Revelation 22:11; He that is Righteous, Let Him be Righteous Still

Revelation 22:11 (KJV)  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. 

Yet the imperatives of v11 are imperatives of permission, not imperatives of command. The English language would term this usage the “let” of withdrawal instead of the “let” of positive exhortation. It is a frightening prospect that at a given point, a considerable part of humanity will be left alone to reap the consequences of choosing the wrong lifestyle and consequently reaping divine contempt. The verse does not teach some kind of religious determinism that makes repentance and conversion impossible for some people (Beasley-Murray). The invitation of Revelation 22:17 makes clear that an opportunity for the right choice remains. The teaching is simply that once a person makes that choice, he has sealed his eternal destiny for better or for worse.

Revelation 22:17 (KJV)  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. 

The first individual singled out is “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still.” He has permission to keep on doing so “still”. He has sealed his own destiny by his personal destiny, so he must continue in that state. The adverb “still” in each of tis four uses depicts the permanence of his character, condition, and destiny, but not necessarily an increase in the degree of his wrongdoing (Beckwith, Hailley).

The description of the second type builds on the word-group deprived from “filth” (1 Peter 3:21).

1 Peter 3:21 (KJV)  The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 

Though commanded to put aside such moral pollution (James 1:21 cf. Zechariah 3:4-5), some will cling it. The verb “let him be filthy” is passive form, but has more of a middle force in this setting: let the filthy one pollute himself still. The consequent state depends on the person’s own choice (Alford, Lee).

The other side of the picture is that the righteous one will be marked by a continual practice of righteousness and the holy one by a continuation of being made holy. Like the state of evil, the state of good remains fixed after a person makes that all-important choice. The angel anticipates no second chance beyond the point marked by the events revealed to John to in this series of visions. The separate mentions of righteousness and holiness do not imply that the two can exist separately from one another. Their separate mention is just to provide a balance with the two opposite qualities.

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 502-503]