Antichrist and the End Times

AET-075 and 76:

Rev. 21 and 22

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Revelation 21• Revelation chapter 21 and 22 contain a description

of the eternal state (following the Millennium and the final judgment), centering in the new Jerusalem as the eternal habitation of the saved.

• The first heaven and the first earth are replaced by a new heaven and a new earth, predicted by Isaiah (65 v.17; 66 v.22)

• The present universe will thus be cleansed from all the effect of sin.

• Since there will be no more sea, the increased land space will be fully capable of handling large numbers of redeemed peo0ple from all ages.

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Revelation 21

• The New Jerusalem is fully described in chapter 21 starting with verse 10 and going to chapter 22 verse 5.

• It is a holy city, totally separate from sin.

• It is being prepared as the habitation of the bride of Christ.

• From God shows its diving purpose, and out of heaven its divine origin.

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Revelation 21• The judgments are past, the terrible plagues upon

the earth are ended. • We begin with a view of heaven coming down to

earth; a time when the prayers of God's people for centuries, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," will be answered.

• Chapters 21 and 22 contain almost all the Bible records concerning the eternal state.

• Most of the prophetic passages of the Old Testament that picture a time of great blessing on earth refer to the thousand-year reign of our Lord which precedes this last great event.

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Revelation 21• Very little is said in the Old Testament about

heaven. But here it is in these chapters. Following the Great White Throne judgment, recorded in Chapter 20, John sees a whole new creation spring into being.Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

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Revelation 21• And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelation 21:1-4 NIV)

• What beautiful words! They bring us full circle, to the beginning of the Bible again. Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

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Revelation 21• That creation is what is called here "the old

heavens and the old earth." • They shall pass away, as we are told, but a new

heavens and a new earth are coming. • It is the Apostle Peter who tells us what happens to

the present heavens and earth. In Second Peter he says, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar. The elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare," (2 Peter 3:10).

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Revelation 21:1• 21:1 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.

• "A new heaven and a new earth": The "new heaven" is the atmospheric heaven around and above the earth.

• This area has been the domain of Satan (see Eph. 2: verse 2) and must be purified before the heaven of God can come down to the new earth.

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Revelation 21:1• This new earth will be a perfect environment

similar to that of the Garden of Eden.• A unique distinction of this new earth will be

that the vast oceans of water that now cover three fourths of the world's surface will not be included, leaving much more inhabitable land for the population of the redeemed.

• This "new heaven and new earth" are actually a heavenly pattern of what the Garden of Eden was a miniature of on earth.

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Revelation 21:1• We will see the Tree of Life restored with water

that flows from the throne of God.  • It didn't rain in the Garden of Eden. Plants were

watered from beneath the earth. • The water in the Garden of Eden flowed out in four

rivers (symbolic of enough for the whole world). • This river that flows from the throne of God is the

same water that Jesus told the woman at the well, if she drank it, she would never thirst again.

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Revelation 21:1

• That ends the old heavens, but now a new heavens and earth appear where Jesus will continue his reign, not only upon earth, but throughout the entire reach of the vast universe of God.

• There are four statements in this opening paragraph that tell us the purpose of the new heavens and the new earth:

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Revelation 21:1• The first verse suggests strongly that the New

Jerusalem, this great city that John describes, is to be the capital of the whole new universe.

• And it will be a universe greatly changed. It will not be like the one we have now.

• I do not believe that this means that God will eliminate the present heavens and earth but he changes it and cleanses it.

• When we become Christians we become new creatures in Christ, but we are still the same persons, but now changed and cleansed.

• So also the old heavens and the old earth will be cleansed -- by fire.

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Revelation 21:1• We know today that the present universe in

its farthest reaches (even farther than the new Hubble telescope can show us), is governed by the same laws.

• One of them is the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the law of entropy, which says this present universe is running down.

• It is all decaying; losing its energy; it is growing cold.

• But in the new heavens and the new earth apparently that law is reversed.

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Revelation 21:1• Instead of running down the universe begins to

come together again. • Instead of losing energy it will gain it and manifest

a unity, stability, symmetry and beauty that the old heavens and earth never had.

• One aspect of this, pictured here, is that there will be no more sea.

• A man said to me last week, "I don't think I'm going to like the new heavens and the new earth, because I love the ocean.”

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Revelation 21:1• But the one reason we have a salt sea that covers

more than half of this planet is because it is God's great antiseptic to cleanse the earth and make life possible on earth.

• Had it not been for the ocean, and the salt in it particularly, life on this planet would have ceased many centuries ago.

• It is the ocean that purges, cleanses, and preserves it.

• The sea is an antiseptic in which all the pollution and filth that man pours into it is absorbed, cleansed and changed.

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Revelation 21:1

• But there will be no more pollution, no more filth, no more need for cleansing in the new universe.

• Though we are not told this, I think there will be large bodies of fresh water, larger even perhaps than the Great Lakes, that we may enjoy in that new heavens and new earth.

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Revelation 21:2• 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new

Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

• Now John sees the new holy city which is not heaven, but is called that since everyone who will be in it is holy. This is Christ's Kingdom. "Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection." (20 v.6)

• New Jerusalem will be coming down to the new heaven and new earth mentioned in verse 1. The old heaven and earth which was in chapter 20 verse 11 fled away and was no more.

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Revelation 21:2• The city is illustrated as a bride because it contains

the bride and takes on her character. John saw the bride adorned for her husband because the time for the consummation had arrived. The concept of the bride includes not only the church, but all the rest of the redeemed from all the ages who will live forever in that eternal city.

