The New Heaven and New Earth
Revelation 21:1 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."
So they were passed away and did not exist anymore. Where it says the heaven and the earth fled away, the heaven spoken of is the physical heaven; the sky, the solar system, the universe. It's the physical heaven, the intergalactic heaven; it's this creation that passed away.
"Passed away" = "to go beside", "gone away beside." You see what it means. They are no more; they don't exist.
"New" = new and different. It doesn't mean "new" in time. It means "new" in quality or form, of a different nature; new and different from what has come before. In other words, it's not this heaven and earth made new. It's a new heaven and earth totally of a different order. They'll be of a new form and quality from this heaven and this earth. Read 1 Corinthians 2:9 "Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man all the things that God has prepared for them that love him."
Several other scriptures prove that this order of things is going to be totally done away with and will not exist anymore
1.) 2 Peter 3:7-14, Read. Verse 7-- so this earth and heaven is reserved unto fire. It will be destroyed by fire. Verse 10a-- so the heavens will pass away with a great noise. Another translation says, "with a hissing noise". And the elements of which this universe is built shall melt with fervent or intense heat. So if the elements melt, we're not just talking about a fire of combustion. We are talking about a fire in which the very nuclei of the elements disintegrate. It is the whole atomic system. Everything dissolves, passes away. 10b-- the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Literally, shall be found or discovered.
Verse 12-- so he repeats it for emphasizes. This creation is going to totally pass away and the elements melt. Verse 14-- it says that this heaven and earth will pass away, nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. That proves that it will be another creation all together. It is not this creation made better. Because it is only after this one passes away that he says, we look for a new heaven and a new earth.
2.) Isaiah 51:6 (Read) talks about this destruction of the heavens and the earth. The earth shall wax old like a garment.
3.) Matthew 24:35, Jesus said heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
4.) Psa. 46:6, a very clear reference. This is a summary of a lot of history here, but it ends up with the destruction of the heavens and the earth, (Read).
5.) Psa. 102:25-27 (Read).
6.) Isaiah 65:17 (Read) For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. The Hebrew word for create means to cut, to carve out, to form by cutting to create or produce. It has connotations of " to carve out of nothing". It's always used of God's creative power. It's never used of man creating.
7.) Isaiah 66:22 (Read) so this new heaven and earth will remain before Him and be an eternal dwelling place.
8.) Hebrews 1:10-12 (Read).
So the new heavens and the new earth are a new creation entirely; of a different kind, of a different order. It's not this heaven and earth renovated.
The New Jerusalem: The bride
Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Now this is the same company of people we see back in Rev.19:7,8 (read). And here again he sees her prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. The wedding feast is past and still here it says she is prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Now this is after the Millennium when the first heaven and earth are passed away, and John sees the new heaven and earth, (Rev.21:1). That means that the wedding feast was just the beginning. She's now going to spend all eternity with her husband; she is still prepared for him. The vast reaches and sea of eternity lays ahead for them to be together. And she's prepared for him, (read 2 Cor.11:2;Eph.5:25-27;Isaiah 61:10 and 62:5).
Now he sees this new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. It doesn't mean the saints coming to this earth at the 2nd Coming. It's set in a context where this earth is already past away. She's coming down onto the new earth which will be the dwelling place of the righteous throughout all eternity.
Revelation 3:12 "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name."
Now this is a promise to the Philadelphia church age which is the age we are living in now. Now let's look at this verse in more detail, because it's showing the same truth but adding a little. Let's see how it ties in with the new Jerusalem-- the bride that's seen here in Revelation chapter 21
A pillar is a permanent structural member of that temple. It's a strong supporting element of that temple. It's a prominent graceful, visible, beautiful element. This is quite a promise.
1 Tim.3:15 says that the true church of God is the pillar and ground of the truth. The true people of God are those which support the truth of God so that it can be held up and others can come in and find shelter under that truth because they are proclaiming it.
Galatians 2:9 Paul says that Peter and John and James seem to be pillars when he came to this council at Jerusalem-- they appear to be the strong ones who were the main strength and support in the church there.
1 Samuel 2:8 compares the saints of God to pillars. Now he says, I will make this overcomer a pillar in the temple of my God.
The word temple here is a specialized word, NAOS, it refers only to that inner intimate sanctuary where the glory of God in previous times came to dwell and where the priests came in to minister. Heron describes the whole temple enclosure including the courts. He says I'm going to make you a pillar in the intimate part of my temple, in the part where I dwell, where my glory is fully shown. If you were out in the court of the temple, you were near to the presence of God but you couldn't see the glory of God in the same way that the high priest could when he went into the holy of holies on the day of atonement. But I'll make you an intimate member of my temple he promises us.
And he shall go no more out. Literally "he shall no wise go out anymore." The true man of God fears going out. There's a holy fear. We saw this in Job. Job said-- the thing which I feared has come upon me. He didn't mean just I'm going through pain and I greatly feared going through pain. He meant that he was going into a trial that was so heavy, he feared lest in a trial he would turn back and grow cold and turn away from God.
The true man of God fears anything that would turn him (in a balanced righteous way he fears turning away from God).
The fact that Jesus says to this overcomer "he shall go no more out" is an indication that some time previously he did go out. Now how did those ones go out? Isaiah 66:5, Your brethren cast you out for my name's sake. There was a departure, a separation that came. You had to leave the womb of the church and you had to stand separately. That's a hard thing to be separated from your brethren. That's not just a minor little point. They had experienced this awful trial of rejection by their own brethren whom they loved and desired to bring the truth of God to set them free. They had been forced to stand alone to go out, to walk solitary if necessary for the sake of His name and the Revelation of that name. This is 1 aspect of the suffering the manchild will go through. Standing for the truth (no matter what!) sometimes is harder than physical persecution. The manchild coming out and being separate from the church that is sleeping into tradition, etc..
So Jesus is saying don't worry if all around you are rejecting you and your message. I'm preparing an habitation for you that you will never be forced to leave. An eternal habitation in my intimate presence. This habitation that I'm preparing is you. You are the temple, you are the pillars. You are the building that I'm going to dwell in.
Isaiah 66:1,2 Where is the place of my dwelling? Where is the house that you will build me? For all those things my hand made. But to this man will I look to him that is humble and contrite and trembles at my word. This is the dwelling place that God is looking for. So we are promised a permanent station in glory a permanent position in the heavenlies, in the intimate presence of God. Also read Psa.132:13-18; Eph.1:20-22.
He says that I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
We will look at this in more detail. He says this name will be written upon the overcomer. In the Bible, we see Jerusalem as
The capital of physical Israel throughout the O.T. This earthly Jerusalem is going to be the capital of God's kingdom on earth during the Millennium. And there the temple is, and the glory of God fills the temple and the truth of God begins to go out to all nations from Jerusalem. Israel becomes a glory among the nations.
We also see Jerusalem as God's holy bride-- as a heavenly Jerusalem, which is above and not this earthly city, but that glorious spiritual city to which the earthly city only pointed.
There are various scriptures to show the heavenly Jerusalem
Gal.4:22-26 Read. So there's a heavenly Jerusalem and those who are born according to the promise, who have come by faith are citizens of that heavenly Jerusalem. It's a new covenant.
Heb.12:22 Read. So that's what we've come to in the spirit, the heavenly Jerusalem. So as we're faithful to keep the word of his patience, we will be someday in that new Jerusalem.
Isaiah 65:17-19 Read. I create a new heaven and a new earth, so it's beyond this realm that we live in today. God said, "Behold, I create Jerusalem." It's being created because it's not a city of buildings. It's a city made up of people-- saints joined and builded together. That city is being built even now.
Isaiah 62:1,2 Read. This is speaking of the church.
I will write upon him 3 things: 1.) The name of my God. 2.) The name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven. 3.) And my new name.
1.) I will write upon him, I will identify him. I will catalog him as being, as representing those things.
2.) The name of my God upon him showing that he is possessed and owned by God. This shows when there's a marriage, the wife takes the husband's name and this shows a bridal relationship with God, being possessed by him in a love relationship. We will be marked as a permanent possession of God. We will have his nature.
3.) The name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem. Hebrews 12:22, so I'm going to mark you as being a part of my new Jerusalem. Revelation 21:10 shows that they are identified as members of this holy bride of Jesus. The name of this new Jerusalem is her essence, her position as a bride. She is identified as the one, as the one which is above other women to stand in a love relationship with Jesus.
My new name. So there's a new name indicating a further Revelation of God than was previously given. When we're caught up to be the bride, we will have a further Revelation of God than was previously given. That goes far beyond anything we've known before because the Bible says we will fully know even as we are also already known. In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself as El: the mighty one; the strong one. And as Elohim: the sum of all strength, the strong one of all strong ones, the plural of majesty, God. And as to His own covenant people, He revealed Himself as Yahweh, the I am, the covenant keeper, the one who is whatever His people need Him to be and went on and said I'm Yahweh your healer, shepherd, righteousness, banner, peace, and revealed Himself in these many ways. In the New Testament, He came unto His own and they received Him not. Yahweh Oshea or Yeshua or Jesus-- Yahweh the Savior, Yahweh comes in a body of flesh to save His people. Later, He's revealed as our bridegroom when we're joined unto Him. So it's possible that this new name could refer to the fact that Yahweh has become our husband or bridegroom.
Revelation 21:3 "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."
The tabernacle of God -- That is, the dwelling place of God. Now Jesus was called Emanuel, God with us, in Matt.1:23, read. This is saying, "God will be with us because we are in Christ, and so the tabernacle of God is with men."
Now in another sense, we are the tabernacle of God because we are in Christ. And in Christ, we have been made into a dwelling place of God through the spirit.
2 Cor.3:17,18;4:6 Read. So it is in our hearts that the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is given.
Scriptures on the tabernacle of God
John 1:14 The word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Dwelt means "tented" or "tabernacle". He tented among us. It is directly related to the word tabernacle here in Rev.21:3.
The tabernacle of God is with men. That's a noun, and the verb form in John 1:14, he tented among us, is directly related to that.
2 Cor.5:19 says that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.... 1 Timothy 3:16 tells us that God was manifested in the flesh. So Jesus was that tabernacle of God. But now Jesus has a body of saints in whom God is dwelling. Primarily it is Jesus, but then it is those in Jesus also. You have to include the Spirit- filled body of Christ as being that dwelling place of God. Also read Psa.132:13,14.
Eph.2:22, read. In him we also are a habitation of God through the spirit. Eph.1:23 speaks of the church and says that it is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. So he fills all in all, but we are the fullness of him. He fills us, He fills all in all, and we become his fullness. He is dwelling and manifesting himself in us.
Rev.21:11 speaks of this new Jerusalem and it says, read. So she has the glory of God dwelling in her. So the tabernacle of God is with men.
Rev.13:6 speaks about this tabernacle. And it says concerning the antichrist, read. His tabernacle is them that dwell in heaven. So the tabernacle of God here in Rev.13:6 is them that dwell in heaven, the Raptured saints who got to heaven previous to that. Also read John 14:23.
So applying all of this to Rev.21:3 it says, read. Now of course we know for sure God alone totally will be worshipped throughout all eternity, He and no other. But this scripture says to me that His glory will be revealed in His tabernacle, in His saints, in His bride- saints, the body of Christ which is now joined to Christ and becomes a manifestation of His glory. And I believe where it says that the tabernacle of God is with men; we should tie it right back up into verse 2 where John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. So God's glory is manifested in this company of saints who are in the bride. Now we'll see, as we go on, that there are other saints who are not in the bride; they come into that city. But she is that city.
Now in verse 3, it says the tabernacle of God is with men. That word with means with-- meta. It is not in men. It is with men. Therefore, Christ is in view here, since it is not saying God is in them but with them. Rather, Christ and His spirit- filled body of saints would represent that tabernacle of God. God himself will be with them.
Now in verses 4 and 5 there are some precious promises
Revelation 21:4,5 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me Write; for these words are true and faithful."
Again the implication is, I will make them new, not just in time but in quality. There will be a new order. I'll have a new creation. And in this creation there will be no more tears, death, sorrow, nor crying, neither pain; for former things are passed away. It is new and different creation altogether.
Revelation 21:6 "And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."
It is done. So in the vision as John is in that period of time it is done. Now the eternal plan of God, then, at this point is totally and finally and fully brought in. It is done. It is completed. God's work of making man in His image and His likeness and His plan in the earth is completely done, and in this new creation, all the effects of sin are erased. All the effects of sin were not erased in the Millennium. There was still sin and some effects of sin in the Millennium. But in this new creation, it is all erased. All aspects of the curse are gone. There's no more crying, sorrow, pain, nor any such thing. And Peter said, only righteousness dwells there, 2 Peter 3:13.
Now he that sat upon the throne here says, "I am Alpha and Omega." So we know that it is Jesus here sitting upon the throne, Rev.1:8,11.
I will give unto him of the fountain of the water of life. So we have a foretaste of the Spirit now, but we'll drink fully of that fountain throughout all eternity. There is an eternal drinking of that life of God.
Revelation 21:7 "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."
He that overcometh is not necessarily the bride of verse 1 here. The fact that John saw the bride doesn't negate the fact that others are in the new earth too, even if they are not a part of that spiritual city. We'll go on to see that.
Inherit all things.-- the earlier manuscripts in the Greek say, "inherit these things."
Revelation 21:8 "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death."
Abominable-- can be taken either in the middle voice or in the passive voice. I'll explain what I mean. If you take it as passive, it would be translated having been made disgusting. So he says the fearful, and unbelieving, and those having been made disgusting. And that is a great tragedy that the world should have that affect upon people to make them disgusting in the eyes of God. That's a great tragedy.
Or, if you take it as the middle voice which shows the subject performing the action, but the action comes back upon himself in some way; it affects him. Then you could translate it "having made themselves disgusting". That is through the decision of sin that shaped their character into something that was abominable to God. And both of these things are true here. The middle and passive voice have exactly the same form in 4 out of 6 of the Greek tenses. Only the future and arorist have a separate form. So sometimes, not always, you have the liberty to take it either way.
Sorcerers-- could also be translated those using drugs. That could simply be the use of drugs. It can also be the use of drugs involved with false religion.
Revelation 21:9 "And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife."
Seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and those are the plagues of the seventh seal, of course. Now you have to remember that John is carried away in Spirit in the Lord's day. So he's still seeing the vision, etc... Rev.1:10. The seven last plagues, of course, are already passed by this time, for you have a new heaven and new earth, etc... It's a vision of future things that will come to pass.
Revelation 21:10 "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God."
So he sees that great city; now you can contrast that with the world's view of that great city as they speak of Babylon in Chapter 18:19. They say, "Oh, what was like this great city."
But God says, "I'll show you that great city. This is the great city." This is the city that is great in God's eyes.
Now he sees her descending out of heaven from God here. Now this doesn't mean she is descending out of heaven again a second time after she came down from God out of heaven in verse 2. It's the same descent out of heaven. But it is repeated here because this time he is going to, so to speak, zero in on her and begin to describe her in detail. So the event of her descent from heaven is repeated here, and now it goes into a detailed description of that new Jerusalem.
We should not think that because we're going to dwell in the new earth that we are going to be somehow in a less intimate position with the Lord than we were previously when we were in heaven, in the midst of the throne and round about the throne, Rev.4:6. Because God is not preparing a bride through all these trials and tears and strivings and dedication, etc..., just so He can spend a few years with her in heaven and say, "Well, OK, that's it. Go down on the new earth now. I'll see you later." It's not going to be that kind of a thing.
That new earth is going to have the full presence of God upon it. And we'll have His presence every bit as much or more than we did before we came down onto that new earth. Some people when they first realize that, technically speaking, we are not going to spend eternity in heaven because there is a new earth we're going to dwell on, they think, "Well, does that mean we are not going to be in heaven?" But yes, in a sense, we are going to be in heaven and it is proper to say, "I'm going to go to heaven to be with Jesus for all eternity," because heaven is where Jesus is, in that wide sense.
But the new earth is actually going to be our dwelling place, that new creation that He has for us, and He will be there with us just as fully as if we were in heaven, and so there is no lessening of glory here. And we'll go on to see later in the chapter how God's presence is fully there with us.
Revelation 21:11 "Having the glory of God; and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone clear as crystal."
Having the glory of God. So she has the glory of God. She possesses the glory of God.
And her light was like unto a stone most precious. So it is called the glory of God but it is dwelling in her. Therefore, it is called her light. Her light was like a stone most precious.
Even like a jasper stone. Now the jasper stone that we see in Rev.4:3 is a brown or purple stone. He that sat upon the throne was like a jasper and sardine stone. So he that sat upon the throne was to look upon like a dazzling purple-- hued stone sparkling and flashing, emanating rays that were scattered forth in splendor from this stone. It doesn't say that he was jasper, it says he was like a jasper. This is a typological vision.
Exo. 28:20 Jasper was one of the stones in the high priests' breastplate. John 19:2,5 A purple robe was put upon Jesus. And Pilate put a sign that said this is Jesus the King of the Jews when they crucified him, and the Pharisees tried to get that sign edited to read: he said he was the King of the Jews. Pilate said, What I have written, I have written. God allowed that to be done prophetically because he was the King of the Jews. So this purple robe they put on him in mockery, God said well, you're doing a right thing because he is the King of kings. So he that sat upon this throne is the King of all kings, 1 Timothy 1:17.
