The New Jerusalem - Part 3 - Revelation 22:1-5
INTRODUCTION:
The capital city of the new heaven and the new earth is the new Jerusalem, John saw this city descending out of heaven from God and we have spent the last two weeks examining John’s description of the new Jerusalem in chapter 21. I reminded you last week that when John wrote the book of Revelation there were no chapters or verses, these were added later to help us to find passages quickly. Often it does not make sense where the chapter breaks are inserted or how verses are divided. They were not in the original documents and this is one of those places that the chapter break makes no sense because John continues with the description of the new Jerusalem. He is inside the city now and continues to describe for us what he sees and hears. This morning we will look at four more observations that John makes about the new Jerusalem. Let’s pray and then get into our passage of Scripture for today.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Revelation 22:1-9. I will not get through all of these verses this morning, but we will go ahead and read these nine verses. Please stand if you are able in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Revelation 22:1-9,
“Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. 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. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 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; and they will reign forever and ever. And 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 soon take place. ‘And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.’ I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, ‘Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.’” (Revelation 22:1–9, NASB95)[1]
THE RIVER OF THE WATER OF LIFE (Revelation 22:1)
The angel that was with John, the angel that had come to John in chapter 21:9 and told John that he would show him the new Jerusalem. This angel led John into the city and showed him the river of the water of life. John records for us that this river is flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. John describes this water of life as clear as crystal. Just like everything in the new Jerusalem, this water of life of this river also reflects the glory of God and the Lamb. This river of the crystal-clear water of life represents the power, the purity, and the eternal life that is present in the heavenly city. It is a symbol of eternal life. It is a symbol of the indwelling Holy Spirit who gives us eternal life. Jesus during His first earthly ministry spoke of this living water that was available to anyone through faith in Him. The first time that Jesus spoke of this was in John 4. Jesus and His disciples were making their way north from Judea to Galilee and they had to pass through Samaria. They came to the city of Sychar and Jesus sat down outside the city at a well to rest and the disciples went into the city to buy some food for them to eat. As Jesus was sitting at the well a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus asked her for a drink, and she was surprised that Jesus would even speak to her since he was a Jew and she a Samaritan because the Jews and Samaritans had no dealings with each other. Often Jews traveling north or south would go way out of their way to avoid going through Samaria because they did not want anything to do with the Samaritans. Jesus answered this Samaritan woman’s question about why He spoke to her by having this conversation with her in John 4:10-14, “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ She said to Him, ‘Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?’ Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.’” (John 4:10–14, NASB95)[2] Here Jesus speaks of His ability to give living water or the water of life to those who ask, those who in faith believe in Jesus Christ, believe that He died for them, was buried and rose from the dead, Jesus says that this water of life will become a well of water springing up to eternal life. Later on, in John in chapter 7 Jesus had gone up to the feast of booths in Jerusalem. Each day during the seven-day feast water was drawn from the pool of Siloam and a gold pitcher was filled and carried into the temple courtyard heralded by trumpet blasts and the priest would cry out the words of Isaiah 12:3, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:3, ESV)[3] then silence would fall over the temple courtyard and everyone would watch as the priest with the golden pitcher poured out the water before the altar. This was a reminder for the people of God providing water for the Israelites when Moses struck the rock with his staff and water poured forth like a river to water their flocks and to draw water to drink. In John 7:37 we are told that it was the last day, the great day of the feast the blast of the trumpets heralded the priest coming into the courtyard and he called out, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:3, ESV)[4] Then a hush fell over the crowd as the priest lifted the pitcher and poured the water out before the altar. In that moment of silence, Jesus stood and cried out in a loud voice, breaking the silence, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ” (John 7:37–38, NASB95)[5] Jesus was very dramatically declaring to be greater than the rock which had given water to the Israelites, the rock was a type, and Jesus the antitype. In other words, the rock was a picture of Jesus, smitten for the people that they might have life. Again, Jesus declares that this water of life is from Him, and it is the eternal life-giving Holy Spirit. John has a note explaining this in John 7:39, “But this He [Jesus] spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:39, NASB95)[6] The river of crystal clear water of life in the new Jerusalem is a picture, a symbol of our eternal life that was given to us when we agreed with God that we were sinners, and believed that Jesus Christ death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin and that he was buried and rose from the dead on the third day proving that sin had been paid for and death had been conquered. John Macarthur writes, “[The river of the water of life] cascaded down from the throne of God and of the Lamb in a dazzling, never-ending stream. Its pure unobstructed flow symbolizes the constant flow of everlasting life from God’s throne to God’s people.”[7] I believe this will be a real river in the new Jerusalem to constantly remind us that our salvation, our eternal life was a gift from God through the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was slain for us.
