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 Sermon on Revelation 22

Kingdom of Glory

By Brian Pepper

The Book of Revelation is the grand climax to the Holy Scriptures. It takes us from the cross to the Glory Land. It pictures Jesus in Heaven as He prepares the New Jerusalem for His redeemed people.

In Revelation 2:7 there is a wonderful promise, “…To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”

As long as Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of that tree, for them life was eternal. The Tree of Life possessed the power to perpetuate life. And the promise is given that those who are overcomers will have access to the Tree of Life. They will never die, they will live forever.  


River of Life

And now let us take a look at the final chapter of this wonderful Book.

Revelation 22:1 says, "And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” 

If there is anything that makes Perth (Western Australia) such a beautiful city it is the river Swan. Melbourne has the Yarra, and although it is not a clear river it does make the banks green and the trees flourish.

The river described in verse 1 is a clear river; it is a clean river, a sparkling river. And the bed of this river is made up of all sorts of precious stones and golden sands. How it must sparkle and shine as the light brings out all the colour.


Tree of Life

In verse 2 it says, "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.” 

That must be a wonderful sight! The great Tree of Life spreads out, and out along the sides of the beautiful river. It has 12 kinds of fruit, and every month a new kind appears and ripens. You will never tire of eating this fruit for it is always different, always new.

It was the fruit of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden which had Supernatural virtue, for to eat of it was to live forever. Even the leaves had special virtue for they had special properties.

When God had the Tree of Life removed from the earth to Heaven He gave us something to take its place and that is the Bible. Yes the Bible is to us the Tree of Life. It points us to the One who is able to say "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

There are three things which are basic in sustaining life: water, food and health.

In Heaven the people of God will drink of the water of life. They will eat of the fruit of the tree of life and their wounds will be healed by its leaves. And as they do this they will be continually reminded that Jesus Christ is the real Tree of Life and the real living water.

In the Old Testament we read of how that God claimed the people of Israel as His peculiar people. Through them He desired that the wonderful Truths of Heaven should be spread far and wide. If they had only done this, what a blessing they could have had in sharing the Plan of Salvation. They could have made the Tree of Life blossom right here on earth. But in Heaven all nationalities, all tribes and peoples will be able to come together and with one common language worship God. The fruit and the leaves will heal the physical deformities caused by sin.


No More Sea 

It says" that there will not be any more sea".

Before the flood when God first created this world of ours, there were rivers and small seas. Now the water covers 3/4th of the earth’s surface.

So there will be a great change climatically and physically with far greater areas of land.


No More Curse

Revelation 22:3 says, “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:” 

No more curse as a result of sin. This earth has been cursed. Man has slaughtered the animals, murdered his fellowmen, cut down the forests, polluted the lakes and rivers and the sea until we are in danger of even destroying ourselves.

I saw a film on TV which showed how in Japan people were suffering from pollution. Their mouths became very dry, their eyes stung, and they had to have injections in order to breath.

Places which at one time were the gardens of the world are now barren desert places. Egypt was at one time the food basket of the world. During the time of Joseph people came from far and wide to buy precious grain. God had foretold how He would dry up the rivers (Ezekiel 30:12) and today it is a desert country hardly capable of supporting itself.

Palestine at one time was a land flowing with milk and honey. It was capable of supporting a nation of 20 to 30 million people. Their wealth was so great that they loaned to other nations and never borrowed. But the curse of sin has changed this fertile and favoured land into a country so desolate it can hardly support some hundreds of thousands.

But the promise in Revelation 22:3 is that the Earth will once again yield a hundred fold. No longer will man make his living by the sweat of his brow, the curse will be removed.


They Shall See the Face of Jesus

Verse 4 says, “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.” 

For the first time since the fall of man they will be able to talk to God, and to the Son of God to know what they are like.

When you think of the hundreds of faces of Christ painted by artists, every one of them different, and I am sure that not one is a real likeness of the Saviour. At last we will be able to see the real Jesus.


Behold I Come Quickly

Verse 7 says, “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” 

The blessings of Heaven is upon those who obey the instructions contained in this Book. There is an urgency in this verse "Behold I come quickly”. Time is running out, the great is drawing closer.


Worship God

Verses 8 and 9 say, “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Verse 9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”

Did you notice that the angel said, "That only God is to be worshipped"? It is wrong to worship any other than God no matter how important or grand they may be. Over and over again in the Book of Revelation the emphasis is on worship, worship God.


The Time is at Hand

And now verse 10, "And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.” 

Unlike Daniel, who was told to  Seal the Book, John is told not to seal the sayings of the prophecy. Revelation is not a sealed book. Now is the time when it is to be studied and understood.


