The Eschatological Invitation | The Spirit And The Bride Say Come 22:17

All right, good morning and welcome to All Things Fulfilled. I'm William Bell and this morning we're going to be talking about the eschatological invitation. We're looking at the final verses of the book of Revelation. We are grateful for this opportunity to be here. Now let's get into our study. We've covered the book of Revelation from chapter 1 through the closing verses of chapter 22. The book opened with a message to the seven churches, styled as the seven golden candlesticks, within the temple of God. And Jesus officiates among them as the great high priest. They were destined to suffer through a trial that affected them throughout the whole Roman Empire. And as he said, it would come to them throughout the whole world or the Orcumene, the inhabitable earth at the time. Revelation 3 and verse 10. And in addition to that, we see that through God's wisdom, he revealed the outcomes of how all the churches would be victorious on the condition that they remain faithful to his word and were willing or able and dedicated to following him even in the midst of persecution and martyrdom at the time. Now as the book opened with a temple scene, it also closes with a temple scene and showing this context of temple imagery throughout the book of Revelation. Furthermore, the bride is described as the holy city in the new Jerusalem who descended out of heaven from God to be with men. And along with the spirit, they joined in the eschatological invitation or the bride adjoins with the spirit in the eschatological invitation to all, that is to Israel as well as to the nations so that they might enter into the kingdom of God's style as the new Jerusalem, the paradise of God, et cetera. So in verse 17, the text says that the spirit and the bride say, come and let him who hears say, come and let him who thirsts come, whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. As we look at this text, there are many, I believe, and this is according to how I understand scripture, they make a serious blunder in the attempt to equate the paradise of Eden with the paradise of the book of Revelation. The Bible does talk about there being given to eat in the midst of the paradise of God. I don't think that they're exactly the same, and one is a type and the other is an anti-type from the way I'm viewing the scripture. One is the world of the natural, not to be equated with the physical. The other is the world of the spiritual, the greater, the higher, the heavenly, and the more glorious. And this would be the paradise which we find in the book of Revelation. Adam was never made a spiritual man from the perspective, and let me clarify that because what I think is that you had one state of that which was spiritual, but on a lower vibration, if you please, if you can follow what I'm trying to say, he was made a natural man. And Paul quotes Genesis 2.7 in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 45 to say that the spiritual was not first, but the natural, and that Adam was made a living sukkah. He was made a natural man. He wasn't made a spiritual man. And I think that's important for us to understand in terms of the difference between the sphere, the realm of Genesis compared to that of Revelation when we're talking about the paradise of God. So it was a distinction between that which was glorious within itself because it was from God. God formed him from the dust of the ground. I don't think that statement is referring to physical forming, but I think it has to do with a covenant state into which Adam was brought as the first covenant man, and hence he stands over against Christ. The first man, Adam, was made a living sukkah. The last Adam was made a quickening spirit, and Christ wasn't the last man that was made. So there's some thought we need to give to that as well. So Adam was not made a spiritual man, being formed from the dust of the ground. That indicates a low estate, a state of humility, a state of a lack of power, and all the things that are characterized of the natural state that we see in the book of Corinthians. He was given a law of sin and death that represented the covenant world in which he lived. That depended on his human ability, his own strength and capability to live, requiring of him perfect obedience, in which we know that he failed in disobeying the commandment of God. Again, that's why Paul said he was made a natural man and a living sukkah. What I'm doing here, even though I'm getting into these terms, is just trying to show that there was a difference in the paradise of Genesis compared to the paradise that's found in the book of Revelation. We often hear people saying they want to go back or we're returning to that paradise, but I don't think that's exactly what is desirable or is the same. So Adam was made a sukkah man, not a pneumaticus or a spiritual man, which is the contrast in 1 Corinthians 15. And again, Paul is citing Genesis when he says that. So you can't make him spiritual when the Bible says he was a natural man and you can't make that first which God says is last and you can't make that last first which he says was last. The natural man was the first, the spiritual or the heavenly man is second. So Adam really never attained to the glory of God. He fell short of it and that's what the Bible says of all natural men that they have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They do not attain to it in their natural state. What's interesting also is you see that Adam's bride encouraged