The Glory of Revelation: Obedience to God - Glorious Hope | Studies in Revelation

Revelation chapter 22 and beginning at verse 1.

Revelation 22 · chapter mention

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 through

the middle of the street of the city.

Also on either side of the river, the tree of life, with its

12 kinds of fruit yielding its fruit each month.

The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

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.

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

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.

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.

And behold, I am coming soon.

Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this

book.

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.

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.

And he said to me, do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this

book, for the time is near.

Let the evildoer still do evil and the filthy still be filthy, and

the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.

Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me to

repay each one for what he has 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 so that they may have

the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city

by the gates.

Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral

and murderers and adulterers and everyone who loves and practices

falsehood.

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.

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.

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.

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.

He who testifies to these things says, surely I am coming soon.

Amen.

Come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with us all.

Amen.

After 33 sermons, we have come to the end of our studies.

In Revelation, it was similar with Romans, when I promised you

a cake whenever we finished.

I don't think there's a cake this evening, but we have come to

the end.

And I've often described this as the greatest book in Scripture,

but that's maybe a little bit unfair because we should treat the

full canon of Scripture as one great book.

But I hope that after these months, God's vision to John isn't

as daunting as it perhaps felt whenever we started it a year ago.

Like the rest of Scripture, its purpose has been to show us the

glory of God and his sovereign reign over all the world.

This has been a book that has shown us some truly wonderful things,

as well as things that are beyond our full comprehension.

It's repeated key themes and it's also drawn strongly on the Old

Testament to show us what God's intention for his people is.

And we should only expect that because for the original hearers,

that's all they had, the knowledge of what was promised and

how it was fulfilled in Jesus.

But this, of course, has been a book written for the church.

In his prologue, in chapter one, there in verse three, John says

that it is to be read aloud, which we would understand is to be

read in a group such as the church.

Chapters two and three then detailed a letter specifically written

to specific churches in the ancient world, all given by vision

to John.

And in chapter four, he doesn't even take a breath, but continues

detailing the vision that he is given.

So there is no division between verse three or, sorry, chapter

three and chapter four.

We take it as one book.

And now, having preached through it, I feel sorry for many

ministers who simply stop at the end of chapter three after the

seven letters to the seven, or the letters to the seven churches.

They don't want to go any further.

But yet, whenever you look at the very next words of chapter four,

the vision continues.

There's no break.

John continues to tell us what he sees.

You see, the glory of God for the church is the hope we have that

one day all will be okay.

The hope that we have is that sin and its consequences will be

defeated and evil will have no more say on our lives.

And to this we should say Hallelujah as we await the day when

all will become new.

If you take a walk down by the harbour here in Anna Long, I feel

a need to say this.

You'll not find a rope bridge.

It came to my attention at tea time this evening that one or two

people may have believed that there actually was rope bridge.

If you weren't here this morning, you don't know what I'm

talking about, but I had an AI image from the Internet that I created

with a rope bridge across our harbor, asking the girls and boys

if they would be brave enough to cross it.

So if you thought of going down this afternoon or later tonight

to walk across that rope bridge, I'm sorry, you'll be deeply

disappointed.

But I would encourage you to go down to the harbour and look for

something else.

I want you to look for a boat.

Because there, sitting in the harbor, is glorious hope.

Now, my understanding is that the owner, as he said to me about

it, gave it its name after this sermon series that we're looking

at.

And I thought this was a wonderful thing for no other reason

but that the truth of revelation must be taken beyond the

pages of this book and into an understanding of the reality that

is yet to come for God's people.

For if we simply just allow revelation to sit on the pages, then

that's all it is, words printed on paper.

We must take it beyond Scripture to live it as we understand

it, so that it will be our glorious hope beyond this building

as we look to the days that are ahead.

And although I've said it's written for the church and for Christians

to give them this eternal perspective and this glorious hope,

it isn't and hasn't been without its challenge to the lost.

Now, the lost are those who don't know Christ.

And if they don't know Christ, then they will face the truth of

what this book speaks of.

As John sees evil, sinful, the rebellious and mockers of God punished

for their sin.

So a book of hope for God's people and a book of warning for

those who do not yet know him.

But the graciousness of God throughout it has been that while

there is yet time, there is a call for repentance.

And no more so pointedly than as we come to this final chapter.

And I want you to already notice that there's three times two

things are said.

And in Scripture, when something is said three times, it

is said there for emphasis.

We've already said that the invitation come is mentioned three

times.

But Jesus also tells us that he is coming soon.

Three times.

Therefore, we are told this following the rest of Scripture,

or what is the pattern of Scripture?

