Matthew Poole and continuators on Revelation 22

1 AND he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal , proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb .

The Angel who shewed him all before-mentioned, shewed him a pure River.

No place can be [illegible: 1 letter]appy without the Accommodation of Water: Those places have the best Accommodation of it that are near a River, especially a pure River; to let us know, that in Heaven there shall be no want of any thing that can make the Saints happy. It is described as having by it, or running through it, a pure River, whose Water is clear; and no ordinary Water, but such as giveth, and preserveth Life: What could this signifie, but the pure and unmixed Joys of Heaven,

flowing from the Saints there injoying of God, and Jesus Christ?

Marginal references: Ezek. 47.1. Zech. 14.8.

2 In the midst of the street of it, and of either side of the river, was there the tree of life , which bare twelve manner of fruits , and yielded her fruit every month ; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations .

Trees, especially Fruit-trees, and those laden with Fruit, and variety of Fruit, and such as instead of being prejudicial to Life, are wholesom, and give Life, are very beautiful, especially in, or near a City. The City in Ezekiel's Vision, ch. 47.7. is thus described. This Expression further shews the infinite Pleasure, and Soul-satisfaction the Saints shall have in Heaven. But we are further told here, that the Tree here was the Tree of Life; a manifest Allusion to a T[illegible: 1 letter]ee so called in old Paradise, Gen. 2.9. and who can this agree to, but Christ,

in whom all Fulness dwelt, the Fulness of the Godhead, and who was anointed, and received the Spirit without measure,

and is daily distributing of his Fulness to his People;

and in whom there is nothing useless, but what tends either to the Life or healing of his People out of all Nations.

Marginal references: Chap. 21.21.; Gen. 2.9. Chap. 2.7.

3 And there shall be no more curse ; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it , and his servants shall serve him .

Nothing that is devoted to the Devil, [non-Latin text not transcribed], no accursed Person, or Thing.

The presence of an holy and pure God will prevent and forbid that.

It is a place in which God alone shall be served by his own Servants.

Marginal references: Zech. 14.11.

4 And they shall see his face , and his name shall be in their foreheads .

It is a Phrase by which the Happiness of the glorified Saints is oft expressed, Matth. 5.8. 1 Cor. 13.12. Heb. 12.14. 1 Iohn 3.2. they shall enjoy him immediately.

There shall be none that have the Name of the Beast in their Foreheads; they shall have God's Name on their Foreheads, and be so manifested to be the Sons of God.

Marginal references: Chap. 3.12.

5 And there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun: for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever .

See the Notes on ch. 21.23.

Marginal references: Psal. 36.9.

6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true . And the Lord God of the holy prophets sents his angel to shew unto his Servants the things which must shortly be done .

All the words of this Book, particularly the things of last Vision are such as proceed from him who is the faithful witness, ch. 1.5. and 3.14. from him who was called Faithful, chap. 19.11. and which God will shew himself true and faithful in bringing to pass; and

such things as God hath-revealed to his Prophets under the Old-Testament in part, and now to me his Prophet, to shew to his People the things that shall come to pass, and shall shortly begin to be accomplished. See chap. 1.1.

Marginal references: Chap. 19.9. & 21.5.; Chap. 1.1.

7 Behold, I come quickly , blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book .

I come quickly to the last Judgment.

He is an happy man that observeth and keepeth in memory, that understandeth, believeth, and liveth up to the Prophecy of this Book.

Marginal references: Chap. 3.11.; Chap. 1.3.

8 And I John saw these things , and heard them . And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel, which shewed me these things.

I saw the Vision.

I heard the words spoken to me relating to them.

9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not ; for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets , and of them which keep the sayings of this book, Worship God .

See the Notes on ch. 19.10.

Whose Imployment is the same with thine, to reveal the Will of God;

yea, and a Brother to all the Servants of God. Thou mistakest the Object of thine Adoration, I am a created Being, and can accept no such Homage.

10 And he saith unto me , Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book , for the time is at hand .

This, He, is Christ, as appeareth from v. 12, 13.

Let these things be open to be promulged, and published to the whole Church,

for it will not be long before they shall begin to be fulfilled.

Marginal references: Dan. 8.26. & 12.4.; Chap. 1.3.

11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still ; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still .

It may be, the keeping of this Book open, and the Publication of it will displease wicked and filthy Men; but let them be displeased, the Truths of God must not be concealed.

It will on the other side confirm the Servants of God in their Faith, Patience, and Holiness, and all the Fruits of Righteousness.

Marginal references: 2 Tim. 3.13.

