Revelation 20:1 - 10 "Living in the Millenium"

On Thursday we remembered the Ascension of our Lord. In 10 days we will remember Pentecost. The next big item on our Lord’s calendar is His second coming.   It is fitting therefore that this Sunday after the Ascension  we should think about the  next  great event on God's calendar - the second coming!

The text before us is very challenging, and I tell you why.  Revelation 20, some believe  and teach is the proof text  that  there will be,  after  Christ’s  coming, a literal, millennial (thousand year) reign on earth, a time when Christ reigns over the nations here on earth.  

They also   speak of two comings of Christ. The first coming is called the secret rapture,  and the other coming  is called   the revelation. 

The  rapture, they say occurs  when   the Lord Jesus  takes His people, the church,  secretly out of the world (i.e. not a public event) and   before the  great tribulation which is coming upon the world. The  revelation  is said to be a time after  the  tribulation, when Jesus comes visibly (i.e. He is revealed), and He comes with the previously raptured saints,  ushering in the  millennial kingdom  on earth. 

They  teach that   during  the 1000 years  of Christ’s earthly reign Satan will be bound and thrown into the bottomless pit for a thousand years.  Accordingly, Christ will rule the nations on earth from Jerusalem. However, after a  1000 years  of peace, they say  that   Satan will be released for a short time,  in which he causes renewed havoc  on earth, after which  the ultimate judgment and  end will come. 

But is this what Revelation 20 is teaching?  

The problem begins with the way in we read the book of Revelation. Two principles ought to  govern our understanding and reading of the book of Revelation:

(i) Spiritual truths in the Revelation are  described in mostly symbolic and not literal language. 

(ii)  The Revelation does not present a linear history of events. The Revelation is a series of cyclical repetitions of the events that occur between Christ’s ascension and His descension, as seen from different angles.  This is not to say that there is no forward movement in the Revelation. There is! Everything steadily progresses and moves to the end, but as we said, it moves forward  in cyclical fashion. 

We observe then that in this regard Chapter 20 does not follow the events of Chapter19.  Chapter 20 depicts another vision, another cycle, which like the other cycles describes the entire period between the first and second coming of Jesus.  What follows now in chapter 20  is another  cycle, another retelling of God’s dealing with the world  and  its final judgment from yet another  perspective.  

At the  end  of  Revelation 19:18 we  read of the  final judgement  of  all people and nations at Christ’s return. In Chapter 20  this  is repeated, but with a different emphasis.  This is, as I said  a typical  pattern found in John’s  Revelation. The relationship between  Chapters 19  and 20  is not a chronological one.  Revelation 20 stands independently.

What then is happening in Revelation 20? The BIG picture

In order to make sense of this we will have to go back to 12:7-9.  There we find a description of what happened to Satan, when he was engaged in a war in heaven with the heavenly angels under the leadership of the archangel Michael.  Satan, at that time was thrown down to the earth. He lost his place in heaven.This all happened when Jesus, at His first coming, began His messianic, gospel ministry on earth. You will remember that  Satan did his utmost to  kill  Jesus  the Messiah. He tried this  first at His birth, when  under Herod  there was an edict to kill all baby boys, which was in reality   an attempt made to  kill  Christ (Matt 2:16-18). Then Satan tried to tempt  Christ in Matt. 4:1-11, in order to get him to compromise and to sin  as our first parents did. But Jesus resisted Satan firmly and He did not sin. In fact, He  proved that  the  kingdom of God had come,  with every demon cast out, with every healing  and miracle done, with  every person  raised from the dead. All these were signs that someone greater and mightier than Satan was here!  The gospel of Jesus systematically  robbed Satan of his power and of his subjects.

Satan’s ultimate defeat  however occurs at the cross, after he  thought that he had disposed of Christ. So, when Christ  rose  from the dead, He  not only  overcame  death, but He triumphed over Satan. Colossians 2:15  says  that, “He (Christ on the cross)  disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

Now what is the effect of Christ’s   first coming upon Satan?  The answer is that Satan was bound by Christ’s appearance!  How was Satan bound? Was he bound with literal chains?  No! Satan is a spirit being. He cannot be bound with literal chains.  Satan  was bound by the preaching of the gospel! In Luke 10:1-20   Jesus sends out 72 disciples to preach the gospel. They came back and reported to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons submit in your name”, to which Jesus replied, “I  saw Satan fall like lightning  from heaven.”   (Luke 10:18). Satan is bound by the preaching of the gospel.

Jesus is reigning  NOW. The millennial reign of Christ is NOW.  Satan is bound NOW. The millennial reign of our Lord Jesus follows the cross, resurrection and ascension. Following  His ascension  He is now enthroned in heaven, ruling over  everything tfrom His throne, even now praying for His people (Romans 8). After this He shall return again to judge the living and the dead. We also know that the  present earth and heavens will be  destroyed and recreated  by Christ.

Revelation 20 is a description of  this present gospel age and not of a future age to  come.  The future age is the new Heavens and the new earth. Let us  follow  the logic of Scripture as it unfolds in Revelation 20:1-10. 

Revelation 20

Begins a new vision - Throughout the Book of Revelation, whenever John uses the phrase  “kai eidon” (And  I saw) he is introducing a new vision.

20:1-3  The Binding of Satan

What John sees: He sees an angel coming down from heaven holding the key to the bottomless pit and  a great  chain  with which  Satan  is bound.Who is the angel and  what  is the meaning of the key to the bottomless pit  (Gr. abyss)  and the  chain?

In Rev. 1:18 we see that Christ holds the keys of death and hades in his hand.  Take note also of  Rev. 9:1-2,  where a star  that had fallen from heaven was  given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit etc.  The bottomless pit is a reference to death and Hades, the present  realm of Satan. So, having been cast of out heaven (Rev.12:7-9), John now sees an angel (either Christ himself, or an angel exercising Christ’s authority) confining Satan to the realm of the dead for a specified time (1000 years) and  for a specific purpose  - so he  cannot deceive the nations. 

The binding of Satan does not mean that his evil activities completely cease during this time.  It simply means that he is not as free to do as he pleases. Satan is bound, like a dangerous dog  on a long chain. In  John  Bunyan‘s Pilgrims Progress,   there is  an anxious moment where Christian, on his  way to the heavenly city  has to pass between some lions.  He grows fearful, but  a man called ‘Watchful’ reminds him  that  these lions were  kept on a chain.  If he would keep to the path he would be safe.  This is a great illustration in terms of how Satan is bound.  If you keep your distance from his territory you will be safe. If you get within the radius of the chain you will be in trouble.  If you stay with Christ you are safe.

So then it is not that Satan ceases all activity during Christ’s millennial reign. He is thrown down to the earth, but he is bound by the gospel so that he cannot   hinder the work of the true church. Jesus said, “ I will build my church and the  gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of  the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth  shall be loosed  in heaven.”  (Matt. 16:18,19). We have seen this in the history of the world of the last 2000  years. The Roman empire tried to get rid  of  the church. Today we go and visit Roman ruins!  Mao Tse Tung  and Lenin and Stalin and Hitler and many other communist dictators tried to get  rid of the  church. Well, they are all dead, and the church continues. 

It will only be at the very end, just   before Christ’s visible second  coming   that  Satan will be set loose,  by God’s  sovereign decree for a little while,  and he  will achieve  what is described  in  11:7-10.  The church  of that period will undergo a very hard time, but until that time comes, he is bound.  

20:4-6  The scene now shifts to heaven.

Throughout the Book of Revelation, thrones are always in heaven, not on the earth. Therefore, this scene is in heaven. On the thrones are those to whom authority is given to judge. See Jesus speaking of this  in  Matthew 19:28 and  Luke 22:28-30.

And then there are, according to John, “souls” (Gr.psuchas)  - the  spirits of those who were killed for refusing to worship the beast.  When they die, John says, they immediately come to life and they reign with Christ for a 1000 years! They are reigning with Him in heaven right now!

The rest of the dead, those who did not die as martyrs, did not come to life until the 1000 years were ended (i.e. until the second coming). They have shared in the first resurrection over which the second death has no power. This needs some explanation!   

The first resurrection is not a reference to the bodily resurrection at the end of the age, but it refers to a believer’s new birth. When you are born again, you are literally made alive through regeneration, conversion, and finally  through  entrance into heaven at death, a point confirmed by a number of New Testament passages, most notably John 5:24-25, where Jesus says,“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”

John teaches very clearly in his gospel that all those who come to faith in Jesus Christ have crossed over from death to life. When you become a Christian you experience the first resurrection. You cross over from death to life! 

20: 7-10  What happens at the end of the thousand years?   

According to v.7, “when the thousand years are  ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will  come out to deceive the nations…”  etc.

The focus shifts back again to the earth, to those days before the return of Jesus Christ. Satan and his chronies will be released from his prison for a little while.  With the help  of the  great prostitute, the anti-Christ and the false prophet,   Satan will  now be  able  to deceive the nations for the  purpose of trying to get rid of the church of Jesus Christ.  Notice the  reference  to  Gog and Magog (cf. Ezekiel. 38 & 39). This is  a  prophecy in which gentile nations attack Israel en masse – like a cloud covering the land (Ez.  38:16)   John has already referred to this final battle when the nations gather to make war on the church in Rev. 16:12-16,   the battle of Armageddon, at  which the devil and all his associates are finally and definitely defeated.

SUMMARY

Revelation 20:1-6, is not a description of a future millennial reign of Christ upon the earth. It is a description of Satan’s limited power  right  now, while the gospel  has its way  in the earth right now.  Satan is bound. All the true  sheep of Christ must be called out of this present  kingdom of darkness  and be brought into Christ's kingdom of light (John 10).

We also  read of the present reign of the saints in heaven. And in heaven, those who have suffered at the hands of  Satan’s beast, these are now protected from Satan’s assaults, for Satan no longer has access to heaven, having been cast down to earth (Rev.12:7ff). 

The saints – the church of Jesus,  now rule and reign for a symbolic  thousand years as priests of Jesus Christ as His kingdom advances  all over the earth. 

But there will be a time, a final brief  time  when all hell will break loose, and were it not for  Christ’s sudden return  it would be terrible: “And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short (Matt. 24:22).

Furthermore, Revelation 20:7-10 describes what happens when Jesus Christ returns to earth in judgment.  Jesus comes to rescue his church in it’s  greatest  trial, at which time  Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire  together with the great prostitute , the beast and the false prophet. 

All that remains then is the final judgment, which is described in verses 11-15 – the  great white throne judgement – the final judgement.  

Each true  believer may look forward to the second coming of Christ, which  will be visible (and not secret or in two stages). 

When Jesus comes no one will be mistaken. Every eye will see Him. 

We may look forward to the end of the age and to the recreation of the  heavens and the earth – the idea of a millennial reign  on earth seems muddled  and problematic. 

When Christ returns at His second coming we may look forward to  our resurrection bodies and life everlasting in a perfect world where there are no traces  of sin and  Satan. 

Even so Lord Jesus, come! Amen

REVELATION 22: 6- 21 : THE FINAL WORD !

Revelation 1 : 1-8         :  Introduction

Revelation 1:9 -  22:5  :  Main body  

Revelation 22:6-  21    :  Epilogue

A BRIEF  REVIEW  OF THE  MAIN BODY  OF THE REVELATION :

(i)                  1:9- 20 : The vision of Christ , who  gives John the commission to write down what he sees in that vision.

(ii)                2:1-3:22 : The vision of the 7 churches, representing the church in every age     gradually degenerating into the lukewarm  church of Laodicea, or Babylon.

(iii)               4:1- 5:14  : The vision of the open door, giving John a glimpse  into heaven where he sees  the vision of the Lamb standing as though it  had been slain,  standing  before the throne of God. He was  declared  worthy to receive and to open the book with its seven seals.

(iv)              6:1- 22:5  :  The vision   of the 7 seals , giving way to the vision of the  7 trumpets, and on to the vision of the  7 bowls. These  visions gave us insight into  the powerful struggle (the spiritual battle of which Paul  also speaks in Ephesians 6)  which, under the leadership of the devil, the anti-christ  and the beast   has raged  throughout the ages, and which shall come to an end  at the 2^nd coming  of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We saw  in the examples of the 7 churches  and  also in this section,  how often  the  love of the church on earth grows cold, as she forgets to  embrace Jesus  her only  Saviour,  thus becoming  a prostitute , metaphorically  speaking , called Babylon.  She becomes in fact  another  instrument  in the hands of the anti-christ.    We also have seen that in this age   the Lord God has sent  war and pestilences, ‘natural disasters’   and all kinds  of trouble  so that this sinister  evil power could not develop itself prematurely.  We have learned that all these temporary judgements of God are illustrative of that great judgement that is to come. We have learned that in the midst of all this turmoil the Lord  Jesus keeps His people safe, even though many  die as  martyrs. We are nowhere safer than in the arms of Jesus – even though we die ! We have seen  that in the midst of the trials  of this present  age time,  He keeps 144 000 (the full number of the elect) sealed and  safe ! The devil and his armies are no match for Christ and they will be defeated! And so it is, and so it happens that we  see all wickedness destroyed  and  we see the  New Jerusalem, the true  church  coming out of the  new heavens  and upon the new earth, issuing in a new age  of the glorious and eternal rule of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

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EXPOSITION :

And  now,  we come  to the epilogue – the  final word  of the  Revelation  to John in 22: 6- 21.  

The main subject  of this epilogue is  the  “soon - coming“ of the Lord. This is mentioned   four  times[1]  in this  passage. The same idea is expressed in v.10  : " Do  not seal up the  words of this  prophecy of this book: for the time is  near”.  The remarkable  thing is  this assertion that our  Lord  repeatedly says that He  will come  soon . This is,  of course, not the first time that we have heard him say it.   He  has said it in the very  opening line of the Revelation  (1:1):  “…  The Revelation which God gave John  to show  to his servants  the things  that must soon take place.” 

V.7. “I am coming soon” :  There is urgency in this passage. Now remember  that this  Revelation was given to John at a time when   the church was under immense pressure and subject to persecution. John himself  was in exile for this reason : “ I, John, your brother and  partner in the tribulation … was on the island called  Patmos on account  of the  word of God and the testimony of Jesus” . We  then read then  of the various trials of the 7 churches in Asia  (Rev. 2&3)  and  we understand that the church at large needed  perspective.  She needed to know that  the Lord was not slow in coming  to deliver her.  Some people were saying that the Lord was slow in coming . Such a “charge of slowness”  is found  in  2 Peter  3: 9,10.  And now, 2000 years later  Christ has  not  yet  come. What  then is  meant by his  “soon - coming”?  

It means  that  He is  committed to coming,and  according to His time table and as quickly as it is possible. 

H. Hoeksema  provides us with a helpful illustration here : [2]

“When Germany  in  World war 2  pressed the Allies  hard, they were for a time in desperate straits. They looked for the coming of the Americans. The Americans said, "We are coming, and we are coming quickly." But many months elapsed before they actually did come. To the Allies in their desperate condition it seemed a long time before they actually came. Yet did not the Americans come quickly? Surely, they did; and they came as fast as it was possible for them to come. But think what was implied in their coming. Many, many things had to be prepared before they could come. An army had to be drafted and trained. Money had to be raised. The army had to be equipped. The material, clothing and ammunition and weapons, had to be manufactured. Ships had to be built. In view of all this, it was absolutely true that they were coming quickly. The same may be applied to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

From our point of view it may seem a long time. But look! The children of God must be gathered. The whole church, gathered from all nations, must be filled: not one of the elect may be lacking. Besides, the great apostasy must take place. Antichrist and all the power of iniquity must develop. Babylon must be realized. The world-power must be formed. Surely, all these things being taken into consideration, we may certainly say, "He comes quickly." Things, especially in the last twenty-five or fifty years, are developing before our very eyes. We see Him come! “

Another illustration from the Bible to help us  to understand  that  “soon” may not  necessarily mean  “in a  hurry”, but rather “on time”. So, when  for instance  Lazarus  was sick  (John 11)   there was great need on a human level  for hurry for Jesus to come and heal him before he died. And then he did die. And Jesus took his time in getting there. In fact, when Jesus  arrived,  Lazarus was already four days in the grave.   Jesus  was late according to Mary  (Jn. 11:21). But was He?  No, He wasn’t!  He was on time. Not a minute too soon or too late! This  was  a deliberate and timely  arrival, and  in it  God  would be glorified (Jn. 11:  4, 40). This is the point that Peter also makes  in 2 Peter 3:9,10.  

