Explanation: In Revelation 22, John sees a pure river of the water of life coming out of the throne of God and the Lamb (Eden also had a river, but without special qualities. This river is life-giving). The tree of life is on either side of the river. (Eden had this tree, but it was lost to man due to his sin. Here, access to it is restored forever). It bears twelve fruits month by month. Its leaves heal the nations. The curse is absent, though it had reigned from Adam till the end of history). The throne of God and of the Lamb is there. (In Eden God visited daily; here he will be with us constantly). His servants will serve him, shall see his face, and his name will be in their foreheads. No night will be in that place. The inhabitants will need neither a candle nor the sun. The Lord gives them light; and they shall reign forever (1-5).
     These sayings are faithful and true (like the Lord himself: Revelation 3:14; Revelation 19:11). They will come to pass quickly (6).
     The Lord will come quickly. Those who keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book are blessed (7).
      John fell at the angel's feet to worship him, but the angel forbade him with the same sharp rebuke which John received in Revelation 19:10. When John tried to worship this angel (or another) angel, John said, "Behold! No! ... worship God." The angel told him that he was a co-servant with John, the prophets, and those who keep the sayings of this book (8-9).
     The angel told John to keep the book unsealed because the time was at hand. Sinners would be locked into their sin; and the righteous would be secured in their righteousness (10-11).
     Jesus, or the angel quoting Jesus, then says "Behold, I come quickly." He was bringing men the rewards of their deeds. He said, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." Scripture uses this term to describe Jesus in four places, all of them in Revelation, and all of them spoken by Jesus of himself: Revelation 1:8; Revelation 1:11; Revelation 21:16; and Revelation 22:13. These verses and their context make it plain that he is God ("Almighty"-Revelation 1:8), and he is the Savior (Revelation 21:16), and he is the Judge (Revelation 1:11, 17-18); Revelation 22:12-13. He will come in all of these roles and offices (12-13).
     Those who obey him are blessed because they have right to the tree of life and to the city. Outside the city are all manner of evildoers (14-15).
     Jesus sent his angel to testify these things to the churches (those mentioned in chapters 1-3). So the whole book is a message to these seven churches, not just the words of the opening chapter. They were to heed it, just as we must. Jesus also calls himself the root and descendant of David, the bright and morning star. In Revelation 2:28, Jesus says that he will give the morning star to him who overcomes, a reference, seemingly, to Jesus being closely and deeply in fellowship with those who overcome. As for the other image which Jesus uses to describe himself, being the root of David may have some reference to the fact that, as God, he is David's creator, and David therefore sprang from him. However, the primary reference would seem to be to Isaiah 11:1, 10 and perhaps to Isaiah 53:2. In Isaiah 53:2, he is called a root out of dry ground, without reference to the origin of the root. In Isaiah 11:10 he is called the root of Jesse (David's father). The nations will inquire of him. In Isaiah 11:1 he is called a twig and a branch which comes from the stump of Jesse (David's father). This twig and branch will grow out of Jesse's roots. In other words, the root produces a bud on the stump, and that bud grows first into a twig, then into a branch. The imagery is of the power of God manifested in the house of Jesse, specifically, as other Scriptures show, in the house of Jesse's son David, whose line produced the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, Jesus, in Revelation 22:16 is claiming descent from David, specifically as the Messiah (16).
     In response, the Spirit and the Bride say, "Come," and they invite anyone who hears to repeat the invitation. Anyone who is thirsty may come and take the water of life without price. Here God's message goes from judgment, with which Revelation began, to redemption, with which it ends. Moreover, it goes from addressing all to addressing individuals. The waters of life which, earlier in the chapter, were a river, are now offered cup by cup to each individual soul who responds. Here, as in all of Scripture, "life," and "eternal life," means the fullest quality of life, complete and satisfying in all of its aspects, and that, forever. It never means mere existence; it always means superlative existence. The stunning implication of this, and of the parallel invitation at the beginning of the book (Revelation 3:20) is that Jesus will eat and drink individually with each person whom he brings to heaven. The picture is of close, intimate, personal fellowship. He will wipe away all tears (Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 7:17; Revelation 21:4). Other scriptures (Isaiah 57:18; Isaiah 58:12; Joel 2:25) speak of the restoration of comfort, of paths to dwell in, of the years which were eaten by the cankerworm. I take these and the abundance of similar promises in Scripture to mean that restoration will be in kind with the thing lost, full, complete, deeply satisfying, greater than all of our losses, and suited to each one of us individually, and personally administered to us by Jesus, who as God, is omnipresent and can spend high-quality time with any and all of us individually and simultaneously (17).
     In light of such things, all must heed the warning to refrain from adding anything to this book or taking anything away from it, as is required for all of Scripture (Deuteronomy 4:2; Deuteronomy 12:32; Proverbs 30:6). To tamper with Scripture is to invite eternal damnation and to lose every blessing spoken of in this chapter (18-19).
     As the book closes, Jesus promises to come quickly. Those who hear respond by inviting him to come (20).
     John closes the book with the following benediction: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (21).
     [Sermons: Eric Alexander. William Still. Various. ]
     [Illustration: Today's images illustrate two of the chief aspects of today's chapter. The first has similarities to John's description of the River of Life. The second illustrates the latter portion of the chapter, especially verse 17, where we are invited to partake of the water of life individually and freely. ]

     ²¹ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

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