The Book of Revelation

Chapter 22

The River of Life . . . Revelation 22:1-6

Rev. 22:1-2 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. [2] In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. [KJV] And the angel showed John a river with the pure water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a new fruit each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

This chapter brings us to the final scenes of awesome wonders in this amazing Book. It also brings us to the conclusion of God’s Holy Word. Man’s journey on Earth as we know it is over. God has revealed many things to us; but there are still many unanswered questions. There certainly are many mysteries in God's Word. But with chapter 21 and these 6 verses in chapter 22, God is telling us what Heaven will be like, and how we will live when we get there.

Chapter 21 tells us what New Jerusalem (Heaven) will look like; with all its glory and glamor. It will be outstanding to say the least! Now, in these verses, God gives us additional information about this elaborate City. We now see this absolutely pure river, flowing from the Throne of God. Imagine the purest water you have ever seen; no pollution whatsoever, of any kind. You can see the rocks on the bottom so clearly; so refreshing, so soothing, so beautiful! This wondrous river in the City of God is 100 times purer than you can imagine! The “water of life” is a symbol of eternal life. Jesus used this symbol with the woman at the well (John 4:7-14). It pictures the fullness of life with God and the eternal blessings that come when we believe in Him and allow Him to satisfy our spiritual thirst (see Rev. 22:17). The “tree of life” is fed by the pure waters of the river that comes from the throne of God. The Presence of God in Heaven, is what assures the health and happiness of the saints. This “tree” is a symbol of Christ, and of all the blessings of His salvation; and the leaves for the healing of the nations, meaning that His Presence supply nothing but good to the inhabitants of this blessed world.

Rev. 22:3-5 And 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: [4] And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. [5] And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. [KJV] There will no longer be a curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His Face, and His Name will be written on their foreheads. There will be no more night there, no need for lamps or sun, for the Lord God will be all the light needed. And they will reign forever and ever.

The first Creation was afflicted by the curse of sin. The new Creation shall NEVER be blemished by sin, ever. The devil has no power there; he cannot tempt the saints away from serving God, nor can he disturb them in their service to God. Let me ask you a question. WHY do you want to go to Heaven? It should be because you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and you want to do His will, and you willingly desire to serve Him. Because in this City of God, we shall be His servants! We shall serve Him for eternity! God and the Lamb are here spoken of as one (John 10:30). Our service there shall not only be freedom, but honor, and glory. There will be no night; no affliction, no disappointment, no pause in service or enjoyment. We will need no candles or electricity for the Lord God shall give us light. This will fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy (Zech. 14:11).

Rev. 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. [KJV] Then the angel said to John, "These words are true, you can rely on them: 'The Lord God, who told His prophets what the future held, has sent His angel to tell you what will happen soon."

The Lord Jesus spoke through the angel, confirming the contents of this book, particularly of this last vision. He is the Lord God, and He is faithful and true. Christ will come, and put all things out of doubt. This Book, if kept open, will have effect upon men; the filthy and unjust will just keep getting worse, but it will confirm, strengthen, and further sanctify all those who are right with God. A dead or disobedient faith can NEVER save us, for the First and the Last has declared that those alone are blessed who do His commandments. All wicked and unrighteous persons, particularly those who love and make lies, will NEVER enter Heaven. There is NO gray area, NO straddling the fence, NO closet Christians. You are either FOR Jesus, or you are for the devil.

All is confirmed by an open and general invitation to all mankind, to come and partake freely of the Promises and of the privileges of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit convicts and influences the sinner’s conscience, saying: “Come to Christ for salvation.” And the bride (the whole church), on Earth and in Heaven, says, “Come and share our happiness.” May every one who hears or reads these words, desire at once to accept the gracious invitation that our Holy God so freely offers, eternal life in Heaven!

Jesus Is Coming . . . Revelation 22:7-21

Rev. 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. [KJV] Jesus shall come soon. Blessed are those who listen to and obey the prophecy written in this Book.

When the Tribulation period (judgment) is over, Jesus will shortly follow; He will come rapidly. We will be “blessed” if we obey the sayings of this Book.

Rev. 22:8-11 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. [9] Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. [10] And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. [11] 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. [KJV] John, saw and heard all these things. And when he saw and heard, he fell down to worship the angel who revealed them to him. But once again the angel said, "Do not worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and the prophets, and all who obey what is written in this scroll. Worship God!"
Then he said, "Do not seal up the prophetic words you have written, for the time is near. Let the one who is doing wrong continue to do wrong; the one who is vile, continue to be vile; the one who is good, continue to do good; and the one who is holy, continue in holiness."

This will be the last time John tells us he “sees” and “hears.” He has told us this often throughout this marvelous Book. When I think of the awesome events he saw and heard, I know he was a man of God, no doubt at all! John was so overwhelmed by what he saw and heard, he fell down and worshiped the angel. The angel had already rebuked John for this another time (Rev.19:10), but now John does it again! The things he saw and heard simply must have dumbfounded him. The angel again reprimands John. The humility of the angel is very impressive. Angels were created above mankind, yet the angel boldly states that he is simply a servant of God. The angel states we are to worship NO ONE but God! He refused to accept religious worship from John, and reproved him for offering it. This presents another testimony against idolatrous worship of saints and angels. The first of the Ten Commandments is “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). Jesus said that the greatest command of Moses’ laws was “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Here, this Truth is repeated. The angel instructs John to “worship God!” God, and GOD alone is worthy of our worship, praise and adoration, no one else! He is above all Creation, even the angels. Worship only God. Allow nothing or no one to distract you from your devotion to Him.

