The decem-regal division of the broken empire in the West, as all know, was long after Rome had ceased to be heathen. There is therefore much to be said for the ]Protestant application of the chapter as compared with the Praetorist theory of pagan Rome. It is telling us that Gods love alone can give us the power to make a better world. "A fountain," says Joel, "shall come forth from the house of the Lord" ( Joel 3:18). I can't earn it. Bringing in history here embroiled the subject; and those who appeal most to its evidence are the very men who seem in this to ignore its facts. Come, Lord Jesus! But the most ordinary knowledge suffices; for who does not know from the Bible that there was a Roman empire when Christ was born, one emperor, and no such state as that empire divided into ten kingdoms? "Complete Commentary on Revelation 22:2". When the hour comes that is spoken of here, it is not for us, but for those who will be found after we are gone. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come: and let him that heareth say, Come: and let him that is athirst come: let him that will take the water of life freely." "And let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.". By FGPolito Apr 28, 2023, 6:00pm PDT. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. "Called" is most evidently inapplicable, because calling supposes that the person is brought out of one condition and raised into another and a better one. What empire has existed, then sunk, and finally reappeared, with higher pretensions and power, only to perish horribly? Do you see how, through the prophet Isaiah, specifically chapter 53, Philip was able to teach the Gospel to an individual member of a specific nation, namely, Ethiopia, and upon receiving and believing it, this Ethiopian national agreed to baptism, and thus, the Great Commission was fulfilled? "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, Come, gather yourselves together unto the great supper of God; that ye may eat flesh of kings, and flesh of chiliarchs, and flesh of strong [men], and flesh of horses, and of those that sit on them, and flesh of all, both free and bond, both small and great." the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit . In the midst of the street of it - Prof. Stuart renders this, between the street thereof and the river; and says that the writer conceives of the river as running through the whole city; then of streets parallel to it on either side; and then, on the banks of the river, between the water and the street, the whole stream is lined on either side with two rows of the tree of life. The more common interpretation, however, is doubtless admissible, and would give a more beautiful image; that in the street, or streets of the city, as well as on the banks of the river, the tree of life was planted. It is impossible to refer it to the past with any show even of reasonable probability, I will not say of reality or truth. That is not at all the way in which the guests are spoken of. Thus the second beast is no longer seen as an earthly power, but as a prophet-of course a false prophet. We can fairly trust God that He will not give a worse place to Paul; yet I do not think that this is his place. In the hot lands water was, and is, literally life. No great rivers can flow through cities or bring life to and plains except there are high mountains as sources of those rivers. The beloved city is Jerusalem; the camp of the saints, I presume, is a larger circle and embraces all of Israel and the Gentiles who, being converted, refuse Satan's deceit. This is never the case with an angel. There. The imagery of abundant fruit and medicinal leaves should be understood as symbolic of the far-reaching effects of the death of Christ in the redeemed community, the Holy City. Has the cause of a rocket failure ever been mis-identified, such that another launch failed due to the same problem? (every month) . and on either side of the river was there the tree of life; not that it stood either in the midst of the street of the city, which being a pavement of gold, a tree could not well stand there; nor on both sides of the river, which is impossible, unless the tree of life is put for many trees of the same kind, as in Ezekiel's vision, to which the allusion is; and so some were on one side of the river, and some on the other, as there; see ( Ezekiel 47:7 Ezekiel 47:12 ) or unless it can be thought that such a solution of the difficulty is sufficient, that the root of it was on one side, and the branches grew over to the other; though the words may be better rendered, and the difficulty will be removed, and the sense be clear, "between the street of it", the city, "and the river, on this side, and on that side"; that is, the street on one side, and the river on the other, was the tree of life; compare with this ( John 19:18 ) . This can have two meanings. Sometimes they have contended for its application to pagan Rome. Had he really penetrated under the surface, and seen that beneath the fair guise of Christendom the woman was, of all things under the sun, the most corrupt and hateful to God, it would not be so much to be surprised at. Now manifestly, if the Lord does not come before this, there is no world to come to; for the earth and heavens are fled. "Shall we pray.Lord we thank you for Your grace and by grace we will be able to participate in the glorious inheritance of the saints in light. The Spirit of God implies that it is decidedly not the righteousness here which is