Prophecies of the Bible: Chapter 22

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:1 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.

:3 And there shall be no 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 forever and ever.

:6 And he said to 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.

:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

:8 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 fellow servant, 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: 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.

:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to 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 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, Je'sus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of Da'vid, and the bright and morning star.

:17 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 to 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, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

:20 He which testifies to these things saith, Surely I come quickly. A'men'. Even so, come, Lord Je'sus.

:21 The grace of our Lord Je'sus Christ be with you all. A-men'.

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Verses 1 - 3

With the opening of this, the final chapter of the Book of Revelation, John now moves into the heart of new Jerusalem to view marvellous sights.
"...pure river of water of life..."

The crystal clear waters here, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, are certainly those which are referred to in {21:6} and in {7:17}.
"...the tree of life..."

This phrase refers to the name of the tree, but is not speaking of it as a single tree, as appears to be the case in the garden of Eden. After eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil {Gen. 3:2-3} ; Adam and Eve were sent out of the Garden of Eden, lest they should also eat of the tree of life and forever live in their sinful condition {3:23-24}.

Gen. 3:2-3 indicates that there were trees (plural) in the garden, but there was a tree (singular). "...in the midst of the garden" from which they were not to eat. By this, it is also implied in Gen. 3:24, that there was a single tree of life, in the garden of Eden. This is reasonable, since there were only two humans in existence at the time.

Here in Rev. 22, we see that many nations enter into new Jerusalem therefore, there are multiple trees of life: found in the middle of the street, and on both sides of the river of life. Man who was barred from the tree in the garden of Eden, is now permitted unrestricted access to it.

The term street (singular), here refers to the grand avenue which passes through the heart of new Jerusalem to the throne of God. This is not to indicate that there are not other streets in the city, for there are twelve gates within its massive walls, and considerable distance to the heart of the city.

Trees in the midst of the great street, appears to suggest that there is a median, seperating the incoming saints from those outgoing; and that, this median is planted with numerous trees of life. It also appears that the river of life is lined with these trees on both of its banks. The leaves of these trees as said to be "...for the healing of the nations..."; an apparent reference to the fact that God will wipe away all tears from the eyes of the righteous, who behold unrepentant masses passing away into eternal darkness and misery. The twelve manners of fruit, produce by these trees, are not described.

The orientation of the street, to the river of life, is also not given here; nor does John describe the makeup or layout of the city itself. He only tells of the area relative to the throne of God, with few other details. This appear to be in keeping with {I Cor. 2:9}.
"...there shall be no more curse..."

As we have previously seen, this present earth, which is cursed, will pass away. Those who pass away with it are also cursed {Matt. 25:41} In the new earth which God will bring forth, there will never be a curse pronounced upon it because all vestiges of sin and rebellion against God will have been forever removed from His presence.

Verse 4 states that the saints will behold the face of Him who sits upon the throne. The face, of God the Father, which no mortal man in the earth has ever viewed, will be clearly seen by all the saints.

Verse 5 basically re-emphasises 21:25, that there will be no night there, because of the glory coming from God Himself will illuminate the city. The light which comes from Him will empower the saints, "...to reign for ever and ever."

Verses 6 - 9

It is here in verse 6 that we gain the understanding that the angel speaking to John, is the same one referred to directly in chapter 1:1; and indirectly in chapter 4:1.

Again, if we go backwards in the Book of Revelation, from 22:6, we find that this angel is one of the angels having the seven last plagues (21:9).
In both {Rev. 1:1} and {Rev. 22:6}, we find that the angel is to show John, "...the things which must shortly be done."
In verse 7, John again speaks in the office of the prophet, and is inspired to state the words of Jesus,
"Behold I come quickly: blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.".

These words are echoed once more, when John actually begins to write down the contents of the visions, he was shown, in the physical book which was delivered to the seven churches, as stated in {chapter 1:3}.

The Book of Revelation was committed to John, "in the spirit". When he returned from heaven, then he wrote down everything given to him. He therefore, had understanding, or knowledge, of the whole book before he ever started to physically write it. This is evidenced by statements found at the beginning which could only be made by one who had understanding of later events. It seems to be reflective of {Isa. 46: 9-10}. What is stated here, in chapter 22, is declared, as a matter of fact, in Chapter 1:1.

In verses 8 and 9, John is so awe struck with what he has seen, that he falls down before the angel to worship him. The angel then mildly rebukes him, telling John to worship God, not him.

It also appears, that this angel, in actuality, is a saint, rather than an angelic being, as is commonly believed, for He tells John plainly, ' ... I am of thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets..."

Again, we need to bear in mind, that the Greek word from which we get "angel", simply put means, "messenger". By definition, John the Baptist, a man. was also an angel, because he was called, the "messenger" of God {Matt. 11:10}. The prophets of old were a specific group of men, chosen by God, to speak to the people of Israel; as well as, pronounce His judgments on all nations who exalt themselves against Him.

Angelic beings can bring messages which are usually of a prophetic nature, as was the case when Gabriel delivered to Mary the message of the Messiah's approaching birth (Luke 1:26-33). Gabriel however, did not act in the office of the prophet, but as a messenger who came directly from the throne of God. The angel here in Rev. 22 makes it clear that he is of John's, "... brethren, the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book."

Verse 10
"...Seal not the sayings..."

Here John is told to not seal, or hide the words of the prophecy of this book. This can be contrasted with {Dan. 12:9}, where Daniel was told just the opposite.
Verses 11 - 17
"...let him be..."

