Revelation 22
Availability of the tree of lifeverses 1-2
And he showed me a pure river of water of life – clear as crystal
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb
In the midst of the street of it – and on either side of the river
was there the tree of life – which bare twelve manner of fruits
and yielded her fruit every month
and leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations
Curse is goneverses 3-5
And there shall be no more curse
but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it
and HIS servants shall serve HIM
and they shall see HIS face
and HIS name shall be in their foreheads
And there shall be no night there – and they need no candle
neither light of the sun
for the Lord God gives them light
and they shall reign for ever and ever
Angel confirms the messageverses 6
And he said to me – These sayings are faithful and true
and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent HIS angels
to show to HIS servants the things which
MUST SHORTLY BE DONE
Jesus states HE is coming againverse 7
BEHOLD I come quickly
blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the
prophecy of this book
Don’t worship the messengerverses 8-9
And I John saw these things – and heard them
and when I had heard and seen
I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel
which showed me these things
Then said he to me – See you do it not
FOR I am your fellow servant
and of your brethren the prophets
and of them which keep the sayings of this book
Worship God
John instructed not to seal bookverses 10-11
And he said to me
Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book
for the time is at hand
He that is unjust – let him be unjust still
and he which is filthy – let him be filthy still
and he that is righteous – let him be righteous still
and he that is holy – let him be holy still
Jesus states HE is bringing a reward to believersverses 12-13
AND BEHOLD I come quickly and MY reward is with ME
to give every man according as his work shall be
I am Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end
the first and the last
Description of two types of peopleverses 14-15
Blessed are they that do HIS commandments
that they may have right to the tree of life
and may enter in through the gates into the city
FOR without are dogs – sorcerers – whoremongers – murderers
idolaters – and whosoever loves and makes a lie
Churches are to receive message from the LORDverse 16
I Jesus have sent MINE angel to testify to you these things
in the churches
I am the root and the off spring of David
and the bright and morning star
Warning not to add to or take from this bookverses 17-19
And the Spirit and the bride say – Come
and let him that hears say – Come
and let him that is athirst come
and whosoever will – let him take the
water of life freely
For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the
prophecy of this book
IF any man shall add to these things
God shall add unto him the plagues that are written
in this book – and IF any man shall take away
from the words of the book of this prophecy
God shall take away his part out of the book of life
and out of the holy city
and from the things which are written
in this book
Our attitude toward the coming of Jesusverses 20-21
He which testified these things says
Surely I come quickly – AMEN
Even so – come – Lord Jesus
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all – AMEN
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (2322 “healing” [therapeia] means care provided to improve a situation, those who give service and care, tending, nurturing, attendance, health, or waiting on)
DEVOTION: The New Jerusalem has come down from heaven. We are out of the Millennial period into the eternal period of the lives of the followers of Jesus Christ.
We have a street in the New Jerusalem that has the tree of life on it. It is not plain whether there is a group of trees or just one. There is fruit going on the trees/group of trees that is continually coming out on its/there branches. It will be a time of blessing beyond words because fruit means goodness.
Will we need to eat to stay alive in heaven? No we are promised eternal life. It is available to those who enter into eternity as it was not available to Adam and Eve when they sinned. The cherubim kept them out. Now there is complete access to the tree and its fruit.
Also because of sin there was sickness but now there is no more sickness and the leaves are there to prove that everyone is free from sickness. The leaves are proving that there is health in heaven for eternity.
Today we have both sickness and death. Today we have people who will never eat of the tree of life because they have rejected Jesus Christ. Our world is completely different from the world that will exist once Jesus Christ returns and sets up eternity.
John has received this vision from God that no one is to add to or take away from. Hope is expressed through this vision of the future. John is to share this truth with all the believers of the first century to encourage them to keep serving the LORD faithfully.
We need to hear this message as well as we see that the time is getting short for the return of the LORD. We should be testifying to the truths of the Bible to all those who will listen. We are not to sit in pews waiting for HIS return while those around us are in need of our message of hope.
