Chapter 22:6-11

“Then he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true.’ And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. ⁷ ‘Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.’ ⁸ Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. ⁹ Then he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.’

¹⁰ “And he said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. ¹¹ He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.’”

Once again, thanks for the encouraging responses to the articles. I have enjoyed this study; it has certainly challenged me to ask some questions, to think about what I read in the scriptures, and to see the wonder of all God has for us. Many who write are thrilled at the extensive look we are taking at our New Home. This will be a busy place: a place of commerce and business; a place that is huge; a place that will never get boring; a place that allows us to transcend the boundaries of earth and touch space as we know it today; a place that is bright and beautiful; a place that will use earth’s treasures as building stones. It makes you wonder what the trinkets of the New Home will be?

We will be working right alongside angels; we will see them and they us. We will see Jesus, the Patriarchs, the Prophets, the Kings of Israel, the Judges. We will see men like Daniel, Isaiah, meet Samson, see Nebuchadnezzar, meet Solomon, Hezekiah, finally know the name of the Ethiopian Eunuch, maybe meet the Queen of Sheba, as well as see men like C.S Lewis, J. R. Tolkien and a gazillion other people, all who have this one Person in common: a dependence and an absolute trust in the shed blood and the resurrected Savior.

Over the last little while, I have been reading in the book of Jeremiah; and now, I have moved on to Ezekiel. But in the book of Jeremiah, God sends this man to warn the nation of Israel, in particular the Southern Kingdom comprised of Judah and Benjamin, that Babylon is coming. Jeremiah tells them that all who surrender to the armies of Babylon will be spared, but all who fight or flee will be killed. But, the people, in particular the leadership, refuse to listen to the dire warnings that their loving God, though angry over their idolatry, was sending them. He offered them life; and sadly, many chose death. God never sends destruction without warnings. Never, not once in the scriptures, did God send catastrophic judgment without warnings.

1. Faithful and True, verse 6

Notice that in this verse God tells us that He has sent the prophets to warn the world about what must shortly take place. Why did He mention the prophets? The OT? Well, let us go back to the very beginning of the Book of the Revelation, and we will see that Jesus addresses this book to 7 churches in Asia Minor; these churches would have had access to the OT but not all of the NT yet. So, for more than 400 years before Jesus was born, God was already telling the world what was going to happen in the end times, our time. For instance, the book of Daniel tells us a lot about the end times, our time. The book of Zechariah tells us a lot about the end times, our time. In Job 19:25-27, we see these words of hope to us all:

“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. ²⁶ And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; ²⁷ I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”

Job knew that upon death his body would decay, but notice in verse 27 that his heart yearned within him to see Jesus. He was looking for his Redeemer, and Job had confidence that he would see Jesus “in my flesh.” This speaks of a new body since his would decay. All too often we read these verses, and their prophetic significance is missed. Then look at verse 26. Job makes this bold statement, “that in the end He (referring to the Redeemer) will stand on the earth.” This is a prophecy about the Second Coming of Jesus; at the ‘end’ He will stand on the earth. So, we can see that this teaching in Revelation is not just some nice sentiment, but the truth.

God’s Word is faithful and true; the message of the Bible has been the same from the beginning, that Jesus would come twice to the earth. In Genesis 3:15 and in Isaiah 53, we have the first coming to crush the head of Satan and to die for our sins (Isaiah 53); and then in Job, we are told as well as other books that He, the Redeemer, will stand on the earth at the end, and we, like Job, who yearn for this time, will see him in our own flesh.

2. I am Coming Quickly, verse 7

Our idea of quickly and God’s is very different. We look back and see about 1,900 years having passed since this was written; and we think, man, Jesus knows a lot, but He does not seem to know what ‘quickly’ means. Once again, we need to understand that we see linear time: past, present and future. But since God is not limited by time, He sees time as a whole. He sees the end and the beginning together. Notice He is called the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End; the two are synonymous to God. For a God who is eternal, 2,000 years is nothing; and soon for us, time will have no meaning either.

What we can say with confidence is that we are 1,900+ years closer to the return of Jesus for the second time.

