22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life. The river was bright like crystal. The river flows from the throne of God and the Lamb. ²It flows down the middle of the street of the city. The tree of life was on each side of the river. The tree of life makes fruit twelve times a year. It gives fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing all the people. ³Nothing that God judges guilty will be there in that city. The throne of God and the Lamb (Jesus) will be in the city. God's servants will worship him. ⁴They will see his face. God's name will be written on their foreheads. ⁵There will never be night again. People will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun. The Lord God will give them light. And they will rule like kings forever and ever. ⁶The angel said to me, "These words are true and can be trusted. The Lord is the God of the spirits of the prophets.* God sent his angel to show his servants the things that must happen soon." ⁷"Listen! I am coming soon! The person that obeys the words of prophecy* in this book will be blessed." ⁸I am John. I am the one who heard and saw these things. After I heard and saw these things, I bowed down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed these things to me. ⁹But the angel said to me, "Don't [worship me]! I am a servant like you and your brothers the prophets.* I am a servant like all the people who obey the words in this book. You should worship God!" ¹⁰Then the angel told me, "Don't keep secret the words of prophecy* in this book. The time is near [for these things to happen]. ¹¹Let the person that is doing wrong continue to do wrong. Let the person that is unclean continue to be unclean. Let the person that is doing right continue to do right. Let the person that is holy continue to be holy.*" ¹²"Listen! I am coming soon! I will bring rewards with me. I will repay each person for the things he has done. ¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega,* the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. ¹⁴"Those people who washed their robes* will be blessed. They will have the right to [eat the food from] the tree of life. They can go through the gates into the city. ¹⁵Outside the city are the dogs (bad people), people who do evil magic, people who sin sexually, people who murder, people who worship idols,* and people who love lies and tell lies. ¹⁶"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to tell you these things for the churches (groups of believers). I am the descendant* from the family of David.* I am the bright morning star." ¹⁷The Spirit* and the bride say, "Come!" Every person that hears this should also say, "Come!" If a person is thirsty, let him come; that person can have the water of life as a free gift if he wants it. ¹⁸I warn every person that hears the words of the prophecy* of this book: If a person adds anything to these words, then God will give that person the troubles written about in this book. ¹⁹And if any person takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, then God will take away that person's share of the tree of life and of the holy city, which are written about in this book. ²⁰[Jesus is] the One who says that these things are true. Now he says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! ²¹The grace (kindness) of the Lord Jesus be with all people.

prophets People that spoke for God. prophecy A message or teaching from God. holy God's people are called holy because they are made pure through Christ, and they belong only to God. Alpha, Omega The first and last letters in the Greek alphabet, meaning the beginning and the end. washed their robes (in the blood of the Lamb-see Revelation 7:14) Meaning they came in contact with the blood of Jesus so that their sins could be forgiven. See Acts 2:38, Romans 6:1-8, 1John 1:7, Colossians 2:17, Galatians 3:27. idol(s) Idols are statues or other objects that people worshiped as gods. descendant(s) The people born in a person's family after that person dies. David King of Israel about 1000 years before Christ. Spirit, Holy Spirit Also called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the Comforter. Joined with God and Christ, he does God's work among people in the world.