1 The river of the water of life.
2 The tree of life.
5 The light of the city of God is himself.
9 The angel will not be worshipped.
18 Nothing may be added to the word of God, nor taken therefrom.

A pure. Ps 36:8 46:4 Isa 41:18 48:18 66:12 Eze 47:1-9 Zec 14:8 Joh 7:38,39

water. 7:17 21:6 Ps 36:9 Jer 2:13 17:13 Joh 4:10,11,14

clear. See on ch. 21:11

proceeding. 3:21 4:5 5:6,13 7:10,11,17 Joh 14:16-18 15:26 16:7-15 Ac 1:4,5 2:33

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 the tree were for the healing of the nations.

the midst. 1 21:21 Eze 47:1,12

the tree of life. Rather, the definite article not being in the original, 'a tree of life;' for there were three trees; one in the street, and one on each side of the river.

14 2:7 Ge 2:9 3:22-24 Pr 3:18

healing. 21:24 Ps 147:3 Isa 6:10 57:18,19 Jer 17:14 Eze 47:8-11 Ho 14:4 Mal 4:2 Lu 4:18 1Pe 2:24

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:

there. 21:4 De 27:26 Zec 14:11 Mt 25:41 Ge 3:10-13

but. 7:15-17 21:22,23 Ps 16:11 17:15 Isa 12:6 Eze 48:35 Mt 25:21 Joh 14:3 17:24

his. 7:15 Joh 12:26

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

they. Eze 33:18-20,23 Job 33:26 Ps 4:6 Isa 33:17 35:2 40:5 Mt 5:8 Joh 12:26 17:24 1Co 13:12 Heb 12:14 1Jo 3:2,3

and his. See on ch. 3:12 14:1

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.

no night. 18:23

See on ch. 21:22-25 Ps 36:9 84:11 Pr 4:18,19 Isa 60:19,20

and they. 3:21 11:15 Da 7:18,27 Mt 25:34,46 Ro 5:17 2Ti 2:12 1Pe 1:3,4

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

These. See on ch. 19:9 21:5

the holy. 18:20 Lu 1:70 16:16 Ac 3:18 Ro 1:2 1Pe 1:11,12 2Pe 1:21 3:2

sent. See on ch. 1:1 Da 3:28 6:22 Mt 13:41 Ac 12:11 2Th 1:7

which. 7 Ge 41:32 1Co 7:29 2Pe 3:8,9

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

I come. 10,12,20

See on ch. 3:11

blessed. 9

See on ch. 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 fell. See on ch. 19:10,19

9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

See. 19:10 De 4:19 Col 2:18,19 1Jo 5:20

worship God. 4:10 9:20 14:7 15:4 Ex 34:14 2Ki 17:36 Ps 45:11 Mt 4:9 Lu 4:7 Joh 4:22,23

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

he saith. 12,13,16,20

Seal. 5:1 10:4 Isa 8:16 Da 8:26 12:4,9 Mt 10:27

for. See on ch. 1:3 Isa 13:6 Eze 12:23 Ro 13:12 2Th 2:3 1Pe 4:7

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.

that is unjust. 16:8-11,21 Ps 81:12 Pr 1:24-33 14:32 Ec 11:3 Eze 3:27 Da 12:10 Mt 15:14 21:19 25:10 Joh 8:21 2Ti 3:13

and he that. 3 7:13-15 Job 17:9 Pr 4:18 Mt 5:6 Eph 5:27 Col 1:22 Jude 1:24

12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

I come. See on ver. 7 Zep 1:14

and my. 11:18 Isa 3:10,11 40:10 62:11 1Co 3:8,14 9:17,18

to give. See on ch. 20:12 Mt 16:27 Ro 2:6-11 14:12

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

See on ch. 1:8,11 21:6 Isa 41:4 44:6 48:12

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.

Blessed. 7 Ps 106:3-5 112:1 119:1-6 Isa 56:1,2 Da 12:12 Mt 7:21-27 Lu 12:37,38 Joh 14:15,21-23 15:10-14 1Co 7:19 Ga 5:6 1Jo 3:3,23,24 5:3

may have. Joh 4:12 1Co 8:9 9:5 *Gr:

to the. See on ver. 2 2:7

and may. See on ch. 21:27 Joh 10:7,9 14:6

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

without. 9:20,21 21:8,27 1Co 6:9,10 Ga 5:19-21 Eph 5:3-6 Col 3:6

dogs. See on Php 3:2

sorcerers. 9:21 18:23 Isa 47:9,12 57:3 Mal 3:5 Ac 8:11 13:6-11

whoremongers. See on ch. 17:1-6

whosoever. 21:8,27 1Ki 22:8,21-23 Isa 9:15,16 Jer 5:31 Joh 3:18-21 Joh 8:46 2Th 2:10-12

