Revelation 22:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.

NIV: No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

NASB: There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;

CSB: and there will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him.

NLT: No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.

KJV: And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

NKJV: And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

Adam's sin brought the curse of laborious work and death on the human race. When Adam sinned, God told him: "Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:17–19).

This curse will not apply to life in the eternal state, and life will be blissful and productive. The throne of God and the Lamb will be in the eternal city, and God's people will serve and worship God. Service for God is never fruitless if we serve Him with gladness and rely on Him for the results. Paul told the Corinthians, "…in the Lord your labor is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Revelation 22:1–5 provides further details of New Jerusalem, which was introduced in the preceding chapter. Based on the language used, some interpreters debate whether New Jerusalem will exist during the thousand-year reign of Christ, providing sustenance for those who live on the earth; or, if it will only appear after the end of the millennium. Either way, in New Jerusalem eternal conditions exist in perfection and peace.

John sees additional images of New Jerusalem. The city's depiction stands in contrast to the ruin experienced during the tribulation, and evokes comparisons to the garden of Eden from the book of Genesis. After this, John relates several commands and messages from Jesus Christ. Among these are a dire warning not to manipulate the words of this message. Revelation, along with the canon of Scripture, ends with a benediction and prayer for Jesus to return.

This passage completes the description of New Jerusalem. Earlier chapters in Revelation described the final judgments against sin and death. Genesis chapter 3 described humanity's loss of paradise; Revelation 22 describes paradise regained. Concluding remarks by Jesus begin in verse 6 and continue through verse 20. Verse 21 records the apostle John's benediction, which marks the end of the New Testament canon.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''

Accessed 12/26/2024 9:01:31 AM