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LESSON 1, VERSE 1:
Where do we go next, for our new
Text from God's Word?
That's an
exciting question!
There's not a
"bad" seed plot in all the Word of God!
Over eleven
hundred (1,189 to be exact) chapters of divinely inspired
inerrant Material!
But, Sister Norma
having so recently gone there, my heart is on Heaven. It's a
real place, according to our Lord.
Here's our new
destination, Revelation 22:1-11. "And he
shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the
midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river,
was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of
fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the
leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
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: and
they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their
foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no
candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them
light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. And he said unto
me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God
of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants
the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly:
blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of
this book. And I John saw these things, and heard them.
And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the
feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he
unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant,
and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the
sayings of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal
not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at
hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which
is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous,
let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy
still." Revelation 22:1-11, read it. It will do you good!
This great Bible
paragraph is loaded with nugget after nugget! Talking about the
various elements of the Word of God, the Psalmist tells us:
"More to be desired are they than
gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the
honeycomb." Psalm 19:10. That's why I said "nuggets!"
Today, Verse 1 is
our focus. It is really a continuation of the last chapter too,
Revelation 21, all of its 27 verses! An angel, one of the
judgment-bearing "vial" or "bowl" associated angels, is now
serving as a tour guide for John! "And
there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven
vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me,
saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's
wife." Revelation 21:9
Heaven, in other
words!
Heaven, it's
getting sweeter every day, especially since January 21, 2009.
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:
for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and
there was no more sea." John the Apostle, in Revelation
21:1.
Then immediately
Verse 2: "And I John saw the holy city,
new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband." I'm still calling it
Heaven, the home of the redeemed for all eternity.
I am assuming
that what makes Heaven Heaven, or what makes New Jerusalem New
Jerusalem, is NOT its architectural features or its geographical
singularities or its aquatic abundance ... but its Chief
Resident, the Lord God Almighty!
And Heaven today,
the abode of Sister Norma and Mom and Dad and Paul and Silas and
Timothy and John Mark and a few million (if not billion) other
people who were saved, Heaven is what it is for the same reason!
Jesus is there! God the Father is there! Glory is there!
The current place
we call Heaven, "the Father's House" of John 14, "Paradise" of
2nd Corinthians 12, however you term it, is much like the New
Jerusalem for the very same reason too. God is there! The
Throne! The Blood of Jesus! Our Lord and Saviour, our
Intercessor, our High Priest!
Some of you will
disagree, and I will love you just the same.
But Heaven is
Heaven, not for a thousand "little" reasons, all of which are
lovely and true and infinitely pleasant, but because of HIM!
He's the Center
of it all!
Heaven come to
earth! "And the angel carried me (John)
away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me
that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven
from God." Revelation 21:10
John describes
for it for us, still back in chapter 21, its gates and walls and
foundation stones, plus a few of its physical features.
But, as I've
already said, chapter 22 is our Text, its first eleven verses.
Here we get to the very "heart" of the matter.
"And he shewed me a pure river of water of
life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and
of the Lamb." Revelation 22:1
"Water" in Greek
is "hudor," now our word "hydra" as in "hydrate" or "dehydrate"
as well. Everywhere God lives one sees water nearby!
In the Garden of
Eden, in Ezekiel's great millennial Jerusalem, even in the Old
Testament Tabernacle, where a laver filled with water sat in
front of the Mercy Seat, God's Residence with Israel!
No wonder it's in
Heaven too!
"A pure river of water of life!"
"Pure" is "katharos,"
physically and ritually and spiritually "clean!"
Environmentalists, if any of them make it to Heaven, will enjoy
this for sure. I say that because most of them I think worship
nature, not the God Who created nature!
"River" is "potamos."
The verb "pino" means "to drink" and is thought by some to be
the root for this noun too. It can indicate anything from a
tricking stream to a torrent of mighty rushing water.
But this is the
River of "life!" It's "zoe," life on its highest, most
meaningful level! "Life abundantly" Jesus would have said.
The River too is
"clear." And "lampros" actually means "shining, brilliant!"
Gorgeous to behold!
"Crystal" is
interesting, "krustallos," a derivative of "kruos," just meaning
"frost." See the color?
"Proceeding"
means "to go from one point all the way to the other point," one
text says "to pierce completely through." It's "ekporeuomai," a
"going out from" God's Throne.
Jesus, again, is
the Water of Life! "In the last day, that
great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If
any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." John
7:37
Sister Norma, for
the last week and a half, has walked by that very River, or one
like it! She loved beautiful, peaceful scenery. I sure hope
she's enjoying it. She's not hurting any more either!
Notice that
"God," in Greek "theos," and the "Lamb," spelled "arnion,"
meaning "Little Lamb" literally, share the same Throne!
God and
the Lamb, God the Father and God the Son ... co-eternal,
co-equal, co-captains of our salvation!
