Revelation 22:1-5
22 And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever.
*Imagine, if you will, the throne of God and of the Lamb, unified now, and a river flowing from it, running down the main street. A tree has a wide opening it its trunk through which the river runs, so it straddles it. OR there are many trees on either side of the river, all sharing the same root system like kudzu. (Please don’t let there be kudzu in heaven).
22:1 And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb
The throne of God: Dr. Andy Woods: “Now notice that the throne of God is now the throne of the Lamb and there’s been a merger in the two thrones. That’s not what we read earlier in the Book of Revelation. But Revelation 3:21 describes the fact that Jesus today is not seated on David’s throne. [Revelation 3:21, Jesus says, “I will grant him” future tense, “to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down” aorist tense, “with My Father on His throne.” Notice the distinction between the throne of God in heaven, the throne of the Father, and the throne of Jesus Christ. Those are two different thrones.
“You see, right now Jesus is not on David’s throne; He is on the Father’s throne in heaven where He is not functioning as King but as high priest after the order of Melchizedek. But one of these days He’s going to come back to the earth and He’s going to actually sit on His own throne as King in the thousand-year kingdom, ruling this world from Jerusalem. And only after that whole time period elapses will those two thrones merge together. And not until you get to the eternal state you’ll see the throne of God and of the Lamb which argues that there’s one throne now instead of two.
“You say well why is this a big deal? This is a big deal because we’re living in an era where church leaders and church theologians are trying to bring in the kingdom, which is a waste of time. First of all, the kingdom that you create I’m not sure I want to be part of it and I’m not sure if you want to be part of the kingdom I create because the church was never given the task of bringing God’s kingdom to the earth. But there’s a school of thought that says we are in the kingdom now and Jesus is now reigning on David’s throne now in heaven, and that would violate Revelation 3:21 which says there’s two thrones. Jesus is not reigning on David’s throne now contrary to what many, many people will try to convince you of. He is on the Father’s throne and He will be on His own throne after the tribulation period, during the millennial reign of Christ, and only when that time period runs its course and we move into the eternal state will there be a merger of the two thrones.
“And the argument that’s being made today is well, there’s just one throne because there’s going to be one throne in the eternal state so there must be one throne now, therefore Jesus is running things from David’s throne now because we’re in the kingdom. And they’re taking realities from the far right-hand side of the screen, the eternal state, things that haven’t happened yet, and they’re making it sound as if that’s normal today. The fact of the matter is there are a lot of things in the eternal state that aren’t normal today. There’s no such thing as death in the eternal state, yet death is a reality today. We could go right on down the list.
“So don’t let people fool you into this idea that Jesus is on David’s throne now, He is NOT on David’s throne, He’s on the Father’s throne. But those two thrones one day will merge together in the distant future and that’s what we’re seeing here.
Dr. Andy Woods also mentions: ‘That city is our ultimate home. By the way, did you know that’s where your citizenship is? The Bible says our citizenship is where? In heaven, Philippians 3:20. [Philippians 3:20, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;”] So we ought to become familiar with this city that we will inhabit one day and we’ve looked at a lot of things related to that city.’
22:2 2…in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
(The tree of life is no longer guarded by Cherubim with flaming swords!)
Genesis 3:24 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
ALSO, the fact that months are still measured dispels the thought that time won’t matter in heaven.
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[[And the fact it is 12 months, or one solar year, tells us there may still be a sun.
How do we justify 21:23 with this?
23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
So maybe there’s a sun, but we don’t need it.
OR..
Genesis 1:3
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
Shows that the ‘light’ that divided night and day was created before the sun and moon, which were created even after the plants were created…
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall serve as signs and for seasons, and for days and years; 15 and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.]]
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Sermon from Sturgeon on this passage…
One excerpt of many, (I encourage you to read them all…) Point # 3 of 25 in this essay…
- We are about to speak only of the leaves of this true tree of life, “the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Of what can this tree be a type except of our Lord Jesus Christ and his salvation? What can it mean but that the presence of Christ preserves the inhabitants of heaven for ever free from sickness, while beyond heaven the precincts, among the nations, the saving influence is scattered? Just as the leaves fall from the trees, so does sacred influence descend from our Lord Jesus in heaven down to the sons of men; and just as the leaves are the least precious products of a fruit bearing tree, so the least things that have to do with him and come from him have a healing virtue in them. I shall handle the text very briefly in reference to heaven, and then at full length endeavour to bring out its relationship to earth, as the Holy Spirit may enable me.
From Got Questions: Why will the nations need healing in the New Jerusalem?
One of God’s promises concerning the eternal state is that the nations of the world will have healing. The question comes up, though, as to why exactly healing is needed. Isn’t the New Jerusalem a place of perfection already?