• 1 Cor. 15 v.28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

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Revelation 21:2• Then the second thing said here is, the New

Jerusalem is called a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Everyone loves that picture. We all love weddings. The climax is when the bride comes down the aisle, beautifully dressed for her husband! Everyone forgets that poor fellow waiting for her at the altar! Every eye is on the bride because she has prepared herself for weeks to meet her husband there. This new city is called both a city and a woman, just as the false bride, "Mystery Babylon the Great," was both a city, and a woman.

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Revelation 21:2• We have seen how that one was destroyed for its

evil. A bride speaks of intimacy, and a city speaks of community. So we have a picture here of the redeemed of God, each one given a body of glory empowered with limitless energy. When opportunity comes in that day you will not say, as we often say today, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak," (Matthew 26:41 NIV). No, then you will be able to respond to every opportunity with a glorified, fresh and living body. We will live in close intimacy, not only with the Lord himself, but with each other as well.

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Revelation 21:2

• I often think of that phrase in John's letters where he says, "It does not yet appear what we shall be," (1 John 3:2 KJV).

• I keep looking in the mirror for signs of change in me.

• But what do I see? • Wrinkles-and imperfections!• But it won't be like that then. • We will have bodies of glory and beauty that

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Revelation 21:2

• The third thing we are told here is that this will be the dwelling place of God. Isn't that marvelous? The home of God! The place where God lives, in his people. This is when the name "Immanuel" ("God with us"), will be fulfilled, and when the New Covenant will be fully worked out, "They shall be my people, and I will be their God," (Jeremiah 24:7 KJV).

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Revelation 21:4• 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from

their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

• All tears, pain, sorrow, and death will be removed in that heavenly New Jerusalem where Christians will live. This is the exact opposite of the curse that resulted from Adam's sin (see Gen. 3: verses 16 to19). The effects of the curse are removed, and all things are made new.

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Revelation 21• God does not merely repair the creation, He re-creates it for

His children to enjoy for all eternity.• Just as the disciples knew security when Jesus was there

to take care of all their needs, we will know perfect peace and joy in heaven. Jesus is the king of peace. Jesus defeated death on the cross. The biggest fear of mankind is death. We just read where the Christians will not taste the second death. This fear is gone away. Death will no longer hang over the Christian. The Christian has eternal life (not death).

• There won't be any reason to cry for in heaven. The devil and all his problems he brought upon the Christians have been thrown into the lake of fire. Every negative thing has been done away with.

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Revelation 21:5• 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said,

Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

• "The One who sits on the throne said", is the same One "from whose presence earth and heaven fled away. (Rev 20 v.11)

• Here we see God sitting on the throne saying that He "makes all things new" when we are saved we become a new creature. Just as He did not throw us away and get a new person: He says here "I make all things new". He did not say He made new things.  He just takes the old things and transforms them into new.

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Revelation 21:6• 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha

and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

• It is done. These words mark the end of redemptive history. This is a statement ( Gr. gegonan) of divine finality. It represents God's promise that this new state will be forever. Alpha and Omega is the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Hence, this phrase represents the sum of all things. In Revelation 1: v.11 and 22: verses 12 to13 it is used of Christ.

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Revelation 21:6• Here it is used of God the Father ("He that sat on

the throne"), indicating the deity of both the Father and the Son.

• Just as Jesus said on the cross "It is finished" You see, Jesus is the way to get to the water of life. In fact, He is the water. He is life. He who hungers and thirst after righteousness shall be filled.  There is nothing before Him and nothing after Him.

• A citizen of heaven is described as one who "thirsts" signifying those who recognize their desperate spiritual need, "hunger and thirst for righteousness", Matt. 5 v.6.

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Revelation 21:6• He brackets all of time in the phrases, "I am the

Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End." Everything in between comes from him. These are words of truth that help us to believe. Remember on the cross our Lord uttered the words "It is finished," (John 19:30). After the gloom, the darkness, pain, sorrow and anguish of his separation from the Father, he cried out, "It is finished!" The basis of redemption was settled. The sacrifice was ended. The basis was fully laid. Now he says, "It is done!" Redemption is complete.

• Not one thing is left unfinished.

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Revelation 21• 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things;

and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.• An overcomer is one who exercises saving faith in

the Lord Jesus Christ. A person who in faith drinks the water of salvation freely offered by God. Each of the seven letters to the churches in Rev. 2 and 3 end in the promise of he that overcomes will inherit these things.

• Just as a bride is an equal inheritor of all that is her husband's, so the Church, the Bride of Christ, will inherit all that is His. He even promises that He will be our God and we shall be His son.

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Revelation 21• These terms of endearment are experiences we as

Christians shall enjoy forever. • From this scripture, we see there is something we

must overcome. • If we are faithful to Him in the face of all odds, we

will inherit eternal life. • The New Testament is actually an inheritance to

the believers. • If we believe, we can collect on that inheritance. • Who ever we are faithful to, is our God. If he is our

God, He will claim us as His son.

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Revelation 21• The fourth thing the passage suggests as the

purpose of the New Jerusalem is that it will be the home of the redeemed:"To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son." (Revelation 21:6b-7 NIV)What marvelous words! This city will be the home of the redeemed, and the only qualification for it is that you be thirsty. Nothing on earth satisfies. Wealth, fame, pleasures and treasures -- none will meet that deep thirst of the soul.

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Revelation 21

• That is why the rich, the wealthy, the beautiful people, all are looking for something more. They are not satisfied. But here is the promise to satisfy that thirst. People who want more -- who want God -- are promised that they shall drink of the water of the spring of life. These are also called "overcomers" who "inherit all this," all that God has created.

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Revelation 21• 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the

abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

• The contrasts between verses seven and eight are graphic. They represent the age-old concept that there are only two kinds of people with God, believers and unbelievers. They experience two different lifestyles on earth and go to two different eternal destinies.

