[Revelation 22]

Just think for a moment of the most sought-after invitation you have ever had or yearned for, to the feast that would put all other celebrations in second place by far. The ultimate gala that you could dream up in your Holy Spirit-inspired imagination and so much more awaits you in the city of your Father revealed to us in this last chapter of Revelation.

We are moving from the outside of the city to the inside. Remember, the city is the presence of God; the Holy of Holies accommodating all that belongs to God. It is the ultimate Godly realm, where He reigns in all His splendour and glory.

Chapter 22 serves as an epilogue to the whole book of Revelation.  It is a call to holiness – 8 of the 16 verses underscore the exhortation to obey and receive the Promise and to warn of judgment.  There are five sections of exhortations – 22:6-7;8-10;11-12;13-17;18-20.

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ² In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ³ And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. ⁴ They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. ⁵ There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

The River of the water of Life is a very familiar Old Testament image. In the Garden of Eden is a river (Genesis 2:10,18-16). Ezekiel’s temple’s has a river (Ezekiel 47:1-7). In Ezekiel the river flows from the Temple.  In the New Jerusalem God and the Lamb are the Temple. 

In Psalms 46:4 the psalmist praises the river whose streams make glad the city of God. The Fountain from the house of God is part of the beautiful picture that the coming of the Messiah will bring, as is echoed by many prophets.

And in that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine and the hills will flow with milk; and all the brooks and riverbeds of Judah will flow with water, and a fountain will go out from the house of the Lord to water the [desert] Valley of Shittim. (Joel 3:18)

The living water from Jerusalem is mentioned by Zechariah (14:8). The symbolism of water is life giving. 

We go full circle to the river mentioned in Genesis 2:10:

Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.

It is exactly what God planned His church to be. The church, the New Jerusalem, is the life and hope of the world, bringing the good news of salvation to the people of the earth.

For us the promise rings true through all the ages. We can rest in the fountain of God, the river of life. In the desert Moses struck the rock for the water to gush. The water never stopped flowing. The rock is a type of Jesus, Who has been struck by the Cross and the life-giving River of Life has never stopped flowing. In disobedience Moses struck the rock a second time. God’s command was to talk to the rock in the desert for the water to flow. The Cross is once and for all. Jesus has died and lives for evermore. He will never be struck again.

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters. (Psalm 114:7,8)

Wisdom is often related to good water as we see in Proverbs 10:11,13:14, 14:27,16:22. God is the source of all wisdom and the fountain of life (Psalm 35:9).

In the words of Jesus, it is the abundant life that God offers to his people for the taking. 

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. (John 7:38-39)

Jesus washes his Church in the Water of the Word.  (Ephesians 5:26) The water is clear as crystal – it has purifying qualities.  It is in the Presence of God that we are transformed.  It is there where the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment, where we repent, are washed in the Blood and purified to face the world.

In the middle of the street – eternal fellowship with God is the heart of the City.

For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water;
In the habitation of jackals, where each lay,
There shall be grass with reeds and rushes. (Isaiah 35:6,7)

The Tree of Life is mentioned in Genesis 2:8,9 and 3:6 and stood in the Garden of Eden. The river and the tree in the magnificent description of Ezekiel are nature in God’s hands providing all we need.

 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing. (Ezekiel 47:12)

For us, the Church, there is the fruit of the Spirit as discussed in Galatians 5:22. In Jesus, the Tree of Life, we provide the shade to the world and bear the fruit for everyone, every situation and every age for the “healing of the nations”. He is the Source of all goodness.

⁵ “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
⁶ In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell safely;
Now this is His name by which He will be called:

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jeremiah 23:5-7)

This Branch, Jesus, is the symbol that we find in our Christmas trees.  We bring the Tree of Life into our homes and as we decorate it in all the coloured balls –  gold, blue and silver for a King, red for the Blood, we pray for the healing of the nations and thank God for the Fruit of the Spirit that enriches our lives. 

There is no article before the word tree in the original Greek.  It is not the tree, but could also be trees of life.  The one Tree of Life in Eden has become many trees in the New Jerusalem, referring again to the Church.  Often in the Bible God’s people are seen as trees.  (Jeremiah 17:8; Psalms 1:3; Mark 8:24)

The nations are healed by the leaves that never wither or die, and the tree bears fruit for 12 months of the year. It is the fullness of redemption – all the benefits for the believers. Nothing is ever needed in the Presence of God – full protection and full provision.

