In verse 16 Jesus says, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright morning star.” In His divinity, Christ is the Root of David, his source; in His humanity, He is the Offspring of David, his issue. Hence, He is both the Lord as the Root and the seed, the branch of David, as the Offspring (Matt. 22:42-45; Rom. 1:3; Jer. 23:5).
At His coming back, Christ will be the Sun to His people generally (Mal. 4:2), but the morning star to His watching lovers particularly. This will be a reward to the overcomers (2:28). Christ as the Root and Offspring of David is related to Israel and the kingdom, whereas His being the bright morning star is related to the church and the rapture. The morning star appears before the darkest hour, prior to dawn. The great tribulation will be this darkest hour, after which the day of the kingdom will dawn. In the kingdom, the Lord will appear publicly to His people as the Sun, but before the great tribulation, He will appear privately to His overcomers as the morning star.
Verse 17 says, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! Let him who hears also say, Come! Let him who is thirsty also come; he who wills, let him take the water of life freely.” In chapters two and three it was the Spirit speaking to the churches; here, at the end of the book, it is the Spirit and the Bride, the church, speaking together as one. This indicates the improvement of the church in experiencing the Spirit.
“Come” is the response of the Spirit and the Bride to the Lord’s word in verse 16 and His repeated warning in verses 7 and 12. It is the desire for the Lord’s coming. Whosoever hears this response should also say, “Come,” thus expressing a joint desire for the Lord’s coming. All believers who love the Lord’s appearing (2 Tim. 4:8) should express such a joint desire.
In the verses prior to verse 17 we have the Lord’s word. Now in verse 17 the Spirit and the Bride respond to His word. Their response is the desire of their heart for the Lord’s coming. The word “Come!” spoken by the Spirit and the Bride is certainly spoken to the Lord. The fact that the Spirit and the Bride speak as one indicates that they have become one. In chapters two and three the Spirit is the speaker, and the churches were the receivers of the speaking of the Spirit. But at the end of the book the Spirit and the Bride, the Bride and Spirit, have become one. The church is no longer merely the receiver of the divine oracle; she has also become one with the divine Speaker.
The word come is found three times in this verse. The first occurrence of this word refers to the coming back of the Lord Jesus. As we have seen, this is uttered by the Spirit and the Bride. However, the one who hears the Spirit and the Bride say this joins in saying, “Come!” The Spirit and the Bride, on the one hand, desire that the Lord will come, and on the other hand, yearn that the thirsty sinner will also come to take the water of life for his satisfaction. When we have a sincere desire for the Lord’s coming, we also have an earnest concern for the sinners’ salvation. Therefore, the third mention of “come” in this verse refers to the coming of the repenting sinners. Whoever is thirsty, let him come to take the water of life freely. Hence, this verse covers three matters: the response of the Spirit and the Bride; the word of the one who hears the declaration of the Spirit and the Bride; and the desire for the thirsty sinner, the unsaved one, to come and drink of the water of life.
Verse 17 strongly implies that if we have a desire for the Lord’s coming back, we shall be very concerned for others’ salvation. Do you desire the coming back of the Lord Jesus? If you do, this desire will stir up a concern within you for the salvation of others. As you are saying, “Come, Lord Jesus,” a burden may rise up within you for your parents, your cousins, your neighbors, your schoolmates, and your friends. After you have read all these messages, you may have a strong desire for the Lord’s coming back. I am fully assured that this desire will cause you to be concerned about others’ salvation. You will say to the Lord, “Come,” and you will turn to the unbelievers and say, “The Lord Jesus is coming. Will you not come also? Come and be saved. Come to receive your salvation that you may be prepared to meet the coming Savior.” Our experience testifies that this is the proper understanding of verse 17.
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