Revelation 21-22 – The Eternal Kingdom

by Dr. Gary Linton | Updated November 26th, 2024

In these final chapters we have the creation of a new heaven and a new earth. The New Jerusalem then descends out of heaven. God Himself will dwell with His people and shall be their God. There will never again be any sorrow or death and God wipes away every tear from our eyes. There will be no temple because the Lord God and the Lamb are the temple thereof. There will be no need of the sun or moon because God and the Lamb will be the light thereof. There will never again be anything that defiles. Praise the Lord! The invitation goes forth for all who thirst to drink of the water of life freely.

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The Creation of a New Heaven and New Earth

Revelation 21:1 – “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

The idea of the creation of a new heaven and earth was foretold of in the Old Testament. “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17). There will be a new heaven and a new earth and the former will not be remembered or come to mind. We are not going to say, “Remember how things were and all we went through?” God is just going to extract from our brain all those DNA molecules that hold our memory banks and they’ll be completely gone and not be remembered or brought into mind ever again. All sorrow and grief will be extracted from our minds. “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 66:22). Everything in this eternal kingdom will be brand new. God makes all things new!

So we are beyond the thousand years and going into eternity. The first heaven and earth has passed away. Peter said, “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). How does this all transpire? We know it happens because God says it will. How He does it is a matter of speculation. I personally am convinced, it all passes away as a result of a holy God coming on the scene. This world of corruption simply cannot continue to exist before the glory of God’s presence and holiness.

Revelation 20:11 – “And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.”

Pastor Chuck Smith had some interesting thoughts on how this might happen,

“God spoke the universe into existence. In speaking it into existence, He spoke into existence a scientific puzzle. For in speaking matter into existence, He brought the protons and electrons and assembled them together. And in creating the atom, and bringing into the heart of the atom, the protons tightly knit together in the nucleus of the atom, He violated the law of electricity, Collins Law, which speaks of the repelling force of positive charges. Positive poles repel. Try to put them together and they will fight each other. There is a repelling force of positive charges, a tremendously powerful repelling force.

The atom bomb illustrates to us the true nature of an atom. For what is happening is the nucleus of an atom is bombarded with slow moving neutrons that upset the delicate balance of the protons in the heart of the atom and it releases them. As it releases them, you have this tremendous release of energy and power. You see the tremendous power released when protons within an atom are set free. It is an equivalent power that holds them together. It takes an equivalent power to hold the nucleus of an atom together that is released when the nucleus is unbalanced.

Now, God Who holds together the universe by the Word of His power, and we are told this in the scripture; He created it by the Word of His power and by Him all things are held together (Colossians 1:17 and Hebrews 1:3). All He is going to do is relax and let it go, and the whole material universe will go up in one gigantic puff. The elements will be dissolved and melted with a fervent heat. The heavens will be on fire. The whole material universe following the natural laws with the protons repelling each other, and this whole material universe will go out of existence in a moment’s time.” (Chuck Smith Bible Commentary)

The New Jerusalem Coming Down Out of Heaven

Revelation 21:2 – “And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

We have a double background we can draw from:

The Greek thought. Plato taught, that in the invisible world there existed the perfect form or idea of everything upon earth. All things on earth were imperfect copies of the heavenly realities. There’s a heavenly Jerusalem of which the earthly Jerusalem is an imperfect copy. We saw this same principle concerning the Old Testament tabernacle that it was a shadow of the heavenly (Hebrews 8:1-5). Paul spoke of Jerusalem that is from above, “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all” (Galatians 4:26). The writer of Hebrews speaks of the heavenly Jerusalem, “But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels” (Hebrews 12:22).
The idea of a more perfect Jerusalem is Jewish. The synagogue prayer many Jews still pray, “And to Jerusalem Thy city return with compassion, and dwell therein as Thou hast promised; and rebuild her speedily in our days, a structure everlasting; and the throne of David speedily establish there. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the builder of Jerusalem.” (William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible) Many Old Testament scriptures find their echo here in John’s vision. Many New Testament ideas and prophecies were first imagined in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 54:11-12 – “O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.”
Haggai 2:9 – “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.”
We see this also in Isaiah 60:10-20 and Ezekiel dreamed of a rebuilt Jerusalem in which we find a picture of the twelve gates of the city (Ezekiel 40:1-49 and Ezekiel 48:1-35). The Jews never lost confidence that God would restore it. Though they expressed their hopes in terms of the material realm; yet these are merely the symbols of the certainty that there is eternal bliss for the people of God. As we’ll see the New Jerusalem will be a 1,500 square mile cube. Pastor Chuck Smith believed the New Jerusalem will actually orbit around the new earth.

