, quite simply, “Amen,” and that is a word that means – “let it be,” or, “so be it,” and can also mean – truly, or, as the KJV puts it, “verily.” We see the word amen used in Matthew 18:3, “[Jesus] said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)   The outline of Biblical usage, by Larry Pierce, notes: 

So, quite literally, the Bible ends with a statement affirming it’s truthfulness, the truthfulness of the Book of Revelation, and particularly, the truthfulness of the last FULL sentence of the Bible, which is a blessing, and reads, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with everyone.” This is a beautiful blessing, and combined with the last verse of the Bible, the final thought of the Bible is – Let it be surely/verily that the grace of the Lord Jesus would be with ALL/everyone. What a wonderful ending!

The penultimate, or second to the last, verse of the Bible is also lovely – it reads, “He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”  That is a promise from Jesus saying He WILL, in fact, return – and a reply from John – and all who read the book of Revelation saying – Yes, truly, verily – so be it – Please come soon, Jesus!  And that, my friends, is quite simply – how the Bible ends in it’s last two verses, but that doesn’t fully cover the final chapter of the Bible, so let’s break it down and analyze it. I see FIVE major things in the final chapter of the Bible that we should discuss: 

#1 – The eternal dwelling for the people of God will be in the New Jerusalem, which appears to be united with the new earth. In that place, there will NO LONGER BE ANY CURSE. No death. No pain. No anxiety, depression, turmoil, etc.NO COVID or any other sickness. No need for artificial light, and God Himself will be with His people – visible and tangible. This is unimaginably awesome!  So, first the Bible ends with an incredible and amazing HOPE to look forward to. 

#2 Upon the return of Jesus, there will be those who are on the inside of the city, with Jesus, and those on the outside. Unlike the kingdoms of this world, insider privilege is not based on wealth, fame, looks, power, or birthright, but upon grace and faith alone. Those who are washed in the blood and sacrifice of Jesus, and made clean will live eternally in the presence of God. Those who persist in their sin and reject the King of Kings will be outside eternally. This is sobering. So, secondly, the Bible ends with a DIVISION between those who are in Christ, and those who are outside of Christ. Don’t miss this division – because it is critical to understand that the Bible does not offer universal hope to all of humanity – but hope to those who are saved by the grace of Jesus. One might ask – “Why doesn’t God save everybody,?” but the better question might be – “why in the world would God save anybody?” And the answer, is His grace and mercy. But remember that Jesus often talked about the end of history, and when He did, He clearly noted that there would be a division of people – between the sheep and the goats – between His followers and those who did not follow Him, and Revelation affirms that truth from beginning to end. 

¹⁴ “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Revelation 22:14-15

#3 The Word of God is NOT to be added to, or subtracted from. Human beings do not have the power, nor the authority, nor the wisdom to pick and choose from the truths of the Bible. There is a strong warning – with terrifying consequences –  in Revelation to neither add more to ultimate truth, nor obscure or take away from it. The WHOLE counsel of God is His Word, and we must neither ignore parts of it that might be unpalatable for us, nor must we add our own thoughts and values to it. Thirdly, therefore, we see that the Bible ends with a fully loaded WARNING t0 not add to the book of Revelation specifically, nor the Bible itself generally. 

¹⁸ I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. ¹⁹ And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, which are written about in this book.

Revelation 22:18-19

#4 Justice, at its most basic, is giving people what they deserve, for good or for ill. In a sense, the Kingdom of God is built on mercy, in that we would all be destroyed if we truly got what we deserved. However, because Jesus paid the price for our sins, we don’t have to, and that dynamic apparently paves the way for some type of eternal and heavenly reward to be given to those who have used their life well in the service of Jesus. Let me be clear on that last sentence – I’m not saying that pastors or full time ministers will have an advantage in this regard. Any and all, no matter their profession, can give their life well in the service of Jesus, and a life lived in such a way  – seeking first the Kingdom of God, rather than seeking first the kingdoms of this world – will be eternally rewarded. Thus, the Bible ends with an expectation of graceful justice and a REWARD to be given to those who have worked for it, in Christ. 

¹² “Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to repay each person according to his work. 

Revelation 22:12-13

#5 Jesus is coming soon. This promise appears THREE times in this last chapter, so obviously it is very, very important. We remember from 1 Peter that our definition of ‘soon,’ and God’s definition might be a little different…or a lot different, but His return is sure and certain and promised. He is coming, and this is wonderful. Finally, then, the Bible ends with a PROMISE of RETURN for us to hope in and wait for! 

²⁰ He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Revelation 22:20

What does the Bible end with? Hope, division, warning, reward, a promise of the Lord’s return and a blessing of the grace of Christ to everyone.