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Revelation 21• Believers go to "eternal life" while unbelievers

experience "the second death," which is the lake of fire. Fear is not of God. Fear is the opposite of faith. In fact, it is mentioned twice here by saying "fearful and unbelieving". Jesus cannot be someone's Savior, unless they believe they He is their Savior.

• Abomination, meaning vile, polluted, detestable, wholly caught up in wickedness and evil. Here, we see those who do abominable things taking part in the second death.

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Revelation 21• Notice here this says "murderers" not accidental

killing or killing in war. This is premeditated murder, or those who hate their neighbors.

• We see here "whoremongers" (this means not only in the physical but also in the spiritual).

• "Sorcerers" has to do with the occult and also drugs.

• "Idolaters" has to do with anything or anyone you put ahead of God.

• "Liars" can do more harm than you can imagine. Many have a tendency to tell little white lies, but any untruth is a lie.

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Revelation 21• Those who are not saved are identified by their

Human Nature failures and will not enter into the heavenly city.

• After we are forgiven of our sins and born again, we must practice salvation. We may slip and sin, but if we do, we have an advocate with the Father. Confess, and then as Jesus told the woman who the Pharisees had caught in the act of adultery, "Go and sin no more” (Resist).

• The Overcomers in this life do not practice sin.

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Revelation 21• Peter tells us in his first letter that there is waiting

for us "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven for us," (1 Peter 1:4 NIV). Those who are thus changed by God's grace are to be forever his sons.

• Now, by contrast, in a reference back to what we have seen of the judgment there is in Verse 8 a description of those who are not admitted:

• "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Revelation 21:8 NIV)

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Revelation 21• As we have seen all through this book, God does

not want that. He is very reluctant that anybody should be judged or condemned, but as the word points out, "they judge themselves." Here there are three attitudes of heart which result in five visible deeds that mark the lost. The three attitudes are the reasons why some will miss this beautiful city. First, the cowards, i.e. the fearful, those who are afraid to take on the yoke of Christ, who fear to confess Christ, who are unwilling to be unpopular for a little while. They shrug their shoulders and turn away from the offer of life.

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Revelation 21• Then there are the unbelieving, those who know it

is true, but don't want it and refuse the evidence, deliberately turning their backs on truth.

• Third, there are the vile. The word means "to become foul."

• Without the Cleansing of the New Birth, they are Vile; this is the evidence of their need for Salvation by Grace through Faith Alone in Christ Alone.

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Revelation 21• In these eight verses we have looked at the

purpose of the New Jerusalem. Now John is given another vision of it and describes it in wonderfully symbolic language as the great city of God: First, we are informed as to the structure of this city.

• 21:9 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.

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Revelation 21:9• From the past, at the beginning of the millennium,

one of the seven angels who poured out a bowl or vial appeared to John.

• Now the angel was to show John the Lamb's bride, the Lamb's wife.

• New Jerusalem is likened to a bride because the redeemed are forever united to God and the Lamb.

• At this point, the marriage has already taken place in 19 v.7 and now is referred to as "The Lamb's Wife

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Revelation 21• I am sure someone is asking, "Is this literal

or is it symbolic?" I hope, by now, as we have been going through this book, you have come to realize that you do not have to make that choice. God loves to use literal things that remain symbols. The cross is literal, but it is also a symbol of the death of Jesus. It is both at the same time. So, all through this book, we find the blending of the literal and symbolic.

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Revelation 21• There will be a great, visible city of incredible

brilliance and glory, located somewhere above or within the atmosphere of the earth, which also will picture activities and relationships that are going on within the community of the saints.

• Those will be characterized by stability, by symmetry, by light, by life and ministry.

• That is what is described here. • The literal is very evident; the symbolic perhaps

needs a bit of interpretation.

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Revelation 21• Everything in the universe is, in a sense, his

possession. All animals, all creatures, are his. There are billions of angels and they all belong to him. But the saints are peculiarly God's own possession. That is because he has made them to correspond to himself. He can share with them the deepest things in his life and in his heart. They satisfy him and fulfill him just as a bride satisfies and fulfills her husband.

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Revelation 21• 21:10-11 "And he carried me 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," " "Having the glory of God: and her light [was] like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;:

• That great city, the holy Jerusalem. The Lamb's wife is described as the new city of Jerusalem. This magnificent city is where the bride of Christ (the Church) will live forever.

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Revelation 21• The most dominant characteristic of the holy city is

the presence of God's Glory, which personifies God's presence with His people. The Glory that departed from the Old Jerusalem (see Ezek. Chapters 8 to 11) is restored to the New Jerusalem of the future.

• John's incredible vision began when the angel carried him away in the Spirit in Rev. 1 where he received the visions that make up the book of Revelation. John's visions were not dreams, but spiritual realities, like the one's Paul saw when he was also caught up to the third heaven.

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Revelation 21• From John's vantage point atop a great and high

mountain, he repeats his observation of verse 2 that New Jerusalem came down out of heaven from God, emphasizing its divine origin.

• Note what is described here is not the creation of heaven, but the descent of what already existed from eternity past. Now it's being situated in the center of the new heaven and the new earth.

• "The Glory of God": The brilliance radiating from New Jerusalem caused by the full manifestation of God's glory will be so much, the city will have no need of the sun or the moon as the glory of God will illuminate it.

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Revelation 21• 21:12 And had a wall great and high, [and] had

twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

• The inclusion of the names of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles in the foundations and gates of the city  (see 21 v.14), indicates that both Jewish and Gentile believers will all be part of the family of God and share eternity as one. Although it would seem that the Jews are distinct from the Church during the Millennium, they will all be one as children of the living God for eternity.

