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22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
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 them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
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 price.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
(ESV)
The final chapter of the Bible bookends the story that God started in the Garden of Eden. There, we saw a glimpse of the plan He had for mankind which was stifled by sin. Back in Genesis, we are introduced to the tree of life which was planted in the middle of the garden. Its fruit was forbidden. Now, in Revelation, we read of the tree of life which produces fruit and leaves of healing.
In Genesis, we also read that Adam and Eve were banished from the garden and forced to work the ground in order to survive; it was a result of sin. Here in chapter 22, humanity is again able to see God’s face and serve Him with joy because their sin has been removed forever.
It’s hard to comprehend exactly what Heaven will be like. In some ways, we tend to think it will be one giant church service that goes on forever. For some of us, that seems like a compromise. But this is simply not true.
From the beginning of time, God’s will for us has been to experience life the way He intended. The life we live today on Earth is a tiny slice of the glory we will experience once we are reunited with our Savior. Heaven will fulfill our greatest desire – to truly live in harmony with our Creator. There is no greater plan or joyous truth that can be imagined!
Just consider that in heaven we will experience….
Heaven is a place of perfection that is incomprehensible to the human mind! It is the definition of life as God intended and it goes on forever and ever!
“And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Revelation 22:7 NASB
And he *said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
Revelation 22:10 NASB
“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
Revelation 22:12 NASB
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Revelation 22:20 NASB
The overwhelming theme that closes out Revelation is the fact that Jesus is coming back. This is both a comfort and a threat. Like a line drawn in the sand, Jesus reiterates that we will either welcome Him or fear Him when He comes. The latter part of Rev 22 is a potent dose of the larger theme contained in the overall book. We are either with Jesus or we are against Him. We are either longing for His return or indulging in the pleasure of the world. We cannot read this book seriously and then go on living the same complacent and compromised lives.
As believers, we know that fear does not have the last word. For those covered by the blood of the Lamb, we eagerly await Christ’s return knowing that because of His sacrifice and victory we too will have victory.
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