God Dwelling With Mankind

Revelation 21:3 – “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

The voice is that of one of an Angel. God will make His dwelling-place with men. The word used for tabernacle or dwelling-place is skene, literally a tent and the Hebrew shechinah, the shechinah glory of God. Men could not hear the one without thinking of the other. As a result, to say that the skene of God is to be with men immediately brought the thought that the shechinah glory of God will be with men. In the Old Testament the shechinah took the form of a luminous cloud which came and went.

We read, for instance, of the cloud which filled the house at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple where the priests could not stand to minister because of the thickness of His power and glory (1 Kings 8:10-11). In this new age the glory of God is not to be a transitory thing, but something which abides permanently with the people of God. In times past man could merely experience God’s glory in a transitory way because we could not handle it in our temporal bodies. However, in the eternal kingdom we’ll have the privilege of basking in the presence of His glory in our glorified state. Praise the Lord!

The promise of God was always for Israel and His people to be His and for Him to be their God. This echoes throughout scripture,

Leviticus 26:11-12 – “I set My tabernacle among you: and My soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be My people.”

Jeremiah 31:33 – “This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Ezekiel 37:27 – “My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Grief, Sorrow, Pain, and Death Will be Vanquished in His Presence

Revelation 21:4 – “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

This is our promise for the future! There will be no more sorrow, grief, sickness, or death. We, in the here and now, experience peace, joy, and His life more abundantly in part. At this time the promise of His fullness comes to fruition. Everything negative of this life will be vanquished and will be no more. In this life the devil has tried to steal life from us but at this time he has been cast into the lake of fire forevermore. All that has hindered us from experiencing His life and it more abundantly is done away with. We cannot fathom what this will be like. It will be a state of eternal bliss. Glory be to God!

Tears, grief, crying, pain, and death are gone. This was the dream of the prophets of old,

Isaiah 25:8 – “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.”

Isaiah 35:10 – “And the ransomed of the Lord will return, they will enter Zion with singing, everlasting joy will crown their heads, gladness and joy will overtake them, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

Isaiah 65:19 – “And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.”

He Makes All Things New

Revelation 21:5 – “And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”

In this eternal kingdom everything is made new. The new man in Jesus gets a new world in Christ. There will be nothing of the old order left. All will be perfect in this world to come. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). This will be a state of eternal bliss. The idea of a day when everything becomes new was foretold by the prophets of old.

God Himself is speaking! He is a God Who is able to make all things new. Isaiah heard God say: “Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it” (Isaiah 43:18-19)? “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). God can take a man and re-create him, and now creates a new universe for the saints whose lives He has redeemed. Praise God!

These Words are Faithful and True

These words must be taken down and remembered; they are true and can be relied on. This all sounds like a dream. This sounds like a fairy tale. It’s surely too good to be true. It’s really going to be that good! It’s hard for us to actually conceive of it all. It’s mind boggling. So to assure us the Lord says, “Write: for these words are true and faithful.” God attests to the truth of what He is declaring. You can believe it. You can trust it. The devil, “the father of lies,” tells us this is a fantasy and will not happen (John 8:44). The devil and this world tries to tell us this is not going to take place, it will never come to pass, it’s nothing but a fantasy but Satan and this present world are liars. However, we not only have this promise but also have the witness in our spirit by the Holy Ghost that this all is true.

Romans 3:4 – “Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That Thou mightest be justified in Thy sayings, and mightest overcome when Thou art judged.”

2 Corinthians 1:20 – “For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”

Hebrews 6:17-19 – “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.”

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 – “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”

The Alpha and Omega and the Beginning and the End

Revelation 21:6a – “And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.”