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Revelation 21:12• If you have ever been to Jerusalem in Israel, you

know the old city has a large wall around the city. The physical Jerusalem here has 12 gates. You see, this earthly Jerusalem is a replica of this heavenly Jerusalem.

• Here we see their names (twelve tribes), celebrating God's covenant relationship with Israel, the people of the promises, covenants, scriptures and the Messiah.

• These angels are stationed to attend to God's glory and to serve His people.

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Revelation 21

• The high wall of the city speaks of separation and of intimacy. If you want to have an intimate garden party, you meet in the yard behind a wall. That wall shuts out other things and people. It speaks of intimate fellowship and separation from intrusion. The whole of Scripture with one voice speaks of God's desire to have what he calls "a people for my own possession."

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Revelation 21:12

• 21:13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

• This is reminiscent of the way the twelve tribes camped around the tabernacle in numbers 2 and the allotment of tribal lands around the millennial temple. (Ezek. 48)

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Revelation 21• The gates describe means of access and egress

from the city. There is an amazing verse in John 10 where Jesus says, "Whoever enters through me will be saved, and he will go in and out and find pasture," (John 10:9 NIV). That seems to be a portrayal of the widespread ministry of believers throughout the eternal ages. The new universe will surely be as big or bigger than it is now -- and it is mind-blowing in its immensity now! Billions of galaxies, far larger than our own galaxy of the Milky Way, fill the heavens as far as the eye can see by means of the greatest telescopes we have, and still we have not reached the end.

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Revelation 21• That means that there will be new planets to

develop, new principles to discover, new joys to experience. Every moment of eternity will be an adventure of discovery. Those gates are named for the tribes of Israel. It is a perpetual reminder that "salvation is of the Jews," (John 4:22 KJV). Access to the city is through Israel. I believe that pictures the truth that has come to us through the Old Testament prophets and the godly practices of the nation. Many of these brilliant passages that now entrance, but puzzle, us will come to life then as we have never known them before.

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Revelation 21• They will lead us out to new adventures that

we have never dreamed of in our wildest imaginations.

• The foundations speak of what is underneath which gives stability and permanence. They are named for the 12 apostles. Judas, of course, was replaced in the apostolic band by Paul.

• These foundations speak of New Testament truth of Salvation by Faith Alone in Christ Alone.

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Revelation 21• 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve

foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

• The foundation of Christianity was established by Jesus through the twelve apostles. You can easily see, this is not only a city but stands for the Inhabitants as well.

• The layout of New Jerusalem's gates picture God's favor on all His redeemed people from both the old and new covenant.

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Revelation 21• 21:16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the

length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

• The city lies foursquare. The size of this city indicates that each border is approximately fifteen hundred miles long. Thus the dimensions of the city would be equal to the area from the eastern seaboard of the United States to Colorado on one side and from the Canadian border to the southern tip of Florida on the other.

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Revelation 21

• In addition to the length and breadth, the city will be fifteen hundred miles high. This great size will afford sufficient space for the habitation of the saints from all ages of history.

• We see here that this city is a cube. Twelve thousand furlongs is 1500 miles. This city is 1500 miles square and 1500 miles high.

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Revelation 21• When God measures something it is a sign of his

ownership. The number 12, which is everywhere in this account -- 12,000 stadia, 144 cubits (that is 12 times 12) wide -- is in Scripture the number of government. So this is a fulfillment of that wonderful word in Isaiah, "the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace," (Isaiah 9:6). It is a city of beauty and of symmetry, just as long as it is wide, just as tall as it is long.

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Revelation 21• It will be a city of perfect proportions. That is what it

symbolizes -- perfectly proportioned wholeness!• Everybody wants that. Everyone wants to be a

whole person. People say, "I want to be me. I want to fulfill myself. I want to get my act together." Many pick the wrong way to do it. They think that it is all up to them. The one message of the Word of God is that you cannot find your own way. Try to fulfill yourself and you will lose yourself.

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Revelation 21• But if you let God fulfill you, then you will be fully

filled -- a wholeness perfectly proportioned, containing nothing awkward, nothing out of balance, but all in harmony. Our friend, Eugene Petersen, whom I have quoted many times in this study, has put it well. He says,

• The two symbolic cities of the Apocalypse, Babylon and Jerusalem, show [how a wall creates group consciousness and interrelatedness]. When evil reaches its highest density it forms a whore-city.

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Revelation 21

• That city is a concentrate of evil and is destroyed. Likewise, when God-consciousness and the interrelatedness of love reach their highest density, a bride-city is formed.

• Not only is the size and shape of the city revealed, but the materials from which it is made are given to us.

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Revelation 21• 21:17 And he measured the wall thereof, an

hundred [and] forty [and] four cubits, [according to] the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

• A cubic is 18 inches or 1-1/2 feet. Times 144, the wall was 216 feet across. Just as in Babylon the walls, were wide enough for chariot races. This is even wider.

• To emphasize the city's dimensions are literal and not mystical, John tells us that the measurements are given according to human measurements.

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Revelation 21• 21:18 And the building of the wall of it was [of]

jasper: and the city [was] pure gold, like unto clear glass.

• The massive walls a material called jasper. This is the same diamond like stone that was mentioned in verse 11. (Clear as crystal)

• Next the city itself was pure gold, like clear glass. Imagine how God's glory will radiate throughout and light up the entire city.

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Revelation 21• Let your imagination picture that marvelous city --

gleaming transparent gold, with foundations sparkling with light in cascading colors, pouring forth from great jewels embedded in the sides -- a kaleidoscope of light and glory! What are those foundations?

• As we have already seen, they are the twelve apostles.

• This then portrays the truth that the apostolic revelation is filled with light.

