Warning

“I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to them, may God add to him the plagues which are written in this book. If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, may God take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.

He who testifies these things says, “Yes, I come quickly.” Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints. Amen.”

Revelation 22:18-21

This incredible book with its vision of the Lord Jesus, the panoply of human history and the end times, finishes with a warning.

If anyone should add or subtract to the vision of John about these things, then they will suffer great loss. John calls down the plagues written about in this book on the person who adds to it. These are the plagues of Egypt and more, as we have already studied in this book. God will add the plagues written about in this book, to the life of the person who adds to the truth of God or embellishes the truth for their own ends.

If we should take away from this vision, then the Apostle prays that the part the person would play in the holy city would be taken away. There would be no tree of life, everlasting life or any part in the people of God for that person. Any blessings written about in this book would depart from the person who would take away from it. As Christian people do we pray for the protection of the Word of God that it will go forward uncontaminated and pure? Do we pray for those who speak it, that they will be true to the Word and present the gospel clearly and without error? If the Word is contaminated and the gospel is murky, then the people do not hear the Word of God at all! How will they hear without the preacher, or how will they believe without the truth?

To add or take away is to add or detract from the Word of God and to seek to change the will of God, which is the work of the enemy, the Antichrist and his abominable spirit that seeks to infiltrate human hearts, is to deny the Words of God and contaminate the Scripture.

Since no child of God would seek this, no child of God would do such a thing. If we are truly the Lord’s people we cannot lose our salvation or lose our place in the heavenly city. The Lord Jesus is called the “Faithful and True” and so also are the people of God. We follow Him and His words and obey them and take the comfort from them. This book shuts out of heaven all those who are liars and who embrace falsehood, which is not the Person who loves Christ and obeys Him. No spiritually alive person will be untrue to the Word, because the Sprit of God dwells in them and witnesses to them of truth and error. Those who love Christ will revere His Word and love it also.

We could argue that commentaries add to the Word…

Commentaries are only comments by people about the meaning and interpretation of passages of Scripture, they are not Scripture no matter who writes them! They are personal reactions to the Word of God and the desire to share them with other people. They are written by Christians people and therefore have the direction of the Holy Spirit and the total respect for what God is saying to us.

I hope this commentary will help people to access this incredible book and dispel doubts and fears about it and the future for the person who loves God and belongs in the heavenly kingdom. We take great comfort from the words we have read and give the glory and honour to our Lord Jesus who has accomplished all these things for our sake and who is the Saviour of our souls and the lover of our hearts.

Our constant cry to the Lord is that He will come quickly to release us from our chains and the bondage of sin that we still feel and fight. We cry to Him to take His waiting people home to heaven, and that the vision will be completed.

There is still time, Beloved, if you are really not in the fold of the kingdom as yet. Do not delay, for He will not delay His coming. Don’t be found in your sin and shame when He comes, and you miss out on the great marriage supper of the Lamb and the glorious crowning day of the people of God.

May His grace be with us and keep us to the end…

“He who testifies these things says, “Yes, I come quickly.” Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints. Amen.”

“Behold, I come quickly”

“Behold, I come quickly. My reward is with me, to repay to each man according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David; the Bright and Morning Star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” He who hears, let him say, “Come!” He who is thirsty, let him come. He who desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

Revelation 22:12-17

“Behold, I come quickly” is repeated in this chapter, to signify the certainty of His coming and the pressing nature of being ready for it. The vision is from Christ Himself and he has sent the angels to reveal it to John and through him, to us.

The book is open and the vision can be seen by us in our day. Each should follow their path in life and live our lives honestly and openly, especially with ourselves. There’ll be rewards for those who are faithful and true, as Christ is faithful and true, and all evildoers will be cast away. Only through following Christ can we be made faithful and true, for He is the cleanser of human hearts.

There are rewards for the saints and those who have been faithful will receive their reward and cast them at the feet of the Lord Jesus. It is He who enables us to gain the reward and to persevere to the end of our lives in faith and hope. He is the Lord and He will decide.

“He who acts unjustly, let him act unjustly still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him do righteousness still. He who is holy, let him be holy still.”

Revelation 22:11

Let us be honest and be as we are. Let us bring our sins and spiritual infirmities to Christ who can deal with them truly and help us to change. But we must be honest with ourselves about how we are and what we are like. Let is be just, righteous and holy with sincerity and truth and if we are filthy, may we seek cleansing from Christ.

