Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church (mostly commentary by Ladd)
Ledgewood, New Jersey
April 12, 1992
Revelation 22
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I. The river of the water of life. 22:1
A. Symbolic description of the reign of eternal life in the age to come.
1) The Psalm writer spoke of "a river whose streams make glad the city of God."
Psalm 46:4
2) Ezekiel's vision of the new Jerusalem has a river of water flowing from under
the temple which brought healing and life to the waters of the Dead Sea.
Ezek 47:1-12
3) In Zechariah, the river flows from the New Jerusalem both eastward and
westward. Zech 14:8
4) Jesus spoke of living water which he offered people. John 4:10,14
B. The river flows from the throne of God.
1) Means that God is the source of all life.
2) The throne seats both God the Father and the Son.
a) The judgment seat of Christ before which believers must appear (2 Cor 5:10) is
also the judgment seat of God (Rom 14:10).
3) The river also flows down the center of the city, showing the centrality of
eternal life there.
II. The tree of life.
A. Also an image of eternal life, and reflects back to the Garden of Eden. Gen
2:9
B. The tree will bear its fruit continually, and provide for the healing of the
nations. Compare Ezekiel 47:12
1) Twelve crops of fruit is extraordinary and expresses the absolute triumph of
life over death.
2) "Healing for the nations" does not mean people will be in nations, or need to
be healed of pain and disease. It is meant to show the contrast between this
age of suffering and the future age of perfection.
C. The removal of the Curse (22:3; cf. Genesis 3:16-19) also shows the contrast
between this age and the age to come.
III. The transformation is due to God's continual presence in the city. 22:3
A. The chief joy of Christians will be to serve God.
B. They will see God's face. 22:4
1) In the OT, coming face to face with God meant death. Exod 33:20
2) Jesus brings the presence of God to people in His own person. Matt 1:23
3) To see Jesus is to see God the Father. John 14:7,9; 17:3
C. They will possess God's name, and reign forever and ever.
1) They are not said to reign "over" anyone; it means they share the royal office
of Christ.
IV. Epilogue of Revelation. 22:6-21
A. Primary purpose is to affirm the authority of the book.
1) It is a prophecy, it is true, and it will happen soon.
a) "Soon" can also mean quickly. No one knows the day or hour (Matt 24:36) but
every generation must be awake as though the coming of Christ was at the
threshold (Matt 24:42-44).
b) The rest of the New Testament also shows this tension: the time is near
(Matt 24:42-44), but the end is delayed (Luke 19:11-26).
2) It is not to be sealed.
a) Some OT prophecies that deal with the distant future were sealed. Isaiah
8:16; Daniel 8:26; 12:4,9
b) John's Revelation concerns every generation of believers, so is not to be
sealed.
B. Hardness and hope.
1) As the end approaches, our character will become more set and harder to
change. 22:11
a) Those who are rejected are said to be "outside the city."
b) This is another expression for Hell, or the Lake of Fire. 21:8
2) And yet salvation is always possible and offered by God. 22:17
a) Only Jesus can make us clean. 22:14
b) He invites us to take the water of life without price. 22:17
C. Warning about distorting the Revelation.
1) The reference to not adding or taking away words does not refer to modern
Bibles that leave out familiar verses. Those who "hear" it are warned, so it
seems to refer to deliberate distortion of the book's message.
2) Deut 4:2 has the same general idea.
D. Come, Lord Jesus!
1) This prayer is rooted in the earliest Aramaic-speaking Christians, and is
derived from "Marana tha" (1 Cor 16:22).
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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