Revelation 22

Revelation 22:1

rtf1ansiansicpg1252deff0deflang1033fonttblf0fnilfcharset0 Georgia;f1fnilfprq2fcharset0 Padua; colortbl ;red0green128blue0; viewkind4uc1pardf0fs24 par b The Life River.b0 par par cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_22:1cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24. par par In the first Paradise, and in connection with the first creation, we find a riveru8212?‘a river went out of Eden to water the garden’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Gen_2:10cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24); and in connection with the second Paradise and the new creation, we find a river alsou8212?a river without a nameu8212?but simply designated ‘a river of life.’ The earthly and the heavenly thus run parallel with each other, though the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. par par In connection, not merely with earthly fruitfulness and beauty, but with spiritual blessings, we have many allusions to rivers. ‘The river of Your pleasures’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Psa_36:8cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24); ’there is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Psa_46:4cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24); ‘you enrich it with the river of God, which is full of water’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Psa_65:9cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24); ‘peace as a river’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Isa_48:18cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24); ’the Lord shall be to us a place of broad rivers and streams’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Isa_33:21cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). par par The b earthlyb0 river beautifies, fertilizes, refreshes, gives life, quenches thirst. All these and much more does the b heavenlyb0 river do for us. In this life-river is the reality of those things of which the earthly river is the shadow. What would the first Adam’s Paradise have been without the river? What would the second Adam’s Paradise and city be without the river of life? par par But let us gaze a little on this life-river which John describes, and see its qualities and glories. Of it we may say, ‘It is good for drink, and pleasant to the eyes, and a river to be desired;’ for no river on earth, Nile or Jordan, can be compared with it.

It contains all that a soul needs; and it is not for angelsu8212?but for men. par par b I. It is a river of HEAVEN.b0 These two concluding chapters speak of no earthly city, no earthly Paradise, no earthly tree of life, and no earthly river. It is a stream fed from heavenly sources, filled with heavenly water, and resplendent with heavenly beauty. Everything pertaining to its origin, and course, and nature, partakes of heaven. It is the river of God, conveying on its pure water all that heaven contains of blessedness. Those who drink of it must drink immortality and love. ‘It is the river of God.’ To gaze on it, to wander by its banks, to bathe in its pure flood, to drink of its watersu8212?this is heaven itself! par par b II.

It is a river of GRACE.b0 It flows from the throne of the Lamb; and everything that has connection with the Lamb is necessarily of grace. The Lamb is, of all the names of Christ, that which most explicitly expresses grace, and the channel through which that grace flows to us. Name but the Lamb, and you proclaim God’s love to sinners, His riches of grace towards the most worthless of human creaturehood. The Lamb is the name by which Christ is most commonly spoken of in this book; and this seems to be done, in order that we may, in the midst of the terrors and the glories of which it is full, be made to feel the grace of God as it pours itself out over the dwellers in this poor earth. And this grace goes on through eternity; there is grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. There is the grace of earth, there is the grace of heaven.

There is the grace of the first coming, there is the grace of the second. par par b III. It is a river of POWER.b0 It comes from the throneu8212?the throne of God; and therefore possessing the properties of that throne. It communicates, it infuses power into the soul of every one that drinks, or even that walks along its banks. The power and authority of God are in it; for it issues from the fountainhead of universal owner. O mighty river of God! How mighty do they become who betake themselves to you!

Mighty river! The symbol of the Holy Spirit (cf11ulbf1fs22 Joh_7:37cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24), proceeding from the Father and the Son, from God and the Lambu8212?what infusion of power may we not receive from you here; how much more hereafter! In this wilderness much; in the glorious city, more. par par b IV. A river of PURITY.b0 ‘A pure river of water of life!’ The word pure almost invariably refers to priestly or sacrificial cleansing. This river then owes its purity to the same blood which makes the garments of the redeemed white; and just as the gold of the city is called pure gold, like unto clear glassu8212?so the river gets the like designation. A pure river!

Like the Lamb from whose throne it comes, who is without blemish, and without spot! A pure river! Like the city through which it flows, into which nothing that defiles shall enter! As it pours its heavenly waters on us now, it purifies, it cleanses; and hereafter it will preserve in us eternally that purity which it began in time, as the tree of life will preserve forever the immortal life which it created here in us. Think often of this river, you who feel the impurity of your soul; wander by faith along its banks even now; refresh yourself with its transparent waters; for is it not promised, I will give to him who is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely? The pledge of this we get just now; but the full accomplishment is reserved for the day when ’the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall lead us to the living fountains of waters’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_8:7cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). par par b V.

A river of LIFE.b0 Wherever the river comes it quickens; just as of Ezekiel’s river it is said, ’the waters shall be healed, and everything shall live where the river comes’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Eze_47:9cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). Each drop is life giving; it contains everlasting life, for the Spirit of life is in that river. And He from whom it comes is the Lamb, even He who said, ‘I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish;’ ‘because I live, you shall live also.’ par par b VI. A river of BRIGHTNESS.b0 The words ‘clear as crystal’ should be ‘bright as crystal’u8212?the same word as in verse 16, ’the bright and morning star.’ It is a river of splendor, divine and heavenly splendor. No earthly river, shone upon by the brightest earthly sun, can equal this. It is radiant all over, and it communicates its radiance to those who dwell upon its banks.

It makes them shine as the sun. It is a river of gloryu8212?God lights it, and the Lamb is the fountain of its splendor! O river of brightness, will you not cast down on us here some of the radiance of your pure water? River of glory and holiness, will you not gladden and purify us, by causing us to behold your beauty in some measure here, that we may be prepared for beholding that splendor in fuller measure hereafter, when the days of our shame, and sin, and mourning are ended?

Revelation 22:2

rtf1ansiansicpg1252deff0deflang1033fonttblf0fnilfcharset0 Georgia;f1fnilfprq2fcharset0 Padua; colortbl ;red0green128blue0; viewkind4uc1pardf0fs24 par b The Tree with its Twelve Harvests.b0 par par cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_22:2cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24. par par Faith looks into the unseen past, hope into the unseen future. The ’things hoped for’ are very glorious. Eye has not seen them, nor ear heard them; but ‘God has revealed (the name of this book is the “Revelation”) them unto us by His Spirit.’ That Spirit has given us (1) eyes to see; (2) b objectsb0 to look upon; and (3) b lightb0 to see them with. par par It is the glory of the new creation, and specially of the new Jerusalem, that is here described. It is no longer, as at first, Paradise alone without a city, and with only our first parents to inhabit it; nor is it Jerusalem alone without Paradise, and without a river, and without a tree of life. It is Paradise, and Jerusalem together. The city is in the garden, and the garden in the city; the tree of life springing up in fruit-bearing beauty, and the bright river flowing through the street and under the shade of the trees.

Nor is this Paradise without its ‘Adam,’ nor this city without its Solomon. The second Adam is here, the Lord from heaven. The throne of God and of the Lamb is here. All is heavenly, yet all is earthly too; all is divine, yet all is human. There is perfection everywhereu8212?there is glory over all. It is the perfection of the material and visible, as well as of the spiritual and invisible.

Creation has reached its summitu8212?the eternally predestined height from which it cannot fall. par par Into the regions of this glory we would seek to enter now. Time is fleeting. The world passes away. Our life is but a vapor. This present world is a waste, howling wilderness. Darkness and clouds are here.

The ice and frost, the blast, the storm, the earthquake are here. Night, and death, and the curse, and the grave are here. We eagerly look beyond these, and anticipate the promised perfection and blessedness of the new creation. par par b I. The STREET of the city.b0 The word refers to the main or broad street of the city. A wide central street, in the midst of which the river flowed, is the picture here. It is the great street of a well-built cityu8212?the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

The city is the ‘heavenly Jerusalem,’ the ‘holy city,’ of which we become citizens even now in believing, so that ‘our citizenship is in heaven,’ and we, ‘are come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God,’ realizing ourselves as already in the city, and the city as already here. That glorious city is to be the eternal center of the universe, the seat of government, and the center of social life and blessed being. We need not try to sketch the city and its street, nor to answer the question, Is all this to be real and material, or is it only spiritual? Spiritual certainly, in the sense in which our resurrection bodies are to be (cf11ulbf1fs22 1Co_15:44cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24), but still real and material; for the gold and gems, the walls, and foundations, and gates, are evidently given to indicate something material, corresponding to all these, and which could only be represented to us by these. This ‘street,’ or great thoroughfare of the celestial city, suggests to us all that a similar street in any of our great cities now calls up to view. It is the place of concourse; the place of fellowship; the place of splendor; the head and heart of the cityu8212?that city which is to be the metropolis of the universe, as the lower Jerusalem is the metropolis of earth. par par b II.