To know that this is of deep meaning that must be paid attention

to, that Jesus is coming soon.

But yet he offers the invitation that while there is yet

time to come unto him for salvation.

And so, as we come to the last chapter, we're once again shown an

image that we have seen before.

Now John has just seen the new heaven and the new earth and the

new Jerusalem coming down.

And now we're told that he sees something else in that city.

It's not about the dimensions.

It's.

It's not about the fabric of the walls and the precious jewels

that are there.

But this is what we read in verses 1 and 2.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life.

And by the way, did you pick up in our hymn that we've just sung,

Come on to me all who thirst, another of the I ams of Jesus.

And now we hear, we have it fulfilled in revelation.

The river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing

from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the

street of the city.

Also on either side of the river, the tree of life, with its

12 kinds of fruit yielding its fruit each month.

The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

And so the image given to us here is of a river, and it's used

to describe replenishment and refreshment for God's people.

And this idea is seen throughout Scripture.

The Old Testament prophets of Zechariah and Ezekiel prophesied

that a river will flow from Jerusalem and from the temple in

the last days.

The great songbook of God's people, the Psalms, also tells US

In Psalm 46, 4, there is a river whose streams make glad the

city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.

And so this foretold river of life, the living waters, has been

known by the people of God throughout all of their generations

through song and through prophecy.

And now we see fulfilled in the new Jerusalem coming down from

heaven.

So John now sees this ultimate fulfillment of these prophecies here

in Revelation.

And this is no ordinary river.

It has the water of life, a commodity that Jesus himself said

he had in John 4.

And you know, it's a river that is as clean and bright as crystal.

There's no contamination in it whatsoever.

And it flows from God's throne and from the Lamb and runs down the

middle of the great street of the City, showing that life comes

from God and the Lamb.

And so here, the tree of life standing on either side of the river,

bringing us back to Eden, and the tree of life in the middle of

the garden.

And isn't that what we saw just a matter of weeks ago, that

the whole point of Revelation is Eden, a return to Eden, knowing

that what was perfect in the beginning will become perfect again

at the end.

A city and a garden.

And so this tree of life is there, right in the middle.

And this tree yields 12 kinds of fruit.

Its leaves are for the healing of the nations.

Again echoing what Ezekiel says in chapter 47 and verse 12.

On the banks on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds

of trees for food.

Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail.

But they will bear fresh fruit every month because the water for

them flows from the sanctuary.

Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.

Whenever we were missionaries, or my friend and I were missionaries

in Ivory Coast, West Africa, we were told that we should plant

a papaya tree.

In fact, we should plant 12 of them, spaced a month apart, because

a papaya tree will only produce fruit once a year, and if

you produce them once every month, then you will have a full

year's worth of fruit.

And this is the sense we have, a sense of plenty.

12.

We have 12 months.

What does it say?

It's.

It's food that will never.

Its fruit will never fail.

A constant supply for us, so that we will know in this great city

of God that we will be well cared for and well provided.

And so what Ezekiel is saying here in his prophecy, where it is

especially significant, is that it comes from a chapter where

he is describing the new temple.

And we see again that the temple prophecy in Ezekiel refers

to the new heavens and the new Earth, where there is no literal

temple in the new creation.

It's full.

It's a constant replenishment.

A river to refresh, a river to enliven, and a tree of life that

never grows old or rotten, whose leaves reinvigorate the people

of God from whatever part of this world they come from.

And isn't that such a contrast to what's the world around us?

If you've grown tomatoes, you're seeing that we're coming to

the end of the harvest, where the tomato vines are starting to

wither, and no matter how much you water them, how much heat you

try to get into your greenhouse, they simply will not

thrive, for their time has come.

We're heading into autumn and winter, but here we have somewhere

different from what is around us.

We have a place that is truly alive and there will be no more death.

We are assured that in this life, yes, God provides for us in

every way.

But in eternity, that provision will be more than we can

ever imagine.

And it will be Eden restored.

And verse three repeats what we learned in chapter 21.

This time it's a summary telling us that nothing that is sinful

or accursed will be found in the new Jerusalem.

Instead of what is common here and now in this sinful world, there

will be a place of worship to God and the Lamb.

And look at how intimate this will be for God's people, because

verse four says they will see his face and his name will be on

their foreheads.

Now this is a completely upside down view of what we know

Scripture to say.

Because throughout the Old Testament, anyone who was in the

presence of God had to hide their face because they could not

look upon him.

Because of his Shekinah glory, they could not look upon him or they

would die.

Moses had to turn his back.