Realizing, however, that from  John’s  point of view, and  the church under great  pressure,   the time of Christ’s promised coming  may  indeed seem long and delayed, the Lord assures His church  repeatedly that He is indeed coming soon  and not  too late.  To this end  He  assures  John:

V.6  :"And he said to me, These words  are trustworthy and true . And the Lord, the  God of the  spirits of the  prophets has  sent his angel to show  his servants  what must soon  take place.”  Jesus  says to John  in effect, “…what is written in the book shall surely happen. Therefore believe  John… Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book” (v.7) 

Vv.  8-9  : When John understood  this, he was  so overwhelmed  that he fell down at the feet of the angel to worship. The vision of glory always produces worship, and for a moment John  was tempted to worship the messenger  rather  than Him who  gave  the Message to the messenger !  This is very typical of us human beings! The angel however quickly helps him to  redirect  the worship to  God , who alone is to be worshipped and praised! Once this obstacle is put out of the way    John   is once again  able  to receive  further instruction .

V. 10 :  “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.”  This book must not be closed. It must not be sealed. The  world  must hear this!  The response  to this revelation  will of course  be two-fold. We read of this  in the very next verse:

V.11 : “Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”  There will be those that will be hardened by this message and there will be those that will obey this message.  This is true of the entire Bible.  When it is opened and expounded, there will be those who will  ignore,  or  mock  or resist  its message. On the other hand, there  will be those who  receive   this message  with joy and faith and obedience.   The point is that this book must not  remain  sealed  up  because it appears  to be controversial and judgmental. The people of this world need to hear this message.  

The Revelation draws very clear  lines, emphasising  the great difference between the people of God, who will inhabit the city of God, the new Jerusalem and the people of the  world, who are  the subjects of  Satan, the anti-christ and the beast,    and who are  the citizens of  the city of Babylon.  This  distinction  and division  between these two kind of people in this world is not made by me or others, but by this open  book, which  may not be sealed up. The separating process     must happen, and it will happen, when the  Great  Judge  will reveal  who  are  the  sheep   and who are the goats  (see Matt. 25:31-46). The consequences of unbelief are always  the product of our  own choice.  As C. S Lewis once  remarked, "A man can't be taken to hell, or sent to hell: you can only get there on your own steam."

Vv. 12 &13:  “Behold I am coming  soon, bringing  my recompense with me[3] , to repay everyone for what he has done.”  That day  will reveal  who we are , and the great Judge who is “the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End“ will make no mistake in His judgement. Before Him our souls stand exposed and open. The inner workings of the heart  and the mind cannot be concealed  before His piercing eyes.  This is, incidentally,    not a proof text  that we  will be ultimately justified by our works.  The Lord Jesus  is speaking here of the response of faith, which is good works . Good works  should invariably  should follow a  true profession of faith. And this is a pattern that will be looked for and ‘rewarded’ on the Day of Judgment.

V. 14 :   Here we observe that in the New Jerusalem  there are only those who have their robes washed, that is  those, who have by faith have  washed their robes in the blood of Christ. Christ alone is  our guarantee , our entrance ticket  to heaven. It is by His blood that we  can enter  into the presence of our holy Creator.  He   gives them the  right to come to the tree of life and for this reason they may  enter into the city by  the gates.

V.15 :  In marked contrast are those in the outside.  They are excluded from the  New Jerusalem. Again , a very clear division and an  exclusion by Jesus .

Vv. 16 &17  : Again the Lord Jesus  puts His stamp of authority  upon  His words , and in v. 17  we find   an exhortation  to embrace the message of this revelation,   under the influence of the Spirit and the Bride   who say  :   “Come !  And let the one who is thirsty  come; let the one who desires  to  take  the water of life without price” (cf.  Isa  55:1).   Notice that the Spirit and the bride  are here connected. The Spirit is the Spirit of the Bridegroom. That Spirit of the Bridegroom dwells in the bride- his church !   It is  by the Spirit that the bride, the church  gives  to  the people in the world an evangelistic  invitation :  "Come!"  The ones that come  are the thirsty ones ,  also spoken of by the prophet Isaiah in 55:1. The  subjects of the  true church (chosen before the beginning of time)  always  long for the coming of the bridegroom (Matt.  25:1-13).  However, we shall find  in the church at large  that  there are always  “the 5 foolish virgins”, the false professors of faith ,   who will be shut out on that day . They are  those who  are paying mere  lip service to the coming of the Lord. The true subjects of the Lord, by  way of contrast  always watch and wait for His coming. They live their lives in the light of His coming.   They worship Him faithfully  now. They have a desire for holiness and godliness.    This is a test for us as a church and as individual believers. The question is: do we long for  the Lord Jesus ?  Do we  find ourselves praying :  "Come, Lord Jesus!” (v.20) ?   

Vv.  18 &19  : The book of Revelation  also  tells us about  the closure to the giving of revelation.  With this  revelation any need for further revelation  has ceased. Nothing is to be added or taken away (22:19). For this reason  the  Revelation  has a  serious   warning  to those   who deal lightly with this book.   The warning is  not addressed  to those who say, “ I find it difficult to understand this book” . It does not apply   to  our  imperfect understanding of  this book.  No, the words here  refer to a conscious attitude of unbelief with respect to this Revelation. This  warning is addressed  to those  who hear  the  words  of this book, and who downplay  its contents .  The fact that so many pastors   will not   to preach this book to their people may be a serious indictment,  and a withholding of blessing and encouragement to the church.  But the most serious aspect may be that  people may   deny the facts represented in this book with respect to  Christ’s second coming and all  which follows that.  Such people  effectively   cut themselves off from heaven and  eternal life , which is exactly what this warning is about .    

