The prophet Ezekiel in his day was brought “in the visions of God” and set “upon a very high mountain,” there to see the form and pattern of the magnificent house of the Lord as it will be in the coming day of the Lord’s glory, the day too of which it is written—“in the Lord shall the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory” (Isa. 45:2525In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory. (Isaiah 45:25)). From this house “waters issued out from under the threshold” (Ezek. 47:11Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. (Ezekiel 47:1)). This life-giving river was the source of healing, food and refreshment to men, yet there is one significant verse which reads—“but its marshes and its pools shall not be healed, they shall be given up to salt” (Ezek. 47:11Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. (Ezekiel 47:1)1 JnD). This indicates that even in the millennium the curse will not be entirely removed. Sin will appear to be promptly dealt with as we read in Isaiah 65:2020There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. (Isaiah 65:20)—“the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.” Death too will not be unknown for a priest may marry “a widow that had a priest before” (Ezek. 44:2222Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before. (Ezekiel 44:22)). Nor does it appear that Israel will maintain its pristine freshness to the end of the thousand years as may be gathered from the offerings at the Feast of Tabernacles—type of Israel’s millennial glory—as given in Numbers 29:12-3212And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: 13And ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord; thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year; they shall be without blemish: 14And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto every bullock of the thirteen bullocks, two tenth deals to each ram of the two rams, 15And a several tenth deal to each lamb of the fourteen lambs: 16And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering. 17And on the second day ye shall offer twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without spot: 18And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 19And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering thereof, and their drink offerings. 20And on the third day eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish; 21And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 22And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering. 23And on the fourth day ten bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish: 24Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 25And one kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering. 26And on the fifth day nine bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without spot: 27And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 28And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering. 29And on the sixth day eight bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish: 30And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the manner: 31And one goat for a sin offering; beside the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering. 32And on the seventh day seven bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish: (Numbers 29:12‑32). We find that on the first day of the seven days’ feast they began by offering thirteen bullocks, with one bullock less each day, until on the seventh day only seven bullocks were offered.
But in the Holy City “there shall be no more curse but the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it.” A “pure river of water of life, clear as crystal” proceeds out from this throne for the eternal refreshment of the saints. The Tree of life appears on both sides of the river. Lost to man in Eden, it now provides food for those who belong to the Paradise of God—the Eden above. It produces a new fruit each month—continuity and freshness—yields a blessing also for those of earth.
“Drink of life’s perennial river,
Feed on life’s perennial food,
Christ, the fruit of life, and Giver,
Safe through His redeeming blood.”
“His servants shall serve Him” what a privilege! Before his fall Adam was placed in the garden “to dress it and to keep it (Gen. 2:1515And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. (Genesis 2:15)). No less happy shall we be in whatever service he finds for us to do.
“And they shall see His face, and His Name shall be in their foreheads.” Can we not bless the Lord that ever we were apprehended by Christ Jesus, and are branded as His! “Ye are Christ’s and Christ is God’s” (1 Cor. 3:2323And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's. (1 Corinthians 3:23)).
In 1 John 1:55This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5) we read “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” We can therefore understand why the Holy City has no need of other light, subordinate or derived, seeing “the Lord God giveth them light” and His servants are to “reign forever and ever.” Reigning involves the thought of rule, in which, with Christ, we shall be associated. Here the prophecy closes. The angel was no disinterested messenger. He assures John of the truth of all he had been shown. Yea it was the Lord God who had sent him “to show unto His servants the things which must shortly be done.” That was nearly two thousand years ago, but we must remember that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8-98But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8‑9)). The reason for the delay is also given—“the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Once the vision of the church in her garments of glory and beauty is unfolded, the voice of Jesus is heard immediately—“Behold, I come quickly: Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (v. 7). The Lord is anxious to possess His Bride, and we are keeping the word of His patience. Until “the mystery” had been revealed, the Old Testament types of Christ could not be understood. How precious they are! It was the Lord God who brought the woman to the man, and Adam had exquisite delight in Eve, saying—“this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:22-2322And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (Genesis 2:22‑23)). It was father Abraham too who sent the servant to seek a bride for his son. She must also be of his kindred (see Gen. 24). So the church is the Father’s gift to Christ, and “both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one” (Heb. 2:1111For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, (Hebrews 2:11)).
Deeply impressed by what he had seen and heard John would again have worshipped the angel, who was an intelligent servant of his great Master. Linking himself too with God’s servants on earth, the angel directs John to worship God and adds the word—”seal not the saying of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.” Daniel in his day was told to “shut up the words and seal the book” (Dan. 12:44But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. (Daniel 12:4)) but for us “the time is at hand.” “Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Rom. 13:1111And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Romans 13:11)).
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still . . . and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” As in the case of the Lord’s own testimony on earth, and also as to the subsequent gospel of the grace of God—“some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not” (Acts 28:2424And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. (Acts 28:24)). Here we have the everlasting irrevocable position of those who believed God’s testimony, and those who did not.
Jesus speaks again. For the second time He says—“behold I come quickly,” adding “and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be”—a solemn, also an encouraging word for us. What grace on the Lord’s part to be giving a reward when any work we may have done was due entirely to His grace which enabled us to do it. Yet the Lord, while on earth, indicated reward for service—“then came the first, saying, Lord, Thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And He said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:16-1716Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. (Luke 19:16‑17)). The One who can say this is the “Alpha and Omega” the “Father of Eternity.”
The fourteenth verse is better translated as “blessed are they that wash their robes, that they might have right to the Tree of Life, and that they should go in by the gates into the city.” And how could they wash their robes and make them white, but in the blood of the Lamb?
“Precious blood whose full atonement
brings us nigh to God,
Precious blood, our song and story,
Praise and laud.”
“Without are dogs.” No unconverted person could read the book of Revelation without seeing its oft repeated distinction between the saved and the lost.
In this final chapter, we have the voice of an angel, and the voice of John, but there is a voice of transcendent sweetness above all—“I Jesus”—Himself—“have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.” He is “the root and the offspring of David”—David’s son and David’s Lord. But to us He is the “bright and morning star”—harbinger of coming day.
The Spirit is attuned to the voice of the Bride in saying “Come.” The church itself—“him that heareth”—says “come”—and while waiting for His coming holds forth “the word of life” and extends the invitation of the gospel to “whosoever will” to “take the water of life freely.”
A solemn warning is given as to adding to, or taking away from the words of this book. Men have done this with respect to other books of the Bible, but this book, the last in the Bible, is “Jesus Christ’s Revelation.”
For the third time Jesus says “I come quickly.” This is His last word to us . . .
“Until the hour when He shall wake
The quiet deep of death’s domain,
When hades at His voice shall quake,
And all His saints shall rise again.”
John responds “Even so, come, Lord Jesus,” to which we can surely say Amen!