The Tabernacle with the Lampstand of almond blossoms was a symbol of God’s presence.  Now God tabernacles over all believers.  Eden is restored – where Adam walked and talked with God and where he could cultivate and keep the garden, just like the priests in the Tabernacle.  Adam failed in his duties, therefore the temporal had to be installed, but Jesus brought the eternal, supernatural Tabernacle into being – the invisible Kingdom of God on earth, the New Jerusalem.

Adam was to extend the boundaries of the Garden and fill the earth. (Genesis 1:28)  The Church is the renewal the world needs, extending the boundaries of the Kingdom continually, filling the whole earth with the new creation – new heaven and new earth.

The river and the tree echo of Eden – the true order of Creation is restored – life-giving and life-changing water and fruit.

There shall be no curse – people bound by sin and headed for complete destruction are saved and redeemed, avoiding destruction.  (Zechariah 14:2-3, 11)

The Throne of God and the Lamb will be in it.  Only ONE throne. (3:21)  All the bondservants serving – all believers are now priests in the City serving God in a priestly role. (Isaiah 61:6)

The beauty of holiness is God in the midst of everything (22:3-5). There is no more evil to pollute the Christian life. In His presence we shall see God’s face. It is one of the beatitudes spoken over the church of God by Jesus Himself in Matthew 5:8 – a blessing to see God. It comes to the pure of heart.  In Jesus God showed his face.  It was the desire of all in the OT. (Psalms 11:4-7; 27:4; 42:1-2)

To Moses God said nobody can see God and live. (Exodus 33:20,23) Only in Christ can man look upon God’s face. To look God in the face is to:

– worship truly – a life of obedience.

– live holy – marked by God on their foreheads showing that they belong to Him exclusively.

God’s name is written on us – God’s name was written on the forehead of the High Priest. (Exodus 28:36-38)  The latter-day Zion will have a new name. (Isaiah 62)  It is our security as believers in the identity that God gives himself, Christ in us.  The righteous shall be like him, because we shall see Him just as He is. (1 John 3:2; Job 19:25-27; Psalms 17:15;  Matthew 5:8; 1 Corinthians 13:12)

There shall no longer be – a change in the existing order of things. 

Again there is no need for light. God’s presence is the light. Those who belong to God, His servants, will reign with God forever and ever. The fullness of time is emphasized by repetition. (Isaiah 60:19-20)

Nothing of the old world order will hinder the Presence of God in us.  We will be the light as a reflection of the glory of God from the fact that we live in his Presence. This is the main feature of the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:25-27.

The saints exercise sovereignty over the new creation in the same way Adam was to rule over the old creation – over every living thing that moves on the earth. (Genesis 1:28; Psalms 8)

⁶ Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.

⁷ “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

⁸ Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

⁹ Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” ¹⁰ And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. ¹¹ He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

Jesus Testifies to the Churches

¹² “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

¹⁴ Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

¹⁷ And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

A Warning

¹⁸ For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

I Am Coming Quickly

²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

²¹ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Final words are spoken in (22:6-9). The remainder of the chapter is a repetition of some things gone before and some disjointed themes. We have three speakers:

Angels as the interpreters of the divine things, which John have seen. They confirm the truth of everything written. God inspires the prophets therefore the message to John is received in the same manner as the prophets of old.

Jesus himself announces His return and pronounces His blessing on everyone who hears and obeys.

John identifies himself as the author of the book and warns against angel worship exactly as in 19:10. Repeated this way the warning is important. Worship is to be to God alone.

It was the custom to seal scripts in those days. It is no surprise when the command to seal and preserve is given, to preserve the vision as an encouragement to the reader.

And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future. (Daniel 8:26.)

And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. (Daniel 12:10. See also Ezekiel 3:27)

Christ is speaking to repeat Who He is and His coming to reward the faithful. His titles (the First and the Last) are given as recognition of the truth. He is the beginning, the Source of all things and the end, the Goal of all things, to emphasize completeness, eternity and authority. His power always was and will be in His hands.

