Revelation 22: 1 – 21
Clearwater Revival
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. 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. 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 in their foreheads. 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. 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. 7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” 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.” 10 And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. 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.” 12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” 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. 15 But 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.” 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. 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. 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Down on the corner, out in the street, all the former poor boys are singing about the new life that can’t be beat.
Finally, all things are new. We have been restored to a close and forever lasting union with our Holy God. We can see Him and talk with Him face to face. This is what we have all dreamed about. All our love ones forever united. Let’s take a look at our future.
22.1-2 ‘And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life bearing twelve types of fruits, yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.’
This is a clear parallel with the original Paradise in Genesis 2 where a river flowed through the garden, “8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 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. 10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.” The river is clean and totally pure, it comes from God’s throne, Who Is the source of all life, and it feeds the tree of life which bears fruit constantly for all.
Please take a look again at the statement, ‘The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations’. The healing speaks of the past tense. The nations who have responded are now healed because they partook of the river and tree of life in Christ. The leaves enable them to look back and remind themselves of the healing they had once known through the activity of the Spirit of God, and what blessing they have now received. God had made full provision for their healing. We may see it as a reminder that there is no illness here. So Paradise is now restored.
22.3-4 ‘And there will be no curse any more, and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him, and they will see his face and his name will be in their foreheads.’
The curse that resulted from man’s first failure way back in Genesis 3 has been removed. All is now restored. Again, as constantly, we are reminded that the Lamb, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Is on God’s throne, even as glorified man, for He partakes of the essential essence and glory of God. We His servants will worship Him.
‘They [we] shall see His face.’ This was something which no man could do and live where it was first mentioned in the book of Exodus 33.20. Throughout the Bible, we have been taught that you could not look upon the face of God and live. Even Moses, who was so close to God, wanted to see God, and God told him no. He put His hand over Moses and passed by him, and Moses saw his back side.
But now we, the people of God, have been made perfect and there is nothing to prevent us from seeing the Glory of His face. We have been made like Him and we see Him as He Is. To see the king’s face, which involved direct access into his presence, was on earth a privilege for the very view exceptionally important people but here it is for all His people.
22.5 ‘And there will be night no more, and they need no light of lamp nor light of sun, for the Lord God will give them light and they will reign forever and ever.’
John told us in chapter 8 of his Gospel that our Lord Jesus ‘Is the light of the world. He now gives light, and this light has given us all life. We need nothing more. Neither sun nor artificial light will be required. Darkness is gone. All is light.
22.6 ‘And he said to me, These words are faithful and true, and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angels to show to His servants the things that must shortly happen.’
Verses 6-21 form a conclusion or summary to the book. They emphasize two themes:
(1) the authenticity of the book as a revelation from God
(2) the imminence of the return of Christ.
These sayings refer to the entire Book of Revelation. They are authenticated as genuine by the angel whom God sent to give them through John to His servants.
Here is just a reassurance that all of this is not to be taken lightly. This is the absolute truth. The prophets such as Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah (to name just a few), have all spoken of this special time in history. It is the same information, regardless of who pens it, because the author Is God.
The angel's words reinforce an important truth: Everything John saw in Revelation will come to pass. John's words are not mystical and the Apocalypse is not a record of his bizarre dreams or the result of an over active imagination. Further it is not an allegory (a form of translation) from which readers can find hidden meanings of their own concoction. It is an accurate description of events and persons that are yet to come.
22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Three times we find this expression in the last verses of this book. Some have been confused about the literal meaning of the expression because it was uttered almost 2000 years ago. It is more accurately translated, "Behold, I come suddenly." This saying does not refer to an appointed time soon to come but means that His coming will take place suddenly and without warning. Significant details are given in association with each of these three promises of our Lord.
1. Verse 7 contains the promise, "Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." "Happy are those" who are sufficiently aware of the prophecy of this book to be ready when that Day arrives.
2. "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done". Added to Christ's promise of His second coming, this verse proclaims a reward by way of judgment, a standard part of the state of believers after the Resurrection.
3. On the basis of this reward we will reign with Christ forever.
You might ask, what does it mean to obey the book of Revelation? Think of it as a general command to long for Christ's return and our eternal fellowship with Him. It calls believers to desire heaven, to desire holiness, to desire to see Christ vindicated and for Him to triumph over His enemies, to desire the end of the curse and to desire the glories of Christ's earthly kingdom and the new heaven and the new earth. To see God's face, to see an end of the Babylonian Harlot and the corrupt commercial and political system, to look forward to a life of peace and happiness.
Thus the purpose of Revelation is not to provide entertainment and to merely satisfy the curiosity of believers about the future but to reveal the glory of God's Son and call believers to live godly, obedient lives in light of His soon return.