This is Jesus speaking of Himself. Alpha and Omega are the first and last of the Greek alphabet. This declares His divinity and eternal existence. Jesus, as God, always existed from eternity past to eternity future. He had no beginning and will have no end. He is the great I AM! This is one of the most important doctrines of scripture. If we get this wrong we have the wrong Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:3-4). We saw Him speaking this same thing of Himself at the beginning of Revelation and now at the end of it. Even the prophecy of where He was to be born (the incarnation) declared His eternal existence.

Micah 5:2 – “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

John 1:1 and 14 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Revelation 1:8 – “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

The Privilege of Drinking of the Fountain of the Water of Life Freely

Revelation 21:6b – “I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”

In this eternal kingdom there will be no thirsting of the soul. Man was created to have fellowship with God. When sin came it was severed. Until Jesus coming into our life there was a God shaped hole inside of everyone of us. We tried filling it with a host of worldly things to no avail. Only when we had accepted Christ into our life, our sins were forgiven, and the Holy Spirit began indwelling us was this void filled and the thirsting of our soul was quenched. In this life, however, we do leak at times and must go back to the Lord and ask Him to refill us with His Spirit. In this time to come we will be able to drink of the water of life freely at all times. This was promised us in the Word of God and now is manifest in all its fullness.

Isaiah 12:3 – “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”

Isaiah 44:3 – “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring.”

Isaiah 55:1 – “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

John 4:14 – “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

John 7:37-38 – “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

We have Overcome and Shall Inherit All Things

Revelation 21:7 – “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.”

We are overcomers in Him and Him alone and by faith in Him. We have overcome all the world and the devil has thrown at us and have entered into God’s eternal rest (Hebrews 4:9). “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:4-5)? “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Romans 8:37). “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of His knowledge by us in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Hallelujah! We get to inherit all things in Christ. This is all inclusive. Everything that is Jesus’ is ours as well. How great is that! We inherit this new world that God creates and will be able to enjoy it throughout eternity. We are joint-heirs with Christ. “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). “Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). We are going to inherit this whole new universe that God creates. It’s all ours to enjoy to the fullest with Him. Most of all we inherit an intimate and tangible relationship with the Father and the Son. “I will be his God, and he shall be My son.” “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:7). The Lord will be our greatest inheritance. Glory be to God!

All Who Have Their Part in the Lake of Fire

Revelation 21:8-9 – “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

So, in our previous verses we have those who inherit eternal bliss but there are those here who are condemned and cast into the lake of fire. The King James Version “fearful” (deilos) can also be translated cowardly. It’s not fear in itself that is condemned. The highest form of courage is to be desperately afraid and in spite of fear to do the right thing and to hold fast to loyalty and faithfulness. What is condemned is the cowardice who denies Christ because of the fear of man, which is to be fearful. The unbelieving are those who refused to accept Jesus and the Gospel. The abominable are those who allowed themselves to be saturated by the abominations of the world.

Murderers may well be those who in persecutions slaughtered the Christians and those whose hearts were full of hate. Whoremongers are those who lived lives of immorality. Sorcerers, Ephesus was full of sorcerers. Acts 19:19 tells that at the preaching of Christ the magicians burned their books. So this refers to those who practice sorcery or magic arts, spells, and incantations. The Greek for sorcerers is pharmakeia: the use of medicine, drugs or spells. So this can also be referring to those addicted to drugs whether it be drug addicts or pharmaceutical drugs such as psychiatric drugs, etc. Idolaters are those who worshiped false gods. Liars are those who were guilty of untruth, deception, and lies.

The City of God – the New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:9-11 – “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.”

The angel carried John away in the Spirit to a high mountain. It is in this way that Ezekiel also describes his experience. “In the visions of God brought He me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain” (Ezekiel 40:2). H. B. Swete points out that it is wrong to take this literally; the lifting up stands for the elevation of spirit in which a man sees the visions and hears the words which are sent to him by God. This is similar to when Satan took Jesus “up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them” (Matthew 4:8). However, instead of being demonically inspired John’s experience is from God and spiritual in nature.

