Revelation 22

1 – 2

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life. The river was shining like crystal. It flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the street of the city. The Tree of Life was on each side of the river. It produces fruit twelve times a year, [a different kind of fruit] each month. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of all people.

We are still talking about the 1000 years when Jesus rules the earth. The people who are born and living at that time will not need to go to the doctor but can trust the Lord that the Tree of Life can heal them. We see that God has moved the Tree of Life from Eden into heaven. Genesis 3:22

3. Nothing that God judges guilty will be in that city. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be there. And God’s servants will worship Him.

The distance around the entire city will be six miles. And from that day the name of the city will be ‘The LORD Is There. Ezekiel 48:35

Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah. I shall mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know Me; Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia: ‘This one was born there.’ But of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her.” Psalm 87:3–5

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

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8

5. There will never be night again. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun. The Lord God will give them light. And they will rule as kings forever and ever.

During the 1000 years we will be serving in teaching the people on the earth. Our job is to help as many as possible to be ready when the devil is released from the pit.

6. The angel said to me, “These words are true and can be trusted. The Lord is the God of the spirits of the prophets. He sent his angel to show His servants the things that must happen quickly.”

This means that when these things happen, they will happen very quickly.

7 – 8

“Listen! I am coming soon! He who obeys the words of prophecy in this book will be happy.”

I am John. I am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I bowed down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed these things to me.

This is the second time that God has promised a blessing for those who read this book. The angel was sent to John so that we could understand these things in our spirit.

9. But the angel said to me, “Do not worship me! I am a servant like you and your brothers the prophets. I am a servant like all those who obey the words in this book. Worship God!”

False teachers who say that they got some ideas from an angel should know that they were talking to a fallen angel. God’s angels do not lead us away from the truth. Galatians 1:8

10. Then the angel told me, “Do not keep secret the words of prophecy in this book. The time is near for all this to happen.

This is the opposite of what was told to Daniel. Daniel 12:9

11. Whoever is doing evil, let him continue to do evil. Whoever is unclean, let him continue to be unclean. Whoever is doing right, let him continue to do right. Whoever is holy, let him continue to be holy.”

If you can hear God’s truth and still turn away at this time you will stay that way for all eternity.

People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.”

The LORD will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. Micah 4:1 – 3

12. “Listen! I am coming soon! I will bring [My] reward with Me. I will repay each one for what he has done.

Jesus suffered and died for us. He has bought us back with His blood. He calls us His reward. It is amazing to think that Jesus would say, “I want them as my reward for what I have suffered.”

13. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

God promised in the beginning that Jesus would come in defeat the devil and we see that in the end he does defeat the devil. Genesis 3:15

14. “Those who wash their robes will be blessed. They will have the right to eat the fruit from the tree of life. They may go through the gates into the city.

The New Jerusalem will be in the sky above the earth during the 1000 years. We will have our new bodies and we can travel back and forth to the New Jerusalem.

15. Outside the city are the evil people, those who do evil magic, who are sexually immoral, who murder, who worship idols, and who love lies and tell lies.

Those who are not born-again during this time cannot enter the New Jerusalem , but they will see it in the sky above them. They will get the message that if they surrender their lives to Jesus they can be with Him there.

16. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to tell you these things for the churches. I am the descendant from the family of David. I am the bright morning star.”

The Lord would not send an angel to tell us these things if He did not want us to understand them.

17. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Everyone who hears this should also say, “Come!” If anyone is thirsty, let him come; whoever wishes it may have the water of life as a free gift.

Some teachers would not say “whoever wishes” because they believe that only certain people can be saved.

18. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to these words, God will give him the troubles written about in this book.

See Deuteronomy 4:2, Deuteronomy 12:32, Proverbs 30:6

19. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share of the tree of life and of the holy city, which are written about in this book.

Everything you add to the truth, takes away from the truth. Solzhenitsyn

20 – 21

Jesus is the One who says that these things are true. Now He says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

We have seen what the devil and men can do, now let us see what God will do!