If we do what is right and are righteous people, made righteous by the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end of days, then we will have the right to eternal life and to eat the fruit of that tree of life. We will be able to enter the city of light with the multitude of the redeemed people of God. We will be free from the sin that clings to us now, and the cloying effects of the filthiness that infests us in our lives. We will be finally and freely made righteous, completely righteous and able to live in that bright land. He who has begun the work in us will complete it for He is the Beginning and the End. We who have been regarded as the last in this world’s thinking will now be the first in the kingdom of God, for our Saviour is the First and the Last.

All who carry on in their lives in false ways, will be left out of the city. It is important that we are honest with ourselves about where we stand with God and what our spiritual state is before the Lord and not in our own eyes. It is better to see our own filthiness and face up to it, and seek the forgiveness from the Lord that to gloss over the sin and failure and never face the truth about ourselves. All liars and false people will never enter that place for there is no place for them to be. We must also be sure to stay away from every appearance of evil that we are not caught up in the doctrine of falsehood and Antichrist. These doctrines are full of hypocrisy and lying and this must not be a feature of the life of the Believer.

We are to “do His commandments” and keep the law of God whole-heartedly and with great love for the Lord and His ways. We are to be baptised, according to the truth about that ordinance, and remember the Lord in the taking of the Communion, to remember always what he has done for us. We must not neglect any of the Lord’s commands and keep ourselves faithful to Him.

The Lord Jesus has sent this angel to John and for our benefit to teach us and comfort the believers about the truth of His coming. Jesus speaks to the churches and remonstrates with them about the state they are in, that they might be in order for the great day. This is so cogent today. We must examine ourselves and our situations and ensure they are measuring unto the standards set out in chapters 1 and 2 of this book. We will face the Lord to give account for the work that He has given us to do and we must be ready. Christ has begun this book with a vision of Himself and now ends the book with His signature at the end. He is the First and the Last…

Jesus is from the line of David and has fulfilled all the prophecies about Him so far, and will fulfil these prophecies too. He is the Bright and Morning Star and invites us to come into His light and be refreshed. He is the brightness of the heavenly city and will shine forever in that place. He is the sun of our souls and the brightness of the skies above the city and in its very heart. Those who have served him will shine with Him.

“Those who are wise will shine as the brightness of the expanse. Those who turn many to righteousness will shine as the stars forever and ever.”

Daniel 12:3

The Spirit of God and the Bride of Christ invite the outsiders to come to the Lord. The people of God witness and offer the message of the gospel to lost souls that they will seek the Lord and be forgiven and come into the kingdom. Jesus invites us to thirst after the water of life, that we will come to Him to quench our spiritual thirst and find Him to be all that He says He will be.

“Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

Isaiah 55:1

Beloved, the vision is almost over. What difference has it made to you? Do you seek the Lord, and seek the further depths of the Living Word, or has it all been an interesting aside? We cannot ignore the clear revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ and dare not pass it over as information. Those who belong to the Lord, are comforted by the victory that is ours in the coming days, as we wait expectantly for the arrival of the Lord Jesus from heaven to take us there forever.

“He who testifies these things says, “Yes, I come quickly.” Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus.”

Revelation 22:20

Will we join the saints and angels who rejoice in this fact and keep our eyes on the skies…

Faithful and True

“He said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord God of the spirits of the prophets sent his angel to show to his bondservants the things which must happen soon.”

“Behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

Now I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who had shown me these things. He said to me, “See you don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers, the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

Revelation 22:6-9

The Words are faithful and true because they are spoken by the “Faithful and True”

The Rider on the White Horse, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.

“I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns.”

Revelation 19: 11-12

God has sent His Spirit in the voice of the prophets to show His servants, His beloved people in every generation the things that are to come. We have the first promise in this chapter of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Behold, I come quickly…”

And so He will for those who are obedient to the words of this book and to the prophecies contained in it. We keep to the words of the prophecy of the Word of God and disregard all other words. We look for the coming of our Saviour Jesus and to none other. As we have been already warned, we watch out with eyes and ears for false prophets who peddle unbelief in the living God and put themselves in the place of God. We stick closely by the Holy Scriptures and look only to the things that we have been taught by the prophets and Apostles of God.

John vindicates the sight and sound of the vision by admitting that he has seen it and heard it. When he has seen the sights and heard the sounds he falls down like one dead before the angel of the Lord, but the angel tells him not to worship him but God alone. The angel is mighty, but is only a messenger as John is also, such is the humility of the angel of God. The angel tells John to worship God.

John is greatly lifted up and encouraged in his human plight and the angel shows him that he is with the brothers in Christ and with the prophets of God. What a great band of brothers to belong to, but so mistaken and rejected, as Christ is mistaken and rejected. We stand with Him and wait on Him to lift us up at the right moment and vindicate our lives and our faith.

“You will be established in righteousness. You will be far from oppression, for you will not be afraid, and far from terror, for it shall not come near you.Behold, they may gather together, but not by me. Whoever gathers together against you will fall because of you. “Behold, I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame, and forges a weapon for his work; and I have created the destroyer to destroy.No weapon that is formed against you will prevail; and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the LORD’s servants, and their righteousness is of me,” says the LORD.”

Isaiah 54:14-17

Beloved, let us be encouraged to follow our Saviour closely and listen only to Him and His word. He is coming. Soon and His reward is with Him. Let us not bother about the snipping of others or the gossip that surrounds us like a cloud, but rejoice that we are counted as one of that multitude that will inhabit eternity forever. Our saviour is “Faithful and True” and we can depend on Him to keep His promises and do what He says He will do.

“Behold, I come quickly. My reward is with me, to repay to each man according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Revelation 22:12-13

He will come…

A little encouragement…

We awaken in the morning and the coming of the sun is heralded by the sunbeams and we see the shadows on the ground and feel the heat that tells us the day is coming. So, one great day, the Son will return and bring an end to this day of sin and darkness that is this world. We will be fully and freely Redeemed and The Lamb of God will defeat all our enemies. We will be forever safe in His embrace.

“They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

Revelation 17:14

The River of Life

“He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will be no curse any more. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no night, and they need no lamp light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.”

Revelation 22:1-5

This chapter is all about the heavenly kingdom. We have in these verses, the spectacle of the River of life, which comes from the throne of God. God is the author of all life physical life and spiritual life.

“The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Genesis 2:7

“So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

1 Corinthians 15:45

God gives us our physical life and He gives some spiritual life, through the outworking of his Holy Spirit in the soul of the person. Life comes from the authority of God and at His command. We should treat it as a rich blessing and it is a sin to treat it as cheap and meaningless. Our life in Christ is priceless, as it comes from the source of sacrifice and such deep suffering. We have been given our spiritual lives at such cost and are so valuable to the Lord. Our Christians lives should be full of service and serving and a giving back of the life we owe the Lord Jesus.

The tree of life stands on the side of the river, bearing twelve kind of fruit, the fruit of the lives of the people of God. Their lives yield rich fruit every month, for the twelve months. The work of God in the life of every believer will be worked out according to His purposes and will bear rich fruit for Him. He will oversea and direct their lives so that they do bear fruit and that it will also be for eternity. The fruit they bear will be according to His will and for the increase of His kingdom that every kind of person will be there. The multiples of twelve are the integers of the 140,000 signifying the whole number of the people of God.

The fruit they bear is the spreading of the gospel, specifically its preaching and the fruit of that is the salvation of souls. This is the healing of the nations. The salvation of human souls is the only thing that stops this world from cascading down into spiritual penury and destruction. The gates of salvation are left open to welcome all those who will come to Jesus for their forgiveness and new life.

“…and you will swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness. The nations will bless themselves in him, and they will glory in him.”

Jeremiah 4:2

The curse on humanity has gone. The curse of sin is gone and the effects of it are now long forgotten and cast out of the human mind. Heaven is pure in every way and our minds are finally and freely redeemed. Our souls are set free from the second death and the curse of the law.

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”

Galatians 3:13

Humankind has been under a curse from God because of the sin in our souls and the fact that they are dead. The law of God condemns us and we are under the curse until the freedom in Christ sets us free from it. Only through Christ can we be set free from the curse, and in that heavenly city, the indwelling effects of sin will be gone and we will have complete liberty from it. Christ has redeemed us from this curse once for all and this is the heritage of the saints of God. The law was satisfied through the death for Jesus and the fact that He became a curse for our sake and took away our shame.