"And he shewed me a pure river of water of
life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and
of the Lamb." Revelation 22:1
"Thronos" just
means "seat." The chair of state, "thrao" meaning "to sit." Our
Lord is not standing at the moment. His major work is done. He
is at rest. All He does now is accomplished via the shed Blood
He offered at Calvary. Intercession, protection, lordship,
everything!
The first glimpse
of Heaven, it could be no other way, is God, Jesus, the Throne!
And the River that flows outward from that sacred place!
To John these
things were "shown," spelled "deiknuo," that is, "exposed" to
the eyes! With the idea of "evidence, proof" being offered, no
doubt about it now!
Heaven, what a
place!
And we're only
finished with verse one, one of eleven this week!
The Lord willing.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Hope you're not
bored with this. If so, and I say this respectfully, see you
later! I am going to learn about the place Sister Norma is
living! Present day "Heaven" and the future "New Jerusalem"
surely must share many identical traits.
LESSON 2, VERSE 2:
Parts of John's
description of "New Jerusalem," our eternal Home, are harder to
understand than others. The "River of Water of Life" I can
picture. But the Tree of Life bearing its fruits every month is
another matter! But I still believe it, exactly as written in
Revelation 22:2.
"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the
river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve
manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month:
and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the
nations."
In any new
location, one's "street" address is important. Sister Norma and
I lived on "Antioch Road." Its pronunciation is almost a
"shibboleth" test for Christians! Any Bible student knows how to
say "Antioch," from the Book of Acts if no other way! But you
ought to hear the salesmen and telephone survey folks trying to
say it! "And-tie-ouch," I often hear, and the like!
Well, in Heaven
this "street" thing isn't all that hard!
I only see one
street mentioned!
"In the midst of the street of it,"
so wrote John! I can't explain the geography of such a
configuration. Or draw you a map. Maybe it's a street like the
one where Paul lived for three days, just after he got saved!
"Arise, and go into the street which is
called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one
called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth."
Acts 9:11, he lived on Straight Street!
My wife lives in
such a place this morning! Somewhere on that glorious Street!
"Plateia," that
"street" in Greek, means, what else, a "broad way!" The root
word "platus" means wide! It's all from "plasso," "to mold or
form" something from clay. Often it's used of a potter and his
work! God is our Heavenly Potter, too!
Why such a wide
Street? Lots of people, all redeemed! Just think, America alone
has slaughtered and sent 50,000,000 unborn souls there since
abortion became legal in 1973!
A Wide Street!
So, not only is
God Heaven's Architect!
He's The street
Planner too!
But, on the
Street and by that lovely River too, grows a tree! A specific
tree! "The Tree of Life!"
Often ancient
cities were built around trees! It was a "magical" thing with
the heathen. Part of their nature worship! That crowd is coming
back again, too! The tree-huggers and environment worshippers!
Later, polluted
Baal worship and its many counterparts did their unholy things
in "groves" of trees, carrying forward their ignorant customs.
But God, He Who
created the trees, knows their true significance!
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth
grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit
tree yielding
fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the
earth: and it was so." Genesis 1:11, the first trees were
fruit-bearing ones!
And the Lord also
placed a special Tree in the midst of His first Garden!
"And out of the ground made the Lord God
to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for
food; the tree of life
also in the midst of the garden." Genesis 2:9, the tree
of Life!
Then there was
the tree of death, too! God told Moses:
"And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to
be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree, his body shall not
remain all night upon
the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day;
for he that is hanged is
accursed of God; that thy land be not defiled, which the
LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance."
Deuteronomy 21:22-23, hanged on a tree! Curses upon him!
Paul amplified
this concept in Galatians 3:13 and applies it to Jesus' Death on
Calvary, on the Cross. "Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for
us: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." Yes!
Trees in the
Bible!
And when Jesus
comes again, even nature shall rejoice! Including the trees!
"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led
forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth
before you into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."
Isaiah 55:12
Tree of Life ...
in Eden!
Tree of Death ...
on Golgotha!
Again, Tree of
Life ... in Heaven!
We shall enjoy
the Tree of Life, its fruits, eternally, because of the Power of
that Tree of Death, where Jesus shed His precious, incorruptible
Blood!
My wife may have
already seen this in all its beauty! She's in Heaven today,
"absent from the body and present with the Lord!"
"In the midst of the street of it, that City, and on either side
of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare
twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit
every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations."
"Twelve" in the
Bible is the number of "governmental perfection!" At least
that's what we learned as young Bible students, many years ago.
Twelve tribes of Israel! Twelve Apostles! Twelve is a
predominant number in this City too, the Heavenly City! God's
Government, at work!
I find the number
"twelve" nine times in Revelation 21 and 22, God's final
arrangement for redeemed society for the eternal ages!
"Perfection," at
last!
The noun "fruit"
is interesting. "Karpos" is probably derived from "harpazo," the
verb that means "to seize, to snatch away, to pluck or pick,"
exactly what we do to those luscious fruits in their season!
The plural
number, "fruits," may be unexplainable to us mortals. Sister
Norma could explain it to us if she were able to speak our
direction. I'd love to hear her first impressions of Heaven!
