"And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him,"
Introduction
This short verse gives a glimpse of the consummation toward which the whole Bible points: the end of the curse, the visible reign of God together with the Lamb, and the worshipful life of God’s people in the renewed city. In a few words Revelation 22:3 summarizes the reversal of death and disorder and the establishment of God’s unmediated presence among his servants.
Historical-Cultural Context and Authorship
Revelation is an example of Jewish–Christian apocalyptic literature, written in Greek for churches in Asia Minor (modern western Turkey). Early and continuing Christian tradition attributes the book to John the Apostle or to a prophetic figure known as John of Patmos; most scholars date it to the late first century (commonly around the 90s AD) during a time of imperial pressure and local persecution. The book’s imagery draws heavily on Old Testament motifs (especially Genesis, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel) and on synagogue and temple language; it communicates encouragement to faithful Christians by portraying God’s decisive victory and the future restoration of creation.
The original Greek of this verse contains helpful key words: οὐκ ἔτι ἔσται κατάρα (ouk eti estai katara — “there will no longer be any curse”), ὁ θρόνος (ho thronos — “the throne”), ἀρνίου (arníou — “of the Lamb”), and δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ λατρεύσουσιν αὐτῷ (douloi autou latreusousin autō — “his servants will worship/serve him”). The verb λατρεύω carries cultic and worshipful connotations, often used for temple service and worship in both Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts; here it signals that the redeemed life in the new order is primarily worship and faithful service to God.
Characters and Places
God (the Father): the sovereign whose throne is set in the city, signaling his rule and presence among his people.
The Lamb (Jesus Christ): called the Lamb throughout Revelation (ἀρνίον), he shares the throne, indicating his lordship and central role in redemption and governance.
The city (New Jerusalem): introduced in Revelation 21 as the holy city coming down from heaven; it is the place where God dwells with humanity and where the curse is removed.
His servants: the redeemed people of God (δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ), whose identity is expressed through worship and service in God’s presence.
Explanation and Meaning of the Text
“No longer any curse” is an echo of Genesis 3, where the entrance of sin brought a cascading set of curses and disorder into creation. Revelation now portrays their reversal: the effects and power of the curse are removed at the eschatological culmination. This is not merely a future moral improvement but a cosmic restoration — God’s healing and renewing of the created order so that the brokenness introduced by sin is finally undone.
“The throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city” brings together two important theological claims. First, the throne signifies rule, presence, and vindication: God’s kingship is no longer remote but established in the midst of the restored community. Second, the presence of the Lamb upon the throne with God stresses the unity of God’s saving act and the continuing lordship of Christ — the one who was slain and now shares in the reign. The city (the New Jerusalem) is the concrete setting of that rule: the place where God dwells with his people (cf. Revelation 21:3).
“His servants will worship him” ties identity and destiny together. Worship (λατρεία) shapes who these people are; their life in the new creation is ordered around serving and praising God. Worship here denotes both reverent adoration and faithful obedience — a continuous, embodied response to God’s grace and reign. Reading this verse in the flow of Revelation, it pulls together judgment and healing: those who belong to God are gathered into a life of intimate presence and sustained worship, while the curse — the consequence of estrangement — is finally removed.
Taken together, the verse reassures believers that God’s promises will be fulfilled: judgment has purpose (to end what is opposed to God), and restoration brings a people who live forever in his presence. The language is both poetic and theologically dense, using temple and covenant imagery to say that God’s dwelling among his people is the final and full remedy for the brokenness of the world.
Devotional
Hold fast to the hope this verse offers: God is not distant from our sorrow, nor is the present brokenness the last word. When Scripture says there will no longer be any curse, it invites us to trust that every wound and injustice will be addressed by God’s faithful rule. Let that promise steady your heart in times of grief and spur your prayers for the coming renewal of all things.
Because the future life is described in terms of worship and service, our present calling is to live as those whose true home is the city where God dwells. Worship now is a foretaste of that reality — a daily practice of turning our attention, love, and labor toward the Lamb who reigns. Walk in faithful worship and humble service today, confident that these habits are the training ground for the eternal life to come.