By Rev. Ron Purkey
Guest Columnist

Revelation 22:1-21

And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Revelation 22:6.

By Rev. Ron Purkey

With a new heaven and earth, God reverses all the tragedies that sin brought to the original creation. The old Heaven and Earth were plunged into judgment; this new Heaven and Earth glisten with perfection.

Eden had an earthly river (Genesis 2:10-14), but here we have a wonderful heavenly river.

The tree of life in Eden was guarded after man sinned (Genesis 3:24), but here the heavenly tree of life is available to God’s people.

The curse was pronounced in Genesis 3:14-17, but now there is no more curse.

Adam and Eve were forced to leave the original paradise and labor for their daily bread, but here mankind serves God and sees his face in perfect fellowship.

When the first man and woman sinned, they became slaves and lost their kingship, but Revelation 22:5 indicates this kingship will be regained, and we shall reign with Jesus Christ forever.

The present creation is not God’s final product. It is groaning and travailing under the bondage of sin (Romans 8:18-23). But one day, the Lord will usher in his new creation, and we believers will enjoy perfect liberty and fullness of life forever.

Three times at the close of this book Christ says, “I come quickly!” (Revelation 22:7, 12, 20). The word “quickly” suggests “swiftly.” It means when these great events start to occur, there will be no delay. We do not know when Jesus Christ will appear, and it is wise to be ready.

In Daniel 12:4, the prophet was told to seal up the book. John, on the other hand, was commanded not to seal the book because “the time is at hand” (Revelation 22:10). Daniel’s words would not be fulfilled for many years; John’s prophecy would come to pass shortly.

Revelation 22:11 is not an enticement for sinners to remain unchanged; otherwise the invitation in verse 17 would be a mockery. Instead, verse 11 is warning us that continued sin defines character and character determines destiny. “The wicked shall do wickedly,” says Daniel 12:10. When Christ comes, our true character will be revealed.

Another lesson of this verse is that people make their own decisions; the Lord does not force them to be either wicked or righteous. Compare Revelation 22:15 with Revelation 21:8.

In Revelation 22:7 and 12, the Lord has said, “I come quickly!” In verse 17, the Holy Spirit and the bride say “Come!” to the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit prays through the church for the return of the Savior.

Lost souls are invited to “Come, drink of the water of life.” The last prayer of the Bible is that of the Holy Spirit through John saying, “Even so come, Lord Jesus!” This ought to be our daily prayer too.

Read Ron Purkey’s free Bible study outlines at rcpbibleoutlines.com. Purkey has been an ordained Baptist minister for 50 years.