Revelation 22:21

Copyright Ó 2011 J. Neely

Revelation 22:21

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21 The grace [charis] of our [hemon] Lord [kurios] Jesus [Iesous] Christ [Christos] be with [meta] you [humon] all. [pas] Amen. [amen]KJV-Interlinear

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

NASB

Meanwhile, grace will rule the lives of believers who are positive and genuinely pursuing their spiritual life.

Grace is a reference to the infinite love, mercy, and favor of God toward humanity.  It is Gods infinite tolerance, accommodation and forgiveness policy toward humanity.

With God, nothing in truth is impossible.  And for those who believe in His appointed Son and Savior, Jesus Christ, and advance in obedience toward their spiritual maturity, then everything imaginable and beyond imagination becomes very much a possibility especially in eternity.  For eternity is where our destiny resides, not here and now.

As for those who are negative toward God, discipline and judgment will be their boundary markers.

Gods timeline is set. Humanity has only two choices for their future, Heaven or the Lake of Fire. You have your entire life, however long or short that might be, to establish your pattern of life, and by so doing you choose and make clear exactly what will be your destiny.

Make sure that you choose wisely.

The Bible started out with God, and ends with His policy of grace.  Throughout history, all of man and angels plans, try as they may, fail time and again.  

God merely presents His favor, and in that, He maintains complete control of history.

God created you as a potential.  Someone that He could pour His plan into and make you complete.

Most everyone spends their entire life looking for that perfect someone or something into which they can pour their life in order to gain completion, contentment, happiness, in order to find that moment that can continue on forever, free of burdens, free of stress, free of the constant worries produced by life.

And all the while the answer is right in front of us all.

Bible doctrine is that perfect someone into which we can pour our lives, and find the ever elusive goal of happiness and completion, meaning and purpose.  And all it takes on our part is to conduct ourselves in a daily study, while in fellowship, as believers in Christ.

Attainment of the most awesome objective in existence is just that simple.

However, people are determined to work and work and make themselves a burden of effort to accomplish on their own or by some invented means, that which goes absolutely nowhere.

God provides for us, everything for the very small price of listening and reading and learning and applying to our lives what we learn.  Without getting bored, without seeking entertainment, without requiring that we be impressed or proven to, Gods Word stands above all the philosophies and opinions of the world.

Gods word is the authority of life.  We are all students without portfolio, and have an obligation to learn that which we do not know.  It is not our place to require proof of God.  Merely look around and see, if you can see, the vast details and complexities of life and of the universe.

From the very moment of your birth, you have been writing your very own story, the song which defines and describes your life.  At your life’s end, what will your story be?  One of success or one of failure?

The bible defines success and gives it freely to those who obey its mandates.

For those who try to define their own path through life, failure is their only option.

For the last two years, we have been studying this book and have now reached its completion.  Life does not begin or end with the beginning or ending or any given book.  Tomorrow we continue our daily study without so much as a hiccup and continue our daily lives for as long as God decides we are to be in this world.

It is best that our time in this life is used to advance in our spiritual life to maturity, and therefore assure us of certain and phenomenal success for eternity.  For this life will end before you know it, and the next will begin whether you are prepared or not.  Better to be prepared.

Stop worrying about anything, but in everything through prayer and supplication, with thanks, let your requests be made known unto God.

Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass.

Fear thou not for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.

And the peace of God will garrison your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

For to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you without blemish before the presence of His glory, with exceeding joy, for of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things, to whom be glory and majesty, dominion and power, even Jesus Christ our Lord.

Believe it.

From my family to yours, we want to thank everyone for your continued support of this study, and we wish you all the very best of life and grace from God, and the strength to continue in your quest toward completion.

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Revelation 22:20

Copyright Ó 2011 J. Neely

Revelation 22:20

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20 He which testifieth [martureo] these things [tauta] saith, [lego] Surely [nai] I come [erchomai] quickly. [tachu] Amen. [amen] Even so, [nai] come, [erchomai] Lord [kurios] Jesus. [Iesous] KJV-Interlinear

20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. NASB

He who testifies, is none other than Jesus Christ.  These are His words, communicated to us, through John who wrote them over 1,900 years ago.

John describes Jesus Christ as the living Word, John 1:1.  He is the Word of God.  To know the scriptures is to know Christ, and obviously no one can thoroughly know Christ unless they first learn the content of the scriptures.  That of course requires a daily study.