The RIVER of the city.b0 This is described in the previous verse. It is like, and yet unlike, all earthly streams. Its source is divine; its waters are bright; its flow is endless. Jordan, and Nile, and Euphrates cannot be compared to it. This magnificent river flows right through the center of the street, which is in the center of the city, dividing it into two, so that the whole city equally gets the benefit of its waters. It distributes on both sides its heavenly blessing as it pours along, carrying on its fair bosom refreshment, and gladness, and beauty. ‘Well-watered’ is this city; and with provisions for every beneficent purpose.

It is ’the river, the streams of which make glad the city of our God’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Psa_46:4cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24); it is the river of peace, for on it ‘shall go no war ship, neither shall mighty ship pass thereby’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Isa_33:21cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). It contains in it all physical blessings which a river can contain, and it is the symbol of all spiritual blessings. ‘You shall make them drink of the river of Your pleasures’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Psa_36:8cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). Not from any earthly source does this river flow; not even from the rock of the desert; not from the sanctuary (cf11ulbf1fs22 Eze_47:1cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24); not from the eternal hillsu8212?but from the throne of God and of the Lamb. par par b III. The tree of life.b0 This carries us back to Paradise, with its unfallen glory. It is the ’tree of righteousness’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Isa_61:3cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24); the ‘plant of renown’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Eze_34:29cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24); the tree of the old creation, and the tree of the new; the living and life-giving tree. There is the earthly tree and the heavenly tree, just as there is the earthly and the heavenly Jerusalem; the tree of the lower Paradise, and the tree of the upper Paradise; but the glory of the terrestrial is one, and the glory of the celestial is another.

Here we have the celestial; and yet, when we read this chapter in connection with the forty-eighth of Ezekiel, we see that the two are connected the one with the otheru8212?like the upper and the nether springs; like the higher and the lower stories of the great palace; like the outer and the inner courts of the great temple. This tree of life lines the river of life; extending like a fringe along its margin on both sides, between it and the street; shooting up like a long avenue of palms in the midst of the broad street, through the center of which the river flowed. A wondrous tree; or rather a forest of wondrous trees pleasant to the eye, good for fruit, and excellent for shade and fragrance, under whose shadow we shall sit down with great delight, in the day when the tabernacle of God is with men. par par b IV. The FRUIT of the tree. It is ‘good for fruit.b0’ Take it either physically or spiritually, it is so. Take it in both waysu8212?referring to both body and soulu8212?the food of our risen life, the sustenance of our risen bodies and perfected souls, it is ‘good’u8212?it is ‘very good.’ It nourishes and cherishes.

It imparts and sustains the incorruptible life. It communicates its celestial properties to the whole being of the redeemedu8212?body, soul, and spirit. It bears twelve kinds of fruits, or rather ’twelve fruits’u8212?that is, harvests or crops. Like the orange tree among us now, it is always blossoming, and always bearing. The revolving year is one perpetual harvest, every month producing new fruit. The description of the ‘celestial’ is very like that of the ’terrestrial’ in Ezekiel, which runs thusu8212?‘many trees were now growing on both sides of the river!

All kinds of fruit trees will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, without fail! For they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Eze_47:7cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24, cf11ulbf1fs22 Eze_47:12cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). Here then is the food of the redeemedu8212?eternal nourishment, suited to their redeemed being!

Here is perpetual spring, perpetual summer, perpetual autumnu8212?no winter, no withering, no famine, no decay! Life for eternity, sustained by the fruit of the live-giving tree, which shall nourish all the parts and powers, mental and material, of our everlasting and incorruptible nature! par par b V. The LEAVES of the tree.b0 These are for health. As the fruit is for food to the celestial dwellers, so the leaves are for healing. It may be also that these leaves are needful for the preservation of health. In any case, we see the meaning of the words, ‘The leaves of the tree are for the healing (or health) of the nations. par par All this is beyond doubt connected with the Lord Jesus Christu8212?’the Lamb as it had been slain;’ for as every infliction of the curse here or hereafter is connected with Him as such, so every part of present and future blessing is linked with Him.

We might in this aspect say, Jesus is the river, He is the tree, He is the fruit, He is the healing leaf. But perhaps it is more correct to say, He is the fountainhead of all blessing in heaven and earth, in this world and in that which is to come; and these material things are the channels through which He pours out His fullness. par par b (1.) The bright and refreshing river.b0 Weary man of earth, come here. There are waters for you, enough and to spare. All free and all accessible. ‘Come to the waters;’ ’let him who is athirst come;’ ‘I will give to him who is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely;’ not merely of the ‘water’ or of the ‘river,’ but of the ‘fountain,’ ’the spring shut up, the fountain sealed.’ par par b (2.) The plenteous and life-giving fruit.b0 It is the ‘bread of life;’ it is better than angels’ food. It is the hidden manna; the fruit of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Eat, for it is the nourishment you need; eat, for it is free and within your reach; eat, for it is living and life-giving food.

You will find it sweet to your taste. It confers immortality on the eater. He who eats of this fruit shall live forever. par par b (3.)The healing leaf.b0 We cannot say of this tree, ‘Nothing but leaves;’ still there are leaves in abundance, and each leaf is precious. It is like the hem of Christ’s garment, through which healing came to all who touched it. It is like ’the handkerchiefs and aprons’ from Paul’s body that healed the sick (cf11ulbf1fs22 Act_19:12cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24); or like ’the shadow of Peter passing-by’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Act_5:15cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24) that ‘over shadowed’ and healed the sick of Jerusalem. These were healings for the body.

In like manner there come healings for the soul. Christ is the healer of a sick world. The simplest touch in any part heals. Will you be made whole? Take a leaf from the healing tree. Are you sick again?

Take another and another. Take them every hour!

Revelation 22:3

rtf1ansiansicpg1252deff0deflang1033fonttblf0fnilfcharset0 Georgia;f1fnilfprq2fcharset0 Padua; colortbl ;red0green128blue0; viewkind4uc1pardf0fs24 par b The Curse Cancelled, and the Kingdom Begun.b0 par par cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_22:3-5cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24. par par Here we are carried back to the third chapter of Genesisu8212?for here we have the undoing of the evil which the first Adam and the first sin wrought on man and man’s earth. Here is blessing and dominion; nearness to God, and deliverance from all evil; the kingdom of light, and the endless reign of His saints. How bright the picture! What a contrast with the scene of the sentence and the expulsion from Paradise! What a contrast with the present evil state of earth, and the present tribulation of the Church! Here is the glory to be revealed in us; the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; the ending of all the woes and wickedness that have been depicted in this book.

No more room for Satan and his demons. No more place for Antichrist; or for the beast, and false prophet. No more tolerance for evil and error. No more scope for misrule and disorder; no more conflict, and darkness, and tempest. All is perfectionu8212?the perfection of God and of the Lamb; not simply a perfect and glorious heaven, but a perfect and glorious earth. par par b I. The removal of the curse.b0 Many are the curses that have lighted upon earthu8212?the original curse, with all the many curses that have flowed out of the first sin.

It is true that there is no curse pronounced against the man, or the woman, or their race. That would have been inconsistent with the revelation of divine grace. It would have rendered unintelligible the love of God just announced. The curse is on the ground, and on the serpent; and this, though not directly aimed at man, affects man and his whole race. The curse has come in like a pestilence upon earth; and man must breathe the poisoned air. par par All this is now reversed; the sentence is cancelled; the curse is exchanged for blessing. The cursed one is cast out of air and earth, into the bottomless pit.

The atmosphere is purged. The sun scorches not by day, nor the moon by night. Thorns and thistles disappear. Fertility is restored to earth. The wolf lies down with the lamb, and the leopard with the lamb; and there is nothing found to hurt nor to destroy in the holy mountain of the Lord. There is the new earth wherein dwells righteousness. par par b II.

