Revelation 22
There was once a very rich man who wanted to take his money with him to the afterlife. So he was buried with a huge sack of gold bars that he would take with him to Heaven. It was a massive effort, but he managed. Utterly exhausted, drenched in sweat, with blisters covering his hands, he arrived at the Pearly Gates. “Welcome,” said the angel. “But tell me, why did you bring a big bag of tar for the road with you?”
The point of the joke is this: what we experience now is nothing compared to what we are going to experience. The best in this world is a thousand times worse than the worst in the world to come. We’re not missing out on anything by choosing Jesus now! What we miss out on is Heaven’s rubbish. Gold is bits of tar (asphalt). The best in this world is cheap instant coffee - heaven is the finest beans. (Or “fruit-tea” against a cup of Ceylon tea from England)!
It will be this world version 2. Rebooted, recreated. Made new. Everything and everyone, including us. No sin! We will be where we’ve always wanted to be. Free from sin! No longer carrying the burden of sin. And so there will be no pain, nor sickness, nor sorrow nor death. Hallelujah!
Last week we saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem descended from Heaven. Spectacular, beautiful, majestic. V1-5 finishes that description, so before we get stuck in there, let me just remind us what we learned last week.
The city, descended from heaven is the Bride of Christ, the Church, the people of God. The city is vast, and covers the whole earth. And it is the Most Holy Place, the cube-shaped room in the temple that was where God lived. But now we all live there. We live with God. God lives with us. We are His people and He is our God.
The city is built on precious stones - the same precious stones that the high priest had in his priestly garments when he brought the people of God before the altar to pray God for mercy. God's mercy through God’s sacrifice on God’s altar is the foundation of the whole city. And God's sacrifice was God Himself: Jesus on the Cross. “Father, forgive them!” God’s grace and mercy flowing over us, his people, is what the City is built on.
The city is the fulfilment of all the promises of God given through his prophets. We see fulfilled prophecy from, for example Haggai 2:9 The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!
Isaiah 65 and 66, for example 65:17 Is 65:17 Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth
Jeremiah 3:17 In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the LORD.’ All nations will come there to honour the LORD. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires.
And basically most of Ezekiel 40-48!
The whole Bible, the whole universe, is aimed at, rejoices over, this day, this day of joy, which lasts forever. And central to all this is the cross. For without the cross we would be outside. Everlasting rejoicing and singing and dancing – and we would be outside. But because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross - suddenly, all these promises, all these prophecies, are ours! Amen.
For
1. Jesus is the water of life
2. The water of life flows through us when we listen to and obey the Bible, Jesus’ word
3. Jesus will return - at any moment
Let's look at the final part of the description of the heavenly city.
1. Jesus is the water of life
Re 22:1–3 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the centre of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. 3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.
In the very centre of the city is the river filled with water of life. Every city must have a water source. Without water, the city dies. No wonder, then, that the water source of the Holy City is God Himself. The water of life… flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
This is the fulfilment of God's promises. In Zechariah 14, God wages war against the army of evil and crushes it and in v8 says On that day life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem… 9 And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one LORD—his name alone will be worshiped.
In Joel 3:18 we read In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. Water will fill the streambeds of Judah, and a fountain will burst forth from the LORD’s Temple, watering the arid valley of acacias.
The day Joel is talking about there is Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came like a flood over his people, and still does today. The Holy Spirit is with us and in us.
And we who go to the Bible groups will recognize this as fulfilling the words of Jesus. For in John 7:37-39, Jesus says “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ ” 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him.)
The point is that the entire Bible meets here and finds its fulfilment here. The whole Bible flows from all different directions to Jesus, the Cross and the Resurrection, and from Jesus like a flood rushing to the Revelation and the new Heaven and new Earth. All the promises of God find their fulfilment in Christ. All. If you are Christian - if He is your Lord and your God - then you’re not missing out on anything! Everything good God has ever planned is yours – now in part, then in full. Everything is ours. In Christ, we have access to the living water of Heaven. Jesus is the water of life.
But how do we take part? How do we get this living water?