One Tree, twelve
manner of fruits!
By the way,
"twelve" in Greek is merely "dodeka," that means "two" plus
"ten!" In "deka" see our word "decade." In "do" is found our
term "duo" or "duet."
But in keeping
with God's "do not waste" policy, even the "leaves" of this Tree
are beneficial!
You know, shoes
that last forty years! Twelve baskets full of leftovers, not to
be discarded! Manna on the sixth day was to be saved through the
seventh, never wasted! Probably Jesus' empty tomb was re-used
later by somebody! Though it was certainly empty three days
after His Burial!
The word "leaves"
is "phullon," from "phule," their word for "tribe or relatives
or kindred." I guess all the leaves on a tree being linked
together by common sap! These are leaves that never wither, I
suspect, as well!
"Healing" is
spelled "therapeia," our word "therapy!" Therapy in Heaven! I
don't understand it, but I sure do believe it.
Somewhere around
there are some "nations," maybe on the new "earth." Remember, we
shall occupy the New Jerusalem, the New Heaven so-to-speak. Some
Bible prophecy scholars believe that the nation of Israel, its
occupants having been saved by now, will abide on the new earth.
God has made some "everlasting" promises to Abraham and his
seed.
But still,
"nations" is "ethnos," a word usually reserved for the Gentiles!
Sometimes even the "heathen," 5 times to be exact!
I saw a piece
sometime ago in a bookstore on leaves, their uses when boiled or
cooked into a solution or paste or poultice. The claims were
amazing!
God in Heaven has
"leaves" that heal!
He is ever the
eternal Physician!
"In the midst of the street of it, that City, and on either side
of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare
twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit
every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations."
Sounds like a
place of rest to me!
It is!
Sister Norma
often could not rest at night.
Pressure sores!
Excessive thirst,
from the dialysis we were told!
Sitting in one
position for too long!
Having rested too
much in the daytime!
Whatever the
reason!
But she's in a
place of rest now!
"Blessed are the dead which die in
the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest
from their labours; and their works do follow them."
Revelation 14:13
At rest!
Yet, busy
serving Jesus!
As we shall see
tomorrow!
Heaven, a real
Place!
All because of
Jesus!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3, VERSE 3:
Today's Verse is
good!
"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." Talking about "New Jerusalem," just as
well say "Heaven," our eternal home, Revelation 22:3
The prohibitive
"no" is "ouk" in Greek, absolutely not, no exceptions! No
more "curse" in Glory!
"Curse" is
spelled "katanathema," and carries the idea of something that
has been "set aside" ("tithemi") or dedicated, here for
"destruction!"
Sin brings curse!
And there is no
more sin in that Fair Land!
Because "no more
curse" applies, these facts are also pertinent:
"There shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for
the former things are passed away." Revelation 21:4
My wife
technically is not in "New Jerusalem" yet, but in "Heaven,"
though similarities must exist!
She's with the
Lord!
Then, watch how
John expresses this next fact: "And there
shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb
shall be in it ...."
He may be
implying that the reason no "curse" can flourish in that
Celestial City is the fact that ... "the
throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it ...."
Holiness has a
tremendous "expulsive" power! God and sin can not
coexist! If God is there, of necessity, "no more curse!"
"Thronos" means
"a chair" from which the King rules. "Thrao," is merely "to
sit," but in a stately manner.
God (the Father)
and the Lamb (our Saviour, Jesus Christ) here occupy one
throne. That's easy to explain. Jesus did so already.
"I and my Father are one."
John 10:30
It's noteworthy
that "Lamb" is the diminutive form of "arnon," meaning "a little
lamb!" Get it? God's precious "little" lamb, His "pet," His
"beloved," His "darling," is none Other than Jesus!
The verb "shall
be" is in the future tense. At this very moment, early Wednesday
morning, February 3, 2009, God and the Lamb are in "Heaven," or
"the Father's House" as Jesus called it in John 14:2. "The Third
Heaven," Paul said.
But some day in
the future, God will inhabit New Jerusalem, a term we first
learned in Revelation 3:12.
If this is
"splitting too many hairs" for some of you, just think of it
this way. Wherever Jesus is, we're going to be with Him, right
close by, for all eternity! That's good enough for the child of
God!
Now one last
clause for today: "And his servants shall
serve him."
That's us!
In the eternal
state!
Serving God and
the Lamb!
Presumably for
ever and ever!
Joyfully so!
I can hear
someone saying now, "Wait just a minute."
You taught us
yesterday that Heaven is a place of rest!
"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from
henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their
labours." Revelation 14:13
Now today we are
being told that we will "serve" God there?
Now listen
carefully.
Some work is
delightful!
You just don't
consider it a hardship at all!
Serving Sister
Norma was that way. Oh yes, there were times in the middle of
the night when we both were exhausted and chores remained!
But, even then,
doing for the one you love is not vexing. It's an honor, a real
privilege!
In a way, I wish
I could do those things for her again!
In that sense of
"love," we are surprisingly being told:
"And His servants shall serve Him."
