As we discussed in part I, John “saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,” according to Revelation 21:1. The adjective, ‘new,’ before the nouns heaven and earth is the English translation from the Greek word (transliteration) kainos, which can mean new, recently made, fresh, recent, unused, or unworn. An example of this Greek word being used as recently made or fresh is found in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
The same adjective, new, was used in Isaiah’s prophecy regarding the remaking of the heaven and earth in Isaiah 65:17, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”
The Hebrew word for new in Isaiah 65:17 and 66:22 is חָדַשׁ. Its transliteration is hadas and can mean new, new thing, or fresh. The same Hebrew word and its transliteration, hadas, is listed in Strong’s Lexicon two times. The KJV translates Strong’s H2319 as new 48 times, new thing 4 times, and fresh 1 time. The KJV translates Strong’s H2318 as renew 7 times and repair 3 times. Interestingly, the KJV translates Strong’s 2320 hodes as month 254 times, new moon 20 times, and monthly 1 time. Strong’s 2318, 2319, and 2320 all have the same three Hebrew letters and the same gematria. They do have different niqquds (see Niqqud – Wikipedia).
The Hebrew transliteration for create in Isaiah 65:17 is bara, meaning create, make, shape or fashion. It can mean to create out of nothing as in Genesis 1:1 or to shape or fashion as in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
The next thing John saw was “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). As I wrote about in part I, I believe this could occur on the blessed 1,335th day (of Daniel 12:12) from the abomination of desolation, as mentioned in Daniel 9:27 (“in the midst” of the week) and Matthew 24:15 (the start of the Great Tribulation – vs. 21). The marriage supper of the Lamb mentioned in Rev. 19:9 will take place shortly after this on the earth with the Old Testament saints and Tribulation martyrs attending as the friends or guests of the bridegroom. Everyone will be wearing their best attire, their new spiritual bodies.
The New Jerusalem will be close to Earth but not on it. It’s too big and tall to fit on the earth. I think it will be the source of light for the earth, as the Sun is now. Rev. 16:10 says that the 5th bowl judgment will plunge the world into darkness. Matt. 24:29 says the Sun, Moon, and stars will go dark at the end of the Great Tribulation. “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously” (Isaiah 24:23). “The sun shall be no more be your light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto you: but the Lord shall be unto you an everlasting light, and your God your glory” (Isaiah 60:19).
Revelation 21:3-4 says, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 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.”
Verses 3 and 4 refer to the translated Church saints that will live in the New Jerusalem during the Millennium and beyond. For the saints in the New Jerusalem, “There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain, for these former things have passed away.”
The ones mentioned in Revelation 21:8 are unbelievers who will be sent off the planet or deep inside it. They’re the goats of the sheep and goat judgment. Rev. 21:9-27 describes the magnificence of the New Jerusalem. Verse 22 says there is no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. Verse 23 says the city has no need of the sun or the moon, as God Almighty and the Lamb are the light thereof. Not only does the home of the Redeemed not need the sun, but the New Jerusalem is the source of light for the nations of Earth.
Revelation 21:24 says, “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. The heavenly city is so translucent that the light emanating from God will reflect off the city and will light up the world.
The word nations is translated from the Greek word (transliteration) ethnos. This is where we get our English word ethnic. Ethnos is sometimes translated as Gentiles. At the beginning of the Millennium, all people who enter the kingdom will be believers in Christ. Verse 26 says, “And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.” The kings (or rulers) of the earth bring the best of Earth’s production into it for our use, although, as natural humans, they cannot enter. Only those who have a new (changed) perfected (spiritual) body can enter the heavenly New Jerusalem.
“And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). This verse refers to the Church in their new home, as mentioned by John in John 14:2, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” Rev. 5:10 indicates we’ll reign on Earth, but from Rev. 21:27, it’s clear that we’ll live in the New Jerusalem. We’ll have a short commute to our workplace. Revelation 21:27 and Rev. 22:15 cannot possibly be about eternity because such behavior will no longer occur after the Millennium ends.
REVELATION 22 AND EZEKIEL 47
Now that we have seen millennial life in the New Jerusalem in the first heaven (Rev. 21), John then shows millennial life on the new Earth starting with Revelation 22:1. “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. 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” (Revelation 22:1-2).
This same river issuing from under the temple is described in Ezekiel 47:1-12. “Afterward, he brought me again unto the door of the temple; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the temple eastward: for the forefront of the temple stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the temple, at the south side of the altar” (Ezekiel 47:1). God’s throne is usually mentioned as being in the Temple (Rev. 16:17 & Isaiah 6:1).
“Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that lives, which moves, wherever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come there: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live wherever the river comes” (Ezekiel 47:8-9). This is the same pure river of water of life mentioned in Rev. 22:1. The supernatural trees that come to life from the nourishment of these waters are described in Ezekiel 47:12.
“According to Zechariah 14:4-8, this river will suddenly begin flowing on the day of the Lord’s return. It will flow south toward the valley formed by a giant earthquake that will split the Mount of Olives from east to west. Once there, it will fill the valley, flowing to the Mediterranean in the west and the Dead Sea in the east. Its healing waters freshen the Dead Sea, and fish from the Mediterranean will now swim there in abundance.”
Where the river splits to flow east and west, what remains of the city of Jerusalem will line its banks. But the old Temple Mount, along with the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aksa Mosque, will lie in ruins beneath the deep waters, never to be seen again. They were right in the path of the earthquake, and the river will swallow them up, ending centuries of contention over the place God once called the apple of His eye (Zech 2:8). (We covered this in greater detail in our study of Revelation 11:15-12:17.)
These verses confirm that John is speaking of the Millennium on Earth, not of eternity. And once again, we’re told of servants who serve Him and reign with Him but are never called Priests or Kings, and they’re on the earth, not in the New Jerusalem. They’re the resurrected Tribulation martyrs from Rev. 7:9-14 and Rev. 20:4.” {1} Revelation 21-22 – Grace thru faith
Can you imagine this water of life flowing from the new Temple towards the earthly millennial Jerusalem, now called Jehovah Shammah (the LORD is there), after all the judgments against the waters of the Earth during the seven-year Tribulation? Those judgments include the 2nd and 3rd Trumpet Judgments and the 2nd and 3rd Vial Judgments.
Regarding the “tree of life” mentioned in Revelation 22:1, let’s first examine the wording of this tree in Rev. 22:1 with the other verses in Revelation that mention it. The King James Version has three verses in the New Testament (all in Revelation) that mention the tree of life, whereas the Critical Text versions have an additional one (Revelation 22:19). The three mentions of the tree of life in the KJV are found in Rev. 2:7, Rev. 22:2, and Rev. 22:14. I believe that the tree mentioned in Rev. 2:7, 22:14, and 22:19 (not in the KJV) are euphemisms for ‘eternal life.’
Revelation 22:14-15 says, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and makes a lie.” If this were talking about the eternal kingdom, why would there still be sinners outside the city? At the end of the Millennium, all those whose names were not in the Book of Life (Rev. 20:15) were judged at the Great White Throne judgment (Rev. 20:11) and thrown into the Lake of Fire for eternity. In eternity, there will only be resurrected, redeemed, and righteous saints living with God in the New Jerusalem.
In Rev. 2:7, Rev. 22:14, and even in Rev. 22:19, according to both the Critical Text and Textus Receptus text, the four Hebrew words for the tree of life are τοῦ, ξύλου, τῆς, and ζωῆς. The transliterations and English words are “the (tou) tree (xylou or xylon) the (tes) of life (zoes).” Tree and life are singular nouns in this verse. Both words have the definite article ‘the‘ before it, although the doesn’t show up before ‘of life’ in the English translation. This practice is found throughout the Greek New Testament.
Note: The definite article ‘the’ plays a crucial role in a sentence. It is used before a noun to define it as something specific (e.g., something previously mentioned or known, something unique, or something being identified by the speaker).
However, in Rev. 22:2, there are only two words describing the tree. They are ξύλου (xylou) and ζωῆς (zoes), which in English are tree and of life. For some reason, there is no definite article (the) before the two nouns as in the other Revelation verses. To make the sentence intelligible in English, a or the needs to be added before the first noun. Since there is no definite article (the) before the noun, tree (and before the noun, life), the verse should read in English, “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, there was a tree of life.” In other words, on both sides of the street (or broad way) was a tree of life, as in at least two trees.
Ezekiel 47:12 describes this tree/s of life. “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.” The word tree (or trees) in Hebrew is es (or etz). Es can be either singular or plural.
This tree in Revelation 22:2 is not the same “tree of life” found in chapters 2 and 3 of Genesis that would have given Adam and Eve eternal life (again) as sinners if they had eaten of it after eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. However, I believe it is the same tree/s described in Ezekiel 47:12. The tree doesn’t give eternal life when eaten, but it does have some supernatural qualities, as its leaves will not fade and its fruit shall not wither during the winter months.
Every month these trees will produce fruit that is good for food, as they are watered continuously from the waters flowing from under the threshold of the throne located in the temple. Their leaves are good for medicine or healing. Believers who survive the Great Tribulation will enter the kingdom in their natural bodies, which will still be subject to disease and injury. They’re the ones who will use the leaves from the tree of life. Why would the inhabitants of the Eternal Kingdom need medicine or healing when they all have resurrected spiritual bodies?