Of course, this must not be interpreted as if  a person could  lose their salvation – as if  a person at one time really  was a believer, but later fell from grace!  The Bible  clearly teaches  that  God preserves His people.  Him whom Jesus  has saved, he is saved . Nothing can undo  the work of Christ (see Rom 8:28ff) . No names can ever be taken out of the book of life.  

No! The truth about such  a person   is that he/she  thinks  themselves  to be a  Christian, when in fact  there is no  evidence that they are.  They have  no true  exhibits of  faith in God, and no trust in His Word. They have  no assurance  from the Holy Spirit that they are the  children of God.  Even worse , they may  distort and corrupt the  words of this  prophecy concerning the holy city and the coming of the Lord.   The sad thing is that in society such people may  have a good standing  before men, before the church in the world,  who think  of them as fine Christians.   But the text  says that anyone that takes away   from the words of the book of this prophecy has never had his name recorded in the book of life in the first place. He has no place in the holy city . These verses  teach that such a false prophet shall  encounter all the plagues that are written in this book, that is,  all the judgement that shall come upon the wicked and unbelieving  rebels. 

These are serious words, but they come from One who is serious.  He the Alpha and the Omega (22:13 cf.  also  1:8; 21:6), the Beginning and the End (cf. 21:6), the First and the Last (cf. 1:17; 2:8). He  says concerning  Himself in  22:16  : "I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."

All that is left  now  is  prayer: "Come Lord Jesus" (22:20) – Maranatha!  

Well , I trust  that as a result of this  lengthy study  of the  Book of Revelation  you  have grown in the knowledge of the glory of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that you have  grown in  your  faith. I trust that you  have grown in the hope and  the ability  to  love the world less  than you love the Lord Jesus . I trust that  you have received grace  to wash your robes in the blood of the Lamb.  I trust  that I will see you  one day walking  in those streets of the great city – the New Jerusalem.  And so I close  where the book closes, with the apostle  John  pronouncing the blessing upon the church: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

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[1] ( Gr.tachu – quick or soon ,used 4 times in this passage :   see 22:6,7,12,20)

[2] A.H.Hoeksema  :Behold He is coming  , p. 719 

[3] Similar texts  that indicate a doctrine of rewards are found in Matt 16:27 ; Rom. 2:6 ; 2 Cor.5:10

REVELATION 22 : 1 -5 : PARADISE MORE THAN RESTORED!

The text  continues  from  Chapter 21 when it says, “Then the angel showed me…”  (see also  21:9).  Revelation 22 is a continuation of   the vision given to John in  Chapter 21. We have previously seen  that  this is a vision  of the New Jerusalem, which is  the bride (21:2), the church of the Lord Jesus Christ coming out of heaven.   The text also continues to speak of the street of the city, which was also mentioned in  21:21.  What is new and  striking in this section of the vision  is  the imagery of the  garden of Eden – the first paradise of God.[1]   

Vv. 1 : Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, (see Gen.  2:10) bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life ( see Gen. 2:9)  with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month.  Reference in the revelation to John  with respect to the tree of life  was previously  made   in  Christ’s   message to the church at Ephesus (Rev.2:7) : “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”  

We have here  a picture  of  the paradise that was once  lost through man’s disobedience in Genesis 3  as it is now restored, and dare I say , improved !  Again, I would remind you that    we must not be tempted to think of John’s vision here in terms of a literal river,  a literal tree and  a literal garden. This is all very symbolic language, and we have now seen time and again that this  all refers  to the new Jerusalem – the church of the Lord Jesus  Christ,  as she  now appears in  her new and glorious environment  of the new paradise. Admittedly, the word ‘paradise’  is not found here, but the  details given  here  are certainly  drawn  from  the picture  of that first  paradise. 

This river of the water of life,  which is  bright as crystal     flows  from the throne of God  and of the Lamb  through the middle of the street of the city  holy city, New Jerusalem. On either side of the river, there is  found the tree of life  - and note (!)  not just one, but many.  The river is lined with trees. This tree of life   bears  twelve  fruit,  providing a monthly harvest. And  then, we are also told that that the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations. The nations had been referred to earlier  in Rev. 21:24 .  

In order to understand the meaning of this vision we must  consider the original paradise – the garden of Eden. It was  an idyllic   garden  designed  and planted as a  habitation by God  for man.  But don’t get lost   in the idea of a  beautiful garden!  The  greater  picture  here  is that this garden  served  as  an ideal place  for  fellowship  and communion  between God and  the man whom God  had  created in His image[2]. This was  the place where  God’s  Adam  would serve his Creator in keeping and cultivating the garden. That is the  fundamental idea.  Now if we  understand that   paradise was  an ideal meeting place  between God and man,  then  it  is not difficult to make the connection with the New Jerusalem the church , the bride of Christ – the  new paradise, the new  and restored  dwelling place of God  with man ! This  is the perfect and ultimate fulfillment of the  first paradise.  In that sense the first paradise in which Adam lived was only  a shadow of the things to come. 

