Revelation Chapter 22

[Pastor Dave Honey]

Revelation 22:1
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 

The water that flows in this river is like no river that has ever flowed on the old earth! With no sea, there would be no rainfall to supply a river as we know it. This is literally the "Living Water" Jesus spoke of to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well! It freely flows right out of God's throne, symbolizing the continuous flow of eternal life!

Revelation 22:2

In 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.

One can picture a river gently flowing through the new city of Jerusalem with streets, streets of gold on either side as well as throughout this paradise. There is an abundance of these trees along the banks of the river as well as in the middle of the streets of gold. I imagine a beautiful and peaceful scene as one strolls down the street, or along the bank of the river, eating of the unlimited supply and abundant variety of heavenly fruits!

The tree of life was mentioned in Genesis 2:9, as well as 3:22. Man was able to eat of its fruit until in disobedience he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. After man had originally sinned, the right to eat of the tree of life was revoked so man would no live forever in sin.

Genesis 1:1-2:9
And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:22
Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"

John mentions that the tree of life bore twelve fruits, one for each month. The problem in interpreting his statement lies in the fact that there is now no passage of "time!" I believe that John is speaking symbolically when he states that there will be twelve individual fruits, one each month. I interpret his symbolism of the twelve fruits as to say; In heaven there will be an amazing variety of fruit, an abundance to entice the tastes of all. As for his symbolism of the twelve months, this must mean that the fruit will never be depleted, in other words, there will be an abundant variety, enough for all, all the time!

I believe that another symbolic statement was that the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. The question is; Why at this point do the nations still require healing? The word healing in this case is therapeua, or therapeutic. I am taken back to my childhood where I grew up surrounded by Eucalyptus trees. I recall that even as a child, I was aware of the calming effect of those leaves. I now recognize that they held therapeutic properties. I imagine that the trees of life, which will fill this heavenly city, will truly be good for food and pleasing to the eye, as well as all of our other senses. These trees will promote an eternal sense of well-being and peace!

Revelation 22:3-4
3 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 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

The curse which originated in the Garden of Eden, when in disobedience to God Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, will be totally lifted with the final judgment of the lost and the creation of the new heaven and new earth. God's plan from the time of original sin was to send His son, Jesus Christ into the world to be a sacrifice for sin. The process, from Genesis 3:15 to present times has been some six thousand years. It will take at least one thousand years longer before we reach the time written of in Revelation 22:3, when the curse will be completely resolved.

With the lifting of the curse, redeemed man will live eternally in the presence of the whole tri-union of God. We will see His face and not die!

Exodus 33:20
But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live."

God writes His Name on our foreheads as a sign of ownership of the greatest fashion! He declares to His whole creation that we are His!

Psalms 100:3
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Revelation 22:5
There 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.

As we learned in chapter 21, the glory of God will light His whole creation, as it was on the first day of the creation record when He announced; "Let There Be Light!" There will be no need for a sun or a moon, which according to the creation record, God created on the fourth day of creation.

Genesis 1:3-5
3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

Genesis 1:16-19
16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

We shall reign with Him in the Eternal Kingdom, eternally. This amazing privilege is mentioned separately from the time of our millennial reign with Christ.

Revelation 1:6
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 3:21
To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Revelation 22:6
Then 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.

"These words are faithful and true."  The angel echoes the words spoken to John in Revelation 21:5 by God Himself. "Faithful and True" is also one of the many names ascribed to Jesus Christ.

Revelation 19:11
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True...

"The Lord God of the holy Prophets..." John attests that it was the One True God; the God Who inspired the prophets to write the Old and New Testaments, the same God which inspired him to write the full and complete testimony of Jesus Christ, The Revelation of Jesus Christ!

Revelation 1:1-3
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants — things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.

The angel was sent by God to tell His servant all that will take place through the end of God's plan of the ages!

  Revelation 22:7
"Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."

The one speaking now is not the angel, but Jesus Christ! He declares the sixth of seven "Revelation Beatitudes." This sixth beatitude sounds much like the first;

Revelation 1:3
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

 In either case, we are taught that the prophecy is to be read, understood and kept close to our heart! In the first we are told the time is near, but there is a season of tribulation to come first. In the sixth, Jesus is saying that He is coming quickly, or that the time is at hand!

Revelation 22:8-9
8 Now 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. 9 Then 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."

Now John declares a bit of his own feelings and testimony! He is overwhelmed to the point of falling before this messenger and worshiping him. There was a similar scene in Matthew, chapter 17, where Peter, James, and John witnessed Jesus in His glorified state conversing with Moses and Elijah. Peter's response was to build altars to all three, worshiping Moses and Elijah along with Jesus. When God spoke to them and said that they should listen only to Jesus, they fell on their faces in overwhelming fear!

We are often warned not to listen to false prophets, and not to be carried to and fro on the winds every doctrine. It is relatively easy to be taken off track and look to the wrong person or thing. Even the Apostle John found himself worshiping the messenger rather than the Lord. The angel strongly rebukes this action and redirects John's attention and worship back to the One True and Faithful Lord!

Revelation 22:10
And he said to me, "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.

It is so exciting to me that although the prophecies found in the books of Daniel and Revelation have not been clearly understood or taught for many centuries, in the past few decades there is greater understanding and these books are being taught regularly! For such a time as this, the last days of the end times, God is revealing His final plans for the ages!