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Revelation 21• There is a verse in Ephesians 3 where the Apostle

Paul speaks of "the manifold wisdom of God that is to be made known by the church to rulers and authorities in heavenly places," Ephesians 3:10).

• That is describing this same phenomena. The word "manifold" is literally "many-colored," -- the many-colored wisdom of God -- fresh wisdom flashing from old truth from the apostles.

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Revelation 21• 21:19-20 "And the foundations of the wall of the

city [were] garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation [was] jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;" "The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst".

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Revelation 21• Jasper = Diamond• Sapphire = A brilliant blue stone• Chalcedony = Sky blue with colored stripes• Emerald = Bright green stone• Sardonyx = Red and white striped stone• Sardius = Various shades of Red• Chrysolite = Transparent gold or yellow• Beryl = Shades of green, yellow and blue• Topaz = Yellowish green• Chrysoprasus = Gold tinted green• Jacinth = Blue or violet colored• Amethyst = Purple stone

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Revelation 21• 21:21 And the twelve gates [were] twelve

pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city [was] pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

• The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Every gate will be one pearl, each large enough to cover the gateway to this huge city. In addition, the street of the city will be "pure gold, like unto clear glass," indicating that believers will walk on golden streets. The holy city of God will be so magnificent that believers will literally walk on precious metals that today are used for costly adornments.

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Revelation 21• The gates are made of single pearls. You have

heard many jokes about St. Peter and the pearly gates, which we usually conceive of as a single great pair of gates. But there are twelve gates, each one is a gigantic pearl, and St. Peter is nowhere to be seen at any of them!

• There is no silver in the city. Silver means redemption and we have already been redeemed. These stones show us things that are important here on the earth are plentiful in heaven. You see, God owns all the wealth in the world.

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Revelation 21• God has so many rare stones He even puts them

in the wall. Each gate is made of just one pearl.• And remember the height of the cube is 1500

miles. That makes for a very large pearl.• The streets in New Jerusalem is made of the

highest quality of pure gold which is like everything else, transparent. We are not familiar with transparent gold here on earth, but everything in heaven is transparent to let the light of God's glory blaze unrestricted.

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Revelation 21• 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord

God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

• "No temple therein:" There will be no need for a temple now to provide a means for a man to fellowship with God. Because of Jesus sacrificial death on the cross, sin will not exist there. God and the Lamb are the temple of the eternal city. This clearly emphasizes the deity of Christ as equal in essence to that of the father.

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Revelation 21• All through Revelation we have seen a temple in

heaven described. That temple remains throughout the millennium, as the original of which the earthly temple is a copy.

• But in the new heavens and earth there is no temple. Why?

• Because the true temple, of which the one in the old heavens is a picture, is the True Man, Jesus himself. God in man that is the temple!

• Thus Paul, in First Corinthians, says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you?" (1 Corinthians 6:19a NIV).

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Revelation 21• There will be not need for anyone to go

anywhere to worship God. Believers will constantly be in His presence. There will never be a minute when they are not in perfect, Holy Communion with the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. Therefore there will be no need for a temple, cathedral, church, chapel or any other house of worship. Believers will be the true worshipers God has always sought.

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Revelation 21• If God dwells in you, you are a part of this heavenly

temple. • You share the honor of being the home of God, the

dwelling place of God. • And from that comes radiant light.• People can see all things by that truth. • So glorious is it that there is no need for the sun or

the moon. • It does not say they are not there; it simply says

there is no need for them in this city of God. • There will never be night there because it is lit

continually by the glory which is God in man.

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Revelation 21

• 21:23 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.

• No more day and night but there will be one eternal day. The Glory of God will illuminate New Jerusalem and its lamp with be the Lamb Jesus, who is the Light, and does away with darkness.

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Revelation 21• 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved

shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

• The reference to "nations” indicates an Earthly contingent of humans with an organizational structure of government overseen by the Jewish administrators.

• People from every tongue, tribe and nation will be united as God's people.

• Every believer will be fully equal in the eternal capital city.

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Revelation 21• 21:25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all

by day: for there shall be no night there.

• Its gates will never be closed. This depicts the city's complete security and that there is no need to close them.

• New Jerusalem is a place of rest, safety and refreshment where God's people will "rest from their labors." Never again will anything have to be shut up for fear of loosing it by thieves and robbers. None of that will ever exist again.

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Revelation 21• The gates will never be shut because there

is no night there and therefore no need for protection. Cities close their gates at night because they are in danger. But there is nothing to destroy in this new world to come. The kings of the earth will bring their glory in, not to compete with the glory of God, but to have it revealed by the light of God. Nothing impure will enter because only the redeemed are admitted.

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Revelation 21• 21:26 And they shall bring the glory and honour

of the nations into it.

• All who enter The New Heavens and New Earth will surrender their earthly prestige and glory when they enter.

• 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

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Revelation 21• This Scripture means that this is a holy city (a

place of true worship). There will be no evil of any kind in it. The residents are the redeemed, those washed in the blood of the lamb. Those who have been made righteous in Christ.

• Once again, we are confronted with the significance of having our names written in the Lamb's book of life assuring us that Christ knows each believer personally, by name.

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Revelation 22• 22:1 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.

• "Pure River of Water of life." In one final glimpse into the future, John sees this river flowing from the throne of God. It is the source of eternal life that emanates from God.

• The Earthly inhabitants, like Adam and Eve, will drink water and eat food.

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Revelation 22• Jesus told the woman at the well if she drank of the

water He gave her, she would never thirst again, John 4:14. This is the "water" He was talking about here. This "water" possessed life giving powers. The Source is the Father and the Lamb. This "water" springs up into ever lasting life.

