This week, we shall finish the study
of the book of Revelation.
22:1-5—The New Jerusalem (cont.)—As the angel continues to show John the vision of the New Jerusalem, one cannot help but see a restoration of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2:
(1) The city has a “river of life”
a. What is meant by the “river of life”? (7:17; 21:6; Jn. 4:10; 7:37-38)
b. What does its crystal clear quality stand for? (4:6)
(2) The city has the tree of life
a. What does the tree of life stand for? (2:7; Gen. 2:9; 3:22) Note that “To speak of months in reference to the fruit of it is to use human terms of time for eternity of timelessness” (Lenski, 651).
b. What is the use of the leaves?
c. Why do the nations need healing since they will not be cursed anymore (by plagues?)?
(3) The city has the throne of God and of the Lamb
a. Where is the throne now?
b. “Throne” is singular in number: What does it mean that God and the Lamb have the same throne?
c. Who are the servants that will serve Him? (1:3; 1 Cor. 7:22-23)
d. What privileges will they have? (v. 4)
(4) No more night (v. 5)
a. What does night symbolize? (Rom. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:5)
b. Why will the night be over forever?
22:6—The Assurance of the Angelic Messenger
(5) Toward the end of these revelations to John, what does the angelic messenger assure John about?
(6) Is this assurance superfluous? Why or why not?
(7) How does this assurance affirm OT prophecies?
22:7-11—“Behold, I am Coming” (I)
(8) Since He is coming soon, Jesus urges us, the readers of this book of prophecies, to keep its words: What does it mean to “keep” these words of prophecies? (See also 1:3)
(9) The angelic messenger (vv. 8-11)
a. Why does John repeat the mistake he made in 19:10?
b. What does the angel then remind him to do? (v. 10) why? (see Dan. 12:4)
c. How does v. 11 prepare us in approaching the End-time?
22:12-17—“Behold, I am Coming Soon” (II)—In the first iteration of this statement in v. 7, Jesus asks us to keep the words.
(10) In this reiteration, Jesus assures us of His rewards: Can you recall all the rewards He has promised to the Seven Churches (in chapters 2-3)?
(11) Now, as if He is putting His signature to this book of Revelation, how does He address Himself? (v. 13) What is its significance? (see 1:8; 21:6)
(12) A contrast of those within and without the city (vv. 14-15)
a. Who are those who may enter the city? (also see 7:14)
b. What privileges do they (we) have?
c. Who are those outside of the Holy City? (see also 20:15)
(13) What does Jesus call Himself at the very end of this “revelation”? (v. 16)
(14) What might be their significance to the consummation of God’s plan of salvation? (Isa. 11:1, 10; Rom. 1:3; Num. 24:17)
22:17—The Invitation to “Come”
(15) Who are the ones extending this invitation?
(16) To whom is this invitation extended?
(17) What is this invitation about?
22:18-19—The Warning
(18) Why is there the need to give such a warning at this particular time?
(19) Since this is the very end of God’s Word of Revelation, do you think such a warning applies equally to all the books of the Bible? Why or why not?
(20) What might constitute adding or subtracting from God’s Word?
22:20-21—“I am Coming Soon” (III)
(21) Although these words were revealed some 2,000 years ago, and the Lord has yet to come, what does such a repetition of this statement mean?
(22) How does John respond to Jesus’ testimony?
(23) What about you? Do you genuinely look forward to His coming? Why or why not? What difference will it make to how you might live your life?
(24) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
本週我們會完成研讀新約啟示錄，並藉著研讀加拉太書和猶大書來完成這「五年靈修計劃」。本週的靈修共有九日。請細心慢慢讀每天指定的經文至少兩遍，然後反複思考問題。
22:1-5—新聖城耶路撒冷（續）—當天使繼續把新耶路撒冷的異象向約翰啟示時，創世記二章的伊甸園仿佛被重建起來：
(1) 城中有生命水的河：
a. 「生命水」是什麼？（7:17; 21:6; 約4:10; 7:37-38）
b. 明亮如水晶象徵什麼？(4:6)
(2) 城中有生命樹
a. 「生命樹」是什麼？（2:7; 創2:9; 3:22。註：“樹每月都結果子”是用人的言語來形容永恆無盡。”[Lenski, 651]）
b. 樹葉有什麼功用？