What we can say with confidence is that Israel is a nation again, and thus things like the rebuilding of the Temple are actually possible.

What we can say is that the dregs of the Revised Roman Empire are right in front of us with the EU and the Vatican, and we can see them working.

What we can say with confidence is that there are more scoffers today, even among the religious, that question the return of the Lord a second time.

What we can say with confidence is that, for the most part, society has cast off God, and people live like the time of the Judges and do what is right in their own eyes.

What we can say with confidence is that we can see the lack of natural love that even lost men/women used to have for their children and each other. There is more hatred than ever before; it seems so anyway.

What we can say with confidence is that, now, more than any other time in modern history, we can see the curse of Romans 1:18-27 being played out where society worships the creation more than the Creator, and the fallout of homosexuality is all around us – and openly so. Let us not pretend that this is some new evil; it is just much more open than ever, and no one is ashamed of sin anymore; it is rejoiced over and promoted.

What we can say with confidence is that the time told of in Daniel 12:1-4 is near:

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. ³ Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. ⁴ But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”

We just looked at the judgments a few weeks ago. We talked about the resurrections and the various ends of the people who are resurrected. But then we are told when this will happen in verse 4, when “many will go here and there and increased knowledge.” We live in that time. Travel, which was once a luxury to the wealthy, is now commonplace to all. The increase of knowledge is astonishing; just take the time to study artificial limbs and the progress that has been made for our soldiers with limbs that are controlled by implants in their brains.

I recently had a surgery that, when I began to research it ten years ago, required a cut from chest to crotch, and required 6 months to heal. But with the discovery of laparoscopic surgery, I was able to have the same surgery in under 90 minutes and be out of the hospital in 24 hours. Look at the technology of flight, the technology in building, the technology in cars and the speed with which Artificial Intelligence is growing. We have truly interactive/learning robots that are able to process information and adapt very quickly. This stuff would have absolutely blown Daniel’s mind. Imagine trying to explain air travel to Daniel, explaining space travel to him or explaining living a submarine in the ocean for months at a time and travelling the currents of the ocean.

In verse 9, the angels dictating the books tell John that the “time is at hand.” That means that is happening now. Even at the end of the first century after Christ, God has super-intending things to bring about His will. He is in charge. One last thing: notice in verse 1 that Michael, the great prince that protects ‘your’ people Israel, will arise. Well, we have a nation of Israel for Michael to rise up and protect.

Folks, we are in the last days.

3. A Warning, verses 8-9

This warning seems so important today for the NT churches: do not worship angels. Just don’t do it. It is always wrong 100% of the time. John fell at this angel’s feet, and he was immediately rebuked by the angel. Not in a hateful and spiteful way, but very firmly. We are not permitted to worship angels at all. In fact, angels are, we are told, ‘fellow servants’ with us and our brothers the prophets.

We are told to keep the words of this book, referring in part to the Revelation, but in whole, since the prophets are mentioned, to the entire Bible. We are to keep this whole book. There will be further warnings for us in the next few verses as we finish out the book, but please heed this warning. Be wary of those that promote angel worship or say that an angel told them something that contradicts this Holy Bible. An angel of God would never lead one to disobey God.

As we approach the last days, there will be more and more heresy; it will become more and more important to be disciplined students and teachers of the Bible. Only truth can expose the lies. Know the truth, and you will be able to detect the lies. Truth is light in the darkness of lies (John 3:19-21).

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

Chapter 22: 1-5

“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ² In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 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. ⁴ They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. ⁵ There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”

Once again, thanks for your responses and questions to the articles. You continue to make me study more and more. We will look once again at our New Home; this will be the final article on the subject, but certainly we have lots more to learn.

We can get a bit of a visual picture from these few verses of what the inner city will look like. In the last three articles, we have spoken about the size and the population. But today we will look at what the very streets look like and what a bit of the life will be like. Why? Why is it so important to look at the New Jerusalem? We encounter these verses in Hebrews 11:13-16,

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. ¹⁴ For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. ¹⁵ And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

These in verse 13 refer to the patriarchs; they died looking for a new home. Look in verse 16; they looked for a better country, a heavenly country. And this is what drove them, this is what kept them moving ahead and faithful; they always had their new home in view, and so should we. We are to be focused on the prize, the New Jerusalem and the new life that Jesus has prepared for us. This is why we need to know about the New Jerusalem and about the Millennial Kingdom.

