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Revelation 22:17

The context

Revelation 22 closes the book: the river of life, the tree of life, the promise of Christ's coming, and a warning about adding to or taking from the prophecy. Verse 17 stands in that epilogue, between the promise and the warning, and it is the book's last invitation.

What it establishes

The book ends with an open door. The Spirit and the church speak with one voice, and the invitation is extended to anyone who hears and anyone who thirsts. The only qualification named is thirst, and the water is offered without price, which is the book's final image of grace.

What it does not establish

It does not settle the book's structure. Whether the thousand years are past, present or future is not touched here, and the verse is no proof text for any scheme. Nor does the invitation by itself establish a doctrine of free will. It is a call.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.