The word
"servants" is common to the New Testament, being used 125 times
as a noun alone! "Doulos," a "bond slave," is the lowest man on
the social scale! It's from the verb "deo," someone "bound" in
chains! Paul loved to use this term for himself! Again and again
he writes: "Paul, a servant of
Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the
gospel of God ... to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called
to be saints." Romans 1:1 and 7 partly.
I belong to
Jesus!
He is my Lord!
That makes me His
"servant."
So is it with
each of you who is saved.
In Heaven we do
not become "gods!"
No!
We're still
redeemed ones, Blood-washed and born-again and delighted to know
Jesus!
His "servants"
for eternity!
Just call me a
man of God, a little peon in God's mighty kingdom, the least in
his Family! I just noticed that "peon" ultimately comes from a
Latin word meaning a "foot soldier!"
"And His servants shall serve Him."
However, the verb
here expressed as "serve" is quite different. It's "latreuo,"
taken from "latris," just "a hired menial." However, in context,
in the New Testament, "latreuo" very often has a religious
significance. Let me say that again. It involves worship and
adoration. Doing something out of awe and wonder and amazement!
When a dignitary
comes into you home, like when the "Preacher" came for supper
when I was a kid, you just can't do enough for him! It's proper
to "dote" over him! Protocol, you know.
Mom and Dad both
taught us to honor the Man of God.
In that sense we
shall "serve" the Lord through all eternity!
I don't even see
here where that service is required! Or demanded! Looks to me
like we can't help it! Doing so is just a part of our Love for
Him!
I would like to
think that Sister Norma, no longer being confined to some chair
all day long and again all night too, is now able, like she used
to be toward me years ago, to do things, lots of things, for
those she loves!
Primarily, the
Lord Jesus!
Her Saviour!
Sweet thoughts
today ... about our eternal Home!
"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."
Revelation 22:3
Thank you, Lord!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4, VERSE 4:
In that Eternal
City, John tells us: "And they shall see
His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads."
Revelation 22:4
His Face and His
Name, those of the Lord Jesus, are both listed here. See One of
them, and be imprinted by the Other!
Elsewhere John,
speaking of Jesus' Second Coming, tells us:
"When He shall appear,
we shall be like Him;
for we shall see Him
as he is." 1st John 3:2
There's just
something about seeing Jesus that "changes" a person! Jesus is
now in His glorified, resurrected Body. He has been since three
days after the Cross, after his Death!
In fact, Paul
agrees. Even before we get to Heaven, "But
we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the
Lord, are changed into
the same image from glory to glory, even as by the
Spirit of the Lord." 2nd Corinthians 3:18
This is
thrilling!
My wife, now in
Heaven, has seen Him!
We learned last
week that she also has some kind of a heavenly body, already.
Not the body that will be given her at the Rapture. That's
different yet again. But she is not a "naked" spirit up there
somewhere, according to Paul in 2nd Corinthians chapter five!
And however she
looks now, she's more lovely, she's more beautiful than ever!
And she looks, according to the principle we've just been
discussing, like Jesus, at least in some manner.
I believe it
because the Bible says so.
That's enough.
God has spoken.
I also believe it
out of necessity. I cannot go to that graveside this morning,
where it's already 16 degrees and falling, and ponder her as
being there!
No!
She's in Heaven!
She's "housed" in
a body, one of God's making!
Back to our
Verse: "And they shall see His face; and
His name shall be in their foreheads." Revelation
22:4
The "they" of our
Text, its subject, is none other than the "citizens" of Heaven,
of that glorious City New Jerusalem. The "servants" of God
according to the previous verse, Revelation 22:3.
"Shall see"
translates "optanomai," which means "to look at, to behold," one
teachers says "to stare at" something!
What a lovely
Face He must have!
Sounds like one
can hardly look away from Him!
The noun "face"
is "prosopon," a blending of "pros" and "ops." It means "toward"
someone's "appearance." It actually suggests "face to face!"
Looking at Jesus,
in close range!
Truly, "feasting"
one's eyes on Him!
The One Who truly
is "altogether lovely!"
That alone is
Heaven!
Seeing Him!
The old
hymn-writer Fanny Crosby, blind nearly all her life, often said
that she was thrilled to be blind. Because that meant the first
Face she would ever see, the first Sight she would ever behold,
was that of Jesus, her dear Lord and Saviour!
"And they shall see His face; and His name
shall be in their foreheads." Revelation 22:4
The noun for
"name" is "onoma," thought to be a derivative of "gnosko," the
verb meaning "to know." That, at least initially, is how we know
someone. By their name.
But in Scripture
one's "name" is synonymous with that person's character, his or
her personality, who he is!
Jesus' Name is a
summary of What He is!
That's why
Scripture gives us again and again, using various words, hints
concerning the Essence of God. The Bible shares with us His many
"Names" and traits and attributes!
"Foreheads" is "metapon,"
combining "meta" and "ops," literally, "between the eyes!"
That's the forehead, for sure!