The Light of the City

It is “descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” Can you imagine seeing this site coming down from God out of heaven? Imagine the light refracting in a crystal and the brilliance or the refraction of light in a diamond, the glorious colors that are coming forth from the New Jerusalem as it descends out of heaven to possibly take its orbit around the new earth. The body which illumined the city was like a precious stone and the radiance which played over all the city was like the glitter of a jasper.

The Walls, Gates, Foundations, Measurements, and Description of the City

Revelation 21:12-14 – “And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”

So there are twelve gates and each gate had twelve angels standing as sentinels and there was written on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There are three gates on each wall. The walls of the city had twelve foundations and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The twelve tribes of Israel represent the Old Testament church and the twelve foundations and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb stands for the New Testament church. Thus, they symbolize the totality of the church and believers from throughout the ages. Old Testament believers were saved looking forward to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and New Testament believers are saved by looking back to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as a completed act.

Revelation 21:15-17 – “And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.”

The holy city is not only square; it’s in the form of a perfect cube. The length, breadth, and height are the same. The angel “measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs.” A furlong is about .125 Miles so this city is 1,500 miles in each direction, and the total area of the city is 2,250,000 square miles. Wow! What a city this New Jerusalem will be. The angel “measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits.” A cubit is approximately eighteen inches so the walls are about 216 feet.

Revelation 21:18-21 – “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”

The wall was of Jasper. Jasper was not the modern opaque jasper but a translucent rock crystal, green in color. “The city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.” “The foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones.” “The first foundation was jasper.” Again, Jasper was not the modern opaque jasper but a translucent rock crystal, green in color. “The second, sapphire.” Sapphire was not the modern sapphire. Pliny describes it as sky-blue, flecked with gold. It was most likely the stone now known as lapis lazuli. “The third, a chalcedony.” Chalcedony was a green silicate of copper, found in mines near Chalcedon. It is described as being like the sheen of green on a dove’s neck or in a peacock’s tail. “The fourth, an emerald” and was the modern emerald, which Pliny describes as the greenest of all green stones. “The fifth, sardonyx” which is an onyx in which the white was broken by layers of red and brown. “The sixth, sardius” which is blood-red, and was the commonest of all stones used for engraving gems.

“The seventh is chrysolyte.” The identification of the chrysolite is uncertain. Its Hebrew name means the stone of Tarshish. Pliny describes it as shining with a golden radiance. It could be a yellow beryl or a gold-colored jasper. “The eighth, beryl” and was like an emerald; the best stones were sea-blue or sea-green. “The ninth, a topaz” and was a transparent, greenish-gold stone, very highly valued by the Hebrews. “The tenth, a chrysoprasus” which is normally apple-green, but varies from turquoise-like cyan to deep green. “The eleventh, a jacinth” and is described by ancient writers as being a violet, bluish-purple stone. “The twelfth, an amethyst” and is described as being very similar to the jacinth, but more brilliant. “The twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.” Imagine the utter beauty of this city. To say the least, God is elaborate. He spares no expense, as it were, and He lavishes it all on us.

There Will be no Temple in This City and the Glory of God and the Lamb Lighten it

Revelation 21:22-23 – “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”

The city needs no temple because the presence of God is continually there. He is dwelling with His people. You need no meeting place where you go to meet God. He is dwelling among His people. The symbolism is plain for all to see. Buildings do not make a Church nor liturgy. The one thing which makes a Church is the presence of Jesus. Without Him there’s no such thing as a Church. With Jesus in the midst any gathering of people is a Church. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, There am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

“The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” There will be no night or darkness in this city because God is there and darkness cannot exist in His presence. “This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). The glorious incandescent light, of the Shekinah glory of God fills the city.

The Nations Walk in the Light of the City

Revelation 21:24-27 – “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”

So “the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.” Are there kings and nations that are saved without the city which come to the city to gaze on its magnificence? This could be explained, in part, by the judgment of the sheep and goat nations (Matthew 25:31-46). I lean toward thinking this to simply mean that all those who are saved bring their previous glory into the city. God knows! We do know this is going to be glorious. I can’t wait!