The promise of the healing of the nations is found in Revelation 22, after the creation of the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1). John writes, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:1–5).
The healing of the nations is linked to the tree of life, as God reestablishes Eden. It is the leaves of this tree that are said to be “for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). It is possible that the tree of life in the New Jerusalem is literal and that its leaves and various fruits will somehow enrich our existence in the eternal state. All the nations represented there will be “healed” of their divisions and strife in their equal access to the tree of life.
It is also possible that the tree of life in the New Jerusalem is symbolic and that its “healing” signifies the eternal life that all will enjoy there. The different fruits it bears could represent the unlimited variety of our existence in heaven. The clear flowing river that waters the tree could picture the spiritual life of God’s redeemed—the “living water” Jesus promised in John 4:13–14.
The healing the tree of life’s leaves provide is not the healing of the wounds of battle—warfare will have ended. The healing is not needed for combating sickness—there will be no more sickness, death, or pain (Revelation 21:4). No, the “healing” is a reference to the perpetual blessing of the new heaven and earth; never again will the world be plagued by physical disorders or spiritual malaise or corruption. There will be no more warfare, no strife, no conflicting factions. God will heal all that ails His creation, and there will be no more curse (Revelation 22:3).
In the eternal state, everything will be blessed, and the tree of life represents that blessedness. There will be perfect sinlessness, perfect government, perfect service to God, perfect communion, and perfect glory. It is impossible for us to imagine being totally separated from sin and living in a glorified state before God. But the Lord assures us that “these words are trustworthy and true” (Revelation 22:6).
*One last consideration:
(NIV) 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
But Revelation 22:2 in most translations say ‘the leaves WERE for the healing of the nations.’ Instead of ARE for the healing of the nations like the NIV. So it is possibly a type of memorial to how God healed the nations during the Millennial Kingdom. Perhaps the tree is not needed for the ongoing healing of the nations but is a memorial we can always look back on as to how the nations WERE healed during the Millennium. (Much like the animal sacrifices during the Millennium are not negating Christ’s death on the cross, but memorializing it.)
(NASB) 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
(KJV) 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.
(NKJV) 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.
22:3
He continues on here in verse 3 and he talks about the fact that even the curse itself is going to be erased. Notice verse 3, we’ve seen the river, we’ve seen the trees, notice what’s missing from the eternal state… no curse. What does it say here, “There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him.” The curse itself is erased in the eternal state. You say what’s the curse? The curse, Romans 8:19-22, is the bondage that the earth is in now and has been in ever since the fall of man in Eden.
[Romans 18:19-22, “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. [20] For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope [21] that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. [22] For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”]
We know from Romans 8:22 that the whole creation is personified as groaning, “eagerly” awaiting, verse 19 of Romans 8, eagerly awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God,” the angels who are going to return with Jesus Christ to the earth and take the chains off of this world that we’re in that’s suffering and groaning. This is why we are to pray “Thy kingdom” what? “Thy kingdom come.” I’m looking forward to the time period when the curse is completely reversed.
*22:4a 4 they will see His face,
What a privilege now, because…
Exodus 33:20 20 He further said, “You cannot see My face, for mankind shall not see Me and live!”
*22:4b and His name will be on their foreheads
What does that remind us of?
Ezekiel 9:4
4 And the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and make a mark on the foreheads of the people who groan and sigh over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.”
Also…
Revelation 7:2-3
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”
(Thank you, Mark for the reminder of this passage!)
*Satan is the great imitator, so it doesn’t surprise me that he chose a similar method in Revelation 13…
Revelation 13:16-18
16 And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
22:5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever.
*This hearkens back to a point that was suggested in a prior session by someone, that perhaps Heaven’s walls were so high as to block any light from escaping and keep it all in.
Look back at Revelation 21:24
23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed;
So heaven will be light to all the nations to walk by. Again, we are the Bride, living in the new Jerusalem. ‘The Nations’ mentioned here will be made up of others that are saved, the OT saints and the Tribulation Saints. Others?
**There are thousands of pages of commentaries and thousands of hours of videos just on these verses, like all of Revelation. I have likely not made your favorite points on the passage, but I leave it to you to do your own studies.
Revelation 22:6-21
6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 And he *said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
The Final Message
10 And he *said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and the one who is filthy still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy still keep himself holy.”
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the water of life without cost.
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, 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 will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
High points:
In chapter 22 we see a reflection of some ideas that were expressed earlier in the book.
*22:6a And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
This sounds very much like Revelation 19:11
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
*22:6b …sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
Recalls Revelation 1:1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, the things which must soon take place; – again, this is en taxei in the Greek, which has the flavor of ‘when things start happening, they will accelerate quickly.’