THE TREE OF LIFE (Revelation 22:2)
John gives us a second observation, he says that in the middle of the street, as I understand this is the river of the water of life cascades down from the throne of God and the Lamb and continues to flow down the middle of the street, and on either side of the river there is a park like area and on either side of that is the street running up to the throne. John says that on either side of the river was the tree of life. In the garden of Eden there was one tree of life in the center of the garden. Before Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they could have freely eaten from the tree of life. But after disobeying and falling into sin, they were banished from Eden and cherubim and a flaming sword guarded the way to the tree of life so that they would not eat of it and live forever in their sinful state. In the new Jerusalem there seems to be more than one tree of life as they are on either side of the river. John tells us that these trees bear 12 kinds of fruit, a new fruit every month. In chapter two and three of Revelation we have the letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor, in each of those letters Jesus makes a promise to the one who overcomes and to the church of Ephesus Jesus promises the overcomers that He will grant them to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God. This can only refer to the new Jerusalem and the new heaven and the new earth. John now sees the tree of life growing along the river of the water of life bearing twelve kinds of fruit, a new crop every month. Now we know that in the eternal state there will be no time, but John uses a period of time to express for us the joyous provision of eternity. John is still human and bound by time, so he gives us this fruit bearing in the framework of time.
John then makes an interesting observation concerning the leaves of the tree of life, he says the leaves are for the healing of the nations. Again, as in chapter 21, this word nations should be translated Gentiles or peoples. When we think of healing we think of sickness or an injury, but this is in eternity where pain, sorrow, injury, sickness will no longer be around having been done away with when sin was done away with. The Greek word that is translated “healing” is the word from which we get our English word “therapeutic”, it is almost directly transliterated from the Greek. Rather than specifically meaning “healing” the word should be understood as “health-giving”, the root of this Greek word has to do with serving or ministering. It is better to understand these leaves as promoting the enjoyment of life in the new Jerusalem, and not healing ills which do not exist in the eternal state. John does not say that we eat the leaves or the fruit in this passage, but it seems implied that we can, not out of necessity, but for enjoyment of what God has provided for us. The promise to the overcomers in the church in Ephesus speaks of eating from the tree of life. I look forward to trying all twelve fruits which it bears.
THE THRONE OF GOD AND OF THE LAMB (Revelation 22:3)
John goes on to remind us that there is no longer any death, no longer any mourning or crying, no longer any pain, all these things brought about because of sin and the curse placed on this present earth as the result. Sin shall be no more in the new creation and the new Jerusalem. John writes that there shall no longer be any curse. In the millennial kingdom on this present earth there will be a lifting of the curse on the earth under the reign of the King of kings, but not a total deliverance from sin and the curse on sin which is death. Man in the millennial kingdom will still have the capacity to sin as seen in the revolt against Jesus Christ in the end led by Satan when he is let loose from the bottomless pit. But then will come his destruction and final judgment as he is thrown into the lake of fire with all his demonic horde of fallen angels and then will come the final judgment of all of sinful mankind who refused to repent of their sin and instead died in it. They will be sentenced for eternity to the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever and ever. The curse of death will be cast into the lake of fire and the curse will no longer exist. There will be no curse and no possibility or need for such a divine punishment as all who are in the new creation will be in their glorified and sinless new bodies.
John goes on to tell us that the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the new Jerusalem, God the Father and the Lamb, Jesus Christ, will reign throughout eternity. God will continue forever as the sovereign ruler of the heavens and the earth, and the saints of God will be His servants and serve Him. What type of service will we render to our God? The word translated serve in verse three is a word that carries with it the idea of worship, our service to God on His throne in the new Jerusalem will be an act of worship. This service will be one of great joy and not burdensome, instead we will delight in serving the Lord in worship throughout eternity.
FURTHER BLESSINGS IN ETERNITY (Revelation 22:4-5)
Not only will we serve God and the Lamb on Their throne, but John informs us that we His servants will see His face. Because we have become perfectly holy and righteous in our glorified state we will be able to gaze on the glorious face of God, our Creator, our Savior, the Sovereign Lord of all things. This is something that is impossible for humans on the earth at this time. The Lord told Moses in Exodus 33:20, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Exodus 33:20, NASB95)[8] Moses was only allowed to see the back of God as He passed before Him, but that will not be the case in eternity we as His saints will have access at all times to His presence. We will be able to gaze into His face of love and worship Him.
