BLESSED ARE THOSE THAT KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS REVELATION 22:1-21

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 BLESSED ARE THOSE THAT KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS REVELATION 22:1-21

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 Text: BLESSED ARE THOSE THAT KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS Revelation 22:1-21, 1. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life water as clear as crystal pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2. flowing down the middle of the city s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations. 3. And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him, 4. and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5. Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever. 6. Then the angel said to me, These words are reliable and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon. 7. (Look! I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy expressed in this book.) 8. I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw them, I threw myself down to worship at the feet of the angel who was showing them to me.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 9. But he said to me, Do not do this! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets, and with those who obey the words of this book. Worship God! 10. Then he said to me, Do not seal up the words of the prophecy contained in this book, because the time is near. 11. The evildoer must continue to do evil, and the one who is morally filthy must continue to be filthy. The one who is righteous must continue to act righteously, and the one who is holy must continue to be holy. 12. (Look! I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to pay each one according to what he has done! 13. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end!) 14. Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access to the tree of life and can enter into the city by the gates. 15. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood! 16. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star! 17. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let the one who hears say: Come! And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wants it take the water of life free of charge. 18. I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy contained in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 19. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book. 20. The one who testifies to these things says, Yes, I am coming soon! Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! 21. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. (NET) Introduction: Heaven is a place of nothing but the good, pure, powerful and positive. 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. (Revelation 21:27) (AKJV) The destiny of the re-deemed is beyond our ability to conceive. It will be a glorious time for the children of God as they enjoy the river of life, the tree of life, and the throne of God. The emphasis is that those that do the commandments of the Lord as blessed forever. It was stated that Jesus was coming quickly in judgment on that ungodly, pagan nation. The visions that John saw were true because they were inspired from heaven. The Spirit of God and the bride join together to extend the invitation of the Lord. 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. (Revelation 22:17) (AKJV) Near the beginning of the Bible (Deuteronomy 12:32, You must be careful to do everything I am commanding you. Do not add to it or subtract from it! (NET)), in the center of the Bible

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 (Proverbs 30:6, Do not add to his words, lest he reprove you, and prove you to be a liar. (NET)) and now at the close we find the warning not to add to or take away from this book. (Revelation 22:18-19, I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy contained in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book. (NET)) The book of Revelation ends with a prayer calling for the Lord Jesus to come, and for His grace to be with all the brethren. (Revelation 22:20-21, The one who testifies to these things says, Yes, I am coming soon! Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. (NET)) Commentary: THE HEAVENLY STATE IS DESCRIBED Revelation 22:1-5, Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life water as clear as crystal pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, flowing down the middle of the city s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations. And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him, and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever. (NET)

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 The heavenly state involved perfection. It included a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal. The rivers ran out of the Garden of Eden, in the paradise of God. (Genesis 2:9, The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.) (NET)) In Ezekiel 47 (Ezekiel 47:1-12, Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple. I noticed that water was flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from under the right side of the temple, from south of the altar. He led me out by way of the north gate and brought me around the outside of the outer gate that faces toward the east; I noticed that the water was trickling out from the south side. When the man went out toward the east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured 1,750 feet, and then he led me through water, which was ankle deep. Again he measured 1,750 feet and led me through the water, which was now knee deep. Once more he measured 1,750 feet and led me through the water, which was waist deep. Again he measured 1,750 feet and it was a river I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed. He said to me, Son of man, have you seen this? Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I had returned, I noticed a vast number of trees on the banks of the river, on both sides. He said to me, These waters go out toward the eastern region and flow down into the Arabah; when they enter the Dead Sea, where the sea is stagnant, the waters become fresh. Every living creature

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 which swarms where the river flows will live; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will become fresh and everything will live where the river flows. Fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to En-eglaim they will spread nets. They will catch many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea. But its swamps and its marshes will not become fresh; they will remain salty. On both sides of the river s banks, every kind of tree will grow for food. Their leaves will not wither nor will their fruit fail, but they will bear fruit every month, because their water source flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing. (NET)) the river came from the house of God and wherever it went it brought life. In John 7:37-39 (John 7:37-39, On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, Jesus stood up and shouted out, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, From within him will flow rivers of living water. (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.) (NET)) the river was a picture of the work of the Holy Spirit. Now we observe the river of life proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. The heavenly state also included the tree of life. The tree produced twelve fruits, yielding fruit every month. Those that eat of this fruit enjoy eternal life. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. The leaves of the tree do not provide physical health because those in heaven do not have a flesh and blood body. They do not provide spiritual healing for the blood of Christ has provided pardon for sin. The leaves are for the

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 preserving of the people of God in this state. That was the purpose of the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. Had Adam continued in a state of innocence he could have lived forever. (Genesis 3:22, And the Lord God said, Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever. (NET)) The curse that was brought to man by sin is now removed. (Genesis 3:9-19, But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, Where are you? The man replied, I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid. And the Lord God said, Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? The man said, The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it. So the Lord God said to the woman, What is this you have done? And the woman replied, The serpent tricked me, and I ate. The Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, cursed are you above all the wild beasts and all the living creatures of the field! On your belly you will crawl and dust you will eat all the days of your life. And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; her offspring will attack your head, and you will attack her offspring s heel. To the woman he said, I will greatly increase your labor pains; with pain you will give birth to children. You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you. But to Adam he said, Because you obeyed your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, You must not eat from it, cursed is the ground thanks to you;