The eternal throne.b0 Here is the setting up of the throne. In the King’s absence all things have fallen into disorder; while the presence of a hostile claimant or usurper has intensified the evil and increased the confusion. But now the usurper has been dethroned, and the true monarch comes in. ‘The throne of God and of the Lamb are in it.’ The new Jerusalem has come down out of heaven from God. The great kingdom has come. It is not only the kingdom of God, but of the Lamb. He is King forever.

He is the center of the universe; head of all things in heaven and earth; the second Adam, who with His redeemed bride the Church is to reign forever and ever. This earth shall be honored in being made the seat of His eternal throne. It is no longer to be said, ‘Earth is His footstool;’ but the throne is to be in it; and its rulers are to be those who claim kindred with its once cursed soil. O matchless honor conferred on earth and on it sons! O exceeding riches of grace! Where sin has abounded, grace much more abounds! par par b III.

The eternal service.b0 ‘His servants shall serve Him.’ They serve him day and night in His temple’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_7:15cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). The words ‘shall serve’ are here used in reference to religious service, the worship of God (cf11ulbf1fs22 Mat_5:10cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24; cf11ulbf1fs22 Phi_3:3cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24; cf11ulbf1fs22 Heb_9:14cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). There the throne and the temple are one; those who serve in the kingdom, serve in the temple too. They are kings and priests unto God. It is priestly royal service to which they are called. And as the throne and the temple are one, so are ‘God and the Lamb,’ whether this means ’the Father and the Son,’ or ‘He who is both God and the Lamb.’ It is not ’their servants shall serve them;’ but His servants shall serve Him.

It is to this high service that the redeemed are calledu8212?eternal service, in the city and palace and temple of God and the Lamb! par par b IV. The eternal vision.b0 ‘They shall see His face.’ Those who ‘saw the king’s face’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Est_1:14cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24) were ’the first in the kingdom;’ the nobles of the nobility, who stood nearest the king. It was blessedness, it was pre-eminence, it was honor. ‘Blessed are the pure in heartu8212?for they shall see God’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Mat_5:8cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). ‘I will behold Your face in righteousness’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Psa_17:15cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). Not in a glass darkly, but face to face; not afar off, but near; not with cloud or veil between, but unclouded and unveiledu8212?they shall see the face that is most glorious to behold. ‘Your eyes shall see the King in His beauty’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Isa_33:17cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). They shall be employed in that worship and service which is the most honorable of all. They shall occupy the innermost circle of the universe; for they are the redeemed from among men.

And then shall that word ‘brought near through the blood of Christ’ be no figure, but an eternal and glorious reality. ‘You set me before Your face forever (cf11ulbf1fs22 Psa_41:12cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). par par b V. The eternal inscription.b0 ‘His name shall be in their foreheads.’ The one name of God and the Lamb shall be engravedu8212?not on their ‘vesture or thigh,’ not on the palms of their hands, but on the foreheadu8212?visible, conspicuous, glorious, never to be erased; engraved by no earthly Bezalel, upon earthly gold or gemsu8212?but upon foreheads which have been washed in blood, and smoothed from every wrinkle and stain by the hand of Him who redeemed them for Himself. Jehovah’s name, written by Himself, on our foreheadsu8212?how great the honor and the blessedness! (cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_3:12cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). par par b VI. The eternal day.b0 This is stated ’negatively’u8212?no night, no need of lamp nor of the sun! (cf11ulbf1fs22 Isa_60:19cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). Here on earth, night alternates with day; here we must either have lamp or sunlight because of the darkness. Not so there.

All is dayu8212?day without night; light without darkness. No night! nor any of the things that make night so dreaded and drearyu8212?no pain, nor sickness, nor weariness, nor tossing to and fro, nor danger, nor enemy, nor storm. All these have passed away with the night, out of whose bosom they came. Everlasting day! Everlasting light! Everlasting spring! par par b VII.

The eternal Sun.b0 ‘The Lord God gives them light.’ The Lord God is a Sun even here. He is in every sense to be our Sun hereafter, superseding all other suns and lights. ‘The Lord shall be their everlasting light.’ ‘The Lamb is the lamp thereof.’ The light of heaven and earth, of all things material, and all things spiritualu8212?is to come from the face of Jehovah Himselfu8212?the one sun of the universe, the one sun of the soul! Then shall we know, as we have never done before, the meaning of the words, ‘I am the Light of the world.’ ‘The day shall break, and the shadows flee away.’ All that we have hitherto known of light, outward or inward, material or immaterialu8212?shall be as nothing to the effulgence of that eternal day. par par b VIII. The eternal reign.b0 ‘They shall reign forever and ever!’ It is not merely everlasting life, but an everlasting kingdom, that is in store for us. It is dominion, and glory, and honor, such as that which belongs to Him who has redeemed us by His blood, and made us God’s kings and priests. From the lowest depths we are taken to the highest heights; from the degradation of bondage to the liberty of the sons of Godu8212?the inheritance of the saints in light.

And of this kingdom there shall be no end. Christ does not deliver up the kingdom in the sense of parting with it, but in the sense of presenting it complete and glorious (cf11ulbf1fs22 1Co_15:24cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24; cf11ulbf1fs22 Eph_5:27cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24; cf11ulbf1fs22 Col_1:22cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). Our reign is like Christ’su8212?an eternal reign. par par A bright future is this for everyone who has received the testimony of the Father to His beloved Son; for on our reception of that testimony does our right to that kingdom depend. That future is meant to impact upon our presentu8212?and that in many ways. It is so lovely a prospect that it cannot fail to influence us now. par par b (1.) It purifies usb0 u8212?For all in it is pure and perfect. We gaze into its glorious vista, and take on its perfection and purity.

Like light, it transforms each object on which it rests into a brilliance like itself. par par b (2.) It invigoratesb0 u8212?The prospect of an inheritance like this nerves us for conflict, and makes us invincible. It rouses us when called to the great battle of life with Satan and the world. It enlivens mightily. par par b (3.) It cheersb0 u8212?A hope like this lifts us out of depression, and bids us be of good cheer. The light will soon swallow up the darkness. b The time is short. The glory will be enough to make up for all!b0 par par b (4.) It comfortsb0 u8212?We need more than cheering; for sorrow sometimes covers us with so thick a cloud that we cannot see through. It crushes us, and breaks us to pieces.

It smites us to the dust. Then we get a glimpse of the glory beyondu8212?and are comforted. After all, ours is ’light affliction,’ and ‘but for a moment.’ It will soon be swallowed up in the eternal joy! par par Our title to all this surpassing and eternal glory is simple the blood of the Lamb. He has bought it for His Church; and it is hers forever. The nightless day, the unsetting sun, the incorruptible life, the undefiled inheritance, the new name, the heavenly city, the everlasting kingdomu8212?all are hers; hers through ’the blood of the everlasting covenant.’ She is to walk worthy of it hereu8212?worthy of such a crown, such a heritage, such a city, such a Bridegroom, such a joy. ‘Be holy;’ ‘be perfect;’ ‘walk worthy of the Lord.’ par par The entrance stands ever open, and each one is invited to go in. ‘All things are ready.’ You dwellers in the highways and hedgesu8212?go in. There is the marriage hall, and the marriage feast, and the loving welcome of the Masteru8212?go in. par par ‘He who believes’ enters in.

We go in when we credit the divine record concerning the Son of God, and concerning the eternal life that there is in Him, for the dead in sin. It is not working, nor buying, nor waitingu8212?but believingu8212?which secures this eternal kingdom. Believe, and enter! Believe, and be blessed! par par par b The Serving and the Reigning.b0 par par cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_22:3cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24, cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_22:5cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24. par par Setting these two passages together, we get these two truths, that the redeemed are b servants,b0 and that they are also b kings!b0 Their eternity is to be an eternity of serviceu8212?and an eternity of dominion. For both of these they have been redeemed. It is not mere deliverance from the wrath to come, but glory, honor, dominion, and power that are their portion. The new Jerusalem is to be specially the place of serviceu8212?and the center of dominion. par par b I. SERVICE.b0 His servants shall serve Him. They are the servants of God, and the servants of the Lamb.

