Feb. 05, 2025

“REVELATION”

REVELATION 22:1-21

*The King Is Coming:

*More Descriptions of the New Jerusalem:

John 14:2 “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

1.  The River- Revelation 22:1-2

There is no sea in the new Jerusalem, but there is a river in it:

Revelation 22:1-2 “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding 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, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

There was a river in the Garden of Eden that watered it and had four branches:

Genesis 2:10 “Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.”

In the Bible, water symbolizes eternal life, but it’s also a symbol of refreshment. It brings relief. 

Psalm 46:4 “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.”

2.   The Tree of Life- Revelation 22:2

Revelation 22:2 “In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

We saw this tree in Genesis:

Genesis 2:9 “And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

Remember that angels in human form ate food when they came to Abraham:

Genesis 18:8 “So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.”

Jesus ate with His disciples in His new, resurrected body for the forty days He was here on earth:

Luke 24:40-43 “When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43And He took it and ate in their presence.”

John 21:12 “Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord.”

The Bible also says we’re going to eat in our resurrection bodies at the marriage supper of the Lamb:

Revelation 19:9 “Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 

The leaves of this tree are provided “for the healing of the nations” vs.2. The word healing in this verse is the Greek word therapeian, from which we derive our word therapeutic. It literally means “health-giving.”

vs.2 also says “each tree yielding its fruit every month.” So there are numerous trees, not just one.

Ezekiel 47:12 “Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.”

3.   The God of Life- Revelation 22:3-5

Revelation 22:3-5 “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. 4They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”

*We will also “serve Him” vs.3.

Genesis 2:15 “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”

There is work that will be done in the new heaven and the new earth as well.

*vs.4-5 “They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”

When Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, He asked God to reveal His glory to him.

Exodus 33:18 “And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

The Lords response was clear”

Exodus 33:20 “But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” 

God hid Moses in the cleft of the rock and hid his face so he couldn’t see God’s face, but only His back, as His glory passed by:

Exodus 33:21-23 “And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

And we will reign with God “forever ands ever.” vs.5

4.   Words of Encouragement- Revelation 22:6-7

Revelation 22:6-7 “Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.

7“Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

5.   A Blessing is Promised- Revelation 22:7-11

There is a blessing attached to Jesus’ return:

Revelation 22:7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

That’s the same blessing we find in Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

John became so overwhelmed with all of this that he fell down to worship the angel who had revealed the truth to him:

Revelation 22:8-11 “Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” 10And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. 11He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” 

This also happened in Revelation 19:10 “And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The moment  a person dies, all opportunity for change in your life is over.

6.   A Reward is Promised- Revelation 22:12-15

We also find encouragement in the fact that a reward is waiting:

Revelation 22:12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”

That is a big deal, because Paul said our works as Christians will be evaluated at “the judgment seat of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

This judgment doesn’t determine whether you enter heaven, but it will determine the kind of heaven you experience. Jesus stressed the importance of our storing up rewards in heaven:

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The unbeliever will also be judged by the things he has done:

Revelation 20:12 “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”

This is emphasized in the next two verses:

Revelation 22:13-14 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” 14Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.”

The phrase, “Blessed are those who do His commandments…” vs.14, is a picture of the person who realizes his own righteousness is not good enough to enter heaven. The Bible says our righteousness, the best we can do, is like filthy rags to God:

Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.”

But if we wash our lives in the blood of Jesus Christ, it can remove any stain from our life’s record.

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow, Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”

That is what the blood of Christ does for us. That is why John wrote, “blessed are those who do His commandments.” Only they will have the right to inherit the kingdom of God.

Revelation 22:15 “But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.”

7.   An Invitation is Extended- Revelation 22:16-17

Revelation 22:16-17 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” 17And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

John 4:14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

This is God’s final warning in the Bible, vs.17.

8.   A Special Warning- Revelation 22:18-19

This is the final warning in the Bible:

Revelation 22:18-19 “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

How do people add to the book of Revelation?

Mark 13:32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

9.   The Benediction- Revelation 22:20-21

Revelation 22:20-21 “He who testifies to these things says,

“Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!21The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

So let me ask you a final question: Are you ready for the Lord’s return?

“GLORIFIED BODIES”

“WHAT WILL OUR RESURRECTION BODIES LOOK LIKE AND HOW WILL THEY FUNCTION?” 

                             1 CORINTHIANS 15

*What will our resurrected bodies look like and how will they function?

We can find answers to that question in the Bible:

*Job said: Job 19:25-26 “For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth; 26And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God.”

*Isaiah said: Isaiah 26:19 “Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.”

*Daniel said: Daniel 12:2 “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.'

*David said: Psalm 16:10 “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”

*Jesus said: John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

*The Apostle Paul said: 1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.”

The most extensive passage on this subject is 1 Corinthians 15, which we commonly call the Resurrection chapter of the Bible. There are two questions posed to him by some of the Christians in Corinth. “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? 1 Corinthians 15:35 “But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?”

How good of the Lord to answer those questions!

1 Corinthians 15:36 “Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies.”

1.  The Resurrection Certainties of the Bible:

“The body of Benjamin Franklin, Printer; Like the cover of an old book, it’s contents torn out, and the script of its lettering and gilding, lies here, food for worms. But the work shall not be lost, for it will, as he believed, appear once more, in a new and more elegant edition, revised and corrected by The Author.”

The apostle Paul used a metaphor, too. He used the image of seeds:

1 Corinthians 15:35-38 “But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” 36Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain, perhaps wheat or some other grain. 38But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.”

We see this unfold over the next several verses in 1 Corinthians 15 as the apostle Paul gives us some resurrection certainties:

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”

*Our new bodies will be raised in incorruption, so they will be indestructible.

*They will be raised in glory, so they will be identifiable.

*They will be raised in power, so they will be incredible.

*They will be raised as spiritual bodies, so they will be infinite.

2.   Our New Bodies Will Be Indestructible.

1 Corinthians 15:42 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.”

Psalms 16:10 “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”

Romans 6:8-9

Our bodies are sown in corruption; they are raised in incorruption. vs.42

3.   Our New Bodies Will Be Identifiable.

1 Corinthians 15:43 “It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory…” We could accurately translate the word “glory” as brilliance.

Daniel 12:3 “Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.”

Matthew 13:43 “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Philippians 3:20-21 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

1 Corinthians 15:49 “And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.”

Luke 24:39 “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

Luke 24:40-43 “When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43And He took it and ate in their presence.”

John 21:12-13 “Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. 13Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.”

Perhaps we’ll be able to sample manna in heaven:

Psalm 78:25 “Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full.”

The body of Christ was also touchable. It could be held:

John 20:27 “Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

John 20:17 “Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.”

When you get to heaven, you’re going to know all the people you met down here and they will know you.

1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”

Abraham, Lazarus, and the rich man all recognized each other in the afterlife, (Luke 16:19-31).

4.   Our New Bodies Will Be Incredible.

1 Corinthians 15:43 “It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.”

We will be buried in weakness. That’s absolutely true, isn't it?

John 20:19 “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 

5.   Our New Bodies Will Be Infinite.

1 Corinthians 15:44-45 “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

Jesus rose from the dead with the same physical body that was crucified.

1 John 1:1-2

1 Corinthians 15:51-57 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?” 56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Acts 26:8 “Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?”

To God all things are possible! And to that we can say, Hallelujah!