Revelation 22

1 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

2 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.

3 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.

4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

5 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.

The Tree of Life is in view in verses 1-5. In the beginning the Tree resided in the Garden of Eden before being moved to Heaven after the fall of Adam and Eve.

Why did God move the Tree to Heaven? [Gen.3:22-23]

Romans 5:12 - Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:4 - In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Had God allowed Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Life after they sinned, then they would’ve been force to live forever in their sinful condition.

Being a Follower of Christ isn’t just about existing physically…the world and the church does that alike…rather it is about possessing spiritual life in Christ.

If you could make the choice to live forever but in so doing never see the face of God…would you do it?

The Tree of Life once removed …is scheduled to make it’s return when God establishes his Kingdom on Earth in the eternal city of New Jerusalem .

The text goes on to tell us that tributary of the Throne, flows with the Water of Life throughout New Jerusalem.

Refreshment and life flow from the Throne of God, carried by the Spirit as Jesus promised.

John 7:38–39 - Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Believers taste this life giving water now , but the fullness of joy and blessing that it provides will not be realized unto we sit on its banks in the eternal city.

6 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.”

7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

There is story about a young preacher who preached from verse 7. He raised his voice to the congregation and proclaimed, “Behold, I am coming soon” as he struck the pulpit. When he did a couple of folks woke up!

He thought to himself, “That worked really well” I got some people’s attention, so he did it again!

On his third time around, he backed up a couple steps…yelled “Behold I am coming soon” and hit the pulpit so hard that it fell off the stage.

His face reddened, embarrassment was setting in and He did not know what to say.

In a consoling tone, a lady shouted from the congregation…Preacher that’s perfectly fine…you told us you were coming… You gave us fair and ample warning.

And so has Jesus ! He is coming soon !

8 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,

9 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.”

10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.

This simply means do not hide this…this Revelation is meant for public consumption.

Which is followed by a rebuke and a reality in verse 11.

11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

Patterns of behavior whether godly or sinful will always eventually become irreversible .

In verse 12, we see a transition take place as the identity of the speaker turns from the angel to Jesus !

As He makes His last recorded statements before He ends His Word !

What do most normally consider to be the last words of Jesus?

Acts 1:7-8

But these are the last words of Jesus. Found in the last chapter of the last book in the Bible!

12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. [vs 11]

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

14 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.

We are to worship the Living Word for He is Worthy and there will come a day when we will worship Him eternally at the Throne of God.

However, there will be those excluded forever from that city…

15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

The emphasis here is not the location for those excluded…rather it is that they are excluded.

16 “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.”

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 desires take the water of life without price.

Throughout God’s Word, from Genesis to Revelation God publicly invites all to come to Him.

18 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,

19 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.

The warning is clear…those who alter the Word of God will experience loss . Similar warnings are found in Proverbs 30:6 and Deut. 12:32

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

This should be the prayer of us all. Come Lord Jesus!

Congratulations. You have just finished over 22 weeks in the Book of Revelation!