This one here in Rev.21:11 appears to be clear. And jasper stones did come in different colors, because it says here that this one is clear as crystal. The jasper stone represents royalty. She has the royalty of Christ and it is clear as crystal-- transparent-- Christ is seen in her clearly and she shall rule and reign with him.
Revelation 21:12,13 "And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates."
So on these gates there is the names of the twelve tribes, Judah, Simeon, Levi, etc.. So that seems to say that there are O.T. saints as well as N.T. saints involved in this New Jerusalem bride city. So the bride encompasses all saints of all ages that attain to that high position of intimacy with Jesus that Paul was aspiring to attain to in Phil. chapter 3.
Revelation 21:14 "And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."
So in these foundations there's the names of the apostles. Eph.2:20 says that we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
Revelation 21:15 "And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof."
He that talked with me takes you back to verse 9, read. This angel has a golden reed to measure the city.
So he measures the city and here's what it says
Revelation 21:16 "And the city lieth four- square, and the length is as large as the breadth; and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal."
This is like no earthly city. This is not a city on earth in the Millennium. 12,000 furlongs cubed. That means 12,000 statia. And that was a Roman measurement. 1 statis = 606-¾ feet. So 12,000 = 1379 miles long, wide, and high. That's a big city, indeed!
A city of such dimensions is impossible upon this earth of course, needless to say. And so we know that it is not upon this earth. It is certainly figurative here. Remember this is talking (spiritually speaking) of the bride.
Revelation 21:17 "And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is of the angel."
So the wall is only 144 cubits and that is 216 feet high. Now this is figurative since the New Jerusalem will not need walls in the classic sense. They are not going to have any enemies coming up besieging the New Jerusalem. But it is a symbol of safety and security.
The numerical symbols of the wall seem to show the fullness of the heavenly kingdom, 12 x 12 = 144. So there's a full heavenly kingdom involved here. The # 12 in scripture = the fullness of the heavenly kingdom.
Now the city's volume taking 12,000 x 12,000 x 12,000 statia is 1.728 x 10 to the twelfth power cubic statia, which means 17,280,000,000 cubic statia, which converts to 2.6223 x 10 to the ninth cubic miles. Or translating that you get 2,622,300,000 cubic miles. That's a large city. It's figurative.
Revelation 21:18 "And the building of the wall of it was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass."
The wall of it was of jasper. So the whole wall is one big precious stone. Pure gold, it's covered with God like unto clear glass.
Revelation 21:19,20 "And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald. The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eithth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoparasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst."
Now these stones of the foundation of the city are gems. Each one of these is one huge gem that is a foundation of the whole city and there are twelve, again speaking of the fullness of the heavenly kingdom, again we are speaking in symbols. There are 400 miles plus the length of each one of these precious stones. So this shows the wealth and the riches of God in this New Jerusalem, in a hyperbole. It is an extravagant statement of the city's wealth given to her as the bride of Christ. Eph.2:7 "That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
Revelation 21:21 "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass."
Talks more about the gates. Every several gate, that is, every individual gate, was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. So this is not like earthly gold. This is pure gold, but it is transparent like glass.
Now every gate is of one pearl. Again we have to see that we're talking about something symbolic here. These are truly pearls of great price.
Now how can a gate be one pearl. How can it be hinged and have a frame and open, etc. This shows that it is figurative here. That could be you could carve it out of one big pearl but it doesn't get into that. It just says the gates were each of one pearl showing the costliness of them. Now certainly God could create a pearl as big as the gate of this city. But obviously this is a symbol. God uses the things that are precious and costly on the earth to show that there is something that is spiritually precious and costly.
Verse 12 said that the names of the tribes of Israel were on these gates of pearl. So it is a city encompassing both O.T. and N.T. saints.
Now I wouldn't take this to far. But the way pearls are formed is when a grain of sand or something like it gets inside an oyster and irritates it. The oyster, in order to protect himself from the irritation, begins to secrete this substance that surrounds the grain of sand and that substance hardens, becoming a pearl.
So perhaps we could make a parallel to our own lives and say that those trials through which we've gone, and those things that have irritated us, we have overcome and have made them into pearls and something precious. Our trials become something precious and they become our entrance into that holy city.
Revelation 21:22 "And I saw no temple therein; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it."
So there is no temple worship in that city. The Lord and the Lamb are the temple of it. This is the true temple to which earthly temples only pointed to. So God is dwelling in Christ and that is the temple. It is a living temple. It's God Himself.
Revelation 21:23 "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."
We see the same truth illustrated in a different way in v. 23. So the glory of the Lord did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Light means lamp. The glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the lamp thereof. The lamb is the lamp from which the light of God comes forth. He is the dwelling place of God. He is the vessel that God manifests Himself to us throughout all eternity.
We see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ as in 2 Cor.4:6, read. Also read 2 Cor.4:17; 2 Cor.3:18. When we get there, we are going to relate to God in Jesus Christ. That is how we are going to know God throughout all eternity through His eternal dwelling place and lamp, Jesus Christ.
Revelation 21:24 "And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it; (the bride), and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it."
There are nations of the saved. So there are those who are saved in that realm, in that new earth but they are not the city, they are not the bride, they are not the New Jerusalem. But they've come out of the nations in this world and they live in the new heaven and new earth in nations. There are nations of people in that new earth. Now whether there will be separate governments and so forth, the Bible does not say. There will be those who are not part of that city but will dwell in that new earth. It calls them here, whether literally or figuratively, nations.
Now some think that because it talks about the nations here coming into the city, they make chapter 21 talking about the Millennium. But it cannot equal the Millennium because in Rev.21:1 it says there was no more sea. So it is not this earth. It is passed away.