And the
preposition "in," as "in their foreheads" is spelled "epi."
It means "upon."
Just like the
anti-christ's followers are branded with his name, his "number"
really ... so are the saints of God "marked" with their Lord's
Name too!
This to me gives
the old song "Take the Name of Jesus with You" a whole new
meaning!
Is this literal?
Is it spiritual?
Is it emblematic
in some way?
All we know is
what John just told us!
Well, he also has
suggested it in Revelation 3:12, God is talking.
"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar
in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out:
and I will write upon
him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God,
which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven
from my God: and I will write upon him my new name."
Branded, in a
good sense!
One teacher says
that this name shows "ownership!"
Maybe so, but I
still believe the "Name" is related to the grand Vision, the
clear Sight, we shall have just had! Our first full
several-earth-years-long glimpse of Jesus!
He changes
things!
One last reading
of it, "And they shall see His face; and
His name shall be in their foreheads." Revelation
22:4
Now it even
sounds logical.
Nowadays the best
place to "see" the Face of Jesus is in God's Word! Study it
carefully!
So, get a head
start on this glorious, spiritual-yet-literal "metamorphosis."
That's what Paul called it, too!
It's a dramatic
change!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5, VERSE 5:
I must begin
today by telling you something personal. It links to today's
Lesson, Revelation 22:5.
Sister Norma did
not like to be in the dark. Even when she slept, some kind of
light had to be illuminating the room. Even back when we
traveled together, out of State, to one Revival Meeting after
another! Lights aplenty! Of course, in those Motel rooms, the
lights burned at their expense. At our house, Brother Bagwell
paid the bill!
Sister Norma and
darkness just did not mix very well.
Well, now she's
in Heaven. I have no doubt about that. With the Lord she loved.
And, guess what!
She's still got
plenty of light.
Better make that
Light now, with a capital "L."
"And there shall be no night there; and
they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God
giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."
Revelation 22:5
In her "rest"
there, for Revelation 14:13 certainly says its available, she
need not worry about it getting dark!
Ever!
This thought may
seem silly to most of you, but it's just precious to me. I lived
my life trying to please her and help her and encourage her and
make things as comfortable as possible for her.
Every husband
does.
And to think that
"darkness" will never overtake her is a source of comfort this
morning. She will eternally enjoy the Light of the Glory of God!
John is plain in
his statement. "And there shall be no
night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun."
The noun "night" is simply spelled "nux" in Greek. In Latin it's
"nox." See our word "nocturnal" being born here!
Before the days
of electricity, "candles" lit homes after sunset. "Luchnos" is
the word, derived from "leukos," meaning "bright, brilliant."
Vocabulary wise, to help you remember this better, our word
"leukemia" comes from "leukos," a disease where the body
produces way too many "white" blood cells. Brightness!
Not even the
"sun" is required in Heaven! That ball of fire ninety-three
million miles away from earth. "Helios" in Greek, from "hele,"
meaning a "ray" of light. The sun produces "helium," an element
named for that mass of gas that lights and heats the whole
planet.
No need for light
or candles or sunshine!
Why?
"For the Lord God giveth them light."
God is Light!
Jesus is Light!
Remember, Jesus
is very "Light," pure "Light," holy "Light," intense "Light,"
having said so at least three different times!
The
Transfiguration Event alone proves that!
"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his
brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and
was transfigured before them:
and his face did shine
as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light."
Matthew 17:1-2
Elsewhere John
further expounds this awesome heavenly environment.
"And the city had no need of the sun,
neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did
lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."
Revelation 21:23
God radiates
Light, it being a manifestation of His Glory.
Listen to Paul
describe Jesus, the King of Kings. "Who
only hath immortality,
dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto;
whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and
power everlasting. Amen." 1st Timothy 6:15
And Paul had
already been to Heaven, we think, 2nd Corinthians 12:2. Either
way, he's had a glimpse of that Light! On the way to Damascus he
was blinded by it, for three whole days!
Bright enough to
"light" a whole city!
But then our
Verse takes a strange "turn."
Watch it.
"And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle,
neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light:
and they shall reign for ever and ever."
That last clause,
"And they shall reign for ever and ever."
Does it mean
"light" enough, by which they may help rule and reign, "serving"
the Lord in this capacity?
Ruling over
angels?
Over unknown
kingdoms?
The millennial
earth, some part of it?
Over some area of
God's creation?
The specifics are
not told.
But the "gist"
certainly is.
Revelation
5:9-10, that great redeemed throng singing to the Lamb of God,
our Lord Jesus: "And they sung a new song,
saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals
thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy
blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
and hast made us unto
our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
See it?
"And we shall reign on the earth."
Or this:
"Blessed and holy is he that hath
part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no
power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,
and shall reign with him
a thousand years." Revelation 20:6
And this Parable,
spoken by our Lord in Luke 19, just after Zacchaeus' salvation,
at least "suggests" ruling and reigning on earth, with our Lord
as Overseer. "And as they heard these
things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to
Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God
should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman
went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to
return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten
pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens
hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not
have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that
when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he
commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had
given the money, that he might know how much every man had
gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound
hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good
servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little,
have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came,
saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said
likewise to him, Be thou
also over five cities." The Parable then
continues.