God’s eternal authority will rule over the city and all the promises made to his people will be fully carried out. The throne of God will take central place and so all will be peace and joy. This is true in our lives now as well, for when God is in His rightful place in our lives we can enjoy these blessings now. We will serve our Saviour in that heavenly place and will rejoice with Him in joy unspeakable. We don’t know what that service will be, but it will bring joy to His heart and ours.

His glorious name will be on our foreheads and we will be identified with Him and belong fully to Him. The Holy Spirit will indwell each heart and fill each life with His presence and holiness. All spiritual darkness and failure will be dispelled and the light of Christ will forever shine in our minds and souls. We will reign with Him forever and ever. This is what it means to be a child of God and a servant of Christ.

The river of life from the throne of God will nurture the tree of life, which yields the fruit of our spiritual lives in Christ and will heal the nations of the world with the coolness and freshness of its leaves. Spiritual life will attend the growth of this tree forever and ever. It is a perpetual picture of the work of God and the salvation of human souls for His glory, and the work of the Holy Spirit in that work.

“Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD. On his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.”

Psalm 1:1-3

The light of the city

“I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple. The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk in its light. The kings of the earth bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. Its gates will in no way be shut by day (for there will be no night there), and they shall bring the glory and the honour of the nations into it so that they may enter. There will in no way enter into it anything profane, or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

There is no need of places of worship, because the atmosphere and culture of heaven is all worship. We will be able to worship the Lord truly and fully in that glorious place and there will be no barriers or embarrassment about our expression to the Lord. The Almighty God, and the Lamb of God will be the everlasting portion of the redeemed people of God.

The glory of the LORD is the light in that blessed place, and the sun and moon are not needed any more. It will be perpetual day and the sun of the glory of the Lord will shine out at all times. The Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ is the lamp that lights the way of the saints of God.

“Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the Lord’s glory has risen on you.”

Isaiah 60:1

The glorious light is now universal and forever shines in that country of eternal light. There is no other source but Christ, for He is the light of the world, this world and the world to come. All the nations of the world will walk in that light for the body of Christ, the people of God, are called from every nation, tribe and tongue. They will walk on shining, clear, gold, which is commonplace and the glassy sea, substances not known in this world. These are only glimpses of that eternal land, and we look forward to it with bated breath. The Queens and Kings of the world to come will bring the honour of all the nations into this kingdom where every culture is celebrated in the light of the heavenly culture. There will be total inclusion and none will be shut out or left out, for they are all redeemed by the blood of Christ and will forever worship and love Him with a perfect obedience and love. We will be free….

The gates are open always for there are no dangers and no darkness. All is bright and we will have eyes to see it and enjoy it always and ever.

“Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no one passed through you, I will make you an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. You will also drink the milk of the nations, and will nurse from royal breasts. Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Saviour, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Isaiah 60:15-16

Nothing and no one who is contaminated with the disease of sin will be there. It will be a pure place and full of the holiness of the Lord. All those who love God and adore His person and holiness will enjoy that place, all outsiders will be forever cast away. The people in that place have their names written in heaven, before the world was, in the Lamb’s book of life. None of them are lost or were unable to find their way to the Lord.

“Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:37-40

Beloved, for the Christian believer, all is light and joy already. No matter what our exterior circumstances might be, we rejoice with joy unspeakable at what is ahead for us. Christ has overcome or us and we also overcome in the power of the Holy Spirit and in His love we live our lives in this sure and certain hope that we will rise victorious over all ills.

Measurement of the city

“He who spoke with me had for a measure, a golden reed, to measure the city, its gates, and its walls. The city lies foursquare, and its length is as great as its breadth. He measured the city with the reed, Twelve thousand twelve stadia. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Its wall is one hundred forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass. The foundations of the city’s wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; and the twelfth, amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was made of one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”

The angel who has spoken to John has a golden reed, to measure the city. It has been made to special requirements.

“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also.”

John 14:3

The size and dimensions of the city echo the multiples of twelve theme, for the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve Apostles. We also have the recurrence of the number 144, reminding us of the 144,000 who’ll make up the city fo God – the sum total of the people of God.