him to eat and enter that world of knowing good and evil. And in so doing, he entered a world of sin and death. And yet many want to return to that paradise because they believe that is what the new covenant holds out to men. But the spirit calls men to the heavenly paradise, that paradise that's in the spirit. That doesn't necessarily mean a non-earthly existence, but neither does it exclude a heavenly one. Many of the saints died prior to the fulfillment of the events in the book of Revelation, but were yet to enter into that inheritance upon the contingency that all things were fulfilled. This is what Hebrews 9, 15, and also Hebrews 11, 39, and 40 says. And for this cause, he's the mediator of the new testament that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions, which were under the first covenant, those who are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. But in verse 39, he says, these all, speaking of all those who were saints under the old covenant, these all died in faith, not having received the promise, God having provided something better for us that they, apart from us, should not be made perfect. So we have those being made perfect at the time where both old and new covenant saints enter at the same time. Now, John had already stated that there were several blessings for those who overcame. And particularly, he talked about in Revelation 2 and verse 10, those who were faithful unto death. He says, be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. But also he said that those who overcame would not be hurt of the second death. So you can see that he's making this contrast, but also this correlation between those who do not survive up to the time of the arrival of the new heavens and new earth. They died prior to it, but there were also those who survived through it. And yet, from that, we can determine that the things which are equal to the same thing are equal to one another. So overcoming the persecutions would give one exemption from the second death, but dying faithfully would also give one exemption to the second death. But notice how he mentions the rest of the blessings that were given to the churches. You know, he said to him who overcomes Revelation 2.11, he would not be hurt of the second death. In Revelation 2 and verse 7, he says he would give them to eat of the tree of life. So the ones who survive, he says they are given to eat of the tree of life. And by the way, just going back to the Genesis situation, that opportunity was placed in the garden for man on earth. Now, I don't think that Adam ever ate of it because it represents what we're talking about here in Revelation chapter 21, 22, etc. Eating of the tree of life has to do with the eternal life, has to do with resurrection life, it has to do with the new heavens and the new earth. And God clearly said in Genesis 3.22, unless he put forth his hand and take and eat of the tree of life and live unto the age. Well, Adam never did that because had he eaten, and this was even after he sinned, that God made that statement. So he could have eaten at that point and then lived unto the age, which is the literal rendering of that text and of these passages that we see that speak about the eternal life, etc. The age life, that's not the exact phrase, what is it called? I can't think of it at the moment, but it has to do with the word age. And you can look it up, I think it's word number 165 or somewhere in there, age lasting life, age enduring life, that's the phrase that it is used concerning it. But it also says, to him who overcame, I will give to eat of the hidden manna, Revelation 2.17. To him who overcame, I will give power over the nations, Revelation 2.25 and 26, and that indicates that they are still in this realm, not in a non-earthly realm, unless you put all the nations that they rule over there as well. To him who overcame, as the Bible says who overcomes, but we're looking at it from the standpoint of it being a fact and a fulfilled event. To him who overcame, he would be clothed in white garments and his name written in the book of life. And Paul alluded to that in Philippians 4, I think verse 3, when he was encouraging them to work together with his fellow laborers, as he said, whose names were in the book of life. And that even goes all the way back to the time of the Exodus as well. But here they were, saints on earth whose names were in the book of life. And then he says to him who overcame, he would make a pillar in the temple of God and they would go no more out, would receive the name of God and the name of the city of God, which is the new Jerusalem. And then lastly, he said that they would sit with him on his throne. Adam never received any of that. That belongs to the realm of the spiritual, the pneumatic cost realm, the new Jerusalem. And that's made possible only through the death of Christ and his resurrection and the victory that he won during that pre-parousia reign. This world is the world that is introduced to us, or at least the world that the invitation is extended through the spirit. And the spirit was the eschatological spirit, the spirit that was poured out in the last day. Now, yes, the spirit was involved in that world in which Adam lived, turning it from chaos and forming it into its divine purpose and function. But nevertheless, we have the spirit, the eschatological spirit that was poured out in the last days in order to accomplish what we see unfolding in the book of Revelation. Joel 2, 28 through 32, God had promised to pour out his spirit upon all flesh. And