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” This shows there will never be anything in this glorious city but pure unadulterated righteousness. The only persons who will enter are those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

A Pure River of the Water of Life

Revelation 22:1 – “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

So far the description has been of the exterior of the holy city; now the scene moves inward. There’s the river of the water of life. This picture has many sources in the Old Testament. There was a river which watered the Garden of Eden and made it fruitful (Genesis 2:8-16). There was Ezekiel’s picture of a river that issued from the Temple (Ezekiel 47:1-7). The Psalmist sings of “a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God” (Psalms 46:4). Joel said, “a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the Lord” (Joel 3:18). Zechariah says, “And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:8).

Though a real river it no doubt represents the Holy Spirit. It proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb, for the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Jesus also tells of living waters that will fill the very soul of everyone who trusts in Him. He told the woman at the well, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38).

The Tree of Life Bearing Twelve Manner of Fruit

Revelation 22:2 – “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bore twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

God’s providing a tree that has twelve different kinds of fruit and every month the fruit will be fresh and ripe. There will be medicinal value in the leaves of the tree. Here again the rabbinic dreams of the future are very close. “In the age to come God will create trees which will produce fruit in any month; and the man who eats from them will be healed.” (William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible) Ezekiel foresaw this day, “By the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine” (Ezekiel 47:12).

The tree of life gives many and varied fruits. In this we see the symbolism of the fruit of the Spirit springing forth in our lives abundantly in the eternal kingdom. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). In the different fruit for each month of the year we see symbolized that in the life which God gives there’s special grace for each stage in one’s life? The tree of life is no longer forbidden; it is there in the midst of the city for all to partake of. Nor are its fruits confined to the Jews; its leaves are for the healing of the nations. Only in the Spirit of God can the wounds and the breaches of the nations be healed.

There Will Be No More Curse

Revelation 22:3-4 – “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: And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.”

The earth, you remember, was cursed as a result of sin. “And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:17-19). So there will be no more curse. There can be no curse where the presence of God is.

Death is included in the curse but at this time death is abolished. In place of the curse will be blessings untold. How glorious this will be. We will be in the presence of God perpetually. In His presence there is nothing but joy and pleasure forevermore. “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalms 16:11). It will be like the garden prior to the fall except many times over as good. There will be no more sickness, sorrow, or pain. “And the ransomed of the Lord will return, They will enter Zion with singing, everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10).

We Shall See His Face

Remember when Moses was in the presence of God on Mount Sinai. He desired to see God in all His glory and He told Moses none could see His face and live. “And He said, I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory. And He said, I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. And He said, thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand while I pass by: And I will take away Mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts: but My face shall not be seen” (Exodus 33:18-23). Now in our glorified state we’ll be able to look on Him in His full essence and live. We have been purified by Jesus’ blood. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).

There Will Be No Need for the Sun or Any Light

Revelation 22:5 – “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”

John returns to the theme of Revelation 21:23, “The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” The city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, nor any light to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. The glorious incandescent light of the Shekinah glory of God fills the city. We shall walk in the light thereof. We see here the ultimate fulfillment of Jesus’ Words, “A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house” (Matthew 5:14-15).

These Sayings Are Faithful and True

Revelation 22:6-7 – “And He said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”

John is again reemphasizing Revelation 21:5, “Write: for these words are true and faithful.” These words must be taken down and remembered; they are true and can absolutely be relied on. It sounds too good to be true. So the Lord affirms that these are true and faithful sayings. Again, the affirmation of the truth of what God is declaring for our skeptical minds that finds it hard to believe that God should do such a thing for us. For we are so unworthy and undeserving that we should reign forever and ever in His glorious New Kingdom and New World. So, the Lord assures us these are true and faithful sayings.

Worship God and No One Else

Revelation 22:8-9 – “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”

John is repeating the same thing he did in Revelation 19:10. He again is caught up in the moment and fell at his feet to worship him. John is overwhelmed over all that has been shown him. So he falls down at his feet again to worship him. John making the mistake that man so often makes worshiping the instrument of God. “Don’t do that. Worship God.” He quickly admonished him don’t worship me. “I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.” He alone is worthy of our worship.