Well, did you notice the strong emphasis in this chapter on the Word? God's Word? Because that's the answer to how we take part, and it’s point number two. Jesus is the water of life and we take part in it, also now, through his word, the Bible.
2. The water of life flows through us when we listen to and obey the Bible, Jesus’ word
6 Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.” 7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”
What God shows John is truth. Write this down, he says, for these are true words of prophecy. God’s word is trustworthy and true. And we know it’s true because everything he has spoken has actually happened. That’s why we have a book rooted in real history. We don’t have to wonder who God is: we know him through his actions and words, in his dealings with the nations and with Israel.
These words are trustworthy and true. Because those who wrote the Bible wrote what God wants. It is God who gave the prophets, including John, his Spirit. It is God who sent the angel to show them what will soon happen. The Bible is written by men, but what they wrote was exactly what God wanted them to write. They wrote what they wanted - and what they wrote was exactly what God wanted. We see this here: Revelation is written by John 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. But what John wrote was what Jesus had shown him. 16 I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches.
These are words of Jesus, written down by John, and guarded by the Spirit. These words are trustworthy and true.
Everything God says is trustworthy and true. We cannot say the same about what you and I say! Everything we say is full of mistakes and influenced by sin. Therefore, I am astonished when Christians - even whole churches - look for something other than listening to God's Word in the Bible. Particularly popular today are dreams and visions and so-called “prophetic words”. Why, when we have God's trustworthy and true words?
I grew up in a congregation with a heavy emphasis on prophecy. And I heard a “prophetic word” at least once a week. And out of probably 1,000 prophecies, do you know how many were really a word from God and not just vague drivel? One.
That's why we don’t waste time in this church with that nonsense. We need the word of God, not the word of you (or me). Because I also know that if God really has something on his heart that he wants to share with us, he’s not dependent on getting a special time in our service where he can speak (often with some music in the background and a little bit of a raised, slightly tremulous, voice). He’s God for goodness sake! He created all things with a word! A word! If He wants to tell you something, you don’t have a choice – you’ll hear it. That’s the testimony of the Bible, and that’s my experience too. Even if you want him to be quiet – you cannot shut him out...!
You know, we will not miss out on anything if we use our time to hear the voice of the Spirit here in the Bible. We most definitely will miss out on a lot, and maybe even be misled, if we spend our time instead chasing dreams and visions and so-called “prophecies” and “words from God” instead of the Bible. Jesus warned us of false prophets and false teachers. For this (the Bible) is the water of life.
(This morning got a helpful question: what is prophecy, aren’t we called to prophecy. From 1 Cor 14. Prophecy linked to gospel (only gospel has power to convict of sin and cause repentance, not “God told me to tell you to go to China”)! It is clear that much of what is called prophecy today is not what the Bible would call prophecy. If you get something you need to tell someone “From the Lord” please say “I think” not “God told me to tell you”.
Preaching is prophetic. Bible group prophetic. Because bringing Word to bear on our lives. Calling us to repentance. That’s what OT prophets did. Not future telling. And not buttering us up with lies about how important we are to God’s plans. That’s water from the toilet, from the sewer. We need living water.)
Psalm 1 says, Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
In this, the first Psalm, as in tonight’s passage, we see the connection between the word of God “the law of the Lord” and living water. The words of Jesus root us, so that we can bear fruit at the right time. We become like living trees, reflecting those in the heavenly city that have healing in their leaves because we carry the gospel in our words and our actions. We are the children of God.
That’s certainly been my own experience. The Word of God roots me. The more time I spend in His Word the more stable and rooted and simply holy I become. The Spirit makes the Bible alive when we read it and it’s food for the soul. Blessed, happy, joyful is he who delights in the word of the Lord. 7 Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.
A further warning for us not to rely on other sources for God’s word than the Bible and being careful to check everything against the Bible I v18 and 19. 18 And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
These verses are about the book of Revelation. But I do not think it's a coincidence that they come in the last book of the Bible. Do not add to the Bible - we do that when we make extra rules, we add obstacles for people becoming Christian. When we say things that the Bible does not say as “don’t smoke” “don’t gamble” “don’t watch this movie or that TV show” – now that may be good advice, but it's not God's law! Or to come to this church, you must be like this, or be that type of person, or be dressed like that. We try to keep things very informal here so that anyone can walk in and feel welcome. Come as you are!
