Seven sides, the sands of time are sinking,
the dawn of heaven breaks, the summer-morn
eyes side for the fair sweet morn awakes,
dark, dark hath been the midnight, but day
-spring is upon, and glory, glory dwelleth in
Emmanuel's land.
975 please.
Chapter twenty-two, and you can see that
when I finish this message this evening, I
have preached forty-six times on this book
of the Revelation.
Twenty-two chapters, and I have preached forty
-six times, and the most of those times
we have been about an hour and a
half.
Some of them have been more, but we
have been preaching for an hour and an
hour and a half each time.
I was trying to count it up today,
it's about three days and three nights whole
preaching without stopping.
And I trust you've got a grasp of
this great book of the Revelation.
You remember when we commenced this, I sort
of outlined the book for you in broadest
sense.
I said the first three chapters is God's
revelation of Christ as Lord in the midst
of the churches.
This book is the revelation of Jesus Christ
which God gave, and it's God's revelation of
Christ in the first three chapters as Lord
in the midst of the churches.
Then in chapters four and five, it's God's
revelation of Christ as Lamb in the midst
of the throne.
Those two chapters take us to heaven to
see the Lamb in the midst of the
throne.
Then from chapter six, right through to eighteen,
it's God's revelation of Christ as Lion it's
the Lion of the tribe of Judah dealing
with the nations down here in the great
tribulation periods.
Dealing with the nations, dealing with the Antichrist,
dealing with the false prophet, eventually dealing with
the devil.
And then in chapter nineteen, it's God's revelation
of Christ as Lover in the midst of
the marriage supper, or the marriage feast.
And in these last two chapters, it's God's
revelation of Christ as Right in the midst
of eternal glory.
You can see Christ in this book as
the Lord, as the Lamb, as the Lion,
as the Lover of the Lamb.
And tonight we're trying to do this whole
chapter.
I know it's taking in a lot, but
I think we can do it quickly by
looking up the Lord of the book, and
then looking up the book of the Lord,
because both the Lord and the book come
into prominence in this twenty-second chapter.
I want to have a look first of
all at this mystical river this evening.
You see, John is continuing his description of
our home.
You remember we looked at the constellations, and
the dimensions, and the illuminations, and the congregation,
and so on the other evening?
Well, John continues now his description of our
eternal home.
He talks about the angel, he says, and
he showed me a pure river of water
of life.
I think if you say, a river of
life, you'll begin to see why I'm talking
about the mystical.
Clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne
of God and of the Lamb.
And you know, there have been more debates
and arguments and things said about this river
than would take us all evening.
You know, I noticed that one of the
common staters said, this river is just peoples,
and tongues, and multitudes, and nations.
I would love to be able to ask
him when peoples, and tongues, and multitudes, and
nations proceeded out of the throne of God.
I think he's just talking.
And I noticed that some of the others
say, this river is baptism, flooding down into
the earth, and sweeping so many into the
kingdom.
My dear friend, it doesn't come near the
earth.
I don't know why they get so much
to earth.
This thing is not on earth.
This thing is in the New Jerusalem.
It doesn't come to earth.
It has nothing to do with earth.
Therefore, let's keep earth out of it.
Some of them say, you know, that this
is even grace.
My dear friends, people would almost say anything
to get past the point.
Somebody said to me, is this a literal
river?
Yes, it is.
But I want to qualify that a little
bit.
You know, when we looked at the goal
that the city was made of, look at
the 21 and verse 21, and the twelve
gates were twelve pearls.
Every several gate was of one pearl, and
the street of the city was pure gold,
of it were transparent glass.
I haven't any doubts at all that the
street, and don't let's say streets anymore, just
let's keep it street.
The street of our eternal home is made
of pure gold, but it's a kind of
gold we've never seen before.
It's gold that's transparent.
You can't find this on the earth.
You see, when we get to our eternal
home, there are going to be so many
things that we've never seen before.