We should be commenting like Jesus who says HE is coming quickly. Remember quickly to God and quickly to us have different meanings. HE is not willing that any should perish. HE wants everyone to know that salvation is available to them.
CHALLENGE: Are you saying today “Even so, come, Lord Jesus?”
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (3571 “night” [nux] means the time of death, the time of moral stupidity and darkness, the time when the weary and also the drunken give themselves up to slumber, the part of the diurnal cycle when the sun does not shine or nightseason)
DEVOTION: Some children and adults don’t like to hear that it is time to go to bed. Most of the time we want to stay up and watch something or do something. It just seems that there is not enough time in the day to get everything done that we want to get done.
Sometimes it is because we waste a lot of time doing things we like instead of things we need to do. We are active but sometimes don’t accomplish what needs to be done in a day.
In Alaska there are time periods when it is like day all day long except for a few hours in the summer. In other parts of Alaska there is darkness for almost twenty-four hours in the winter. Most of us don’t live in Alaska but there are days we would like more daylight and sometimes there are nights when we would like more hours to sleep.
In eternity we find that there is no more night. There is no darkness. There is the light that comes from Jesus Christ that shines for twenty-four hours. There will be daylight for twenty-four hours three hundred and sixty five days a year in our New Jerusalem. Remember we will not measure time the same way in eternity that we do today.
We will be busy reigning with Christ forever. Do we understand what this means completely? NO!! There will be joy in heaven that we will be a part of forever. These thoughts are hard to comprehend right now. Just know that it is true!!!
: 9 Then says he to me, See you do it not: for I am your fellow servant and of your brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book; worship God.(4889 “fellow servant” [sundoulos] means fellow slave, a person who is a slave of the same master as another, one who with others is subject to the same divine authority in the Messianic economy, of angels as the fellow servants of Christians or associate.)
DEVOTION: Sometimes we find people worshiping people in our world. Some people like sports and they have their favorite sport and their favorite player in that sport. They can buy everything that has to do with that player. They talk about their favorite player to everyone they meet.
Some pastors have their favorite author and they quote him all the time. They tell their fellow pastors to buy his books and listen to his tapes and sometimes their sermons are the sermons that their favorite author preached.
There are people in the pews of churches that seem to have their favorite preacher on the television or radio and they buy their books and tell everyone how great a preacher their favorite preacher is.
We can have a tendency as believers to worship our favorite author or pastor or speaker. This book warns us not to worship anyone but the LORD. We need to quote the Word of God more than our favorite author.
Our responsibility is to get to know Jesus Christ better than any author or pastor. There are some people who even want to worship angels in heaven rather than Jesus Christ. There are some who will worship their denomination over worshiping Jesus Christ.
We need to keep our minds on Jesus Christ. Focus is hard for some but HE needs to be our focus. We can lose focus easy when it comes to what we believe regarding the future.
We are all fellow servants of Jesus Christ that have made a personal commitment to HIM. This means that we might not always agree on an interpretation of this book of the Bible but we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable.
CHALLENGE: Focus on Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will help us with the rest.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.(2064 “come” [erchomai] means accompany, appear, be set, or to come from one place to another)
DEVOTION: One of the problems with this chapter is that Christ says that HE is coming quickly. Yet it has been over two thousand years since HE made this statement. This confuses many people. They think that HE is not coming at all.
Jesus told the disciples that HE will come as a thief in the night. This type of individual comes into a home quickly and gets out as quick as he can. This is what the LORD is going to do. WHEN HE comes it will come when no one expects HIM.
HE gave a command to those who are HIS followers to “Occupy until I come.” This is still in effect today. We are here to do HIS work until HE comes, even if it takes another two thousand years.
