"And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is near." And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Reuchlin. To use this passage as an argument for verbal inspiration is an error. All rights reserved. So I dug it up and got it out of the napkin and it's all preserved. By his wounds you have been healed. In the ancient days, since all books were hand-copied by scribes and everyone knew how easy it was for a scribe to make mistakes in the copying, it was a regular custom to insert at the end of a book a solemn warning against change. Now there was nothing more repulsive and fatal to paganism in every form than the truth revealed in Christ, which exposed every thing that was not itself not the truth, definite and exclusive. It is called "the first resurrection." But it is what each saint has, though the blessed thought here is that the church has it not merely in the way of each person possessing his own; the bride has the whole of it (that is, the church in glory). Revelation 22:2 NKJV - In the middle of its | Biblia To call a man a morning star was to class him very high among the heroes. Behold ( Revelation 22:6-7 ). Babylon was the spurious church as long as it was a question of the church, and the final corrupter when it could be no question of this longer, and there went forth the closing testimony of God. The Tree of Life: One Tree or Many? (Revelation 22:2) But we can understand that the Lord could and did make that little go far, and do no little good. [11] William Barclay, The Revelation of John (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976), p. 221. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations. This it is precisely which will bring out the indignant judgment of God upon the last phase of Babylon, so that the guilt of all the blood shed on the earth shall be imputed to her, and she may be judged accordingly. This is of great importance, because if the new Jerusalem be, as I have no doubt it is, the bride the Lamb's wife, then we have her separate condition asserted in eternity. (ii) This is far from being an unique ending to an ancient book. But Lord it has been nineteen hundred years. We shall find, on the contrary, its aspect is toward the universe, yet is there the special place of Israel; and quite right it is that it should be so. This remains true also in its own place, as we shall find; and when it is a question of reward, this is precisely the grand point; but when it is a question of the bride above, that is the way in which it is presented here, as we may see clearly from verse 8. There is no lack of precision, but the very reverse. The closing phrase here is the description of the beast in its last state, in which it will come into collision with Babylon. Next they will seize her resources. "Don't do that. There never has been a like experience. How we need to walk in the light of God's Word.I'm sort of excited about the possibility of starting all over again, getting back into Genesis where it all began and see how the Lord works from the beginning to the end. Not so good. "Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. The leaves which are for the healing of the nations in Revelation 22:2 is derived from the word which refers to tribes of people, particularly the tribes of Jacob/Israel (e.g. "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have not yet received a kingdom; but they receive authority as kings (not at but for) one hour with the beast." Revelation 22:2 KJV: In the midst of the street of it, and on either And the beast was taken" (taken alive), "and with him the false prophet that wrought signs in his presence, with which he deceived those that received the mark of the beast, and those that worshipped his image." But the church consists of souls called out from the earth, and is not of the world: consequently to the church the time is always at hand. [Note: McGee, 5:1075.]. When the hour comes that is spoken of here, it is not for us, but for those who will be found after we are gone. By FGPolito Apr 28, 2023, 6:00pm PDT. He also rips off an arm to use as a sword, Counting and finding real solutions of an equation, Using an Ohm Meter to test for bonding of a subpanel. But now there is but one throne: Christ judges the dead. Now we've closed things out. The gospel of John and the Revelation perfectly disclose both, whether in grace or in judgment. "And no curse shall be any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him." Capnionis, which was used by Erasmus, and lately discovered after a long obscurity by Dr. Delitzsch, reads (not ) . But He "treadeth the winepress of the fury of the wrath of the Almighty God" another character of judgment never attributed to the saints, that I know of. "And let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.". "Complete Commentary on Revelation 22:2". The nations are groups of people in the new creation viewed according to their old creation divisions (cf. After that we have the admonitions to the end of this book. The river deepened the further it flowed. And he said to me: "See that you do not do this. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, beholding the beast that he was, and is not, and shall be present." The healing of these nations takes place, in and through the Gospel, when it is preached and taught, received and obeyed, by individual members of those nations. On either side of the river is the tree of life[ a] with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. It may be the Spirit who is operative in all the prophets and who is always calling men back to God. And 2. It is going to be a neat tree. For according to unquestionable testimony the Reuchlinian copy has like some half-dozen cursives, which was probably a mistake for . "The tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, their God. Sometimes, again, they have sought to turn it aside toward Jerusalem in her corrupt state. There is no paradox in the message whatever. Cursed be man, by the sweat of his brow shall he earn his bread" Genesis 3:18-19 ), and so forth. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life ( Proverbs 14:27). "And if any one was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire." 26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert place. But along with that God warns of her ruin, and calls on His people (verse 4) to come out of her. Revelation 22:2 ESV - through the middle of the | Biblia On each side of the river stood the tree of life,(A) bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. "Oh, he's a spiritual man." The Risen Christ once again announces his speedy coming; and he makes two great claims. Not because any of their names were written therein, but in proof that they were not. But the graphic account does not end until the Spirit of God shows us another view of Babylon altogether. In Second Enoch there is the picture of a river in Paradise, which issues in the third heaven, which flows from beneath the tree of life, and which divides into four streams of honey, milk, wine, and oil (2Enoch 8:5). It is altogether foreign to history. It was the barbarians who brought in the prevalent ideas of liberty as well as feudalism, and accordingly it is they that have firmly stood for freedom; so that all the efforts to reconstitute the empire which have been tried over and over again have hitherto issued in total failure. Once again he stresses the truth of all that John has seen and heard. "You remember the one who received the five talents? (3.) That is, there was first the literal Babylon, of course; but here it is symbolical. The situation of it--in the midst of the street, and on either side the river; or, as might have been better rendered, in the midst between the terrace-walk and the river. They received their power as kings when the beast ceased to exist. ", Dont dream of the river of the water of life only as in a future heaven. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. I say not on but over the earth. With God, says the Psalmist, is the fountain of life ( Psalms 36:9). So we find the Lord has room for all that is the fruit of His own grace only, for the appeal of grace, even when there is not the answer to it. Then the book concludes after a solemn warning against either adding to or taking from its contents. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There is an indication in Hosea that for two days Israel will be as dead, but in the third day God will revive them and they will live before him. Could making all things new be a reference to healing which starting [Acts 3:21] in this world continues after "the first earth had passed away"? It is a gift of God. These compose the third class here spoken of. 1. It is interesting.God is going to have a tree that has twelve different kinds of fruit and every month a fruit will be ripe. (ii) "Let him that hears say: Come!" ", Remember that this description of the river of life flowing through the city of God is part of the description of the church. In the preface to his book On Origins, Rufinus adjures in the sight of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, anyone who reads or copies his book, not to add, subtract, insert, or alter anything. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing 12 crops of fruit. The judgment of the dead is strictly individual, judgments in this world are not. Where does "the healing of the nations" occur? And so I do believe that the day of the Lord is at hand. It is altogether unfeasible, and it shows how carelessly we read the Bible that people are not stopped by such an expression. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years." A paradise in a city, or a whole city in a paradise! "The nations shall walk in the light of it," Any one of spiritual judgment can see that it should not be "nations of them which are saved." Man alone is to blame who has misapplied it. "And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, that hath kingship over the kings of the earth." In the first eight verses of Revelation 21:1-27 we have the new heaven and the new earth, but besides, awful to say, the lake of fire. All the streams of earthly comfort are muddy; but these are clear, salutary, and refreshing, giving life, and preserving life, to those who drink of them. *It is the aorist in Greek, which in such a case as this it is difficult correctly to represent in English; for neither "reigned" nor "hath reigned" could convey that God had entered on His kingdom, but rather that it was past. The fruitfulness of this tree. "And his name is called The Word of God." So, during part of the year we could pick the Valencia oranges, during the winter months pick the navel oranges, and in the meantime, eat the grapefruit and have lemonade. (i) It is not to be interpreted with absolute literalness. It does not hinder, of course, that in the judgment of the dead each man is judged for his own sin. Summary: Many churches have forsaken the Word of God and embraced worldly views of right and wrong. The glorified saints are to administer power in a way far beyond angels. We do not mend matters by hasty conclusions, we only complicate the truth. It may be that John is deliberately sounding again many of the themes which run through his book, and bringing on the stage many of the characters for a final message. The sun has disappeared, dissipated, gone. The leaves of the tree will heal the nations. in the middle of its street. Victorious power put forth to subdue is the meaning of the white horse. The presence and perfections of God furnish out all the glory and blessedness of heaven. It is a description, not of Babylon's relation to the beast, but of the city's fall, with certain dirges put into the mouth of the different classes that groan because of her extinction here below. The regular ending of the letters to the seven Churches is an invitation to hear what the Spirit is saying ( Revelation 2:7; Revelation 2:11; Revelation 2:17; Revelation 2:29; Revelation 3:6; Revelation 3:13; Revelation 3:22). At its back is the river which watered the Garden of Eden and made it fruitful ( Genesis 2:8-16). When its own season arrives, as it surely will, the divine hindrance is to be removed, and the devil then is allowed to do his worst. In Revelation 22:2, the reference to the nations is found to be the same Greek word, that is, ethnos. 