Elijah in the cleft of the rock.

But what will it be in heaven?

No more hiding, but looking and looking fully in his face.

Do you know, this is impossible to describe.

We don't know what this is going to be like because none of

us has ever experienced it.

As Psalm 17 and verse 15 says, I shall behold your face in righteousness

when I awake.

I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

You see, the greatest agony in this life is to be separated from

God, where we cannot look upon him because of our sin.

But remember what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the mount in Matthew

Matthew 5:8

5:8.

Blessed are the pure in heart, because what will happen to them?

They will see God.

And how many times have we simply brushed over that statement

in the Beatitudes?

And now here in Revelation 22, it becomes alive and full of meaning

for us.

Because no longer will we have to hide but those who seek after

the Lord and His ways, well, we shall see God in all his beautiful

glory.

What a promise fulfilled.

The created who have not been able to gaze on the Creator will

be able to do so.

And God's name will be imprinted on the foreheads of those

who are his, just as the mark of the beast is on the forehead and

hands of those who give themselves to each evil.

You see, the point that has been made here is that God's servants

are identifiably his.

There'll be no getting away from it.

They are gods and they will enjoy him forever.

And in verse five, John circles back to the theme of light.

And since there will be no night in the city, there'll be no

smidgen of evil, any corner, so there's no need for lamp or sun.

For the Lord.

God will be the light of his people and for his people.

And God's people will fulfill what was intended from the beginning.

They will reign forever, fulfilling the mandate originally

given to Adam.

They will be kings and priests over the new creation.

And so the coming new world transcends our understanding and

our experience because none of us have ever experienced it.

But John now here tries to describe what is indescribable.

And so, even though we may not fully comprehend everything that

is awaiting God's people, the most important feature of the new

world is not what we will do, but whom we will see.

The greatest joy in the new creation will be fellowship with

God and the Lamb.

John doesn't concentrate on our seeing and enjoying one another,

though doubtless that will happen.

He fixes our attention on the beauty of the city.

And the city is lovely because the Lord is there.

And if our hearts do not thrill at the prospect of seeing

God and the Lamb, then we need to know God better, we need to follow

him more nearly, and we need to love him more dearly.

The psalmist knew the emptiness and ache and loneliness

of the human heart that can be filled only with God.

He is our true satisfaction and joy.

But as we have seen before in Revelation, there is a word to take

heed of.

Verse 6 affirms that the words of this revelation are trustworthy

and true.

And returning to what was said at the beginning of these books or

this book, these things must soon take place.

So there's an urgency for each generation to sit up and to pay attention.

And so this is what Jesus says in verse seven.

And behold, I am coming soon.

Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this

book.

See, the warning given to us is to be on our guard.

Be on your guard.

Jesus is coming back.

And just because he hasn't returned in 2000 years doesn't mean

that this statement is any less true.

And because Jesus is coming soon, those who keep the words of

the prophecy will be blessed.

They will gain an eternal reward.

That's why Nancy Guthrie, in writing her book on Revelation, called

it blessed.

Because ultimately, revelation points us to the greatest blessing,

to know life eternal.

Nothing in this life is more important than receiving that reward.

Merely hearing the prophecies does not suffice.

We must observe and we must keep what is Written here in this

book, we're told in Revelation to place our hope only in Christ,

for He is the only one who will be the victor over sin and death.

And John has seen that and revealed it to us in this Revelation.

And so to keep them, to keep these prophecies, the truth of this

book looks like what John tells us in verse 8.

What does he do?

He falls down in worship.

But just like he has done before, he falls down to worship

the wrong object.

He falls down to worship the angel, and the angel describes himself

as a fellow servant as he chastises John for that.

Instead, the message comes that it is appropriate and it is

a command to worship God in response to this book.

And in keeping what it says, worship of God, after all, is submitting

ourselves to his lordship and his authority, meaning that we are

his, and we are his alone.

And so verse 10 and 11 then goes on to command.

John says, and he said to me, do not seal up the words of the prophecy

of this book, for the time is near.

Let the evildoers still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy,

and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.

So we know that the time is near.

And what John is saying is told here that he mustn't seal up

or hide the words of this prophecy recorded in the book.

They are to go to the churches, to be read and to be heard

aloud.

And you see, we're reminded again that the book of Revelation

is not merely apocalyptic speaking of end times, but it's also

prophetic.

See, there's a contrast here, because as we've paralleled Revelation

with Daniel, Daniel was told to seal up his prophecy for the end

of time.

But John must not seal up what he has written, for the end is at

hand.

The words that we have in verse 11 are certainly among the

most unexpected in the book.

