932. THE TWENTY-SECOND CHAPTER
1. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, shining crystal clear, going forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2. In the midst of the street of it [the city] and of the river on this side and on that (et fluvii hinc et hinc) is a tree of life bearing twelve fruits, each month yielding its own fruit; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3. And no accursed thing shall be there; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall minister unto Him. 4. And they shall see His face, and His Name shall be in their foreheads. 5. And night shall not be there, and they have no need of a lamp and of the light of the sun, for the Lord God enlightens them; and they shall reign for ages of ages. 6. And he said unto me, These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophets has sent His angel to show unto His servants the things that must be done quickly. 7. And I am coming quickly; blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. 8. And it was I, John, seeing and hearing these things, and when I heard and saw I. fell down to adore before the feet of the angel who was showing me these things. 9. And he says unto me, See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brothers the prophets, and of those keeping the words of this book: adore God. 10. And he says unto me, Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11. Let the unjust [man] go on being unjust, and let the filthy one go on getting filthy, and let the just one go on becoming just, and let the holy one go on being made holy. 12. And behold I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, rendering to every one according as his work shall be. 13. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, the First and the Last. 14. Blessed are those doing His commandments, that their authority may be in the tree of life, and they may enter in by the gates into the city. 15. For outside are dogs and enchanters, and whoremongers and murderers and idolaters, and everyone loving and doing a lie. 16. I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify unto you these things in the Churches; I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright and the morning Star. 17. And the spirit and the bride are saying, Come, and let the one hearing say, Come, and let the thirsting one come, and let the willing one take the water of life freely. 18. For I call to Witness all those hearing the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to these things. God shall add upon him the plagues written in this book. 9. And if anyone takes 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 the things written in this book. 20. The One testifying these things says, Indeed I am coming quickly, Amen. Come indeed, Lord Jesus. 21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen.
THE SPIRITUAL SENSE
THE CONTENT OF THE WHOLE CHAPTER
That Church is still being described as to intelligence derived from Divine Truths from the Lord (vers. 1-5).
That the Apocalypse has been made manifest by the Lord, and that in its own time it is to be revealed (vers. 6-10).
Concerning the Lord's coming, and His conjunction with those who believe in Him and live in accordance with His precepts (vers. 11-17).
That the things that have been revealed are definitely to be taken care of (vers. 18, 19).
The betrothal (vers. 17, 20, 21).
THE CONTENTS OF EACH OF THE VERSES
1. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, shining crystal clear, going forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb signifies the Apocalypse now opened and expounded as to the spiritual sense, where Divine Truths in abundance have been revealed by the Lord for those who will be in His New Church, which is the New Jerusalem. 2. In the midst of the street and of the river on this side and on that is a tree of life bearing twelve fruits signifies that in the inmost things of the truths (veritas) of the doctrine and consequently of the life in the New Church is the Lord in His Divine Love, from Whom are flowing forth all the goods that a man there does apparently as of himself. Each month yielding its own fruit signifies that the Lord produces goods with the man in accordance with every state of truth with him. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations signifies the rational truths therefrom by means of which those who are in evils and consequently in untruths are led to thinking soundly and living properly. 3. And no accursed thing shall be there, and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall minister unto Him signifies that in the Church that is the New Jerusalem there will not he any who are separated from the Lord, because the Lord Himself will rule there, and those who are in truths by means of the Word. from Him and are doing His commandments will be with Him, because conjoined with Him. 4. And they shall see His face, and His Name shall be in their foreheads signifies that they will turn to the Lord and the Lord to them, because they have been conjoined by means of love. 5. And night shall not be there, and they have no need of a lamp and of the light of the sun, for the Lord [God] enlightens them signifies that in the New Jerusalem there will not be any untruth of faith, and that the men will not be in cognitions of God there out of the natural light that is derived from self-intelligence and from the glory arising from pride, but they will be in spiritual light out of the Word from the Only Lord. And they shall reign for ages of ages signifies that they will be in the Lord's kingdom and in conjunction with Him to eternity. 