• Just like everything else in the New Jerusalem, the river was clear as crystal so that it could reflect the glory of God as it cascades down from the throne of God and of the Lamb in a dazzling, sparkling never ending flow of everlasting life from God's throne to His people.

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Revelation 22• 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 [health] of the nations.

• Here at the close of the Bible we are reintroduced to the tree of life, which has not been mentioned in the Bible since Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. Paradise is restored in the eternal state. All that was lost in the fall is redeemed by the lamb. The leaves of this tree will be used for the health of the nations.

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Revelation 22• The tree bears twelve kinds of fruit that yields its

fruit every month suggesting the infinite variety that will fill heaven.

• Monthly, since time exits no more, emphasizes the expression of the joyous provision of eternity using familiar terms of time.

• Nations: meaning the people that are on Earth. • Sickness will no longer be, so it doesn't imply

illness. • The leaves therefore will be to promote general

health or another way of stating that would be: life in on the New Earth will be fully energized, rich and exciting continuously.

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Revelation 21• What a glorious picture of abounding fertility, of life

on every side -- a river of life, a tree of life. Both of these are found in the Old Testament. Psalm 46 says, "There is a river that makes glad the city of God," (Psalm 46:4a). Ezekiel describes a river flowing out from the throne of God. It is a wonderful river to swim in, he said. The tree of life is found in the Garden of Eden. It is right there, along with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But here it is back again, without the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil – that issue has been resolved.

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Revelation 21• 22:3 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:

• The effects of the post-Edenic curse (Gen. 3:14-19) will be totally gone forever. There will be no more curse.

• God's saints will serve him (Rev. 7: v.15) and reign with Him forever over the New Earth  (Dan 7: verses 18 and 27).

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Revelation 21• The picture of eternal life in these verses indicates

that we will be busy serving God for all eternity. We will both serve Him (v. 3) and reign with Him (v.5). Since He is an infinite God, we can be sure He will have infinite things for us to do as we reign there forever.

• Here we see "throne of God" and on his right hand is "the Lamb" These "servants" that shall serve him are us. We Christians have been bought and paid for with the blood of the Lamb. We will be with the Lamb and the Father, but we will not be their equal. We will be their servants.

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Revelation 21• 22:4 And they shall see his face; and his name

[shall be] in their foreheads.• The greatest blessing of eternity is that they shall

see his face (Matt. 5: v.8; Heb. 12: v.14). Though this is now impossible for an unglorified human being (Exodus 33: v.20), it will occur in the eternal state. The name of God in their foreheads shows ownership and consecration (Rev. 3: v.12; 13: v.16; Exodus 28: verses 36 to38).

• Throughout the Bible, we have been taught that you could not look upon the face of God and live.

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Revelation 21• Even Moses, who was so close to God, wanted to

see God, and God told him no. He put His hand over Moses and passed by him, and Moses saw his back side, Exodus 33:22. There we will be in his presence all the time and can look in his face anytime we want to. We are sealed with the Lamb's seal.

• The saints in New Jerusalem will see God's face. Being perfectly holy and righteous, they'll be able to endure the blazing, glorious light from God's presence without being consumed. That was impossible for mortal men.

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Revelation 21• 22:5 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.

• Since in the New Jerusalem God is always present, His glory makes all other sources of light unnecessary (Rev. 21:23; Isaiah 60:19, 20; Zech. 14:7).

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Revelation 21• We have talked so much about our Lord Jesus

being the Light. He is the source of all Light. When the Light is on full power, you certainly do not need a candle. The sun has no more purpose any more either. This presence of this Light is all they need. This Kingdom has no end. It is for all of eternity.

• As a final word describing the saint's heavenly experience, they are told it once again that it will never end. They shall reign forever and forever.

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Revelation 22• 22:6 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.

• Verses 6-21 form a conclusion or summary to the book. They emphasize two themes: (1) the authenticity of the book as a revelation from God; and (2) the imminence of the return of Christ.

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Revelation 22• These sayings refer to the entire Book of

Revelation. They are authenticated as genuine by the angel whom God sent to give them through John to His servants, that is, the members of the churches (Rev. 1: verses 3 and 11).

• Here is just a reassurance that all of this is not to be taken lightly. This is the absolute truth. The prophets such as Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah have all spoken of this special time in history. We even read this in the 24th chapter of Matthew and in the 21st and 22nd chapter of Luke. It is the same information, regardless of who pens it, because the author is God.

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Revelation 22• The angel's words reinforce an important truth:

Everything John saw in Revelation will come to pass. John's words are not mystical and the Apocalypse is not a record of his bizarre dreams or the result of an over active imagination.

• Further it is not an allegory (a form of translation) from which readers can find hidden meanings of their own concoction. It is an accurate description of events and persons that are yet to come.

• Verses 6 to 9 takes us back to the early part of this book, when the faithful and true witness told us that He would send His angel to convey His message concerning the things that must come to pass.

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Revelation 22• 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he

that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

• This is Jesus speaking when He says, "Behold, I am coming soon".

• Three times we find this expression in the last verses of this book. Some have been confused about the literal meaning of the expression because it was uttered almost 2000 years ago. It is more accurately translated, "Behold, I come suddenly."

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Revelation 22• This saying does not refer to an appointed time

soon to come but means that His coming will take place suddenly and without warning. Significant details are given in association with each of these three promises of our Lord.

• Verse 7 contains the promise, "Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." This may be a reference to the Rapture of the Church. "Happy are those" who are sufficiently aware of the prophecy of this book to be ready when that Day arrives.

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Revelation 22• You might ask, what does it mean to obey the book

of Revelation?

• Think of it as a general command to long for Christ's return and our eternal fellowship with Him.