Quickly means, without delay, without adjustment.

God has a plan. His plan for human history is to the point, and well thought out. God did not include a lot of useless clutter in history just to fill up time.

God restored the world in six days and rested. He gave the people of Noah's day, one hundred and twenty years to repent, then the rains came, just as soon as the ark was completed. God has divided history up into distinct dispensations. When each respective dispensation is completed, the next begins immediately.

The Tribulation will last but seven years. When asked 'How long?' by the martyred believers in the Tribulation, Christ's answer was, 'When the number of martyred believers is complete.' There are a specific number of people who will be martyred during that time period.

The Millennium will last only 1000 years. Your life will last only so many years. God knows the exact number hairs on your head.

Nothing is done haphazardly in history. Nothing occurs by mistake or randomly. History does not meander along until God decides to do something spontaneously. Even the future capital of the new universe has set dimensions.

When will the Rapture occur? When the nations are arrayed for the final events of the Tribulation. When the number of Church Age believers is fulfilled. When science and technology reaches such a level that people will be convinced that humanity can cure almost every problem that comes along. When the planet's physical configuration has reached the breaking point for earthquakes, storms, diseases, and such. When God is ready.

There are no delays in history.

This is the second most important promise in the entire Bible. The first being salvation and the work of Christ on the Cross. And now that the promise of salvation has been fulfilled, then this promise is the greatest remaining hope that all believers look to.

History has been symbolized by raging seas and wayward winds. The winds depict the will of man as he opposes God and tries to drive history in his own direction. The seas rage and represent the nations that try as they may, to get out of their assigned spaces, but fail, falling inevitably back into their predefined boundaries, which God has established.

The will of God overrules all evil intentions, and drives human history to its intended and final day.

Believers in history are the bride, grown up in the ranks of peasants. Christ is the groom.

The groom is the all powerful, rich young crown prince, owner and ruler of the realm of the entire universe. The groom has gone away to prepare a home for his bride. In doing so, all of his enemies must be defeated, in order that the new home of the bride will be secure, prosperous, and full of happiness forever.

The bride remains behind in a dangerous and strange land. She goes down daily, by the shore and lights her search lamp, waiting patiently for the return of her husband to be. Evenings and mornings pass, fair weather and storms pass.

Critics come out of the woodwork ridiculing the bride's patience, ‘Where is the promise?  Where is He?’, 2 pet. 3:4.  But, the faithful bride perseveres in her wait for that promise to be fulfilled.

Therefore, history unfolds. Many wonder where this husband is. Perhaps he is not going to return. Perhaps he has forgotten.

However, believers who are positive, wait patiently for the promise that they know will be kept. Perhaps not in their lifetime, because Gods plan spans many generations and dispensations.  Nevertheless, kept, the promise will be.

The whole of creation groans in pain for the manifestation of the sons of God.  How much more those sons, who are living thinking beings, who agonize for the end of all of life's ordeals, and who call for the return of the living God?

The overall objective of this single book, is to bring any and all to the understanding that it is God who controls history, not man. Human history has been prerecorded in heaven. It has been prerecorded since eternity past. There is nothing new in history that will catch God off guard. God has even made provision for every thought and action that humanity will pursue.

The destiny of evil is set. The destiny of good is set. All that remains is for history to bring all of its events into reality. Then God, at the proper time, will return as promised.

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Revelation 22:19

Copyright Ó 2011 J. Neely

Revelation 22:19

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19 And [kai] if [ean] any man [tis] shall take away [aphaireo] from [apo] the words [logos] of the book [biblos] of this [touto] prophecy, [propheteia] God [theos] shall take away [aphaireo] his [autos] part [meros] out of [apo] the book [biblos] of life, [zoe] and [kai] out of [ek] the holy [hagios] city, [polis] and [kai] from the things which are written [grapho] in [en] this [taute] book. [biblion]KJV-Interlinear

19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. NASB

In the last verse and in this verse, a very stern warning is made regarding the adding to or the taking away, from the message presented by this book and by the Bible on the whole.

At the end of the first century, John wrote this book in approximately 96 A.D.  This book marks the close of the canon of scripture and the close of Gods revelation to humanity from that point forward.

There have been many apostate and fraudulent writings or holy spirit pretended manifestations since the first century.  Those writings and things have been attempts to discredit God, Christ, and the overall message and plan contain in the Bible, or to self promote some activity or organization.

From false books to entire false religions, Satan, through many human agents, has tried to modify, dilute and destroy the teaching of the scriptures.

But through atrocities and plagues, through dark ages and enlightenment, through indifference and delusion, and through numerous invented religions and cults and philosophies, the message of Christ has persevered and stood out above all other faiths and philosophies and opinions.

The one name known throughout the centuries, that of Jesus Christ, has far surpassed any and all other names, and the scriptures have withstood and maintained the utmost respect above all else, Ps 119:97; Ps 119:113,163,167; John 14:23, Ps 119:70; Ps 1:2; 119:77,92,174.

And though believers in general will make mistakes during their growth, this warning is addressed primarily toward those who deliberately try to promote false representations of the scriptures.

There is only one way to know the content of the Word of God, and that is by means of a daily study.  Where there is no study, there is no learning and there is no knowledge, leaving only the invention of the imagination, which leads to the loss of blessing and worse.

Only arrogance would drive a person to such a bitter end.

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Revelation 22:18

Copyright Ó 2011 J. Neely

Revelation 22:18

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18 For [gar] I testify [summartureo] unto every man [pas] that heareth [akouo] the words [logos] of the prophecy [propheteia] of this [toutou] book, [biblion] If [ean] any man [tis] shall add [epitithemi] unto [pros] these things, [tauta] God [theos] shall add [epitithemi] unto [epi] him [autos] the plagues [plege] that are written [grapho] in [en] this [touto] book: [biblion] KJV-Interlinear

18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book;  NASB

And now, for the curse.

You have certainly seen movies where the hero or bad guys, open up the crypt after reading some inscription on it. A curse that threatens anyone who opens the thing, whatever it is, will be cursed for all time. Even mummy's can come back to life and spread terror across the planet.

Well this is not exactly like that, but it is very close.

The Bible is not a hidden crypt. It is not in a box buried within a pyramid, to be discovered and there waiting to unleash the forces of evil on an unsuspecting world, Hollywood style.

The Bible is an open book. It is there to be read and understood by one and all. Its secrets are not really secrets, but the truth.

This Book of Revelation, as are all of the books of the Bible, is the personal testimony of Jesus Christ, son of David, Son of God, our Lord and Savior, the ruler and sovereign of all that is.

These words were not manufactured, as are all religions, out of the imaginations of men using narcotics, or by those who lust for control and power, or notoriety and wealth, or by those who pretend to attempt to conjure up the forces of evil.

And thus the curse.

In history, there have been tyrants, rulers, even religious leaders who have prevented the Word of God from being freely distributed to the masses of people within their realm. Communism and Islam are but two examples of this.

In history, there have been tyrants, rulers, even religious leaders who have distorted the content of the Word of God, for their own personal gain, benefit, and power. The Inquisitions, and some of the darker history of the Roman Catholic Church, again are but two of the more obvious examples of this.  There are a lot of contemporary churches and cults and such that have some rather bizarre approaches in their beliefs.

These examples are not limited to only large organizations. A single parent who prevents his or her child from hearing the Word of God, or a parent who teaches his child very distorted lies about life, can be just as guilty.

This curse is not applied to simple interpretation errors when the general concept is legitimately followed. Remember, the long term pattern of truth is more important than an occasional mistake. None of us are perfect and errors occur in life. That is simply being human. Examine yourself in the mirror sometime.

The spiritual life does not rise and fall on the content of a single lesson. The spiritual life is supposed to be a lifetime commitment. That means thousands of study lessons. Obviously, any errors or misunderstandings that do occur, are all eventually sorted out for the person who is legitimately motivated to learning truth.

As for folks whose motivations are less than honorable, then errors become convenient excuses for their further distortions or attitudes. In that, they build up their own troubles for life.

Most problems that people will incur on themselves are obvious errors due to lack of knowledge. Folks who sell all that they have so they can put on a robe, stand on a hill, and thus meet the Lord on any given Wednesday evening, are simply misguided people. They will lose blessings and incur trouble for themselves, simply because they are foolish.

Foolishness comes from the lack of a consistent daily study, from legitimate study sources.

Common sense also comes with a consistent daily study.

To these people, who by their arrogance, selfish, or evil intentions, who attempt to distort intentionally, to misrepresent intentionally, or even to prevent legitimate discovery of truth, to these folks, the worst of the worst of curses will fall upon them.

