In Psalm 1:1-3, the person who shuns ungodly counsel because he or she delights to meditate in the Law of the Lord is compared to a tree planted by rivers of water. This person’s leaves do not wither. This person brings forth fruit in season and prospers.
The tree of life symbolizes the people of God who abided in Christ. They drank as David wrote in Psalm 36:8 from the river of God’s delight. In Psalm 46:4, David wrote, “There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.” The stream represents the Word and Holy Spirit flowing from God. The living waters proceed from the throne of God and the Lamb. By abiding in Christ, God’s people produced the fruit of God’s Spirit and with the foliage (gifts) of the Spirit, they brought healing to the nations.
In Genesis 2:8-9, in the beginning, “the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there He put the man He had formed.” The Hebrew word Eden (עֵדֶן), means “delight” or “pleasure” and refers to “paradise.” In the midst of the garden was a “tree of life.”
John’s vision is comparable with Ezekiel’s vision in Ezekiel 47:1, 12, “Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple...” “Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.”
John’s vision also reflects Zechariah 14:8, “In that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem...”
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.”
The seven seal, seven trumpet and seven bowl judgments were consequences of God’s curses on sin. God’s lists of curses on sin are located in Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26.
Adam and Eve’s sin brought the curse that drove them from paradise. We, their descendants have also sinned against God. In Isaiah 53:6, it is written, “All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned, every one, to his own way...” The good news at the end of this passage is, “And the Lord has laid on Him [Christ] the iniquity of us all.”
In Galatians 3:13-14, Paul wrote, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” There is no curse in New Jerusalem because Jesus removed the sin of the people who believed in Him before they entered into it.
Revelation 22:3 fulfills the words of Jeremiah 3:17, “At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the Name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.”
There are no curses in New Jerusalem because no one ever sins there.
In Revelation 2:7, Jesus said, “To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”
Revelation 22:4: “They shall see His face, and His Name shall be on their foreheads.”
In Psalm 17:15, David wrote, “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” How wonderful it will be to wake up from the sleep of death and see the face of God our Creator and Redeemer.
In Matthew 5:8, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
The best identification anyone can have is to be a member of the family of God.
Revelation 22:5: “There shall be no night there. They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”
Revelation 22:5 fulfills the promise that God gave to us in Isaiah 60:19, “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you. But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory.” It also fulfills God’s promise to the saints in Daniel 7:27, “Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’
Revelation 22:6-7: “Then he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true.’ And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. ‘Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.’”
In Revelation 1:1, Jesus began this book of prophecy by saying that the events in it must shortly come to pass, and here, at the end of this prophecy, He reiterates this good news.
The phrase ”must shortly come to pass” refers to the suddenness in which these events will happen. The seals will be opened, the trumpets will sound, the bowls of wrath will be poured out. After that, New Jerusalem will descend from God to people. In the context of eternity, the existence of a cursed earth for thousands of years is a short time. The curses will soon be over.
In Revelation 1:3, Jesus said, “Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
Faithful and true! That is what this prophecy is.
God gave this message to John via an angel. Angels are a link between God and His earthly messengers. In Acts 7:38, Stephen told religious leaders, “He [Moses] was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him... who received the lively oracles to give to us.” In Acts 7:53, Stephen declared, “You who have received the Law that was given through angels... have not obeyed it...”
Direct quotes of the words spoken by the angel Gabriel to Daniel, Zechariah, Mary and Joseph are recorded in Daniel 9:20-27, Luke 1:11-20, 26-38, and Matthew 1:20-25. In Galatians 3:19, Paul wrote, “It [the Law] was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.” In Hebrews 2:2, “The Word spoken through angels proved unalterable.”
Revelation 22:8-9: “Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brothers the prophets, and of those who keep the Words of this book. Worship God.’”
The angel told John not to bow to him. He identified himself as John’s fellow servant, and a prophetic brother. He urged John to worship God.
In Matthew 4:8-10, the devil urged Jesus to bow and worship him. Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Away from Me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
In Acts 14:8-15, when the people of Lystra considered Barnabas and Paul to be gods and began to make sacrifices to them, Barnabas and Paul said to them, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them.”
In Exodus 20:3, the Lord said, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” We should never treat people as gods as some did in the ancient world. To God alone be all glory and worship!
Revelation 22:10: “And He said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.’”
The Lord did not want John to keep this prophecy a secret. He wanted him to proclaim it.
Revelation 22:11-12: “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him be righteous still. He who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”
In Matthew 24:27, Jesus declared, “As the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” In Matthew 24:44, He warned us to be ready, “for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” When Jesus returns, it will be too late to change. We will either be unjust and filthy or righteous and holy at that moment.
The Lord’s words in Revelation 22:12, “to give everyone according to his work,” are comparable to His words in Jeremiah 17:10, it is written, “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”
In 1 Corinthians 3:14, Paul wrote, “If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.”
Revelation 22:13: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning, and the End, the First and the Last.”
Now, the Lord is speaking to John because He says that He is the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, the First and the Last. This is how Jesus introduced Himself in Revelation 1:8, 11, 21:6.
The title the First and the Last is proof that Jesus is Yahweh, because in Isaiah 41:4, Yahweh says that He is the First and the Last.
Revelation 22:14-15: “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.”
How do we keep the commandments? We keep them by abiding in Christ. What are the rewards for keeping them? We eat from the tree of life! We enter the gates of New Jerusalem!
Obviously, a person who practices sorcery, lives immorally, murders, worships idols, and deceives people is not abiding in Christ.
In Philippians 3:2, Paul warned us to beware of dogs, evildoers, and mutilators of the flesh.
In Ephesians 5:5, Paul wrote, “For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
In 1 John 1:6, John wrote, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”
In Hebrews 12:14, Paul wrote, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”
In Matthew 7:21-27, Jesus said, “Not everyone that says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven.’”
In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
In Luke 12:37, Jesus said, “Blessed are those servants whom the Lord... shall find watching.”
Revelation 22:16: “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
The angels testify for Jesus. This doesn’t mean that they necessarily appear in visible form as Gabriel did to Zechariah, Mary and Joseph, but they do convey messages from Jesus to us.
Hebrews 1:7 states, “He [God] makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire.” This passage highlights the dual nature of angels – sometimes described as wind-like spirits, other times as fiery beings. Hebrews 1:14 states that angels are “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.”
By referring to Himself as the Root and the Offspring of David, Jesus confirmed to the Apostle John and to us that it is indeed He, Messiah, that is speaking to us.
Revelation 22:17: “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”
God’s Word in Revelation 22:17 is like God’s Word in Isaiah 55:1 where He says, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters...”
Revelation 22:18-19: “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
In Deuteronomy 4:2, the Lord gave to Moses a similar warning, saying, “You shall not add unto the Word which I command you, neither shall you diminish ought from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” Due to the blessings and curses involved, it is good to know and rightly teach the prophecies contained in the Bible.
In Deuteronomy 29:19-20, the Lord said when a person hears the curses of the Law and persists in lawbreaking, “every curse that is written in this book will settle on him. The Lord will blot out his name from under heaven.”
Revelation 22:20-21, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”
Revelation began with a blessing of grace in Revelation 1:4, and it ends with a blessing of grace from our Lord Jesus Christ. “Thank You Lord for Your grace.” In Ephesians 2:8-9, it is written, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
No comments:
Post a Comment