The Spirit and the bride call the thirsty ones to come and drink the water of life-the flow of the processed and dispensing Triune God. This is indicated by the fact that in 22:17 the word “come” is found three times: “The Spirit and the bride say, Come! Let him who hears also say, Come! Let him who is thirsty also come; he who wills, let him take the water of life freely.” The first occurrence of this word refers to the coming back of the Lord Jesus. This is uttered by the Spirit and the bride. However, the one who hears the Spirit and the bride say this joins in saying, “Come!” The Spirit and the bride, on the one hand, desire that the Lord Jesus will come and, on the other hand, yearn that the thirsty sinner will also come to take the water of life for his satisfaction. When we have a sincere desire for the Lord’s desire, we also have an earnest expectation for the sinner’s salvation. Therefore, the third mention of “come” in this verse refers to the coming of the repenting sinners. Whoever is thirsty, let him take the water of life freely. Hence, 22:17 covers three matters: the response of the Spirit and the bride, the word of the one who hears the declaration of the Spirit and the bride, and the desire for the thirsty sinner, the unsaved one, to come and drink of the water of life.
Revelation 22:17 strongly implies that if we have a desire for the Lord’s coming back, we shall be very concerned for others’ salvation. Do you desire the coming back of the Lord Jesus? If you do, this desire will stir up within you a concern for the salvation of others. As you are saying, “Come, Lord Jesus,” a burden may rise up within you for your family, neighbors, friends, and colleagues. We should say to the Lord, “Come,” and then turn to the unbelievers and say, “The Lord Jesus is coming. Will you not come also? Come and be saved. Come to receive your salvation that you may be prepared to meet the coming Savior.” In particular, we shall sound out a call to the thirsty ones to drink the water of life, the flow of the processed and dispensing Triune God, that they also may have a part in the aggregate of God’s redeemed people to be His bride. Our experience testifies that this is the proper understanding of 22:17.
Anyone who would answer the above call and come to drink the water of life will participate in the central goal of God’s economy, that is, to share the dispensing of the processed Triune God and to be a part of the bride of the Lamb for the satisfaction and expression of the processed and dispensing Triune God.
This is to fulfill the eternal purpose of the divine economy of the Triune God, according to His heart’s desire for His pleasure (Eph. 1:9-11; 3:9-11), in eternity to come.
As a result of the progressing stage of God’s full salvation and through the experience and enjoyment of the dispensing of the processed Triune God, the believers look to and wait for the Lord Jesus’ coming back to usher them into their future. Our future is an eternal married life with the Triune God. Now we are waiting for the Lord’s coming back; we are here looking to that glorious day.
Philippians 3:20 says, “Our citizenship is in the heavens, from which also we eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” The Greek word rendered “citizenship” may also be rendered commonwealth or associations of life. Our national life is not in any earthly country; it is in the heavens. Our real citizenship, our true commonwealth, is in the heavens. We need to remember, therefore, that since our citizenship is in the heavens, we are a heavenly people sojourning on earth, awaiting the Savior, who “will transfigure the body of our humiliation, conforming it to the body of His glory, according to the operation of Him who is able even to subject all things to Himself” (v. 21).
First Corinthians 1:7b tells us that, as believers, we are “awaiting the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here “unveiling” refers to the Lord’s appearing, His second coming. To await the appearing of the Lord is a normal sign of true believers.
According to 1 Thessalonians 1:9 and 10, the believers have turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God and “to wait for His Son from the heavens, whom He raised from among the dead-Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath which is coming.” An important characteristic of our Christian life is that we are waiting for God’s Son from the heavens. As Christians, we must live a life that declares to others that our hope is not on this earth or in this age. Instead, our hope is in the coming Lord, and our future is in Him. On this earth we do not have any destiny, destination, or future. Our future, our destiny, and our destination are altogether focused on the Lord who is coming. He will be our hope, our future, and our destination. We are going to the Lord, and our destiny is to meet Him. Worldly people, on the contrary, have the kind of living that gives others the impression that their future is on the earth and that their hope, destiny, and destination are all in the present. Although their future is thoroughly related to this age, ours is not. Because we are waiting for the Son of God from the heavens, our future is focused on Him. As believers in Christ, we declare that we are waiting for the coming of the Son of God from the heavens.
Revelation 22:20 says, “He who testifies these things says, Yes, I come quickly, Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” The first part of this verse is the Lord’s third warning in chapter twenty-two of Revelation regarding His soon coming. The last part is the Apostle John’s prayer and response to the Lord’s warning. It is also the last prayer in the Bible. After reading the book of Revelation, we also should have such a prayer and response-“Come, Lord Jesus!” This was John’s desire expressed as a prayer. Therefore, the whole Bible concludes with a desire for the Lord’s coming expressed as a prayer.
First Thessalonians 4:17 says, “We who are living, who remain, shall be caught up at the same time together with them in clouds into a meeting of the Lord in the air; and so we shall be always together with the Lord.” According to this verse, both the dead and the living believers will be caught up to the Lord. First the dead will be raised (v. 16), and then together we shall be caught up to a meeting of the Lord in the air. According to the Word of God, when the Lord Jesus descends from heaven, the dead saints will rise up. Their spirit and soul will rise out of Paradise, their body will rise up from the tomb, and their spirit and soul with the body will make them perfect. They will then join the believers who are living, and together we shall be caught up to the Lord.
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