This will cover everything from misconstruing the concept of marriage between a man and a woman, to religious fanatics convincing folks to blow themselves up for promised virgins.

The plagues written in the Book of Revelation are mostly implied. The plagues of the Lake of Fire, or taking away the Tree of Life, are beyond ones imagination. But there are also the plagues of lost blessing, the taking away from the holy city. Remember that the believer, who turns negative toward God, for whatever reason, will still go to heaven, but he has so much to lose in this life, as well as losing blessings in the next.

Plagues are more than famines and diseases. They are wide spread afflictions and calamities of ones personal life.

When God sets His will against you, then 'hurt' is the best you can look forward to. It only gets worse from there.

Deut. 4:2

2 You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. NASB

Prov. 30:5-6

5 Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

6 Do not add to His words Lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar. NASB

Your spiritual life is the single most important possession that you can ever own. Those who distort their own spiritual life will get what they deserve. Those who attempt to distort or destroy the spiritual lives, or opportunities of others, will not get away with their crimes either.

God is fair. God is just. God is a gracious, patient, passionate, and a generous God. But too, God will crush all evil, and He will do it at His own convenience, not yours.

Do not play games with God.

Although lightning does not strike immediately when a sin or falsehood is committed, don't for one second think that you got away with it.

Look at history around you as it unfolds day after day, week after week, and year after year. There are a lot of opinions out there. There are a lot of negatives in this world. God does not step in and crush the rebels, or beat sense into the heads of fools each and every day.

Christ will not take person rule until the Millennium and thereafter. Today, it is Satan who complains, and thus Gods courtesy allows history to unfold and prove Satan's lies and ineptness.

Therefore, if you want to distort, compromise, pretend, or even ignore the Word of God, then you will be looking at certain trouble and great loss in your life.

If you want to avoid this 'super' trouble, then put away your own agenda, your own selfish motives, and begin to listen and learn and grow in your spiritual life.

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Revelation 22:17

Copyright Ó 2011 J. Neely

Revelation 22:17

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17 And [kai] the Spirit [pneuma] and [kai] the bride [numphe] say, [lego] Come. [erchomai] And [kai] let him that heareth [akouo] say, [epo] Come. [erchomai] And [kai] let him that is athirst [dipsao] come. [erchomai] And [kai] whosoever will, [thelo] let him take [lambano] the water [hudor] of life [zoe] freely. [dorean]KJV-Interlinear

16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star." NASB

Two requests, pleas, petitions, or supplications are being made from two different parties, within this verse.

The first is from the Holy Spirit, requesting the return of Christ, as well as from believers who are also requesting the return of Christ.

The second request is for humanity to answer the call of Christ, to salvation.

Throughout the long and numerous centuries, the Holy Spirit has worked to bring about conviction and repentance among humanity. Jesus' imminent return has been promised throughout the scriptures. And to that promise the third member of the Trinity says, 'Come.'

The Holy Spirit has worked throughout history, disclosing Bible doctrine and the call to salvation through faith in the Second person of the Trinity. He has battled a never-ending line of generations of stubborn and stiff-necked people. Thus the call for the return of Christ, to subdue and judge, and therefore end the Spirit's long battle.

Likewise, the Bride, which in this verse represents believers throughout history, also call for Christ to, 'Come.'

People have to deal with all manner of pressures and trouble throughout their lives. Human history is filled with war and crime, disease and injury, social pressures and prejudices, pain and suffering, financial pressures and so forth. Life is not easy for most folks. There probably has not been one single believer who has not wished for the return of Christ, if for no other reason than to make the hurting stop.

Likewise, Christ knows human history. He has seen the Divine Decrees. He knows that there will be a set and predetermined number of generations and that there will be people in future generations who will believe in Him and therefore will live in heaven with Him forever.

He also knows that there will be many who will procrastinate in their belief, risking their ending up in the eternal Lake of Fire. Christ calls, through the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit, for any and all unbelievers to, 'Come.' Come in faith, believing in the one and only savior, Jesus Christ. So that they too can join in the call to Christ for Hs return.

No one wants to live under perpetual pressure and suffering. That does not make life fun at all. To look forward to the time when there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more suffering, no more death, no more sorrow, to look forward to no more of any of the negatives of life, is very legitimate and normal.

The promises of heaven and all that accompanies it, are beyond phenomenal and should excite the heart of any normal person.

