CHAPTER 22

(A.D. 96)

THE NEW JERUSALEM

¹And he showed me a pure river of Water of Life, clear as crystal (symbolic of the Holy Spirit [Jn. 7:37-39]), proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. (This Water of Life is made possible by what Jesus did at the Cross, hence, the word Lamb.)

²In the midst of the street of it (proclaims the fact that this pure River of Water of Life, clear as crystal flows in the middle of this street of pure gold), and on either side of the river, wasthere the Tree of Life (the fruit of this Tree of Life must be eaten every month, and were speaking of the part of the population who dont have glorified bodies), which bear twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month (we have the number 12 again, which signifies the Government of God as it relates to the manner of Eternal Life; there are twelve different types of fruit, but we arent told what they are): and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (This pertains to the stopping of any type of sickness before it even begins. As stated, the population on Earth, which will never die and will not have Glorified Bodies, will need these things. These are they who were saved during the Kingdom Age, and thereafter.)

RULERS

³And there shall be no more curse (a curse was placed on the Earth at the Fall; it is being said here that there will be no more curse because there will be no more sin): but the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it (the authority of rulership will be as great with God the Son as it is with God the Father; in fact, by the use of the word Lamb, we are made to realize that all of this is made possible because of what Jesus did at the Cross); and His servants shall serve Him (the idea is that every Believer in the Perfect Age will so love the Lord and the Lamb that they will gladly serve Him):

⁴And they shall see His face (shows intimate relationship); and His Name shall be in their foreheads (refers to ownership; we were bought with a price, and that price was the Blood of the Lamb).

⁵And there shall be no night there (this speaks of the New Jerusalem only, for night and day will be in the balance of the Earth forever); and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light (presents the Source of this Light): and they shall reign forever and ever. (It has never been known for servants to reign like kings; however, these servants shall!)

ALPHA AND OMEGA

⁶And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true (proclaimed in this fashion simply because many of the statements made are so absolutely astounding they defy description): and the Lord God of the Holy Prophets sent his Angel to show unto His servants (the Greek word Aggelos is translated Angel here, but should have been translated Messenger; we know this man is not an Angel, nor is he Christ) the things which must shortly be done (is not speaking of Johns day, but rather the setting of the Vision is a time frame which has not come about even yet; it will take place immediately after the Rapture of the Church; from that point forward, which is what is meant here, we have the things which must shortly be done, referring to the Great Tribulation).

⁷Behold, I come quickly (has more to do with the manner of His Coming than anything else; when He does come, which will be at the height of the Battle of Armageddon, it will be sudden, even immediate): blessed is he who keeps the sayings of the Prophecy of this Book. (This is the only Book in the world that gives a preview of the future. Consequently, every Believer ought to study the Book of Revelation as much as they do any other Book in the entire Bible.)

⁸And I John saw these things, and heard them(presents an impeccable witness). And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the Angel which showed me these things. (John, it seems, will make the same mistake twice.)

⁹Then says he unto me, See you do it not (presents the same words used by the previous man when John did the same thing [Rev. 19:10]: for I am your fellowservant, and of your Brethren the Prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this Book. (He evidently is one of the Great Prophets of the Old Testament, who eagerly awaits the fulfillment of these Prophecies as well): worship God (includes both God the Father and God the Son.)

¹⁰And he said unto me, Seal not the sayings of the Prophecy of this Book (refers to the fact that the things given in this Book are meant to be known and understood; they are not hidden truths): for the time is at hand (speaks of the immediate fulfillment of the events, which were to happen in consecutive order from Johns day to eternity; it began with the Church Age, which is now almost over; the Great Tribulation will follow, concluding with the Second Coming, which will usher in the Kingdom Age, followed by the Perfect Age).

¹¹He who is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still (proclaims the fact that men are building up their destiny by the actions and habits of their lives): and he who is Righteous, let him be Righteous still: and he who is Holy, let him be Holy still. (Records that which the Spirit of God can bring about in a persons life, irrespective that they have once been unjust and morally filthy. This is all done through the Cross, and only through the Cross.)