We've never seen them before.
And this river, while it is a river,
it's a kind of river you've never seen
before.
And God doesn't give us any more details.
It's flowing out of the throne of God,
but it doesn't flow into any sea, for
there is no more sea, and it certainly
doesn't leave the New Jerusalem and come to
earth.
I know it's a river that we've never
seen before, and yet it's a river, all
right.
You know, when you take a river in
its symbolic sense, you will find that it
would speak to us of gladness.
You know how the joyful bubbling stream goes
on and the poets read about it?
They can see the joy of it.
And it may speak to us not only
of gladness, but of fullness, and of pureness,
and of deepness, and surely it talks to
us of endlessness.
Let's keep a hold of this, that this
mystical river, while it's a river, and while
it's something we don't properly understand, it's the
river of life.
In all its gladness, in all its fullness,
in all its deepness, in all its pureness,
in all its endlessness.
I wish we could get a hold of
that.
We wouldn't have so much bother with it,
would we?
I think we should remember that things in
the New Jerusalem are not just the same
as things down here, and the people in
the New Jerusalem are not just the same.
And it's the exact same as the tree.
Watch this, verse 2.
In the midst of the street of it,
we were looking at the street, we were
looking at the New Jerusalem the other night,
and looking at the street.
Well, down the center of the street is
flowing this river.
And remember, the street is made of a
gold we've never seen before, and remember, the
river is something we've never seen before.
In the midst of the street of it,
and on either side of the river, was
there the tree of life, which bared twelve
manner of fruits, twelve different kinds, and yielded
whole fruits every month.
And the leaves of the tree were for
the healing of the nations.
And you know, this is a tree, all
right, but it's not the kind of tree
that we're used to.
I don't think that we're going to understand
it properly until we get there.
Somebody said, are these real fruits?
Of course they are.
Don't ask me to explain their size, or
shape, or color, because God hasn't told us,
therefore I don't know.
Somebody said, will we be able to eat
when we go to heaven?
Of course we'll be able to eat.
Didn't the Lord Jesus rise from the dead,
and this was his glorified body?
You remember that he ate.
Didn't he talk about sitting down in heaven,
and shopping with them in heaven?
I'll not drink of the fruit of the
vine till I drink it with you in
my Father's house.
You remember that when the angels came, and
surely these are angelic beings, when they came
they could partake of the cake that was
offered.
Oh, of course you can eat, there's no
question at all about it.
But then you don't eat up there to
live, you know.
I know that some of the folk down
here only live to eat.
It's quite a different thing, of course.
You can see that when you're up here
from the hip of some of you.
You see, we can eat or we can
do without eating.
You know that a rose, if you know
anything about flowers, I think it's the greatest
flower of all, which it gives you some
sort of just pleasant momentary enjoyment, even its
shape, even its colour, even its perfume.
But then if you don't ever see it,
you don't miss too much, do you?
You can enjoy what you can do lately
without it.
And it's just going to be the same,
you know.
Oh, yes, this is a mystical river, but
it is a river.
And these are mystical trees and fruits, but
they are trees and fruits.
Something that we've never thought about before.
What a home we're going to have.
And then there is a bit that comes
in that has puzzled some people.
You see the folks in the New Jerusalem,
in this new planet, they're going to enjoy
these fruits.
But it's said that the leaves of the
tree were for the healing of the nations.
Because the nations are different from the folk
who are occupying the city, isn't that quite
right?
Because I think we've worked this out in
the other chapter, and I don't need to
batter it out too much now, that when
this new planet comes down from God out
of heaven, and all the saints move in,
the earth is going to be still here.
And you know, the nations that are on
the earth, it says in the last chapter,
shall walk in the light of it.
Now, when we talk about the eternal day,
and we talk about no more pain, and
no more death, and the former things are
passed away, what's the word healing about?
Oh, that's quite a wonderful question.
