OUR SECOND GLIMPSE OF OUR ETERNAL HOME

Revelation 22
Bob Bonner
July 9, 2006

George Bernard Shaw, was an Irish dramatist, literary critic, Nobel prize winner, but most of all he was noted for being a socialist spokesman. In addition, George Bernard Shaw was one who had no use for God. He once complained about His heaven. He wrote, “Heaven, as conventionally conceived, is a place so inane, so dull, so useless, so miserable, that nobody has ever ventured to describe a whole day in heaven, though plenty of people have described a day at the seashore.” Have you ever pictured heaven as a boring place? Before I read the Bible, I didn’t think of heaven as being an exciting or adventurous place to live. If you have pictured heaven as boring, let me assure you, you couldn’t be more wrong!

If you were with us last time, you remember that almost all that we know of heaven is contained in the final two chapters of the book of Revelation. In looking at Rev. 21, we learned that heaven is indeed, an actual physical place to come in the future. It’s creation and revelation will follow the destruction of the universe and the earth that we know. 

It will have a capital city, known as the New Jerusalem. There will be no sun or moon in heaven and the New Jerusalem because the light will come from Jesus Christ who will live amongst us. There will be no night or need for rest. There will be great activity, and the socialization that goes on in most cities, except there will be no evil. The capital city, New Jerusalem will be majestic in size and glory as it reflects in various colors the various attributes of God, and even the previous works of Jesus Christ. 

In heaven, every need will be satisfied, especially the desire of our hearts to see and know God more intimately. Because we will see Jesus face to face, heaven will mean unbroken communion and ongoing worship with Jesus. Also, as a result of being in His presence, there will be an absence of fear. In fear’s place will be a complete sense of safety and security. Because we are with Jesus, there will no longer be any sorrow. The grieving of this present world will be over and forgotten. We will be so overcome with the glory of Jesus Christ, that we will no longer remember the things of this world.

That’s a brief summary of what we have learned this far. As we come to Revelation 22, we will learn more about the new, heavenly Jerusalem. As in Revelation 21:9, the same angel who was taking John on a personally guided tour of the future New Jerusalem, continues leading John on this tour in Revelation 22. As I mentioned last time, this angel is one and the same angel who, in Revelation 18 poured out one of the final bowls of God’s wrath upon our world, leading to our planet’s total destruction. But now, this angel is revealing to us the mercy and blessing of God, through this tour of the New Jerusalem. The balance of this tour is found in the first five verses of chapter 22. Here, we read, “Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 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.”

It is significant to note that according to verse 1, the Lamb is pictured on the throne. This makes it clear that 1 Corinthians 15:24-28, which states that Christ “hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power,” does not mean that Christ’s reign on the throne will end but rather, it will change its character. Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords for all eternity.

In these two verses, there are two significant features of the New Jerusalem highlighted. The first is the “River of life.”  Some suggest that the river of life that flows through the New Jerusalem is not a literal river, but a spiritual river. My question to them is “Why? Why is this river not a literal river?” Hasn’t the eternally new Jerusalem been literal up to this point? There is no indicator in this passage that this is not to be taken as a literal river any more than the “tree of life” to follow is not to be taken as a literal tree. In Genesis 2 the “tree of life” and the “garden” were literal. So why not be literal here? Hence, I suggest that this river that continuously flows crystal clear and this tree of life that bears fruit all year round are a literal river and tree. 

For instance: As one studies the characteristics of the river that flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the capital city of New Jerusalem, it reflects the glory of God in its crystal state. The fact that the river that is clear, and without pollution points to the holiness of God. It’s unobstructed flow depicts God’s continual rule.

This river of life flows down through the middle of the city, and spanning this river is a is large tree. Likewise, this literal tree also stands as a living illustration to the character of God. A single monstrous tree that spans the river, with a dozen different kinds of fruit (similar to our “fruit bowl” tree with four grafted fruits, except none were grafted). This tree of life will always be in season, prolific in fruit production, able to feed the people of the city. This tree will be a continuous and living illustration of God’s continual provision.

We are also told that this tree’s leaves were for “the healing of the nations.” What does that mean? The word “healing” (therapeian) can be understood as “health-giving.” Our English word, “therapeutic” is derived from this Greek word. 