Rev.21:4 says that there will be no more death. And yet we know for sure that there will be death in the Millennium. So it is not talking about the Millennium. Isaiah says a sinner during the Millennium being 100 years old shall die and be accursed.
Rev.21:22 says that there is no temple there and yet we see in Ezekiel that there is a temple in the Millennium. So this is not the Millennium that we're talking about. It's a new creation all together.
Revelation 21:25 "And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day; for there shall be no night there."
So the day is eternal and the light of that day is the light of God according to verse 23. It is not sunshine, it is the eternal light of God that gives eternal day to this New Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:26 "And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it."
These are the nations of the saved mentioned in verse 24. They are not earthly nations. They are not the nations of this creation. So the order there in that new earth is spoken of after the manner of what we see upon this earth.
The point I want to make here is that these nations bring their glory and honour into it. Back in v.24 it says, the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it.
Now these nations are not the New Jerusalem, they are other people besides the New Jerusalem.
Rev.21:2 where John saw the new heaven and the new earth, he saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, he saw this city. The bride is that city. The city is the bride, the dwelling place of God containing His glory, and the nations bring their glory and honour into it.
Also Rev.22:14 says that those that eat of the tree of life enter into this city. Read. So those that have the tree of life, that is, those who have eternal life, enter into the gates of this city, but that doesn't mean that the bride is entering into this city. She is this city. The city is not buildings in which saints dwell. The city is saints. John is not seeing a collection of glorified buildings coming down from God out of heaven.
It says in Rev.21:9, "Come hither and I will show thee the bride." I'm not going to show where she lives-- I'm going to show you her.
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and a high mountain and showed me that great city. So that great city, New Jerusalem, is the bride.
So the implication is that those who make up this city abide there; they don't go out. They are that city. They abide there. They stay there in the glory of God, continually.
You might make an analogy to the cherubim on the doors, walls, and ceilings of Solomon's temple; they were always there. People came in and out and they worshipped God. They didn't worship the temple. They didn't worship the cherubim. They worshipped God, but the cherubim were there all of the time. They never went out.
Here others who are not in the same position come into that city and they have access to the glory of God and it is God they are worshipping. But it seems that to them somehow the glory of God is manifested there in that city.
The glory and honour of nations which they bring would be their worship and their hearts toward God. That's the glory and honour that God is really seeking from us.
Revelation 21:27 "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
So neither sinners or Satan, who is the cause of sin, shall enter that realm. And it says here anything that defileth. There shall no wise enter anything that defileth. That thing that defileth literally means that which is common. There shall no common thing enter into it. That is, common in the sense of not being hallowed, not being sacred or holy.
But they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. So those which are written in the Lamb's book of life enter into it. So everybody in the book of life has access into it. Again it shows all have access into that city but not all are that city.
So the bride are the ones who totally give all to Jesus and fall in love with Him.
Revelation 22:1 "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb."
He who showed John these things refers back to the angel that has been showing him this bride, the Lamb's wife, in chapter 21:9. He is still showing him things here.
He shows John a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal. And that is the river that all the awed are going to be partaking of throughout all eternity, a never-ending river streaming out of the throne of God, coming from the very presence of God Himself.
There's a parallel of sorts in Ezekiel 47:12-- Now this is talking about the Millennium and about Israel, and it is a real literal river in Israel that comes out from underneath the foundation of the temple. Half of the waters go toward the Mediterranean Sea and half toward the Dead Sea. Here is what Ezekiel sees about this river (Read). Trees for meat = for food.
So in the Millennium will be this river both sides lined with trees bearing fruit each month. The waters shall go down into the Dead Sea and the Dead Sea will have an outlet and it will be cleansed and be healed and there will be abundance of fish in the Dead Sea and they will go fishing there. It will no longer be a stagnant body of water.
But here in Revelation what we're seeing is something in the heavenly realm, in the eternal realm of which that river in the Millennium is just a picture. It's just a dim picture. In the new earth, it has a much greater spiritual reality.
Ezekiel speaks of the Millennium, but here in Revelation we can not be speaking about the Millennium. We have already passed the context where the thousand years were expired, Satan was loosed and then the heavens and the earth were destroyed, and there was a judgment at the great white throne. Now we're in the new earth. So it is not the same thing. But we do see some parallels.
Now Moses gave the record concerning the river in the Garden of Eden. He said that a river went out from Eden to water the Garden and from thence it was parted into four other streams. So there was a river in the Garden of Eden. Again, that was a real river, but it pointed to something greater in the eternal realm. There's a spiritual river of God that we are going to partake of. And we're seeing paradise, here, being restored. We will see different parallels here to the Garden of Eden, but in a much greater and higher sense here in the book of Revelation. Jesus said: John 7:37-38; 4:14 (Read).
So Revelation 22:1 shows God in Christ as our eternal source of life and as our eternal source of existence and of all things. This river is coming out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. There is one throne here. It is the throne of God and of the Lamb, because God and the Lamb are one as Jesus said: My Father and I are one.
Revelation 22:2 "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
So here in the new garden of God, that eternal garden of God, there is the tree of life. And it does say a tree or wood, singular, but it grows on both sides of the river.
1. Now that could mean either that there are many trees that are taken as one as a whole, it's a tree of life, although there are many of them. I don't think that's the best way to take it.
2. Or, it could be one great tree that is so huge and immense that it straddles the river and is on either side of the river.
But, it is the tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruits. Now you'll notice in your King James Bible (if that's the one your using) that "manner of" is in italics meaning that it is not in the original Greek text. It says, "it bares twelve fruits; it bares fruits, twelve. So that doesn't necessarily mean twelve different kinds of fruit. The point is that each month it bears fruit. The first month it bears fruits. Then there is another crop the next month, etc. In other words, it is perpetually bearing. There are no seasons nor fluctuations in which some seasons there is fruit and in some there is not. There is always fruit on this tree of life. It's a perfect source of life and continual and uninterrupted life.