this involved the miraculous outpouring of the spirit that we see transpiring on the day of Pentecost of Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles as was promised them in Luke 24, 47 through 49 and Acts 1, 5 through 8, as Jesus spoke to them. And so in Acts 2, 16 through 20, as they began to speak with other tongues and were charged with being drunken, Peter told them, you know, they were not drunk, but this was that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. Now, from that perspective, we also see that the spirit had been promised not only in Joel, but also in Micah and given some parameters in which it would continue because in Micah 7 and verse 15, he says, according to the days of your coming out of Egypt, I will do wonders or marvelous things, depending on the translation that you're looking at. I think one even says miracles, but nevertheless, that coincides and correlates with the time that Israel was in Egypt and the time that they transitioned through the wilderness where God performed these special miracles for their deliverance in the time of the first Exodus. And what you see in the gospels through the death of Christ, as well as the book of Revelation is the second Exodus occurring where the spirit's work is a vital part of that as well. And so in Acts 7, 35, he talks about those miracles that were worked for 40 years from the time of their going out or when they were in Egypt, asking and demanding a Pharaoh to let my people go and through the wilderness, those miracles were performed. Same thing in Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 7, where he says they saw his works for 40 years, but that came to an end as far as the miracles were concerned. And some people believe that because we say that the miracles have ceased, that they ran their course according to the scriptures, that it means that there is no more involvement of the Holy Spirit. You know, it's kind of like saying Jesus died on the cross and finished his work on earth and there's no more work of Christ. It just is not logical from my point of view, but the text does make that point about the spirit being limited in that work in terms of the eschatological work and the outpouring of the spirit. In Matthew 28 and verse 20, Jesus told them when he gave them the commission, he said, go into all the world, teach the gospel to all the nations, making disciples of them or baptizing them into the name of the father, the son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you and lo I'm with you always, even to the end of the age. Now the age in which they lived was the old covenant age. And when Jesus said he was with them to the end of the age, he wasn't talking about the end of the age to come because the age to come has no end. That age was the same age. And by the way, it uses the same phrase that's found in several other verses in the book of Matthew, where he uses the consummation of the age. And so he was saying, I'm with you always even to the consummation of the age. Well, that didn't mean that Jesus would no longer be with people beyond that point. It simply meant that he was working with them through the miracles that were being performed by the apostles. Mark chapter 16, verses 17 through 20. And particularly after he ascended, the Bible says, and the apostles went forth preaching the word and the Lord working with them and confirming their word through the following signs or through the signs that they were performing, as he had mentioned to them in verses 17 through 19. So when you read, for example, in first Corinthians one, six through eight, where the Bible says they came behind and no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who would confirm them to the end. That's the same end of Matthew 28 and verse 20. It's the same time of the coming of the perfect of first Corinthians 13, 10. It is the same time of the full growth, the time of the inheritance of Ephesians one, 13 and 14, where they received the earnest of the spirit until the redemption of the purchased possession, which was their inheritance. And then Ephesians 4, 30, they were sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. And until Ephesians 4, 11 and 13, God gave them these gifts until they became the perfect man, reached the fullness, that state of fullness, and unified them, which is what's called the unity of the faith, which goes back to Ephesians three and verse five, with Jew and Gentile in one body. But the Spirit's work during that time was to convict the world of sin. It was to convict them of righteousness and to convict them of judgment. And his role and mission was the time after Jesus ascended, because it was after he ascended that he sent the Spirit, until the time of his parousia, until the time of what we would consider as his coming or his presence in the world. And that was within that 40-year period where he was putting down all of his enemies. Now, they said, come and take of the water of life freely. So that was what the Spirit and the Bride were doing, calling them into the new heavens and the new earth, not to a realm of the knowledge of good and evil, a system of sin and death, but calling them to the realm of life, to the new Jerusalem, to the heavenly Jerusalem. And the Spirit and the Bride say, come and take of the water of life freely. This, of course, has imagery in Genesis with the waters that parted from the garden and parted into four streams or four heads. And so you have that temple imagery that's indicated there in Genesis. But nevertheless, what