Some have been confused by this statement and have thought there will be a possibility of getting sick in heaven. However, there will be no sickness in heaven. Just in case we may have forgotten what the source of death and sickness is, John reminds his audience in verse 3, that the need for healing as such will not be necessary in heaven. John adds, “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;...”  As “the curse” of Adam’s sin led to illness requiring healing and death, so in the eternal state there will be no curse; therefore no death nor need of the healing of illnesses will be necessary.

Hence, even though there is no sickness in the eternal state, the tree’s fruit and leaves seem to contribute to the “health-giving” or physical well-being of those who will be living in this eternal state. This picture of the fruit-bearing and health-giving tree stands as a reminder of God’s full provision, healing and deliverance from the ills of our past life.

In response to God’s care for His new citizenry, the highest joy and privilege of the saints in eternity will be to worship their blessed Lord through their service to Him. 

By the way, note that the purest and most revealing act of worship before the Fall and in heaven was not and will not be our falling on our faces and singing praises to God, but it was and will be our service to Him. If that was how Adam and Eve worshiped before the Fall and how we will worship God in eternity, then what does that say about our most purest form and obvious act of worship today? 

I’m convinced that we have a warped view of true and acceptable worship of God today. I believe we have wrongly passed on to the next generation a false concept of worship. A false concept of worship that mirrors the Jewish false worship that God declared He hated. He didn’t want emotional acts of worship, such as praise songs, temple attendance and sacrifices that were oftentimes coming from hearts that were empty. God wants obedience and service, that comes from the heart of one who passionately loves God and submits one’s life to God. 

I fear that many in our younger generation as well as in my generation have falsely presumed that they are worshiping God if they say grace before meals, attend church, sing the right kind of hymns or praise choruses, clap and dance in the aisles of a church service, and give faithfully. But I would suggest to you that even the cult members can and do that. What God wants is for us to worship in spirit and truth, from our hearts as revealed in our faithful obedience and service toward Him. And if these words that we have just read are to be accepted as true, then the ultimate act of worship is our service to God’s agenda and not our own.

So, I pause right here, to ask you a personal question: “What evidence is there today in your life, that you are serving Him and His agenda?”  God has called you to obey Him in building up the saints and reaching out to the lost. If Jesus were to ask you to give Him a report of your committed and representative true service of worship to Him, what would you point to? By the way, you can rationalize and fake out yourself and me, but you won’t be able to fake out Jesus. So, I suggest you seriously consider your own life of service to Jesus.

We continue with verse 4:  “they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” No words are more meaningful to the believer in love with Jesus Christ than these! Imagine—we will actually see the face of Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. We will have continual and immediate access to Him. This intimacy is also indicated by the fact that “His name will be on their foreheads.” The implication is that they are under the Lord’s good favor and in His “inner circle.”

In verse 5, we are reminded again, “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 illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.”

Although our responsibilities are not detailed for us, we have the clear statement that we “will reign forever and ever.” In some fashion, we will supervise the universe in our Lord’s behalf

When you read and understand these verses, doesn’t it make you feel sorry for the George Bernard Shaws of the world, who think God and heaven are boring?

Last week, we saw several things that won’t be in heaven. For instance, “no tears.” Let’s summarize what should cause us to sing praise to God and will cause the saints in heaven to praise God, when it becomes a reality. In John Walvoord’s commentary on Revelation, he summarizes A. T. Pierson and Wilbur M. Smith’s characterization of heaven. I’ve chosen to list this summary under “What won’t and will be in Heaven.”

No more curse— PERFECT RESTORATION
Throne of God forever— PERFECT ADMINISTRATION
We will serve Him— PERFECT SUBORDINATION
We shall see Him face to face— PERFECT TRANSFORMATION
His name will be on each forehead— PERFECT IDENTIFICATION
No night, for He is the light— PERFECT ILLUMINATION.

What additions could you add to this list that won’t be in heaven? For instance: no more alarm clocks, taxes; no more emotional disorders, health aids; squabbles over whose worship music is best!

As we come to these last verses of Revelation 22, we come to the epilogue of the book. Whereas Revelation 1 was the prologue, the introduction to Revelation, these final verses wrap up this book. This divine postscript follows on the prophetic heels of the completion of the judgments of the Tribulation, the uncreation of the present earth and universe and finally the coming into being of the eternally new heaven and earth, whose capital city will be the New Jerusalem. 

This epilogue begins with a final statement about the information recorded in this book. They declare that the words of this book indeed, make up the faithful Word of God. We read, “And he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true’; [they are reliable and genuine] and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book .” 

