What we do and who we are

“Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.” Revelation 22:11
Here at the end of the book of Revelation, we are reminded over and over again that these things will come soon, and once they start, they will proceed quickly. By the end of the Tribulation, the world will have been divided into those who follow Jesus and those who follow the Antichrist and Satan – no-one will be left sitting on the fence. It’s in that light that this verse should be read.
There’s also a pattern in the verse: ‘who does’... ‘who is’... ‘who does’... ‘who is’. What we do is related to what we are. We don’t become vile by doing wrong things: we do wrong things because we are vile. We don’t become holy by doing right things: we do right things because we are holy. Jesus referred to a similar thing when He said, “By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree cannot bear good fruit” (Matt. 7:16-17). It is the nature of the tree that determines what kind of fruit it produces.
This verse is also an encouragement to us. Yes the world is getting darker, and it is becoming more and more hostile towards those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. But this is no reason for us to stop doing right, and to stop pursuing holiness.