Revelation 22

CHAPTER 22THEME: River of the Water of Life, the Tree of Life; the promise of Christ’s return; the final invitationThis chapter brings us to the final scenes of this great book of scenic wonders. It likewise brings us to the end of the Word of God. God gives us His final words here, and because they are last words, they have a greater significance. We are brought to the end of man’s journey. The path has been rugged. Many questions remain unanswered, many problems remain unsolved, but man enters into eternity in fellowship again with God, and there all will be answered. The Bible opens with God on the scene: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen_1:1). It concludes with Him on the scene and in full control of His own. He suffered, He paid a price, and He diedbut the victory and the glory are His, and He is satisfied. Isa_53:11 puts it like this: “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”

Revelation 22:1

RIVER OF THE WATER OF LIFE AND THE TREE OF LIFEChapter 22 opens with a beautiful description of the New Jerusalem. As usual I’ll give my own literal translation of the Greek text throughout this chapter. And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street thereof. And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Up to this chapter, the New Jerusalem seems to be all mineral and no vegetable. Its appearance is as the dazzling display of a fabulous jewelry store; we wonder if there is no soft grass to sit upon, no green trees to enjoy, and no water to drink or food to eat. However, here are introduced the elements which add a rich softness to this city of elaborate beauty. There was a river in the first Eden which branched into four rivers. Although there was abundance of water, it is not called the water of life. Eden was a garden of trees among which was the Tree of Life. God kept the way open for man by the shedding of blood (see Gen_3:24). In the New Jerusalem there is a river of the Water of Life, and the throne of God is its living fountain supplying an abundance of water. “The tree of life” is a fruit tree, bearing twelve kinds of fruits each month. There is a continuous supply in abundance and variety. In eternity man will eat and drink. That is a great relief to many of us, I am sure. The menu is varied but is restricted to fruits, as it was in the Garden of Eden: “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so” (Gen_1:29-30). There is a tendency to spiritualize this passage in Revelation and compare it to the fruit of the Spirit. I have no objection to that and would rather take that viewpoint myself, provided we hold to the literal interpretation, which I think you can do through this section. Although it does seem highly symbolic, I think we are dealing with that which is quite literal, for we are still talking about heaven. Even the leaves of the tree are beneficialthey have a medicinal value. Why healing is needed in a perfect universe is a very good question and a difficult problem to solve. Perhaps it is a sort of first-aid kit which demonstrates the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I personally believe that the bodies of the earth dwellers in eternity will be different from the bodies of the believers in the church who are to be like Christ (that is, their bodies will be like His). The bodies of the earth dwellers may need renewing from time to time. This may be the reason that they come up to the New Jerusalemnot only to worship, but also to be renewed physically and spiritually. At least the prevention is there. However, the possibility of sin entering simply is not there.

Revelation 22:3

And there shall be no curse anymore: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and His servants shall do Him service: and they shall see His face; and His name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. The first creation was blighted by the curse of sin, and this old earth on which you and I live today bears many scar marks of the curse of sin. The new creation will never be marred by sin. Sin will never be permitted to enter even potentially. It was potentially in the Garden of Eden in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The very presence of God and the Lamb will be adequate to prevent it. It was during the absence of God in the Garden of Eden that the tempter came to our first parents. The throne of God and the Lamb are in the New Jerusalem. It is general headquarters for God the Father and God the Son. The notable absence of any reference to the Holy Spirit does need some explanation. You see, in the first creation the Holy Spirit came to renovate and renew the blighted earth: “The Spirit of God brooded over the face of the waters” (see Gen_1:2). He is the instrument today of regeneration in the hearts and lives of sinners. There will be no need of His work in the new creation in this connection; therefore the silence of God at this point is eloquent. “His servants shall do Him service” reveals that heaven is not a place of unoccupied idleness but a place of ceaseless activity. It will not be necessary to rest in order to give the body an opportunity to recuperate. The word for “service” is a peculiar one. In his Word Studies in the New Testament Dr. Vincent says, “It came to be used by the Jews in a very special sense, to denote the service rendered to Jehovah by the Israelites as His peculiar people.” We read this in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary…. Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God” (Heb_9:1, Heb_9:6).

