Revelation Chapter 22:1-7/Commentary

Revelation Chapter 22:1-7 Revelation 22:1“And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; 4and they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5And there shall no longer be any night; and they shall not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever. 6And he said to me, "These words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place. 7"And behold, I am coming quickly.

Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."

22:1 John continues to describe the internal condition of the heavenly Jerusalem: “A river of the water of life, clear as crystal”. The statement “water of life”, signifies water possessing life-giving powers, water which restores, refreshes, supports life, water that is life, the very life or life essence, and a whole river of it. The phrase “clear as crystal” stresses the purity and beauty of this river; it is the very essence of purity and life. The source of this river is the throne of God and the Lamb, for God is the essence of life (Acts 17:25). The idea of joint occupancy of the throne by the Father and the Son has been stated elsewhere in this book (3:21; 12:5). Point To Note: God is trying to stress to us the abundant “life” that is found in heaven. We are told about the “river of life” and the “tree of life” (22:2). When upon this earth, Jesus had said, “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Even in this life, the faithful Christian must acknowledge that God has showered upon them more blessings than they can number or properly relish and savor (Ephesians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 9:8). Just look at the variety and absolute abundance of physical life that God has placed upon this earth, a world that is “teeming” with life (Genesis 1:20). Realize this too, that where God has not placed “life”, there is no life! Despite our jumps and leaps in technology, we cannot create life out of nothing. Long ago Solomon said, “For who can eat and who can have

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enjoyment without Him?” (Ecclesiastes 2:25). Here, Christians have been given just a taste of eternal life, what will the seven course meal feel like?

“A close relationship between these verses and the first few chapters of Genesis is readily apparent. In Eden there was a garden, a river, the tree of life, man’s disobedience and separation from these, a curse pronounced on the serpent, the soil, and indirectly, upon man, for it brought death and separation from God. In the city of God, the eternal Eden of the redeemed, there is the river of water of life, the tree of life, the absence of a curse, and a perfect and full fellowship of the redeemed with God. What was lost in Eden in now fully restored (and multiplied); God’s purpose is achieved” (Hailey p. 420).

22:1 “Coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb”: “In this phrase we have the mercy and the authority of God combined. God’s mercy and His authority are not in competition one with another. People, there has to be authority, somewhere in someone, or else there can be no order or blessing.

Anarchy cannot bring blessing. The only real hope for the future is to let God rule in our lives. God deliver us from a future in which man is going to be the savior!” (McGuiggan p. 332).

“John’s vision of the river is similar to that of Ezekiel’s, but with important differences (Ezekiel 47:1-12). In Ezekiel’s vision the waters issued from the threshold of the house (temple), flowed eastward toward the Dead Sea, increasing in breadth and depth as it flowed onward. Its waters were for the healing of the salt waters of the sea, providing fish in abundance; on either side of the river grew every tree for food. In John’s vision the river flows out of the throne of God and the Lamb, continues beside or in the midst of the street, and has no designated termination. It sustains life or is life. Common to both visions are the trees on either side of the river. In Ezekiel’s vision the trees provide fruit and leaves for food and healing, in John’s vision they provide the food of eternal life and leaves for healing of the nations. In similar visions, Joel (3:18) and Zechariah (14:8) also saw rivers from God. The message of these Old Testament prophets looked to the spiritual kingdom under the Messiah, but John’s vision points to the consummation of that kingdom in heaven” (Hailey p.

421).

22:2 “In the middle of its street”: This statement is the end of the sentence started in verse 1. “Street” here may be used collectively, representing all the avenues from the twelve gates that extend through the city, or all the avenues uniting into one main street. “On either side of the river was the tree of life”: This indicates that the word “tree” is being used for more than one tree. “The vision pictures a beautiful park with golden streets, rivers of crystal pure water flowing through it, and banks and avenues lined with trees” (Hailey p. 422).

Points to Note: 1. In Revelation 2:7, heaven is described as the “Paradise of God”. The word “paradise” is thought to be of Persian origin, denoting the parks of Persian kings and nobles. The Greek translation of the Old Testament, used

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this same word consistently for the Garden of Eden and Genesis 13:10 “The valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere---like the garden of the Lord”. 2. I am impressed that regardless of one’s personal preference for the city or the country, both images are used in describing heaven. On the one hand heaven is described as the ideal home for the person who loves a well-planned city, the dream home of the architect or the engineer. On the other hand, the terms used to describe heaven denote a pleasure garden full of pleasant parks and meadows, with stately trees and flower gardens, and often with wild animals roving in semi-captivity, the type of garden or estate that only an opulent Persian monarch could afford. In fact, it is called “The Paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7).

This is God’s estate, God’s park, and God’s garden. 3. “The tree of life”: This tree had been part of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:22-24).