Giving to Every Man According to His Works

Revelation 22:10-12 – “And He saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

This is apparently Jesus speaking now. “And He saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.” Remember, when God gave Daniel his vision he was commanded to shut up the vision until the time of the end. “Wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days” (Daniel 8:26). So, seal them up there will be a time that they will be understood, but they are not for you. Now with John, He said, “don’t seal the book. Leave it open, because things are going to begin unfolding. You can understand this prophecy because the time is at hand.” It amazes me how many Christians and even pastors who are afraid to study and teach on this book. I had one pastor say to me once that it scared him. This should not be. This book is meant for us to understand, at least in part. It was given to the churches, therefore, it should be being taught in our churches.

“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” It is a divine emphasis upon this solemn truth that as a man is found in that coming day, so shall he remain for all eternity. In this world God is calling men to repent. Here, and now, He waits to renew, by divine grace, those who commit themselves to Him. But in the eternal world there will no longer be time to change and be cleansed by the blood of Christ. Those who have not done so by now will have no other chance. You will remain as you were. If we were made righteous and holy by faith in Jesus we will remain so throughout eternity. If you haven’t accepted Christ by now it will be too late at this point. You’ll remain as you were.

“Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” As the children of God we won’t be judged for our sins; that has all been covered by Jesus Christ. The gift of eternal life is just that, it’s God’s gift to us. We can’t earn it. We don’t deserve it. It is the gift of God. “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, reward is earned! God is going to reward us according to our works. There will be degrees of reward in eternity. Not everyone will have the same position in glory.

There are a lot of works that people do that there will be no reward for. They will be burned up at the Judgment Seat of Christ where reward is determined (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). Some of our works (wood, hay, and stubble) will be burned up while some will past through the fire as gold, silver, and precious stones and reward will be given. Motive is everything (Matthew 6:1-18). It’s interesting gold, silver, and precious stones have to be dug out of the ground whereas wood, hay, and stubble are above ground. So what’s beneath and hard to see unless you dig for it receives reward but what is above ground for all to see is burned up and no reward is given. If what we do is just a big show before people to be seen of them we’ve already received our reward. But if they are done to please and glorify God then we’ll be rewarded accordingly.

Matthew 6:1 – “Take heed that ye do not your alms (righteousness) before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16 – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Remember the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30)? A certain man was traveling to a far country and he called his servants to entrust them with his goods while he was away. He gave one five talents, to another he gave two talents, and to the third he gave one talent. When he returned from his journey he called them into account to see what they had done with what he had entrusted them with. The one with the five talents had doubled what he gave him and he said, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:21). The one with two talents doubled his and was rewarded accordingly as well. But the one with one talent hid his talent in the ground for fear and therefore received no reward. What are we doing with the talents God has entrusted us with? As with this parable, when our Lord returns, He will call us into account of what He has entrusted us with.

Scriptures for the Judgment Seat of Christ: 2 Corinthians 5:10-11, Romans 14:10-12, 1 Corinthians 3:9-15.

Five Crowns Mentioned in Scripture: These are given as reward for faithful service to the Master.

The Incorruptible Crown – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.
The Crown of Rejoicing – 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20.
The Crown of Righteousness – 2 Timothy 4:6-8.
The Crown of Glory – 1 Peter 5:1-4.
The Crown of Life – James 1:12.

Jesus Speaking Blessing and Exclusion

Revelation 22:13-16 – “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”

This is Jesus speaking of Himself. As in Revelation 21:6, He identifies Himself there and here saying, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” Again, Alpha and Omega are the first and last of the Greek alphabet. This declares His divinity and eternal existence. Jesus, as God, has always existed from eternity past to eternity future. He had no beginning and will have no end. We saw Him speaking this same thing of Himself at the beginning of Revelation in chapter one verse eight and now at the end of Revelation.

In verse fourteen, it is well to notice, is differently rendered in most newer translations and in accordance with the best manuscripts. It is thus: “Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” It’s not the keeping of commandments that gives one right to this home of the saints. It is only the precious blood of Christ, by which the saints are washed clean and that fits us for entrance into His eternal kingdom. It is by nothing we do but the grace and mercy of God alone that we enter in. We come through Jesus and His finished work on the cross on our behalf and nothing else. None of us are worthy in and of ourselves. We’re made worthy by being cleansed by His blood and by the righteousness of Christ being imputed to our account.