1. There is a River of Life, verse 1

The thing that you notice first is the river of life. It is down the middle of the street of gold, and on either side is the tree of life. The tree bore its fruit, 12 kinds of fruit, yielding them each month. Now, it could be that the tree bears a different kind of fruit each month on a 12-month cycle. Or, it could be that each month the tree bears 12 different kinds of fruit.

The Tree of Life has existed forever; it was in the Garden of Eden and had the power to help Adam and Eve live forever in their sinful state. Genesis 3:22,

“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

The Lord actually put cherubim at the gate to the Garden of Eden to stop Adam and others from eating from the Tree of Life. I have always thought that, somewhere here on earth, people pass the gateway to the Garden of Eden, and maybe those gates are still guarded all these thousands of years later. One day God will pull back the veil, and we will see that the Garden has been with us this whole time. But I could be wrong.

The leaves of this tree of life will be healing for the nations. What healing? Why? How can a place like the New Jerusalem need healing?

Well, the nations that surround the New Jerusalem on the New Earth will need healing, and they will come into the place to find the healing that they need. People who do not live in the city will have access to the city for healing. Obviously, we with the new bodies will not need a healing. I cannot expand on this yet, but the gates of the city are opened all the time, we are told; and now we know that they allow the nations to enter for the purpose of healing.

2. No More Curse, verse 3

No more death. This is the curse of fallen man. The apostle Paul told us that in 1 Corinthians 15:25-26,

“For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

Death is the final enemy of man to be destroyed by God. In this New Jerusalem, even though there are humans in old bodies around, there is no more death. No more curse. Death is dead. No cemeteries, no funeral homes, no hearses, no funeral dirges, no caskets, nothing to do with death will exist. Life, and life alone will be the normal.

What a time that will be! Right now, every day I have friends that have to say goodbye to loved ones. Fathers, mothers, children, grandparents, wives, husbands, friends, and on we can go. Death is everywhere; it has no respect for anyone. The rich and the poor, the young and the old are equal victims of it. But in the New Jerusalem, there will be no more curse.

God’s throne will be there, and we will live with him forever; we will serve Him forever in whatever capacity He has assigned to us. We will serve gladly and joyfully; there will be no rebellion and no uprisings in defiance to God ever again.

3. His Name on our Foreheads, verse 4

I am not sure how this will work. Will we have a tattoo-like name written on our foreheads like Jesus has names on His thigh? Or will we have phylacteries on our heads like the devout Jews did, filled with the word of God? Will we have these on our foreheads with the name of God marked on us? I am sure that whatever way God decides will be awesome and beautiful, and we will love them. God will mark us as His own. His own peculiar people.

We get New bodies, New names, Revelation 3:12

“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.”

Here it is for you. A new name from God, given to us in the new Jerusalem, and we will be there forever. Wow! What an awesome promise! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

4. There is no night there, verse 5

I know that we have mentioned this before, but God says it again, and He is not one to repeat things haphazardly. There is no night, no darkness; God is the light of this New Jerusalem. There is nothing to fear; there is no sun and no moon. Just day, forever and ever.

Notice that it is God who gives them light; He is the source of light. He always has and always will be the source of light. And we will reign with Him forever. We are told in Romans that we are joint heirs with Jesus. Romans 8:16-17,

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

I am looking forward to seeing what the Lord has for us, the ones who love Him and are loyal to Him. No worry, He will have a place for all His people; no one will be missed. There will be plenty to do and plenty of daylight to get it done.

Are you ready to serve Him in the Kingdom? If you are not serving Him here, then the answer is no, you are not. Come with me and be a watchman; come and stand with the King of kings and serve the Lord.

Jesus is coming soon; be ready.

Missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca