24 And the nations of them | glory and honor of the nations which are saved shall walk in into it. the light of it and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26 And they shall bring the 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. Lord shall be unto thee an everlast- the kings of Sheba and Seba shall 25, 26. Shall not be shut. - The figure here is principally quoted from Isaiah, to whom the revelator becaine frequently indebted: "Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought;" Isa. Ix. 11. In earthly cities the gates are shut at night, to exclude thieves and enemies, and to avoid surprise. But as there is no night in the new Jerusalem, these precautions would be unnecessary. 27. Anything that defileth.· All glory and all honor will be conferred upon the new Jerusalem, that the nations can bring. Everything that defileth will be excluded from it, be 24. Them which are saved. The nations of them that are saved were those who had been brought to the knowledge of the truth, and saved thereby. The Christians were called the saved; 1 Cor. i. 18. They were saved from error, sin, and moral death. Walk in the light of it.. They walked in the light of the new Jerusalem. Before the coming of Christ, the people walked in darkness; Isa. ix. 2. When he came, they saw a great light. But they did not all walk in that light; some continued in dark-cause "the unrighteous cannot inness. The saved, however, walked in the light of the new Jerusalem. Bring their glory, &c.—And as kings, in building up an earthly city, use their immense influence and treasures, to bring glory and honor to it, they are said to do the same here: "And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me;" Isa. xlix. 23. In describing the glory of Solomon's kingdom, the Psalmist said, "The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents; herit the kingdom of God." They must be washed, and sanctified, and saved, before they can enter. Only the saved shall walk in the light of it, those whose names are enrolled among the Christian believers, in the Lamb's book of life. The conclusion of this description will be found in the next chapter. CHAPTER XXII. Preliminary Remarks. In the preceding chapter we found an account of the descent of the new Jerusalem from heaven; and a description of it under the figure of an earthly city. This description had not closed at the end of the chapter, but is continued to 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 2. On either side of the river. — This description is clearly taken from Ezekiel, as well as that of the preceding verse. Hear what the prophet says: " And by the river, upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed; it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine;" xlvii. 12. In the description of a beautiful garden, how is the scene heightened by the introduction of a pure stream of water. See Solomon's description · "Thy plants are an orchard of pome granate, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices; a 1. Pure river of the water of life. The throne of God is supposed by the revelator to be set up in the new Jerusalem. It is a divine kingdom in which God reigns in conjunction with the Son, and of course the throne of God and the Lamb is represented as being there. See verse 3. From the throne of God and the Lamb, or from under the throne, came out a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal. Nothing adds more to the beauty, comfort, and health of a city, than a river running through it. In describing a perfect city, therefore, the river is introduced. In the garden of Eden, the perfection of beauty, there was the river to water it; Gen. ii. 10. But unquestionably the revelator had his mind on Ezekiel's description of the city. Ezekiel had thereby prefigured the happy state of the Jews after their return from cap-fountain of gardens, a well of living tivity. As he had prefigured their waters, and streams from Lebanon ;' return to Jerusalem by the resurrec- Song, iv. 13-15. ¶ Tree of life. tion in the valley that had been filled Ezekiel's description, the healing tree, with dry bones, so he proceeds to de- or tree of life, was seen on either scribe a city for them to dwell in. As bank of the river, yielding its fruit the Christians, by the help of God, monthly, the leaves of which were for were to overcome Gog and Magog, medicine. The revelator paints a viz., their spiritual enemies, they street on each side of the river, and must have a spiritual city to dwell in, between the street and the brink of and the new Jerusalem was that city. the river on either side grew the tree And as Ezekiel saw the waters issue of life. Not that there was one tree out from under the threshold of the only; but that all the trees were of house eastward, xlvii. 1, so here, in that species. They were all the tree the new Jerusalem, the waters issue of life. ¶ Yielded her fruit every month. from beneath the throne. The waters And this tree bore its fruit every which Ezekiel saw were healing, liv-month. It is not intended that the ing waters: "Everything shall live, (said the prophet,) whither the river cometh;" ver. 9. So in the revelator's description, the water is called the "water of life, clear as crystal." In tree bore twelve different kinds of fruit, for no tree does this; but it af forded twelve harvests in the year It is said the tree bore twelve fruits; and this is explained by the re the tree were for the healing of and his servants shall serve him. the nations. 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 3 And there shall be no more curse but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; 5 And there shall be no night mark, that it yielded its fruit every any curse remain? Everything should month. The leaves of the tree were live whither the river should come. for the healing of the nations. - It Death, therefore, shall be entirely remight truly then be called the tree of moved; and as the leaves of the tree life. Its very leaves were of a heal- are for the healing of the nations, ing quality. This language in respect there cannot remain any curse in the to the nations shows, that by the new new Jerusalem. T The throne of Jerusalem the revelator was not de- God shall be there. - This seems borscribing the immortal state of man, rowed from Ezekiel's description of but a happy state on the earth, where the renovated Jerusalem. "It was nations exist. Although Professor round about eighteen thousand measStuart maintains that by the new ures; and the name of the city from Jerusalem the revelator intended "the that day shall be, THE LORD IS THERE;" final abode of the faithful servants of Ezk. xlviii. 35. The description rethe Redeemer," (ii. 389,) yet on this sembles very strikingly a passage in verse he is constrained to acknowl- the previous part of the Apocalypse, edge, that "the distant nations may where the revelator was treating more derive healing and life-preserving vir- particularly of the Jews. "Therefore tue from the leaves of the trees, car- are they before the throne of God, and ried abroad and distributed among serve him day and night in his temthem." This would seem to show ple: and he that sitteth on the throne that the tree of life was a blessing en- shall dwell among them. They shall joyed on the earth. In the preceding hunger no more, neither thirst any chapter it had been said, concerning more; neither shall the sun light on the new Jerusalem, " And the nations them, nor any heat. For the Lamb of them which are saved shall walk in which is in the midst of the throne shall the light of it; and the kings of the feed them, and shall lead them unto earth do bring their glory and honor living fountains of water; and God unto it;" xxi. 24. Is it possible this shall wipe away all tears from their can be a description of the immortal eyes;" Rev. vii. 15-17. How truly state? Every one must see it is not. was it said, "There shall be no more How, then, can the events of the twen-curse." tieth chapter be referred to the future him." world? The events of that chapter certainly transpired before those described in xxi. and xxii. 3. There shall be no more curse. Everything evil shall be excluded from the new Jerusalem, for the throne of God and the Lamb is there. In Zechariah's description of the renewed state of Jerusalem, he says: "And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited;" xiv. 11. Blessed with the river of life, and the tree of life, how could "His servants shall serve 4. They shall see his face. - To see God's face means to live in near communion with him. Thus we read: "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God;" Matt. v. 8. Το see the Lord is, by some, supposed to signify being in his immediate presence in the immortal world; and it is thought the passage intimates that some will never thus see him. But, however true it is that all men musi be perfectly holy before they can be perfectly happy in the future life, still the phrase to see God is used, by the there; and they need no candle, | and they shall reign forever and neither light of the sun; for the ever. Lord God giveth them light: 6 And he said unto me, These Hebrew writers, to denote a state of was said xxi. 23, 25, and we refer the spiritua. honor and enjoyment in the reader to the remarks on those verses. present life. The expression arose These metaphors of the fulness and from the customs of the eastern kings. | beauty of God's house, of the river of "To behold the king's face, was con- water, the fountain of life, and the sidered an honor and happiness; special light of God's countenance, are much more to see it habitually, that very ancient. "They shall be abunis, to be employed in his immediate dantly satisfied with the fatness of thy service, and to enjoy his favor. Thus, house; and thou shalt make them also, the expression to see God signi- drink of the river of thy pleasures. fies to experience his friendship, and For with thee is the fountain of life; to be admitted to the greatest happi- in thy light shall we see light;" Psa. ness in his presence; whereas, not to xxxvi. 8, 9. The metaphor of the see him is to be shut out from his favor, reign, we have shown, is of frequent and to be under his awful displeasure. occurrence in the Apocalypse, and in Christ says of his humblest followers, other parts of the Bible. See ii. 26, that in heaven their angels do always 27; iii. 21; iv. 4; v. 10; xi. 17; xx behold the face of his heavenly Father; 4, 6. Thus the revelator brings to a referring to the usage of earthly close the description of the new Je courts, where such as always behold rusalem, commenced at the tenth the monarch's face were highest in verse of the preceding chapter. Why office and regard. By this he signi- the division of the chapters should fied, that these little ones had a pow- have been made as it was, we cannot erful interest in heaven, and were imagine. Why were the first five peculiarly dear to God himself; so verses of this chapter separated from that it became men to take heed how that which preceded them? We adopt they despised them; Matt. xviii. 10. the language of Professor Stuart:To sit next the king, especially on his "What could have induced the author right hand, was a mark of the highest of the division of the New Testament honor and dignity; 1 Kings ii. 10; into chapters to disjoin the first five Matt. xx. 20-23; Heb. i. 3." (Nev-verses, it is difficult to see. They belong inseparably to the preceding description. A new chapter should have begun with xxii. 6, which commences the epilogue to the book. But it is useless to complain of these unskilful separations now. The Scriptures have so long been printed and quoted in their present form, that the mistake cannot be well retrieved." — (Com., ii. 387, note.) in's Biblical Antiquities, i. 247.) His name shall be in their foreheads; i. e., shall be written in the most conspicuous place. Their profession shall be very open; they shall be known undoubtedly as the servants of God. The same figure has occurred before in the Apocalypse: "Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name;" iii. 12. See, also, vii. 3; xiv. 1. 5. Need no candle, neither light of the sun. This is a repetition of what CONCLUSION OF THE APOCALYPSE. We have now come to the epilogue, or conclusion, of the work. This is divided into three parts. 1st. The concluding remarks of the angel, who had been sent by God, "to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass;" i. 1. The whole book sayings are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. of Revelation, from the very commencement of it to the fifth verse of chapter xxii., is the communication made by that angel to the revelator. Then follow the angel's concluding remarks. 2d. The remarks of the Lord Jesus, confirming what the revelator had said, extending from verse 12 to verse 20. 3d. The benediction of the revelator. And, 1st, the concluding words of the angel; vers. 6-11. 6. He said unto me.. - Since the work, in the main, is here completed, the angel reässures the revelator of the truth of his words. This is the same angel mentioned i. 1, who had revealed the whole matter of the book; - he said, at the conclusion, to the revelator, "The sayings are faithful and true," - a solemn declaration of their truth and importance. This was not an uncommon form of speech. See xix. 9; xxi. 5. ¶ The Lord God of the holy prophets. Well might the angel speak of the Deity in these terms. The revelator had himself been a diligent student of the prophets. The great truths that had been urged by him had been previously foretold by them. He was himself a prophet, for he foretold future events things which were shortly to come to pass. He claimed to be instructed to make those communications by the Lord God of the holy prophets; so that the same divine character was to be ascribed to his book which the Jews had been accustomed to ascribe to the prophecies of old. ¶ Sent his angel. This Lord God of the holy prophets had sent his angel to testify these things to John, his servant. See the following: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he 32 7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. 8 And I John saw these sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John;" i. 1. Thus we see, that he reässerts, at the close of the book, what he had declared at its beginning. Shortly be done. — And observe, the angel, who opened the whole matter to him, showed him nothing except what was shortly to come to pass. Mark this well. How, then, can it be supposed that the principal judgments mentioned in this book have not yet taken place? The angel showed unto the revelator only "the things which must shortly be done." 7. I come quickly. - Behold, that is, take special notice of this fact; let it not be passed by through inattention, "I come quickly." The language is here put in the first person, because it is precisely the same language which Jesus used in reference to the same event. See verses 10, 12, 20. The coming of Christ was then speedily to take place. ¶ Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings, &c.-Blessed, happy is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book; not heareth merely, but keepeth. The book of Revelation is a prophecy; but the events were not far distant. The people of the generation in which the rev elator lived were personally interested in them; they were called upon to remember them and keep them; and happy would they be if they did so, for the time was at hand. "I come quickly." 8. I John saw, &c. - The revelator here gives his name, John. That John, the apostle, was the author of this book, we have clearly shown in the introduction, and also in various parts of the commentary. He saw the things which he had described, he saw the visions, the scenery, &c., &c. He heard the words which had been |