REVELATION: THE END OF THE BEGINNING

Pastor Jonathan Falwell 

A Recap: 

Chapter 1        John’s vision of Jesus, Jesus’ message for the churches, and His plans for eternity 

Chapter 2-3     Jesus delivers a message to each of the 7 churches 

Chapter 4-7     Jesus pulls back the curtain and unveils what things must happen and will happen 

Chapter 8-10   We walked through the 7 trumpets, then the Little Scroll that God had them seal up what the seven thunders said and not write them down 

Chapter 11-12 We were introduced to 2 witnesses who were killed by the antichrist and continues the campaign of persecuting Israel as an attack on God and His promises to Israel with the ultimate goal of destroying Jesus Christ 

Chapter 13      The beast of the sea and the beast of the earth 

Chapter 14      The Great Tribulation

Chapter 15-16 The Bowls of Wrath & the Vision of Destruction

Chapter 17-18 Woman & the Beast; The Fall of Great Babylon

Chapter 19-20 The Second Coming of Christ; The Final Judgment

Chapter 21      The Place of Eternity Revealed

Chapter 22      The End of the Beginning

Today, we come to the final chapter of the book of Revelation and the final statements found within the Word of God. As discussed last week, there is much correlation between the first two chapters in Genesis and the last two chapters of Revelation. God created perfection in Genesis, He restores perfection at the end of Revelation. God’s ultimate plan is fulfilled in Eternity, all because of the gift of His Son, Jesus.

Chapter 22 starts with a continuation of the description of the New Heaven, New Earth and New Jerusalem from chapter 21. It ends with a reminder of the reality of eternity and the supremacy of Christ.

1. Eden Revisited

• Vss 1-2 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations
• Genesis 2:8-10a The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden…
• “water of life”
• “tree of life” indicates food
  • In Genesis 1:29-30, the KJV says, “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which isthe fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so”
• “leaves” indicate some healing properties
• Ezekiel 47 refers to this vision
• Harold Willmington says, “In the new Jerusalem will be the tree of life, off-limits to people since Eden but now available for nourishment and healing. The city’s glorious light will proceed not from the sun but from the very person of God himself.”[1]

1. Perfection Defined

• Vss 3-6a 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. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.6 Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true…”
• No sin will ever be present again
• We will stand in the presence of God for eternity, serving the King
• Warren Weirsbe states, “As we seek to serve the Lord here on earth, we are constantly handicapped by sin and weakness; but all hindrances will be gone when we get to glory. Perfect service in a perfect environment!”[2]
• They shall see His face – Exodus 33:20
• No darkness exists there
• God reiterates His promise

1. Eternity Imagined

• Vss 6-9 Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. 7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” 8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
• Vernon McGee tells us, “The Lord Jesus puts His own seal upon this book: “These words are faithful and true” means that no man is to trifle with them by spiritualizing them or reducing them to meaningless symbols. Our Lord is talking about reality. At the beginning of this book, there was a blessing pronounced upon those who read and hear and keep these words. In conclusion, the Lord Jesus repeats the blessing upon those who keep these words. This is a book not to merely satisfy the curiosity of the natural man but to live and act upon.”[3]
• “Quickly” – Revelation story encompasses about 7 years
• Daniel’s prophecy of the 70th week
• Eternity is eternal worship of our present King
• John responds to the immensity of this prophecy by falling at the feet of the angel to worship but is quickly reprimanded…only God is worthy of our worship
• Kendall Easley says, “His comments that follow emphasize plainly the difference between creature and Creator. We must never be allowed to forget the infinite gulf between God and that which he made, no matter how splendid. The people of God are his servants (literally “slaves”), a term John uses, along with saints as a preferred designation for Christians. (Servants emphasizes their deeds; saints their character.) Now, however, for the only time in Revelation an angel is called a servant of God. Both the holy angels and redeemed humanity exist to serve their Creator.”[4]

1. Our Efforts Rewarded By The Only One Worthy

• Vss 10-13 And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. 11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” 12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward iswith Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and theEnd, the First and the Last.”
• In Daniel 12:4, he was told not to reveal this prophecy, that it must be sealed, for the time had not yet come. Here, John is told not to seal this prophecy because the time had arrived.
  • Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
  • Danny Akin states “Because “the time is near… A time is coming when the opportunity to respond to the gospel and the Word of God will be no more.”[5]
• A reminder is given to run from sin and cling to righteousness
  • Leon Morris – “He probably means that the Lord’s coming will be so swift that there will be no time for change. As they are at that moment, so the Lord will find them.”[6]
  • 21:27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
• Another reminder that He will come quickly and now He brings the rewards
• 1:8 Alpha and Omega

1. All Because of Jesus

Vss 14-16 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. 16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

• Vs 14 – a reminder of the salvation given through Jesus
• Vs 15 – a reminder of what happens to those who do not trust in Jesus
• Vs 16 – connects to the OT and the NT

Vss 17-21 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. 18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

• An invitation is given…”come”
• David Jeremiah states, “All human beings are born with an empty place in their lives that can only be filled with what John calls “the water of life” (Revelation 22:17). Most people try to quench that thirst with pleasure, accomplishment, possessions, human relationships, or power, but in time, they see that these things are not satisfying. As Solomon said after trying wealth, sex, power, and glory, it is all meaningless vanity. When people realize that nothing on earth will satisfy their longing, they begin to identify their thirst. That is when they are poised to come to Christ. They realize that they are thirsty and He is not.”[7]
• Paige Patterson says, “For all the history of God’s people that question has been debated; and the debates have yet to produce an answer satisfactory to a significant majority of God’s people in any era. Whatever election means, this verse suggests that it cannot mean that a sincere offer is not being made.”[8]
• Again, John is told Jesus will come quickly
• And it’s all because of the unmerited favor of God

Danny Akin states, “God’s written Word comes to an end, and so what we find here is of utmost importance to God. It also should be of utmost importance to us. Two themes are dominant: the reliability and authenticity of the book and the imminence of the end.”[9]

[1] H. L. Willmington, Willmington’s Bible Handbook (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1997), 805.

[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 624.

[3] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: The Prophecy (Revelation 14-22), electronic ed., vol. 60 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 196.

[4] Kendell H. Easley, Revelation, vol. 12, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 418.

[5] Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 352.

[6] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 247.

[7] David Jeremiah, Agents of the Apocalypse: A Riveting Look at the Key Players of the End Times (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2014), 271–272.

[8] Paige Patterson, Revelation, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, vol. 39, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2012), 384.

[9] Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 349.