However, I don’t see this happening. The events that I studied back when I started in the ministry didn’t seem possible back then. But now, they seem possible without any problems. There is the technology to put computer chips into human bodies today with all the information needed to buy and sell things. There is a network set up in Europe where they are all on the same money system. It would not be hard to elect someone to run all the countries money.
Our world is not getting better and better. Our world thinks that Christians are terrorists because they don’t believe the same way that the liberals believe. It would not be hard for them to pass laws that would cause those who really believe the Bible to be put in jail for their beliefs because they are not what society believes.
Our outlook should be one of thanksgiving and praise. We have hope that the world doesn’t understand. We can have peace that the world doesn’t understand. We have a future that the world doesn’t even want or understand.
We are one day going to be accompanying Christ from this earth to heaven. Won’t it be great when that day comes! This chapter is the last book of revelation that God has given us. The Bible is complete. We have no need of further revelation to add to the Bible. There have not been any new prophecies that can be added to the Bible. Those groups who say they have something in the last two thousand years are liars. They will not be getting into the New Jerusalem.
This chapter gives a warning that nothing should be added or taken away from this prophecy. We have God’s revelation of what is going to happen in the future.
There is going to be a Satanic trinity. There is going to be those who continue to reject Christ after the rapture and during the Tribulation. We have an invitation here to share will all those around us. We need to invite them to accompany Christ at HIS second coming. The only way to do that is to have a personal relationship with HIM. Let give them an invitation. Let us be set for the LORD’s coming by watching and praying and witnessing.
CHALLENGE: Are we occupying as if the LORD could return today? Are we ready? Are our family members and friends ready? Will they be able to say that you never told them?
: 18 For I testify to every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book. (2007 “add” [epitithemi] means 1 in the active voice. 1a to put or lay upon. 1b to add to. 2 in the middle voice. 2a to have put on, bid to be laid on. 2b to lay or throw one’s self upon. 2c to attack one, to make an assault on one. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship].)
DEVOTION: One of the first things that I learned about Islam was about Muhammad being a later prophet than Jesus Christ who received an additional revelation that “clarified” what the Bible had said. However, the Qur’an denies that Jesus was the Son of God or that He actually died on the cross for the sins of mankind. And so it goes on, with various spokespeople today trying to add to what the Bible says in order to support some new revelation that they believe that God has given them.
We need to guard against the same temptation, to try to add to what the Bible says in those areas where it is not clear what is being said or what is not being said. For example, there are many pictures of heaven in the world today, but it is clear that the LORD did not describe heaven (or angels) in great detail. Likewise, today we have people who call themselves Christian pastors who say that they have had special revelation from God on such subjects as the prosperity gospel. We need to allow the Scripture to stop where it stops. Likewise, we need to be careful that we do not remove or neglect those areas of Scripture which do not agree with our pet doctrines (and that we are clear when we are dealing with an area of conviction rather than doctrine). We need to make sure that our interpretation of Scripture is consistent with the whole of Scripture.
God knows exactly what He intended to communicate to us through the Bible. He has given us all the revelation of Himself that He knows that we need for this life. Let’s be thankful to Him that this is so!