22:6-9 And he said to me: "These words are trustworthy and true, for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show to his servants the things which must speedily happen. "Oh, how my heart yearns for the Lord to come and the establishing of His kingdom. They "lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.". Isaiah 53:4-5 ( ESV ), "[14] We still use this idiom, for example, when we remark that, "The date palm grows in southern California." ", John echoed Ezekiel's words in Revelation 22:2, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. This phrase shows man's part in salvation. This gives great beauty to the imagery. Wallace points out the twelve applied to the apostles and the furit applied to the apostolic teaching and was all sufficient source of spiritual sustenance. More than half of the nation's Black population (56%) lived in Southern states in 2021, up from a . It is not now the temple opened there, and the ark of the covenant seen when Israel's security is seen, as the object of God's counsels; nor is it a door opened above, as we saw it when the prophet was giving his introduction to the prophecy of God's dealings with the world as a whole, though in both cases all manifestly clusters round the Lord Jesus. 19. What Is the Tree of Life? - Blog - Eternal Perspective Ministries The answer here hinges on the meaning of the word (therapeia) in Rev 22:2. 22:17 The Spirit and the Bride say: Come! b. (1.) By the tree of life is meant not the Gospel, nor godliness, nor eternal life, nor any other of the divine Persons, but Christ, who is the author of life, natural, spiritual, and eternal; ( See Gill on Revelation 2:7) and its situation between the street of the city, where the saints commune and converse together, and the river of God's You should be making fresh discoveries about Jesus Christ which you had never known before--Is your experience ankle deep--or, "a river to swim in? Then comes not the destruction only of these rebels by divine judgment, but the dissolution of heaven and earth. Revelation 22:2 Sermons: in the middle of its street. There stands the solemn brand graven, not on the blasphemous beast, but on the forehead of its rider, "Mystery, Babylon the great." And Jesus sits on the great white throne. The idea in the mind of the writer is that of Eden or Paradise; but it is not the Eden of the book of Genesis, or the Oriental or Persian Paradise: it is a picture where all is combined, that in the view of the writer would constitute beauty, or contribute to happiness. John takes his picture of the tree of life from two sources--from the tree in the Garden of Eden ( Genesis 3:6); and even more from Ezekiel. Who are the "Nations", Greek ethnos, as found in Revelation 21:24? Instead of taking warning from the wickedness of those before her, who had seduced on the one hand, and persecuted. NAIROBI, Kenya As war consumes Sudan, nations from around the world have mobilized swiftly. But there is a time coming when power will cease to be ordained of God; and this is the point to which the last condition of the beast refers. 34 And the eunuch said to Philip, About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 385 Comments / 385 New. "Hey, Lord, I know you are an austere man. The account in Ezekiel is this: "And by the river, upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade-it shall bring forth new fruit, according to his months - and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine;" Ezekiel 47:12. Thus the language of symbol is as definite as any other. This being so, it adds immense clearness in the understanding of the book. It is written to be believed, not to be ignored or explained away. Where does "the healing of the nations" occur? Revelation 22:2? Yet one allows freely a partial application already. Afterwards we come to the description of itself, of its wall, its building, its foundations, and its gates. Enoch 25:2ff; IV Esdras 7:53; 8:52; II Enoch 8:3). I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last ( Revelation 22:13 ). It produces the perfect worship; where God is always seen, all life becomes an act of worship. I do not suppose that many words are required by the present audience to show that we are not to understand the scene as a mere figure of Christianity. People of all nations inhabit the city, adding colour and splendour, yet there is complete purity, because sin is excluded (24-27). "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away." H. B. Swete takes the first two parts as an appeal to Christ to fulfil his promise and come quickly back to this world; and he takes the third part as an invitation to the thirsty soul to come to Christ. There is another remark to make. Amen.You didn't think I could do it, did you? Which bare twelve manner of fruits - Producing twelve fruit-harvests; not (as our version) twelve manner of fruits (Prof. Stuart). The principle is very clear. And you do things to give them that kind of a feeling, you learn to close your eyes at the proper time and fold your hands and you learn to talk in such a way that it sort of oozes of righteousness and spirituality, so that people they can just talk to you and know that you walk close to God. Bombshell revelation of Trump election texts is 'more damning' than his R. H. Charles points out that this warning may not be part of the original book at all. If this is "heaven" why would healing be necessary? And yielded her fruit every month - The word "and" is also supplied by the translators, and introduces an idea which is not in the original, as if there was not only a succession of harvests, which is in the text, but that each one differed from the former, which is not in the text. You don't want to get into that. "Let your light so shine before men that when they see your good works they glorify your Father which is in heaven"( Matthew 5:16 ), because we will be rewarded according to those works that have right motivation. A mighty angel takes a stone and says, when he cast it into the sea, "Thus with violence shall be thrown down Babylon the great city, and shall be found no more at all." I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and the morning star. Lights, whether natural or artificial, are unnecessary, because God's glory fills every place (22-23). "The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (Revelation 22:2d) Just like in Ezekiel's vision, the leaves of the trees that grow alongside