Wherever and
however, God knows.
We're just going
to "reign" with Him!
Paul specifically
suggests such in 1st Corinthians 6, of all places!
The Corinthians,
born-again Believers, were still fighting each other, even suing
one other, legally, in heathen courts of law, before a lost and
dying world!
Enter Paul:
"Dare any of you, having a matter against
another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
Do ye not know that the
saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be
judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
Know ye not that we
shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to
this life?"
Argue the matter
before the saints, at Church! After all, they have a touch of
God's Wisdom. That's much better than airing your animosities
before the onlookers of this world.
After all, those
saints some day will "judge the world ...
and angels!"
That's a form of
ruling and reigning!
We will just take
the Word of God as it stands.
Believing it
fully.
"And there shall be no night there; and
they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God
giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."
Revelation 22:5
Heaven, a good
and bright Place to be!
My darling wife,
she's busy today, in Heaven, "in the light,"
serving Jesus!
In this I find
comfort this Friday morning, two weeks into this tragedy.
Thank you, Lord,
for your Help.
I'm grateful for
the "comfort" of the Scriptures, Romans 15:4
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6, VERSES 6 AND 7:
John, the most
elderly
Disciple of
our Lord, the only surviving one, has been banished to the
little Aegean island called Patmos.
There he
"received" the Book of Revelation, miraculously so.
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which
God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must
shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his
angel unto his servant John." Revelation 1:1, paying at
least some attention to an "angel."
We notice
this because the Text we've been studying, Revelation 22:1-11,
is also related to an angel. "And there
came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials
full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come
hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife."
This occurred back in Revelation 21:9. This angel then served as
John's "tour guide" of New Jerusalem.
So, today's Text, Revelation
22:6-7, still involves one of those "seven vials" angels.
"And he said unto me, These sayings
are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy
prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things
which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed
is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this
book."
Here is the testimony of one of
Heaven's angels!
Notice several things about
him.
He can talk.
He has discernment,
intelligence. He knows what is faithful and true.
He is aware of
the Names of God, "the Lord God of the holy prophets!"
He knows to whom
he belongs, being the "Lord's" angel.
He is aware of
his ministry of "showing" things, to exposit, to put on display,
to give evidence or proof."
He is a veritable
"defender of the faith!"
He is aware of
God's "time" frame, describing things "shortly" to occur.
Wow!
We probably today
take too little notice of real Biblical angels. And their
ministry to the saints of God!
And yet,
apparently right in the middle of the angel's discourse to John,
the Lord Himself interrupts, "Behold, I
come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of
the prophecy of this book." Revelation 22:7
So, the angel
knows when to talk, and when to be quiet!
But, what is the
significance of this two-verse couplet, as far as Heaven is
concerned, our eternal Home, New Jerusalem?
"And he (the angel) said unto me (John),
These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of
the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the
things which must shortly be done. Behold, I (Jesus) come
quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the
prophecy of this book." Revelation 22:6-7, pronouns are
explained for clarity.
Here is
affirmation. Heaven is real! These statements and descriptors
about the eternal City are "faithful and true."
"Faithful" here,
"pistos," nearly means "not subject to change, not wavering in
nature."
And "true," in
Greek "alethinos," means "not apt to be forgotten."
Further proof is
evidenced by the fact that God Himself is the Originator of the
message.
And, to boost our
confidence even more, Jesus testifies! He's coming, and quickly!
Then one last
incentive, there are rewards for believing (which Scripturally
automatically implies "obeying") God's Word, especially its last
Book!
I want to read
these words again in a few hours, at my wife's graveside. Jesus
is coming, just like He said.
Either that, or
the Bible is completely unreliable!
And we all know
the truth about that!
Any doubt
remaining, anywhere, anyone?
If so, read it
again.
"And he said unto me, These sayings are
faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets
sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must
shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he
that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book."
I find peace in
these great words.
If you had just
buried your wife, you would too.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7, VERSES 8 AND 9:
I would have
given John the benefit of the doubt. Really, I thought he was
just falling before that angel inconsequentially, really
worshiping the Lord God Almighty.
After all, He was
in Heaven itself, even if "in the spirit."
Let me show you
the Text for today. "And I John saw these
things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I
fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed
me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it
not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the
prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book:
worship God." Revelation 22:8-9
The "things" John
saw and heard concern New Jerusalem, the future eternal City in
which the saints of God will abide.
Wonders galore!
And even then, we
may be sure, "the half has never been told."
"To hear" is "akouo."
"To see" is "blepo,"
not merely a "glance," but not the most studious "examination"
either. John "saw," but missed a lot too!
"To fall down" is
"pipto," that is, "to descend from a higher place to a lower
one."
