XV. THE OF THE IN THE NEW (Chapter 22:1-5) The first five verses of this the last chapter of Revelation are contextually joined to the last verses of the preceding chapter, to the section including verses ten to twenty-seven, as a continuation of the spiritual characteristics of the New Jerusalem. The text of the twenty-first chapter allows for the distinction between the constituent features of the descriptions of the city and the blessings that flow in it for its citizenry. The shift from the one to the other begins with verse ten of chapter twenty-one and continues through verse five of chapter twenty-two: hence, the break in the context of the two chapters. It must be kept in mind that the term Jerusalem was employed metaphorically to represent the spiritual church in a state of triumph and glory. The ancient Jews regarded the tabernacle, the temple and Jerusalem itself, as having descended directly from God. But the inspired apostles of the New Testament, in correspondence with the old order, made the church of the new covenant the spiritual tabernacle (Hebrews 9:1-28 :1-12) and temple (1 Corinthians 3:16) and city (Hebrews 12:22). The noblest and highest emotion, and the most sacred and soothing and solacing sentiment, relating to the scriptural descriptions of the New Jerusalem have found expression in our melodious hymns of hope and praise and adoration. Coming now to the last chapter of this miraculously marvellous apocalypse, before which we have stood with enthralled wonderment and amazement and awe, let us hear the Seer unfold the closing rapturous scenes. BOOK OF SECTION FIVE THE (CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: VERSES 6 TO 21) THE I. THE AND OF In the arrangement of this commentary the first and the second sections are a presentation of The Apocalyptic Preview, dealing with the scope of biblical visions; and The Visional Prologue, presenting an analysis of the messages to the seven churches as an approach to the Revelation proper. The third section is an exposition of The Vision Concerning The Conquering Christ; and the fourth section is the explanation of The Vision Concerning The Victorious Church. The most significant events in all epochs of the world since the creation of mankind are connected with this dispensation marked as the fullness of time. (Galatians 4:4) It was the beginning of the era of the Lord and Saviour of man, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. The transition from the old covenant was eventuated by his birth, the cross, the ascension, Pentecost, Patmos, the fall of Jerusalem, and end of Judaism and the expansion of Christianity. The inevitable commanding conclusion is that all of these events culminated into the fulfillment of the long-continuing process comprehensive of the entire system of judgment and scheme of redemption--the completion and the end of all divine revelation. As it is biblically certain that the God of heaven in times of old descended, in the Old Testament metaphor, on the clouds of heaven to execute judgment on ancient wicked nations and cities (Isaiah 13:1-22; Isaiah 19:1-25), so certainly did the Son of man come in the clouds with his angels of power to execute judgment on the once great city of Jerusalem, guilty of his blood and the blood of his saints and martyrs. This triumphal administration of judgment has been wondrously portrayed in the scenes of the apocalypse, depicting the end of Judaism with the fall of Jerusalem; and the triumph of Christianity in the glory of the New Jerusalem, the church of the Lord of all glory. Before its march of advance the evil powers of paganism collapsed and the empire of heathenism crumbled. It was this display of divine judgment and supreme power that Israel’ s Psalmist anticipated in the prophetic imagery of the second psalm: “ Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’ s vessel. Be wise now therefore, 0 ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” It does not require a detailed analysis to prove that this sublime psalm was a prophecy on the fall of heathendom by the establishment of the kingdom of Christ. It is notably significant that in Acts 13:33 and in Hebrews 1:5 the apostles Peter and Paul applied this second psalm to the accession of Jesus Christ to the throne of his power in heaven. It can be observed without the stretch of imagination that the fulfillment of the apocalypse was connected with the language of the prophetic psalm. II THE OF THE VISION The epilogue from verse six to the end of chapter twenty-two consists in a seven-point confirmation of its contents as a direct communication from God through Jesus Christ. In verses six and seven the angel verified the truthfulness of the words of the book; in verses eight and nine John added his own testimony to the witness of the angel, and to the fact of the direct communication between himself and the angel; in verses ten to fifteen the judicial admonitions in consequence of the apocalypses were recorded ; in verse sixteen the words of Jesus himself were employed to authenticate the visions; in verse seventeen the opportunity and obligation for the evangelization of all the world, as first announced by the Lord in the Great Commission and the Great Invitation (Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 11:28-30), were renewed; in verses eighteen to twenty the final warning against the diversion and perversion of God’ s words were issued; and in verse twenty-one --the benediction of divine grace closed the book of Revelation with the inspired Seer’ s amen.