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*22.7 7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” *(This is beatitude # 6 of 7 by the way) recalls…
3:11a 11 I am coming quickly;
And
1:3 3 Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near. (beatitude #1 of 7)
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*22:8 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things
Again, John is verifying that he personally witnessed these things and is not recording things second hand (like Luke did for instance). Adds to the authenticity of the report. Recalls…
1:1b-2 and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw.
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*22:8b-9 And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 And he *said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
19:9-10 And he *said to me, “These are the true words of God.” 10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brothers and sisters…
*John is like one of those fainting goats I think…
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*22:10 10 And he *said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
What does this verse remind you of?
Daniel 12:4
4 But as for you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal up the book until the end of time; many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”
And Daniel 12:9
9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and sealed up until the end time.
**So what does this mean? Why was Daniel told to seal up the book, and John was told ‘do NOT seal up the book?’
Dr. Andy Woods says, ‘Why is Daniel told to shut the whole thing and John is told to open it up? Well, it has to do with when Daniel received his vision six centuries before Christ. When did John receive his vision? He received it after the death, burial, resurrection, ascension of Christ, after the church age had started, and after God had disclosed everything that needed to be disclosed in what is called the New Testament canon.
‘Daniel, you’ve done your job; you’re going to rise in the resurrection. Don’t worry about it; every-thing is on schedule. But I don’t know what all this means? Close it up; seal it. You did your part, and now enjoy the rest of your life in Babylon, Persia, etc.
‘So, Daniel, you’ve got a jigsaw puzzle that has pieces missing. But John, because you have access to Daniel’s writings and a completed Old Testament, now have a completed New Testament, you don’t have a jigsaw puzzle box with pieces gone. You’ve got something that Daniel didn’t have. You’ve got all the pieces so assemble the data. Put it together, just like you would assemble a jigsaw puzzle. And unseal it in the sense that proclaim it, teach it, don’t be embarrassed by it. Shout it to the roof top because Jesus is coming soon.
Dr JVM says, ‘Daniel was told to seal up the words of his prophecy because of the long interval before the fulfillment of it. In fact, we of the 20th century (!) have not come to the Seventieth Week of Daniel (we will explore this again shortly) yet. In contrast, the prophecy given to John was even then in the process of being fulfilled. For 1900 years, the church has been passing through the time periods given in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.
*Note that in Daniel’s day, God considered 600 years before Christ’s advent too soon to reveal the meaning of Daniel’s prophecy. (Possibly to throw Satan off?)
*It has now been over 3 times as long since John’s prophecy was given which said ‘Behold, I come quickly’. So if 600 years is too long, why isn’t 1900 years also too long? Is He coming back at all?
Pray for a prisoner nicknamed Dallas who said this very thing to me this past Tuesday. By the way, he says he absolutely believes in reincarnation as he has déjà vu a lot.
He said, very seriously, that he hopes to be reincarnated as an elephant because they are very smart. (Well how about the human species?) He has no Hindu or Buddhist influences on his early years by the way. He just started coming to the Prison Fellowship meetings as he is ‘just curious and taking it all in.’. Please pray that God connects with him.
But when he said this, I told him ‘Charles,’ (his real name), did you know that you just now fulfilled prophecy?
2 Peter 3:3-4 and 9 says ‘ Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue just as they were from the beginning of creation.”
. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.’
He shrugged, and again when I told him that the Judeo-Christian faith is the only one of the 4200 faith systems that has accurately fulfilled prophecy, and that we are the only faith system in which God came down to us.
All the other faith systems, if they even believe in God, say that we have to work for God’s approval. We have to work our way TO God, instead of Him coming to us.
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*22:11 – 11 Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and the one who is filthy still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy still keep himself holy.”
This tells me that it is too late now to change. Among these are the virgins who did not have oil (the HS) in their lamps, and at the last minute will want to rush out and do so. Like waiting until the night before the due date to start a term paper.
These virgins aren’t convinced that Jesus was really going to return. There was still a chance that they could continue to enjoy life on their terms. Then when they see and hear the bridegroom approaching, they suddenly realize they were wrong and try to ‘get saved’.
This has the same flavor as ‘God hardening the heart of Pharaoh’ in Exodus 10:27
Up to this point, the Bible says, Pharaoh had hardened his own heart with each plague after God took it away.
God, now, lets Pharaoh have his own way.
The same sun melts wax but hardens clay. Don’t blame the sun. Blame the material you lay before it.
Dr. Woods – And so verse 10 we sort of concluded with an exhortation that the Holy Spirit gives John to unseal this book. Why? Because the time is at hand. And if the time is at hand, verse 11, the day is coming in human history where people’s destiny will be fixed. There won’t be an opportunity to decide for Christ any longer. Whatever decision that a person has made follows them into the eternal realm.
