Hear

God

 Speaks

 Introduction to Chapter  22

In chapter 21, John is given a preview of the city of the redeemed, the New Jerusalem. The city is of immense proportions containing the saved of all generations.  Chapter 22 gives us a peak inside the city, and the incredible relationship between God and man for the rest of eternity.

The River of Life 

¹And he showed me a ^£pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ²In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ³And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. ⁴They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. ⁵There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:1-5

 pure river of water… The source of water from the city is the Throne of God.  Jesus promised the women at well the water of life. (John 4:10)  Water will flow throughout the city.  Whether this river will be some sort of canal system throughout the city is not known.  The street the river flowed in the middle of was made of pure flawless gold, like all the streets of the city.

from the throne… Water from the throne pictured in Ezekiel 47:1-13 is a foreshadowing of water eternally proceeding from the throne

the tree of life…The tree of Life is mentioned three times in both Genesis and Revelation.  Because of the fall man lost access to the Tree of Life and was locked out of the Garden.  Here in the 22^nd chapter man’s access to the Tree of Life is restored.  The tree is on both sides of the river.  In Hawaii, the Banyan tree is one tree that has roots that can extend over an acre and have multiple trunks. The Tree of Life might be similar by being one tree but extending throughout the city along the “River of water of life”.

twelve fruits… Will the redeemed eat food in resurrected bodies? Yes, we know that the Tree of Life will be the source of 12 different types of fruit.  There will still be seasons because we will have 12 months, with a different fruit each month. The leaves of the tree are also used for food.

healing of the nations…The word healing implies illness or imperfection.  A better reading is health of the nations. (Gr. therapeia..meaning health, cure).  The leaves of this tree are for health of the nations.

 throne of God and of the Lamb… The curse of the fall resulted in both death and sin.  The redemption of Man by the death of Christ restored man’s relationship.  Prior to the fall Adam and Eve walked in the garden with God. They had a personal relationship; this was broken at the fall.  Here we see the relationship restored.  The curse is gone; God sits on the throne with man dwelling in his midst.  Man again has a personal relationship with God. The Throne is complete as we see both the Father and Son sitting on the Throne.  For the rest of eternity, God will be all in all.

²⁵For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. ²⁶The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. ²⁷For “He has put all things under His feet.”^£ But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. ²⁸Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.  I Corinthians 15:25-28 

See His face…As in the garden man saw the face of God, here again, we shall see the face of God and live. 

²Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. I John 3:2

They shall reign forever…The New Jerusalem will be the capital city of the New Earth and Universe.  What does it mean to reign? What kind of work will there be in eternity? There can be all types of speculation about eternity. However, here we are only given a sneak preview of what is to come.  What ever the work and function of the Redeemed for the rest of eternity is, it will be better then we can ever expect. 

The relationship is an eternal relationship with the redeemed in some sort of overseeing capacity over the new creation.

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The Time is Near

⁶Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the ^£holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.

⁷“Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

⁸Now I, John, ^£saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

⁹Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. ^£For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” ¹⁰And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. ¹¹He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him ^£be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

Revelation 22:6-11

 I am coming quickly …..Jesus return is sooner then the skeptical world thinks.  Those who put off the decision of Christ do not know the day they will leave this earth. For them the time is at hand. Peter wrote about the skeptics of this earth in the latter days.

²that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of ^£us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, ³knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,  2 Peter 3;2

keeps the words of the prophecy….Revelation 1:3 promises blessing to those who read, hear and keep the words of this prophecy. This promise is reiterated for the reader of the special position this book holds by Jesus Himself.  We must remember Jesus encourages us to keep the words of this book.  This book is about decision not about fear, about God’s promise of blessing and wrath.

I fell down to worship…John is again overwhelmed by what he see and falls before an angel for a second time. (Revelation 19:10) He is again rebuked by the angel and reminded that he is just a fellow servant, a co-laborer.  This is one of seven angels, who poured the bowls of wrath; he describes himself as one of John’s brethren. ( …adelphos   (the womb); a brother (literally or figuratively) near or remote—brother.)

Do not seal the words …We are specifically told regarding this book to not seal (Gr.  sphragizoô...seal to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation (literally or figuratively); by implication to keep secret, to attest:—(set a, set to) seal up, stop.

The time is at hand from the Church age from Pentecost to the Eternity this book is relevant for mankind.  To stop its message is to prevent blessing and be disobedient. 

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To the Churches

¹²“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. ¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the ^£Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

¹⁴Blessed are those who ^£do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. ^£15But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

¹⁶“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

¹⁷And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Revelation 22:12-17

My reward is with Me…Some downplay the idea of seeking a reward.  Rewarding a faithful life is an incentive initiated at by the Lord.  Close to the completion of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Jesus reminds the reader, He is coming quickly. We are to working with the reward in mind.  The concept of the reward for faithful service is repeated throughout the scripture. The rewards come in several forms, here might be some variables.

Ø       Greater responsibility in the Millennium

Ø       A more glorious resurrected body

Ø       Greater estate in New Jerusalem

Ø       Greater access throughout the New Heavens and Earth

Every one according…Our reward will be according to our work.  This is not salvation but reward. ( I Corinthians 3:9-16,  Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10-11)

Blessed are those…The last of the seven beatitudes of the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1:3,14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7).  Only the saved will enter the city, our salvation comes from our faith in Christ and faith in Christ is obedience to God.

²⁸Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” ²⁹Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6:28-29

The right to the tree of life…This right belongs to the saved living in New Jerusalem. 

Outside are dogs…The lost that are in the lake of fire will never gain access for the rest of eternity.  This is a stern warning to those who think that one day regardless they will see God, but without faith in Christ. 

In the churches, This is the first time the church is mentioned since Revelation chapter 4. The church was raptured in the fourth chapter.  What was “Left Behind” was the apostate church later to be merged in the religion of the false prophet.

the Spirit and the bride say, “Come”…  The invitation for an eternal relationship is open to all those who are hungry and seeking. 

¹          “Ho! Everyone who thirsts,

           Come to the waters;

           And you who have no money,

           Come, buy and eat.

           Yes, come, buy wine and milk

           Without money and without price.

²          Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

           And your wages for what does not satisfy?

           Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

           And let your soul delight itself in abundance.  Isaiah 55:1-2

Jesus in John 4 knew the women was thirsty, thirsty for real life. For this reason she jumped at the offer to drink the water of life.  Here in Revelation 22, the Holy Spirit and the Redeemed call out to those seeking the meaning of life to come to the Lamb and drink eternal water.

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A Warning

^£18For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, ^£God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; ¹⁹and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God^£ shall take away his part from the ^£Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Revelation 22:18-19

the prophecy of this book…Along with a special blessing there is also a special warning.  The message is so important in this book, any would change it to suit their theology have been warned.

²⁰He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

²¹The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be ^£with you all. Amen.

Revelation 22:20-21

I am coming quickly… Everyday we are closer to the return of Christ.

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