The fact that it says here 12 months shows us again that we're seeing these things written after the manner of men. Because the reason we have 12 months is that we have a sun and the earth orbits around the sun, etc., and there is a year with 12 months in it which we have divided up. But there is no sun as we have already read and it says this also in verse 5. So 12 months here is speaking after the manner of this earth and it is just to show us that there is a continual bearing and fruitfulness in this garden of God, this eternal dwelling of God.
The leaves were for the healing of the nations
Now in this metaphor the leaves are used for healing, just as we have some herbs upon earth now that are used for healing such as eucalyptus and camphor and menthol plants such as are used to make healing balms. So the point is, God has good things planned for His people in eternity.
And where it says for the healing of the nations we should not think that there will be sickness there and therefore we need to have healing from the leaves of this tree.
Vine says that the word healing could be translated "health". The leaves were for the health of the nations. The point is that there is eternal healing or health given by God. There is no sickness and sickness is done away. That is why these leaves are for the healing of the nations. The nations will not be sick.
Hebrews 11:15-16 applies here (Read). God has prepared this city for those who walk by faith. And there God's people will partake of that new tree of life, spiritual life this time. And they will fellowship with their creator inside this city of God. Now in the Millennium the trees along the river were outside the city. So it is not the same; here they are in the New Jerusalem.
What we're seeing here is a restoration of what Adam forfeited through sin when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. We're seeing that restored and far more in this new creation of God.
The promise of the tree of life is parallel with that first tree of life in Eden, and that was a pledge of constant life and fellowship with God, but it was broken in Eden because of Adam's sin. But here we see it restored. Revelation 2:7; 22:14 (Read).
Now the first tree of life is seen in Genesis 2:9. There was a tree of life. Now there was also something else in the Garden of Eden that is conspicuously absent in the book of Revelation and that is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There will not be any more temptation. We will have overcome all temptation. No more need to be tested for our obedience, as Adam was by being told not to eat of that tree, because we have made our choices and we're in that realm never again to ever sin or make such a decision to sin.
Now concerning the loss of that tree of life, Genesis 3:22-24 (Read). So he was barred from coming the way of that tree of life. In another sense, they kept the way of the tree of life. In other words, God was going to keep that way and restore that way of the tree of life, which He did through Jesus Christ.
Revelation 22:3 "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."
There shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. So the curse is set in opposition to the throne of God and of the Lamb. Where the throne of God and of the Lamb is, there is no curse. The curse involved sickness, laboring in the sweat of thy brow, thorns and thistles which are done away. The greatest part of the curse that is done away is sin and the devil. There will be no more tempter to steal, kill, and destroy; no more lies, battles, and oppressions of Satan; no more hindrances to try to keep us from our heavenly lover that we want to be with in an unbroken way. We'll be with Him completely uninterrupted. He'll give us the desires of our hearts as we delight in Him.
1 Corinthians 15:25-28 is good to bring in here (Read).
Verse 26: Now, for us that destroying of death happens at the Rapture. Death is destroyed for us at that point forever. But in the new earth death is totally, and fully, and finally destroyed for all of the righteous. Death is past.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (Read). And that victory is full and final forever in the new earth. We look for a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness, no more sin.
The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. The throne of God shows that He is reigning. If He has a throne, He is reigning. It doesn't mean He is in one place and He is not somewhere else because He is sitting on His throne, because God is omnipresent. The point is He is ruling. He promised the overcomers of Laodicea in Revelation 3:21 (Read). The point is, not that they will be in the most intimate position with Him, but that they will be reigning with Him. A throne speaks of a king, speaks of reigning. Since this throne includes God and the Lamb and the overcomers, it has to be a figure since otherwise, it would have to be a huge throne in which millions of people would sit. The point is that they are reigning with Him. And, we do see the truth here; the throne, singular, of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. So there is only one throne; it's God in Christ reigning forever.
And his-- who is his? His, that is Him, is God and the Lamb. It is him, singular, God in the Lamb. We shall see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. That is how we relate to God through all eternity.
His servants shall serve him. That shows we are going to have an active life. There is a very real realm which we are existing in and we have activities and we are serving him. And the main activity, as it says here, is serving him. Or, you could translate it rendering sacred service unto him. It's a sacred service of worship and loving Him.
Revelation 22:4 "And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads."
And they shall see his face. That is a wonderful promise. That is, they shall be in His presence and know Him.
And his name shall be in their foreheads. Now earlier in Revelation 20:11, the very heaven and earth fled away before His face. He just exposed His face to it, as it were, and it fled away. And the Bible says there was no more place found for the heaven and earth. They were passed away just by the presence of His face.
But now we look upon that same face and we don't flee away and are not destroyed by it, because we are in an eternal realm seeing Him as His beloved ones.
1 John 3:2-- we will be like him. Exodus 33:20-- no man shall see God and live. The glorified saints shall see God in the face of Jesus Christ.
His name-- whose name? Again the name of God and the Lamb, singular. God and the Lamb are said to have one face and one name.
Concerning His name in their foreheads; you can read Revelation 2:17; 3:12; 7:3; 14:1. We will have a new name indicating a new identity before Him and a new relationship with Him.
Revelation 22:5 "And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign forever and ever."
So there shall be no night there. Literally, night will be no more. It doesn't say there.
And they need no candle. That is, they do not need the light of a lamp is what it says in the best translations. They don't need the light of the lamp.
Neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light. He is the source of light. He is the sun. He's the one who givest us light and life and all things.
And they shall reign forever and ever. Revelation 21:23; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6-- Already concerning the fact that we'll see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and even we do now in our hearts. 1 John 1:5--God is light. God is spiritual light, in Him there is no darkness of unrighteousness at all. And He will give us eternal light of His presence.
So particularly those bride saints are in view here reigning forever and ever, because there has to be a realm to reign over. And in this new earth all of the inhabitants are saved. So there is some kind of reigning going on among them. There's a real realm with positions and authority in it.