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*22:12 12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves.
Verse 12a recalls 3:11a 11 I am coming quickly; 12b recalls 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each person must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire.
and 2 Corinthians 5:10 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad.
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*22:13 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Verse 13 recalls 1:8 – 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
And also 1:17-18 17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. –
*and again, is one answer to the JWs, who do not believe Jesus is God. I can go into more detail on that including OT references of God declaring Himself the Alpha and Omega, then Jesus declaring Himself the Alpha and Omega, who was slain…
And also Rev. 21:6 – 6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give water to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life, without cost.
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*22:14 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates. (Seventh beatitude of seven)
Are we to wash our own robes? I thought we were given new clean robes.
19:14 –14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
Dr. Woods – ‘You’ll notice that the redeemed are blessed because they have had their robes washed. Well how do I get my robes washed and who does the washing exactly? You’ll find the answer in the Book of Ephesians, chapter 5 and verse 26 describing Christ’s relationship to His church. Concerning the church He says, “ so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.” You’re washed in the blood of Christ because of the word of Christ. And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. The moment you trust in that message, which we call the gospel, is the moment your robes are washed. I hope you’re not sort of planning on beautifying yourself before you appear before a holy God. I have absolutely no intention of standing before a holy God in my own robes of righteousness because I know at the end of the day they’re not going to get me very far anyway. I plan on standing in the robes that He provides me, not having a righteousness of my own but a transferred righteousness at the point of faith alone in Christ alone.
‘If you’re a citizen of that city and your robes have been washed how blessed are you? And what are some of the things we’re going to be doing in that eternal city? Verse 14, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.” You can walk in the city and walk out at will. And anytime you want to go to the tree of life you have full access to it. And that’s not a privilege that has been afforded to the human race ever since the fall in Eden.
So I think it is rather God giving us clean robes after washing away our sins. Submit our robes to be washed by Him. Remember that our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), but Revelation 19:8 says…
8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
So somehow the filthy rags of our righteous acts had to be washed to become bright and clean.
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*22:15 15 Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.
I’ve looked at several commentaries and none seem to think that hell is just outside the gates of the New Jerusalem. In fact, this verse doesn’t say just how far outside these sorcerers (pharmakeia – druggies), murderers and immoral persons are. (Remember what Jesus said about murder and adultery in Matthew 5.).
From elsewhere in scripture, we know that they are in the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels, where the Beast and the False Prophet also are.
As there is no sadness in heaven, I can’t believe they will be right outside the gates of the New Jerusalem as some may interpret this verse.
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*22:16 16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you of these things for the churches*. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
*recalls, again, Revelation 1:1 … and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,…
…the bright morning star…
Charles Ryrie: He is the morning star, the precursor of the new day.
Lucifer is also called a morning star in Isaiah 14.
From gotquestions.org…
Why are both Jesus and Satan referred to as the morning star?
ANSWER
The first reference to the morning star as an individual is in Isaiah 14:12: “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” (NIV). The KJV and NKJV both translate “morning star” as “Lucifer, son of the morning.” It is clear from the rest of the passage that Isaiah is referring to Satan’s fall from heaven (Luke 10:18). So in this case, the morning star refers to Satan. In Revelation 22:16, Jesus unmistakably identifies Himself as the morning star. Why are both Jesus and Satan described as the “morning star”?
It is interesting to note that the concept of the “morning star” is not the only concept that is applied to both Jesus and Satan. In Revelation 5:5, Jesus is referred to as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. In 1 Peter 5:8, Satan is compared to a lion, seeking someone to devour. The point is this, both Jesus and Satan, to a certain extent, have similarities to lions. Jesus is similar to a lion in that He is the King, He is royal and majestic. Satan is similar to a lion in that he seeks to devour other creatures. That is where the similarities between Jesus, Satan, and lions end, however. Jesus and Satan are like lions in very different ways.
The idea of a “bright morning star” is a star that outshines all the others, and Jesus is the One who is called “bright.” Satan was a morning star. Jesus, as God incarnate, the Lord of the universe, is the BRIGHT and morning star. Jesus is the most holy and powerful “light” in all the universe. So, while both Jesus and Satan can be described as “morning stars,” in no sense is this equating Jesus and Satan. Satan is a created being. His light only exists to the extent that God created it. Jesus is the light of the world (John 9:5). Only Jesus’ light is “bright” and self-existent. Satan may be a morning star, but he is only a poor imitation of the one true bright morning star, Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
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22:17-21 pretty much self-explanatory, though some cults need to pay heed to 22:18-19…
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the water of life without cost.
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, 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 will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.