Problem Texts for Sovereign Grace (Part 58) – Rev 22:17; Rev 22:19

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1.      Rev 22:17

1. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Rev 22:17)
2. Is this verse an invitation to unregenerate sinners to come to Jesus in order to get eternal life?
3. This message is from the Spirit of God (Rev 22:17).
   1. The natural man cannot receive a message from the Spirit of God because it is foolishness to him (1Co 2:14).
   2. A man has to have first received the spirit which is of God to know the things which are freely given to him of God (1Co 2:12).

• Therefore, this message is to God’s regenerate children, not to the reprobate.

1. This message is to “him that heareth”, who will relay it to others (Rev 22:17).
   1. Children of the devil cannot hear Jesus’ words (Joh 8:43-44).
   2. A person must be a child of God to hear God’s words (Joh 8:47).

• Therefore, this message is to God’s regenerate children, not to the reprobate.

1. This message is to “him that is athirst” (Rev 21:6; Rev 22:17).
   1. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled (Mat 5:6; Psa 107:9).
   2. The natural, unregenerate man doesn’t thirst for righteousness (Rom 3:10-12).

• The nature man rather likes to drink iniquity (Job 15:16).

1. Therefore, this message is to God’s regenerate children, not to the reprobate.

1. This message is to “whosoever will.” (Rev 22:17)
   1. The fact is that most men have not the will to come to Christ (Psa 10:4; Joh 5:40).
      1. The carnal mind is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be (Rom 8:7).
      2. They that are in the flesh cannot please God by coming to Him (Rom 8:8).
   2. God is hidden from most people and only revealed to whomever the Son will reveal Him (Luk 10:20-22).

• No man can come to Jesus unless God the Father draws him (Joh 6:44).
  1. Draw – 1. a. trans. To cause (anything) to move toward oneself by the application of force; to pull.
  2. No man can come unto Jesus except it were given unto him by God the Father (Joh 6:65).
  3. God draws His elect whom He loves unto Himself (Jer 31:3).

1. All that the Father gave to Jesus shall come to Him in an eternal salvation sense (Joh 6:37).
2. Those whom God chooses and causes to approach unto him can come unto Him (Psa 65:4).
3. God’s people will be willing in the day of His power (Psa 110:3).

• Jesus invites His people who are laboring under the heavy yoke of sin, worry, and works to come unto Him and find rest for their souls (Mat 11:28-30 c/w Psa 38:3-4; Heb 4:9-11).

1. Therefore, this invitation to come unto Christ and drink of the water of life is to God’s elect whom God loves and for whom Christ died: it is not for the unregenerate reprobate whom God didn’t draw unto Himself.
2. God’s message to the unregenerate reprobate is for them to remain unjust and filthy (Rev 22:11).

2.      Rev 22:19

1. “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Rev 22:19)
2. Does this verse teach that someone can have their name taken out of the book of life and lose their eternal salvation?
3. The book of life was written before the foundation of the world (Rev 17:8; Rev 13:8).
   1. God chose His elect in Christ before the foundation of the world that they should be holy (Eph 1:4).
   2. The elect whom He chose were Christ’s bride, the church, whom He died to make holy and without blemish (Eph 5:25-27).

• Therefore, the book of life contains all the names of the elect, the church of the firstborn written in heaven (Heb 12:23).

1. The book of life is the church directory of the church for whom Christ died.
2. The Bible gives examples of specific names of the elect that are written in it (Phi 4:3; Luk 10:20).

1. The book of life will be opened on judgment day (Rev 20:12).
2. Those who are not written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire on judgment day (Rev 20:15).
3. Only those, and all those, who are written in the book of life will enter heaven (Rev 21:27).
4. None of the elects’ names can be taken out of the book of life.
   1. The elect cannot lose their eternal salvation.
      1. Jesus gave His elect eternal life and they shall never perish (Joh 10:28).
      2. All of the elect will be glorified in heaven (Rom 8:29-30).
      3. God’s saints are preserved forever (Psa 37:28).
      4. Therefore, none of the elects’ names can be taken out of the book of life.
   2. Jesus said that He would not blot out the names out of the book of life of those who overcome (Rev 3:5).

• Therefore, Rev 3:5 cannot be used as a proof text to advance the idea that God will blot out some of the elects’ names out of the book of life since all it says is that He will NOT blot out someone’s name.

1. God said that whoever sinned in Israel, that he would blot him out of his book (Exo 32:32-33).
   1. God did not specify that “his book” is the book of life.
   2. At one time, God was ready to destroy the rebellious nation of Israel and “blot out their name from under heaven” (Deu 9:14).
   3. If one of His people turned from Him unto idols, God would “blot out his name from under heaven” (Deu 29:18-20).
   4. Therefore, blotting people out of God’s book is just another way of saying that “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Eze 18:4,20).
2. David prayed an imprecatory prayer against the wicked and asked them to be blotted out of the book of the living (Psa 69:28).
   1. The wicked people that David was praying against were reprobates (Psa 69:22-27 c/w Rom 11:7-10).
   2. Therefore, they were never written in the book of life to start with.
3. Rev 22:19 doesn’t say that God will take away one’s name out of the book of life, but rather his part.
   7. Part n. – II. Portion allotted, share. 7. a. A portion of something (material or immaterial) allotted or belonging to a particular person; a share. Sometimes almost in abstract sense: Sharing, participation; interest, concern.
   8. As was shown before, the elects’ names were written in the book of life before the foundation of the world when God chose them in Christ (Eph 1:4 c/w Rev 17:8).

• Along with being made holy by Jesus Christ and being made a child of God through predestination, the elect also are given all spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph 1:3).

1. If one of the elect were to take away from the words of the scripture, God will take away his part (his participation and sharing) in the spiritual blessings which come to them whose names are written in the book of life (Rev 22:19).
2. If one takes away from the words of scripture, God will also take away his part out of the holy city (Rev 22:19).
   1. Being members of the NT church, Christians now have a part in the holy city, heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22-23; Gal 4:26,31).
   2. God will take away their part (sharing, participation) in it in this life if they take away from the words of scripture.
   3. There are also rewards given in heaven based on the elects’ performance on earth (Mat 25:14-23; Luk 14:14; Luk 19:12-19; 2Co 5:10; Mat 16:27).
      1. Children of God should be careful to not lose those things which they have worked for, so that they can receive a full reward (2Jo 1:8).
      2. If a child of God takes away from the words of scripture, God will take away his part of his reward in the holy city.
   4. Though the elect can never lose their eternal salvation, they can lose the blessings and rewards associated with it, both in this life and in the one to come.