The end of the age is approaching. The lines are being drawn! John here proclaims, let everyone be seen for what he is. Let all who will follow unholiness as a life style, be counted as unholy. Let all who will follow a righteous lifestyle be counted as such. There can be no mixing of the two ways of life. Either give your whole heart to following the one, or else give it to the following of the other; but let every person make their choice, for time is running out. The truly righteous have made their choice, as have the truly wicked. It's that third group, the sinner, who yet remains in the valley of decision.

In verse 12, we again hear the words of Jesus, indicating that the time is almost come; and that when He returns to judge the people, He will find only two groups: the righteous and the wicked {Matt. 25:33}. There will be no seperate group of sinners in that day, for all will have made their choice, as John called for in the previous verse.

Jesus is coming to judge everyone, "...according as his work shall be."

At that time, the wicked will be turned into the lake of fire; but the righteous will enter into His kingdom. At the end of the millennial reign of Christ, a new and final rebellion will follow, with Satan again as the instigator. It will be totally crushed by the Lord of Heaven, who will for the final time put a stop to the aspirations of the wicked.
"...Blessed are they that do his commandments..."

According to Scripture, those, who have opted to follow righteousness, have a right to be partakers of the tree of life which shall be found in new Jerusalem. We are to shun what is unholy, and cleave to what is good, if we are to be counted worthy of this privilege.

Without holiness, all so called "good works", will be rejected by God. Holiness begins with repentance, which causes a change in attitude and action. This results in works which are acceptable to God. It's not the good works that makes us acceptable to God, but our faith in Jesus which leads us to a repentance, resulting in good and acceptable works before Him, which are wrought by a holy attitude.

In verse 15, we find the same five sins for which the people of the earth were judged in {9:20-21} It is made abundantly clear, in this passage, that all who practice such things in this life, will never enter into the gates of new Jerusalem, much less ever partake of the tree of life.
"...I, Jesus..."

Hear Jesus speaks to testify that it is He who has sent His angel (messenger) to testify these things to the churches. He further identifies Himself as, "...the root and offspring of Da'vid", which also identifies Him as the Lamb of God in {4:5}. He also calls Himself, "...the bright and morning star.": the enduring star which continues to shines, even after all others have faded out of sight.
"...the Spirit and the bride say, Come..."

Good News is here! No matter how low your spiritual state has sank, you are cordially invited by the Lord God to come unto him and partake of all of the benefits which He has reserved for you. All that is required is that you come to Him with a sincere and repentant heart. He invites you to come and partake of the water of life freely. Why not do it now, and avoid the horrific judgment that is reserved for those who fail to take advantage of His mercy and love being offered at this time. The deadline for accepting His offer is approaching. Don't miss out! {Click Here to find out how}.

Verses 18 - 21
"...if any man shall add unto these things..."

The admonition in verse 18 is to anyone who hears and then teaches from this book: DO NOT ADD ANY words to the original; NOR TAKE AWAY ANY words from it.

It is one thing to write, teach or offer opinion about what one feels the book is saying; it's a totally different matter to add, change or remove words from the original to make the book state something not intended.

In other words, the stern warning given here, is for the sole purpose of preserving the integrity of the original wording and intent of the book. We may speculate all we like about its meaning, but we are not given the liberty to change a single word to the text, or add anything, that will alter its prononucements.

These statements, seem to be geared more specifically to those of the tribulation period. How else can we understand that the "...plagues of this book..." will be added to those who do such things?

It may be an indication that prior to the tribulation period, people will begin to alter the word of God. That is certainly becoming more apparent in our day and time. Those who do such things will find themselves square in the middle of all of the decrees set forth in this book; as will those who take away from it.

Everyone who reads or hears this book read, from the earliest days to the final days, is admonished to respect the sacred origin of its words, and not tamper with its contents.

This book will surely be read during the tribulation period; and not everyone who reads, or hears it read, will be happy with its declarations. Woe to those who disregard the warnings issued here! The plagues of this book will be added to those who add to it; and those who remove anything from it; will be removed from any benefits set aside for the faithful.

Like all books of the Bible, people may study them and offer their views or opinions, which help strengthen our faith; but no one is sanctioned change the basic wording of any Scripture, to make it state something God didn't intend for it to state.

This Bible Study is a case in point in attempting to understand the message being conveyed by the book; not to add or take away anything from the original wording or intent.
"...Surely, I come quickly..."

Here again John appears to speak in the office of the prophet, declaring the words of Jesus, which he obviously heard while caught up in the visionary state. The book here ends with John's sincere prayer:

"Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus!"

CHAPTER SUMMARY

God's grand prophetic layout is finished with this chapter. All that He has declared through His servants, the prophets, has now come to pass.

In this chapter we are taken into the heart of New Jerusalem, where we see the River of Life, as well as the Tree(s) of Life which have great curative powers for the nations of the earth which are pronounced worthy to enter into the city.

The Garden of God (Paradise), where His throne is set, is seen in this final viewing of the city.

The final message given is firstly, let everyone make their choice: either follow what is righteous and inherit a place in new Jerusalem; or else, follow what is wicked, and be eternally cast away from God's presence. Be it known that no unclean thing will ever dwell in God's holy presence, or enter into His holy city.

Secondly, a final call is made to everyone to come unto Him, "...the Spirit and the bride say, Come..." Good News is here! No matter how low your spiritual state has sank, you are cordially invited by the Lord God to come unto him and partake of all of the benefits which He has reserved for you. All that is required is that you come to Him with a sincere and repentant heart. He invites you to come and partake of the water of life freely.

The chapter and the book end with John's statement:

"Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus!"

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