The redeemed of all ages will also be God’s personal possession, we will be eternally identified as His children. John says that God’s name will be written on our foreheads. That identification will leave no doubt as to who we belong to forever.
In verse 5 John again repeats the fact that there will no longer be any night, the glorified saints will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because God Himself will be the light of the city, the light of His glory will light everything and as I said last week His glory is constant it does not wax or wane, but shines in full brightness at all times. Darkness is simply the absence of light, and because God lives in the new Jerusalem there will never be the absence of light. Remember we looked at 1 John 1:5 last Sunday, John wrote in that epistle, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5, NASB95)[9]
John goes onto announce that those who are God’s bond-servants have the blessed privilege of reigning forever and ever. The eternal character of the reign of those who are described as servants is another indication that this is the eternal state. Some teach that Christ’s reign ends at the close of the millennium when He hands the kingdom to God the Father. This is a misunderstanding. It is the character of His reign that changes. Christ continues for all eternity as King of kings and Lord of lords even though the scene of His millennial rule over the earth is changed to the new heaven and the new earth. If He were to cease His reign, why would John mention over and over the throne of God the Father and the Lamb. There is no contradiction in calling these saints servants and at the same time recognizing them as those who will reign with Christ forever and ever.
CONCLUSION:
We have an amazing future ahead of us. For five weeks we have been looking at eternity future, when the millennial reign of Jesus Christ on this earth will end, when the final revolt and then the final judgment on those who have rejected the salvation offered by God through His Son. After sin and death have been done away with then comes the new creation, a new heaven and a new earth that will endure forever, also will come the new Jerusalem, the holy city whose architect and builder is God. It will be in this city that God will live among His people, those whom He redeemed from the curse through the sacrificial death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God will live in this city, we who are His children will live in this city and we will spend eternity in the place God as prepared for us.
I cannot wait for this place of perfection, where we will worship God in perfection. Where for all eternity we will be marked as His possession and we will have unhindered access to His presence and we will have perfect fellowship with Him. If this does not excite you I do not know what will. If you think that heaven will be a boring place you are sorely mistaken, it will be a place of wonder, of grandeur. In the new Jerusalem in the presence of God and the Lamb we will experience perfect pleasure. The psalmist in Psalm 16:11 speaking to God writes, “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” (Psalm 16:11, NASB95)[10] We will be in the very presence of God, where the purest and truest kind of pleasure is possible. What we consider pleasurable here on this earth will seem trivial, and insignificant compared to the pure delights of heaven. In the new Jerusalem we will have perfect knowledge. Our knowledge will be as complete as we could ever desire. We will not be omniscient, but we will have no more unanswered questions, no confusion, no ignorance, and no more need to walk by faith, because we will see all things. We will also live in perfect comfort, never experience one uncomfortable moment. We will know perfect love, love is eternal and in heaven all our hopes will be realized. Faith will be swallowed up by sight. But we will love perfectly and be loved perfectly for all eternity. Heaven is a place of perfect joy. Joy on this earth is always mixed with sorrow, discouragement, disappointment, or worry. The eternal state will be a place of undiluted joy. We have so much to look forward to in the eternal state.
My greatest concern when I think about eternity is those who do not know where they will spend eternity. I would even go as far to say that there are possibly people in this room this morning that are not sure where they will spend eternity. You can be sure, because God has done everything necessary for you to know that you will spend eternity with Him, that you will be a citizen in the new Jerusalem. God paid the ultimate price to make a way for sinners to be forgiven and have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life. You can know for sure that you will spend eternity with God in the new Jerusalem by agreeing with Him that you are a sinner and helpless to do anything to make yourself right with God. But you believe that Jesus Christ died for you, paid the penalty for your sin, suffered God’s wrath on the cross in your place, that He was buried, and on the third day after His death He rose alive from the dead. If you believe this, then your sins are forgiven, you are a citizen of the new Jerusalem, your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life.
For those of you who already know you are citizens of the new Jerusalem, are you praying for five unsaved people, praying for their salvation, but also praying that God will use you in their lives to be a witness for Christ either in words or actions, showing them Christ’s love and forgiveness. Our time is short, we must purposefully be sharing the Gospel with the world.
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[3]The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016.
[4]The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016.
[5]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[6]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[7]MacArthur, John, Because the Time is Near : John MacArthur explains the book of Revelation. Chicago, IL : Moody Publishers, 2007
[8]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[9]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[10]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995