Because, you see, this word healing here, it's
the old word therapeutical.
There are great scholars in this class, and
you can't fool them.
And one of the things, you know this,
that the word that's here for healing is
the word therapeutical.
It's where we get our English word therapeutic.
And it must be evident to the scholars
that this word is in the Bible several
times, and all the rest of the times
it's translated household.
Now, you can hardly see how household and
healing can be the same English translation of
one Greek word.
But, you see, this word, while it can
be translated household, it has a therapeutic value
for the household.
And I believe, you see, that these leaves
of these trees are bringing some sort of
fragrance into our household and the nations, so
that they're enjoying with us the great things
that God has prepared.
Don't ever get the idea that they have
done something wrong and they need to be
healed.
It is not there.
In fact, if it had been translated, the
leaves of the tree were for the household
of the nations, it would be quite all
right.
So, I think that we must see these
things, that they are things that God has
prepared for us.
He's giving us little glimpses of them now,
and we, in this present condition, can't understand
them properly.
But let's move from this mystical angle to
these devotional shalves.
You know, in verses three and four and
five, there are quite a number of shalves
there, and there shall be no more curse.
Isn't that tremendous?
You see, every one of these shalves, it's
bringing out something that's eternal.
No more curse for all eternity.
You remember how the curse came in, because
Eve and Adam both failed God, and the
curse came.
Well, there's going to be no more curse.
I don't know how many times I have
encountered it in these two chapters.
You get the no more, no more sin,
no more death, no more pain, no more
tears, no more sorrow.
So many times, in fact, these chapters can
be called the chapters of the no mores.
If you go over into Romans and get
in the heart of the book, you'll find
chapters with much more.
Sometimes we preachers say those are the chapters
of the much mores, and these are the
chapters of the no mores.
And when you go to James and get
into the heart of this practical epistle, these
are the chapters of the no mores.
So this is, this is no more.
No more curse.
And then it says here, and they shall
see his face.
That's very filling, you know, because that's the
moment, I think, that I'm waiting on most
of all.
When by his grace I shall look on
his face.
You know, a little fellow asked me once,
and he was just about twelve, I think
he was twelve, I was staying at the
home, and he came around playing sometimes, and
he was an intelligent kid, and he came
in one day and sat on the carpet,
and he leaned on my knee, and he
said, uh, when I go to heaven, who
will I see?
Will I see God?
Will I see the Father?
Will I see the Son?
Will I see the Holy Ghost?
Who will I see?
He never came to talk to me like
that.
And I went along with him, you know,
I brought him over here, and I said,
it says there, John, it says there, they
shall see his face.
He said, whose face?
I said, you know, when we get to
heaven, the glory of God will be seen
for all eternity in all its fullness in
the face of Jesus Christ.
Let's get a hold of that, you know,
because it will be his face.
Let me say this to you, it will
not be his fierce, hairy face, because he
tears round down his face at times, and
it will not be the face with the
spittle on it, the bitter, and it will
not be the face with the blood that
is on it, for his face will move
out.
It will not be the face that was
treated with pain.
It will not be the face that revealed
the suffering within.
It will be the face radiating for all
eternity the glory of God.
My, just once, when he was down here
on the Mount of Transfiguration, for a moment,
his face shone.
It was the glory of God, and the
look in his face for all eternity.
That's forever, and ever, and ever.
No more curse, and all eternity to look
on his face.
And on it shall fear, and his name
shall be in their foreheads, and that's for
all eternity too.
You know, when the Queen was being crowned,
I sat and watched this very carefully, not
because I just wanted to see her crowned,
but because I wanted to see so many
things that I had thought about for so
long.
And you know, you could tell all the
dukes in the realm by the sort of
crown they wore.
You could see every one of them.
And you could tell all the Duchesses too,
if you were observant, by the coronets they
wore.
And all these great dignitaries of the throne
all had some sort of identification mark.
I am your habit.