 

The  second  paradise is the dwelling place of all  those sons and daughters of Adam, who subsequent to the fall in Genesis 3  have been     purchased and redeemed  by the  Lord Jesus Christ !  They  are  His beloved bride -  the  church – a vast multitude that no one can count ! This, dear brothers in sisters in Christ  is the goal of our history. The city of God, the new  Jerusalem, the bride of Christ  is the grand plan of God. This is  the plan  of “the mystery  hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be  made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 3:9,10).  This   “… is the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (Hebr. 11:10; see also v.16 ).  The new Jerusalem  is the fulfillment of  the first paradise. The new Jerusalem  is   the fulfillment  of  the OT  land of Canaan promised to Abraham and Isaac and  Jacob   and  the people of Israel.  

The heavenly Paradise will not simply be a re-make of that first paradise. It will be  a fulfillment of that, and therefore it will be even better. Think of it like this. When  Adam was  created  by  the Tri-une God, the Lord Jesus  Christ, the second person of the Trinity  was still the pre-incarnate Son. Then came the fall, and  then Jesus  came in  the fullness of time (Gal. 4:4,5) . He came as the second Adam  (1 Cor. 15:45-49)  to redeem   and restore His people, chosen  before the foundation of the world (Eph.1:4), and  Paul says  that  here we  shall bear the image, not  of the earthly Adam,  but we shall  bear the image of the heavenly man. The first Adam was a shadow  of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The first covenant  of God with Adam  was  exchanged for the  better,  New Covenant  in the blood of Christ. (Hebrews 8:1-13). The  temporal Sabbath  is  replaced by  the Sabbath of  eternal  rest  (see Hebrews  4:9-11).  The  first Paradise will  be superseded  by something for more glorious!   It will  be  a place of perfect worship and fellowship with God , and there will  be  no potential hindrance  to that. 

Please  notice  that   the new   paradise has no  tree of the knowledge of good and evil!  Only the tree of life grows there. There will be  no challenge as was connected with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the first paradise. The possibility for  man to sin  is now banished,   for  through  the Lord Jesus Christ, sin  and its wages ,  death,  has been banished   and thrown into the lake of eternal fire.

The river of the water of life,  crystal clear, pure, undefiled   is symbolic of  the  constant flow of life by which the glorified people of God  shall now  live  with  the perpetual help of the Holy Spirit . In that  regard  we are reminded of the  words  of the Lord  Jesus in  John 7:37-39 : “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”  Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

This river flows  from  the throne of God and of the Lamb.  It is a Trinitarian source. The source is  from God  through Christ and through the Holy Spirit.  This life-giving  water  flows   perpetually into the church – the  New Jerusalem. This river of life flows  through the midst of the street of the city. It flows through the  heart of the glorified church sustaining  her with  the grace of God.

The tree of life:  In the first paradise the tree of life had  a two-fold significance.  (i) it  gave  earthly life to man  (see  Genesis 3:22).  Apparently  the tree had the power to supply Adam  with  continual life even after he had sinned.  The tree  not only  sustained Adam’s physical life, but it also  represented  the spiritual nourishment  by which Adam y lived  in fellowship with God.  But, as a result of sin,   this  heavenly fellowship was  interrupted,  and the Lord God  cut off  the way to the tree of life, and Adam died  both  physically  and spiritually, being no longer sustained by that tree of  life.  Such was the significance of the earthly tree of life.

Now if we bear that in mind , then we  can easily  make the connection with the tree of life in  Revelation 22. The tree of life here  symbolizes the  life of true heavenly fellowship with God  restored forever and ever.  

The tree  of life is said to bear twelve  kinds of fruit. By now we know  that   12 is the number of perfection and completion. There  are  twelve OT patriarchs, twelve tribes, twelve apostles, two times twelve  ( 24 ) elders, twelve times twelve thousand (144 000)   saints. This tree  bears a fullness of fruit, and it bears it continuously and so the church is  well supplied and nourished and never lacking  by the food she receives  from this  tree.

Furthermore we read :  “The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

Finally, the text tells us that the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. This   cannot mean  that there will still be sickness in the New Jerusalem.  21:4  makes that clear.  This is simply a figurative way of saying that no sickness of any kind can ever enter into the city of God and afflict the nations there. Sickness and death will not exist in the  New Jerusalem because of this constant  life which  flows from God in Christ through the Spirit into the church.

In the rest  of this passage  the glory and bliss of the New Jerusalem are further spelled  out.  

1. The  church  finds its central significance in God and the Lamb: the throne of God  and of the Lamb will be in the city;  God will be worshiped ; they will see His face ;His name  will be on their foreheads ; the Lord God will be their light !

2. Verse 3 : There will be nothing accursed   in that city. Sin and death and all the enemies of God  and is people  are conquered. The  kingdom of heaven which Jesus came to announce and proclaim  is here. The will of God is now done by all. And where the will of God is done, there can be no curse.

3. verse 4: "And they shall see his face."  In the new creation there shall be the revelation of God in the face of Jesus Christ in the most direct and highest possible sense of the word. Now, we see  dimly, by faith  in the Scriptures – like through a dark  glass.  There, however, we shall see face to face ![3]  John says  :   “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”   (1 John 3:2)  This means that we shall see Christ as He is, and we shall see Him always,  and through Christ we shall see the face of God forever. We shall never forget God again .  This is implied in the fact that His name shall be in their foreheads.

4. verse 5:   see also  Rev 21:23 & 25. In our  present world  we live  so to speak by the light of the sun, or even, as the text reminds us, by the artificial light of man, the light of a candle. Without light there is no possibility of knowledge. But in the new creation, there will be no need of physical or artificial light to help us  to study and gain knowledge. As we said in connection with Revelation 21, the point of the text is not that there will be no natural night, or no natural sun or moon. The point is  that these  will not be necessary as a medium of knowledge. God  Himself God gives  us the light of understanding - the light according to which we shall know and walk directly, in every sense of that word. Knowledge will not be  a hidden thing. It will be direct !

