Revelation 22:1-3 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.
Sometimes we forget that the one things in life that is constant is change itself. We can look at the news or read the headlines and throw ourselves into a panic without realizing it. We get so focused on the present moment that we forget the future that is promised.
The problem with this is that, as followers of Jesus, we are supposed to be different from those who don’t have hope. We know the end of the story. We also know the past, and knowing the past should help us weather the ups and downs of this present moment.
Then LORD is working things out. We can read His book and see His interventions in history and know that He is faithful and true. There is no need to be consumed by the worries of life. He is faithful and calls us to be faithful as well.
Our text gives us part of a snapshot of what so many people call heaven. But that is not what the text tells us. This isn’t heaven, some pie in the sky type of place. It is a restoration of the Garden of Eden, a place where the LORD and humanity were designed to live together.
We have lost this picture. The original plan was for humanity to rule this place, this planet, just like the LORD rules the universe. We were to care for this place, making order out of chaos, just like the LORD made order in putting together the universe, including ordering things on this planet.
We read about a well watered garden with the “tree of life” present for humanity to eat. This tree was present in the Garden of Eden. Access to it was prevented following humanity’s rebellion. But here we read that access is restored.
We don’t know the exact nature of this tree, but it brings life. This new life will keep us alive and able to enjoy the LORD’s presence for ever and ever. We will be fruitful, just like this tree is fruitful. Even the leaves will bring healing.
Notice that the healing is for the nations. All people who are in this new city will have access to this tree of life. There are those who are outside the city who won’t have access to God’s grace and mercy. The imagery of the state of those people is exactly the opposite of the abundant provision of the LORD’s presence and life for those in the city.
And we often forget that life without the LORD is empty, vain, fruitless, torment, filled with questions that only the LORD’s answers truly satisfy. Life like this would be horrendous. Completely cut off from the LORD’s grace and mercy. All protections removed. All the consequences of sin allowed to run to their course with no reprieve.
That would be hell. But those who bow the knee by believing in Jesus continue to receive the blessing of obedience. We live by the river of the water of life. We eat from this tree that brings life and healing. Everything that was part of this sinful world is redeemed, restored and renewed. We live as the LORD intended us to live. We enjoy His company forever.
The Arnold Journey 