Due to the mention of time and growing cycles, this passage in Revelation 22:2 must refer to the Millennium, not Eternity. Revelation 22:3 says there will be no more curse upon the land. God decreed this curse upon the land in Genesis 3:18-19. Can you imagine the joy the inhabitants of the newly remade Earth will experience when seeing these trees (and all trees and green things) growing in the land ravaged by the judgments of the Tribulation?
In the New Testament, there are several words for tree. Besides the specific trees such as Fig, Sycamine, Sycamore, and Olive, there are two basic Greek words for tree. ‘Dendron’ is a Greek word that always is translated into English as tree or trees. It is used 26 times in 19 verses.
The other Greek word is ‘Xylon’ and is used 19 times in 17 verses. It is translated into English as 4 different words in the KJV: tree, staves, wood, and stocks. There are 10 (the number for ordinal perfection) times that xylon (or xylou – depending on its form) is used. Four times (KJV) it is used in the context of the tree of life, which we have already discussed. Six times it is called a tree, but it is in the context of the cross that Jesus died on. These 6 verses are Luke 23:31, Acts 5:30, Acts 10:39, Acts 13:29, Galatians 3:13, and 1 Peter 2:24.
Interestingly, the cross is called a ‘tree’ 6 (the number for man) times. 4 (the number for creation) times xylon is called a tree of life. I believe man was made originally to be immortal. Somehow, the fruit of the tree of life sustained their immortality while eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil made them mortal, subject to death, and that’s why it was forbidden. You might say there was a tree of life and a tree of death in the middle of the Garden of Eden.
“Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden after eating the forbidden fruit to prevent their access to the tree of life. In their fallen sinful state, they were not allowed to regain their immortality. When God stationed cherubim at the entrance to guard the way to the tree of life, He was saying their banishment was not permanent (Genesis 3:22-24). The way back was being protected so that one day man can become immortal again.” {2} Adam And Eve – Grace thru faith.
The tree of the cross is the way that man can become immortal again and have eternal life. It is not the tree itself but the fruit that hangs on that tree that gives eternal life. Jesus Christ is the fruit of the tree of life that when consumed brings eternal life. “Whosoever eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:54). “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The Holy Spirit is the pure river of water of life that sustains the tree of life and all who eat the fruit from it.
The first man, Adam, brought death into the world by eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The last Adam, Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:45-47), brought eternal life into the world through His death on a tree. “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming” (1 Corinthians 15:21-23).
As I mentioned earlier, the concept of an anointed (Messiah) king and a kingdom that would last for 1,000 years was not known or written about in the Tanakh. A millennial kingdom wasn’t revealed until John wrote about it in the Book of Revelation, “And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:14). In the Old Testament, there was no distinction between the millennial kingdom of Christ (he was the Messiah Prince of Daniel 9:25) and an eternal kingdom of the LORD. All the Hebrew people knew was that there would be a kingdom that would arise from the seed of David that would reign forever. Below are Old Testament prophecies regarding God’s eternal kingdom, which I believe include Jesus’ millennial kingdom and what comes afterward – eternity.
“And when your days be fulfilled, and you shalt sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, which shall proceed out of your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established for ever before you: your throne shall be established for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David” (2 Samuel7:12-1).
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7). These verses in Isaiah make it obvious that this Prince (or King) would be no ordinary man but the LORD Himself.
Remember, the Bible is about the Age of Man, which will end with the Millennial Kingdom. I believe this kingdom will end after 7,000 (7 x 10 x 10 x 10) years since Adam was formed from the dust of the earth. In my opinion, the only thing the Bible mentions about life in eternity is that there will be one. When you see the words ‘for ever’ in the KJV, it means forever or everlasting.
The last verses of Ezekiel 37 are about the Messiah’s Kingdom, which will last forever. “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.
“Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore” (Ezekiel 37:24-28).
“And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him” (Daniel 7:27).
Much has been written about (what we call) the Millennial Kingdom in the Old Testament. Very little has been written about the Eternal Kingdom that follows the 1,000-year reign of Christ and His saints. One passage in the New Testament that mentions the end of the Millennial Kingdom and the start of eternity is found in 1 Corinthians.
“But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then comes the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he has put all things under his feet. But when he says all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:23-28). Perhaps this is the “day of God” spoken of in 2 Peter 3:12.
There is possibly one more New Testament verse (referenced from an Old Testament passage) regarding our eternal life. Paul, quoting Isaiah 64:4, said, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Randy Nettles