The five exhortations to holiness in these verses serve as a repetition of the entrance requirement – the acceptance of the sacrifice of Christ – underlines the utmost importance of admission into the church. Those debarred are mentioned in 21:8 to remove all doubt about what the church should be and the needs of the sinners it must meet.

Shortly – an indication of things initiated and now imminent, even not merely imminent, already inaugurated.

The Lord God of the spirits and the prophets – an emphasis on the origin of the prophecy. The plural of spirits refers to the Holy Spirit in all the aspects of the fullness, previously referred to as seven Spirits. (1:4; 4:5; 5:6)  The plural indicates that all human spirits of the redeemed are prophetic.  There is a clear distinction between the spirits of God’s children and the rest of humanity.

Come quickly – refers to his final appearance but also to His earlier comings throughout the Church-age, imminent in every generation.

He who hears and heeds will be blessed.

Again John falls down before the angel and receives the warning not to worship angelic beings.  Always worship God and respect his hierarchy of authority.  God commands the angels.  We do not.  They are fellow servants.  They are intimately involved with John’s writing and play a pivotal role in the execution of judgement and blessing.

John should NOT seal the words of the vision.  It is the opposite to the command Daniel received. (Daniel 12:4; 8:26; 12:9)  Daniel prophesied the rise and fall of ancient Kingdoms and the final victory of the Kingdom of God, but did not understand when and how it all will unfold. 

The time is near – imminent fulfilling of OT prophecies.

Exhortation to holiness – worship God alone.

The angel appeals to John’s conclusion of the prophecy.  Those who do wrong is just a statement of destiny, not a wish.  It is comparable to the hardening of hearts of the Egyptians, even in the suffering of the plagues.

Jesus and Isaiah talk about those who hear and do not listen.  (Matthew 13:9-17; Isaiah 6:9-10)  Jesus told parables to make this point.  Hopefully the words of the Word will shock wandering believers into obedience. Jesus and Isaiah were addressing wanderers as well as rebellious world, giving perspective to the community of believers to understand the hard hearts of those around us.

The blindness of the apostate church is heartbreaking and as always, the characteristic of the majority.  The church can easily become spiritually lethargic. God reveals his double-edged sword to them. (1 John 2:4, 22; 4:20; 5:10)  

There is always a remnant of believers who are given ears to hear and the desire to obey.  The pseudo-members of the church will not understand the dawn of the fulfilling of the prophecy and will continue to disobey while the believer will be aware of what is happening and submit to purifying and transformation.

It is the requirement to live in the city. Worship is our statement of priority – a life of obedience. It is the character of the city that saves us from all harm.

But you shall call your walls Salvation,
And your gates Praise. (Isaiah 60:18)  

The gates were made of one pearl – the irritant that becomes the precious.

Through the gates they have access to the Tree of Life.  The angels are now to usher in and not exclude like after the Fall.

Go through, Go through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people; Build up, Build up the highway!
Take out the stones, Lift up a banner for the peoples!  (Isaiah 62:10)

Dogs were always a symbol of savageness and uncleanness. The Jews regarded the gentiles as dogs. Stray dogs are usually hungry and will fight for anything to eat, picking up the garbage from the street in desperation for nourishment. They have no shame; they are mostly cruel and selfish. The price of a dog was an abomination to the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:18). The male prostitutes in the ancient temples were called dogs. Their wages were an abomination before the Lord. (Deuteronomy 23:17-18)

In this text it could mean a thoroughly immoral person as well as a covenant-violator.(Psalms 56:6,14) It includes the unrighteous watchmen and shepherds – leaders of the church who lead the people astray. (Isaiah 56:10,11)

No man who practises deceit shall dwell in my house; no man who utters lies shall continue in my presence” (Psalms 101:7)

Paul uses the same canine metaphor to Jewish Christians who profess to be part of the Christians church but whose idolatrous beliefs and actions  prove otherwise.

Outside the city is the lake of fire – the judgment of the Holy Spirit and the second death.

Three lists of those who cannot enter the city are mentioned. (21;8,27 and 22:15) and all three end with liars, which highlights counterfeit Christians, pseudo-Christians not pagans, whose sinful actions betray their confession.  They love and practice lying – an ungodly lifestyle and false doctrine. (1 John 2:4,22; 4:20; 5:10)

The vision came from Jesus (22:16) and his titles are confirmed.