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, but you will eat the grain of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat food until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return. (NET)) There shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. Those that occupy this wonderful place will be servants of God. They will both see the face of God and serve Him. None of the occupants of this place have the mark of the beast, but the Father s name shall be on their foreheads. THE CONFIRMATION THAT THE VISIONS ARE TRUE Revelation 22:6-13, Then the angel said to me, These words are reliable and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon. (Look! I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy expressed in this book.) I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw them, I threw myself down to worship at the feet of the angel who was showing them to me. But he said to me, Do not do this! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets, and with those who obey the words of this book. Worship God! Then he said to me, Do not seal up the words of the prophecy contained in this book, because the time is near. The evildoer must continue to do evil, and the one who is morally filthy must continue to be filthy. The one who is righteous must continue to act righteously, and the one who is holy must continue to be holy. (Look! I am

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 coming soon, and my reward is with me to pay each one according to what he has done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end!) (NET) John is told by the angel that the book must not be sealed because these words are faithful and true. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. It was too late for Rome. It was too late for preaching and for repentance. 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 by holy still. (Revelation 22:11) (AKJV) Now the faithful will be blessed and the wicked will be separated from God and punished forever. At the close of the book, John made the same mistake again. He fell down at the feet of the angel to worship. The first time John did this he was warned and rebuked for it. Now he repeats the same mistake. This shows the proneness even of good men to fall into sin again and again. The actions of John and the reactions of heaven should forever prevent the worshipping of angels! THE BLSSSEDNESS OF OBEDIENCE Revelation 22:14-16, Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access to the tree of life and can enter into the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood! I, Jesus, have sent my angel to

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star! (NET) Observe the great promise of God: 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) (AKJV) This is another way of saying blessed are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb. (AKJV) Those that are not allowed to enter are described in Revelation 22:15, Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood! (NET) (1) For without are dogs this likely refers to sodomites. (Deuteronomy 23:18, You must never bring the pay of a female prostitute or the wage of a male prostitute into the temple of the Lord your God in fulfillment of any vow, for both of these are abhorrent to the Lord your God. (NET)), (2) and sorcerers the practice of witchcraft, (3) and whoremongers prostitutes or fornicators, (4) and murderers one guilty of homicide, (5) and idolaters those guilty of image worship, and (6) whosoever loveth and maketh a lie God hates falsehood. Several terms are used to identify the Lamb of God. He is, (1) Alpha and Omega, (2) the beginning and the end, (3) the first and the last, (4) the root and the offspring of David, and (5) the bright and morning star. All of this is a testimony of the deity, eternity, and perfection of Christ.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 THE INVITATION OF THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE Revelation 22:17-21, And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let the one who hears say: Come! And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wants it take the water of life free of charge. I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy contained in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book. The one who testifies to these things says, Yes, I am coming soon! Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. (NET) The invitation was, 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. (Revelation 22:17) (AKJV) Christ is inviting those that thirst after Him, after His grace and His righteousness to come. They come to Him by obedient faith. The final words of the book contain a warning, a promise and a prayer. The warning was, do not add to the words of this book, or God will add to you the plagues that are written in it. Do not take away from the words of this book, or God will take away your part out of the book of life... The promise was that the Lord was coming quickly. He which testifieth these things saith, Sure I come quickly... (Revelation 22:20) The Lord was to quickly come in judgment against the Roman Empire.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 The prayer was two fold: (1) there was a prayer concerning the Lord. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (2) there was a prayer concerning the brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (AKJV) There could be no better way to end this book and to end the New Testament! Conclusion: The wonderful blessings of heaven should move us to obey the gospel and serve God faithfully.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 Questions on Revelation 22:1-21 1. is a of but the,, and. The of will enjoy the of, the of, and the of. 2. Those who obey the of the are. The of and the join together to the of the. 3. Near the of the, in the and at the, we are warned not to to or from this. 4. The of ends with a calling for the to and for His to be with the. 5. The involved. It included a of of that ran out of the of in the of.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 6. In Ezekiel 47:1-12, wherever the went it brought. 7. The also included the of. The produced, yielding every. Those that of this. The of the were for the of the. The are for the of the of in the. 8. The that was brought to man by is now. Now the will be and the will be from and. 9. At the close of the book, made the same mistake again. He at the of the to for the. Even and. are not to be. 10. are they that his, that they may have to the of, and may in through the into the. are they that their in the of the.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 11. Unrepentant,,,, and who and will not be allowed to enter heaven. 12. The of is and, the and the, the and the, the and of, the and. All of this is a of the, and of. 13. The and the say,. And let him that say,. And let him that is come. And, let him take the of. 14. If anyone to the of this, will add to him the that are in it. 15. Do not from the of this, or will your part out of the of. 16. Even so,,. The of our

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 17 be with you..