22.8 ‘And I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw I fell down to venerate at the feet of the angel who showed me these things, and he says to me, “9 Then saith he unto me, See [thou do it] not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
The writer first confirms who he is, that he is the John whom everyone will know, and that his information is first hand. Then he informs us of what was a natural reaction to what he had experienced. He fell before the angel in awe and reverence. But even this was not to be. The angel strongly forbids such behavior and stresses that such should only be shown to God. Man is ever slow to learn this lesson. None is to be venerated but God.
Several times in Revelation, we see John overwhelmed by the presence and the power this angel shows him. He, being overcome by the magnitude of it all, starts to worship this angel. Some people have false doctrine centered on angel worship. We must not worship angels. They are created beings. We must worship the Creator. We are warned over and over not to worship angels. John is told several times here in Revelation not to worship this angel.
22.10-11 ‘And he says to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He who is unrighteous, let him still behave unrighteously, and he who is filthy, let him still be made filthy, and he who is righteous, let him still behave righteously, and he who is holy let him still be made holy”.’
The command not to seal this prophetic message is quite different than what the lord told Daniel, "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end" (Dan 12:4). The reason for the difference in the instructions is simply stated, "the time is at hand." Until the death and resurrection of Christ, the time for this prophecy had not come. Since Jesus already opened the seven seals prophetically (Rev. 5 and 6) to reveal the future, it is only appropriate that the entire book remain open for us to read as well.
The reason for the difference in the instructions is that one lived after the time of Christ's crucifixion, the other before. In John's day it was possible to see the unfolding of the events prophesied; in Daniel's day they were a long way off.
Please note that verse 11 is not a command, but rather a statement of fact and a warning. Character tends to become fixed and unchangeable, determined by a lifetime of habitual action. The arrival of the end will prevent any change of destiny.
When Christ returns, the deliberate choice of each person will have fixed his eternal fate.
Those who hear the truth but continue to do wrong will by that hardened response fix their eternal destiny in hell. Conversely, those who continue to practice righteousness and keep him himself holy give evidence of genuine saving faith.
He is warning of the consequence of men’s attitudes. What men are will result in what their lives become. Self-improvement is in vain in heavenly terms. It may make us more acceptable to man but it will not make us more acceptable to God.
The righteous are those who respond to Christ who become ‘righteous’ in God’s eyes, in a state of acceptability to Him. They become ‘holy’, set apart to God and sanctified in Christ.
The unrighteous are those who fail to respond to Christ and are liable to condemnation (although in man’s eyes some may be very righteous). The ‘filthy’ are those who, while they may be bathed and washed, and may be in fine clothes, fill God’s heart with ‘holy horror’ because of their earthliness and spiritual uncleanness.
Those who are holy may be clothed in dirty clothing through no fault of their own (if John was working in the mines he may have been in such a state), but their hearts are pure and fixed on things above and God gladly accepts their approach.
We cannot cover up from God. God sees into the heart. If you are a sinner, He already knows it. You do not have to tell Him. If you belong to Jesus, He knows that, too. Whatever you are down deep, Jesus already knows.
John is not, of course, telling men to be satisfied with their position. He is making them aware of the choice available. He is saying, I have told you what is to come. Now it is up to you what you do. They must do what they choose.
22.12 ‘Behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me to render to each man according to his work (his attitude and behavior).’
Again Christ declares the imminence of His return. All Christians should be watching the eastern sky for In a moment when you think not, the eastern sky will open, the trumpet will blow, and our Lord Jesus shall shout. At that time, we will be called to heaven to be with Him forever.
Our rewards will be for the things (treasures) we have stored in heaven. Rewards are always based on works done by believers based on their faithfulness in serving Christ in this life. Their works will be tested and only those with eternal value "will be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."
The rewards believers will enjoy in heaven will be capacities for serving God. The greater their faithfulness is in this life, the greater will be their opportunity to serve in heaven, not to mention the crowns believers will receive.
Having knowledge that Jesus could return at any moment shouldn't lead Christians to a life of idle waiting for His coming. Instead it should produce diligent, obedient, worshipful service to God, and urgent proclamation of the gospel to unbelievers.
22.13 ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’
The three designations of verse 13 are virtually equivalent in meaning.
1. Alpha and Omega
2. The beginning and the end
3. The first and the last
By applying them to Himself, Christ claims unlimited, eternal equality with God.
These three designations express Christ's infinity, eternity and boundless life transcending all limitation. These descriptions describe the completeness, timelessness and sovereign authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
22.14 ‘Blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to come to the tree of life and may enter in by the entrances into the city.’
These closing verses of the Bible make it perfectly clear that salvation is a matter of the will - whoever wishes may come. This clearly implies that whoever wills not to come is lost. This teaching abounds throughout the Scriptures. In contrast to those who reject Christ, we encounter the state of the blessed described here in verse 14. Those who have washed their robes in the righteousness of Christ have a right to the Tree of Life and thus are entitled to live forever.