“These are the exits of the city: On the north side four thousand and five hundred reeds by measure; and the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel…”

Ezekiel 48:30

The city is a massive cube made for transparent glass with the golden theme also included. The glass is for purity and the Holness of that place, reserved for the elect and redeemed people of God. It is gold, which is for the majesty and glory of this place, where the bodies and souls of sinful people have been cleansed in the precious blood of Christ and now glorified, made immortal and incorruptible.

The foundation are full of precious stones, signifying the doctrines of the Word of God which shine out so brightly in a darkened world and now made so glorious in this brilliant place. The walls shine like Japser, a clear stone for the holiness of the Lord and brilliant to show His glory and eternal majesty.

There is a list of the precious stones in the foundations all with some meanings. Japser for purity and majesty; Sapphire blue as the sky and precious and long lasting; Chalcedony which was regarded as the diamond on the breastplate of the High priest; Emerald, green on which Judah’s name was written, the remnant of the people of God; Onyx stone, on which was written the name of Joseph, the Saviour of His people and the Egyptians; Topaz; Beryl; Sardius; Chrysolite, like gold; Chrysoprasus, also like gold; Jacinth; Amethyst. These twelve jewels bedecked the breastplate of the High Priest in Old Testament times and denote the full number of the twelve tribes, the people of God. They shine like jewels in the heavenly city.

“The Lord their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people; for they are like the jewels of a crown, lifted on high over his land.For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty!”

Zechariah 9:16-17

The twelve gates are pearls, indicating Christ Jesus, the Pearl of great price. Through faith in Him is the only way into the city. He alone is the precious one. He is the shepherd of the sheep and the only way into the sheepfold. This city is totally accessible from all directions and there is free movement in and out because of the safety that Christ affords.

“I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture. The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.”

John 10:9-10

“He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead those who have their young.”

Isaiah 40:11

The measurement are very precise and deliberate.The city has been planned and prepared like the Bride for her husband and like the home that God is preparing for those who love him and wait for Him. Everything is planned and purposed for the people of God in this life on earth and also in this heavenly city. The LORD loves His people and wants the best for them. He is even now preparing that place for all who love Him.

“Things which an eye didn’t see, and an ear didn’t hear, which didn’t enter into the heart of man, these God has prepared for those who love him.” But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.:

1 Corinthians 2:9-10

Beloved, the place is prepared for you, and all things are ready. We must also be ready and waiting for our Lord to come for us.

The New Jerusalem

“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were loaded with the seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the wife, the Lamb’s bride.” He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it was a jasper stone, clear as crystal; having a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. On the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.”

Revelation 21:9-14

The angel with the damming bowls of the last plagues now shows John something most delightful. His eyes are now spared the sight of the misery of human disobedience and are filled with the delights of the kingdom of God coming as the New Jerusalem. It is the sight of the Bride of the Lamb, the entire body of the people of God, all redeemed finally and fully from the cloying effects of their sin and their robes made white with the righteousness of Christ. They are adorned in these robes as their covering of holiness that they might worship the Lord and serve Him forever in that holy place.

The angel carried John away to a high mountain, his mind full of the Holy Spirit and His eyes lifted to the vision. He is permitted to see the sight of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem in great glory, the glory given to her by God. She is made righteous and beautiful and dressed in the gold of Ophir, as the bride is dressed for her husband.

John describes the city of gold. It has a light that was like Jasper, a most precious stone that gives clear light and speaks of the glory of God, shining a clear as crystal.

It has a high wall, and no one will enter this city except through the gates. It is the city of God, pure and secure and no one will enter falsely, or without the righteous robes of Christ. These walls are the power of God which preserves His people, both now on earth and then in heaven. No hurtful thing will trouble them ever again. There will be no thieves and robbers in this city as there were in the parable of the sheepfold, where the sheep were in danger of false shepherds and ravening wolves, but there is safety and security here, as all evil is now gone.

The city has twelve gates, with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written on them, as a testament to the faithfulness of the servants of the Lord in preserving His Word and His ways. The way into the city is through these gates, through the Word of God preserved for us in the Bible and written by the servants of the Lord. There is no other way in. We believe because of the message of the prophets of old who foretold the days of the Messiah and the coming Saviour for all who believe. We see the clear truths about Christ and the gospel age in the New Testament and the message of the gospel is proclaimed with power and persuasion. We hear the message and believe, through the inner work of the Holy Spirit who brings us to repentance and gives us the faith to believe. The work of God in the lives of these redeemed people is now complete. The Spirit fills their lives, minds, heart in every way and they are holy to the Lord.

