Revelation 22:1-11 Series

Revelation 22:1-11

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city;

Revelation has been a great study over these last several months and I have really enjoyed it. I feel as though I saw and understood so many new things and it has been amazing.

I want to take us back to the book of John 4:14 and read this verse for us about the woman at the well.

John 4:14 ~ but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Does Jesus say here that He is the water in which he is talking about? Not really, Jesus just says “the water He gives them” but here in Revelation we see that the water flows from the thrones of both God and Jesus. Now being they are on the thrones it may mean that both God and Jesus are where the water comes from meaning it is coming out of them or it could be the thrones themselves in which the water is coming from.

We do understand that the water Jesus is talking about is salvation and salvation comes from faith in Christ and the work of Christ on the cross. We also understand that it was God who sent Jesus to the cross. So this water is not actual water in Revelation but a river of salvation that runs through the streets of this new Jerusalem. It is the flow of the salvation of the saved.

(2) also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

So now let's turn to Genesis 3:22-23

Genesis 3:22-23 ~ Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”

23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.

We have this Tree of Life pulled from The Garden and transplanted into the city of the New Jerusalem. But again is this really talking about a tree? Many think it is a metaphor for Jesus.

John 15:5 ~ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Tree/Vine it may be close enough for the same meaning. If that is the case then the Tree of Life that God was talking about in the Garden was Jesus.

Back in Revelation 2:7 ~ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

So I'm not sure we can 100% say the Tree of Life is Jesus but it is something else to think about.

The twelve fruit, well some say it is tied to somethings Ezekiel but I don't think that's clear.

3 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. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 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.

What a beautiful image John must be seeing based upon these descriptions.

6 And he said to me (angel), “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.”

So this angel is just reminding John that this is a vision from God and it is a revelation of things to come. The angel says the reason for this book is to show us for what is to come. Why? So that we can prepare ourselves for these things and for the great battle.

7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”