this river of life are for healing. On either side of the river was a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Ezekiel 47:12. I do not, of course, complain of particular persons, but of the general vagueness in which the passage has been taken unless, indeed, the more common course be not to ignore it. But it really is. "And here is the mind which hath wisdom. There was judicial discernment with the distinct possession of all titles to sovereignty. For his life is taken away from the earth.. Thus there is no question that some of the actors in the final scenes of the great drama were already there, as the reigning city, and the Roman empire. "Flesh and blood," we know, "cannot inherit the kingdom of God." 1. It was but an imperfect view they got even of justification; a far scantier perception, if they could be said to have had any, about Christ's Headship of the church, His priesthood, or almost anything else. II. [Note: For an amillennial study of the symbolism used in Genesis 2-3 and Revelation 21:9-22:5, as ancient cosmography used the figures of a garden, a city, and a mountain, see Ken Olles and Warren Gage, "The City of God and the Cities of Men."] there is no sword proceeding out of our mouth; nor are the saints or heavenly hosts said to be arrayed in such a sort as the Lord. But there is a message also for others. Thus everything implies their simultaneous presence for the same time and common action with the beast, in plundering and then destroying Babylon. All rights reserved worldwide. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning, In the midst of the street of it That is, of the city described in the preceding chapter, which shows that this vision belongs to that, and is a continuation of it, and which street was all of pure gold, ( Revelation 21:21 ). Accordingly these are the two main objects of judgment brought before us in the chapter. In the future state of the blessed, that tree will abound, and all may freely partake of it; the emblem, the pledge of immortal life, will be constantly before the eyes, whatever part of the future abode may be traversed, and the inhabitants of that blessed world may constantly partake of it. The river of Gods grace brings a wonderful redemption. See: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7495.htm. "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it; that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you" ( Deuteronomy 4:2). Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Moral unfitness has its just censure; but sovereign grace must be asserted also. Again, death and hades are said to come to their end, personified as enemies. It only takes a minute to sign up. Under the direction of an Accounting Manager, this position will be responsible for work on providing support to managers and staff within the Agency by facilitating and performing administrative or related services, including travel reservations, travel reimbursements, and other payroll-related services. With salvations walls surrounded, Thou mayst smile at all thy foes. Revelation 22:2 . In my opinion it is not absolutely so. (ii) He is Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Hence. We must be impressed by the number of times John insists that Christ will come at any moment ( Revelation 22:7; Revelation 22:10; Revelation 22:12; Revelation 22:20). Revelation 22:2 - KING JAMES BIBLE ONLINE Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus. Since there will be no death in the new earth these leaves will evidently promote wellbeing. Accordingly, "Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me." It is to Jesus. The Tree of Life in the BIble - Meaning & Symbolism - Crosswalk.com This river is described, 1. Thus the divine testimony is not confined to the gospel or the church, but the prophetic Spirit which characterizes the Revelation as a whole, after the church is translated, is equally a testimony of Jesus. down the middle of the great street of the city. I can't imagine such audacity. Here accordingly is seen but one throne. As for the earthly land and city, the moon will have her light increased to that of the sun, and the sun shall be sevenfold. In the eternal city the residents will have access to the tree of life there. So, there will be a medicinal value in the leaves of the tree. The first were such as came out of heaven after Christ, being already raised from the dead and glorified. All the dead are there who had not part in the first resurrection. "And to the bride was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of saints." What it does warn against is distorting the teaching which the book contains. "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood." But that the heart of man even so is not renewed becomes manifest, when Satan at the close deceives all that are not converted; and these, as we are told, are countless "as the sand of the sea.". The leaves of the tree were dfor the healing of the nations. "And the nations shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour unto it. It is no longer a question of sustaining His saints in grace, but of sovereign power for judging the earth. and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. The imagery of abundant fruit and medicinal leaves should be understood as symbolic of the far-reaching effects of the death of Christ in the redeemed community, the Holy City. It was just a thing of grafting into the basic root system the various types of citrus fruits. He then goes on to give, as it were, his credentials. Translation Details for Revelation 22:2 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. Justly does she gather her title from the old fountain of idols and of combined power without God: confusion being here the characteristic element, the designation is taken from the renowned city of the Chaldeans, the first spot notorious in both respects. *It now appears that the Cod. 3 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 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. What our world needs now is to catch a new vision of the realities of the Christian gospel; and, if it should happen, "the leaves of the tree of life" would indeed be the healing of the nations.
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