So we come to the end of the year, the end of the book, and the end of all things: and we hear “the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns!’” (Revelation 19:6). After all the struggles along the way, God is still forever in charge.

The end of the story is the promise of God’s presence with us, restoring all things and comforting us forever: “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God, and they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more” (21:3-4). We are safe forever in God’s keeping.

Oh wait. Even as we read the last reading for the year, even as we sing of the mercy and glory of the Lord, we still encounter one more stark warning: “As for the fearful, the unbelieving, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (21:8). Isn’t that us? We may be self-righteous enough to shrug over this verse and concede that murderers and idolaters are just irredeemably damned; yet are we to believe that there is no hope for those of us who have been afraid, or for us who have been liars? Are we, too, irrevocably consigned to burn in hell?

If we take this verse as a denotative statement of fact, that’s where we end up. But if we recognize it as a warning, then we need to hear its implied call to repentance: repent, all you liars! Stand fast in your faith, you who are fearful! And turn your lives to Jesus, you murderers and fornicators! After all, the invitation to repentance and new life was the message at the beginning of the book (2:5, 2:10, 2:16, 2:25, 3:3, 3:11, 3:19), and it is still the message at the end: “Let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift” (22:17).

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Teach us repentance, O Lord: by the power of your Spirit, transform our lives to be established in your good purpose forever. We await the day when you will indeed wipe every tear from our eyes: come, Lord Jesus! And may your grace be with all your people.