Once servants of self, of the world, of Satanu8212?now servants of God. As Christ was the Father’s servant, so do we become servants. Let us asku8212? par par b (1.) When this service begins?b0 It begins at conversion. For conversion is (1) a change of service, (2) a change of masters, (3) a change of motive, (4) a change of work. par par b (2.) How it begins?b0 Christ answers thisu8212?‘If any man serve me, let him follow me.’ It begins by taking His yoke; by taking the cross; by denying self; or, as the apostle expresses it, by ‘obeying from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto us.’ Yes, we must be made free that we may serve. par par b (3.) How it is carried on?b0 By a life of devotedness to God and His Christ; by doing His will, working His work, carrying out His plans, running His errands, looking after His interest. We are, as it were, His domestic servants, His public servants, His agents and instrumentsu8212?in all things waiting on Him and carrying out His will daily, not our own. par par b (4.) Where it is carried on?b0 First here on earth, and afterwards in the new Jerusalem before the throne. It is carried on everywhere; in the closet, in the family, at the table, round the hearth, in the market, in the shop, in the field, on the highwayu8212?everywhere.

We are to be the servants always, less than the servants never; always able to sayu8212?Don’t you know that I must be about my Father’s business? How it is to be carried on hereafter we know not. In the city and out of it; at the throne and away from it; all over space; from star to star; doing every kind of work, and going on every kind of errandu8212?such shall be the service hereafter. par par b (5.) How long it shall last?b0 Forever. It has beginning, but not an end. It is an eternal service. It is not the service of the hireling, who earnestly desires the end of the day; it is not limited by days and nights; it knows no end.

Nor would any one engaged in it wish it to terminate; it is so blessed and so glorious; it wins us so many smiles from the Master; it is rewarded so bountifully; and it is itself so unspeakable joyful! par par Who then would not serve? Who would not engage himself to this heavenly Master? All other services are bondage, this is liberty; all others are drudgery, this is blessedness throughout. Who would not serve now? Who would not serve hereafter? The Master now waits to hire youu8212?will you not be hired? par par b II.

The DOMINION.b0 They shall reign forever. This is wholly future. The dominion is not now. The kingdom is not yet set up. We are indeed kings, but the crown and throne are yet in reserve. The name and the title we get just now; the reality we enter on when the Lord returns.

Then we shall reign; all things shall be put under our feet as under His. par par b (1.) Who are these reigners?b0 They are menu8212?not angels. They sing, ‘You have redeemed us.’ They are from this earth of oursu8212?not natives of heaven. par par b (2.) Where did they come from?b0 They came out of sin, out of weakness, and persecution, and tribulation. They once were not what they are to be forever. From the lowest pit they came, and from the miry clay. par par b (3.) How did they become what they are?b0 They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. They sought and found the Lord. They obtained mercy.

They were forgiven. They believed and became sons of God. par par b (4.) What raised them to this dignity?b0 Grace! God’s free love. It was His love, His sovereign love alone, that made them what they are and shall be. They did not raise themselves, nor obtain it by inheritance, or merit, or purchase. Free love did it allu8212?the free sovereign love of God! par par b (5.) In what way did they reach the throne?b0 They fought their way to it.

For the crown and kingdom are to the overcomers. ‘To him who overcomes will I grant to sit with me on my throne.’ It was through much toil and warfare that they won the crown. par par b (6.) How extensive is this dominion to be?b0 He who overcomes shall inherit b all things.b0 It is the universe that is to be their dominion. Heaven and earth are theirs. For they are ‘heirs of God, and join heirs with Christ.’ par par b (7.) How long is it to last?b0 Forever! It is an everlasting dominion, a kingdom that shall not be destroyed. The throne, and crown, and glory are all eternal. par par How great the contrast between the present and the future! The Churchu8212?few, trodden down, afflicted nowu8212?then reigning!

Now the lowestu8212?then the uppermost! Now like Joseph in the pitu8212?then upon the throne! par par What a hope! How quickening, purifying, comforting! Let us keep gazing on it. Let nothing of earth come between, nether sorrow nor joy, life nor death. It may soon be realized.

Let us live as men who believe it!par par par par b The Vision of God.b0 par par cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_22:4cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24. par par It is the new Jerusalem that John is describingu8212?the city of glory; the home of light; the metropolis of the universe; the palace of Jehovah, where is the throne of God and of the Lamb. No sin there; no curse; no night; no death; no tears; no sorrow. There is the tree of life; the river of the water of life; the never-closed gates; the never-fading beauty; the never-setting sun. But of all the happiness and honor that fill that city of glory, this is the sum, and the center, and the overflowu8212?‘They shall see His face.’ Let us asku8212? par par b I. Whose face?b0 It is the face of God; and that face is Jesus, the Word made flesh; the brightness of His glory, and express image of His personu8212?for we know that the light of the glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ. On the transfiguration ‘His face did shine as the sun!’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Mat_17:2cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24).

And that face is at once the face of the Son of man and the face of the Son of God; fairer than the children of men; the chief among ten thousand, and altogether lovely. It is the face of majesty, yet the face of love; the face of a kingu8212?no, the face of the King of kings! There is no other face like it in earth or heavenu8212?in all the vast universe of Godu8212?so bright, so lovely, so perfect, so glorious, so divine. par par b II. Who shall see it?b0 His servants. ‘This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.’ ‘Blessed are the pure in heartu8212?for they shall see God.’ ‘Your eyes shall see the King in His beauty.’ They of whom it is written, ‘If any man serves me, let him follow me;’ and ‘where I am, there shall also my servant be;’ ‘if any man serves me, him will my Father honor.’ It is only those who are admitted within the resplendent walls of that holy city, who shall see His face. From all who are shut out, that face is forever hidden. They are called ‘servants’ here, yet are they sons, kings, joint-heirs with Christ!

As He is a servant, so are they; servants, yet sons and friends; and the name of servant is one of honor and dignity. par par b III. What is it to see His face?b0 This is explained by cf11ulbf1fs22 Psa_41:12cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24, ‘You set me before Your face forever;’ and by cf11ulbf1fs22 Est_1:14cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24, ‘The seven princes which saw the king’s face, and which sat first in the kingdom;’ and by cf11ulbf1fs22 2Ki_25:19cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24, ‘Five men of them which were in the king’s presence,’ lit. ‘which saw the king’s face.’ In this, then, there is implied: par par b (1.) Nearnessb0 u8212?These servants form the inner, no the innermost, circle of heaven. They stand nearest to God, ‘always beholding the face of their Father in heaven.’ There is no nearness like this; even that of angels is distance when compared with it. par par b (2.) Blessednessb0 u8212?The nearest of the disciples was the most blessed, the disciple whom Jesus loved. The nearest to Him in heaven will the most blessed. For nearness is blessedness; and seeing Him face to face is the perfection of joy. par par b (3.) Honorb0 u8212?To see the king’s face was the great earthly honor; so is it the greatest heavenly honor. Those who see it nearest and most often are the most honored; they are those whom the King delights to honoru8212?His nobles, His princes, His sons, moreu8212?His bride.

Theirs is the place of honor. par par b (4.) Powerb0 u8212?Those who see the King’s face are His counselors, His vice-regents, the doers of His will. They are invested with His authority, and go forth to exercise His dominion. ‘Power over the nations’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_2:26cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24); ‘Dominion over ten cities’ (cf11ulbf1fs22 Luk_19:17cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). This power belongs to the redeemed. Christ’s throne is theirs; His crown, His scepter, His kingdomu8212?all these universalu8212?for ‘he who overcomes shall inherit all things.’ par par This seeing of the face of God and His Christ will be: par par b (1.) Eternalb0 u8212?It cannot end. It is an everlasting vision; and therefore an everlasting nearness, blessedness, honor, and power. No lapse of ages can cloud the vision, or dim the eye that sees it.

The vision and the joy are alike forever. par par b (2.) Unchangeableb0 u8212?No interruption; no eclipse; no cloud; no darkness; no setting; no dimness of eye; no unbelief; no distance! The glory cannot change. No intervention for the world; no faintness on our part; no veil drawn by Satan; no old age or failing faculties; no distraction from other objects; no discomposure from cares or sorrows; no unsteadiness of sight; none for these can diminish the vision. It is as perpetual as it is perfect and divine. par par Learn from this hope such lessons as these: par par b (1.) Live a joyful lifeb u8212?May not a prospect such as this make a man joyful? Should not the very hope of it make his countenance to shine? par par b (2.) Be strong for toilb0 u8212?Let this hope nerve us for labor, and animate our zeal. Let it rouse us out of sloth, and make us grudge nothing, either of labor or sacrifice.