Isaiah 11:1, Numbers 24:17. He is the morning star, He heralds the day and chases away the darkness. He is the light of the world. (John 8:12) [Isaiah 11:1, Numbers 24:17]

The root and the offspring of David (5:5) and the bright morning star combine two OT prophecies with regard to Jesus and his triumph over his enemies in the latter days.  

It is in Isaiah 11 that the branch comes forth from the root of David, the stump of Jesse – the new branch from the deadness of old Judaism – triumph over all evil on the Cross. The Cross, the cursed tree that becomes our blessing is a beautiful symbol of victory over our enemies in the Christmas tree that we carry into our homes every year.

The star on the top of the tree resembles the Bright Morning Star of the new day, the new beginning in salvation and a new dispensation – new heaven and new earth – the day of redemption and salvation until He comes again.  His return is initiated by many “comings” throughout the Church era.

The great invitation (22:17) that rings clear and true over all the centuries and all the earth is repeated as part of the last words. The last words of a dying man are revered and remembered. Here the last words shout the invitation again and again.

Indeed the Lord has proclaimed To the end of the world:
“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Surely your salvation is coming;
Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.’ ”
And they shall call them The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord;
And you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken. (Isaiah 62:11,12)

The Spirit and the Bride (the Church – the true people of God) invite the world to come. To all those who hear and those who thirst, the ultimate sought after invitation for all ages is given, over and over again. Just like the ending of the letters to the churches, the command is to hear and obey. (Isaiah 55:1 and John 6:35) 

Those who hear = those who obey.  Pseudo members of the Church will not heed the truth and the exhortations to holiness.  Genuine members might be “shocked out of stupor”. [Beale]

Come and drink – Isaiah 44 and 55.  God will pour water on the dry ground; He will pour out the water of life.  The OT prophets yearned for the pouring with many, many words of longing, wanting and the metaphors for spiritual thirst.

Then comes the great warning (22:18-19). It is a serious warning against the distortion of the truth – another exhortation to holiness.  This apocalypse (lifting of the veil) is a warning to heed the words and to protect the integrity of Scripture.  

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9)

We can see the golden thread of the true gospel throughout Scripture. The wording here at the end is a common ending well known in ancient texts. 

We see similar warnings in Deuteronomy 4:2:

You shall not add to the word, which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you.

…and Proverbs 30:5,6:

Every word of God is pure;

He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

The role of the scribe in ancient times was a triumph in precision and perfection.  But not only through “mistakes” the Scriptures are compromised, more through false teachings and the acceptance of idolatry.  Scripture is “protected” by the intentional violation of alteration.  The “plagues” of Deuteronomy 29. (See also Numbers 25:1-9, 14-18)

The compromising church (Pergamum) is warned against the teaching of Balaam (cursing for economic gain).  It is to cause offence, putting a stumbling block before the children of Israel. (2:14)  

The promises for removing the stumbling blocks, the call to purity, are many and echoing in Revelation 22: sharing the Tree of Life, identification with the City of God.  Those who overcome will inherit the promises.

In this context the washing of the robes is an important principle for the purification of the Church.

In these very last verses the refrain of Christ to His church sounds once more (22:20-21).  There is no place for double-dealing, counterfeit Christians. They will not receive the final reward – no inheritance to the City.

He who testifies to these things – probably refers to the whole vision.

Come quickly – His coming has begun. He will bring to a completion all that has begun in this book.  It refers to “future prior comings” with a culmination in the final coming, just like He appeared as the Angel of the Lord in the OT, so He would never “stay away” and leave His Church.  He “comes” continually in every encounter and every desire for His Presence.

Amen – an utterance of trust. 

We hear the glory and compassion, encouragement to and expectation from the church. Amidst all the terrible persecution we can lift up our eyes and look God in the face through Jesus and the Cross.

The very last word of the entire Bible is the GRACE of Jesus.  It is pronounced over all.

Revelation joins the New Testament in a glorious “already but not yet” scope of revealing the Lord Jesus – a delightful and joyful dealing with present and future concerns – even to the point of spiritual tension meant to raise the expectations of the manifestation of Jesus in our midst always higher and more noticeable and prominent.  For this to happen there is a call to obedience and an exhortation to persevere in obedience.

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