| 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. | God has provided everything we possibly need in eternity. The citizens of the New Jerusalem (and New Earth) will have a fresh supply of pure water. This is a literal river rather than symbolic. So many Christians think Heaven will be like some dreamy never-never land, instead it is a real place. So too will everything described concerning the New Earth be real. This river of life flows from the throne of God and the Lamb. Notice that Throne is in the singular. We will have a constant reminder that "God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). | |
| 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. | On either side of this river stands the tree of life. It seems that the river runs through the tree. It is apt that the river of life waters the tree of life. This is the same tree of life that God planted in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). Because of sin, man was not permitted to eat of it. God wanted man to eat the tree of eternal life, but for six thousand years no one has eaten its fruit - all die because of sin. On the New Earth, where there is no sin, eternal life will be enjoyed by all. This tree has twelve different fruits. It never has an autumn, instead it flourishes all year round forever. Healing of the nations refers to eternal health. This simply means that there is no possibility of anyone ever getting ill. The food (leaves) from this tree keeps people healthy. Sickness, as we understand, is a product of sin and death. Since there will be no more pain it follows that there can be no more sickness. The leaves are preventative medicine of a sort ... "And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine" (Ezekiel 47:12). | |
| 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: | On this present earth man is cursed with sickness, aging, deterioration and death. All because of Adam's sin. But there will be no curse ion the New Earth. The ground will be free from the curse (Genesis 3:17). Man lost the presence of God because of the curse. In the New Earth the Throne (presence) of God and the Messiah will be with man. | |
| 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. |
Everyone will enjoy constant access to God. Imagine that one day we shall see Him! "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). Do you know why the Devil and Antichrist want to number everyone? They want to stop God writing His name in man's forehead. You see, Satan really only counterfeits God. In the New Earth all of God's children bear His name. We will always belong to Him. | |
| 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 for ever and ever. | No night, why? Because there is no sun or moon. There will never be any need for manmade artificial light. Why have the copy if you can have the real thing! Genesis chapter 1 tells us that in the beginning God created light. This light emanated from Him since the sun was not created until the fourth day. This is eternal light. Just think, no electricity bills, ever! | |
| 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. | As we reach the end of our study on the Book of Revelation we are presented with eleven stirring facts. These facts hold true, not only for the Revelation, but also for the whole Bible. We should have come to realise that its message is not history past but history future; that we may be the generation that will see all these things unfold. Fact 1: The Message id Faithful and True. It is not a fairy tale, nor is it of a book of mystic symbolism. It is a reliable and trustworthy account of what is going to happen on this earth before, during, and after Christ's Millennial Reign on this earth. It is faithful and true because it agrees with the prophetic writings of the Old Testament. It is especially faithful and true because it comes from God Himself. |
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| 7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. | Fact 2: The Message is a blessing. Many refuse to read, study and listen to the message of Revelation, therefore they can never receive the special blessing available for those who do. What is this blessing? It is fivefold. [1] A deeper awareness of the presence of the Lord. [2] Being prepared and ready for the Lord's soon return. [3] The ability to stand in the final days. [4] An anticipation of Heaven's glories. [5] A true thankfulness for salvation. In fact, the blessings are endless to those who really take time to study this wonderful book. | |
| 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. | Fact 3: The Message Stirs Worship. John saw and heard all of these things. As he comes to the end of his prophetic visions he has a desire to worship and praise. This should be our experience too. No wonder Satan does not want us to study this book. This is the second time John bows before the angel bringing the message (Revelation 19:10), and he is about to receive a similar rebuke. | |
| 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. | True Christians worship none but God. We do not pray to or worship angels or men and women who have reached Heaven. Worship God alone, not Satan or the millions of false gods. Those who worship other than the true God: reject the fact that Jesus died for their sins; refuse to live for Christ; reject the Scriptures; reject any idea of Christ's return. | |
| 10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. | Fact 4: The Message is to be studied by all. The book of Revelation is not for prophecy preachers alone, but all of God's people can at the very least read it. All of God's people should know about the Last Days and the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The message should never be sealed up or removed from the Bible. No doubt some future new translation of the Bible will have the Revelation removed from its pages. How can we be prepared for what is coming upon this earth if we do not bother to read and study this book? | |
| 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. | The time will come when it will be too late to read and study revelation. It will then be too late to prepare for the Lord's return. All that will be left is a lost eternity. Those who reject Revelation will also fail to enter God's Kingdom. All meet God in the condition they die in or found in when He returns. We can either be unjust and filthy or righteous and holy. The choice is ours. Notice though it is in context of understanding and studying the final book of the Bible. | |