CHALLENGE: Don’t be tempted to add or take away anything from what God has said. He has already told us from beginning to end what He plans on doing, and there is no need for any additional revelation! (MW)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Bookverses 7, 9, 10, 18, 19
Plagues written in this bookverse 18
Book of lifeverse 19
Written in this bookverse 19
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Worship Godverse 9
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Sayings are faithful and trueverse 6
Sayings of the prophecy of this bookverses 7, 10, 19
Seal not the sayingsverse 10
Do MY commandmentsverse 14
Words of the prophecy of this bookverse 18
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverses 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 18, 19
Throne of Godverses 1, 3
Lordverses 5, 6
Lord Godverses 5, 6
Gives lightverse 5
Lord God of the holy prophetsverse 6
Worship Godverse 9
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Lambverses 1, 3
Throne of Lambverses 1, 3
Faithfulverse 6
Trueverse 6
I come quicklyverses 12, 20
Reward is with MEverse 12
Alpha and Omegaverse 13
Beginning and the endverse 13
First and the lastverse 13
Jesus verses 16, 20, 21
Root and offspring of Davidverse 16
Bright and morning starverse 16
Lordverses 20, 21
Lord Jesus verse 20
Christ verse 21
Lord Jesus Christ verse 21
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Spiritverse 17
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Angelverses 6, 8, 9, 16
Angel rebukes Johnverse 9
Fellow servantverse 9
Jesus sent HIS angelverse 16
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Nationsverse 2
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Curseverse 3
Worship of angelsverse 8
Unjustverse 11
Filthyverse 11
Dogsverse 15
Sorcerersverse 15
Whoremongersverse 15
Murderersverse 15
Idolatersverse 15
Liersverse 15
Adding to this bookverse 18
Take away from the words of this bookverse 19
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Servantsverses 3, 6
Serve Christverse 3
See Christverse 4
Christ’s name on foreheadverse 4
Reign with Christ forever and eververse 5
Blessedverses 7, 14
Worship Godverse 9
Righteousverse 11
Holyverse 11
Rewardverse 12
Obey commandmentsverse 14
Right to the tree of lifeverse 14
Enter in the gateverse 14
Take of the water of life freelyverse 17
Testifyverse 20
Graceverse 21
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Holy prophetsverse 6
Prophetsverse 9
Davidverse 16
Holy cityverse 19
Church (New Testament people of God)
Johnverse 8
Fell down to worship angel
Keep the sayings of the bookverse 9
Churchesverse 16
Brideverse 17
Last Things (Future Events)
Pure river: water of lifeverse 1
Tree of life: twelve manners of fruit
every month
& leaves good for healingverses 2, 14
Christ’s name of foreheadsverse 4
No nightverse 5
Reign with Christ forever and eververse 5
Jesus is comingverses 7, 12, 17, 20
Time is at handverse 10
Enter into the gates of the cityverse 14
Take water of life freelyverse 17
Book of lifeverse 19
DONATIONS
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
10–11 These verses stand in contrast to the command given Daniel to seal up his book (8:26, 12:4, 9–10) and in contrast to Jewish apocalypses in general. John’s message cannot be concealed because the contents of the vision are needed immediately by the churches. (On the sealing metaphor, see comments at 7:3.) Verse 11 appears at first reading to be fatalistic. Yet on further reflection, the exhortation stresses the immanency of the return of Jesus and the necessity for immediate choices. It echoes the aphorism As now, so always. Far from being an encouragement to remain apathetic, it is evangelistic in spirit. It may also allude to the great ordeal John viewed as imminent. For the unfaithful and wicked, this appeal would be a deep confirmation of their choice, whereas for the faithful, it would alert them to the necessity of guarding themselves against apostasy (cf. Jude 20–21). There is no reason to take this passage as teaching the irreversibility of human choices (contra Swete). Repentance is always a live option as long as a person is living. After death, however, there remains only judgment, not repentance (Heb 9:27). (Johnson, A. F. (1981). Revelation. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation (Vol. 12, p. 601). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
Let him do unrighteousness still (ἀδικησατω ἐτι [adikēsatō eti]). First aorist (constative) active imperative of ἀδικεω [adikeō], viewed here as a whole. The language is probably ironical, with a reminder of Dan. 12:10, in no sense a commendation of their lost estate. Charles rejects this verse as not like John. It is the hopelessness of the final state of the wicked which is here pictured. So as to “Let him be made filthy still” (ρυπανθητω ἐτι [rupanthētō eti]). First aorist (constative) passive imperative of ρυπαινω [rupainō], old verb, to make foul or filthy (from ρυπος [rupos], filth, 1 Pet. 3:21, as is ρυπαρος [ruparos], filthy), here only in N. T. The use of ἐτι [eti] is not perfectly clear, whether “still” or “yet more.” It is the time when Christ has shut the door to those outside who are now without hope (Matt. 25:10; Luke 13:25). Ρυπαρος [Ruparos] occurs elsewhere in N. T. only in James 2:2, and ρυπαρια [ruparia] (filthiness) only in James 1:21. So then “the righteous” (ὁ δικαιος [ho dikaios]) is to do righteousness still (δικαιοσυνην ποιησατω ἐτι [dikaiosunēn poiēsatō eti], first constative aorist active imperative of ποιεω [poieō]) and “the holy” (ὁ ἁγιος [ho hagios]) to be made holy still (ἁγιασθητω ἐτι [hagiasthētō eti], first constative aorist passive imperative of ἁγιαζω [hagiazō]). The states of both the evil and the good are now fixed forever. There is no word here about a “second chance” hereafter. (Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Re 22:11). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.)