"To worship" is
the common "proskuneo." This word is amazing. Nothing any
liberal might say can change its etymology either. They just
ridicule it. It blends "pros" (toward someone, toward their
face) and "kuon," the regular word for "dog!" To "worship" in
the Greek mind is to get excited like a little doggie when his
master comes! To want to be near him or her! To lick and kiss
and love energetically!
That's the word!
The word "before"
is a key indicator that I would have been wrong in my
assessment of John's worship practice here. "Emprosthen" means
something like "in the face of" that angel!
John is
apparently so overwhelmed that he is, probably, worshipping
anything that "moves" by now! "And I John
saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard
and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel
which shewed me these things."
But John stands
corrected. No human is beyond the potential for error. Of
course, angels themselves do not have a perfect rack record
either!
John has earlier
made the same mistake, too, just after the four great
"hallelujahs" sounded from Heaven! "And I
fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See
thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren
that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:10
Yet rest assured,
John's heart and spirit are right, even in this temporary error
of judgment. I see no indication at all that God Almighty is
displeased with His servant.
John continues.
"Then saith he (the angel) unto me, See
thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy
brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of
this book: worship God." Revelation 22:9
Angels, our "fellowservants!"
Not above us! "Fellowservants," spelled "sundoulos," just
"slaves" right along "beside" us who are born-again followers of
Christ Jesus!
A form of
respectful co-slavery!
To our Lord!
Us and the
angels!
And, angels among
the "prophets!" They have, and can again when God empowers them,
"tell of future events!" It's happened over and over. Think of
the "Annunciation," for one example.
This angel also
identifies himself, the pertinent words being "masculine" here,
as one who "keeps the sayings" of Revelation. He is an obedient
subject of the Lord God Almighty!
To "keep" is
certainly "to obey," but also "to guard and protect." Also "to
hold fast," maybe even coming from "theoreo," being a
"spectator, viewing carefully, observantly!"
John, I'm like
you in many ways, "Worship God"
please.
"See thou do it
not," in Greek "orao me," is something like this: "Don't look at
me!" Stare not in my direction! Worship God alone!
Both the verbs
"see" and "worship" in verse 9 are imperatives, brutally stark
commands!
"Worship" is
again "proskuneo," abject adoration! Unashamedly so!
Heaven might be
so glorious that it is disorienting, to the newly arrived
anyway.
But God will
allow time for orientation!
By the way, one
more thing.
This angel, when
"worshipped," said "No!"
Get up!
Worship God!
That's the
opposite attitude from Satan's philosophy.
Listen to the
devil, tempting Jesus. "Again,
the devil taketh
Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the
kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto
Him, All these things will I give Thee,
if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus
unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."
Matthew 4:8-10
In Heaven, there
is loyalty!
Loyal angels!
Loyal saints!
And a loyal God!
"Loyal," our
adjective, comes from a Latin word meaning "legal," according to
"law." The right thing is to be faithfully
allegiant to God, loyal to the Saviour!
No more
rebellion, over there!
And, speaking of
loyalty, my wife, Sister Norma, was the most loyal human being
I've ever met. Never, never once in 44 years and 5 months did
she fail to stand with her husband! On anything of consequence.
Oh, she could express her opinions quite well, but never in a
disloyal way.
I think that in
Heaven today, she is right at home!
And verse 11,
coming soon, will prove the point!
Heaven, New
Jerusalem, an eternally glorious future, I believe!
Now, more than
ever!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 8, VERSE 10:
The angel spoke to John the Apostle.
“And he saith unto me, Seal not the
sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.”
Revelation 22:10
God is ready to tell the Story! The story of his
Plan for the future!
And for over
2,000 years now, that program has been written in the Bible, the
Book of Revelation specifically!
When
a book is “sealed,” its contents are blocked. Locked inside that
volume! The word finds its root in “phrasso,” meaning “to fence
in, to block up, to stop or close up.” Even “to put to silence.”
The
Prophet Daniel in the Old Testament also was given some
prophecies about God’s future program. Then he, unlike John, was
told to “seal” them, at least for the time being.
“Wherefore
shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.”
Daniel 8:26
“But
thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even
to the time of the end.” Daniel 12:4
“Go
thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed
till the time of the end.” Daniel 12:9
What
a difference a few centuries can make!
From
Daniel ‘til John!
Today’s
Verse again, from an angel to John: “And
he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this
book: for the time is at hand.” Revelation 22:10
The
noun “sayings” is “logos.” It is a word that indicates “logical”
ideas and thoughts, here flowing from the very mind of God.
The
noun “book” is “biblion,” a diminutive of “biblos,” therefore, a
“small” book! Indeed, Revelation is a small portion of the whole
Book, the Bible, the Word of God.
John’s
last clause, “For the time is at hand,”
uses “kairos” for “time,” not “chronos.” This suggests “time” as
far as its being an “opportunity,” a “season” in which to serve
the Lord. This is not merely time in measurable segments like
hours or days or weeks.
“At
hand” is an adverbial phrase in English, a single adverb
in Greek, “eggus.” It means “on the verge of, close to, nearby.”