Daniel was told to “seal up” the words of his prophecy (Dan.12:4), because of the long interval between it and its fulfillment. So far, we have yet to come to Daniel’s 70th week. John is told “seal not the prophecies of this book, for the time is at hand.” For 1900 years the church has been going through the time periods of the 7 churches in chapters 2-3.

“He that is unjust --- filthy” —? A frightful condition of the lost souls is revealed here, maybe even more so than at the Great White Throne Judgment. The sinful circumstance of the lost is a permanent thing. It is eternal! Their condition just gets worse and worse with each passing day. Only Jesus can change this around, but their hearts are so hardened by sin, they refuse to look in His direction for help; because they think they need no help! The filthy and unjust will be more so, but it will confirm and strengthen those who are upright with God. A dead or disobedient faith will never save us, ever, for the First and the Last has declared that only those who do His commandments are blessed. This Book states that all wicked and unrighteous persons will be shut out of Heaven. As Christ’s return gets closer, there will be a greater division or alienation between God’s followers and Satan’s followers. We must be prepared for Christ’s imminent return.

Rev. 22:12-16 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. [13] I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. [14] Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. [15] For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. [16] I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.[KJV] Jesus again reveals to us through the angel that He is coming soon, and His reward is with Him. He shall reward people according to their deeds. He is the the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. But, outside the city are the dogs (unbelievers, wicked) . . . sorcerers, sexually immoral, murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to lie. Jesus, has sent His angel to give John this message for the churches. Jesus is both the source of David and the heir to his throne, and He is the bright and morning star.

Our Lord promises to come again, and He will personally reward each and every believer . . . One on one! We truly will be blessed if we “do His commandments,” for we will have access to this amazing City, and to the “tree of life.”

Again, we are told that the wicked will NOT be permitted within the City. “Dogs” is a symbol for the wicked, Gentiles (those without God), and Judaizers. Judaizers were Jewish Christians who wrongly believed that it was necessary for Gentiles to follow all the Old Testament Jewish laws, especially the rite of circumcision, in order to receive salvation. They did not believe salvation was a free Gift from God (Ep.2:8-9). NO one who does evil and wicked things will enter Heaven. And NO one who loves to lie.

Jesus, who is the Spirit of all prophecy, is the “root and offspring of David,” which connects Him with the Old Testament. He is also the “bright and morning star” which connects Him with the church. He assures us of light for the perfect day that’s coming.

Rev. 22:17-19 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. [18] For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: [19] And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. [KJV] The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Let each one who hears them say, "Come." Let all the thirsty ones come, anyone who wants to come is welcome! Let them come and drink the water of life without charge. Jesus reveals a warning to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this Book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words of this prophetic Book, God will remove that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are written in this book.

Here is an open invitation to all mankind, to come and partake freely of the Promises and of the privileges of the Gospel. I truly believe that God calls everyone. It is so sad that only a “few” respond to Him, and accept His gracious invitation. Both the Holy Spirit and the bride (the church), extend the invitation to all the world to come to Jesus and experience the joys of salvation in Christ. The Spirit, tries to influence (convict) the sinner’s conscience and heart. If you feel a slight tugging at your heart, if your conscience tells you what you are doing is wrong, that is the Holy Spirit of God working within you. He will NEVER force His way on you. It is your decision, you either accept Jesus or you keep on rejecting Him. We MUST come to Christ for salvation; He is the ONLY WAY you will ever access Heaven. Because many hesitate, it is added, “whosoever will,” or, who ever is willing, come and take of the water of life freely. (See Isaiah 55:1; Ezekiel 47:12; John 7:37).

Because the contents of this Book are directly from God, we are NOT to tamper with them in any way. To add OR subtract anything, would be to falsify God’s Words! Remember God excludes ALL liars from Heaven! God’s Words are faithful and true, always! We must NOT change anything in this Book, nor any Book in His Holy Word. (See Deut.4:2; Pro.30:5-6).

Rev. 22:20-21 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. [21] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. [KJV] Jesus is the Faithful Witness to all these things and tells us, I will come soon! Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all.

Again, Jesus tells us He will come quickly! He repeats this often, for our benefit. He does not want us to forget it. He will be faithful to His Words. We don’t know the day or the hour, but Jesus will come! He is almost 2000 years closer than when this Book was written. This is good news to those who trust Him, but terrible for those who have rejected Him and stand under judgment. He could come at any moment, and we must be ready for Him. We must be prepared for His return. Would Jesus’ sudden appearance catch you off guard??

“Surely I come quickly;”He will put an end to the labor and suffering of His servants. He will come, and His reward to the faithful will be with Him. He will come to receive His faithful people to Himself, to dwell for ever in that blissful world. Amen, even so, come, Lord Jesus. A blessing closes this amazing Book. By the grace of Christ we must be kept in joyful expectation of His glory, be fitted for it, and kept to it. His glorious appearance will be joyful beyond words to those who partake of His grace and favor here on Earth. May we all say Amen to this. Let us earnestly thirst after the gracious influences of Jesus in our souls, and His gracious Presence with us. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Book of Revelation

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