In fact, there are many parallels between Revelation 22:1-5 and Genesis chapters 2 and 3. In Eden there was a garden, a river, and the tree of life, yet Eden was a physical garden upon this earth (Genesis 3:23-24; 2:10-14). When man sinned in the Garden of Eden, access to this tree was denied, lest they should eat of it and in their sinful condition live forever. What a blessing that God removed it! Eating of the tree after they had sinned would have seemed to grant immortality, but immortality in alienation from God. Man must now find his eternal life in a different tree, that is, the cross of Christ. Carefully note that everything lost in Eden, plus much more is gained in heaven! “Bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month”: Which suggests “life” in abundance, a constant and perfect supply. In the book of Proverbs, there are four references to the tree of life (3:18; 11:30; 13:12; 15:4). In each of these references certain things are called a “tree of life”, for instance godly wisdom, hope, fulfilled desires, fruitful works, and wise words. It appears that the “tree of life” is also a symbol for an abundant, rich, and deep happiness that is overflowing with good things. Kidner notes, “at the simplest level (in Proverbs), graceful figures of God’s sources of renewal, temporal and spiritual: of the effects of a heartening word from somebody (15:4); or of a wish that at last comes true (13:12); going deeper, they depict the wholesome influence of a good man on other people; a man who…wins people to righteousness by his character (11:30)” (Proverbs p. 54).

22:2 “and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations”: Some feel that the leaves of the tree are a symbol of God’s past healing: A reminder that God offered salvation to all the nations (Mark 16:15), and those nations that turned to God found solutions to many of their national problems (Jeremiah 18:78; Proverbs 14:34). Others feel that the nations here are the redeemed from all the various nations, that is, the Gentiles, and that heaven is a place of spiritual wholeness and soundness for all men who have obeyed the gospel. Heaven is not only a place where all physical diseases have been eliminated, but where emotional, mental and spiritual problems have also been removed. In fact, in the society we live in, there are probably more people with emotional problems than

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actual physical problems. I was recently reminded of this when I entered an office building that had a clinic for anxiety disorders that had at least five highly educated professional doctors on staff. Note that every Christian has access to the tree of life and this is not simply something only reserved for an elite class (Revelation 2:7). Some have argued that the term “nations” suggests that the nations still exist and therefore this chapter is not a picture of heaven, but of the church on earth. I would argue that the term “nations” simply means the Gentiles and that people from among all the nations are among the redeemed.

22:3 “And there shall no longer be any curse”: Again we are reminded of Eden, where following the entrance of sin, a curse was placed upon the ground, and associated with the roles of Adam and Eve. “And His bondservants shall serve Him”: Someone has said, “In heaven we will serve without exhaustion”. It will be service without earthly-time demands, service without frustrations, disappointments, setbacks, or failure. It will be service without the limitations that so often hinder us on earth, service without growing tired, and maybe even more meaningful, service which is not hindered by a lack of education, know-how, skill, or knowledge. How many times in this life do we have to settle for second-best, because we really do not have the skills, knowledge, tools or means to do the job with absolute perfection? How many times in this life will I never do something, because I either lack the resources, tools, or the time to learn? God has built into man a creative drive to produce something productive. We all derive pleasure from a job well done and from knowing that others are pleased with our service. In heaven, this creative drive will not be frustrated, but rather completely unleashed. In addition, “In heaven we will serve and administrate without failure”. In this life we are stewards (1 Cor. 4:1-2). “God has delegated to us a great responsibility. We often feel the pressure and guilt of not being able to measure up to our self-imposed expectations. And how guilty we feel when we do not measure up to what God expects! In heaven we will never have to face failure” (Whatever Happened To Heaven and Hell, Eighth Annual Shenandoah Lectures, p. 335). Jesus said, “Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21). The verse not only suggests activity in heaven, but greater and more rewarding activity. Note the faithful, exciting, busy, and often challenging life of the fruitful Christian here is spoken of as being “faithful with a few things”. In contrast, heaven is pictured as being “put in charge of many things”. So much for the idea that heaven will be a boring existence. Just think for a moment Christian. Look at all the things that God has allowed you to do in this life! Look at the doors of opportunity that He has providentially opened. Look at all your rich, rewarding, fun, enlightening, and joyful experiences. Far more awaits you in the life to come! Remember when the Bible describes heaven as “rest” (2 Thess. 1:7), the thought is not one of idleness. Lest someone is worried that heaven might be kind of dull, let us remember that even in this life work can be either refreshing, relaxing, and rewarding, or work can be frustrating! When working on something in this life, we might be putting forth a lot of effort and sweat, yet we are enjoying every

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minute of it; that’s just a taste of the type of work and service that awaits us in heaven.

The removal of the “curse” is another indication from the context that we are dealing with eternity, for only then will sin and its earthly consequences cease to exist (Revelation 21:4; 1 Corinthians 15).

22:3 “And the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it”: This is clearly a place where God actually has His throne!

22:4 “And they shall see His face”: That which was denied to one so great as Moses, is reserved for all the faithful (Exodus 33:20,23). Barclay notes that being in the very presence of God, seeing God face to face will produce two things: Perfect worship and perfect consecration. Even though the Bible says concerning God’s interaction with Moses, “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11). Moses still wanted more of God (33:18). This tells me that Moses did not find intimacy with God, or direct communication from God to be an uncomfortable experience.