But keep in mind Peter’s statement that a thousand years on
earth is like a fleeting day to Almighty God! Second Peter 3:8
While
it may take my whole lifetime, Jesus is coming again!
My
darling wife did not live to see the Rapture, I may not either.
But
someone will!
And,
in God’s eyes, it’s going to happen soon!
I
pray along with John: “Even so, come, Lord
Jesus."
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 9, VERSE
11:
Actually I extended our Text
some. We could have probably stopped "earlier" in our Biblical
Passage. As soon as Verse five, I first thought.
But today's Verse, verse
eleven, kept beckoning me onward! Anytime a Preacher gets near
this one, he should say a few things about it.
It's that important!
"He that
is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let
him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be
righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still."
Revelation 22:11
What?
One can hardly believe his or
her ears!
Oh, yes. We understand the last
half all right. "He that is righteous, let
him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy
still."
That's fine.
In Heaven character is "fixed."
No more sin.
No more temptation to sin.
The devil is in the lake of
fire and brimstone, and there "shall be
tormented day and night for ever and ever." Revelation
20:10
So the "righteous," being that
way because of Jesus and His cleansing Blood, will be
"righteous" eternally. "Dikaios" means "straight, judicially
correct." In God's Eyes, "just." Forgiven!
"Be righteous still" is a
phrase containing both a verb, an imperative aorist passive one,
and an adverb. Righteousness is mandated in Heaven, required,
yet it also instinctively flows from justified hearts.
"Still" is "eti," meaning
"further, in addition to," as well as "still." It's translated
"yet" 52 times in the King James Version, 52 of 117 total times
in the New Testament. It's "still" only 4 times, total.
"Righteous" is one's standing
before God.
"Holy" might be a reference to
a person's testimony before his or her fellow human beings. "Agios,"
really "hagios," means "set apart, consecrated, made different,"
by the Lord Himself.
Another imperative, I'll
underline it. "And he that is holy, let
him be holy still." No "fights" in Heaven! No
carnality either.
And these highly developed,
"perfected" really, states of character are eternal, obviously.
We shall have truly been conformed into the image of God's Son,
just like Jesus! Paul said so, Romans 8:29.
But, again, this is the easy
part of the Verse!
I've skipped the hard part, so
far. That's a neat "delay" tactic we preachers sometimes use!
But, now, with the Lord's help,
we must "tackle" it. "He that is unjust,
let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be
filthy still." Revelation 22:11
We have nearly the same
grammatical construction here. Except for an opening participle,
the one being "adikeo," the one being "unjust," simply
"unrighteous" in God's eyes ... will not change now!
Eternally ungodly!
No Revivals in Hell!
No invitations to salvation!
No second chances!
Read the verse.
"He that is unjust, let him be unjust
still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still."
Grace, as an extended measure
of Love to the lost and dying, has been withdrawn!
No more Holy Ghost conviction!
No one will even "want" to be
saved.
The lost in eternal flames will
be "required" to remain "unjust." And they will obey
automatically, for once!
It's their nature.
Hell will be a place of cussing
and grumbling and lusting and, probably, fighting and accusing
and hating ... for evermore!
"He
which is filthy, let him be filthy still." Beginning with
a present participle, the "dirty and impure and morally unclean"
will just keep on being that way age after age, perpetually so.
"Rupoo" means "defiled, soiled,
dirty," a gross word. Think of the garbage dump! Think of the
septic tank, the cesspool! Those are mini-photos of Hell, the
Lake of Fire!
A lost lady, once physically
lovely to look upon, I pity you in Hell! An eternity of dirty
flirtatious calls will come your way, memory induced. That
wicked crowd of lust-hounds desiring to treat you any way their
base passions dictate!
Stay away from that place!
God saves sinners from all
that!
Do not treat your eternal
destiny so lightly!
No "self-improvement" in
eternity!
The "end" has been sealed.
No more altar calls!
No more Gospel tracts!
As one dies, one stays!
"He that
is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let
him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be
righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still."
Revelation 22:11, a sobering Verse!
My wife, in Heaven now, will be
"saved" eternally. Of course, she was that when she left here,
according to the Bible! But I mean she will be "righteous"
forever. She will be "holy and pure and godly and gentle," just
like the Blood of Jesus had made her here on earth! When she was
born-again, regenerated, redeemed, justified, saved!
But the worst sinner who died
yesterday, he too is eternally "fixed." For evermore vile and
filthy and wicked!
God does have a deadline drawn
in the sands of some "tomorrow."
That "dead" line will be
reached ultimately by every one of us!
And when it does, "finality"
will have begun!
Get the Verse one more time
please. think about it a lot today. It could change our very
lives. "He that is unjust, let him be
unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still:
and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he
that is holy, let him be holy still." Revelation 22:11
The Bible tells me so.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Thank God for the bright Future God has
prepared for us who are saved. Truly, beyond doubt, the half has
never been told! This concludes our Study of Revelation 22:1-11.
What a great Text it is!
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