Toil on; fight on; spend and be spent. par par b (3.) Be comforted under trialb0 u8212?The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. The vision of the face of God will more than make up for all. par par And it may be soon! He will not tarry. The Lord is at hand. The new Jerusalem is coming.

The glory will soon be revealed. The time is short. A few years, perhaps less, and we shall see His faceu8212?and share His glory!

Revelation 22:14

rtf1ansiansicpg1252deff0deflang1033fonttblf0fnilfcharset0 Georgia;f1fnilfprq2fcharset0 Padua; colortbl ;red0green128blue0; viewkind4uc1pardf0fs24 par b Entrance Into The City.b0 par par cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_22:14cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24. par par The last three chapters of Revelation correspond with the first three of Genesis. Creationu8212?and new creation; the Paradise of manu8212?and the Paradise of God; Paradise lostu8212?Paradise regained; man expelledu8212?man brought back. This fourteenth verse fits in with the twenty-fourth verse of the third of Genesis. Let us look at its parts. par par b I. The CITY.b0 It is the new Jerusalem. At the first creation there was no cityu8212?only a garden with one man in it; now there is a city in the midst of the garden, and the citizens are the multitude that no man can number.

It is a glorious city; well-built, well-watered, well-founded, well-paved, well-lightedu8212?altogether perfect! ‘God has prepared for them a city’u8212?a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. par par b II. The GATES.b0 These gates are twelve; each one a pearl; gates for redeemed men to enter by; gates never shut; gates for both men and angels; gates which lead into the palace of the King, through which the sons of the second Adam can enter into the new Jerusalem. They are made by God’s own hand. They are the everlasting gates or doors sung of by David, at which the King of glory enters. They are the gates through which there is the ‘abundant entrance’ into the everlasting kingdom. No longer ’narrow’, but wide; not painful to pass through, but pleasant and glorious.

Divine gates, for a divine city, in the midst of which there is the palace of the King. par par b III. The TREE.b0 It is the tree of life, spoken of in Genesis, and also specially noted in the promise to the Church of Ephesus. It is the life-giving treeu8212?not only now in the midst of the earthly Paradise, but the Paradise of God; nor only in the midst of Paradise, but in the midst of the cityu8212?for Jerusalem and Paradise are now one. The tree, which no doubt symbolizes Christ Himself (as does the water of life), is doubtless a real tree; only more heavenly, more spiritual, than that which grows on earth. The tree is laden with fruit; it has twelve kinds of fruit; it has a monthly harvest; its leaves are for the healing of the nations. As there is the bread of life, and the hidden manna, so is there also this tree of lifeu8212?this true plant of renown. par par b IV.

The BLESSED ONES.b0 It is God who calls them blessed, and they must be so whom He calls by such a name. Throughout this book this word occurs several times. ‘Blessed is he who reads;’ ‘blessed is he who watches;’ ‘blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.’ In our text let us notice three points of BLESSEDNESS. par par b (1.) They keep His commandments.b0 This carries us back to the 119th Psalm, and reminds us of the blessedness in which David rejoiced. In keeping of these commandments there is great reward, and great peace. We are called and forgiven, that we may keep these. It is to a life of such keeping that we are called. By such a life, we partake of blessedness as well as glorify God.

We are redeemed that we may be holyu8212?that we may walk in the commandments of the Lord our God and delight in His law after the inner man. This delight is blessedness. Thus one of the names of a Christian is a ‘keeper of the commandments of God’. par par b (2.) They have a right to the tree of life.b0 Not by merit, only by graceu8212?yet still a right; something which they can claim. The reception of pardon is simply in believing; but the reward is the result of good works. This statement as to keeping the commandments and its fruits, is no more inconsistent with a free salvation than such an expression, ‘Holiness, without which no man can see the Lord;’ nor with our Lord’s ‘Beatitudes,’ each of which gives expression and forfeiture reversed, and we introduced into the better Paradise, with the conscious certainty that we cannot fail or be driven out! No flaming sword to guard the way!

All open and free! To feed on that tree forever; and in feeding find ourselves nourished and invigorated in every faculty! No death, nor disease, nor weakness, nor weariness, in sight of such a tree as this! All life and health forever! par par b (3.) They shall enter in through the gates into the city.b0 They are blessed in a threefold way, as doers of the commandments, as partakers of the tree of life, as triumphant conquerors, entering in procession through the gates into the city. par par b (a.) The city is their cityb0 u8212?Its name is the new Jerusalem. It is not for angels, but for men. God has built it for them; and so He is not ashamed to be called their God.

The ‘fire’ into which the unrighteous are cast is not prepared for these redeemed ones. Their citizenship is in heaven, though they shall not enter it until their Lord returns as the King of glory. As Paradise was Adam’s garden, so is the new Jerusalem their own city. par par b (b.) They shall enter through the gates into itb0 u8212?Not over the wall; not by stealth; but as conquerors in triumphal procession, their Lord, as King of glory, at their head. They are the conquerors so often mentioned in this book; and they shall be seen as such in the day of their entrance. par par b (c.) They shall possess it foreverb0 u8212?This is evidently implied. Eternal possession! They shall go out no more.

They are citizens of a magnificent cityu8212?a joyous city. They shall not be driven out. They, as the true cherubim, shall occupy the true Paradise, in which not only shall the tree of life be assessable, but the tree of knowledge shall be no more forbidden.

Revelation 22:17

rtf1ansiansicpg1252deff0deflang1033fonttblf0fnilfcharset0 Georgia;f1fnilfprq2fcharset0 Padua; colortbl ;red0green128blue0; viewkind4uc1pardf0fs24 par b Come, O Savior! Come, O Sinner!b0 par par cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_22:17cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24. par par The speaker here is Jesus Himself, as the context shows. But who is the one spoken to? Is it one person or more than one? Is it the sinner that is addressed (as most think)? or is it first Christ and then the sinner? The last is the truth. The verse is twofold.

In the first part, Christ is addressed; in the second, the sinneru8212?though the word ‘come’ runs through the whole. ‘The Spirit and the bride say, Come! and let him who hears say, Come!’ are words addressed to Christ, pleading for His advent. ‘Let him who is athirst come! and whoever will, let him take the water of life freely!’ are the words of invitation from Jesus to the sinner. par par b I. The cry for Christ’s coming.b0 It is this advent that is the great theme of the Apocalypse, and the central object of its scenes. It opens with, ‘Behold, He comes;’ it goes on with, ‘Behold I come as a thief;’ and it ends with, ‘Behold, I come quickly.’ All the predictions throughout the book bear upon this event, and carry forward the Church’s hopes to this great goal. But there are three parties here represented as uttering this prayeru8212? par par b (1.) The Spirit.b0 He cries, ‘Come.’ He who has been speaking to the Churches; who has inspired all the predictions relating to the eventu8212?He Himself is brought in personally as breathing the desires which He has dictated. He has sympathized with them all; and those longings which He had put into the lips of others, now come forth from His own. ‘The Spirit says, Come.’ What so interests the Spirit in the advent? par par (a.) Christ will then be fully glorified, and it is the Spirit’s office to glorify Christ. He has not yet got His glory on earth at all, nor even His full glory in heaven. par par (b.) Then the whole earth will be converted, and the Spirit will get full scope to all His longings and yearnings over men.

He shall no longer strive, but prevail. He shall no longer be vexed, and grieved, and quenched. No wonder that He cries, ‘Come!’ par par b (2.) The Bride.b0 The Lamb’s wife, the whole Church as a body, as a virgin betrothed, looking for the marriage day. In one sense an injured widow, in another the bride. She expects the marriage; the union, the fellowship, the blessedness, the glory; the ending of loneliness and weariness, of sorrow and shame. No wonder, then, that she sighs for the Bridegroom’s arrival, ‘Come!’ par par b (3.) He who hears.b0 ‘Blessed is he who hears.’ Not as if the hearer was not part of the bride; but the word thus singles out each one on whose ears the message is falling.