12 And behold, I come quickly , and my reward is with me , .

To the last Judgment (as before, v. 7.)

I bring with me a Power and Authority to recompence every Man according to what he hath done, Dan. 12.2. Rom. 2.6. ch. 20.13. Matth. 25.34, 35, &c.

Marginal references: Isa. 40.10. & 62.11.; Rom. 14.12.

13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning, and the end, the first and the last .

See the Notes on chap. 1.8. and 21.6.

Marginal references: Isa. 41.4. & 44.6.

14 Blessed are they that do his commandments , that they may have right to the tree of life , and may enter in through the gates into the city n.

That believeth in the Lord Jesus Christ (for that is the great Commandment of the Gospel) and live in conformity to the Law of God.

To Christ, called before, the Tree of Life, v. 2. by vertue of the Promise, Rev. 2.7. for no Works of ours will give us a right of Purchase to it.

That they may enter into Heaven; the Joys and Pleasures of which have been described under the Metaphor of a great and glorious City.

15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth, and maketh a lie.

Without Heaven, that is, in Hell shall be all Dogs that bark at, and bite, and devour the Church of God, all profane Persons, Idolaters and Hypocrites, vid. ch. 21.8, 27. 1 Cor. 6.9, 10. See the Notes there.

Marginal references: 1 Cor. 6.9, 10. Col. 3.6.

16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testifie unto you these things in the churches : I am the root, and the off-spring of David, , and the bright and morning star .

In these words Christ owneth the Revelation as his; the Angel did but testifie, Iohn did but hear, and write it.

David's Lord, and yet his Son: His Root, as I am God, and gave a Being to his Family, as to all the Families of the Earth; and yet his Son, a Branch out of the Root of Iesse.

Num. 24.17▪

Who, as the Morning-star, first brings, or prognosticates. Light to the World; so have my self first published my Gospel, or this Revelation, to give Light to my People, concerning the Fate of my People to the last day.

Marginal references: Chap. 1.1.; Chap. 5.5.

17 And the spirit , and the bride say, Come . And let him that heareth, say, Come w. And let him that is a thirst, come ; And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely y.

The Spirit in the Hearts of Believers, or rather the Holy Spirit.

Because the Bride, that is, the Church is also mentioned, to desire the second coming of Christ to Judgment. [illegible: 1 span] every one that heareth of, and believeth these things, should also desire the same thing.

And in [illegible: 1 word] to that, every one that wanteth, and is sensible of his want of Righteousness, or any Habit of Grace, is also invited unto Christ, under the Notion of the Water of Life, to take him freely, as Isa. 55.1.

Marginal references: Chap. 21.6.

18 For I testifie unto every man that heareth the words of the p[illegible: 1 letter]ophecy of this book , If any man shall add unto those things , God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book .

I Christ, or I John testifie to every one to whose Hands or Ears the words of this Book shall come,

That if any Man shall invent new Prophesies contrary to the Prophesies contained in this Book,

God shall severely punish him, by adding to the Plagues threatned against Sinners, in this Book.

Marginal references: Deut. 4.2. Prov. 30.6.

19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy , God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things that are written in this book .

But Divines generally do further extend the sense [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 letter]hese two Verses, considering this as the last Portion of [illegible: 1 word] Writ, not only placed last in our Bibles, but revealed [illegible: 1 word] written last. They conceive these Verses the Seal of all Canonical Scripture, and that God here [illegible: 1 span] to those who shall pretend [illegible: 1 letter]ny new Revelations of his Will, other than what are to be found in the Books of the Old and New-Testament; as also against all those who shall deny, corrupt, or deprave any part of them.

God as to such Persons, faith, they shall not have any such Part or Portion in Heaven, as they would pretend a Right to, or seemed to have.

Marginal references: Exod. 32.33. Psal. 69.28.

20 He which testifieth these things, saith, Surely I come quickly , Amen . Even so, come Lord Jesus .

That is, Christ, who publisheth these things by his Angel, or by his Servant John, saith he is quickly coming to Judgment.

John replies, Lord, let it be so.

This expounds Amen used here as a Particle of wishing and desiring, tho it may be interpreted as an assertive Particle, and joyned to the former part of the Sentence.

21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen .

This is a Salutation used by the Apostles in all their Epistles, containing a desire of the fulness andincrease of all Grace, very proper here upon the Prospect which John in this Revela [illegible: 2 letters]on had, of the long, and great Trials the Church would meer, with before the glorious Appearance of our blessed Lord and Saviour.

Marginal references: Rom. 16.20. 2 Thes. 3.18.