9-10-2023 Sunday Sermon Message

Devotional of the Week: Psalm 91:1-16

Text: Revelation 22:1-21

Title:  Restored Eden, and the final message to All the People in the World (8 Billion)

       After God showed the city of New Jerusalem in detail, He also showed the Apostle John what was in it:

” 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.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.”(Revelation 22:1-2)

      The river of water of life and the tree of life in the city that the apostle John saw were in the Garden of Eden in the old days, and through the last book of the Bible, the last chapter, we can see the restoration of the Garden of Eden, where there are no more curses. The old serpent enemy, the Devil, had been cast into the lake of eternal fire along with the antichrist and the false prophet, and he can no longer bring sin, death, and curses to the heavens and earth that God has created.

       Even in the millennial days of Christ, which preceded the restoration of Eden, living water flowed from under the threshold of the temple, restoring the dead sea, restoring the earth, man’s lifespan of a thousand years like a tree, and restoring creation, but death was still not removed:

“ Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar….Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.⁹ And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. ” (Ezekiel 47:1,8,9).

“ The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.² It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.” (Isaiah 35:1-2)

“…..for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. “(Isa 65:22b)

     New Jerusalem, the city of God where Eden is restored, is a place where only the bride of Christ, the Church of God, who has become the child of God and is born again by the Holy Spirit, can live forever with Christ, the last Adam. It also bears witness to the appearance of this place:

” 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:⁴ And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”.(Revelation 22:3-4)

      Because they are the bride of Christ, the name of the Lord Jesus, who is the Christ, is on their foreheads. But after the Great Tribulation began, the 144,000 virgins who were chosen from the twelve tribes of Israel, 12,000 each, are said to have the Father’s name on their foreheads:

” And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads…. And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.” (Revelation 14:1,3)

       It says that there will still be sun, moon, and stars in the world outside the city of New Jerusalem, but that the city where Eden is restored shall be a completely different place, and that the Church of God, the bride of Christ, will rule over the nations outside the city for all eternity:

” 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.”.(Revelation 22:5)

    It also says that all nations that live outside the city will have the right to the tree of life in the city when they keep the commandments, and they will enter and eat the fruit of life and have eternal life:

“ 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.”(Revelation 22:14)

      Then, we need to know what kind of people are blessed who have a right to the tree of life.

It says that among those who were not raptured and fell into the great tribulation, there will be those who will believe in Jesus, keep the commandments, and endure:

” Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”(Revelation 14:12)

      Among these, the remnant who endured to the end, Jews and Gentiles enter the millennial kingdom of Christ.  However, they still have not received eternal life, so even after the restoration of Eden for eternity, they shall keep the commandments until the end, and they will enter the city of New Jerusalem to eat the fruit of life and have eternal life. However, those who have now believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, receive the Holy Spirit, and become the bride of Christ who have already received life in them, so they can have eternal life even if they do not eat the fruit of life. Jesus spoke of this blessing:

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. ³⁸ He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. ³⁹ (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) . “(John 7:37-39)

      But He also spoke of the curse that would come upon those who entered the Millennial Kingdom, but did not keep the commandments:

” For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”(Revelation 22:15)

     Hell is in outside, Jesus said:

” But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth…. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:12; 25:30)

       Jesus reiterated what He said at the beginning of the book of Revelation:

” Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”.(Revelation 22:7)

         The apostle John testified that he met a man who was believed to be Daniel, who had foretold the prophecies of Revelation many years earlier. God told Daniel that the words he prophesied would be in the distant future, and told him to seal them:

” 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.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.¹⁰ And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. ” (Revelation 22:8-11)

         That’s an incredibly scary thing to say. From now on, the unrighteous and unclean will no longer have the opportunity to turn and repent, but will be cursed in hell for all eternity. However, it is a blessing that those who have received eternal life by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and those who keep the commandments to the end will live with God in righteousness and holiness forever and ever.

       It’s time for us to hear God’s final message to the 8 billion people living in this world.

       First, it is the final message to the bride of Christ, who has been saved by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and has received eternal life through the Holy Spirit:

“ And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.¹³ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”(Revelation 22:12-13)

       Second, it is a final message to those who have been saved but have changed by adding or subtracting the words of Revelation:

“ 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.” .(Revelation 22:18-19)

       Third, it is a final message to all the miserable sinners who are going to hell because they do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ:

” 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 grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Revelation 22:17, 21)

       This means that the Lord God still wants them to receive the grace of God to live forever with the Lord God and Christ in the eternal Garden of Eden to come, believing in the gospel of Christ, who was incarnated of God in the name of Jesus, who became the Christ of all sinners, who shed the blood unto death on the cross for the sins of all people according to the scriptures, and buried, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures.  Amen! Hallelujah!