22:10–11. Daniel was told that his prophecies would be “sealed until the time of the end” (Dan. 12:9). But John was told not to seal up the words of these prophecies. Again it should be emphasized that the viewpoint of some scholars that the Book of Revelation is an impenetrable puzzle is expressly contradicted by this and other passages. Revelation, both via its plain statements and its symbols, is designed to reveal facts and events relating to the second coming of Christ.
The exhortation which follows has puzzled some. Those who do wrong and are vile are encouraged to continue to do so, and those who do right and are holy are encouraged to continue to do so (Rev. 22:11). The point here is not to condone what is evil, but to point out that if people do not heed this prophecy, they will continue in their wickedness.
On the other hand those who do heed the prophecy will continue to do what is right. Relatively speaking, the time of the Lord’s return is near and no major changes in mankind’s conduct can be expected. (Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 988–989). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
In the 11th verse we have set before us the great truth that science itself demonstrates, equally with the Word of God, namely that character tends to permanence. “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” It is a divine emphasis upon the solemn truth that as a man is found in that coming day, so shall he remain for all eternity. In this world God is calling men to repent. Here, and now, He waits to renew, by divine grace, those who commit themselves to Him. But in the eternal world there will be no power that has not been in exercise here, to make the unjust righteous or the filthy clean. (Ironside, H. A. (1920). Lectures on the Book of Revelation (pp. 363–364). Neptune, N. J.: Loizeaux Brothers.)
22:11 Those who reject God’s warnings will fix their eternal destiny in hell, where they will retain their evil and filthy natures for all eternity. Those who respond to the warnings will fix their eternal destiny in glory and realize perfect righteousness and holiness in heaven. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Re 22:11). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 11. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still, &c.] These words are not to be considered as ironical expressions, such as in Eccl. 11:9; Isa. 1:11 much less as an allowance to do injustice and commit filthy actions; nor even as deterring persons from these things, by tacitly suggesting, that should they continue unjust and filthy, they would be severely punished; nor as an anticipation of an objection that might be made against the publication of this book, and the sayings or it, taken from the ill use that some men might make of it, who might be provoked to injure and persecute the saints more and more, or indulge a filthy conversation; but as a prophecy of what would be at the close of time, at the second coming of Christ. The imperative is put for the future, as is usual in the Hebrew language, in which it is said, let such and such things be, when the sense is, that they shall be; see Ezek. 3:27; Zech. 11:9 and so the meaning of this expression is, he that is now found without a righteousness, and full of all unrighteousness, and acts unrighteously, will continue so; there will be no change made in him, no regeneration, renovation, repentance, or reformation; he’ll remain the same wicked man he ever was; or he that hurts, or does injury to his fellow-creatures, will still do mischief; at least he. will have the same inclination, though not the opportunity and power, but will attempt it, of which there will be an instance in the wicked dead, when raised; see ch. 20:8. And he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; or he shall be filthy still; all mankind are originally, naturally, and universally filthy, or defiled with sin. Some are cleansed from it by the blood of Christ, others are not; and these will continue polluted, nor will the fire of hell fetch out the filthiness of their hearts and nature: or the words may be rendered, he that defileth, let him defile still; though he’ll not be able to defile the temple of God, or corrupt the good communications of the saints, yet he’ll continue to defile himself; the same evil thoughts, &c. will proceed out of him as ever, which defile the man. And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; a truly righteous man is one that is righteous, not by his own righteousness, but by the righteousness of Christ imputed to him; he is one, who by faith looks to Christ for righteousness, and receives it from him, and, in consequence of it, lives soberly, righteously, and godly, and such will continue righteous; not that they will be made more