However, we are here in this world, and we must persevere through Gods planned historical timeline. The worst of human history is not yet. The worst will come in the Tribulation, when the suffering, death, and destruction will reach levels that have never before occurred in history.

Isa. 55:1

1 'Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. NASB

Who can be saved? Anyone who believes in Christ. Who will be saved? Everyone who believes in Christ.

What price do we pay for this salvation? Nothing but the price of a single thought, 'Father, I believe in Jesus Christ.'

Jesus Christ went to the Cross and paid the price demanded of sin. Jesus Christ owns life, and gives it freely to any and all who believe in Him. Anyone who does not believe in Him is in effect, trying to obtain eternal life by means of their own effort. They cannot.

There is no requirement to stand up, to raise ones hands, to perform some ritual, to suffer in any humiliating way. There is no requirement to feel sorry, or to go off and live a life of poverty or seclusion.

There is nothing that you can do in order to earn or qualify for Gods free gift of eternal life. Mans works, mans sufferings, mans imitations of sufferings, mans self-imposed sacrifices are all rejected. There is nothing that you can do which will gain you that which God gives freely.

His only requirement is that you want salvation, that you want doctrine, that you want a relationship with God through Christ. Therefore, he who thirsts, he who desires, will receive every opportunity of being saved and enjoying a fruitful spiritual life.

Thirst indicates a desire for something that you desperately need. Without water, a person would die. But without thirst, one would not have any desire for water. God has built in, to the normal function of the human anatomy, a thirst in order to make the person aware of his need. Likewise, God has built into the spiritual anatomy, a spiritual thirst such that a person will have no excuse for not wanting the water of life.

The gospel and Bible doctrine is that life giving water. It is there free for the taking. Only arrogant and stubborn defiance will prevent one from taking something that is necessary for life, and is free.

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Revelation 22:16

Copyright Ó 2011 J. Neely

Revelation 22:16

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16 I [ego] Jesus [Iesous] have sent [pempo] mine [mou] angel [aggelos] to testify [martureo] unto you [humin] these things [tauta] in [epi] the churches. [ekklesia] I [ego] am [eimi] the root [rhiza] and [kai] the offspring [genos] of David, [Dabid] and the bright [lampros] and [kai] morning [orthrinos] star. [aster] KJV-Interlinear

16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star." NASB

Although various angels have been the messengers bringing the content of this book to John, it is Jesus who is the origin and source of the information contained therein.

Jesus Christ is the unique person of the universe. He is the God/man, both God and man. He is God, the origin, the root, and creator of David, giving David both birth and existence, and likewise is the offspring of David, the son of Mary, born a child, a human being and raised up to become a man.

Jesus was the name given Him by Mary before He was even born, and this is the name, which He retains today and forever.

Jesus Christ is the source and origin of all divine revelation. He sent His angel as a messenger, communicating all of the content, which John has just heard and recorded for our spiritual benefit. He is therefore the sovereign of all wisdom and truth, which He freely gives to anyone who is willing to listen.

Jesus Christ tells John, through the angel, what He does, and proposes to do, and, through John, tells the churches, believers from all era's of history, from all nations, that which He will do. 

He does, not as a mere man, not as a mere prophet and high priest, but as the sovereign possessor of all prerogatives and powers of the Trinity, as the Lord and God of angels, and the Lord and God of all of humanity and of all creation.

Jesus Christ is the star of hope. He is the star of all wishes come true.

He has come to us historically as the Son of David, and prophetically He will come as the bright morning star, the beginning of a new era, the new universe, the beginning of a new hope, eternal life, the beginning of a bright and new day, where all that has passed into history, will be gone forever.

Jesus Christ opens the door of freedom, opportunity, prosperity, security, and eternal happiness.

Jesus Christ is the sign of the star of the Messiah, which prophecy originated out of the mouth of a wicked prophet Balaam, a star to come out of Jacob, a descendant of humanity, and a scepter to rise out of the nation of faith, out of Israel (all believers in Christ).

That star will one day come to its fullest brightness, and usher in the new day, the morning of eternal happiness.

The Alpha and the Omega, First and Last, the Beginning and the End. These three expressions, together are among the most profound and intense denotations of the eternity, the immutability, the omnipotence, the omniscience, the faithfulness, and the sovereignty of Deity.

Of all of this, Jesus Christ claims, and He claims to be. And of which there is no one who can oppose Him or match Him.