For here, the unrighteous and the filthy are told to continue in

their unrighteousness and their filthiness, while the righteous

and the holy are to continue to be righteous and holy.

Now, this does not mean that people should not repent of evil.

John clearly thinks that people should.

The shock of the statement is meant to prompt repentance.

Those who are evil are invited to come and drink freely of the water

of life.

And so the Command of verse 11 is not some fatalistic word, as if

the evil should in fact pursue the wicked ways.

It's Daniel, chapter 12, verse 10, that helps us understand what

Daniel 12:10

John means.

And that's not surprising, because John has alluded to Daniel

12 in the previous verse.

This is what we read there back in Daniel 12:10 Many shall purify

Daniel 12:10

themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined,

but the wicked shall act wickedly, and none of the wicked

shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.

And so here we have the clue to John's intention.

The point is that Daniel's prophecy is being fulfilled.

Many of the wicked will never understand, but will continue in

their wickedness.

But not all.

You see, the incomprehension of those who remain in their evil

seems baffling to the righteous.

It can even sow doubts in the hearts of the saints as to whether

they are right in following the Lord.

And there are people who have spoken to me about that.

The problem, though, is not with any lack of clarity of truth.

The problem is with wicked hearts.

The godly should not be deterred by the disobedience of the

wicked, but should continue to pursue righteousness and holiness.

Paul expresses the same thought when he writes in 2nd Timothy

3:13 Evil people and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving

and being deceived.

And so the righteous should heed this warning and remain true

to the Lord, trusting in what he says and what he has shown will

take place.

Even though the wicked are told to continue in their rebellion,

they are not without hope.

For as the Spirit of God moves to convince and convict of salvation,

so they will turn and come unto Christ.

This is the truth, and this is the hope of what this book has been

telling us, a warning that while there is yet time to come to

the Savior and find rest in Him.

Now, I said we'd be done by 9 o' clock and we've only got to verse

11.

So I think we'll have our tea and coffee and then we'll come back.

We'll be done well before 9 o' clock because we are going to turn

to verses 12 through to 21.

And these verses are unique in the whole of the book because what

they do is give us a conclusion.

They give us a summary.

Just as John has given us a prologue to prepare us, so he now

gives us a conclusion as a way to remember what has been said throughout

the book.

In verse 12 we're reminded that Jesus again is coming soon,

and he will punish those who do not repent of their sin.

And that punishment is eternity in the lake of fire.

But for those who are redeemed by Christ's blood, they will receive

their reward.

Verse 14 tells us, 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.

Those who wash their robes, who are clean from evil have the

right to eat from the tree of Life and enter the gates of the city

to find refuge, to find safety.

The tree of life and entering the city are two different images,

but they speak of the life of the age to come.

The Tree of Life was withheld from Adam and Eve because of their

sin, but now it is given to those who enjoy life in the garden

to come, the paradise of God.

And in this paradise, there will be no evil telling us that the

evil stays outside.

Now, this is not to say that evil will flourish outside of the

city, but rather it has no part in the new creation.

But it goes against what the world wants us to believe.

The world wants us to believe that everyone will go to heaven except

the really, really bad people.

And everyone will have their own measure of who a really, really

bad person is.

That's why in popular culture you will hear much said of heaven.

You will hear it in songs or you'll see it in cartoons.

And as we've referred to before, at a lot of funerals, there's

always a poem that just assumes that people will be in heaven

because of their good works.

If that's how you think about heaven, that everyone goes to heaven,

then please pay attention.

That's not what God's word tells us.

In fact, God's word tells us the exact opposite.

Unless we are in Christ, we will be on the outside of the city,

we will be on the outside of heaven and face the punishment we

so rightly deserve.

Eternity in the lake of fire.

And in verse 16, Jesus confirms who he is in human terms

as the fulfillment of prophecy.

And now in verse 17, we're told of the Spirit of God along with

the bride.

The Spirit and the bride present an invitation to come, the

first of those invitations, so that even though at this moment we

may feel that we will be one of those outside of the kingdom,

there is still time for this invitation to come, an invitation

to come to Jesus to satisfy the thirst of our souls.

The urgency of the invitation is communicated by its threefold

repetition.

John pleads with his audience to come to Jesus before it's too

late.

And so who is invited to come?

Well, those who are thirsty, those who long to be filled with

something more than all of the trivial things of this world, all

those who feel that their greatest need is for Jesus and to

respond to the call is to come and to give our lives to Jesus.

To crown him as our Lord.

And to those who do so, then life is offered freely and openly

where you too can walk into the city and know that refreshment

and that replenishment that is given in plenty by God.