Doors of Probation Will Close

The next verse is a very solemn warning that soon, very soon, the doors of probation are to close.

Verse 11 says, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” 

These words seal the destiny of every man and woman forever. It is too late to change now. The change has to be made before these fateful words meet their fulfillment.


He Will Bring Your Reward

Verse 12 says, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” 

Christ comes to reward each one of us but the reward is not the same for everybody. As we noticed in the previous verse it is too late for the unjust to become just, the filthy to become clean. You see the coming of Christ does not change our characters but rather fixes them forever. Now is the time to make the change while we have the opportunity.


The Alpha and Omega

Verse 13 says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” 

Jesus reminds us that He is the beginning and end of all things.


Blessed are the Obedient

Verse 14 says, “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.” 

It was disobedience which shut out our first parents and barred them from access to the Tree of Life. It is a sad thing that there are so many so called Christians who do not recognize this. They have been led to believe that they can gain entrance to God’s Kingdom by some other way. They are unable to recognize that God’s Law is the Law of Life and it is commandment keepers who will enter the pearly gates.


Sinners Will be Excluded

Verse 15 says, “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” 

There was a time when I thought that this was rather hard on the poor old dog but I discovered that when the Bible talks about a dog it means a shameless and impudent man. St Paul makes this very clear in Philippians 3:2 where he says, "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.” What this verse in Revelation is really telling us is that sinners will be excluded from the City of God.

When it speaks of liars it was the telling of a lie that caused man to be driven from his original paradise. That is why no liars will be permitted to enter there.


King of Kings

Verse 16 says, “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” 

Jesus announces that He is the rightful heir to the throne of David and that very soon now He is to come as the King of Kings to set up His everlasting kingdom.


The Invitation

Verse 17 says, “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.” 

Here is the final invitation, the last chance to attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Both the Spirit and the Bride give the invitation.

To the church, which is the Bride, has been given the great Gospel commission, and to make the Gospel more personal, every individual member of the church is asked to pass on the invitation.

Remember this that men and women will be saved as individuals, not as churches or congregations. Salvation is a very personal matter. The Spirit and the Bride say “come”, “Whosoever will may come”. Thank God that Heaven is free. The invitation includes everyone.


Warning Not to Add or Subtract

Verse 18 says, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Verse 19 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."

What does it mean to add to or to take away from? I do know this, that this is one of the most severe warnings that is contained in the Scriptures. To anyone who would try to suppress this Book, to discourage the study of it, to lessen the value of it, in any way tamper with it; Jesus warns that person of what will happen to him or her, they will suffer the plagues and lose their place in the New Jerusalem.


A Promise to Come Quickly

The Book closes with a wonderful promise to those who have followed the counsel and leading of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 20 says, “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Verse 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” 

Twice in these closing words Jesus says, "Behold I come quickly."

It is a double assurance to God’s people that the time is almost at hand. The long night of waiting is almost over, and no one has looked forward more eagerly to this great event than Jesus Himself.

As He says those final words He can hear the shout of the redeemed. He can hear the ransomed ones singing that wonderful song of praise and thanksgiving.

“Even so Come Lord Jesus.” Surely this is our prayer. May we join the angels with our fellow Christians in a mighty chorus  “Even so, come Lord Jesus”.

 

  Sermons
The Bible in Song Sermons category is expected to be enlarged over time as hard copy sermon notes are scanned, typed and edited in webpage format. Visit Sermons Page for the complete list of sermons and Bible Commentaries
 

 
  PDF Sermon Files
Click image for sample. The Complete Sermon Collection is available at the Store Page. It includes 169 sermons which are listed on the Sermons Page, plus several audio visual sermonettes and a number of incomplete sermons. Original typed sermon notes have been scanned in PDF files on a DVD.

 

 
  PDF Revelation Files
Easy access to all the uploaded Revelation Bible Commentaries written by Brian Pepper. Also a CD of the complete Book of Revelation consisting of 22 PDF files scanned from original typed documents. These files can be downloaded by Adobe Acrobat to view on computer screen, or printed in booklet or other format.

 

 
  SDA Prophecy Chart
Bible in Song Sermons and Commentaries pages have exposed flaws in the "2300 day" prophecy chart most notably used by Seventh-day Adventists. Seventh-day Adventists in their biblical interpretation have favored the tradition of their founding fathers over Scripture and the "divine revelation" of their own prophet Ellen White. Read more.

 

 
 
  Testimonials
Thank you for posting some of (Brian Pepper's) sermons. It's like reading the very words Jesus has spoken to me and is a great encouragement. I cannot say that about many Pastors but I can say that about (Pr Pepper). Thank you. Robert @yeshuaskingdom.org (USA) ... more testimonials.

 

 
 

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