There is a story that goes, “It is said that a certain church member was dreaming that he had died and was approaching the gates of heaven and there were many traveling with him. As they approached the pearly gates, they heard great shouting and rejoicing from the other side. When finally the gates were opened, the man inquired, ‘What was the occasion for all the shouting and rejoicing that we just heard? Someone replied, ‘They have just announced that they won’t have Wednesday night services here in heaven’”. Sadly, often this is man’s attitude towards worship services. In this life things do hinder effective worship at times, caring for small children, aches and pains of the body, physical exhaustion, and so on. But I find as one grows older, matures, and develops a deeper faith, that such distractions can be even appreciated. The voices of small children simply remind me that they are being taught about God and they have been privileged to be born into a family that serves God. The young man struggling to give a lesson or an invitation reminds me that there is hope for the next generation. But as someone said, “In heaven we will worship without distraction”. Worship will never be forced, manipulated, or contrived. It will truly be genuine, and everyone will participate. In our earthly worship services, there is sometimes someone who does not really want to be there. In our earthly worship services, typically there is someone either from the outside or inside who is not happy with the length of the songs, the number, the ones selected, and on and on. For those people who really do the bulk of the work in any given congregation, heaven is so appealing, because it means that everyone there is happy! Compare with 1 John 3:2; Matthew 5:8 “for they shall see God”.

22:4 “His name shall be on their foreheads”: To me this says that the sinful thoughts and bad attitudes that we fought while here on earth have all been removed. What freedom! The perfect freedom that is found when we perfectly submit to God! It also says that we will truly see things from God’s perspective.

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In heaven all the arguments have ceased, all the opposing voices have been silenced, all the doubts and attempts to undermine God’s authority are gone. In heaven, everyone is on the same page! Everyone has the same outlook and the same perspective.

22:5 “And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them”: Compare with 21:23,25. “The thought has developed from walking in the midst of the light (21:24), to serving in the light (22:3), and now, to reigning in that light” (Hailey p. 424).

22:5 “They shall reign forever and ever”: I was thinking the other night how many people I know who once were faithful Christians, but who over the years have fallen away, how many of the member’s children that never embraced the gospel, and how many Christian families that have simply disintegrated. In heaven we will not lose any friends due to sin. In heaven we will not lose any more battles with Satan. This reward is for those who overcome (Revelation 21:7) for Christians who refuse to adopt the standards and perspectives of the world, Christians who refuse to get discouraged, who refuse to give up, who refuse to give into self-pity and self-absorption. This is the reward for Christians who refuse to allow themselves to become unbelieving or cynical about the church and the Word, for people who simply refuse to abandon God. Is that you? Christians do reign with Jesus in this life (Revelation 5:10), but this is a reign that is not limited by time, it shall not cease.

Carefully note that such promises apply to all the saved, all who overcome (21:7). All the saved reign with God, all the saved see His face, and so on.

There are no degrees of salvation or various levels of eternal bliss, for all the saved partake of the same blessings in eternity.

22:6 “And he said to me”: The angel mentioned in 22:8. “These words are faithful and true”: Here is another statement concerning the divine origin of the contents of this book. The expression, “these words” refers to the entire book of Revelation. In times of hardship and persecution God’s people need to remember that the Bible is not simply, or merely, a “book”, rather it contains words that are faithful and true. “The people might forget the truths here told when the hard times came. They have been told already, several times, and will be told again several times, that what is written is true! Depend on it!”

(McGuiggan p. 336). Do our lives manifest a conviction that the Bible is true?

22:6 “The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets”: God is not only the Father of our souls (Hebrews 12:9), but this book was revealed by the God who inspired all the prophets in previous generations (2 Peter 1:21; 1 Peter 1:11; Hebrews 1:1). “Sent His angel to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place”: The God who had inspired the prophets in time

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past has likewise sent His angel to reveal this book as well. The expression “things which must soon take place” means that which comes speedily and quickly. Thus the majority of the book is not talking about the end of the world.

“The reference is to the conflict developed in the book; hence, in a brief time the events of that conflict would come to pass” (Hailey p. 426). Compare with 1:1 and 1:3. “If the principal events of this book have not yet occurred, these words bring no comfort to the people to whom it was addressed nearly 2,000 years ago” (Harkrider p. 255).

22:7 “And behold, I am coming quickly”: The term “behold” is an imperative, “bidding the reader or hearer to give serious attention to what is said” (Hailey p.

426). From the fact that Jesus has not returned to this day, obviously this does not refer to His Second Coming, but rather to the coming mentioned in this book, that is, to judge those who were oppressing Christians (6:9ff). In addition, remember that Jesus also told the seven churches that He would come swiftly to judge them if they did not repent (2:5,16; 3:11).

22:7 “Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book”: Seven beatitudes are found in this book (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7,14).

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