by another, and we thereby imputed righteous, but righteousnesses personal and actual. I am the, Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. In the midst of the street of it,. That is, of the city described in the preceding chapter, which shows that this vision belongs to that, and is a continuation of it, and which street was all of pure gold, Revelation 21:21. and on either side of the river was there the tree of life; not that it stood either in the midst of the street of the city, which being a pavement of gold, a tree could not well stand there; nor on both sides of the river, which is impossible, unless the tree of life is put for many trees of the same kind, as in Ezekiel's vision, to which the allusion is; and so some were on one side of the river, and some on the other, as there; see Ezekiel 47:7 or unless it can be thought that such a solution of the difficulty is sufficient, that the root of it was on one side, and the branches grew over to the other; though the words may be better rendered, and the difficulty will be removed, and the sense be clear, "between the street of it", the city, "and the river, on this side, and on that side"; that is, the street on one side, and the river on the other, was the tree of life; compare with this John 19:18. But what are we to understand by the Spirit? And I heard as it were a voice of a great multitude, and as a voice of many waters, and as a voice of mighty thunders, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God the Almighty reigneth. In Greek the two phrases would be very like each other. "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. It brings forth fruit at all times--yields its fruit every month. So, this is for the churches. It was not like a tree that bears but once a year, or in one season only, but it constantly bore fruit - it bore every month. "These shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire." He which testifies these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Not so good. It is the fault, however, of the bad Greek text of Erasmus, Stephens, etc. That He is the vine, or inner life of the tree, that Christians are the branches growing upon it/Him (John 15:1-5), and the fruit (of the Spirit; see Galatians 5:22-23) are the reproducing center of that tree, and the leaves* (the message of salvation) can be used as salves or poultices (In these last two examples, note 1.) Even so, come, Lord Jesus ( Revelation 22:20 ). The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. It is certain that we ought to read (not "upon" but) "and* the beast." Isaiah 53:4-5 ( ESV ), That is the only basis upon which this gift is predicated and God gave me the faith to believe. Our glorious adventure learning of Him. When we come to the full application of the prophecy, we must look onward to the latter day. Here is the great excellency of this paradise. in the middle of its street. Amen.You didn't think I could do it, did you? But according to His principle of government it is not merely personal guilt, but that which, from despising the testimony of God, is thus morally accumulating from age to age in the ratio of the testimony of God and the wickedness that has been indulged by men in spite of it. This tree was perpetually rather than seasonally in fruit; it produced a new crop of fruit each month of the year. Read full chapter Revelation 22:2 in all English translations Revelation 21 Accordingly the rapture of the church with the Old Testament saints must have already taken place, all (as I have no doubt) being caught up at the self-same time to be with the Lord above. ((g) Sepher Avodah Hakkodesh, fol. This river is described, 1. The first is one of the angels who have been the interpreters of the divine things to John. In the midst of the street "This may be taken, not as the end of the first sentence, but as the beginning of the second. To call a man a morning star was to class him very high among the heroes. How I desire to see the New World, the new age with Jesus reigning as King and Lord.John's final parting words and the closing words of the Bible. H. B. Swete says: "No one who has watched the dogs that prowl in the quarters of an eastern city will wonder at the contempt and disgust which the word suggests to the oriental mind." For her sin., have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." *It is the more strikingly characteristic, because of such language as Psalms 149:6-9, which speaks of all the saints contemplated on earth for the day of Jehovah. I cannot imagine the audacity of man to mess around with the book of Revelation with a warning like that, or to try to read something into or read something out of it. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month. Here again the rabbinic dreams of the future are very close. "I'm coming quickly. It is necessary that we should all bear in mind, if we have not observed it before, thatRevelation 17:1-18; Revelation 17:1-18 does not pursue the chronological course of the prophecy. Why will the nations need healing in the New Jerusalem? Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing" ( Ezekiel 47:12). , , . You know it is going to be new, because these don't exist anymore here. Lenski correctly observed that all these terms: avenue, river, and wood (tree) are comprehensive and collective."