Day 244

For a people from a desert climate to be promised a continuously flowing river was heaven on earth, literally. Seasonal rains, cisterns and hand-dug wells were the norm. In heaven there is never a need to look for or carry water. It is right at hand, always available. And on top of that there are trees that bear fruit all year. Nothing quite like fresh fruit. And the plant’s leaves bring healing. This is the Garden of Eden restored. The curse of sin is removed, along with all the negative consequences.

The Lord is there and we will be His. His majesty will light the whole place. No more gremlins to haunt the night. We have electricity, so light is just a switch away. But for a culture that used oil lamps that fit in the palm of your hand, the availability of light was a great promise.

But we are talking more than food and physical comfort here. Every need that we have is met in Christ in this place. Just as water and fruit spoke of abundance and provision, so light speaks of God’s presence and truth. This is a place of unspeakable perfection, and we will be perfectly at home there. And we will be. For you see, this is what we were designed to experience, but we denied in the Fall. We weren’t designed to struggle like we do with making the right choices. The struggle of life is a result of Adam and Eve’s choices. In this new realm all the consequences of sin are undone. We get what Adam and Eve had before their choices.

Jesus reminds them that He is coming soon. In our timetable, we might dispute the “soon-ness” of that coming, but it is soon. And John’s reaction to all that he saw and heard was to fall on his face. This is the normal thing that people do when they are in the presence of angelic beings. It will be our reaction as well, but God is the only object of worship. Remember that. It might come in handy.

Jesus fully identifies Himself in the concluding verses of this book. Each name has significance and could be unpacked and studied. I want to encourage you to take one and do just that. There are so many good Internet resources out there. I like BibleGateway.com. It might not be the best, but it will get you started.

There is a blessing for those who read and protect what is written in this book. Be very careful of those who want to add OR subtract from the Scriptures. The blessing is specifically for the Revelation, but it could be applied to all of Scripture. There are many today who work to dismiss the Scriptures, often by glibly saying they have been proven wrong. But in almost every case, those who make those claims have never even studied the Scriptures. They are just quoting someone else as an excuse for their own rebellion.

Jesus is coming soon. Three times it is stated. He must be coming soon.