righteous, though they may have a clearer view of their justification, for the sentence of it will be afresh pronounced upon them; but the meaning is, they will ever remain in a justified state, and never enter into condemnation, their righteousness being an everlasting one. The Alexandrian copy, the Complutensian edition, Syriac and Arabic versions, read, and the righteous man, let him do righteousness still; as he will do, for such will ever be before the throne of God, and serve him in his temple day and night, ch. 7:15 and 22:3. And he that is holy, let him be holy still. They are holy who are sanctified by the spirit of God, and none but such will be admitted into the pure state of things upon Christ’s second coming; and such will then be perfectly holy, and without sin, and shall continue so: hence we may learn, that justification and sanctification are two distinct things, and that both are durable. With these sayings may be compared some expressions of the Jewish doctors, as the sense of Lev. 11:43, 44. “if a man defiles himself a little, they defile him much; the gloss on it is, they let, or suffer him to be more defiled; if below, they defile him above; if in this world, they defile him in the world to come; if a man sanctifies himself a little, they sanctify him much; if below, they sanctify him above; if in this world, they sanctify him in the world to come.” (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 3, p. 869). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
Supposing you are wandering, lost in a swamp, and a man would come to you and say: “You are lost.” That wouldn’t help you. But supposing the man said: “You are lost; I am a guide; I know the way out. If you put yourself in my care, I will lead you back to your home, back to your loved ones.” That would meet your condition.
Now God doesn’t tell you that you are lost, and on the road to hell, and then leave you, but he tells you that you are on the road to hell, and he says, “I have sent a guide, my Son, to lead you out, and to lead you back to peace and salvation.” That’s good news, that God is kind enough to tell you that you are lost, and on the road to hell, and that he sends a guide, who, if you will submit, will lead you out of your condition and lead you to peace and salvation. That’s gospel; that’s good news that tells a man that he needn’t go to hell unless he wants to. (p, 388, “Billy” Sunday: The Man and His Message by William T. Ellis, 1914)
The word “healing” (therapeian) can be understood as “health-giving.” The English “therapeutic” is derived from this Greek word. Even though there is no sickness in the eternal state, the tree’s fruit and leaves seem to contribute to the physical well-being of those in the eternal state. (Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Eds.)The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 987). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
22:2 tree of life. A symbol of both eternal life and continual blessing (see note on Ge 2:9). The tree bears 12 fruits, one for each month, and is symbolic of the abundant variety in heaven. The Eng. word “therapeutic” comes from the Gr. word translated “healing.” The leaves somehow enrich heavenly life, making it full and satisfying. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Re 22:2). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
IMPOSSIBLE PEOPLE by Os Guinness IVP Books
Yet while the West is no longer Christian in its foundations, it is not yet fully non-Christian (secularist or pagan) either, though its post-Christian phase may soon reach the point of no return. (p. 39)
Once rooted in the belief that every last human is precious and has an inalienable dignity because he or she is made in the image of God, and that freedom is the gift through which humans most resemble their Creator, such biblical roots have been cut and their fruits are withering. (p. 41)
As contemporary initiatives demonstrate, such as the Singularity Project (with its goal of “digital immortality”) and the Gilgamesh Project (with its goal of overcoming death), the grand shift from pyrotechnology to biotechnology (and then astrotechnology) is a transformation of the utmost spiritual and cultural significance and far more important than the present level of the discussion suggests. (p. 49)
We now live in a world of “speed, stuff, and stress” and under the relentless tyranny of the “urgent now.” (p. 53)
We gladly submit, too, to our Lord’s wise call to the priority of dailiness. (p. 58)
The neighborhood parish church is not just the church of the past but the church of the future. Scorned and overshadowed though it may be at times, it will never be outmoded while humans are human and have bodies. (p. 59)
1 Kings 5
Solomon forms an alliance with Hiram for help in building the temple.