See, nothing hinders anyone but their own desires.

And those who come will find his deepest longing satisfied, the

thirst and ache in their heart filled by Jesus.

Isn't that a wonderful invitation?

Why would any of us want to reject it?

Why would any of us want to convince ourselves otherwise?

Why would we want to believe what the world says?

You'll be okay because you won't unless you are found in Christ.

And so your deepest longing needs to be for Christ.

And it's verses 18 to 19 that present this warning on how to deal

with this book and what is written.

So you cannot simply go out of here tonight and ignore it.

Those who hear the prophetic words must not add to them or take

away from them.

And we see Revelation again, described as prophecy.

And it must not be tampered with.

Adding to the book will change the content of the prophecy and alters

its message.

And to do so is to distort the word of God.

To remove things means that we satisfy ourselves and what we're

happy with, rather than submitting to the authority of God.

This book is no trivial matter.

And so it must be taken as it has been given, even if we don't

like what it has been saying to us.

The punishment for this distortion of the book is severe.

And so we study this book to take it seriously for what it tells

us by how we are to live in these last days.

And now for a third time.

In this chapter, we read the hope and the warning.

For it's Jesus who now says in verse 20, he who testifies to these

things says, surely I am coming soon.

Amen.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Jesus reminds us of the urgency of these times.

He tells us again that he is coming soon.

The end is near.

The message at the beginning of the book is reaffirmed.

Now at the end, history is short and Jesus is at the door.

And John now speaks, affirming with his own voice, Amen.

The near coming of Jesus and adding his own prayer, the prayer

of every true believer.

Come, Lord Jesus.

If this is not the cry of our own hearts, then you have not truly

understood this book or the message of the New Testament.

For the desire of every believer should be this cry, Come,

Lord Jesus.

And it is truly amazing that this book closes with these words

of blessing to encourage the church as it lives out its life.

In Christ and waits in hope for the return of the Saviour.

It concludes by saying the grace of the Lord Jesus.

Be with all.

Amen.

What wonderful words.

Wonderful words to receive, but also wonderful words to believe.

And so we return to our boat in the harbor.

It's the message of Revelation that Jesus is coming back soon.

Your glorious hope.

Do you delight in these words of these 22 chapters and know them

to be the reward of your faith in Christ?

If so, rejoice and live the hope that you have.

Cry with the voice of scripture.

Come, Lord Jesus.

But maybe that's not your cry.

If it's not, it means you're not in Christ.

And you cannot ignore the warning given of trusting in Jesus

while there is still time.

The desire of all believers is that you will be in the city and

not outside, not counted among the impure, the sinful, and the accursed.

Trust in the One who has made it clear what you need to do to know

life eternal and hope now and forevermore.

And what does that hope do for you?

How does that hope move you from now to cry those words?

Come, Lord Jesus.

Well, that hope means that we can face tomorrow, no matter what

it throws at us, no matter the hurt, no matter the pain.

It's not insignificant or it's not to be belittled.

But we view it differently because we view it from the perspective

of eternity, knowing that one day, as Revelation has told us, everything

will truly be okay.

Because of the Savior.

Jesus warns each and every one of us as we close.

Surely I am coming soon.

He is the one who bears testimony to everything that has

been written in this book, and it is not to be taken lightly.

Will your response be tonight?

Amen.

Come, Lord Jesus, because if you desire to be in heaven, then

it needs to be so that we demonstrate our full trust in a Savior

who has gone to make ready a home in heaven for us and who is

coming again.

Revelation is truly a book of glorious hope.

It's not without its controversy.

It's not without its issues of understanding.

Nor is it without its controversies of interpretation,

all of which can be led before us.

But at the end of the day, we must know that Jesus is coming back.

Are we each ready for that day, a day that could be imminent

and a day that we must believe will take place?

This prophecy has been read aloud from chapter one to 22.

Do not distort it by walking away and not believing it.

Do not distort it by only taking the things you like and throwing

away the things you don't like.

Take it at its word, for it is true and trustworthy.

And it must be believed this night so that you can have that wonderful

assurance of salvation and know that life forever is yours with

Christ.

Let's pray.

Our Father, we thank you for this.

Your word.

Minister it unto us that we will not forget it or ignore it,

but that we will respond well and we will know you as our Savior

who is coming soon to take us home.

May we be a people who are found in in the city, not on the

outside in eternal punishment, but in the presence of your glory,

where we will look upon the face of the Almighty, and we will

delight in his goodness towards us.

And we ask it in Jesus name.

Amen.

Sam.