And so , finally, our text speaks  of the everlasting reign of the saints : "and they will reign  for ever and ever". This is our hope   of the saints  whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.Breath taking! AMEN !

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[1] Gen. 2:8

[2]  Gen 1:27

[3]  1 Cor. 13: 12

REVELATION 21:9-26 - THE NEW JERUSALEM

And so we come  to one of the loveliest portions in the Revelation given to John by the Lord Jesus – the vision of the holy city, the  new  Jerusalem (21:2,10), the bride, the wife of the Lamb. The vision began in v. 2. We have already considered  the first 8 verses.  In the detail to follow  (21:9- 22:5) John  is  given further  information  concerning this vision.  

Vv. 9-10:  "Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”  And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God…”.   The angel  who shows John the vision,  is one of those  angels  we had met before in Chapter  16. He is one of those  who poured out the 7 bowls of God’s wrath upon the earth. There is a connection between those judgments and the appearing  of the New Jerusalem. It is these  judgments and the final destruction of Babylon  that  open the way  for the  renewal of the heavens and the earth and  of the coming of the New Jerusalem.

This angel carries John  away in the Spirit, and in that state he is shown the New Jerusalem from a  high mountain. Again we remember  that   John did not see a literal city here. The  context makes that  clear.  John is shown spiritual things (i.e. in the Spirit), and these heavenly things can hardly be described in human words.  The language  used here indicates this.  This new Jerusalem is  a metaphorical city. She is  called "the bride, the wife of the Lamb".  This is as we know, a reference to the church of the new creation. She is literally indescribable, breath-taking in beauty, and so  it is that symbolic  descriptions of her must suffice for the time being!   From that high mountain  John is able to  get a perspective of this new city, just like  the  current  spacecraft  called “New Horizons” , which is sent to explore  Pluto sends back perspective of Pluto by way of images from  a current  distance  of approximately 146 000 kilometers  above  this planet. In the same manner  John is  able to  view  this  new Jerusalem, the church, as she descends  down from heaven (21:2,10).

We observe  that the shape of the city is a perfect cube - twelve thousand stadia  each way. Just to get some perspective on this:  A stadia  is about 185 meters  long. If we multiply this  by  12 000 we  shall find that the city  is 2200 kilometers long, wide and deep.  To further illustrate: It would  be roughly  the distance  from Namibia’s  northern border  with Angola down to Cape Town, and  from our West coast (Walvis Bay)   across to Maputo in Mozambique!

Around the city is a wall  which is said to be 144 cubits high. A cubit is approximately  45 centimeters, making the wall  about 65 meters high. In the wall  there are 12  gates, three on each  side. At each  gate there is  an angel, and on  the gates are written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The wall has twelve foundations and the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are written in the foundations. The 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles are symbolic of the entire church of the OT and NT. The wall is made of jasper stone, while the  city itself is constructed of pure gold which is transparent  like glass. The  foundations were decorated with precious  stones of various kinds. The gates were made of pure pearl.  The street of the city is also made  of pure gold, and transparent as glass. The overall impression of this  enormous city is one of  striking  beauty, summarized in v. 11… “having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.”

THE MEANING OF THIS SYMBOLIC  VISION

We make the point once again.   What  John  sees here is not a literal city. It is a metaphorical description of the church.    After all, houses and buildings are not what makes a city. It is people that constitute  a city. And the fact that  the church is described  as a city is to  show that this is a community, a place where people  live closely together.  The church, the New Jerusalem, will be  a new perfect society where  the saints of God from all the ages  will live together.

This is a vision  “in the Spirit“. It  is a vision described with human eyes and  with human language.   It is a vision  of the bride, the wife of the Lamb. This is not a picture of heaven. Remember that this church is coming down from heaven. Many times we  hear  people speak of heaven   as  a place with streets of gold  and  with pearly gates, and where there is  no night, etc.  There is no doubt that heaven will be glorious, but remember that this is not the description of heaven. It is a description of the church, the dwelling place of God. The church is not in this city; but this city is the church.[1]  This city, the bride of the Lamb  is  intimately connected  to  the Lord Jesus Christ.  We have seen the picture of  a  marriage taking place  in Ch. 19: 6-10. This city – this  great multitude of  people loves Christ greatly and Christ  greatly loves her! 

What about the  names of the apostles in the foundations of the city?  In Eph. 2:19-21  we read this:

“So then  you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints  and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles (NT) and the prophets (OT), Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in  whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”  

THE PERFECTION OF THIS CITY

1.      This perfection is seen  by the fact that the city is in the shape of a perfect cube. The church here is so to speak  ‘in perfect shape’.  She has truly  become holy  Jerusalem  - the perfect, holy  and suitable  dwelling-place of God. Incidentally, the most holy place in the  tabernacle and in Solomon’s temple  was  a perfect cube of  20 cubits ( i.e.  9 cubic meters)! [2]  

2.   Concerning the wall  we may say that  it is certainly not  for protection, and the angels at the respective gates do not function as  guards. Besides that  fact we read that the city gates  are never shut (v. 25). There is no need for guards  or for  protection, as is the case here in our world, where  the church has to be constantly guarded  with  sound doctrine  where she  has to be  constantly  under the  watchful leadership of her elders.[3]  In the new creation  there  will be no enemies. So what  is the wall for?  It is  a perimeter, a place of  inclusion  for all  those   of Christ’s sheep  that have been   gathered throughout the ages  and who have been brought into  that city.  And the angels at the gates?  Do you remember that at the end of time the work of the angels will be to bring in the human harvest? The angels  standing at each of the twelve entrances of the city are the angels who have served in the ingathering of the citizens  of the new Jerusalem . “The sons of  Israel” in v. 12 are all those spiritual children  from all the ages who like Abraham were called by God, and who in time  believed.   Israel here is more than a nation. It  here indicates  the  entire church of God, made up of Jews and Gentiles. [4]  In Christ  there is neither Jew nor gentile (Gal.  3:28,29). There is one only people –  they are  the spiritual Israel  -  loved by her bridegroom, the Lord Jesus!