c. 以後既再沒有咒詛，萬民（或譯列國）何需醫治？（這是與先前所受的災難有關嗎？）
(3) 城中有神和羔羊的寶座
a. 現在神的寶座是在那裡？
b. 「寶座」是單數的：神與羔羊坐同一寶座是什麼意思？
c. 事奉祂的是什麼人？(1:3；林前7:22-23)
d. 他們有什麼寶貴的特權？(1:4)
(4) 再無黑夜（1:5）
a. 黑夜是什麼的徵記？（羅13:12; 帖前5:5）
b. 為何會永遠再無黑夜？
22:6—豫言的真確
(5) 在這啟示快要結束前，天使要約翰明白什麼？
(6) 天使是否多此一舉？
(7) 天使同時怎樣論到歷代先知的預言？
22:7-11— “看哪，我必快來” （一）
(8) 因著祂的快來，主怎樣吩咐我們？「遵守這書上豫言」是什麼意思？
(9) 約翰欲拜天使（22:8-11）
a. 約翰何以再犯19:10的錯誤？
b. 後來天使再給他什麼吩咐？(22:10) 為什麼？（參但12:4）
c. 22:11怎樣預備我們活在這要來的末期？
22:12-17 — “看哪，我必快來” （二）
(10) 因著祂的快來，主除了吩咐我們要「遵守這書上豫言」外，還提醒我們各人會有賞罰的：你尚記得祂應許給七教會的賞賜包括什麼嗎？（見第2-3章）
(11) 在啟示差不多完結時，為何主好像簽名一樣，要重述祂是誰呢？（22:13）有何重要性？（見1:8; 21:6）
(12) 城內、城外的對比（22:14-15）
a. 得進城的是什麼人？（22:14; 亦參7:14）
b. 他（我）們有什麼特權？
c. 城外的是什麼人？（22:15; 亦參20:15）
(13) 在結束這啟示時，主再如何稱自己？（22:16）
(14) 這有什麼重要意義，特別在這時刻？（參賽11:1, 10；羅1:3；民24:17）
22:17—「來」的邀請
(15) 是誰作出邀請？
(16) 是向誰發出這邀請？
(17) 這邀請的內容是什麼？
22:18-19—警告語
(18) 為何在此刻要發出如此嚴厲的警告？
(19) 這既是啟示錄的結語，你認為這警告適用於聖經其他經卷嗎？為什麼？
(20) 什麼才算是「加添」和「刪去」？
22:20-22— “看哪，我必快來” （三）
(21) 這裡的啟示已經過了差不多二千年，主耶穌尚未回來，這樣幾次的重提有什麼意思？
(22) 約翰在此作出怎樣回應？
(23) 你又如何？你是否心中真的迫切盼望祂的再來？為什麼？這迫切的盼望對你的生命該帶來什麼不同？
(24) 今日你得到的主要提醒是什麼？你會怎樣應用在你的生命中?
“On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing fruit twelve corps of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2)
“Throughout chapter 21 John has been using the imagery of a magnificent city to describe the people of God in the glorious and eternal age to come. While the first five verses of chapter 22 continue that description, they also portray the eternal state as Eden restored, thus ‘book-ending’ the Christian Bible. In Genesis we were introduced to the tree of life planted in the middle of the garden (Gen 2:9). To eat of its fruit was to live forever (Gen. 3:22); as a consequence of Adam’s sin, therefore, the first couple were banished from the garden to work the ground cursed with thorns and thistles (Gen. 3:17-18). Now in Revelation we see redeemed humanity back in the garden, able to eat the bountiful fruit of the tree of life (22:1-2). The curse has been removed (cf. 22:3 with Gen. 3:14-24), and God’s people are again privileged to ‘see His face’ (cf. 22:4 with Gen. 3:8) and serve Him. No greater good or more joyous truth could be imagined than eternal fellowship with God and the Lamb! Truly, the unimaginable blessings of Eden have been restored…
"In divine providence, our Bible ends with the ultimate restoration of the original creation. Paul teaches that although the creation is currently in bondage to decay, it nevertheless eagerly awaits the time when it will be liberated from this bondage. This will take place when the children of God are brought into the glorious future prepared for them (Rom. 8:19-21). Although sin has marred the history of the human race, God has, through the redemption wrought by his Son, set into motion a new humanity. In the present age He rules the hearts of all who have turned to Him in faith; in the age to come that reign will find its full completion. Sin will be forever removed and the design of Eden will be totally realized. The book of Revelation is the final chapter in God’s eternal plan for his children. It portrays in imagery of the most evocative kind the glorious future of all who resist the mark of the beast and turn in believing faith to the Lamb. It brings us full circle to the original desires of God in his creation of all that is.”
(NICNT, 398, 401)
「在河這邊與那邊有生命樹，結十二樣果子，每月都結果子，樹上的葉子乃為醫治萬民。」(啟22:2)
“約翰在第21章用一個宏偉的城來象徵在那將來永遠的榮耀中之神的子民。在第22章首五節繼續的形述時，他同時把這永恆的景象刻畫著重新建造的伊甸園，作為基督教聖經的結語。創世記向我們介紹伊甸園中的生命樹（創2:9）；人吃樹上的果子就能永遠活著（創3:22）。因著亞當犯罪，這世人的第一對男女就被逐出園中，要在這被咒詛長出荊棘和蒺藜的地上勞苦（創3:17-18）。在啟示錄，我們現在看見被救贖的人類重回園中，得吃生命樹上豐盛的果子（22:1-2）；咒詛被除掉（22:3及創3:14-24），神的子民再次有權柄‘見祂的面’ （22:4; 參創世記3:8），並事奉祂。能與神和羔羊同在，再沒有比這個更大的佳音、更快樂的真理。是的，伊甸園得重建—是難以想象的福氣……
在神的設計下，聖經以原本的創造得以重建為終結。保羅告訴我們，受造之物一直在敗壞的轄制之下，但卻切望得脫這管轄。到時，神的眾子會被引進為他們預備的榮耀中（羅9:19-21）。雖然罪毀壞了人類的歷史，但神藉著祂的兒子帶來新造的人。今天，祂在每一個憑信歸向祂的人的心中掌權；將來祂要完全的作王。罪要永遠的被除去，而伊甸園的原意得到完全的實現。啟示錄是神為祂兒女永遠計劃的最後一章。它用喻意把那些拒絕獸的印記、憑信歸向羔羊的人所要享受榮耀無比的將來彰顯出來；也就把我們帶回神創造一切所有的原本心意。” （NICNT, 398, 401）