Revelation 22:6 "And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done."
These sayings = these words, logoi, are faithful and true. God's words are true. Jesus said heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away (Matthew 24:35).
The Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel. Literally, the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets.
And he sent by his angel. We read that in Revelation 1:16. So this prophecy sent from the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, is sent to John who was also a prophet and thus this prophecy is connected to all of the other true prophecies of God. They all have their end culmination in what John sees here. All point forward in the final analysis to what John sees here, the total restoration of all things and a total fellowship with God. So that is why it says the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets.
It is showing that all the prophecies of God's word are encompassed here and they're culminated in what we are seeing here. All things being restored.
And it says here in verse 6: He sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which must shortly be done. So God cares about us and He wants us to know because these things are going to be happening quickly.
In Revelation 1:1 and 4:1, God said that He was going to show him things that must occur quickly: And 4:1 He said, I will show you things that must occur. Now it is true, in a sense, that these things even back in John's day must occur quickly because in God's eyes the time was an instant. The history of the earth is a speck of time in the great sea of eternity which is God's perspective. But in another sense these things that must occur quickly, particularly the end time events, to us that means they are going to occur with speed. They are going to occur quickly. When they start happening, they are going to occur speedily. And God's going to wrap up all things quickly. He says He will do a short work in the earth.
Revelation 22:7 "Behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book."
And today that saying is truer than ever before. Behold, I come quickly. And He said that particularly to the Philadelphia Church age. He pointed that out to our age which is in the end of time. And He said, in chapter 3:11, "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." He tells us hold fast, I am coming quickly. I might add, I am coming within your life time. So hold fast. He is coming to snatch away His bride.
Now he says: Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. A parallel passage is chapter 1 and verse 3: Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein. For the time is at hand. So He wants us to keep the sayings of this prophecy. That means to walk in them and be doing them. To have faith in them, believe what God is going to be doing and that He is going to be wrapping up all things and order your life, accordingly. Keep it by taking it into your heart and living according to it. It's living faith, He says here that's what will be blessed.
Revelation 22:8 "And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things."
He falls down before the angel to worship. Even in the prophet John, in his human flesh and weakness, was overcome by the splendor of the presence of this angel. And yet the angel says, No, I am your fellowservant. Don't worship me. If the angel was that glorious to behold, I think when John gets there he's going to be even more glorified if that angel was his servant.
But imagine the glory which we will see in the face of God if John was awed by this angel. In his own flesh and weakness, he felt compelled to fall down before this angel and yet he was told not to do it. Now imagine what the effect is going to be upon us when we are in the presence of God. Love and adoration and wonder will compel us to worship Him. It won't be a case of, Well, I don't know if I feel like praising the Lord today. We won't have to decide, but we will be compelled to worship Him and love Him. We will fall down before Him. We will be in awe. It will be all we want to do is worship Him because He is so wonderful. And there won't be any devil hindering our worship at all, or causing us to see things the way they are not, clouding up our minds.
Revelation 22:9 "Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God."
As we see in Revelation 19:10, the probable meaning here where he says: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren, is not that I am a servant and you are a servant and we're fellowservants, but the Greek says: I am a fellowservant of you and of your brethren. In other words, I am a fellowservant. Now that means there are other servants, other angels who are serving you. And so I am a fellowservant along with the other servants of you.
So he says I am a fellowservant of you and your brethren. In other words, the truth that is being shown is also expressed in Hebrews 1:13-14. It says (Read). They are serving spirits to the heirs of salvation.
Revelation 22:10 "And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand."
The time is at hand. Now in chapter 1:10-11, he said send it to all these different churches. Don't seal it up, send it unto them. John said I was in the spirit on or in the Lord's Day and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet: saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, etc.... So he says send it to the 7 churches, John. In a greater sense, send it to the church of all ages. Don't let this book be sealed up. It was never God's will for this book to be completely sealed up and called a mystery or an enigma or something that no one can understand. Well, you better not get into that book, because you will just get confused. There are people that teach that. But He doesn't want it to be sealed up. He wanted it to be sent to all the churches. Now that doesn't mean that all the church ages were going to have the same understanding of that book available because God did say in another place to Daniel that in the last days knowledge shall increase. That is, mainly the knowledge of the things of God.
He said that these things were written for the time of the end. And so there will be and there is even now an increase of the knowledge of these things, but He wanted it to be open to the church of all ages. And not all the church ages have had an understanding of this book. But those who read it, even through all those church ages, it did give them vision and motivation. Even though they didn't fully understand it, it did give them a blessing. It caused them to realize the imminence of His coming. And it motivated them to walk with God. Even back in the Reformation, Luther and others, they were motivated by the prophecies of this book. And they believed that they were living in the last days. They believed that they were in the end times. And God allowed them to believe that because, in a sense, they were. Their lives were as a hand breadth and then they were going to be facing God. And so He wanted them to be motivated to walk with Him. He allowed His people of different times to believe that they were in that time of the end.
So He says the time is at hand, seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book. Let this message be known today.
Revelation 22:11 "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still."
Now what does that mean? Is God saying, Well, if you're a sinner, then I want you to stay a sinner. That's your calling. No, we know that's not true, because God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. First of all, it says, he that is unjust, let him be unjust still, and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still. That second word "filthy" there is passive. To be made filthy. He that is filthy, let him be made filthy still. He is being made filthy still by his own decisions and by allowing himself to be influenced by the things of the world.
He that is righteous, let him be righteous still. He that is holy, let him be holy still. The point is the decisions that people are making are forming their eternal destiny. And so he says if you are walking in a path that is unholy, then the end result is you are going to be unholy still. You are going to be eternally unholy.
If you are walking in righteousness and your desire is to know Him and to be like Him, you are going to be righteous still. There is a result of the decisions that we make and that we live.
