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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 22
The saints shall reign in celestial splendor—Christ shall come and
men shall be judged—Blessed are they who do his commandments.
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1 AND he shewed me a pure river of
awater 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 atree of
blifea, which bare
twelve manner of fruits,
and yielded her fruit every month: and the cleaves
of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more acurse:
but the bthrone of God and of the cLamb
shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall asee his
bface; and his cname shall be in
their foreheads.
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2a the tree of life As in
the vision/dreams of Lehi and Nephi, John's vision of revelation contained
that of the tree of life. And like such visions of other prophets, John's
vision contained what things they saw but each having their own particular
perspectives and designed messages from them. Thus Zechariah's visions have
some similar discriptions for he too saw the vision of all. Nephi even
stipulates that his relating of 'the vision' was cut short as he was told
that certain aspects or perspectives of it were reserved unto John for their
telling and revealed specifications. What number of prophets have seen this
'vision of all' beyond Ether and likely Isaiah, we do not know. But so some
extent each prophets perspective and description of the vision does difer
per that prophets indent and perception as directed by the Lord and/or the
messenger guide who accompanies the vision.
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5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no
candle, neither light of the asun; for the Lord God giveth
them blight: and they shall creign
dfor ever and ever.
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are
faithful and atrue: and the Lord God of the holy prophets
sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must
bshortly be done.
7 Behold, I acome quickly:
bblessed is he that keepeth the
csayings of the prophecy of this book.
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8 And I John saw these things, and heard them.
And when I had heard and seen, I afell 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.
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11 He that is aunjust, let him be
bunjust still: and he which is cfilthy,
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.
12 And, behold, I acome quickly;
and my breward is with me, to give every man
according as his cwork shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end,
the afirst and the last.
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14 Blessed are they that ado
his bcommandments, that they may have right to the tree of
life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and
asorcerers, and bwhoremongers, and
cmurderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh
a dlie.
16 I Jesus have sent mine aangel to
testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the
broot and the offspring of David, and the bright and
morning cstar.
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17 And the Spirit and the bride say,
aCome. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him
that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the
bwater of life freely.
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the
words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall aadd
unto these things, God shall add unto him the bplagues that
are written in this book:
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
bbook of life, and out of the holy
citya, and from
the things which are written in this book.
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19a and out of the holy city
The synonymous parallel between membership in the Lord's book of life and
being of membership of the holy city solidifies the concept that the
referrence to the city of Jerusalem in the pre-existant vision of the
counsel of determination seen by Zechariah did truely so indicate that
Jerusalem there was used to identify the faithful followers of Jehovah who
have also been named under such other names as Zion, the 'wheat', the peaceable
followers of Christ, Israel or the Remnant of Israel, the Lord's peculiar
people, the men wondered at, the salt of the earth, and even the very select
and elect of God. (See Commentary Zechariah 3:2 and Messiah ben David ~
Messiah ben Joseph, Item 42c).
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20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I
acome quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The agrace of our
bLord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
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