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REVELATION 22:1-11

 HEAVEN ... NEW JERUSALEM!

WHAT A PLACE!

 A Preacher in his Study

 

 

 

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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