- So, continuing our description of the city, what else do we see?
- The river of life
- The river is as bright as crystal (suggesting in is perfectly clean)
- It is in the middle of a broad street in the city
- It originates from the throne of God and of the Lamb
- The tree of life
- It is so broad that it reaches both sides of the river
- The tree was in the garden prior but after the fall you could not eat of it. Eating of it allowed you to live forever. Now you can again eat of the fruit (Note: there are still 12 months)
- The leaves provide healing for the nations (Gentiles). Possibly the tree is what renews your body (the word translated healing is therapeutic)
- The curse will be completely gone
- The world will be as God originally intended it (no more weeds)
- We will worship God through our lives, not just in a worship service
- God's glory will reside in the city
- No night, lamp, or sun
- God will the light
- The worshippers will reign under God's authority
- APPLICATION: This world is not the way God intended it. Our lives are not the way God intended it. Somehow, we forget God when life is going well, and then we curse him when something bad happens. We want him to control our life so that nothing bad happens, but we don't want him in our life when things are okay. We pray and go to him in bad times, but we completely forget to read his word or pray in the good times, and then wonder why he allows things to go wrong with our lives
- A lot of these last verses repeat messages from the first chapter, this is what we commonly call the Epilogue
- Observations from Angel and / or Jesus?
- Angel reiterates the trustworthiness and truthfulness of the message
- God (it was his idea) sent his angel to show his servant what must soon take place. Fits with purpose in chapter 1 (also why I see churches as also prophetic)
- Jesus, inserts or is quoted, reiterates the blessing but with a slight difference
- Assumes you read it to get this far
- Now, you must heed it
- Observations from John?
- I heard, I saw, and implied I wrote it down
- John falls down at the angel's feet
- Second time that John is rebuked for falling down at a "fellow" servant's feet (19:10)
- Angels are fellow servants to John, other prophets, and those who keep the words of the book
- Angel reiterates the truth: worship God
- APPLICATION: Error of Satan, an angel, was to take worship from God. It is always a grave error to take worship away from God
- Why the command "not to seal up?"
- The time is near (in contrast to Daniel)
- Also, coming soon in verse 12
- The book is applicable even back in 90 AD (the church sections were applicable whether or not they recognized the prophetic aspect, they would have seen their church in the typical or universal application) -- although, the prophetic interpretation makes it even more applicable
- Verse 11 is interesting, why?
- God does not force behavior
- Christianity cannot be forced upon someone, unlike Islam or (religion)
- Sin will be judged
- What does it mean to wash your robes?
- It is an indication of believing in Christ
- Access to the tree of life -- eternal life
- Can enter the eternal city by the gates (freedom to live with God)
- Outside of God's promises are those who deny God's rule
- Dogs is also used in scripture for many impure and immoral sins, to include homosexuality (Deut 23:17, 18)
- APPLICATION: We don't have to be afraid to talk about the end times (don't seal it up). Actually, it can be a great opportunity to witness. You can even use the idea of rapture to make people think. Who knows--we could be raptured in their lifetimes, and that event may cause them to seek God.
- Only place in scripture where we have the phrase "I, Jesus"
- Stresses Jesus' role in this particular book
- "My angel" is the person who does most of the relating to John. He works for Jesus
- The spirit is the HS and the bride is the church of Jesus Christ
- The message is "come"
- We, who are reading, need to invite people to come
- The message is to the "thirsty"
- Recognized they have a need
- Recognized that they are not satisfied
- The water of life is without price (and yet also priceless)
- Huge warning
- Don't add or take away--will be visited with the plagues described in the book
- Unbeliever will lose a chance for salvation
- Believer will lose some reward in the future
- Closing is the reminder, "I am coming soon"
- It has been 2000 years, which is but a day or two in God's eyes
- APPLICATION: We should live as if Jesus was coming in our lifetimes
Review: Previous
chapter, Rev 21, describes 7 of 11 major aspects of the New Jerusalem in the
eternal order
Rev
22:1-5 (ESV) Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright
as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the
middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree
of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The
leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed,
but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will
worship him. 4 They will see his face,
and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They
will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and
they will reign forever and ever.
EPILOGUE
Rev
22:6-9 (ESV) And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true.
And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to
show his servants what must soon take place."
7
"And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of
the prophecy of this book."
8 I,
John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw
them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me,
9 but he said to me, "You must not
do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and
with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."
Revelation 22:5
|
Origin of the
prophecy: God & Jesus
|
1:1
|
22:6
|
|
Subject of the
prophecy: coming events
|
1:1
|
22:6
|
|
Mediator of the
prophecy: an angel
|
1:1
|
22:6,8,16
|
|
Writer of the
prophecy: John
|
1:1,4,9
|
22:8
|
|
Genuineness of
the prophecy: true prophecy
|
1:3
|
22:6,7,9,10,18-19
|
|
Vehicle of the
prophecy: a prophet
|
1:1,9-11
|
22:8,9,10
|
|
Addressees of the
prophecy: bond-servants
|
1:1
|
22:6
|
|
Destination of
the prophecy: churches
|
1:3,11
|
22:16,18
|
|
Blessing of the
prophecy: for obedience
|
1:3
|
22:7,12,14
|
|
Warning of the
prophecy: for unfaithfulness
|
1:7
|
22:11,12,18-19
|
|
Center of the
prophecy: Christ
|
1:2,5,9
|
22:16,18,20
|
|
God of the
prophecy: Alpha & Omega
|
1:17
|
22:13
|
|
Chief character
of the prophecy: God
|
1:5,7
|
22:12,13,16
|
|
Hope of the
prophecy: soon return
|
1:3,7
|
22:7,10,12,20
|
(from Thomas
Constable's Notes on the Bible. Copyright © March 4, 2014 by Thomas L.
Constable. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
Rev
22:10-15 (ESV) And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the
prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the
filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still
be holy."
12
"Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay
everyone for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and
the last, the beginning and the end."
14
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the
tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the
sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and
practices falsehood.
Rev
22:16-21 (ESV) "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about
these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the
bright morning star."
17 The
Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say,
"Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires
take the water of life without price.
18 I
warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds
to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if
anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take
away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described
in this book.
20 He
who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus!
21 The
grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen.
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