Rev. 22:7,14 ... “Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book. ... Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.”
The book of Revelation reaches its conclusion in this chapter. The long and universal war between good and evil is over, and the victory has gone entirely to the force of good. The age-long conflict between God and Satan is finished, and God stands unmoved in triumphant glory in heaven. His arch-antagonist, "the great dragon ... the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan," (Rev. 12:9), has been "thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone ... and will be tormented day and night forever and ever," (Rev. 20:10). With Satan and all the forces of evil confined forever in hell, those who devoted their lives to the service of God are eternally delivered from sin and the danger of being tempted to sin.
The book of Revelation utters seven beatitudes (pronouncements of divine blessing) upon a people or group of people who have pleased God and gained His acceptance. The last two of these wonderful blessings are given here in this chapter. The first is, "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it," (1:3). Obedience to God is absolutely essential in man's relationship with Him. The life that is based upon it will succeed (Mt. 7:24-25), but the life that ignores or spurns it will fail miserably, (Mt. 7:26-27). Nothing can be substituted for obedience, although many think it possible. King Saul thought that worship could be exchanged for obedience, but Samuel corrected him with the declaration, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams," (I Sam. 15:22). There are people today who have the idea that they can put money, self-styled righteousness, and benevolent service in the place of obedience to God's law, but it can't be done. This effort was the fallacy of Jews to whom Paul wrote, "Not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God," (Rom. 10:3). But those who deny their own will and submit their lives to the will of God shall receive His blessing that is pronounced here in Rev. 22:7. They shall live eternally with God in heaven, separated forever from sin and its fiendish promoter, Satan.
The seventh beatitude of Revelation is, "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city." The substance of this blessing is the same as the last. In other words, God's will offers a double reward to anyone who will obey it. Notice the clause, "so that they may have the right to ...". In contemporary America we have become a "rights" obsessed people. We demand the "right" to do whatever we want to do, go wherever we want to go, live in the place of our choice, gain membership in whatever organization we wish, etc. If the way seems blocked to gaining any "right," we protest, demonstrate, and initiate litigation aimed toward the Supreme Court. This activity has been prominent in our social, political, and economic life throughout the past century and promises to continue into the future. These "rights" may seem all-important here on earth. But their importance is nothing compared to the "right to the tree of life" in heaven. That right is gained through obedience to God's law in the spirit of peace, humility, and goodness in the present life. I fear that those who continually push for their "rights" in social, political, and economic spheres may lose sight of and then forfeit the greatest right ever to be, the "right to the tree of life." If one should gain every possible right in life on earth, but lose this supreme right beyond the grave, he has indeed lost everything!