You know, his name will be in their
foreheads.
It's just the sort of thing that will
tell for all eternity, that we belong to
him, and every part of us belongs to
him, and that we're exalted with the Christ
of God.
It's a tremendous thing that it was put
in there.
And it says here, there shall be no
night there.
I think that's lovely, you know, because this
night is a tremendous thing.
There's the seasonal night when it comes dark,
and then some folks have been in physical
night, even from birth.
They've been blind from birth.
It's always been dark with them.
And then some dear folks go mentally dark.
Yes, just cannot get at peace together anymore.
And there's not only the seasonal thing, and
the physical and this mental, but there is
moral darkness.
What moral darkness has settled in this whole
world of ours?
When the officer took me round to Kent
the other morning, he took me away to
the edge of the Kent, and we had
to go for miles to do this.
And just outside the perimeter of the Kent,
there's what they call a sex palace.
Lots of clever men got this, and built
it there.
The law can't touch them.
And they bring women in, and men in
there, and they have sex shoes, and all
the young fellows from the Kent go there.
There's what you call moral darkness.
It's a terrible thing.
They destroy these young soldiers.
And there's not only seasonal, and physical, and
mental, and moral.
But let's not forget this, there's eternal darkness,
a blackness of darkness forever and ever.
But where we're going, boy,
it's an old nightmare for all eternity.
What a wonderful thing, you know.
These shalls, they really thrill me.
It says verse five at the end of
the verse, and they shall reign forever and
ever.
You can see these eternal things, can't you?
No more curse for all eternity.
We shall feel safe for all eternity.
We shall have this dignified exultation for all
eternity.
No night for all eternity.
And didn't the Holy Ghost put it well
when he said they shall reign forever and
ever.
These are just devotional things out of the
chapter.
And so you can see these devotional shalls.
Now let's get to this prophetical book that
we've been handling, I trust, Kirsten A, verse
six.
And he said unto me, These things are
faithful and true.
And the Lord God of the holy prophet
sent his angel to show unto his servants
the things which must shortly be done.
It brings us back to the point that
this is the revelation of God.
Because it's the Lord God of the holy
prophet sent his angel.
And so these things are faithful and true.
Verse seven says, Behold, I come quickly.
Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of
the prophecy of this book.
You know, friend, I think that you can
see that there are blessings attached to the
reading of this book.
When we were away at the very beginning
of this book, do you remember that we
read this?
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that
hear the words of this prophecy, and keep
those things which are written therein.
You know, you can see those blessings attached
to this book.
And I think you can see the brethren
of this book.
It says here, Behold, I come quickly.
Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of
the prophecy of this book.
And I, John, saw these things, and had
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 saith he unto me, Seize, I'll do
it not.
You know, this shining angel that was sent
down to conduct John into the depths of
these truths.
Alone he was sent of God, and did
a great job for God.
Yet he would not allow John to worship
him.
You can see how far astray the Roman
church is.
And the Pope just delights for people to
fall down at his feet.
I don't think he should be even compared
with the angels.
You can see how far wrong this worship
of Mary is.
I don't apologize for this.
I detest Maryology.
Absolutely detest it.
Forbid it to put Mary in the place
of my Lord.
My, you deserve to go to hell for
that.
Oh, we'll not just go too quiet on
most things, you know.
You don't want me to be mumby-pumby,
do you?
Because I have no notion of doing that.
That's potpourri of the deepest fire, and I
hate it.
Yes, so does God.
And God will burn it yet.
Seize, I'll do it not, cried the angel.
And you think you do it much.
They don't worship men or women.
Worship God.
And him only, shall pass away.
Seize, I'll do it not.
You know, I think the angel put in
a lovely little word there when he said,
For I am thy fellow servant, and of
thy brethren the prophets, and of them the
prophets keep the sayings of this book.
You see, when the angels were sent to
help, or the angel came to instruct and
interpret for Daniel, or any other of the
prophets, you know, they felt they were in
on the job.