¹²And, behold, I come quickly (is not meant to portray the time of His Coming, but rather the suddenness of His Coming; the idea is that whatever we are at His Coming, whenever that Coming takes place, is what we will be forever); and My reward is with Me (the word reward can either be positive or negative), to give every man according as his work shall be. (Our Faith, however placed, will produce a certain type of works. Only Faith in the Cross is accepted.)

¹³I am Alpha and Omega (presents the first letter in the Greek Alphabet [Alpha], and the last letter in the Greek Alphabet [Omega]; it is another way of saying, the first and the last, which includes all in-between), the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (This doesnt mean Christ as God had a beginning, for He didnt. It is speaking of whatever is in question. Christ is the beginning of all things, and the end of all things.)

BLESSED

¹⁴Blessed are they (presents the seventh and last Beatitude in the Book of Revelation) who do His Commandments (should have been translated, who washed their robes in the Blood of the Lamb; the Greek Text used for the King James Version of the Bible was the Textus Receptus; it is the Text that Erasmus, the famous Renaissance scholar, published in A.D. 1516; it was the first New Testament Greek Text ever published; since 1516, the world of scholarship and Archaeology has discovered thousands of earlier Greek Texts; by comparing these thousands of Manuscripts, the scholars can easily ascertain the original Text the Apostle wrote), that they may have the right to the Tree of Life (proclaims the fact that this right can be attained in only one way, by washing our robes in the Blood of the Lamb), and may enter in through the gates into the city (proclaims the Eternal abode of the Redeemed; we shall enter that city by means of His Grace, which is the Cross of Christ).

¹⁵For without are dogs (homosexuals), and sorcerers (witchcraft), and whoremongers (pertains to all type of immorality), and murderers (pertains not only to killing in cold blood, but as well murdering ones reputation through gossip), and idolaters (pertains to placing anything above God, or on a par with God; religion is the greatest idolatry of all), and whosoever loves and makes a lie (refers to anything thats untrue).

¹⁶I Jesus (this short phrase is found only here in Scripture, emphasizing its importance; Christ is closing out the Book of Revelation here, but most of all, He is testifying to the Truth of what has been given) have sent My Angel to testify unto you these things in the Churches. (The word Angel here means Messenger, and actually refers to the Pastors of the respective Churches in question, and actually for all time.) I am the Root and the Offspring of David (is meant to project the Incarnation of Christ), and the Bright and Morning Star. (The Morning Star speaks of a new beginning that any person can have, irrespective of their present situation, if they will only look to Christ.)

INVITATION

¹⁷And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. (This presents the cry of the Holy Spirit to a hurting, lost, and dying world. What the Holy Spirit says should also be said by all Believers.) And let him who hears say, Come. (It means if one can hear, then one can come.) And let him who is athirst come (speaks of spiritual thirst, the cry for God in the soul of man). And whosoever will, let him take the Water of Life freely (opens the door to every single individual in the world; Jesus died for all and, therefore, all can be Saved, if they will only come).

¹⁸For I testify unto every man who hears the words of the Prophecy of this Book (proclaims the inerrancy of the Book of Revelation; in other words, John testifies that it is the Word of God), If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this Book (proclaims the fact that changing the meaning of the Prophecies in this Book can bring upon one the Judgment of God):

¹⁹And if any man shall take away from the words of the Book of this Prophecy (the idea is that the words of the Prophecy should not be changed in any manner, whether by addition or deletion), 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. (This is a warning given to Believers, and should be understood accordingly!)

²⁰He which testifies these things (proclaims the fact that the Office of the Messiah as Saviour is repeated again and again throughout the Prophecy; He is the Lamb Who was slain, and His Blood washes from sin, and Alone makes fit for entrance into the Eternal City) says, Surely I come quickly (leaves the Promise to come as the last Message from the Lord Jesus to the Believers hearts; and on this sweet note, the Prophecy ends). Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus (proclaims the answer of the True Church to the Promise of Christ regarding the Second Coming).

²¹The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (presents John using the very words of Paul in his closing benediction; Christ is the Source, but the Cross is the means)be with you all. Amen. (This proclaims the fact that it is the same Message for all, and is available to all. The word Amen closes out the Book of Revelation, and, in fact, the entire Canon of Scripture, which took about 1,600 years to bring forth in its entirety. It gives acclaim to the Finished Work of Christ. It is done. And, thereby, all of Heaven, along with all the Redeemed, must say: Amen.)