Revelation Chapter 22Eden Restored

"... while we are busy in the duties of our different stations of life; whatever labors may try us, whatever difficulties may surround us, whatever sorrows may press us down, let us with pleasure hear our

Lord proclaiming, 'Behold, I come quickly; I come to put an end to the labor and suffering of my servants. I come, and my reward of grace is with me, to recompense, with royal bounty, every work of faith and labor of love. I come to receive my faithful, persevering people to

myself, to dwell for ever in that blissful world.'"

Matthew Henry Commentary - 1857

Week Date Topic

1 09 Sep 15 Chapter 11: Two Witnesses

2 16 Sep 15 Chapter 12: The Woman and the Dragon

3 23 Sep 15 Chapter 13: The Two Beasts

4 30 Sep 15 Chapter 14: The Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion

5 07 Oct 15 Chapter 15-16: Seven Angels, Seven Bowls, Seven Plagues

6 14 Oct 15 Chapter 17: The Doom of Babylon

7 21 Oct 15 Chapter 18: Babylon is Fallen

8 28 Oct 15 Chapter 19: The Lord Almighty Reigns

9 04 Nov 15 Chapter 20: The Second Death

10 11 Nov 15 Chapter 20: The Second Death

11 18 Nov 15 Chapter 20: The Second Death

12 02 Dec 15 Chapter 21: A New Heaven and New Earth13 09 Dec 14 Chapter 22: Eden

Reference: Rock Bridge CoC study notes, Henry, JFB commentaries

Review of Chapter 21• We learn about the “a new heaven and a new earth” • The Lord will declare that He will make “all things new”

• This is one of the few times in Revelation that God Himself speaks • Many do not believe these chapters do speak of heaven

• Premillennialists believe the “new Jerusalem” here is the earthly Jerusalem renovated and restored for Christ’s thousand year reign

• Some simply believe that it speaks of the time of the triumphant church after the fall of Rome • But to reduce it to this would ignore details within the two

chapters that do not point toward that idea • Keep in mind that even 1st century Christians would have found

great comfort in hearing of heaven and the promise fulfilled to those faithful until death from the first words of Revelation

• Chapter 20 showed us the judgment of mankind (both the wicked and the righteous); in chapter 21 and 22, we see a depiction of heaven and who will reside there

Review of Chapter 22• We see that the curse of Genesis 3 will be

lifted; as a result, we see here that the tree of life will be restored

• Those that are unbelievers and won't be swayed, let them remain unbelievers and suffer the second death and eternal separation from God as outlined in the book of Revelation

• John is directed to share the message of Revelation with the people

• Those who heed the teachings of the word of God will be blessed

• We are given an invitation to come to Him

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On

each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.

And they will reign for ever and ever.

Revelation 22:1-5

Eden Restored (Revelation 22:1-5)• John’s viewpoint moves from outside the city to inside to get a

more detailed glimpse of what heaven may be like • “a river of the water of life, clear as crystal” • We know that Christ provides the “living water” we need

spiritual to be sustained (John 4:14, Rev 21:6) • It also flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb

• The Tree of Life again stands (22:2-3) • The Tree of Life had been lost to mankind because of sin

(Gen. 2:9; 3:6, 22-24) • Subsequently a curse was placed on man because of sin

(Gen. 3:16-19) • Rev 22:3 tells us that this curse will be lifted; as a result, we

see here that the tree of life will be restored • The tree also bore 12 kinds of fruit - 12 being a number of

perfection gives us another indication of God’s perfect provision while in heaven

Eden Restored (Revelation 22:1-5)• The people of God will then be allowed to see His face (22:4)

• On earth, no one has been allowed to see the face of God (Ex. 33:20,23)

• In many respects, the essence of heaven is to be with God and Christ

• “and His name shall be on their foreheads” • Ownership – those in heaven belong to God; they are His

people and He is their God • The first five verses end with two affirmations:

• There will no longer be any night • There will be no need of light from a lamp or sun – God

will be that light • “And they shall reign forever and ever”

• The “they” is in reference is to the heavenly citizens • They won’t necessarily reign over others, but they will take

their place and remain as part of the Royal Family • This is a promise that has been made time again (see 1:5,6;

5:10)

Revelation 22:6-11

The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to

show his servants the things that must soon take place.” “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the

words of the prophecy written in this scroll.” I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of

the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your

fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”

Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let

the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

John and The Angel (Revelation 22:6-11)• “These words are faithful and true…” (22:6)

• Jesus has already been identified as “faithful and true” (3:14;19:11) Why are these words faithful and true?