we're talking about is the water of life that brings about salvation. In Isaiah chapter 55 and verse 2, he says, Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And you who have no money, come, buy, and yes, eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good and let your soul delight in its abundance. This is the water of life that is referred to in Revelation chapter 22 and verse 17 and in other passages in the book of Revelation. You will see, for example, in Revelation chapter 7, when they come through the great tribulation, that Christ leads them to the living fountains of waters. Starting in verse 15, he says, Therefore, they are before the throne of God. So again, that's a reference to the temple of God. They are before the throne of God and they serve him day and night in his temple. And he who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore. The sun shall not strike them nor any heat for the lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away all the tears or every tear from their eyes. Again, that is the promise that was made to them. You find that in Isaiah 49. It's found in Isaiah 55. And it's the promise of living waters, the same concepts that you see in the book of Revelation. In John chapter 4, when Jesus spoke to the woman at Samaria, when they were having this little discussion over the well, and Jesus asked her to bring him some water. And she said he had nothing to draw with, etc. And they get into this conversation and he tells her, he said, if you had known who you were speaking with, you would have asked of him living water. And the one who drinks this water will have a well springing up in him of everlasting life and will never thirst again. And so she said, sir, you know, give me this water that when I drink, I may never thirst. She was thinking initially of H2O, of water that would come out of Jacob's well. But Jesus was trying to get her to see on the higher plane of things. He was trying to get her to see that, you know, this is not H2O that you're drinking. This is the water of everlasting life that he was inviting her to drink. And the same thing at the time of Feast of Tabernacles, which is also key in the book of Revelation, because the fulfillment of these events in the book of Revelation coincide with the Feast of Tabernacles. All of the feast days that we see in Leviticus 23 were typical of the time of the end and Jesus and the apostles were following through on these feast days that were marked for Israel's end time and associated with the living water was the Feast of Tabernacles, where the text says in John 7, verse 37, on the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. So once again, he offers himself as the source of the living water. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. It's also an Exodus theme as well, because you see in 1 Corinthians 10, when the Bible says they all ate the spiritual food, they all drank the spiritual drink, but they drank of that rock that followed them and that rock was Christ. So over and over again, the Bible offers to us Christ. That's the invitation. That's the eschatological invitation. It is the invitation of Christ and the everlasting waters of life that he brings to us through what has been fulfilled in the events of AD 70. Therefore, he's saying to them, he who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. That also indicates that they too would be those who would be able to offer the salvation to others through the preaching of the gospel would be extending these rivers of living waters to others. I think we have come to the close of our study and hope that some of these things made some sense to you, particularly in terms of this invitation that has been extended, that we see at the time of the end with the second Adam extending an invitation to life, an invitation to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the kingdom of God, to the temple of God in which God has blessed man to live with Christ, to reign with him as Kings, inviting them to a state of life, of royalty, of power, and of the assurance of the salvation that God has given. So with that, I want to thank each of you for being present. Looking forward to being back with you on next week, and we will touch on maybe some of the warnings in the book and a few other points that we will make at that particular time. Remember, and I didn't post it here, but I will post it to check out the book that we've written on Did Jesus Get It Right? Matthew 24, AD 70, and The Test of a True Prophet. I appreciate those of you who have already taken the opportunity to purchase it. I think it's a good little book to share with people, to help them to understand without having to go through all of the hurdles of difficult argumentation that we sometimes make, not trying to, but this particular book was written for people that you can share, that you're introducing the message to, as well as those who just want a more solid understanding if they're growing along the way. And I hope that it can be appreciated from that perspective. Those who have already purchased and who have either written reviews on it, or a review that was just published last week, and we had a good review that came in on it, but we've had lots of good comments on the book in terms of it meeting the objective for which it was written. So with that, I want to encourage you to do it. Till next time, have a wonderful day and a great time in worship if you are going to do that, as well as great afternoon. So we'll see you in the next broadcast.