It will be a peculiar service to God that you and I will perform in eternity. What it is, I do not know. He may give us charge of universes. There will be ceaseless activity since there is no night. Man will at last fulfill his destiny and satisfy the desires of his heart. Man will at last see His face. This was the supreme desire voiced by Moses in the Old Testament and Philip in the New Testament. It is the highest objective for living. What divine satisfaction! “His name shall be in their foreheads.” Each person will bear the name of Christ. Each will be like Him, yet without disturbing his own peculiar personality. I have always said this facetiously, but it could be true: If He will, I want God to let me teach the Bible in heaven. I want to attend the classes which Paul teaches, and then I would like to teach those people who were members of the churches I served on the earth but who would not attend the midweek Bible studies. I have asked to teach them for one million years and, I tell you, they won’t think it is heaven for that first million years! I am really going to work them and make them catch up. Whether that will be true or not, I don’t know, but I do say that we are all going to be busy there. Our attention in this section is called to the direct lighting of the new creation. There will be no light holders such as the sun or light reflectors such as the moon. God lights the universe by His presence, for God is light. It is in eternity that the bride will reign with Christ. Who knows but what He will give to each saint a world or a solar system or a galactic system to operate. Remember that Adam was given dominion over the old creation on this earth.

Revelation 22:6

PROMISE OF THE RETURN OF CHRIST And he said unto me, These words are faithful and true: and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which must shortly come to pass. And behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book. The important thing to note is that when He says, “And behold, I come quickly,” He means rapidly. This is repeated again in verse Rev_22:12 and verse Rev_22:20. It is repeated three times here at the end: “Behold, I come quickly"not shortly or immediately or even soon.

These events that we have been looking at in Revelation, beginning with chapter 4, take place in a period of not more than seven years, and most of them are confined to the last three and one-half years. The encouragement here is that the Lord Jesus says that it will not be a long period: “I am coming shortly. I will soon be there.” But that means when we get to this period. We are not exactly accurate when we speak of “the soon coming of Christ.” I have said that many times myself, but I do not think it is an accurate term, and it gives the wrong impression. The Lord Jesus puts His own seal upon this book: “These words are faithful and true” means that no man is to trifle with them by spiritualizing them or reducing them to meaningless symbols. Our Lord is talking about reality. At the beginning of this book, there was a blessing pronounced upon those who read and hear and keep these words. In conclusion, the Lord Jesus repeats the blessing upon those who keep these words. This is a book not to merely satisfy the curiosity of the natural man but to live and act upon.

Revelation 22:8

And I John am he that heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel that showed me these things. And he saith unto me, See (thou do it) not: I am a fellow servant with thee and with thy brethren the prophets, and with them that keep the words of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not up the words of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand. He that is unrighteous, let him do unrighteousness still; and he that is filthy, let him be made filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him do righteousness still: and he that is holy let him be made holy still. Notice John’s final and oft-repeated statement that he was both auditor and spectator to the scenes in this book.

This is the method that was put down at the very opening of the book. It is the first television program, for John both saw and heard. John was so impressed that his natural reaction was to fall down and worship the angel. The simplicity and meekness of the angel are impressive. Though the angels were created above man, this angel identifies himself as a fellow servant with John and the other prophets. He was merely a messenger to communicate God’s Word to man, and he directs all worship to God. Christ is the centerpiece of the Book of Revelationdon’t lose sight of Him. “Seal not up the words of the prophecy of this book.” Daniel was told to seal up the words of his prophecy because of the long interval before the fulfillment of it (see Dan_12:4). In fact, we in the twentieth century have not come to the Seventieth Week of Daniel yet. In contrast, the prophecy given to John was even then in process of being fulfilled. For nineteen hundred years, the church has been passing through the time periods of the seven churches given in chapters 2-3. “He that is unrighteous …he that is filthy"probably the most frightful condition of the lost is revealed here, even more so than at the Great White Throne judgment of chapter 20. The sinful condition of the lost is a permanent and eternal thing, although it is not static, for the suggestion is that the unrighteous will increasingly become more unrighteous: “he that is filthy, let him be made filthy still.” The condition of the lost gets worse until each becomes a monster of sin. This thought is frightful! On the other hand, neither is the condition of the servant of God static. They will continue to grow in righteousness and holiness. Heaven is not static. Even in the Millennium “of the increase of His kingdom there shall be no end.” What a glorious and engaging prospect this should be for the child of God! We shall have all eternity to grow in knowledge.