16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

I Jesus. See on ver. 6 1:1

to testify. 20

See on ver. 1,11 2:7,11,17,29 3:6,13,22

I am. See on ch. 5:5 Isa 11:1 Zec 6:12 Mt 22:42,45 Ro 1:3,4 9:5

the bright. 2:28 Nu 24:17 Mt 2:2,7-10 Lu 1:78 2Pe 1:19

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

the Spirit. See on ver. 16 Isa 55:1-3 Joh 16:7-15

the bride. See on ch. 21:2,9

Come. Isa 2:5

let him that heareth. Ps 34:8 Isa 2:3,5 48:16-18 Jer 50:5 Mic 4:2 Zec 8:21-23 Joh 1:39-46 4:29 1Th 1:5-8

let him that is athirst. See on ch. 21:6 Isa 55:1 Joh 7:37

let him take. Isa 12:3 Joh 4:10,14

freely. Ro 3:24 1Co 2:12

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

testify. See on ver. 16 3:14 Eph 4:17 1Th 4:6

heareth. See on ch. 1:3

If. De 4:2 12:32 Pr 30:6 Mt 15:6-9,13

God. 14:10,11 15:1 16:1 19:20 20:10,15 Le 26:18,24,25,28,37

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 which are written in this book.

take. See on ch. 2:18 Lu 11:52

God. See on ch. 3:5 13:8 Ex 32:33 Ps 69:28

out of the book of life. or, from the tree of life. See on ver. 2

and out. See on ch. 21:2,22-27

and from. 12 1:3 2:7,11,17,26 3:4,5,12,21 7:9-17 14:13

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

which. See on ver. 18

Surely. See on ver. 7,10,12

Amen. 1:18 So 8:14 Isa 25:9 Joh 21:25 2Ti 4:8 Heb 9:28 2Pe 3:12-14

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

1:4 Ro 1:7 16:20,24 2Co 13:14 Eph 6:23,24 2Th 3:18

CONCLUDING REMARKS ON THE BOOK OF REVELATION.

The obscurity of this prophecy, which has been urged against its genuineness, necessarily results from the highly figurative and symbolical language in which it is delivered, and is, in fact, a strong internal proof of its authenticity and divine original. 'For it is a part of this prophecy,' as Sir Isaac Newton justly remarks, 'that it should not be understood before the last age of the world; and therefore it makes for the credit of the prophecy that it is not yet understood. The folly of interpreters has been to foretell times and things by this prophecy, as if God designed to make them prophets. By this rashness they have not only exposed themselves, but brought the prophecy also into contempt. The design of God was much otherwise. He gave this, and the prophecies of the Old Testament, not to gratify men's curiosities by enabling them to foreknow things, but that, after that they were fulfilled, they might be interpreted by the event; and his own providence, not the interpreter's, be then manifested thereby to the world. For the event of things, predicted many ages before, will then be a convincing argument that the world is governed by Providence. For, as the few and obscure prophecies concerning Christ's first coming were for setting up the Christian religion, which all nations have since corrupted, so the many and clear prophecies concerning the things to be done at Christ's second coming, are not only for predicting, but also for effecting a recovery and re-establishment of the long-lost truth, and setting up a kingdom wherein dwells righteousness. The event will prove the Apocalypse; and this prophecy, thus proved and understood, will open the old prophets; and all together will make known the true religion, and establish it. There is already so much of the prophecy fulfilled, that as many as will take pains in this study may see sufficient instances of God's promise; but then, the signal revolutions predicted by all the holy prophets, will at once both turn men's eyes upon considering the predictions, and plainly interpret them. Till then we must content ourselves with interpreting what hath already been fulfilled.' And, as Mr. Weston observes, 'if we were in possession of a complete and particular history of Asia, not only of great events, without person or place, names or dates, but of the exactest biography, geography, topography, and chronology, we might, perhaps, still be able to explain and appropriate more circumstances recorded in the Revelation, under the emperors of the East and the West, and in Arabia, Persia, Tartary, and Asia, the seat of the most important revolutions with which the history of Christianity has ever been interwoven and closely connected.' History is the great interpreter of prophecy. 'Prophecy is, as I may say,' observes Bp. Newton, 'history anticipated and contracted; history is prophecy accomplished and dilated; and the prophecies of Scripture contain the fate of the most considerable nations, and the substance of the most memorable transactions in the world, from the earliest to the latest times. Daniel and John, with regard to those latter times, are more copious and particular than the other prophets. They exhibit a series and succession of the most important events from the first of the four great empires to the consummation of all things. Their prophecies may really be said to be a summary of the history of the world; and the history of the world is the best comment upon their prophecies....and the more you know of ancient and modern times, and the farther you search into the truth of history, the more you will be satisfied of the truth of prophecy.' The Revelation was designed to supply the place of that continued succession of prophets, which demonstrated the continued providence of God to the patriarchal and Jewish churches. 'The majority of commentators on the Apocalypse,' says Mr. Townsend, 'generally acted on these principles of interpretation. They discover in this Book certain predictions of events which were fulfilled soon after they were announced; they trace in the history of later years various coincidences, which so fully agree with the various parts of the Apocalypse, that they are justly entitled to consider them as the fulfilment of its prophecies; and, by thus tracing the one God of revelation through the clouds of the dark ages, through the storms of revolutions and wars, through the mighty convulsions which at various periods have agitated the world, their interpretations, even when they are most contradictory, when they venture to speculate concerning the future, are founded on so much undoubted truth that they have materially confirmed the wavering faith of thousands. Clouds and darkness must cover the brightness of the throne of God, till it shall please him to enable us to bear the brighter beams of his glory. In the mean time, we trace his footsteps in the sea of the Gentile world, his path in the mighty waters of the ambitions and clashing passions of man. We rejoice to anticipate the day when the bondage of Rome, which would perpetuate the intellectual and spiritual slavery of man, shall be overthrown, and day-spring of united knowledge and holiness bless the world.'