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REVELATION - Behold, I am Coming Soon
Studies in the Book of Revelation
BOOK 7 - YES, I AM COMING SOON! (REVELATION 19:11 - 22-21)
PART 7.7 - JESUS CHRIST GUARANTEES THAT HIS PROPHESIES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED (REVELATION 21:6-21)

2. The Last Offer of Salvation (Revelation 22:10-15)


The Trees of Life: Adam and Eve had once been expelled from the Garden of Eden so that they could not eat from the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-25), but now we hear: Whoever has been cleansed from all his sins and believes in the justification through Jesus which was granted to him, will be granted by the Lord the access to the wood, loaves and fruit of the tree of life! Whoever eats thereof, will live in eternity.

The parable-like image of the tree of life stands for the grace of immortality which justified believers will receive. Whoever has been cleansed from all his sins by the blood of Christ, will live in eternity, as from that time on the Holy Spirit dwells in him permanently. The Spirit of God, however, is eternal!

John uses some wordings from the speeches of Jesus and from the revelations of the angels so as to reveal his listeners the mystery of the Holy Spirit. Whenever the Holy Spirit starts living in a man, then the eternal life begins unfolding and working in him (John 6:63). So, John speaks of the:

Tree of life: Genesis 2:9; 3:22.24; Revelation 2:7; 22:2.14;
Water of life: John 4:10; 7:38-39; Revelation 7:17; 21:6; 22:1;
Bread of life: John 6:35.48.51;
Light of life: John 8:12;
Word of life: John 6:63.68;
Book of life: Luke 10:20; Revelation 3:5; 17:8; 20:12.15; 21:27.

All these images/symbols are to awaken desire in us so as to ask the Father for the gift of the eternal life and to receive it gratefully. Whoever is thirsty and hungry after God and His righteousness shall be satisfied and has no shortage of love and certainty any longer (Matthew 5:6; Luke 18:9-14; and other verses). He receives through the death of Christ on the cross the guaranteed right to become partaker of the eternal life of God.

Whoever believes in the resurrected crucified, additionally receives the right to enter the holy city and its community through the twelve gates of New Jerusalem. The watching and guarding angels will not stop him, as he has been cleansed of all his sins through the blood of Christ.

Outside the City are the Dogs: We may not understand automatically that “dogs” is used to describe men therewith. In the Middle East, however, stray dogs are feared and will often be driven away by casting stones, as one never knows whether they propagate rabies. A rabid dog bites everybody who will come across and often causes a very painful dead to those whom they had bitten. Who betrays people to sin and infects them with his evil spirit equals such a rabid dog which cannot be tolerated, but must be killed immediately.

Some expositors suppose that the point of comparison between dogs and men may be in the shameless copulation of the dogs openly. Nowadays, there are more and more liberal liberty freaks that have lost every sense of shame and show off unscrupulously their orgies in films, magazines and television and poison therewith the imagination of the onlookers. We have returned again to Sodom and Gomorrah and should not be surprised, if fire and brimstone will soon come down from heaven so as to put an end to this foolishness (Romans 1:18-32).

The angel rendered now more precisely who those are that has sunk down to the level of animals. Already in 21:8.27 he had witnessed that sorcerers, witches, homosexuals, lesbians, child molesters, haters, terrorists, abortionists, money worshippers, and those who are blinded by their bank accounts and insurances, and in particular, all liars, pave the way for the father of lies to our society. Woe to those who declare Jesus only a man or prophet as the Muslims and Jews do often! Whoever believes in and witnesses such statements, is spiritually blind and dead in sins and does not know the Holy Spirit, as no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3).

The angel informed John additionally that those who keep on sinning will not belong to the new world of God and are not allowed to enter New Jerusalem. The must stay out! Chapter 21:8 defines “staying out” of this group of persons as banishment into the lake of fire, the second death, which is dying without end. Likewise as the life of Christ is eternal, so is the condemnation without Christ also eternal (Matthew 25:41; and other verses). Our God, however, will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). Therefore, Jesus along with announcement of his coming once more tried to awake the indifferent and sleepers so that they may not fall into eternal condemnation (Ephesians 5:14.).

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we worship You because You grant the sinners who are purified by the blood of Your merciful Son the privilege to live forever, and Your Holy Spirit is willing to dwell and abide in the followers of Christ. Help us to confess, before You, all our sins and iniquities, to repent of them and leave them so that Jesus may deliver us from the authority of sin. We ask You to save all our friends, even those who do not love us. Amen.

QUESTION:

  1. Who remains outside the gift of everlasting life and will suffer from the ever continuing second death?

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