Revelation is peppered with little beattitudes. A “beattitude” is a “blessing” given to God’s children. They are most famous for the beginning of the sermon on the mount, where Jesus repeatedly says “blessed are those, who…” But sprinkled throughout the last book of the Bible are other blessings. Near the end of the book is this one…   

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.

Revelation 22:14

Blessed are those, Jesus says, who obey His commandments and wash their robes in His blood. And, redeemed in Jesus, the washed are free to partake of the Tree of Life by entering in through the gates into the city of Christ. It’s very simple: Obey the commands and get the reward. Wash your robes in His blood (ch7:14) and get the reward. The reward is a second Eden, this one in Heaven, where the Devil can not slither in and ruin it.

BUT where is the Tree of Life? John writes that it’s inside the gates of the city. What is the city? It is the church of Jesus Christ (ch21). Therefore the Tree of Life is “in” the church and if you want it you must get “into” the church. And the church is the body of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23). So to get into the church you must get into Christ. How do you get into Christ? You are baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27). And when you’re baptized you wash away your sins (Acts 22:16). And being baptized is a command of Jesus we must keep (Mark 16:16). Thus, by doing His commandments we wash our sins (away) in His blood, we get into Christ, into His church, and enjoy the fruit of the Tree of Life.

BUT what is the church of Christ? It is the kingdom of Christ (Matthew 16:18-19, Colossians 1:13). And what is the kingdom of Christ (and God)? It is the kingdom of Heaven (Mark 1:15, Matthew 3:2, Ephesians 5:5). We—the members of the church—are the members of the kingdom and citizens of Heaven (on earth).

We partake of the Tree of Life today because we enjoy eternal life with Christ today. We’re just not in Heaven yet to enjoy it without the Devil running around tempting us to throw it away before the Judgment. That’s what he’s been doing since Eden; trying to ruin the relationship between God and man.

This chapter, here at the end of the Bible, brings the “story” of the Bible full circle. In Genesis 3—way back in the beginning—the Devil ruined physical Eden. Now, through Christ, a better Eden is available: The church of Christ. We belong to the new (spiritual) Eden on earth but are constantly tempted by Satan to forsake the Tree of life for the pleasure of sin. If we resist the Devil and obey God, then one day the church will leave the world behind and be glorified (ch21) in Heaven where the Devil can’t tempt its residents anymore.

That’s the ultimate victory of Revelation.