Revelation 22:11
He 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."

I see these words as a confirmation of our rejection or acceptance of the Gospel. If one hears the truth and denies it, they will determine their place in eternity. Conversely, if one hears truth and accepts it by responding to the Holy Spirit and accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they also determine their place in eternity! It is the simplest of truths, but sadly for some, the most difficult of decisions.

Revelation 22:12
"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work."

This verse will certainly stir the proverbial pot of controversy! Are we saved by works or grace? There are two passages that I believe answer the question completely. The first is found in the book of Ephesians.

Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

In this passage of scripture we learn that works don't really play a part in our salvation. It is the grace of God, His gift to us which we have neither earned nor do we deserve. However, good works are a big part of our Christian walk. God has ordained that we serve Him by the works He has predetermined for us. So, why is Jesus apparently placing a priority on our works? Let’s look at the second passage of scripture which I believe closes the argument!

1 Corinthians 3:9-15
9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Here we see that there are two types of work that we will give ourselves to. The first is the works of this world. Self Serving endeavors that feed our selfish ambitions, the lust of our eyes, the lust of our flesh, and the pride of our lives. The other type of work is kingdom work. The things we do for others. Christ refers to these works as the "Great Commission." Jesus acknowledges these works in Matthew 25;

Matthew 25:35-40
35 "for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me." 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?"  40 And the King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."

We may also observe in 1 Corinthians 3:15 that our commission, or omission of our kingdom work does not affect whether or not we are "saved" if in fact we have had a genuine profession of faith and in fact, have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The verse mentions a suffering of loss, but also promises that the one who's work burned up is still saved! It is correct to assume that if you are even at this event, salvation is not a question. However, what will it mean to suffer loss? I believe it is just this; If during your Christian walk you ignored, or missed opportunities to walk out the works God prepared for you, you will experience great disappointment as you face Jesus and realize that you did not do all that you could for Jesus. You may not receive a crown and you may even shed a tear, but God promises to wipe away every tear! What really matters is what you did with the Son of God!

Jesus is coming quickly! The imminent return literally means that He will return at any time! When He comes to take up His church in the rapture, there will be a time known as the Bema Seat of judgment, when each Christian's work will be judged and crowns will be given to those who were obedient to God's word, particularly Ephesians 2:10;

Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Revelation 22:13
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last."

Jesus is making a definitive declaration of His deity! In chapter one, verse eight, Jesus makes the same claim, yet He includes "The Almighty" at the end of the verse. I guess the best word on this subject is found in 1 John, chapter five.

1 John 5:7
For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

Revelation 22:14
Blessed 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.

Most other versions of the Bible, verse 14 reads; "Blessed are those who wash their robes..." So, to do His commandments, or to wash their robes means the same thing in the context of the verse. What it means is this; Those who have been obedient to the Gospel and have been cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb will have the right to enter through the gates of the city, as well as eat from the tree of life. Only those with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will go to heaven!

Revelation 22:15
But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

A sobering list of sins that God considers abominations of the fallen human condition. If left unforgiven, if the sinner's heart is not changed through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, these sinners will be left outside of the city, not lurking in the shadows, but cast into the Lake of Fire!

Dogs were unclean animals. The terms "dogs," "dog head," "dead dog," were used as terms of reproach, or of humiliation. Sorcerers referred to those involved in occult activities. The word also translates to the Greek word pharmakeia, or the English word pharmacy. The implication has to do with the inappropriate use of drugs, legal or illegal. The sexually immoral are those involved with pornography, particularly those who exploit children. Prostitution, homosexuality, illicit sexual activities, to mention a few other uses of the term sexually immoral. Murderers are also mentioned. Idolaters, those who worship false gods. Also those who introduce foreign forms of disloyalty or abuses to the marriage covenant. Finally, those who love to lie.

None of the above mentioned sins are unforgivable. Obviously God is referring to the habitual, chronic, unrepentant sinner who has rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Revelation 22:16
"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."

Jesus sent His angel to John to testify to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor which represents the whole church and the whole church age. Jesus teaches that He is the source of David. Jesus will rule from the throne of David, a promise given to David in 2 Samuel, chapter 7. Jesus also indicates that He came to us in the line of David.

Jesus is the Bright and Morning Star! His arrival was heralded by a bright star in the sky which the Wise men followed to find and worship Him! He is the brightest star in the morning sky that announces the new day! Jesus is our New Day today and every day!

Revelation 22:17
And 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.

All would say Come Lord Jesus! All who thirst for Him will have eternal life with Him!

Revelation 22:18-19
18 For 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; 19 and 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.

This warning has my attention! As I have studied the book of Revelation, my heart is to share its meaning correctly. Jesus' warning should cause anyone to seek God's direction and the Holy Spirit's teaching that we may rightly divide God's word, in Revelation and every other book of the Bible. To add or subtract from it would be the ministry of a false teacher, or a false prophet.

Revelation 22:20
He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Since sin first befell mankind God has promised a way back to Him through a coming Savior. Jesus, the Son of God came to us as one of us to die for the forgiveness of sin. He conquered sin and death through His death on the cross. Having returned to heaven, mankind has been eagerly awaiting His return for over two thousand years! I believe that His return is very soon, perhaps today!

Revelation 22:21
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

 

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