• It calls believers to desire heaven, to desire holiness, to desire to see Christ vindicated and for Him to triumph over His enemies, to desire the end of the curse and to desire the glories of Christ's earthly kingdom and the new heaven and the new earth.

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Revelation 22• To see God's face, to see an end of the

Babylonian Harlot and the corrupt commercial and political system, to look forward to a life of peace and happiness.

• Thus the purpose of Revelation is not to provide entertainment and to merely satisfy the curiosity of believers about the future but to reveal the glory of God's Son and call believers to live godly, obedient lives in light of His soon return.

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Revelation 22• 22:8 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.

• Several times in Revelation, we see John overwhelmed by the presence and the power this angel shows him. He, being overcome by the magnitude of it all, starts to worship this angel. Some people have false doctrine centered on angel worship. We must not worship angels.

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Revelation 22• They are created beings. We must worship

the Creator. We are warned over and over not to worship angels. John is told several times here in Revelation not to worship this angel.

• They are created beings. We must worship the Creator. We are warned over and over not to worship angels. John is told several times here in Revelation not to worship this angel.

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Revelation 22• 22:9 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.

• The Messenger quickly reminds the apostle that he too, was a created being by his declaration. Not only his, but also of John's brethren the prophets, and of all believers that are defined here as "Them which keep the sayings of this book.”

• Then the Messenger commands John to worship God as God alone is the only acceptable Person to worship.

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Revelation 22• 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the

sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

• The command not to seal this prophetic message is quite different than what the lord told Daniel, "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end" (Dan 12:4). The reason for the difference in the instructions is simply stated, "the time is at hand." Until the death and resurrection of Christ, the time for this prophecy had not come.

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Revelation 22• In contrast with Daniel, who was told to "seal" up

his book of prophecy (since the end was still in the distant future, but here John is told to leave his book open (Seal not). The Messiah had come, His second coming is imminent, and thus now the time is at hand.

• The reason for the difference in the instructions is that one lived after the time of Christ's crucifixion, the other before. In John's day it was possible to see the unfolding of the events prophesied; in Daniel's day they were a long way off.

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Revelation 22• 22:11 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.

• Verse 11 is not a command, but rather a statement of fact and a warning. Character tends to become fixed and unchangeable, determined by a lifetime of habitual action. The arrival of the end will prevent any change of destiny.

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Revelation 22• Those who hear the truth but continue to do wrong

will by that hardened response fix their eternal destiny in hell. Conversely, those who continue to practice righteousness and keep him himself holy give evidence of genuine saving faith.

• When Christ returns, the deliberate choice of each person will have fixed his eternal fate.

• We cannot cover up from God. God sees into the heart. If you are a sinner, He already knows it. You do not have to tell Him. If you belong to Jesus, He knows that, too. Whatever you are down deep, Jesus already knows.

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Revelation 22• 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my

reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

• Again Christ declares the imminence of His return. This is in red in the Bible, so this is Jesus speaking directly here. All Christians should be watching the eastern sky for In a moment when you think not, the eastern sky will open, the trumpet will blow, and Jesus shall shout. At that time, we will be called to heaven to be with Him forever.

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Revelation 22

• Our rewards will be for the things (treasures) we have stored in heaven.

• Rewards are always based on the Fruit by believers based on their faithfulness in serving Christ in this life. Their works will be tested and only those with eternal value "will be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." (1 Cor. 3 v.13)

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Revelation 22

• The rewards believers will enjoy in heaven will be capacities for serving God.

• The greater their faithfulness is in this life, the greater will be their opportunity to serve in heaven, not to mention the crowns believers will receive.

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Revelation 22• Having knowledge that Jesus could return at any

moment shouldn't lead Christians to a life of idle waiting for His coming. Instead it should produce diligent, obedient, worshipful service to God, and urgent proclamation of the gospel to unbelievers.

• Try looking at it this way. By telling everyone you meet now about the good news of Jesus but they don't listen to you, then suddenly the Rapture happens, those people will then remember every word you said to them.

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Revelation 22• 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the

beginning and the end, the first and the last.

• The three designations of verse 13 are virtually equivalent in meaning.

• Alpha and Omega

• The beginning and the end

• The first and the last

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Revelation 22

• By applying them to Himself, Christ claims unlimited, eternal equality with God (Rev. 1: v.8 and 17; 2: v.8; 21: v.6).

• These three designations express Christ's infinity, eternity and boundless life transcending all limitation. These descriptions describe the completeness, timelessness and sovereign authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Revelation 22• 22:14 Blessed [are] they that do his

commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

• These closing verses of the Bible make it perfectly clear that salvation is a matter of the will - whoever wishes may come. This clearly implies that whoever wills not to come is lost. In contrast to those who reject Christ, we encounter the state of the blessed described here in verse 14. Those who have washed their robes in the righteousness of Christ have a right to the Tree of Life and thus are entitled to live forever.

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Revelation 22• He describes their state as "blessed," meaning

"happy". Every individual wants happiness. The way to eternal happiness is to receive Christ as Lord and Savior, which entitles you to entrance into the Holy City, access to the Tree of Life, and the marvelous blessings of a loving God. If there is any question in your mind as to whether or not you have received the living Christ, I urge you, on the basis of His challenge, to change your will and receive Him as your Lord and Savior today.

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Revelation 22• They that do his commandments are believers

John 14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments. See (Rev. 12: v.17; Rev. 14: v.12; Matthew 7: verses 13 to 21; 1 John 3: verses 6 to10).

• The tree of life indicates immortality and divine blessing (Rev. 2: v.7 and 22: v.2). To be able to enter in through the gates into the city is to have heavenly citizenship in the eternal dwelling place of God and redeemed mankind.