But even more dangerous is the temptation to remove things from the Bible. Things we don’t like. God's sovereignty. Our sinful nature. Hell! Forgive your enemies. Sexual ethics. Just skip over it, go quiet, or deny it. But if we choose only what we like - then who is God? We’re not worshipping God when we decide what we think is right or wrong in the Bible. We’re worshipping ourselves. This is an all or nothing package! Everything else is idolatry.
Listen to the Spirit. His words, the words of Jesus, give life.
Jesus is the water of life. The water of life flows through us when we listen to and obey the Bible, Jesus’ word. And it's worth it because
3. Jesus will return - at any moment
10 Then he instructed me, “Do not seal up the prophetic words in this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile continue to be vile; let the one who is righteous continue to live righteously; let the one who is holy continue to be holy.
I had a work colleague called Paul who really wanted to be a Christian. He thought it was right and good and he believed in Jesus. But “not yet” he said. “I want to do my own thing for a few years, then I’ll settle down and accept Jesus.”
Dangerous, dangerous words. Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile continue to be vile. He thought that Jesus' words were a bit boring, a bit dry. God’s a killjoy. And Paul wanted to sin! And, yes, of course, it was about sex. He was a good-looking guy who wanted to play the field. He wanted to play with sin. That was 18 years ago, and the last I heard he was still no nearer Christ. Not yet. Not yet.
Jesus return is so close that there’s hardly time to repent. And when he returns, it's too late. That’s why those being vile (Bible-speak for ignoring God) those being vile will continue to be vile. Time is running out! If that’s you, if you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour – do it now, today! Before it’s too late. Do you know the time of your death? Many have walked out the door in the morning “Bye, see you later” not knowing that they would soon be standing before the judgement seat of Almighty God
12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15 Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
We are judged by our deeds (our actions, what we do), and our deeds expose us as sinners. We have not lived the way we ought, none of us have lived like Jesus. The standard is so high and we do measure up. We don’t even measure up to our own standards! How often do we do things that we know are wrong and which we really don’t want to do - but do them anyway? It’s so frustrating that we’re so weak. We can’t even meet our own low standards, not to mention God's.
What a relief that Jesus says "Come!". Those who thirst come and wash your robes in the blood of the Lamb, taking part in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and washing your sins away.
Yes! That is the offer! All that wrong you've done, all that which is dirty and rotten and shameful. Washed away. Forgiven. Borne on Jesus' shoulders on the cross. A gift! What a gift! And what a gift that continues to be for it’s not a one-time deal. No, as Christians, we now live in realm of grace. It is forgiveness upon forgiveness.
Because Christ’s blood covers not only our sinful past, but also the sin we commit now, and the sins we will commit in the future. That’s why we confess our sins every Sunday. To remind us that we are sinners, yes, but also that we are forgiven! We are blessed!
Finally, note that those who were thrown in the lake of fire in 21:8 are here in v15 “outside”. Hell with its fire and brimstone is just a picture, a picture of eternity outside. Excluded.
We don’t want God, we choose to ignore him, to have nothing to do with him - and the most frightening is now he says, alright, I will give you exactly what you want.
Hell is a place outside of God's city, an eternity excluded from all that is good. If you’re not a Christian, that’s what you’ve chosen. Tonight, make a new choice. Choose Christ. Choose life.
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life
Jesus is the water of life. Receive him.
The water of life flows through us when we listen to and obey the Bible, Jesus’ word. Listen to him.
Jesus will return - at any moment. Be ready for him.
20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
21 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.
A prayer of repentance:
Almighty God, I am a sinner because I have lived without you. I chose to ignore you. I chose Hell.
In your mercy, Lord, forgive me. Give me streams of living water. Wash me clean. Thank you Jesus that you died on the Cross so that I can be forgiven.
I don’t want to live for me any longer. From today I want to belong to You. Be my Saviour, my Lord, and my God! Amen.
A blessing:
4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
Now the priest's blessing from Numbers 6:24-27 is fulfilled. The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 27 So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.
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