Revelation 22:12

Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to each man according as his work is. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are they that wash their robes, in order that theirs shall be authority over the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolators, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright, the morning star.

The church should know this program of God. Either the angel is bearing a very personal word from Jesus, or else the Lord is breaking through and saying it personally. Our Lord promises that He is coming again. That is His personal declaration. No believer can doubt or deny this all-important and personal promise of the Lord Jesus. He will personally reward each believer individuallythose in the church at the Rapture as well as those of Israel and the Gentiles at His return to set up His Kingdom at the Millennium. It is little wonder that Paul could write: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Php_3:10-14). Again the Lord Jesus asserts His deity: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” He said this at the beginning of Revelation, and He concludes with it. Only blood-washed believers have authority over the Tree of Life and access to the Holy City (see Eph_1:7-12). “Dogs” come off rather badly in Scripture. This perhaps does not mean that there will be no dogs in heaven, but because dogs were scavengers in the ancient world they were considered unclean and impure. Also, “dogs” was the designation for Gentiles (see Mat_15:21-28) and Paul’s label for Judaizers (see Php_3:2). Apparently the Lord Jesus had sent His angel with this very personal message. “I Jesus"He takes the name of His saviorhood, the name He received when He took upon Himself humanity, and the name that no man knows but He Himself. You and I are going to spend eternity just centering on Him and His person. My friend, if you are not interested in Jesus today, I do not know why you would want to go to heaven. That is all we are going to talk about up there; we are going to talk about Him. He is called “the root and the offspring of David,” which connects Him with the Old Testament. But He is “the bright and morning star” to the church. Have you noticed that the bright and morning star always appears at the darkest time of the night? Its appearance indicates that the sun will be coming up shortly. The Old Testament ended with the promise that “the Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings"that is the Old Testament hope (see Mal_4:2). But to us, He is the Bright and Morning Star who will come at a very dark moment.

Revelation 22:17

FINAL INVITATION AND WARNING And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come: he that will, let him take the water of life freely. I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto them, God shall add the plagues which are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. The bride is the church. This is a twofold invitationan invitation to Christ to come and an invitation to sinners to come to Christ before He returns. The Holy Spirit is in the world today, and He joins in the prayer of the church which says, “Lord Jesus, come, come.” The Holy Spirit is performing His work in the world today in converting and convicting men. He works through the Word and through the church which proclaims His Word. The invitation to men is to come and to take the Water of Life: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters …without money and without price” (Isa_55:1). The Lord Jesus stood and said, “…If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (Joh_7:37). That is the invitation that goes out today. If you are tired of drinking at the cesspools of this world, He invites you to come. What an invitation this is to come to Him!

Revelation 22:20

FINAL PROMISE AND PRAYER He who testifieth these things saith, Yes: I come quickly. Amen: Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. “Yea: I come quickly"not soon, but when these things begin to come to pass, He is even then at the door. “Come, Lord Jesus” is the heart cry of every true believer. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” The Old Testament ends with a curse; the New Testament ends with a benediction of grace upon the believers. Grace is offered to all, but if any man (regardless of his merit) refuses the offer which is extended, he must bear the judgment pronounced in this book. Grace is still offered to man. It is God’s method of saving sinners. Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. John Newton