From: Revelation 22:1-7
A New World Comes into Being. The New Jerusalem
The Visions Come to an End
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Commentary:
1-5. Because the water of life is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (cf. 21:6), some Fa-
thers and modern commentators have, justifiably, read a trinitarian meaning into
this passage — interpreting the river which flows from the throne of God and of the
Lamb representing the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
The trees whose leaves never fade (cf. Ps 1:3), with their fruit and medicinal foli-
age, symbolize the joy of eternal life (cf. Ezek 47:1-12; Ps 46:5).
The passage also takes up the prophecy in Zechariah 14:11 that nothing will be
accursed — a reference to the terrible practice of anathema (Hebrew “herem”)
which marked the Israelite conquest of Canaan: to avoid being tainted by idola-
trous pagans, the Israelites laid cities and fields waste, putting them to torch
and killing inhabitants and livestock. Peace and security will now reign supreme.
And the dream of every man will come true — to see God (something impossible
to attain on earth). Now all the blessed will see God (cf. 1 Cor 13:12); and be-
cause they see him they shall be like him (cf. 1 Jn 3:2). The name of God on
their foreheads shows that they belong to God (cf. Rev 13:16-17).
6-9. The author concludes his account of his visions by reaffirming that every-
thing he has written is true (vv. 5-9) and by issuing a solemn warning: it will all
come to pass and people will either be blessed or rejected (vv. I0-I5).
The truth of what the book says is grounded on God, who is truth itself. This is
St John’s usual way of referring to the authority and reliability of his teaching (cf.
Rev 1:1, 9; Jn 19:35; 1 Jn 1:1 ff). He is acutely conscious of having written in the
same manner as the prophets spoke — inspired by “the God of the spirits of the
prophets”. That is why he presents his book as “prophecy”.
He also insists on the fact that the Lord’s coming is imminent: he says this no
less than three times in this chapter (vv. 7, 12 and 20): this is designed to make
it quite clear that the Lord will come, and to create a climate of vigilance and
hope (cf. note on Rev 1:1, on the imminence of the second coming).
Because this is a genuine book of prophecy those who read it and tell others its
message are described as “blessed”. This is the attitude which Jesus required
people to have towards the word of God and towards his own words: when a wo-
man proclaims his Mother “blessed”, our Lord replies, “Blessed rather are those
who hear the word of God and keep it” (Lk 11:28), and he promises that a person
who listens to his word and keeps it is like someone who builds on solid founda-
tions (cf. Mt 7:24). St James gives a similar warning: “be doers of the word, and
not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (Jas 1:22).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
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