Revelation 22:11
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
This is one of the sobering lines in the whole book. The Lord brings everything to a point of decision. After all the warnings, all the visions, all the promises, all the prophecy, all the glory of Christ revealed in this book, a man is left without excuse. If he still wants injustice, let him have it. If he still wants filth, let him cling to it. If after seeing where history is headed, after seeing the rise and fall of kingdoms, after seeing the judgment of sin and the triumph of the Lamb, a person still refuses the Lord, what more could be shown to him?
That is the force of the verse.
It is not an invitation to stay in sin. It is a declaration that a point comes when a man has made his choice plain. Revelation pulls the curtain back so far, shows Jesus so clearly, and lays out the end so powerfully that refusal becomes all the more serious. If the revelation of Jesus Christ and the fulfilling of prophecy cannot move a heart, what else would do it?
And that is what makes this verse so searching. There really is no neutral ground. A person cannot honestly walk through this book and remain untouched. He may bow to Christ or turn away from Christ, but he cannot pretend Christ has not been revealed. He cannot say he was given no warning. He cannot say he had no light.
On the other hand, the verse also says, “he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” In other words, let the one who belongs to God keep going. Let the saint keep walking. Let the holy keep pressing on. Do not back off. Do not cool down. Do not drift. The same book that hardens the rebel steadies the believer.
That is how Revelation works. It does not leave you where it found you. It calls for a response. It presses you to decide what you will do with Jesus Christ. Will you cling to the world that is passing away, or will you bow to the King who is coming? Will you keep your sin, or will you surrender to the Savior? Will you live for your own small kingdom, or will you live for His everlasting kingdom?
Because really, after reading this book, there is only one reasonable conclusion. Jesus is Lord. The Lamb wins. His Word is true. His kingdom is coming. And the only sane response is to say, I am going with Him. I am going to live for His kingdom.
So this verse is both warning and summons. Warning to the one still resisting. Summons to the one who sees the truth. Do not play games with what God has made plain. Do not linger between two worlds. Do not act as though the claims of Christ can be delayed forever.
Revelation will not let us stay casual.
It confronts us.
It clarifies us.
It forces the issue.
And that is mercy too.
Because the Lord loves people enough to bring them to the line and say, Choose. If you will have your sin, then know what you are choosing. But if you will have Christ, then walk in righteousness, pursue holiness, and live now in light of the kingdom that is surely coming.
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