To follow along, visit your local Christian bookstore, and ask for the Bible Expositor and Illuminator

Time:  A.D. , Place – Patmos

Golden Text:  “He shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1).

Revelation 22:1 – And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. The heavenly state here is described as a paradise. A paradise in a city, or a whole city in a paradise. In the first paradise, there were only two people to behold the beauty of it, but in this second paradise, nations shall  enjoy the abundant delight and satisfaction. The river of paradise, its foundation, the throne of God and the Lamb. All our springs of grace, comfort, and glory, are of God: and all our streams from Him are through the Lamb. Its quality is pure and clear as crystal whereas all the streams of earthly comfort are muddy. The river flowing with water of life is also described in the book of Ezekiel (Afterwards he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from the threshold of the house eastward for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, the south side of the altar – Ezekiel 47:1). Jesus also mentions “rivers of living waters” (He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly, shall flow rivers of living water – John 7:38). The water couldn’t be anything else but pure when its source is holy, this pure water also is proceeding from the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ who sacrificed Himself for the sin of the world to reconcile of to the Father (The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world – John -1:29). God chose to give a prophetic vision to Ezekiel and John. Ezekiel’s vision was that of the Millenial kingdom whereas John’s vision was the eternal kingdom where the believers will be living forever.

Revelation 22:2 – 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 yield her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. In the original  creation, the tree of life was in the midst of the Garden of Eden (And out of the ground made the LORD to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food for  the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil – Genesis 2:9). All humanity was excluded after sin entered the world, but in the eternal kingdom, the nations will be able to eat of the fruit; healing of the nations could imply that a new, better, and everlasting Eden has come. In the kingdom of God, the believers will have the presence of God and the Lamb, the water of life flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, then they will have the tree of life that’s producing twelve different kinds of fruits. “Leaves for the healing of the nations” doesn’t mean healing from sickness, because there will be no sickness in the kingdom of God, there will be no healing from sin since Jesus has taken away the sins of the world, so in some way the Lord will use this tree to enrich the heavenly life of each person will enjoy. This tree also symbolizes the eternal life God has made available for all humanity.

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. “No more curse” means that the affliction of sin on humanity and the creation will be erased, sin will no longer exist. As God had fellowship with Adam and Even before their fall into sin, so the Lord will again be with His servant eternally. The perfect freedom of this paradise from everything that is evil, no serpent will there as it was in the earthly paradise of the Garden of Eden. Satan will not be there to influence with sin. Our primary occupation in eternity will be to serve and worship the Lord.

Revelation 22:4 – And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. Moses was denied to see the face of God although the glory of God shone on his face, but those who enter into the kingdom of God will see Him face to face, the barriers of sin has been banished, therefore giving the believers the incredible joy of seeing the face of the One who gave them eternal life. He will place His name on the believer’s forehead, indicating a seal that can’t be broken, it’s His seal of approval for eternity.

Revelation 22:5 – And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. No light fulfills Christ’s proclamation of Himself as “the light of the world”. The brilliance of His glory will be the light of the kingdom voiding out the need of natural light that comes from man-made lights. God’s servants will live forever in the kingdom, there will be no limited of time.

Revelation 22:6 – And he said unto me, these saying are faithful and true: and the Lord God and of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. The angel speaking with John assured him that what he was saying was faithful and true, this assurance has been spoken three times (And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb, And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God – Revelation 19:9), and (And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me. Write: for these words are true and faithful – Revelation 21:5). The visions John was seeing was probably too much for the human mind to comprehend, so as he was given the visions, he was also assured what he was seeing and hearing would be faithful and true. In other words, what God had spoken would come to pass, His words would not return to Him void.

Revelation 22:7 – Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. Jesus adds His own words of confirmation: “Behold, I come quickly”. It is a reminder to His church, the body of Christ, to be ready and waiting for His arrival. When He comes, we can’t be found practicing sin, we have to live every day in expectation of His coming. Having the Word of God in our hearts, and living according to His Word. When we do this, we’re believing what we read in the Bible and we will adjust our lifestyle according to the instructions. And by doing so, we will be blessed and  will have the eternal enjoyment living with God and the Lamb of God.