(3) The seven apocalyptic beatitudes of the bride of the Lamb, the victorious church--22:14-16. Verse 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. This beautiful beatitude was the last of a cluster of the blessed passages of Revelation, and it rises to the highest heights of the mountain ranges of the visions of the blessed in the descriptions of their trials. After the first pronouncement of blessing in chapter one, their contexts appear as a sort of parentheses in the subject matter of the visions. There are seven of these beatitudes in Revelation, which deserve to be listed as a parenthesis here: The first beatitude was the blessing for them that read, heard and kept the words of the Seer, because the time was so near--chapter 1:3. The second was the benedictory for the future martyrs who should die in the cause of the Lord from henceforth-- chapter 14:13. The third was in praise of the state of grace for those who were aware of the imminence of ominous events and who lived in sustained preparation to meet the crisis-- chapter 16: 15. The fourth included the faithful saints who survived the persecutions and participated in the renewed and continuous fellowship of the victorious Bride in the marriage supper of the Lamb--chapter 19:9. The fifth was the blessed state of victory shared by the martyrs who “ lived and reigned with Christ” in complete victory, which was symbolized by elevating the souls under the altar (chapter 6) to positions on the throne (chapter 20) and which symbolized the resurrection of the cause for which they died, and therefore figuratively designated the first resurrection in which the enthroned souls had part --chapter 20: 6. The sixth was exhortatory to all who had received the completed apocalypse, and maintained faithful adherence to all of the sayings embodied in the visions--chapter 22:7. The seventh was the blessing of reward for all, after the scenes of persecution had been accomplished, and the trials of the tribulation were ended, who through obedience entered the opened gates into the city of the new Jerusalem, the redeemed Bride of the Lamb, the victorious church of Christ--chapter 22:14. This high note of hope in the form of beatitudes permeated the apocalypse from the first chapter to the last, and the character of them adds to the accumulation of evidence that the visions of Revelation belonged to the tribulation period of the early churches. Returning to the text of chapter 22:14, the important words do his commandments constitute an imperative command. The condition of entering this City of God, the church, was obedience to the gospel. The revisions that have changed the phrase “ do his commandments” to “ wash their robes” have served only to weaken the text and obscure its meaning. It is a specific gospel text which should not be generalized by a tampering with its words, a thing that all of the late so-called revisions appear to be specializing in doing. The text is sublime as it reads and it means that the gospel must be obeyed. The clause that they may have right to the tree of life meant the title to it. The word right does not here merely mean a right or privilege of entering the city--but indicates the title of inheritance. The one who enters “ through the gates into the city” has right to the tree of life--to the inheritance of the life which is the fruit of the tree, as set forth in the comments on verse three of this chapter. It is an edifying concept of the source of spiritual life in the church of God and of Christ.