Only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the message of forgiveness can we enter into the city of God. It is only through repentance and faith in the death of Christ that we can be saved and have a new life, a life worthy of this eternal place.

The city is orderly and is designed in a pattern of the four walls to make the square and the walls with three gates in each of them. There is equal access into the city for the elect people of God and they can come in and go out and find pasture.

“I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.”

John 10:9

The gates were made of pearl, for the way into the city is through Christ, the Pearl of great price.

The city has twelve foundations which hold up and support the walls. They have the names of the twelve Apostles on them as the church is built on the teaching and doctrine of the Apostles, as we find it in the New Testament.

“So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone; in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.”

Ephesians 2:19-22

The Apostles are described as the twelve Apostles of the Lamb, for they recorded and taught accurately the whole council of God and laid down the doctrines of the Word so that the church would grow and become this beautiful city of the Living God. These names are for their everlasting remembrance for their faithfulness and holiness.

So, all those who are living in this heavenly city are the people of God who are now protected by the power of the Lord and the Holy Spirit in great security and love. No one or nothing will trouble them again and they will be full of the Holy Spirit and full of the ways of the LORD. We look for this holy city with great joy and anticipation. It is our Christians heritage and our home culture. We arrange our lives and live in the light of the reality for his place and obey the Lord, that we might be fit to enter in.

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

Hebrews 11:8-10

All the saints of old had this same heavenly hope that we now possess and placed their faith in the God who could bring them there.

“Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

Hebrews 11:14-16

Beloved this is our hope and eternal security. Let us let our eyes to the skies and wait in great expectation for the Lord to return. He will for sure, and it could be any day now. The signs and signals are all in place… let us be ready with out lights burning brightly for His coming.

The Alpha and Omega

“He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.” He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son. But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.”

Revelation 21:5-8

There is one who sits on the throne of heaven and rules over all things. He is called “Faithful and True” and He is faithful and true. No one is above Him or ever could be. He is the Lord of all and the mighty conqueror of all evil.

Revelation 19:11-12

After all these cataclysmic events, He will make all things new. The heavens and the earth will pass away with fervent heat and all sinners will be assigned to their place away from God. The slate will be clean and righteousness will reign in the New Jerusalem. The people of God will be finally and completely redeemed and all trouble is now gone. The conquering Saviour has now entered His kingdom and is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world and the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The wedding supper is under way and time and space have given way to the realms of eternal bliss.

He proclaims that the salvation is complete and His eternal work is done. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending and all will know it will rejoice and be glad. The good and the holy has overcome and all evil now languishes in the lake of fire as the second death.

These are in the list included in these verses – cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars. We must flee from these things and seek the forgiveness for our personal sin. We must be sorry, fearful, terrified, that we might not be included. We are thirsty for the water of life and it is available to us, from the Lord Jesus Himself. He is able to give us living water that will quench the thirst in our souls, for Him and His forgiveness.

He is willing to save us and calls to us to come and get the water we crave.

“Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

Isaiah 55:1

The offer still stands and the spring is still open. Christ is willing to accept us with no money or any good thing to give Him. We come as repentant sinners and find the water of life. We find inclusion in the family of God and the adoption into His family as daughters and sons of the kingdom. The price is free and the mercy is complete.

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God. For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.”

Romans 8:14-17

This God is our God and His love will reign supreme. All those who reject Him, will suffer the consequences of that dreadful choice. Those who answer the call of God and come to Him are brought into the family circle and no one can take them away from the Father or from the Saviour’s love.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

John 10:27-30

The church of Jesus Christ will reign supreme with Him and all the troubles and trials and every thing that causes us to shed tears or have fear or disappointment, will all be gone. The re will be no remembrance of our sicknesses, suffering or persecutions, for all things will be made new. We will dwell in complete happiness with the ability to enjoy like we do not have now. The joy will spring from our lives with vitality and rejoicing and we will praise God in everything that we find ourselves doing. These activities are secret to us now, but one day soon will be revealed.

This is the destiny of all who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and do not give way to the craven fear of this world’s earthly philosophies. All the cowardly who reject faith and run from the trust in the Lord and embrace unbelief will suffer the second death and be forever lost.