[15]. They shall be full of wisdom and comfort, continually walking in the light of the Lord; and this not for a time, but for ever and ever. At the same time you will mark that these are not said to be executors of judgment as Christ is. When a person dies, it will be a positive curse from God; if he die even a hundred years old, it will be like a baby dying now. 19. Summary: Many churches have forsaken the Word of God and embraced worldly views of right and wrong. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs "Cursed will be the ground; thorns and thistles will it bring forth. . Again John making the mistake that man so often makes worshipping the instrument of God. [Come Lord Jesus and establish Your kingdom.] For that which comes distinctly before us in this one verse is the twofold fact, that the ten horns here contemplated receive their kingly power for the same hour or time as the beast, and not subsequently, when his rule was extinguished. and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. So, read Revelation 22:1-21 verses 1 and 2 with understanding. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. These would appear to be (save Judas Iscariot, of course) the twelve apostles that were peculiarly associated with Christ in His suffering path on the earth. (No way to imagine one tree on either side.) We may have a special task in it, but this is not the work for us, as it seems to me. We shall find that the scripture affords much light to decide the true bearing of the prophecy, and that no application to the past can possibly satisfy the conditions satisfactorily. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, Go over and join this chariot. 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, Do you understand what you are reading? 31 And he said, How can I, unless someone guides me? And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now, these words were declared of God the Father in chapter one. probably means that Christ and his Church join in the invitation to accept all that he has to offer. That is to say, the heavenly saints are viewed still as the heads of the glorified priesthood, and also the executive in the administration of God's judgments. As man does not believe in the resurrection of man, it is no wonder that he does not believe in the resurrection of an empire. And the devil that deceiveth them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where both the beast and the false prophet [are], and they shall be tormented day and night unto the ages of the ages.". vi., Jub. So be it. All our springs of grace, comfort, and glory, are in God; and all our streams from him are through the mediation of the Lamb. Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. The earthly paradise was well watered: no place can be pleasant or fruitful that is not so. Have you ever linked Revelation 22:1-21 verses 1 and 2 with Ezekiels vision in chapter 47 of his prophecy? John takes his picture of the tree of life from two sources--from the tree in the Garden of Eden ( Genesis 3:6); and even more from Ezekiel. The first were such as came out of heaven after Christ, being already raised from the dead and glorified. "And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Afterwards we come to the description of itself, of its wall, its building, its foundations, and its gates. The Greeks used from alpha ( G1) to omega ( G5598) and the Hebrews from aleph to tau to indicate completeness. The leaves of the tree were for the . . But that the heart of man even so is not renewed becomes manifest, when Satan at the close deceives all that are not converted; and these, as we are told, are countless "as the sand of the sea.". And the Spirit and the bride say, Come ( Revelation 22:16-17 ). Athletics vs Reds Game Thread. That an openly heathen metropolis, devoted to the worship of Mars, and Jupiter, and Venus, and other wicked monstrosities of pagan mythology should be irritated with the gospel which exposes it all, and should consequently seek to injure the faithful, was to be expected, and a necessary result, directly that the uncompromising spirit of Christ was known. The only right principle in everything is to go to the source of divine truth, and to seek there refreshment and strength and fitness for whatever our God calls us to. The leaves of the tree were dfor the healing of the nations. XI1 (New York-Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1957), p. 542. The word manner has been introduced by the translators without authority. (1.) The tree of life is mentioned three times in Genesis 2, in Eden, and again four times in Revelation, three of those in the final chapter. Every one who loves and acts falsehood is shut out. When Christ came personally to judge and govern the quick (Revelation 20:4), there were thrones; for the risen saints reign with Him. * Idolatry is the awful stamp that she bears, and this too both in what she gives to man, and in what is written on her forehead before God. 34 And the eunuch said to Philip, About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. "At the last day" does not mean merely an instant of time. Then come others in the condition of separate spirits or souls, whom the prophet saw two different classes of them those beheaded for the witness of Jesus and the word of God, and those who refused the beast in every form, The proof of the third class should have been given a little more distinctly than in our version. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations" ( Revelation 22:2 ). Men have been beguiled here and there, and from an early date, to set aside the true bearing of this chapter. Thus the only use that seems made of the book is negative and exclusive. If so, they are there in the quality not of the bride, but of those invited to the marriage of the Lamb; but I do not think them the Apocalyptic saints for the simple reason that, as shown in the next chapter, the Apocalyptic saints are not raised from the dead yet. Matt covers just about everything for Betsperts . Further, after this Jesus introduces Himself, as well as sends His angel. In the future state of the blessed, that tree will abound, and all may freely partake of it; the emblem, the pledge of immortal life, will be constantly before the eyes, whatever part of the future abode may be traversed, and the inhabitants of that blessed world may constantly partake of it. To the Christian this book is not sealed. To whom else could they say it? Little do they know, because they believe not what is here written, that it is about to come out of the abyss or bottomless pit. Other cities close their gates at night to prevent possible enemy attacks, but this city never closes its gates, because there is no night and no enemy. It is forbidden to offer to God money that has been made by prostitution. There was no doubt at all of the character of the emperor; there never had been a worse than he; yet God took that very opportunity to lay this on the Christians as their duty to the worldly authority outside and over them. So, in Revelation 22:2, we see the benefits of the healing that the leaves of the Tree of Life have to offer, and we see the recipients of those benefits, namely the nations, or ethnos of the world, whenever they receive the Lord Jesus and the Gospel of His salvation (as prophesied in Isaiah 53), whenever and wherever the Great Commission is achieved. In short, one may be described as corruption, and the other as violence. The dog may, then, be a symbol of all that is disgusting. And this is entirely confirmed byRevelation 17:1-18; Revelation 17:1-18, where it was told us that they are with Him when He comes. In this life, the believer applies the blood of Christ for the pardon of sin and for the healing of diseases. Nothing of the sort can be plainer. There is an indication in Hosea that for two days Israel will be as dead, but in the third day God will revive them and they will live before him. It is much more likely that the whole passage is a great invitation to all men to come to Christ. It is not what Christ puts on them, but a recognition even at this time of whatever has been of God the working I do not deny of the Spirit of Christ. Revelation 22:2 New International Version 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. It supposes the effect and the exercise of faith. More than that, this would recall the great Messianic prophecy: "A star shall come forth out of Jacob" ( Numbers 24:17). The elders do show us the heavenly heads of priesthood (embracing, as I believe, the Old Testament saints and those of the New); i.e., they are not limited to the church, Christ's body. In chapter 21 verses 9 and 10 John was shown the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. So, if you just read it and say "wow" and accept it as it is, not adding to it or taking away, you have no problem. Beyond controversy, however, it is a most unusual and abnormal reappearance, which is altogether exceptional in the history of the world. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true ( Revelation 22:6 ): It sounds too good to be true. Today is Saturday, April 22, the 112th day of 2023. To use this passage as an argument for verbal inspiration is an error. God is sovereign. Then the prophet falls down to pay homage to the angel; and this gives rise to a weighty admonition. There are probably but few, if any, here who do not understand it as the fore-shadow of a real resurrection. They believe that John really saw many trees. It flowed down the center of the main street. The promise will come true that the pure in heart will see God ( Matthew 5:8). Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. The healing of these nations takes place, in and through the Gospel, when it is preached and taught, received and obeyed, by individual members of those nations. It is not only that the angel corrects the act by asserting that he is a fellow-servant of him and of his brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. The horns and the beast join in hating the whore. Revelation 22:2. So the Jews say F5, that the tree of life is in the midst of paradise, and its body covers all the garden; and that there is in it five hundred thousand different tastes; and that there is no likeness and smell like it. I speak not of anything that might be deemed exceptional or peculiar, but of two acts of raising saints. [Note: E.g., Thomas, Revelation 8-22, p. Or else with Durham suppose, the tree was in the midst of the river, and extending its branches to both banks. And the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him, and shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads. 484).] Just as the city of man's confusion was seen in her vile, degraded, and degrading relations with the beast, this city is seen in her pure and glorious relations with the Lamb. But a grave consideration soon disposes of both views by the relation to the beast, and more particularly by what will be shown a little farther on. Now, the speaker to the seven Churches is the Risen Christ; and, therefore, quite clearly there the Spirit and the Christ are identified.
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