• Because the words come from God, not men • These words would have brought comfort to 1st century

Christians as representative that God is in control and that the wicked (i.e. – the Roman Empire) would suffer the wrath of God for their choice in sinning

• Behold, I am coming quickly” (22:7) • This is stated three times in chapter 22 (verses 7, 12,

and 20) is this spoken • Again, the idea of the immediate punishment upon

Rome and the prophesied 2nd coming blend • Regardless of the time, the wicked will be punished, and

the righteous will overcome

John and The Angel (Revelation 22:6-11)• John reiterates that he did in fact see these things that he

writes about (22:8) • He falls prostrate and worships the angel

• He is then rebuked by the angel (22:9) • John is rebuked and told to worship God not the angel

• John is told not to seal up these words but to share it with the people (22:10)

• In verse 11, we see further direction in sharing of the scroll with the people • Those that are unbelievers and won't be swayed, let them

remain unbelievers and suffer the second death and eternal separation from God as outlined in the book of Revelation

• For those that choose to remain faithful, let them remain faithful and once again draw from the promises outline in the book of Revelation

• It does not, however, teach that all who sin are hopeless cases, and that it is unnecessary to bother with them

Revelation 22:12-21“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person

according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs,

those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of

the water of life. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God

will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

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

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.'

Epilogue (Revelation 22:12-21)• Jesus says he is coming quickly (22:12) • We are reminded of the omniscience, omnipotence, and

omnipresence of God and Christ (22:13) • Wash their robes (22:14)

• Those who heed the teachings of the Word of God will be blessed

• KJV "Blessed are they that do his commandments" • To have a “right” to the tree of life, we must wash our

robes, or submit to God • This is the final blessing of the seven in Revelation: 1:3;

14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7,14 • Verse 14 tells us who will be in the city, but verse 15 tells

us who will not be there • Lord tells John that “I have sent My angel to testify

to you these things for the churches” (22:16)

Epilogue (Revelation 22:12-21)• The invitation is extended (22:17)

• The Spirit is, of course, the Holy Spirit – the inspiration for the writing of God’s word

• The bride is the church, those saved by the blood of Jesus • The Spirit (God) and the bride (the church) invite all to come

to God and join in the blessings promised to the faithful • Reminder that the invitation is freely extended and salvation

is freely offered • Testimony to the message (22:18-19)

• The Bible is God’s word, not man’s • Because of this, we should respect that and not “add” or

“take away” from God’s word (Deut. 4:2, Prov. 30:6) • John’s ends the way he began – with a benediction of grace

(22:21) • We are left with the final reminder that we are under the

grace of God, and it is by that grace we find salvation and the beginning and end of hope and comfort

Review of Chapter 22• We see that the curse of Genesis 3 will be lifted;

as a result, we see here that the tree of life will be restored

• Those that are unbelievers and won't be swayed, let them remain unbelievers and suffer the second death and eternal separation from God as outlined in the book of Revelation

• John is directed to share the message of Revelation with the people

• Those who heed the teachings of the word of God will be blessed

• We are given an invitation to come to Him

Revelation in Summary• Satan introduced death and sin into the world

• Through sin, Satan gains a grip over mankind (by man’s choice)

• God promised the “seed of woman” would deliver a crushing blow to Satan’s power and that this “seed” would bless mankind (Gen. 22:18)

• To fulfill His promises, God set apart one nation – Israel; however, due to its own sinful choices, righteous influence was not as successful as it could have been.

• When the time was right, God sent Christ into the world with the intent to destroy Satan's power

• Satan sought to destroy Christ must continuously met with defeat

• Satan believed that killing Christ was his "end game" not realizing that this was needed to ultimately destroy him

• Because of Christ’s sacrifice, all mankind, not just the Jews, could experience eternal hope, forgiveness and salvation

• The faithful will enjoy an eternity with our savior while the unbeliever will undergo eternal torment