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? "The nations shall walk in the light of it," Any one of spiritual judgment can see that it should not be "nations of them which are saved." Man on the earth has his portion in the goodness of a God who is manifesting His kingdom. Amidst the terrible persecution of his day, the one thing which John longed for was the speedy return of Christ. Let him that is athirst come. Man alone is to blame who has misapplied it. That hope was never realized in the way in which he expected, but we can never doubt that Christ nevertheless abundantly kept his promise that he would be with his own even to the end of the world ( Matthew 28:20). He is coming forth in indisputable human glory, but the greatest care is taken to let us know that He had that which was above man above the creature; for "no man knoweth the Son but the Father." Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus. How can it be said that this vile, corrupt, idolatrous system of the last days was guilty of the blood of all martyrs? It is perhaps more likely that he did not finally set in order this last chapter and that we have it in unfinished form. Again, to my mind it seems demonstrably true that the relation to the beast here brought before us must in all fairness be allowed to look onward to a later stage of Babylon. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Is there any known 80-bit collision attack? The common notion, therefore, that the coming of the Lord is at this point is an evident fallacy upon the face of this scripture that describes it, not to speak of others elsewhere. Peter said, "In the last days there will be scoffers that will come along and saying where is the promise of His coming? The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. The second speaker is Jesus Christ himself. If the null hypothesis is never really true, is there a point to using a statistical test without a priori power analysis? Simon Peter quotes from this passage in his epistle: 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Genesis 3:22-24. A mighty angel takes a stone and says, when he cast it into the sea, "Thus with violence shall be thrown down Babylon the great city, and shall be found no more at all." In Daniel's time it was not at hand. Bible > Revelation > Chapter 22 > Verse 2 eBibles Free Downloads Audio Revelation 22:2 We know that if He tarries, it is not that He is "slack concerning His promise," but that "His long-suffering brings salvation to many." All rights reserved. The devil has nothing to do there; he cannot draw the saints from serving God to be subject to himself, as he did our first parents, nor can he so much as disturb them in the service of God. But here there is neither; and this again is an evidence of gain, not of loss. So, be careful about that. This is known so well, and on such decided grounds, that it would be unbecoming to withhold the fact. But the river of the water of life is flowing. It is a description, not of Babylon's relation to the beast, but of the city's fall, with certain dirges put into the mouth of the different classes that groan because of her extinction here below. This is how, when, and where, the leaves of the Tree of Life, that is, the message of salvation, brought healing to just one of the many nations, just as Revelation 22:2 declares it is supposed to, and will, take place. Revelation 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Well, the Lord says, "It has only been a couple days. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs And 2. This falls in with what we have seen of the book in general; but I do not deny that certain elements which figure in the Apocalypse then existed and still exist. The reason is given at the close; not only "by thy sorcery were all the nations deceived," but above all "in her was found [the] blood of prophets and saints, and of all the slain upon the earth.". The Jews interpret the passage in Ezekiel 47:12 to which this refers, of future time, or the world to come f; and speak of various trees and herbs of great fragrancy and medicinal virtues, which grow quite round on the sides of a laver that stands in paradise g. e Yalkut Simeoni, par. Ezekiel 47:12. It is the truth, and not the wording of the truth, which must not be changed. They will provide healing from the conditions of the old creation as the wiping away of tears removed the sorrows of the old creation (cf. 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 gospel is always in season, 2 Timothy 4:2. To this earth He is coming, and not merely to the new earth in the eternal state. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. When Adam and Eve fell, they lost their access to the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (cf. Just the bequest of God's grace or the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ upon you. We desire that He should come quickly, but we leave this to Him, because we know His love, and can trust Him. "And he that spoke with me had a golden reed as a measure, that he might measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And night will be no more, for they have no need of the light of a lamp, or the light of a sun, for the Lord God will be a light to them, and they will reign for ever and ever. Not so good. Cursed be man, by the sweat of his brow shall he earn his bread" Genesis 3:18-19 ), and so forth. I am going to make you ruler over ten cities. Revelation 22:2. Start your free trial today! Nothing of the sort can be plainer. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. The tree of life is no longer forbidden; it is there in the midst of the city for all to take. It is one of those cases which every now and then appear where God checks and reproves our foolish curiosity, as He alone knows how to do perfectly. Where is the promise? After sin humans were barred from access to this tree. But it is what each saint has, though the blessed thought here is that the church has it not merely in the way of each person possessing his own; the bride has the whole of it (that is, the church in glory). Instead of judgment being executed on them, it was given to them. 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 ( Revelation 22:14 ). This is clearly of moral importance. , , . Then note that the Greek word for tribe, often used in Revelation (and elsewhere), is phule. He is no longer to be allowed to prowl about the world ensnaring and destroying. It is entirely in His hand, and in none other's. That is not at all the way in which the guests are spoken of. The horns and the beast join in hating the whore. 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. And the river of life may well stand for the abundant life God provides for his people which is there for the taking. 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. We may best understand the greatness of that promise by remembering that the Christian is promised a privilege which was denied even to Moses to whom God's word was: "You cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live" ( Exodus 33:20; Exodus 33:23). Read full chapter Revelation 22:2 in all English translations Revelation 21 Immigrants accounted for about 10% of the Black population in 2021, up from 7% in 2000. Genesis 2:9; Genesis 3:22-24). And the city lieth foursquare, and its length is as much as the breadth." The judgment of the dead is strictly individual, judgments in this world are not. Thus such as were in the separate state were reunited to their bodies, and lived and reigned like those who were already on the thrones. We know the Holy Spirit rather as a spirit of communion with Christ. We find, accordingly, the four and twenty elders and four living creatures here brought before us for the last time. This far excels it. It will help to show us that, whatever may have been the past conditions of Babylon, there is a future one; and it is in that future one that Babylon is to perish. Here the vision was of thrones with sitters, and others caused to join them; and the inspired explanation is that it is the first resurrection the rising of the just from the dead. "I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God" (alluding to this very city) "[is] with men." Some authors believe the tree of life here symbolizes the cross. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning, 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 ). What risks are you taking when "signing in with Google"? "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." But in the final and heavenly city on earth, sin and death shall utterly cease. Further, a negative point of great importance is presented by the seer, "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty is the temple of it, and the Lamb. Since there will no longer be any curse, what is the use of the leaves in Revelation 22:2? We had seen Babylon twice: first, in the circle of God's warnings and testimonies; and then as the object of God's judgment under the seven bowls. 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. What Every Christian Should Know about the Protestant Reformation. 22:12,13 Behold, I am coming soon, and I have my reward with me, to render to each man, as his work is. Supposing, for instance, a drunken father: if the sons had one spark of right feeling, not only must they feel the utmost shame and pain on account of their parent, but they would endeavour (like the sons of Noah who had a due sense of what was proper to their father) to cast some mantle of love over that which they could not deny, yet would not look at, but surely above all things they would watch against that shameful sin. So, when you pray don't go out on the street corner and do a big thing so that everyone goes by and says, "What is happening? 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. It is only God and man now. But we can understand that the Lord could and did make that little go far, and do no little good. It is very evident, therefore, that the saints in a glorified state are here represented as following the Lord out of heaven. What remains of the last chapter of the Revelation is curiously disjointed. Those that do rise at the same time rise, no doubt, in a moment; but that there are to be various acts of resurrection is not only not contrary to scripture, but required by its own descriptions. This chapter explains how it was that Babylon was so offensive to God, and wherefore He judged her thus sternly. At the same time the attempt to apply Babylon to ancient Rome is almost as unhappy; and for a plain reason. Sometimes, again, they have sought to turn it aside toward Jerusalem in her corrupt state. [14] A. Plummer, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. Wisdom is a fountain of life to him who has it ( Proverbs 16:22). Even man himself when he was innocent in Eden was not called. 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. First, there is the river of the water of life. (ii) He is Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, nor sorrow, nor crying nor shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Then we have another glorious description. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 1706.return to 'Jump List'. ((f) Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. Then the angel said, Don't do that: for I am thy fellowservant, of the brethren the prophets, of those which keep the sayings of this book: worship God ( Revelation 22:9 ). "I am the root and the offspring of David," he says. "By grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourself it is a gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast"( Ephesians 2:8-9 ). Nobody can dispute that this remarkable cluster of kingdoms in Europe was the fruit providentially of the destroyed unity of the Roman empire when the barbarians invaded it. But this seems to be a fanciful interpretation. He has, I think, exactly that class in view when He sanctions the calling him who hears to say "Come." 22, Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. The particulars are reserved for a later point in this prophecy. But here is a mystery altogether different: "Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth.". It is a wholly unwarranted interpolation. Thus, the tree John speaks of may be a collective word for Ezekiels trees. [12] John Wesley, Notes on the New Testament (London: Epworth Press, n.d.), in loco. Who are the nations and where do they come from in Revelation 20:7-8? In Ezekiels vision there are multiple trees on each side of the river that bear fruit monthly (Ezekiel 47:12). In short, it is as we saw in Revelation 17:1-18, after Babylon had been brought before us in the course of the prophecy. The point is this. Verse 6 commends these sayings afresh. There was not yet fairly out before men what God foresaw as that which must finally provoke His judgment. Here accordingly we have them all. Why then is the book of life mentioned? "[14] We still use this idiom, for example, when we remark that, "The date palm grows in southern California." And we thank you Lord for that hope that You have given to us of the New World, the new age where righteousness shall reign and Jesus shall reign where here the sun doth her successive journeys run. Let others speculate, if they will: I am persuaded that he who essays to conceive the details is merely striving to draw a bow beyond the power of man. The millennial nations, "the number of whom is as the sand of the sea," fall a prey to Satan. Here accordingly is seen but one throne. Those who have washed their robes is hoi ( G3588) plunontes ( G4150) tas ( G3588) stolas ( G4749) , and those that do his commandments is hoi ( G3588) poiountes ( G4160) tas ( G3588) entolas ( G1785) . But I do believe that the time of the return of Jesus Christ is very, very near. "And if any one was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire." Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.". 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. Everything that could attract the natural man was there; and all that which to him looks fair enough on the side of religion. "Up to this chapter, the New Jerusalem seems to be all mineral and no vegetable. This may suffice for Revelation 18:1-24. "The kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour unto it" not into but unto. Psalms 1:3; Jeremiah 17:8; Ezekiel 19:10; Ezekiel 47:12). ", "And, behold, I am coming soon. Left to man himself no such river is possible. I admit that afterwards no doubt the new heaven and the new earth are seen; but who contends that this is the sphere to which the Lord comes? But is there any reason why we should content ourselves with the measure enjoyed of old? I do not, of course, complain of particular persons, but of the general vagueness in which the passage has been taken unless, indeed, the more common course be not to ignore it. So, read Revelation 22:1-21 verses 1 and 2 with understanding. "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them (for he is Lord of lords and King of kings), and they that are with him, called, and chosen, and faithful.". Creature lights are gone. All is opened, and this because we have the Holy Ghost dwelling in us; "for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." He is coming, and coming soon for us. He gets his power and they get theirs for one and the same time. The idea is, that the tree bore every month in the year, so that there were twelve fruit-harvests. rev2023.5.1.43404. (John 5:24 compared with Romans 14:1-23 and 2 Corinthians 5:1-21.). Verse Revelation 22:2. Even so, come Lord Jesus. But whatever subsisted then, that which the Spirit here presents as a whole cannot be found realized at any point of time in the past. John also saw the tree of life. Translation Details for Revelation 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! The Lord sent it for the churches. Rivers carry away impurities. The friendships of the evil are not lasting. For I testify unto every man that hears 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 ( Revelation 22:18-19 ). The supply never fails; the tree is never barren. . This is a repetition of titles used in Revelation 1:17; Revelation 2:8; Revelation 21:6. He who is not circumcised." The bride is in view. There are 253 days left in the year. And when God does judge, it is not merely for the evil of those then judged, but of all from the first budding of it till that day. There is not going to be any interruption in history. When the task was done "they bade them pronounce a curse in accordance with their custom upon any who should make any alteration either by adding anything or changing in any way whatever any of the words which had been written or making an omission" (Letter of Aristeas 310, 31 1). Who are the persons thus invested with judicial authority of so glorious a nature and to reign, as we see later, with Christ?
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