The moment you hear it, you should cry, “Come! Come, Lord Jesus! For then our sins and sorrows are ended; then our victory is won; then this vile body is changed; then we meet and unite forever with the loved and lost; then shall the ransomed of the Lord return, and come to Zion with songs.” Let this, then, be the theme of our morning and evening cry, Come! as we read of wars, and blood, and human passion, cry louder and louder, Come! par par b II. The invitation to the sinner.b0 In this latter part it is clearly the sinner that is spoken tou8212?‘Let him who is athirst come; and whoever will.’ par par b (1.) The inviterb0 u8212?Christ Himself; the same who said, ‘Come unto me.’ He invited once on earth; He now invites from heaven with the same urgency and love. He speaks to us with His own lips; He would have us know that He is the same yesterday, and today, and forever; that He still receives sinners; that there is still joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. par par b (2.) The persons invitedb0 u8212?They are first described as the ’thirsty’; but lest this should be supposed to narrow the message or to exclude any class of men, it is added, ‘whoever will.’ par par b 1. The thirstyb0 u8212?Those who would gladly be happy, but know not how; who are seeking rest, but finding none; who are asking for good, ‘any good,’ anywhere; who are hewing out broken cisterns; who are betaking themselves to dried-up wells; who are drinking of the Dead Sea’s bitter water. ‘Ho, every one who thirsts! (cf11ulbf1fs22 Isa_55:1cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24; cf11ulbf1fs22 Joh_4:10cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24, cf11ulbf1fs22 Joh_7:37cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). par par b 2.

Whoever willb0 u8212?This is a wide enough description. It shuts out none; it names every one. Are you in quest of water for your soul? It is here. Do you want to be happy? Joy is here for youu8212?whoever and whatever you are. par par b (3.) The blessings invited tob0 u8212?The water of life. ‘Water,’ that which will thoroughly refresh you and quench your thirst; ‘water of life,’ living and life giving; a quickening well; a well of water springing up unto everlasting life.

Not a shower, nor a stream, but a wellu8212?a fountain (cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_21:6cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). This water is the Holy Spirit Himself, who comes to us as the bringer of God’s free love, with all the joy which that love introduces into the soul. His wrath withers up the soul, His free love revives it, like rain upon the mown grass. His condemnation carries death, and gloom, and bondage; but His forgiveness reverses all this. What is there that this free love of God does not contain? par par b (4.) The priceb0 u8212?Freely! without money; so that the poorest can have all they need. The free gift of God!

Free as the rain and dew; free as the sunbeam; free as the reviving air around. Absolutely, unconditionally free! Free to each one as he isu8212?though the chief of sinners, the emptiest, wickedest, thirstiest of sons of men. par par b (5.) The timeb0 u8212?The invitation comes forth at the close of that book which sums up all revelation. It contains Christ’s last words, meant specially for the last days of a weary, thirsty world; when men, having tried every pleasure, vanity, lust, folly, and found nothing, having exhausted every cup and broken every cistern, will be found more thoroughly weary and thirsty than before. The last generation of earth, as it will be the wickedest, so will it be the thirstiest of all. Just when human thirst is at its height, when the gates are about to close, when the last trumpet is about to sound, the message of free love to the sinner comes forth, in greatest largeness, in undiminished fullness.

It is no feeble, no fettered gospelu8212?no dried-up well!

Revelation 22:18

rtf1ansiansicpg1252deff0deflang1033fonttblf0fnilfcharset0 Georgia;f1fnilfprq2fcharset0 Padua; colortbl ;red0green128blue0; viewkind4uc1pardf0fs24 par b The Divine Word, and the Doom of its Defacers.b0 par par cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_22:18-19cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24. par par This warning in reference to the Book of Revelation is applicable to all Scripture, and carries us back to cf11ulbf1fs22 Deu_4:2cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24 and 12:32. ‘You shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish from it.’ par par It is given in the form of a testimonyu8212?from the faithful and true witness, to show its importance, and its truth. To everyone who hears that testimony the warning comes. How great the responsibility of those who have the Bible in their hands! How solemnly they should look on it, and listen to it, and handle it! In this testimony, then there is declared to usu8212? par par b I. The perfection of God’s word.b0 Man may not meddle with itu8212?either to add, or to take away.

He may meddle with his own words, or doings, or plansu8212?to alter, to correct, to completeu8212?but not with what is divine. The words and things of God are not for him to touch. They are perfect; perfect for the ends required; perfect for God’s purpose in speaking them to man. Can man improve the works of God? the mountains, rivers, flowers? the blue sky, the stars, the sun? Even so is the word of God too perfect for him to touch. par par b II. The honor God puts on it.b0 He has magnified it, even above His works; so that he who disparages the word of God is more guilty than he who disparages the works of God.

Whether we see its perfection is not the question. We may be blind to it; but whether blind or seeing, God expects honor at our hands for His word. It is the fullest expression of His mind, the completest revelation of His character. It is such a declaration of the name of God as can be found nowhere else. par par b III. Our responsibilities in regard to it.b0 It is not given us for mere speculation or gratification; but for something far higher. We are responsible for the way we treat it, study it, profit by it.

Its perfection makes our responsibility very great, and appeals to our consciences most powerfully. Were it not so perfect, we might deal with it as we deal with a human volume; were it not divine, we might forego the honor to it of which we speak. Hence the modern dislike to the idea of a perfect Bible; because the pressure upon the conscience is felt to be so solemn and so overpowering, with no possibility of evasion or escape. Definite Bible doctrine, the age hates, as trammeling its freedomu8212?specially doctrine defined by a divine revelation. par par b IV. The sin of tampering with it.b0 In regard to many of the things of God, the idea is, that while it is a misfortune to be in error, there is no sin in it. No sin in differing from God!

No sin in trifling with His truth, or denying it! No sin in undervaluing His revelation! The sin of tampering with the Bible is one of which man is not easily persuaded; yet in the reckoning of God it is real and great. Every low thought about the Bible is sin. Every attempt to touch it, either in the way of addition or subtraction, is sin. par par b V. The danger of meddling with it.b0 The danger is exceeding great; and the punishment awarded to the meddlers is the declaration of the danger.

God will not be mocked in this! par par There are two opposite ways in which men treat the Bibleu8212?to add or to take away; and both these our text condemns in the most fearful way. par par b (1.) The doom of those who ADD.b0 ‘God shall add unto them the plagues written in this book.’ Those plagues are very fearful. Read the plagues of the seals, the trumpets, the vials. Are they not fearful? They are for this life, as well as for that which is to come. The very mention of them is appalling. Who in our day credits such things, or believes that God will execute such terrible vengeance upon all such as add to His word!

The Pharisees added to it; the Romanists add to it; and we ourselves often add to it, by the way in which we enter on its perusal with unteachable hearts, with preconceived opinions, which would make the obvious meanings of the word give way before them. Let us tremble at the word! Add not unto His word, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar. God adds His plagues to the adders of His book! par par b (2.) The doom of those who TAKE AWAY from it.b0 This is especially the sin of our age. We sit in judgment upon its verities; we tamper with its certainty; we trifle with its words. We take from it; we render it null and void; we deny its authority; we object to its inspiration; we cut off what books we please!

But let us not be deceived. God is not mocked. He also can take awayu8212?and He will! He will take awayu8212? par par (a.) Our part of the book of lifeu8212?effacing our names, and inserting them in the book of death! par par (b.) Our part in the holy city. No holy city, no new Jerusalemu8212?for the deniers of His word! par par (c.) Our part from the things written in this book. These are manyu8212?the promises to the seven conquerors, the first resurrection, the marriage supper!

How much we lose! What a condemnation is there for those who reject or mutilate the divine word!

Revelation 22:21

rtf1ansiansicpg1252deff0deflang1033fonttblf0fnilfcharset0 Georgia;f1fnilfprq2fcharset0 Padua; colortbl ;red0green128blue0; viewkind4uc1pardf0fs24 par b The Free Love of Christ.b0 par par cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_22:21cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24. par par Thus the Bible closes with blessing. In this prayer we have the summing up of all the blessings which the word of God has uttered. par par In the prospect of the Lord’s coming, and with His voice proclaiming, ‘Surely I come quickly!’ the apostle breathes out the prayer, ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.’ It was sent to the seven Churches of Asiau8212?it is sent to b usb0 in these last days. Nor do we need it less. It suited well the Church in the beginning of her historyu8212?it suits her as well at its close. The love which passes knowledge is contained in itu8212?and in that love all that a sinner needs at first, as well as all that a saint needs to the last. par par Grace abounding, grace reigning, grace conquering, grace justifying, grace comforting, grace purifyingu8212?such is the key to the history of the Church of God. It is the history of Christ’s free love, and of ‘salvation to the uttermost,’ through that free love flowing down to earth.

For everything pertaining to the sinner’s deliverance and eternal life comes down to us from God. Man is simply the receiver and the enjoyer of a love as boundless as it is unbought! par par b I. What is this grace of the Lord Jesus Christ?b0 Free love! Divine favor, unbought, unsolicited, and undeserved! With this the Bible begins, and with this it ends. The free love of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

This is the ‘good news’ which the messengers of God have brought to us; the ‘good news’ which the cross of Christ has made available and accessible; the ‘good news’ which remains ‘good’ to the last, unchanged and unweakened by the lapse of time. The gospel has not become a dried-up well or broken cistern. The free love of God, coming to us through His Son, has not been exhausted or made less free. In these last days, we can take up the old message of grace to the sinner, and sound it abroad as loudly and as freshly as at the first. par par No delight in the death of the wicked! Delight in his turning from his ways and living! Yearning over the impenitent, tears for Jerusalem sinners, stretching out of the hand to the rebellious, invitation upon invitation to the weary; the open door, the universal call, the beseeching to be reconciled, the pressing of the cup of life to the lips of a thirsty worldu8212?all this, continued to the last, marks he unutterable compassion of God to the sinner, the riches of the divine grace, the boundless fullness of God’s heart, as it pours out its longings, and proclaims its long suffering to the chief of sinners.

Return to your Father’s house, and be blessed! Come, and be forgiven! Look, and be saved! Touch, and be healed! Ask, and it shall be given! par par b II. How this grace has been shown.b0 In many ways, but chiefly in the Cross.

The words of Christ were graceu8212?the doings of Christ were graceu8212?but at the cross it came forth most fully. Grace all concentrates thereu8212?grace shines out there in its fullness. The cross is the place and pledge of grace. The cross did not make or originate the grace; but it made it a righteous thing that grace should flow out to us. It threw wide the gates of the storehouse; it unsealed the heavenly well. From the cross comes forth the voice of love, the message of grace, the embassy of peace and reconciliation.

This grace flows everywhere throughout a guilty earth; but its center is the cross; and only in connection with the cross is it available for and accessible to us. The ‘it is finished’ of Golgotha was the throwing down of the barriers that stood between the sinner and the grace. par par The grace itself was uncreated and eternal; it did not originate in the purposeu8212?but in the nature of God. Still its outflow to sinners was hemmed in by God’s righteousness; and until this was satisfied at the cross, the grace was like forbidden fruit to man. Divine displeasure against sin, and divine love of holiness, found their complete satisfaction at the altar of the crossu8212?where the ‘consuming fire’ devoured the great burnt-offering, and gave full vent to the pent-up stores of grace. The love of the Father, giving His son, was there. The love of the Holy Spirit, by whom a body was prepared for Him, and by whom ‘He offered Himself without spot,’ was there.

The cross is the great exhibition of the grace! par par b III. How we get this grace.b0 Simply by taking it as it is, and as we are; by letting it flow into us; by believing God’s testimony concerning it. Grace supposes no preparation whatever in him who receives it, but that of worthlessness and guilt, whether these be felt or unfelt. The dryness of the ground is that which fits it for the rain; the poverty of the beggar is that which fits him for the alms; so the sin of the sinner is that which fits him for the grace of Christ. If anything else were needed, grace would be no more grace, but would become work or merit. Where sin abounds, there it is that grace much more abound.

How many are shutting out the grace by trying to prepare themselves for it! Open your mouth wide and I will fill it, is all that God asks. Our thirst may be but the thirst for happiness; our hunger may be but the hunger of earth; our feelings may be altogether unspiritual; our sense of sin nothingu8212?yet all this does not make us less qualified for Christ’s free love, or that free love less immediate or less bounteous in its flow. In the belief of God’s testimony to the grace of His Son, we let in the grace, and become partakers of the pardon and the joy. par par b IV. What grace does for us.b0 It does so many things, that we find it not easy to reply to this question, any more than to suchu8212?What does the light do for us? What does the air do for us?

It does for us exceeding abundantly, above all we ask or think. par par b (1.) It pardonsb0 u8212?Forgiveness through the grace and work of Christ is the beginning of the good news. He who believes God’s record of the grace of Christ is forgiven. par par b (2.) It pacifiesb0 u8212?It brings peace to the conscience. Not the grace without the bloodu8212?but still the grace that comes to us through the blood, pacifies. par par (3.) It liberatesb0 u8212?Dread of God’s anger kept us in bondage; the knowledge of the grace of Christ reaching us through the finished propitiation of the cross sets us free, by removing this dread. par par b (4.) It enlightensb0 u8212?With the grace there pours in light from Him who is the Light of the world. The grace dispels the darkness. par par b (5.) It strengthensb0 u8212?The sight of the free love brought to us by the blood invigorates the soul. Until we see it, our hands hang down, and our knees fail us. par par b (6.) It purifiesb0u8212?It is holy grace, holy love; and it carries its purifying power into the soul that receives it. The cross is the wondrous revelation of divine holinessu8212?and the love which comes to us through the cross, is purifying love. par par b (7.) It comfortsb0 u8212?Only such free love can sustain the soul in sorrow, or speak consolation, or bind up the wounds of the broken-hearted! par par b V.

How long grace lasts.b0 Forever! It has not end. Christ loves forever. His grace is unchangeable like Himself. Its fullness is inexhaustible. It will be a perpetual fountain throughout eternity.

It does for the evil days hereu8212?and for the glorious days hereafter. It suits us on earthu8212?it will suit us in the kingdom. There is grace that is to be brought to us, at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and in the ages to come God will show us the exceeding riches of His grace, in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus our Lord!par par par par b The Last Amen.b0 par par cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_22:21cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24. par par Amen is a Hebrew word, signifying truth and certainty in the first place; and then our affirmation of something as a certainty, or our desire that it should be so. par par It comes also to signify faithfulness and steadfastness in a person, so that that person is himself regarded as truth personifiedu8212?the truth, the Amen. Hence it is that Christ takes to Himself the designation of the Truth, and the Amenu8212?the faithful and true Witness. Hence it is that He so often (eighty times at least) uses the word ‘amen’ or ’truly’ in His discourses. As the True One and the Truth, He is the Amen. As the confirmer and fulfiller of all the promises of God; as the channel through which they flow down to usu8212?He is the Amenu8212?the truth. par par Further, it has come to signify faith and confidenceu8212?specially faith and confidence in God. It is the word used in reference to Abraham, ‘He believed God,’ and to Israel, ‘They believed the Lord.’ par par But it is with the common use of it that we have now to dou8212?that use of it which we make daily when we conclude even our shortest prayer.

Amen; that is, so let it be; let it be according to our request, and according to Your promise. Used in this way, it means much. It is the summary or recapitulation of the whole previous prayer; and therefore it should be uttered in no light or heedless spirit, but with profound reverence and fervor; for it is ‘in testimony of our desire and assurance to be heard that we say Amen.’ par par There are, however, different ways of using it; different feelings with which it is utteredu8212?and it is to these that we would now attend. par par b I. There is the Amen of IGNORANCE.b0 Simple and common as the word is, thousands use it without knowing what it means, or what they themselves intend. We might say that not one out of a hundred uses it intelligently. It is the approved way of finishing off a prayer; it is the word which intimates that the prayer is concludedu8212?that is all; and were it to be introduced at the beginning or middle, as well it might be, men would wonder.

It is to them a word, no more; a concluding word or sound, where the voice ceases, and after which the eyes are opened, and the hands unclasped! This is the Amen of ignorance. Are your Amens of this kind? or are they uttered with the understandingu8212?the full realization of the large and solemn meaning which they contain? par par b II. The Amen of HABIT.b0 All are not ignorant of its significance. Ask many what they intend by affixing it to their prayers, and at once they will tell you. Yet mark them, and you will find the word slipping from their tongue without any corresponding thought as to its sense.