INSIGHT
Known as a fair, just, and righteous man, David builds an excellent reputation with noble neighboring leaders. Hiram and David establish their friendship early in David’s reign (2 Samuel 5:11), and 1 Kings 5:1 states: “Hiram had always loved David.”
It is perhaps David’s reputation that prompts Solomon to write in Proverbs 22:1: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches.” Each of us must take this Scripture to heart and dedicate ourselves to the development of a spotless reputation by being fair, just, and righteous and by being utterly true to our word. (Quiet Walk)
Fifteenth-century monk Thomas à Kempis, in the beloved classic The Imitation of Christ, offers a perspective on temptation that might be a bit surprising. Instead of focusing on the pain and difficulties temptation can lead to, he writes, “[temptations] are useful because they can make us humble, they can cleanse us, and they can teach us.” Kempis explains, “The key to victory is true humility and patience; in them we overcome the enemy.”
Humility and patience. How different my walk with Christ would be if that were how I naturally responded to temptation! More often, I react with shame, frustration, and impatient attempts to get rid of the struggle.
But, as we learn from James 1, the temptations and trials we face don’t have to be without purpose or merely a threat we endure. Although giving in to temptation can bring heartbreak and devastation (vv. 13-15), when we turn to God with humble hearts seeking His wisdom and grace, we find He “gives generously to all without finding fault” (v. 5). Through His power in us, our trials and struggles to resist sin build perseverance, “so that [we] may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (v. 4).
As we trust in Jesus, there’s no reason to live in fear. As God’s dearly loved children, we can find peace as we rest in His loving arms even as we face temptation.
By Monica La Rose (Our Daily Bread)
SAVING FAITH
For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Romans 10:3
The Apostle’s particular concern here is to explain why the Jews were, in the main, outside the Christian church, whereas the Gentiles had been coming in. The general trouble was that the Jews had a zeal for God but it was “not according to knowledge.” Now the word that Paul uses here which is translated “knowledge” is very interesting. It is the strongest word used in the Scriptures with regard to knowing. It does not merely mean a general acquaintance with something. It goes beyond that. It means a full, a correct, a precise and a vital knowledge, and the trouble with the Jews, says the Apostle Paul, is that they lacked it.
And there is one further idea in the word. It refers to a knowledge which has been arrived at as the result of a good deal of investigation and effort. So then, Paul says, the Jews lacked that full apprehension, that certain knowledge which is the result of a careful and a thorough examination of a teaching. They had a zeal, but not such a knowledge. Here, then, Paul again puts before us a most important principle, which is that an exact knowledge of the truth is essential to salvation. The Jews had not got it, so they were outside; they were lost and he prays and longs for their salvation.
Now this matter of knowledge is most important. I am of the opinion that the greatest danger confronting the Christian church and every individual Christian at this moment is to fail to understand and appreciate the absolute necessity of a precise, clear knowledge of the truth. I say this because we are living in days when there is a powerful reaction against all this.
A Thought to Ponder: The greatest danger confronting every Christian is the failure to understand the necessity of a precise, clear knowledge of the truth.
(From Saving Faith, a sermon on Romans 10:3 by Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Mary and the Grace of God
“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.” (Luke 1:30)
This announcement by the angel Gabriel to the virgin Mary, that she had been chosen as the mother of the coming Savior, contains the first mention in the New Testament of the Greek word for grace (charis). Mary was chosen, not for anything she had done, but because she had “found grace.”