Revelation 22:12 "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
Now in God's eyes, even in John's day, he was coming quickly. And John wrote in his first epistle: He said we are living in the last days. Beloved, it is the last time. Today how much more intense is that prophecy when the truths in this book are really being unveiled as never before, he says I am coming quickly. Today it's like in an instant.
He says my reward is with me. Reward or wages to give every man according as his work shall be. So his coming is going to produce judgment for some and reward for others according to their works. James 2:20-26.
Revelation 22:13 "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."
Again we see that it's Jesus, none other than Jesus, who is speaking. And He is God, He is all in all. Chapter 1:17-- I am the first and the last.
Revelation 22:14 "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
So it says blessed are they that do his commandments. Now the best reading there for do his commandments is wash their robes. Blessed are they that wash their robes. Again it shows decisions. He is stressing making the decisions in your life that are going to result in you being a part of that eternal city. So he says wash your robes. Wash your robes by applying the blood of Jesus Christ to them. Wash them by decisions to separate yourself more and more from this world, and by taking His life and His strength and His love into you-- wash your robes: become like Him.
Revelation 22:15 "For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."
That is, "without" or "outside the city." Now that does not mean that on the new earth there will be sin and whoremongers, etc... because we've already read in 2 Peter 3:13 that we're looking for a new heaven and earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. They're not going to be in that realm at all. They're going to be totally separated. But the point is-- you'd better be in the place in which you have access into this city because if you don't, you don't have eternal life. Verse 14 said (Read). The implication is that those who have eternal life can enter in through the gates of this city. And we saw before that there were some who were in the city; they dwelt there. They were part of that city. Others bring their glory and honor into it.
"Dogs" were unclean animals in Israel. So they are the unclean; they are men who are unclean in God's eyes. So they are without or outside this realm of eternal life.
"Sorcerers" could be translated "drug users", but implied is that false religion is involved as well.
"Whoremongers" doesn't mean just having to do with prostitutes. "Whoremongers" in the Greek is a more general term. It means "fornicators". Those who engage in illicit sex of any kind. It's a general term for sex sins.
"Whosoever loveth and maketh a lie" The word there for loveth is "phileo" and that word means "to have strong affection for" or "to place a value" upon that lie for how it makes them feel and for the pleasure they get out of that lie. He says they are loving a lie; they're embracing that thing like a good friend and a buddy. And they're saying, this is my salvation; this is joy; this is what I'm putting my confidence in. They're loving a lie. And the lie is the whole world; it's all the deception of the whole world. Whoever loves the world and the deceptions therein is going to be outside that realm of eternal life. So John said, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (1 John 2:15-16) Don't love it! Come out of it!
Most of the world is involved in this saying here, "Whosoever loveth and maketh a lie", even those who are moral and upstanding. In some way or another if they don't know God and they're not putting their trust in Him; they are loving and making a lie.
Revelation 22:16 "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."
I Jesus have sent mine angel. Revelation 1:1-- concerning that angel. Now that's another interesting thing because in this verse, it says: and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John. So it's Jesus sending His angel. Again we're seeing Jesus as God giving this revelation.
"I am the root and offspring of David" As God, He is the root of David. As the Christ, the man, he is the offspring of David.
Revelation 22:17 "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. I might add in this age that the Spirit through the bride is saying, "Come." Now "Come" is singular here. That is, "Come individual." It's the singular form in the Greek. And this indicates an individual call upon each heart. God is dealing with individual hearts, and He's saying, you come, you come. I'm calling you for I love you personally. I desire that you as an individual would come and be a part of this kingdom of mine.
And the bride has been saying, "Come" throughout all past church ages. There has been a witness for the name of Jesus Christ. And today the bride is saying, "Come". And the call is going to intensify more and more as we approach that day when He takes us home.
"And let him that heareth say, Come. That is, him that heareth with spiritual ears. He that hears and gets the revelation in his heart; let him proclaim it and let him help get other people ready. Let him that heareth say, "Come". If it has effected your heart and you've got this revelation in your heart, bring it to others so that they may come.
"And let him that is athirst come." Now everybody is athirst in one way or another, but not everybody realizes what they're really thirsting for. But when they do, and they realize and they're honest with themselves that it's God they're thirsting after, then they're in a position to come.
"And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Or as "a free gift". It's a free gift. Let him just take it. Take it by faith. Take it by surrendering to God by faith.
We can partake of the waters of life freely now, and as we do partake of it, the end result will be that we'll eternally be partaking of those waters of life. We have eternal life now by faith, and as we continue to walk in it, we'll be there.
Revelation 22:18-19 "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
That's an awesome warning! Don't add to this book. Don't subtract from this book. And I'm sure this was a great hindrance to those who wanted to come after and say, Well, the further revelation of John, etc... So anyway, it's a strong warning to anyone that would be tempted to do so. God is saying, I want this revelation to be clear. It stands complete in itself. It's all my people need along with me and my Spirit to get them there.
This applies specifically first of all to the book of Revelation because it says, the words of the prophecy of this book. Now in another sense, I think you can take it as the whole Bible because God knew this was all going to be one book. He wrote it. It's as though God sat down and wrote one big book and so this is the last chapter of not just Revelation, but the whole book. And there is prophecy in the whole book, but this specific reference is to this book alone. But in a sense, you can look at books like the Book of Mormon and others and say, that is a direct violation of this verse because God wrote the whole book.
Revelation 22:20 "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
And so it is Jesus who is testifying these things. It is Jesus who is coming. Amen. So let it be. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. In spite of the plagues and the wrath that is going to be poured out upon the unbelieving, unwilling earth and world, yet God must have a bride. He has to have a people. That is why He made us and He is going to be glorified. And He is going to have a people who will serve Him and love Him. So seeing all these things that are going to come to pass, John's reaction to the whole thing in conclusion is, even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Revelation 22:21 "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
And then he closes by writing to all the saints of all time. That is written to all of us.