He describes their state as "blessed," meaning "happy". Every individual wants happiness. The way to eternal happiness is to receive Christ as Lord and Savior, which entitles you to entrance into the Holy City, access to the Tree of Life, and the marvelous blessings of a loving God. If there is any question in your mind as to whether or not you have received the living Christ, I urge you, on the basis of His challenge, to change your will and receive Him as your Lord and Savior today.
They that do his commandments are believers John 14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments. The tree of life indicates immortality and divine blessing. To be able to enter in through the gates into the city is to have heavenly citizenship in the eternal dwelling place of God and redeemed mankind.
22.15 ‘Outside are the dogs, and the occult-seekers, and the sexually misbehavers, and the murderers, and the idolaters and everyone who makes and loves a lie.’
All unbelievers are without (outside) the city. The dogs are impure and malicious people or someone with a low character.
Sorcerers are those who practice occult or witchcraft. Greek Pharmakos is the root of the English word pharmacy which often accompanies those practices.
Whoremongers are those who practice all kinds of sexual immorality. Greek pornos is the root of the English word pornography.
Murderers: means pre-meditated murder. This has nothing to do with accidental killing or killing in war. They are included in the list given in Rev. 21 v.8: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
Idolaters are just those who put anything ahead of God which includes mammon (money) or the love of everything which takes one's attention off serving God. Someone once said: Show me someone's calendar and checkbook and I'll tell you where their heart lies. Think about that. Idolaters are also those who worship false gods or worship the true God in an unacceptable matter.
Everyone sometimes during their life has lied as It's human nature. Some tell little white lies, even some Christians. But all lies are acts of deceiving and can be very harmful to others. Simply withholding some of the truth when asked a question is in itself lying.
Consider carefully how you answer and instead of a white lie or withholding a part of the truth, find another way. I would rather be told the truth no manner how bad it is rather than find later I had be deceived. Those who "loveth and maketh a lie" has to do with hurting someone else. Any time we hurt someone else, it is sin.
It is not all who have ever committed any of these sins listed above that will be excluded from heaven. But it is those who love and habitually practice these sins and stubbornly cling to them and refuse Christ's invitation to salvation who will be the ones cast into the lake of fire.
22:16 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.
"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify." This is the first time that the words "I Jesus" appear in the bible. It establishes that this final invitation in Scripture is not a human invitation, but a divine call issued personally to sinners by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This verse is Jesus' seal of approval on the whole book of Revelation.
22.17 ‘And the Spirit and the Bride say “Come”. And he who hears let him say “Come”. And he who is thirsty let him come. And whoever will let him take of the water of life freely.’
The Lord Jesus Christ, ever concerned for the souls of the lost, closes His great revelation with a challenge for individual people to call on His name. He indicates that there are two who invite us to come to Him: the "Spirit" and the "bride". In addition, He will even use "him who hears."
God the Holy Spirit will use the printed page as well as those who are just repeating what they have heard but may not even believe what they are saying. He also uses the "bride", which indicated that the primary ministry of the Church of Christ during the entire Church Age is to tell others about the Savior. All Christians everywhere should be engaged in saying to their fellow human beings: "Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." Jesus Christ, of course, is the water of life.
Everyone has a hungering and thirsting for God. Some do not know what they are hungering for. It is so simple just to give in and let Jesus bring you salvation, peace, joy, and life that lasts forever. When we take of this Water of Jesus, it brings Eternal Life. The water, Spirit, and blood testify for us and assure us of a heavenly home.
22:18-19 "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:" "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."
The speaker who testifies to the authority and finality of the words of the prophecy of this book Is the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is one of the most awesome challenges in the Word of God against tampering with Holy Writ. Far too many today glibly ridicule, detract from, and cast disparaging remarks on Holy Scripture. This is their day of opportunity, but their judgment will come upon them swiftly in God's good time. It is a fearful thing to disbelieve God, and it is unbelief that causes someone to detract from His Holy Word.
Although this is not a reference to Bible believing commentators of the Word who mistakenly translate some passage and inadvertently minimize it. The Lord's warning here is addressed to those who engage in deliberate falsification or misinterpretation of Scripture, those who Paul denounces as peddlers of the Word of God.
22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
As previously stated, the translation is "surely I come suddenly", when lest expected. The cry of every Christian should be "come quickly Lord Jesus", as I said before. My cry, as I go through the land telling people of my Savior and Lord, is "JESUS IS COMING".
John speaks for all true believers when he writes, "Come Lord Jesus", since Christians are those "who have loved His appearing". Scoffers may mockingly ask, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation" (2 Peter 3 verses 4). But things will not continue forever as they are. Jesus will return, just as Revelation predicts. If the certainty of Christ's return to judge sinners does not motivate people to repent, then nothing will.
22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all. Amen.
This scripture is an expression of God's grace toward fallen humanity.
The Lord of glory, as He promised in Scripture, offers heaven exclusively to those who accept His gracious invitation. Without the "grace of our Lord Jesus" none of us would be saved.
Please come back for us Lord Jesus. Thank You!
