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Revelation

About this book
Chapter 22

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life—water⁠ as clear as crystal—pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb,⁠ 2 flowing down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations.⁠ 3 And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him, 4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.⁠ 6 Then the angel said to me, “These words are reliable and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon.” 7 (Look ! I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy expressed in this book.) 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw them, I threw myself down to worship at the feet of the angel who was showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Do not do this! I am a fellow servant⁠ with you and with your brothers the prophets, and with those who obey the words of this book. Worship God!” 10 Then he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy contained in this book, because the time is near. 11 The evildoer must continue to do evil, and the one who is morally filthy must continue to be filthy. The one who is righteous must continue to act righteously, and the one who is holy must continue to be holy.” 12 (Look ! I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to pay each one according to what he has done!⁠ 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end!)⁠ 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access to the tree of life and can enter into the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood! 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star!”⁠ 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say: “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wants it take the water of life free of charge. 18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy contained in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.⁠ 19 And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book. 20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 25:5 and Revelation 22:2

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · New Testament

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Summary

1 Enoch describes a tree saved for the righteous at judgment whose fruit gives life in a renewed world and Revelation also shows a tree whose fruit and leaves bring healing. Both draw on Eden’s tree of life as a promise of future restoration.

Passages

1 Enoch 25:5

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 And he said to me: 'Enoch, why do you ask me about the fragrance of the tree, and why do you wish to learn the truth?' 2 Then I answered him saying: 'I want to know about everything, but especially about this tree.' 3 And he answered saying: 'This high mountain which you have seen, whose summit is like the throne of God, is His throne, where the Holy Great One, the Lord of Glory, the Eternal King, will sit when He comes down to visit the earth with goodness. 4 And as for this fragrant tree, no mortal is allowed to touch it until the great judgment, when He will take vengeance on all and bring everything to its consummation forever. It will then be given to the righteous and holy. 5 Its fruit will be food for the elect: it will be transplanted to the holy place, to the temple of the Lord, the Eternal King. 6 Then they will rejoice with joy and be glad, and they will enter the holy place; its fragrance will be in their bones, and they will live a long life on earth, such as your ancestors lived: and in their days, no sorrow or plague or torment or calamity will touch them.' 7 Then I blessed the God of Glory, the Eternal King, who has prepared such things for the righteous, and has created them and promised to give them to them.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Revelation 22:2

New Testament
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life—water as clear as crystal—pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 flowing down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations. 3 And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him, 4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever. 6 Then the angel said to me, “These words are reliable and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon.”
92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

References

"... The messianic era was to be marked by wondrous cures according to Isaiah 26:19; 29:18-19; 35:5-6; 61:1-2 (passages echoed in Matthew 11:2-5). The intertestamental literature shows a lively expectation of such healing, whether in general terms or in connection with the apocalyptic tree of life, e. g., Jubilees 1:29; 23:26-29; 1 Enoch 25:5-6; 95:4; 96:3; 2 Esdras 8:52-53. The Essenes may have been credited with healing powers. But nowhere are cures ascribed to the Messiah himself, although they result from his reign in 2 Baruch 56:6 and 73:2, and 1 Enoch 55:4. Consequently, Matthew's coupling of marvelous cures with invocation of the Son of David in 9:27, 15:22, and 20:30-31 (compare 12:23 and 21:9,14), has perplexed many exegetes. Instead of positing contacts with the thaumaturgy of Moses and Elijah, a far simpler and more satisfying explanation emerges from taking seriously the appeal of the blind and the possessed to the 'Son of David.' ..."
Brian M. Nolan, The Royal Son of God: The Christology of Matthew 1–2 in the Setting of the Gospel, OBO 23 (Fribourg: Éditions Universitaires, 1979), 165.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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1 Enoch 25:5 and Revelation 22:2

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