| 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. | Fact 5: The Message concerns itself with Christ's Return and Coming Judgement. The Lord declares, "Behold, I come quickly." The idea is of the need for preparation in the hearts and lives of God's own. In turn, this message should be preached to the lost. When He returns judgement must follow. This judgement is based upon everything each man has done. God rewards His own with life eternal, but the lost are doomed to eternal damnation. "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then shall He reward every man according to his works" (Matthew 16:27) … "For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10). | |
| 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. | The Lord Jesus Christ will sit as the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He knows all that there is to know about every person on earth. Nothing can be hidden from His eyes. | |
| 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. | Fact 6: The Message informs us about who will be accepted by the Lord. How do we know we will enter Heaven's glory? Once saved, Always saved theology without true and ongoing commitment to Christ does not fit the teaching of Scripture. Only the ones who obey the Lord throughout the lives are the blessed ones. Only they have the right to enjoy the blessedness of the redeemed. What kind of Christian is it that refuses to live for Christ but relies upon some sinners prayer uttered decades ago! | |
| 15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. | Fact 7: The Message informs us about who are rejected by the Lord. These include homosexuals (dogs), occultists (all who practice the dark arts, spiritism, astrology, and other forms of witchcraft whether white or black), those involved in perverted practices, murderers, idol worshippers, and all deceivers. None of these can enter Christ's Kingdom unless they repent of these wicked things. They are lost and are rejected by God. | |
| 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. | Fact 8: The Message is a Proclamation of Christ. The Revelation is Christ's message to His Church and to the world. It is not to be seen as a series of visions concerning last day events only. More importantly it is the revelation of Jesus Christ Himself. It declares what He says and who He is. So many miss this point when studying the book. No wonder they cannot understand its message. The church must proclaim Him to be the Messiah and Coming King just as Revelation describes Him to be. | |
| 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. | Fact 9: The Message offers the Greatest Invitation. The offer of eternal life must be the most important invitation anyone could receive. This message is proclaimed by the Holy Spirit, but so few in our churches preach this good news today. We must unite with God's Holy Spirit in inviting the lost to come to Christ. Only He can quench their thirst and supply all their need. This free gift is not received where it is not preached. I can do no better than quote from Charles Spurgeon on this verse. The text is taken from June 13 Morning and Evening. "Jesus says, "take freely." He wants no payment or preparation. He seeks no recommendation from our virtuous emotions. If you have no good feelings, if you be but willing, you are invited; therefore come! You have no belief and no repentance,-come to Him, and He will give them to you. Come just as you are, and take "Freely," without money and without price. He gives Himself to needy ones. The drinking fountains at the corners of our streets are valuable institutions; and we can hardly imagine any one so foolish as to feel for his purse, when he stands before one of them, and to cry, "I cannot drink because I have not five pounds in my pocket." However poor the man is, there is the fountain, and just as he is he may drink of it. Thirsty passengers, as they go by, whether they are dressed in fustian or in broadcloth, do not look for any warrant for drinking; its being there is their warrant for taking its water freely. The liberality of some good friends has put the refreshing crystal there and we take it, and ask no questions. Perhaps the only persons who need go thirsty through the street where there is a drinking fountain, are the fine ladies and gentlemen who are in their carriages. They are very thirsty, but cannot think of being so vulgar as to get out to drink. It would demean them, they think, to drink at a common drinking fountain: so they ride by with parched lips. Oh, how many there are who are rich in their own good works and cannot therefore come to Christ! "I will not be saved," they say, "in the same way as the harlot or the swearer." What! go to heaven in the same way as a chimney sweep. Is there no pathway to glory but the path which led the thief there? I will not be saved that way. Such proud boasters must remain without the living water; but, "WHOSOEVER WILL, LET HIM TAKE THE WATER OF LIFE FREELY." |
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| 18 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: | Fact 10: The Message must not be tampered with. This important book should never be twisted to fit human ideas about God. This solemn warning is very emphatic. We must not add to it or take away from it. Those who add to it will suffer the plagues mentioned in the book. That is, they will be lost and doomed to eternal torment. That's how highly God places His word. | |
| 19 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. | Those who take away from it are equally doomed. Many take away from its message by making it historical or mystical. The Reformed and Roman Churches have a habit of doing this dirty deed. Also some pastors play down the importance of Revelation and rarely mention it. This same warning about adding to or taking from God's word is found also at the beginning and middle of the Bible … "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it" (Deuteronomy 4:2) … "Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar" (Proverbs 30:6). | |
| 20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. | Fact 11: The Message closes with a wonderful assurance. This assurance is threefold: [1] What we have read is the word of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christians we should be confident that Revelation is absolutely true because Jesus said so. When the Lord speaks we should listen and pay attention. The words are not from the imaginations of men, but from the heart of God. [2] The Lord is coming soon. This should delight our hearts enough to say "Come soon, Lord!" A believer with the assurance and awareness of His coming is an overcomer. | |
| 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. | [3] The grace of God is upon all who accept these words as being faithful and true. True followers of Christ are assured of God's richest blessings in their lives and throughout eternity. Amen! So be it - it is true - you'd better believe it! |