Notes on the book of Revelations/Chapter 22
The Tree of Life has healing in it now. Not merely can the innocent eat and live, but there is remedial blessing in it for those on earth. They worse perhaps in some sort than Adam, but far more glory, and blessing dis- played even in glory. The Lamb’s bride answering, as a help-meet to the Lamb’s heart of love, is minister of blessing to them that need. It is now full blessing, and we ministers of it; “for His servants shall serve Him … His name shall be on their foreheads.” Far other is the minister of strict earthly righteousness, the earthly Jerusalem—“the people and nations that will not serve thee shall utterly perish.” Now this heavenly rule, withal, is recognized as the source of power. The kings of the earth bring their glory to it, not to corrupt Babylon, to their disgrace and ruin. None enter this that defile, but those written in the Lamb’s book of life. It is not now merely “the Lord shall reign for ever and ever,” but “they shall reign for ever and ever.”
From the time of the exaltation of Jesus to the right hand of God, and the association of the Church with Him, Christ has been ready to judge. There were many anti-christs, whereby it was known it was the last times, as this same apostle teaches us. And now in the manifested failure of the Church on earth, unfolded in the first chapters, though the bridegroom might tarry the Church, knowing his mind, had but one cry, “Come quickly!” In this position, therefore, the Church is practically set.
From the time the prophecy took its course, all was remediless. When it took it absolutely and definitely in the crisis, it became absolutely and definitely so as to individuals, as regarded the dispensation of judgment—“the door was shut.” The Lord declares He has sent His angel to testify these things in the Churches. Here we are brought back to what went before the prophetic sayings; the Churches being thus made cognizant of the prophetic sayings. The Lord presents himself to them, as the root indeed, but as the offspring of David, ready to inherit His throne: and the bright and blessed witness of millennial day; and in one sense, eternal day to the Church. This was the next thought to the Church on this failure. Accordingly, knowing it, the Church is only lifted up into better hopes, and the Spirit,[1] which, as Comforter, abides for ever, takes the lead; and, in its character of Bride, abstracting itself from circumstances, and earthly progress and associations, the Church joins its guiding spirit and says, Come; calls on all who hear, whose ear is open to divine truth, to join in this as its cry, its first utterance, now born into a world of sorrow even for the Church, which sees its desolation; still however, maintaining its character of grace, ministerial grace to the world—“And let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely.” While the Holy Ghost remains filling the Church, no change of circumstances can prevent it or us, from being the ministers of this calling-grace in the midst of a ruined world.
Strictly speaking, then, verse 17 returns to the things that are: 10 11, to the prophetic period, which has closed the hope and testimony of grace, and assumed the testimony of judgment either preparatory or final. Verse 20 gives the individual seal, as it were, of the Apostle’s faith to the personal application of the book by the Lord.
As the Church instantly broke forth in answer on the Church revelation of Jesus, in exactly corresponding praises to His then revealed character, so now, on the revelation of His millennial and glorified character, it breaks forth by the Spirit which never leaves it, let it be ever so desolate, but rather inspires it with hope in the answering and suitable cry of “Come!” and then looks round, in the sense of this, to renew its service of grace to the world.
In chap. xxi. 9, we have Jehovah sitting on the throne declaring Himself as Alpha and Omega; here, in xxii. 12, 13, we have Jesus doing so: there closing the millennium,—here introducing the millennial times.
the end.
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- ↑ The Spirit saying it shewed that it was not merely a holy though untaught desire, but the mind of the Spirit itself, in and to the Church, who what he hears, speaks. It was the Divine Mind, but, so taught, all the Bride’s affections, separated in heart and spirit to Christ, centre and express themselves in this desire. “He that heareth” is he whose heart is opened to the truth, but has not learnt the separated bridal state of the Church, espoused as a chaste virgin unto Christ.