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Revelation 22:15

Copyright Ó 2011 J. Neely

Revelation 22:15

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15 For [de] without [exo] are dogs, [kuon] and [kai] sorcerers, [pharmakos] and [kai] whoremongers, [pornos] and [kai] murderers, [phoneus] and [kai] idolaters, [eidololatres] and [kai] whosoever [pas] loveth [phileo] and [kai] maketh [poieo] a lie. [pseudos] KJV-Interlinear

15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. NASB

In the previous verse, those who have believed in Christ, the washed, are the only ones who are allowed into heaven. They have eternal life through their faith in Christ, and that eternal life gains them access to the eternal city, the New Jerusalem, which we have just finished studying.

In the Old Testament, life was divided up into two basic categories. There was the clean, the acceptable, the kosher, the real thing, and then there was the unacceptable, the objectionable, the abomination, and the unclean.

The clean or good things stood as teaching symbols of that which God accepts. The unclean or bad things stood as symbols teaching the things which God does not accept. All of these are from real world applications, parables if you will, which are intended to teach principles of the spiritual life.

Now we have one more contrast, and it is between those who are allowed into the city, verses those who are kept outside of the city.

The city is heaven, outside of the city is the Lake of Fire. And no, this is merely an illustration. When you get to heaven, you will not look out of your window and see the Lake of Fire. Heaven is the new universe. A universe is a very big place. Just look up into the night sky sometime. The Lake of Fire, is separate and apart from heaven. The Lake of Fire is unseen and from our perspective, will be a forgotten place.

Again, in the Old Testament, the garbage and trash and even the dead, were thrown, or buried, or burned outside of the city. They were not included inside the city.

And so the concept is extended here, distinguishing between those who have put on washed clothing, and those who have not. Your washed clothing is the act of your faith in Jesus Christ. Those who refuse to wash, which means simply to refuse to believe in Christ, those then are the unbelievers of human history.

The dogs, the sorcerers, the immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, the liars, are all terms here, which refer to unbelievers in history. People who prefer to pursue a pattern of life apart from faith in Christ.

Everyone who has ever been born alive has committed sins at some point in their life. Some sins are looked upon as being worse than others. Murder for example is viewed as being worse than telling a little white lie.

But we all know that all of the sins of the human race were judged at the Cross. Jesus Christ went to the Cross and paid the price for sin, which was death. And therefore, sin is no longer an issue in the human life.

However, forgiveness was not concluded at the Cross. There is a very big difference between the judgment of sin and the forgiveness of sin. Thus enter the requirement of faith in Christ, which gains forgiveness for the believer at the moment of salvation, and then after salvation, confession is the function of forgiveness during the believer's life. We studied that is great detail in 1, 2, and 3 John.

Unbelievers never believe in Christ, and thus are never forgiven. Unbelievers have only their good deeds to stand on, that which is recorded in the Book of Works. The works of the unbeliever do not match nor exceed the work of Christ, and therefore they are forever condemned to the Lake of Fire. They are unable to pay the high price for entry into heaven, based on their own effort.

Back in ancient times, dogs were undomesticated and despised scavengers that milled about garbage dumps and such. They were viewed as disgusting animals.

Sorcerers are those who love and pursue the occult, including various narcotics, the philosophies and things of life, which are false.

The immoral person, or whoremonger, is one who rejects the moral standards of a normal society. This includes homosexuals, or more commonly known as male prostitution, of whom this is a specific reference, and is a general category of those who destroy society through their attempt at bringing degenerate and unacceptable practices into the norm of society.

The murderers are those who take, through violence, permanently from others, including life itself.

Idolaters are simply those who worship or believe, or pursue, any category of false belief in life.

Liars, is a reference to anyone who rejects the truth. If truth is not in your life, then your life in its entirety, is a lie.

Where is the wisdom of the unbeliever? All one has to do in order to get into heaven, is to think or believe six simple words, 'Father I believe in Jesus Christ.' How much effort does that take? Probably a second or two just to ponder the thought. Moreover, given that the average lifespan is nearing eighty years of age, then out of those eighty years, which is a whole lot of seconds, then just a couple of seconds out of ones life, is not too much to ask.

Lets see, 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day. That adds up to 86,400 seconds in just one day. Then there are 365 days in one year, so that adds up to 31,536,000 seconds in one year. And in eighty years there are 20 leap years, so we have to add an extra day for every four years, or twenty extra days for an average lifespan. Hummm! Need the calculator for this one. Ok, I come up with 2,524,608,000 seconds (that is 2.5 billion seconds) in the average life of eighty years.