They were fellow servants.
My dear friend, these are the brethren of
this book.
And then I think we must notice this
when we're looking at the book.
He said unto me, Feel not the sayings
of the prophecy of this book.
You know, friend, the binding of this book,
it was left open.
It wasn't to be sealed, or shut up,
or anything like that.
You know, I wonder, are you numbered among
the people who love this book?
Because the angel loved it, and the prophets
loved it, and all who love God should
love it.
There's no binding on it, you know, it's
open.
I heard about a Baptist pastor who's rolled
up in a-millennialism saying to a man
who cornered him the other day, I don't
know I'll keep away from this book of
the Levitation for the next twenty years.
It's a pity of a creature like that,
isn't it?
God help the Baptists.
God help them.
They don't know where they'll be in a
year or two.
My dear friend, is this what we're learning?
Is this what we're producing in the church?
God help us.
That's cracked for you, isn't it?
Just because he can't work it into a
-millennialism.
It's too much for him.
He's going to shut it up now.
He's going to burn it.
Ah, well, God says don't put any binding
on this, you know.
You want to enjoy this.
There's blessings for enjoying this.
Blessed are they that keep the sayings of
this book.
And I think you can see this about
the book.
Not only the blessings, and the brethren, and
the binding.
Look at the 13th.
13.
For I testify unto every man that hears
the words of the prophecy of this book,
that any man shall add unto these things.
My dear friend, you're not allowed to add.
The beauty of this book is that it's
finished.
It's perfected.
There'll be no more Revelation.
My God, I'll curse you for that.
Everything that God wants to say to you
about prophecy is in the book.
There'll be no art.
My, he has given us a full, wonderful,
thrilling picture from the time Christ comes to
take the church home, right down through the
horrible days of the tribulation, right to the
great white throne, on into eternity, to see
our eternal home in the damnation of those
who had no time for Christ.
And there's no adding to that.
Not at all.
The pagan Roman church adds to it.
They try to say, you know, this is
all right, this is God's work, but we've
had Revelations after that.
They're only trying to get over Roman ideas
after that.
Purgatory!
That's not in this book.
Oh no, I was preaching at the funeral
not so long ago for no since.
And I was talking about her death, absent
from the body, present with the Lord.
And I happened to shout at the gay
side, absent, present, absent from the body, present
with the Lord.
There's no part of her in there, I
shouted.
A Roman Catholic solicitor came to see me
afterwards.
He said, I never saw this thing from
that very moment.
I said, there's no purgatory for men who
trust Christ, there's no condemnation.
You don't want my Savior to die on
the cross and then leave the supper in
hell for a while or someplace like that.
Then, we'll be ardent to this.
You'll get cursed if you're ardent to this.
Do you see this?
The blessings of the book, and the brethren
of the book, and the binding of the
book, and the beauty of the book.
Do you see the brand of this book?
Look at verse 19.
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.
You're not allowed to take anything out of
it.
What a book it is.
It's God's book.
And it's like Himself eternal.
It will last forever, and ever, and ever.
But I'm adventurous to say that looking through
this great chapter this evening, there's not only
this mystical river, and these mystical trees, and
these very thrilling devotional showers, and all these
details of this prophetical book.
I think we need to end this great
book this night by looking at the eternal
Lord.
You know, there's some things here.
Look at verse 16.
And there's no making any messes about this.
I, Jesus.
In case you wondered who was talking right
down through the chapter.
I, I, Jesus.
If you have any problems about that, you
know, that brings out the humanity.
When we want to see the human Christ,
thou shalt call His name Jesus.
That brings out the humanity.
He says, I, Jesus, have sent mine angel
to testify unto you these things in the
churches.
And you know, when you get this wording
properly, I, Jesus, have sent mine angel.
You know, the angels belong to Him, and
He commands them.
He directs them.
This brings out the authority on the earth.