3.      The number 12  -   12 gates, 12 angels, 12 tribes, 12 foundations, 12 apostles signify  the number of  perfection, completion  and accomplishment.  The church is  now perfected. The  complete number of God’s elect people  have entered  through the gates, and all are within those walls.  If we consider the size of the city,  then we understand that this is indeed  a  multitude  like sand on a seashore – a great multitude which no man can number.

4.       The dazzling  glory of  the new Jerusalem:  The materials  i.e.  gold, jasper, precious stones, pearl  furthermore indicate  this perfection. We do not want to fall into the trap  of allegorizing these  details.  We are interested in the principles.  To the eye of John  all this appeared to be glorious, for this was the reflection of the glory of God in  the lives of these redeemed  people of God. This  city bought with the blood of the  precious Lamb of God  reflects  the expense at which her people  were  bought. Righteousness  and holiness  and love  and purity  shine  from these people as they with unveiled faces[5] reflect the glory of  God, and what can John  do but to describe all this in terms of the most stunning materials given to us on earth? 

     This is  the reflection of the glorified church - “having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.”   This church is beautiful  and precious, and this is exactly what the apostle Peter spoke of, when he wrote  of the “tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ!” (1 Peter 1:7).

The  Quality of Life in the  New Jerusalem (21: 22-27)

Again, remember the symbolic nature of this vision

  

1.      No need for a temple ! (v.22) “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” The text does not mean that the temple-idea is done away, but rather that it has come to its highest and fullest realization. The whole city is in a sense a temple.  The  fact of the matter is that  the temple of God will not be a building. The building is  ….”a spiritual house made up of living stones….offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (see 1 Peter 2:5).  Not a special building will be His temple, but the  whole city, shall be His dwelling place.

2.      It is in this context that we must  also consider v. 23:   

     “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” The light spoken of here  is not  the illumination  given by  sun and moon, but the illumination  given  by God  the Almighty and the Lamb  whose word is   a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). The reference here is not to the new creation, but to the church, the bride of the Lamb.  At that time we  shall no longer  see in a mirror dimly, but face to face (1 Cor. 13:12). We shall see  the glory of Christ directly and immediately.

3.    In that context we shall be busy: (v. 24)  “By its light will the nations walk[6]…” . The Greek word  denotes activity.  We  shall be active. In the new creation there will be work  that will never make us tired. Our work will be of such a restful nature  that we do not  need a night  to  catch up with sleep.   

4.      This city, this church  is  made up   out of all nations. (vv.24,26). The church is  made up of nations – not in the sense   that we shall be separated  by language and  culture – but  the glory of the church shall be seen in the fact that all the redeemed among the nations  having appeared from one common root   are able to get on with each other.  The mentioning  of  the “kings of the earth” (v.24)  does not mean that  structures in heaven  will be simply transplanted from this earth, for many of our kings and structures are very evil, and such cannot inherit the kingdom of God[7].  These things will be destroyed by fire.  It seems  however that there will be  authority  structures  found in the new Jerusalem. There will be great and small. There  are ranks in the  world of angels. The apostles shall sit on twelve thrones. The doctrine of rewards  teaches that there are some who will be given greater rewards &  positions  etc.  However,  all conduct of  such  shall be pure  and in humble submission to the King of kings, and Lord of lords.

5.     There will be no fear  and there will be no night: the city gates will be open   and never closed for fear – there  will be a constant activity and flow -  a constant fullness of life and joy.  There will be no night to make us afraid, and there will be no evil.

6.    There  will be no imperfection  (v.27)  Only those  who are written in the Lamb's book of life shall have a place there.  The possibility of  sin  and corruption is forever gone. The reason is that Christ will be at the center of this new community.

What a  wonderful picture. What a wonderful promise.  Can you imagine living  in  such a glorious surrounding? What a  contrast there is between  Babylon,  the symbolic city of man  bound in sin and its end in outer darkness, and the New Jerusalem, the church, with its everlasting light and perfection, happiness, satisfaction and glory!

Remember  that you can only be the citizen of one city.   If  you  participate in  Babylon's corruptions, then  your name is  not  written in the Lamb's book of life.  But if all your hope  is in Jesus  your bridegroom, and if you serve Him with  all your heart, despite many challenges and weaknesses, then continue  to  persevere. 

Remember  that the Day of  the  Lord is now nearer than when you first believed. Amen!

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[1] A.H. Hoeksema : Behold He cometh

[2] See  1 Kings 6:20 ; Ezekiel  41:4

[3] See Acts 20 :17- 32

[4] Ephesians 2:11-3:13

[5] 2 Corinthians 3:18

[6] Gr. peripateō. This word is used in the scriptures  to signify the whole round of the activities of the individual life ( W.E. Vine)  e.g.  in newness of life (Rom 6:4) ,  in honesty ( Rom 13:13), by faith (2 Cor. 5:7),  in good works (Eph. 2:10), in love ( Eph.5:2), etc. 

[7] Galatians  5:20,21