6. And he said unto me, These words are trustworthy and true signifies that they know these things for certain, because the Lord Himself has said what is published (id testatus dixit). And the Lord God of the holy prophets has sent His angel to show unto His servants the things that must be done quickly signifies that the Lord, from Whom is derived the Word of both covenants, has revealed through heaven to those who are in truths derived from Himself the things that are certainly going to be. 7. Behold I am coming quickly, blessed is he who keeps the words of this prophecy signifies that the Lord is certainly going to come, and will give eternal life to those who protect and do the truths or precepts of the doctrine of this book now opened by the Lord. 8. And it was I, John, seeing and hearing these things, and when I heard and saw I fell down to adore before the feet of the angel who was showing me these things signifies that John supposed that the angel, who was sent by the Lord to him that he might be kept in a state of the spirit, was God Who revealed these things, when yet it was not so, for the angel was only showing what the Lord made manifest. 9. And he says unto me, See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brothers the prophets, and of those keeping the words of this book: adore God signifies that the angels of heaven are not to be adored and invoked, because nothing Divine belongs to them, but that they are associated as brothers with brothers with the men who are in the doctrine of the New Jerusalem and do its precepts, and that in fellowship with them the Only Lord is to be adored. 10. And he says unto me, Do not seal the words of this prophecy, for the time is near signifies that the Apocalypse is not to be closed up, but must be opened, and that this is necessary at the end of the Church in order that any may be saved. 11. Let the unjust [man] go on being unjust, and let the filthy one go on getting filthy, and let the just one go on becoming just, and let the holy one go on being made holy signifies the state of all in particular after death, and prior to the judgment of each, and in general before the last judgment; that goods will be taken away from those who are in evils, and truths will be taken away from those who are in untruths, while on the other hand that evils will be taken away from those who are in goods, and untruths will be taken away from those who are in truths. 12. And behold I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, rendering to everyone according as his work shall be signifies that the Lord is certainly going to come, and that He Himself is heaven and the happiness of eternal life, to each one in accordance with faith in Him and a life in accordance with His precepts. 13. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, the First and the Last signifies because the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and all things in the heavens and on earth (in terris) have been made by Him, and are being governed by His Divine Providence, and are happening in accordance with it. 14. Blessed are those doing His commandments, that their authority may be in the tree of life, and they may enter in by the gates into the city signifies that they have eternal happiness who live in accordance with the Lord's precepts to the end that they may be in the Lord and the Lord in them by means of love, and that they may be in His New Church by means of cognitions concerning Him. 15. For outside are dogs, and enchanters and whoremongers, and murderers and idolaters, and everyone loving and doing a lie signifies that no one is received into the New Jerusalem, who makes the precepts of the Decalogue of no account, and does not flee from any evils there named as sins, and therefore lives in them. 16. I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify unto you these things in the Churches signifies a testification by the Lord before the whole of Christendom, that it is true that the Only Lord has made manifest the things that have been described in this book, as also those that have now been opened. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright and the morning Star signifies that He Himself is that Lord who was born in the world and was then the Light, and Who is going to come with the new Light that is going to dawn upon His New Church, which is the holy Jerusalem. 17. And the spirit and the bride are saying, Come signifies that heaven and the Church will long for the Lord's coming. And let the one hearing say, Come, and let the thirsting one come, and let the willing one take the water of life freely signifies that he who knows anything of the Lord's coming, and of the New Heaven and the New Church, thus of the Lord's kingdom, will pray that it may come, and that he who longs for truths will pray that the Lord may come with light, and that he who loves truths is then going to accept those things from the Lord without any exertion of his own. 18. For I call to witness all those hearing the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to these things, God shall add upon him the plagues written in this book signifies that those who read and know the truths of the doctrine of this book now opened by the Lord, and go on acknowledging a God other than the Lord and a faith - other than one directed to Him, by adding anything by which these two may be destroyed, cannot do otherwise than perish on account of the untruths and evils that are signified by the plagues described in this book. 19. And if anyone takes 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 the things written in this book signifies that those who read and know the truths of the doctrine of this book now opened by the Lord, and go on acknowledging a God other than the Lord and a faith other than directed to Him, by taking away anything by which they may destroy these two, cannot be wise in and appropriate to themselves anything out of the Word, nor be received into the New Jerusalem, nor have their lot with those who are in the Lord's kingdom. 20. The One testifying these things says, Indeed I am coming quickly [,Amen]. Come indeed, Lord Jesus signifies the Lord Who has revealed the Apocalypse, and now has opened it, testifying the glad tidings that in His Own Divine Human, Which He took upon Himself in the world and glorified, He is coming as the Bridegroom and Husband, and that the Church as the Bride and Wife will long for Him.