If the word Jesus brings out this humanity,
then seeing Him as the master of the
angels brings out His authority.
He says, I, Jesus, have sent mine angel
to testify unto you these things in the
churches.
I am the root and the offspring of
David.
You know, there are two things there.
I am the root and the offspring.
You see, He was David's Lord.
This is the question that the Lord asked
the fathers since.
If the Christ that's coming is David's son,
how can He be David's Lord?
Because David in the Old Testament called Him
Lord.
You see, this brings out the deity of
Christ.
In one sense, David came from Him.
We're the offspring of God, if you like.
Why He's the root of all?
I want you to get this, but it
says, I am the root and the offspring.
You see, in one sense, David came from
Him, and that proves His deity.
In another sense, He came from David, and
that proves His royalty.
Because He was born of the house and
lineage of David.
He was king of the Jews.
And don't take David's throne yet.
There's a lot thrust into this, isn't there?
Jesus would bring forth His humanity.
And sending the angels would tell us of
His authority.
And being the root of David, we show
us His divinity.
And being the offspring of David, we show
us His royalty.
And He went further.
He said, I am the root and the
offspring of David.
I'm the bright and morning star.
You know, it matters not what kind of
a night you put in, or how dark
it may get down here, or how stormy
it may be.
You know, you'll find that the morning star
will appear, as sure as anything.
This brings out the reliability of the Lord
Jesus.
I'll tell you a wee thing, dear, that
when the storm howls in your life, and
the darkness deepens, and the lion at your
elbow roars, somewhere in the shadows, on the
very edge of your darkness in the morning,
you're not still there, except in this book.
When the morning must come, Jesus stood on
the shore.
Stand on the shore of all your disappointments,
you know, and all your fears, and all
your troubles.
You'll find them shining on the shore.
You can see His humanity.
You can see His authority.
You can see His divinity.
You can see His royalty.
You can see His reliability.
Let's go to verse 13.
He said, I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end, the first and the
last.
That's His eternality.
Oh, that was the other evening, and we
don't need to go over it all again.
You see, He's eternal.
He's the first and the last.
He's the Alpha and the Omega.
He's the beginning and the end.
And I think we must do this this
evening.
You see, we'll go back to the first
verse, and there should be a pure river
of water, of life clear as crystal, proceeding
out of the throne of God and of
the Lamb.
And that's His equality, because He's truthful and
true eternal with the Father.
It's the throne of God and of the
Lamb.
What a wonderful Savior we have.
I trust that these studies have been a
blessing to you, and I trust that you'll
come next Tuesday, and that you'll see this
land of Palestine, and then you'll begin with
us and what we're calling the footsteps of
Christ, following the footsteps of Christ.
And I believe that God will fill your
soul and bless you again and again.
I don't think we dare sing anything else,
only 949, when all my labors and trials
are over, and I am safe on that
beautiful shore, just to be near the dear
Lord I adore will, through the ages, be
glory for me.
And can I just ask you for your
prayers for these days?
Remember, I'm working hard.
I preached seven times in a few nights
there, and I'll be preaching all this week,
and I'll be preaching all next week, and
before I left for Germany on the night
before, I baptized 23 big men and women,
and I'm not as young as I used
to be, and I would need your prayers.
You pray for me.
Just ask the Lord for his blessing.
949.
And I am safe on that beautiful shore,
just to be near the dear Lord I
adore.
Let's take a big deep breath to see
how well we can sing this.
We're putting everything into this.
Now let's really sing this.
Do you believe this?
Believe you'll be in heaven one day, standing
on the golden street, looking into his face?
Go ahead and sing it.
Let's really sing.
Everybody's singing now.
Take a big deep breath, goes way down
into the bottom of your lungs, right in
like that, you hear it sighing.
All right, Lord, I thank you.
Dear Lord, part us in thy fear, and
with thy blessing, take us to our homes
and safety, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.