Beloved, do not find yourself on this side of the great divide.

“He is ‘the stone which was regarded as worthless by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner.’ There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!”

Acts 4:11-12

Here, at the end of the book, we are back again to the beginning assertion, the Lord Jesus is the faithful witness and the ever-loving Saviour of His people. All glory, power and dominion belong to Him for what He has done for us. The is coming again soon, and we must be ready. He is the first in the book and the last. He is the first in the vision and the last. In all things Jesus has the pre-eminence and the first place. He is there at the beginning of the world as its Creator and now at the end as its Lord and God. He is the eternal Almighty God and we worship Him for who He is.

“Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood; and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. All the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:5-8

All things new

“I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:1-4

Beloved, these things are closer than we think. They are not obvious to the uninitiated and are not outside the bounds of present reality. The Lord lingers, that the elect will be gathered in, but His footstep hovers on the threshold of the door. The end will come and the LORD will be exalted and we bless His glorious name for that fact. We wait with great expectation, every day could be the last, and the things of this world pale into less and less significance. We must be ready – our households must be ready as in the days of the Passover. We must be ready to flee.

“Let you be dressed and your lamps burning. Be like men watching for their lord, when he returns from the wedding feast; that when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open to him. Blessed are those servants whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Most certainly I tell you that he will dress himself, make them recline, and will come and serve them. They will be blessed if he comes in the second or third watch, and finds them so. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you don’t expect him.”

Luke 12:35-40

The earth has passed away and we see into another new domain, the heavenly scene where the new heaven and new earth has been constituted. All divisions have gone and there is a new reason for living and being. We do not know what that will be like, for we would not understand it in this body and mind. We must wait for the glorified body and the renewed mind.

John sees the holy city, The New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, adorned with the gold of Ophir for her wedding day. A loud voice announces the arrival of the bride, which is the entire body of the people of God. Death has long been annihilated from their psyche and all tears, mourning sorrow and pain has passed away, never to be remembered any more. All the things of this life that we remember now and that hurt us will not even enter our minds and we will be taken up with the beauty of Christ and each other as we stand in His glorious presence. This is the day we have waited for all our Christians lives and this is the day when we will fully enter into our inheritance of the saints of God.

“Listen, daughter, consider, and turn your ear. Forget your own people, and also your father’s house. So the king will desire your beauty, honour him, for he is your lord. The daughter of Tyre comes with a gift. The rich among the people entreat your favour. The princess inside is all glorious. Her clothing is interwoven with gold. She shall be led to the king in embroidered work. The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to you. With gladness and rejoicing they shall be led. They shall enter into the king’s palace.”

Psalm 45:10-15

It is difficult for us to think about how different heaven could be or what the reality of the scene in the vision will be like. We cannot visualise it, nor should we try to do so, for it is outside the bounds of our understanding at present. We have not received our glorified bodies and minds and therefore are not prepared for that glorious time. We think about it with longing and with desire, for it is the sure and certain hope of the Christian believer. It goes beyond the grave, the grave is beaten already and death is already vanquished, so we look beyond in the light of the day of heaven and rejoice. Our dearly Belovèd will be there and we will see Him face to face and speak with Him in person.

We look at this scene sparingly for we must endure the troubles of this life and overcome them to receive the reward in that better land. There will be rewards and crowns and we shall lay them at the feet of Him who made it all possible for us to do what we did for Him and for His people. We keep our eyes on Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, and the one who will bring us safely to that heavenly shore.

“But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable multitudes of angels, to the festal gathering and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel.”

Hebrews 12:22-24

In the troubles of this life and present reality, we lift our minds eye to that glorious time and know that we will be there, because of our Saviour. This is the source our comfort when all earthly lights go out and all comforts in this world fades. When others leave, we know He will never leave us and will bring us safely to our heavenly home. This is the Christian’s great hope. This situation will not last and God will one day lift us high and give us our full and free salvation of body, mind and soul. We struggle as yet, but only for a short time. Our doubts and fears are not forever, and deliverance is near. Sin will not always trouble us, and one day it will be gone for good. Until then, we fight and pray and obey the Lord in all things.

“What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!”

Romans 7:24-25

Daughters of the Kingdom

Women who glorify God