They have uttered it quite unconsciously thousands of times. They would not terminate a prayer without it; yet it has become a mere word of habit, into which, when used, no feeling, no earnestness is thrown; a commonplace, random expression, with nothing of soul attached to it, like a well without water; a mechanical utterance, into which they have been educated, and without which they would think the prayer incomplete, but which means no more to them than the oscillations of a pendulum, and which has no more connection with genuine prayer than have the garments in which they are dressed, or the floor on which they kneel. par par Are your Amens those of habitu8212?pieces of ornamentu8212?the useless appendages of useless devotionu8212?or is your soul thrown into them? Are they the essence of your previous petitionsu8212?the concentration and summing up of all your desires? Do you say Amen simply because you are done? or, like David, do you say ‘Amen and Amen; the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended;’ that is, summed up in this? How many Amens of habit have you uttered? Amens of indifference, that are not better than mockeries?

No, and do not some of us, whose petitions are fervent throughout, make void all their earnestness by the lifeless, mechanical, heartless Amen with which we sum them up? Is not our Amen sometimes the dead fly that spoils the precious spikenard of the apothecary? par par b III. The Amen of UNBELIEF.b0 It seems strange that a word like this should ever be uttered in unbelief; yet such is the case. No, sometimes it would seem as if the most unbelieving part of our prayer part of our prayer is that which should be the most believingu8212?the Amen. We may well wonder how it should be so. It seems almost incredible that a word like this, meant to be associated with faithfulness, and truth, and certainty, should be connected with unbelief, moreu8212?should be the utterance of unbeliefu8212?the frequent, the daily utterance of unbelief; yet so it is.

Our unbelieving Amens are about the most melancholy parts of our prayersu8212?the worst indications of distrust in God. It is vain to speak of wandering thoughts, or to excuse our selves for such thoughts, by the number of the petitions. For here we have but one word, and in that one word our whole prayer is recapitulated and summed up; so that, if unbelief or vain thoughts had pervaded the previous parts, they might have been made up for, as one may say. par par Yet that single word is the vainest of the vain words spoken; that word, in which faith seeks to infuse itself twice over into our prayer, is the word from which it is specially excluded. Oh what a reproach to us are our unbelieving Amens! What a mockery of God, and of His promises! The sin of these would be of itself sufficient to shut out our supplications.

Yet how little we think of this! With what ease and carelessness do we pronounce that word of unbelief, which should have been the great and special word of faith! par par b IV. The Amen of FAITH.b0 This is the true Amen; the Amen of souls who have heard the gracious words of Him who cannot lie, and who act upon these. b Amen is the proper and natural voice of faith.b0 Whether it is we who are speaking to God, or God who is speaking to us, we say Amen. In the one case it is the expression of faith, in the other the response of faith. par par But why should Amen be thus linked with faith? Because that which calls it forth is not simply a desirable thing, but a truth and a certainty. Amen is not the mere utterance of desireu8212?earnest desireu8212?but of believing desire.

Let us see how this is. It has to do with such things as the followingu8212? par par b (1.) The free LOVE of God.b0 It is God’s testimony regarding His own free love that we listen to in the gospel; and our first belief of that gospel is our saying Amen to His declarations regarding that free love. And as we begin, so are we to go on. Each Amen goes back to this free love, to the beginning of our confidence, and is a renewal of that confidence. In every prayer we keep our eye on this; for without the recognition of this grace, this abundant grace, what would prayer be? Let all our Amens then do justice to the free love of God. par par b (2.) The TRUTHFULNESS of God.b0 The faithful saying was that to which we first said Amen; for we had made the discovery that it was the true utterance of Him who cannot lie.

We were satisfied that He could not speak an untrue word, nor promulgate a statement of fitted to mislead, nor hold out to us a promise which He did not mean to fulfill. Being thus persuaded of the divine truthfulness, we ‘believed the report;’ we said Amen to each gracious declaration, satisfied of its absolute truth and certainty. So did we at the first; so do we to the last. God is trueu8212?truthful, faithful; we will not make Him a liar in any one thing, in any of our communications with Himu8212?least of all in our prayers. Let all our Amens do justice to the truthfulness of God. par par b (3.) The POWER of God.b0 What He has promised He is able also to perform. He is able to do for us exceeding abundantly, above all we ask.

Our prayers rest themselves as much upon His power as His grace and truth. On this we rested when we first came to Him as ‘able to save unto the uttermost;’ on this we rest still. Every prayer is a recognition of power, and of divine willingness to put forth that power in the behalf of all who will apply for it. It is infinite poweru8212?omnipotence. Let each Amen of ours do justice to the power of God. par par In addition to these things, to which the faith of our Amens attaches itself, we would only further say that it specially leans upon the cross of Christ in connection with these three. It is round that cross that this faith flings its arms; it is here that it sits down in quiet satisfaction.

It sees the grace, the truth, the power of God flowing to us through the blood of Golgotha; and it says Amen to all that God has testified concerning that blood; to the ‘it is finished’ of the Son of God upon the tree. par par It is thus that the believing Amen of our prayers springs out of that which we know of God and His crucified Son. Knowing all this, shall our Amens be those of uncertainty or doubt? Shall they not be the Amens of faith? Shall we ever go to God mocking Him with distrustful Amen? Rather let each Amen be the utterance of triumphant faith; so that even though unbelief may have mingled with our previous petitions, we at the close dismiss all that unbelief, and, looking back upon each petition, quicken them into happy life by the believing Amen with which we conclude the whole. par par b V. The Amen of HOPE.b0 God has written much to us concerning our hopes.

He has filled our future with ’things hoped for;’ and He has bidden us desire them, wait for them, pray for them. There is the hope of the kingdom, of the inheritance, of the glory; above all, there is ’the blessed hope’ of the Lord’s appearing. These hopes occupy large space in our expectations and prayers. They are still futurities; but they are certaintiesu8212?bright and blessed beyond what eye has seen or ear heard. In our pleadings regarding these, we use the Amen of hope; realizing it as a hope that makes not ashamed. We say, ‘Hallowed by Your name,’ and we add the Amen of hope; ‘Your kingdom come,’ and we add the Amen of hope; ‘Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven,’ and we add the Amen of hope.

We hear the Lord’s own voice from heaven saying, ‘Surely I come quickly,’ and we add with the apostleu8212?Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen! par par Are our Amens bright and big with hope? As we utter them on our knees before God, do thoughts of the glory fill us? Does that glory stand out before our eye as a certaintyu8212?a divinely revealed and divinely promised certaintyu8212?a certainty quite as great as that which rests over the past? Each time we utter the Amen in connection with these blessed futurities, does our hope kindle up anewu8212?the hope calling up the Amen, and the Amen making the hope to shine out with fresh brightness? In anticipating such a future, how can we utter a cold, heartless, passive or despairing Amen?

Let all our Amens be those of exulting hope! par par b VI. The Amen of JOY.b0 There is joy set before us, even as before our Master; it is joy unspeakable and full of glory. It is joy springing both from the past and the future. It is the joy of conscious pardon; the joy of friendship with God; the joy of adoption and heirship; the joy of our whole new created being; the joy because of the blessedness in prospect. Past, present, and futureu8212?all furnish us with materials for joy. And in our thanksgivings for the past, we breathe out an Amen of joy; in our consciousness of present peace and heavenly favor, we repeat our Amen of joy; in our pleadings for larger blessing to ourselves and to our world, we say Amen with gladness; and in our pressing forward to the mark for the prize of our high calling, looking for and hastening to the coming of the day of God, we say Amen and Amen with ever-deepening joy of heart. par par How gladly should that word ‘Amen!‘come forth form our lips!

Should it ever have a sorrowful sound? It seems so full of comfort and exultation, that one wonders how we can ever utter it with a sorrowful heart. There is no shade upon the objects in regard to which we utter the Amen; should it not then be a word of joy at all times? Are our Amens such? Do they speak of joy? Do they arise out of joy?

Do they cherish and augment the joy? Is the word sweet to us because of the joy which it contains and utters? Many a poor, gloomy Amen have we spoken, belying our profession, and misusing the word. Let us be done with these. b Let our Amens be songsu8212?songs gushing up from the fullness of happy souls!b0