In a remarkable parallel, certainly implying divine inspiration, the first mention of grace in the Old Testament is also associated with the coming of a new dispensation in God’s dealings with men. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8).
Just as Mary found grace, so Noah had found grace. Grace is not something one earns or purchases; grace is a treasure that is found! When a person finally realizes that salvation is only by the grace of God, received through faith in the saving work of Christ, he or she has made the greatest discovery that could ever be made, for it brings eternal life.
But there is an even greater dimension to the grace of God. When we do “find” grace, it is actually because God in His infinitely precious grace has found us and revealed to us the Savior of our souls. Just as God found Moses in the desert and found Paul on the road to Damascus, then saved and called them to His service, so He finds us, and then we also find His saving grace.
Mary’s discovery of God’s grace in salvation, through the coming of the “seed of the woman” into the world, is revealed in her Magnificat: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:46-47). This could well have also been the testimony of Noah long ago, and it surely should be the testimony of each of us who has found grace today. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts warned of its impact on people with mental illnesses. For those with mood disorders, the pandemic packed a “one-two” punch: the depression and anxiety caused by the fear of contracting the coronavirus itself, and the depression and anxiety accelerated by measures taken to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Even the wide use of the term “social distancing” instead of the more accurate “physical distancing” communicated isolation and the loneliness.
Add to all that canceled appointments with psychiatrists and therapists, and we should expect a steep decline in mental health. Which is exactly what happened.
A recent Census Bureau survey of 42,000 adults found that “24% of [the respondents] showed clinical signs of severe depression, and 30% showed signs of anxiety.” According to the study, “The rate of anxiety and depression were highest among young adults, women, and the poor.” To put these numbers in better context, half of American adults said that they had felt depressed during the pandemic, while only a quarter reported similar feelings in a survey done six years ago.
Things could even be worse than this survey, which was conducted between May 7th and May 12th, suggests. After all, three more weeks of social isolation and disruption could not have made things better. As the Washington Post said, “the results reflect a deepening of existing trends,” such as “rising depression, stress, and suicide,” especially among young adults. Writers in the Journal of the American Medical Association call the combination of COVID-19 factors with already existing suicide mortality trends, “a perfect storm.”
Perhaps. It will be a while before we can say with any certainty if and how COVID-19 affected suicide rates. What we do know is that COVID-19 is attacking a nation already emotionally and mentally fragile.
This fragility is, as we often say of other things, downstream from the rest of culture. Some of what makes people depressed and anxious is biology, but much of it has to do with how we are made to live. As one doctor put it, riffing on John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, we “should ask not what’s inside our heads, but, instead, we should ask what our heads are inside of.”
The most obvious example is loneliness, something we’ve repeatedly discussed in previous BreakPoint commentaries. Societies like ours are, by most accounts, loneliness-producing machines. Our deeply-rooted sense of individualism is only made worse by our growing preference for virtual relationships instead of face-to-face ones. Add that to the fact that, for many, upward economic mobility requires severing ties to those people and communities that gave us a sense of belonging, purpose, and security.
On average, the number of close friends Americans have, “confidants with whom (to) discuss important matters,” went from about three in 1985 to about one in 2006. It’s difficult to guess what that number might be at the beginning of 2020.
With social isolation and, as the Journal put it, “decreased access to community and religious support,” the phrase “perfect storm” is less a cliché, and more a reality.
This is part of the plague that Christians, of all people, should be running into. Reaching out to the hurting among us doesn’t require state permission, and we do have the means to keep physical distancing from becoming social isolation. Part of this includes educating ourselves about signs of depression, and steps to take to help those struggling. There’s no shortage of educational resources online. And, not only can we pray for those people that are hurting, we can tell them we are praying for them.
To be sure, this pandemic will pass. When it does and we begin to again move about the country, it will be easy to forget the hurting and the lonely. We must not.
God help us to be people who won’t forget.
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.