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Revelation 22

• All unbelievers are without (outside) the city, i.e. in the lake of fire. See Rev. 21: v.8 for a list of the type of sins that exclude people from heaven that was given to John. Also read Rev. 21 verse 27.

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Revelation 22• 22:15 For without [are] dogs, and

sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

• The dogs are impure and malicious people or someone with a low character. The first time blatantly impure sinners were called dogs is in Deut. 23: verse 18. This is where male homosexual prostitutes were in view.

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Revelation 22

• Sorcerers are those who practice occult or witchcraft. Greek Pharmakos is the root of the English word pharmacy which often accompanies those practices.

• Whoremongers are those who practice all kinds of sexual immorality. Greek pornos is the root of the English word pornography.

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Revelation 22• Murderers: means pre-meditated murder. This has

nothing to do with accidental killing or killing in war. They are included in the list given in Rev. 21 v.8: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

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Revelation 22• Idolaters are just those who put anything

ahead of God which includes manna (money) or the love of everything which takes one's attention off serving God. Someone once said: Show me someone's calendar and checkbook and I'll tell you where their heart lies. Think about that. Idolaters are also those who worship false gods or worship the true God in an unacceptable matter.

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Revelation 22

• Maketh at Lie: Everyone sometimes during their life has lied as It's human nature. Some tell little white lies, even some Christians. But all lies are acts of deceiving and can be very harmful to others. Simply withholding some of the truth when asked a question is in itself lying.

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Revelation 22

• Consider carefully how you answer and instead of a white lie or withholding a part of the truth, find another way. I would rather be told the truth no manner how bad it is rather than find later I had be deceived. Those who "loveth and maketh a lie" has to do with hurting someone else. Any time we hurt someone else, it is sin.

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Revelation 22• 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify

unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star.

• "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify." This is the first time that the words "I Jesus" appear in the bible. It establishes that this final invitation in Scripture is not a human invitation, but a divine call issued personally to sinners by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

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Revelation 22• This verse is Jesus' seal of approval on the whole

book of Revelation. It marks the first use of the word "church" since chapter three. Why is there no reference of the Church during the time of tribulation on earth described in chapters 6 through 18? Because the church, having been raptured to heaven, will not be on earth.

• How can Jesus be "the root and the offspring of David" both? In the Flesh this is impossible. David, in the flesh, was the ancestor of Jesus. In the Spirit, Jesus was David's ancestor. Jesus was David's God.

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Revelation 22• We read in II Peter 1:19 "We have also a more

sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:"

• You see, it is not unusual in a symbolic way to speak of Jesus as a star. Here is our Bright Star. Until we receive this Star into our life, we are full of darkness.

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Revelation 22• 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.

And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

• The Lord's Last Invitation to Humankind -The Lord Jesus Christ, ever concerned for the souls of the lost, closes His great revelation with a challenge for individual people to call on His name. He indicates that there are two who invite us to come to Him: the "Spirit" and the "bride". In addition, He will even use "him who hears."

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Revelation 22• God the Holy Spirit will use the printed page as

well as those who are just repeating what they have heard but may not even believe what they are saying. He also uses the "bride", which indicated that the primary ministry of the Church of Christ during the entire Church Age is to tell others about the Savior. All Christians everywhere should be engaged in saying to their fellow human beings: "Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life."

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Revelation 22

• Jesus Christ, of course, is the water of life. The Holy Spirit, since the beginning, has been saying "Come". Unless the Holy Spirit of God woos you, you can forget being saved. It is God's wish that all should be saved. I really believe what this is saying, in this particular instance, is that the Spirit and the believers are saying, "Come quickly Lord Jesus". Salvation is open to whosoever will.

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Revelation 22

• Everyone has a hungering and thirsting for God. Some do not know what they are hungering for. It is so simple just to give in and let Jesus bring you salvation, peace, joy, and life that lasts forever. When we take of this Water of Jesus, it brings Eternal Life. The water, Spirit, and blood testify for us and assure us of a heavenly home, John 5:8.

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Revelation 22• 22:18-19 "For I testify unto every man that

heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:" "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book."

• The speaker who testifies to the authority and finality of the words of the prophecy of this book is the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Revelation 22• This is one of the most awesome challenges

in the Word of God against tampering with God’s Word. Far too many today glibly ridicule, detract from, and cast disparaging remarks on Holy Scripture. This is their day of opportunity, but their judgment will come upon them swiftly in God's good time. It is a fearful thing to disbelieve God, and it is unbelief that causes someone to detract from His Holy Word.

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Revelation 22

• Although this is not a reference to Bible believing commentators of the Word who mistakenly translate some passage and inadvertently minimize it. The Lord's warning here is addressed to those who engage in deliberate falsification or misinterpretation of Scripture, those who Paul denounces as peddlers of the Word of God, (2 Cor. 2 v.17.

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Revelation 22• 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith,

Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

• As previously stated, the translation is "surely I come suddenly", when lest expected. The cry of every Christian should be "come quickly Lord Jesus", as I said before. My cry, as I go through the land telling people of my Savior and Lord, is "JESUS IS COMING".

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Revelation 22• John speaks for all true believers when he writes,

"Come Lord Jesus", since Christians are those "who have loved His appearing" (2 Tim. 4 verse 8). Scoffers may mockingly ask, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation" (2 Peter 3 verse 4). But things will not continue forever as they are. Jesus will return, just as Revelation predicts. If the certainty of Christ's return to judge sinners does not motivate people to repent, then nothing will.

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Revelation 22• "Amen" means so be it.

• 22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all. Amen.

• This scripture is an expression of God's grace toward fallen humanity.

• The Lord of glory, as He promised in Scripture, offers heaven exclusively to those who accept His gracious invitation. Without the "grace of our Lord Jesus" none of us would be saved.

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