If you calculate a different number don't bother writing me, the exactness of this number is not important. Asking only two seconds out of ones life is not unreasonable. Everyone can certainly afford the time to believe in Christ.

Likewise, I'll add one more thought to this. If you spend a couple of minutes each evening reading your Bible, or Bible study, then is that too much to ask of you?

Most people want things from God, but in a 24 hour day, or in a 1,440 minute day, is a couple of minutes, even five or ten minutes, too much to ask for ones Bible study?

If you are not willing to give God a few minutes in your day, then why should you expect anything from God? Just thought I would place that thought in your little head.

So, the unbelievers refusal to believe in Christ gains them a first class ticket to the Lake of Fire and eternal horror, pain and suffering. Is that smart?

God calls them dogs, homosexuals, the waste of society. What do we do with waste? We throw it out with the garbage.

Faith in Christ gains you a magnificent mansion in heaven. Unbelief in Christ sends you to the garbage dump.

Who in their right mind would want to live in a garbage dump, when a mansion of gold is offered to them for the price of a mere thought?

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Revelation 22:14

Copyright Ó 2011 J. Neely

Revelation 22:14

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14 Blessed [makarios] are they that do [poieo] his [autos] commandments, [entole] that [hina] they [autos] may have [esomai] right [exousia] to [epi] the tree [xulon] of life, [zoe] and [kai] may enter [eiserchomai] in through the gates [pulon] into [eis] the city. [polis] KJV-Interlinear

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. NASB

The word 'blessed' means holy, to be honored as holy, to endow with something special, to be held in veneration or admiration, to bring happiness, pleasure, contentment, fulfillment, purpose.

Blessing is something that only God can bestow. No one can bless anyone, because quite simply none of us have the power, or authority, or the wherewithal to give such an honor.

To be blessed is to be holy. Holiness is the result when you combine righteousness with justice.

Righteousness is the state of sinless perfection. Justice is the cleansing required in order to rid oneself of the filth and dirt of this life. Therefore, a good washing is in order when a person finds themselves in a state of filth. That state of filth occurred when we were born into this world. Spiritual filth, that is.  And confession is the symbolic act of washing in the spiritual sense.

By one man, Adam, all have sinned. Sin is passed down to each one of us by means of our parents. And more specifically the sin nature is passed down by the father, and not the mother. Jesus was born of Mary, not Joseph. Jesus was born without a sin nature, just as Adam was created without a sin nature.

But we, who are but mere mortals, were born into this world with sin natures. Those sin natures become apparent at a very early age, and we are stuck with them all of our natural lives while in this world.

When we believe in Christ, then the work of Christ provides a basis for Gods applying the washing powers of the Cross, in our lives.

There is only one way to be cleansed spiritually, and that is by means of faith in Christ. Your cleansing occurs immediately when you initially believe in Christ. In so doing, you put on clean robes. Clothes of the soul, which are acceptable to God. No one can go before the Father unless they have first been cleaned up.

Likewise in your life, when you commit a sin, after you have been saved, then confession is the required washing, which places you back in a state of cleanliness, or in a state of fellowship. Again, God will not deal with you unless you are clean. Salvation cleans you up initially, confession is the repeated action of washing which keeps you clean and allows you to function within your spiritual life.

Our verse here is referring to the act of salvation, the act of believing in Christ. That is the all important washing that is required in order to get you into the new universe and into the new city of Jerusalem. Into heaven in other words.

The tree of life is eternal life. Only believers receive this all important life. Unbelievers have forever life, but they will live their forever life in the Lake of Fire, and not with God.

Isa. 64:6

6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. NASB

Isa. 1:18

18 'Come now, and let us reason together,' Says the LORD, 'Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. NASB

Titus 3:5

5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, NASB

Only believers in Christ will enter into the new kingdom of God.  Only believers in Christ will possess eternal life.  Only believers in Christ will receive blessing of a permanent nature.

Everyone is a recipient of common grace, the air that we breathe, the life that we are born in to, the opportunity we all have to believe in Christ, the laws of establishment that preserve humanity and perpetuate our existence in this world, and so forth.

But only believers in Christ receive the blessings of salvation and after, and only mature believers receive the blessings of greater grace which exceed the imagination and more.

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