THE EXPOSITION
[verse 1] 'And he showed me a pure river of water of life shining crystal clear, going forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb' signifies the Apocalypse now opened and expounded as to the spiritual sense, where Divine Truths in abundance have been revealed by the Lord for those who will be in His New Church, which is the New Jerusalem. By 'a pure river of water of life shining crystal clear' is signified the Divine Truth of the Word in abundance transparent by virtue of its spiritual sense, which is in the light of heaven. The reason why Divine Truth in abundance is signified by 'a river' (n. 409) is because by 'the waters' of which a river consists are signified truths (n. 50, 685, 719), and by 'waters of life' those truths out of the Lord by means of the Word, as it follows on. And by 'shining crystal clear' are signified these truths transparent by virtue of the spiritual sense, which is in the light of heaven (n. 897). By [the statement that] 'the river was seen to go forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb' is signified that it is out of heaven from the Lord; for by 'a throne' is signified the Lord as to judgment and as to government and as to heaven; as to judgment (n. 229, 845, 865), as to government (n. 694, 808 end), and as to heaven (n. 14, 221, 222); here, therefore, out of heaven from the Lord. By 'God and the Lamb' is signified here, as frequently above, the Lord as to the Divine Itself from Whom [are all things] and as to the Divine Human. [2] That the Divine Truths in abundance revealed here now in the Apocalypse by the Lord are understood specifically by this 'river of water of life' is plain from vers. 6, 7, 9, 10, 14, 16-19 of this chapter, where 'the book of this prophecy' is treated of, and [it is stated] that the things written there are to be kept. These things could not be kept before the things that are contained therein were revealed by means of the spiritual sense, because they had not been understood before. Besides, the Apocalypse is a Word similar to the prophetical Word of the Old Testament, and now in the Apocalypse there have been disclosed the evils and untruths of the Church from which there must be a fleeing and turning away, also the goods and truths of the Church which must be done, especially those concerning the Lord and eternal life from Him. These things are indeed taught in the Prophets, but not 'so manifestly as in the Evangelists and in the Apocalypse; and the Divine Truths concerning the Lord being the God of heaven and earth, which then proceed from Himself and are received by those who will be in the New Jerusalem, which [Divine Truths] are treated of in the Apocalypse, are those that are specifically understood by the' pure river of water of life shining crystal clear, going forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb', as can also be established from these passages:-
Jesus said, Whosoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water John vii 38.
Jesus said, He who drinks of the water that I shall give him, shall not be thirsty to eternity, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life John iv 14.
To the thirsting one I will give of the water of life freely Rev. xxi 6; xxii 17.
And the Lamb Who is in the midst of the throne shall feed (pascere) them and conduct them to living fountains of waters Rev. vii 7.
In that day living waters shall go forth out of Jerusalem; Jehovah shall become one King over all the earth; in that day there shall be one Jehovah, and His Name one Zech. xiv 8, 9.
By 'living waters' or 'waters of life' are there signified Divine Truths from the Lord.