Colossians 1:12 – “Giving thanks unto the Father Who hath made us meet (qualified or made us worthy) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”

In verse fifteen we read, “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” Outside, forevermore will be the false, apostate teachers, designated as dogs, with those trafficking with evil spirits, the unclean, and all murderers and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. They will be outside because they would not prepare to enter inside while God was offering mercy through His Son’s atoning work. This doesn’t mean they are just outside the city but they have no part in it. As we have seen they’re in the lake of fire forevermore because they failed to avail themselves of the free gift of salvation while they still could. If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior the time to do so is NOW! At this time it will be too late.

In verse sixteen Jesus guarantees the truth of all that John has seen and heard. The point of this guarantee is this, the book begins by promising a revelation to be given by Jesus (Revelation 1:1). This is the attestation of Jesus that all these things have come from Him. He then goes on to give, as it were, His credentials. “I am the root and the offspring of David,” He says this in reference to Isaiah 11:1, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of His roots.” Jesus is saying that in Him is the fulfillment of this prophecy and that He is David’s promised descendant.

“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.” He is “the bright and morning star.” This recalls the great Messianic prophecy: “There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17). The morning star is the herald of the day which chases away the darkness of the night. In Jesus’ presence the night and darkness of sin and death must flee. In the days of His flesh Jesus said: “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). When the Risen Christ said that He was the morning star, He claimed again to be the light of the world and the vanquisher of all the world’s darkness.

The Great and Last Invitation

Revelation 22:17 – “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

Immediately the Spirit and the bride respond, saying, “Come.” It is an invitation to Him to return to shine forth and gather His own to Himself. All who hear are urged to join in this cry, “Come.” To all those who do not yet know Him, the gospel invitation, for the last time, goes forth in view of His near return, “Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Let the one who hears say: “Come” symbolizes the great truth that every Christian should be a soul winner. He who has been found by Christ must find others and bring them to Jesus.

This reminds us of God’s great invitation, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1). It also reminds us of the Words of Jesus Himself, “He that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). To the woman at the well He said, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). At the last day of the feast Jesus cried, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38). In Christ alone, through the Holy Spirit, is the longing and emptiness of the soul filled and satisfied.

The Great Warning of This Book

Revelation 22:18-19 – “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

How horrifying will be the fate of those who reject this testimony, and reject its message! Far better off to never have been born than thus to refuse the Word of the living God. It warns against distorting the teaching which the book contains. It is very much what Paul meant, when he said: “Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9). We find similar warnings in the Bible in other places. “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it” (Deuteronomy 4:2). “Add thou not unto His Words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:6).

I can’t imagine the audacity of anyone to mess with the book of Revelation with a warning like this, or to try to read something into it or take something out of it. We must take this book literally even if we don’t understand all of it. We must take it literally and teach it literally! You don’t want to be guilty of adding to or taking away from it any at all. I’d rather be wrong in my literal interpretation of this book than to be wrong by adding to or taking away from it by spiritualizing it. Those who try and say it was fulfilled in the Roman Empire and so forth are treading on dangerous territory. We must take this book seriously.

The Final Promise and Benediction

Revelation 22:20-21 – “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

We have here the promise of Jesus’ return, “Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” His promise to return for His people rings throughout the New Testament. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28). “When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). But wait! It has been 2,000 years and He says here “Surely I come quickly!” Quickly has not so much the idea of soon as it is the thought of when He comes it will happen swiftly. “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44).

Peter said there would be those who would mock His return. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-9).

It surely sounds like, if we are longing for Jesus to return sooner than later we should be about the business of soul winning. It may very well expedite His return. That one last person could be the one He’s waiting for to release His coming. The last one on the verge of salvation. It could be you. You may be the last one He’s waiting on to give your life to Him. Will you turn your life over to Christ and accept Him as your Lord and Savior? Your act of surrender may usher in His return.

Surely every believing heart can join with the apostle in the prayer, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” But while we wait for His return, we would still seek to make known the message of His grace and love to a lost and dying world. So, with the apostolic benediction, this book, and with this book the entire canon of Scripture, comes to a close, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”