I should note that this phrase, “faithful and true” also appears twice in Revelation (3:14; 9:11), as a reference to the person of Jesus Christ. Hence, the words found in this book are as faithful and true, as reliable and genuine as the one who has revealed them to John, Jesus Christ. In other words, what we have read and studied in this book is not a record of someone’s bizarre dreams or the result of an overactive imagination, but God’s accurate description of events and persons to come.

The statements, “Must soon take place” and “I am coming quickly” grammatically point to the impending and suddenness of the action described here. Hence, these words take on the flavor of a warning, that those who believe should be alert as to how they are living. Hence, verse 7 ends with a promise, that those who heed the words, and warnings of this book, who use it as the lens through which they view the agenda of their lives, will be blessed. In all we do, we want to keep an eye out for the Lord’s appearing, as we seek to serve Him in the midst of our everyday lives.

With verse 8, John adds a personal note about his own response to what he has seen: “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.”

Overwhelmed by what he has seen, John foolishly bows down and begins to worship his guide, the angel. Rightly, the angel rebukes John for this, because the angel, like John, is a mere servant of God, not one to be worshiped. Then, the angel gives John some closing instructions as to the book or record that John is making of this future revelation.

“And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.’”   “For the time is near” signals that there is a determined period of time assigned to the Church to get its work done on the earth, before it is removed and the Tribulation and other end-time events begin.

In verses 11-16, we read the final statement about the finished work of Christ. The angel states, “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.”

The angel’s point is simply to inform us that the status quo for both the wicked and the righteous will remain the same until the end times. People’s response to the proclamation of the truth won’t change much in future years, but their response to what God says will fix their eternal destiny. Sadly, if people won’t respond to the truth found in this book, there is no other message that will work. If the warnings declared within this book are ignored, there is no more that God can or has to say.

With that, Jesus declares, “ Behold , I am coming quickly , and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”  This is a reaffirmation of the truth that Jesus and the apostle Paul have spoken of several times in the New Testament. That when the Rapture takes place, all the Christians will be resurrected and they will first see Jesus and then receive eternal rewards. When other believers are raised from the dead, those who died during Old Testament days and during the Tribulation period, likewise, the first thing they will see will be Jesus, and then they will receive whatever eternal rewards are due to them based on their faithful service.

For the unbelievers, when they are raised from the dead, they too will receive their just eternal rewards, eternal separation from God and then some. 

Jesus continues with His closing statement: “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 may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.” Meaning, outside of heaven, the New Jerusalem will be those who have rejected Christ. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David , the bright morning star.” Notice, this is the first place since the end of chapter 3 that the Church has been mentioned. The significance of this is to point to the specific audience of this book. Jesus wants the Church to know what’s coming and what their role will be and how important their role will be in leading up to the end times, which begin with the Rapture and the Tribulation period.

We close the book of Revelation with the final witness of the Holy Spirit. This final witness has three parts to it. The first is given in verse 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 wishes take the water of life without cost.”

This verse has two distinct invitations in it. It makes up what I’m calling the last welcome The first invitation is directed by the Spirit of God and the “bride” and addressed to Jesus to “Come.”  The second invitation by the Spirit of God and the “bride” is addressed to the sinners, those who have yet to put their trust in Christ, to come to faith in Christ. It is the very last invitation contained in the Bible for one to be saved.

The next two verses hold the last warning in Scripture. “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 which are written in this book; 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.”

Although I believe the Scriptures are closed and no others beside the original apostles could contribute to the New Testament, this word, “book” is probably a reference to the book of Revelation and not a reference to the Bible as a whole, for that is how this word has been used throughout the book of Revelation. Specifically, at the very beginning, Revelation 1, it is referred to this way one time. In this chapter, Revelation 22, it is clearly a reference to only Revelation, six times. Hence, there is no reason to suddenly presume that it refers here to something other than just the book of Revelation.

In verses 20-21, we have the last word. “He who testifies to these things says, “ Yes, I am coming quickly .” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” And then, with this last verse, John adds his final thought, his benediction, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.”

“All” who? I understand this final verse to be John’s urging of believers to never lose sight of the experience of God’s grace in their lives today, as we await His coming. It appears to me that this closing statement of John’s is the back bookend statement of his opening comment to the book of Revelation, found in 1:3: “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” It is an exhortation to us to not forget these promises and prophesies of this book. In fact, we should remind ourselves often, through reading this book, of the ongoing work of the grace of God in our lives and our world as well. After all, it is all about Him and His work in our lives.

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