Scripture: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Revelation: 22:1-5 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Friday’s Daily Focus, an angel takes John on a tour of the new Jerusalem. Identified as the Bride of the Lamb, John describes our new city of God symbolically in language similar to Ezekiel’s vision of an eschatological temple (Ezekiel 40-43). Both are extravagantly bejeweled to convey the holiness and glory of their King and Great High Priest. Unlike the rectangular temple, however, this new Jerusalem is square in configuration (perhaps conveying perfection). Named after the Church’s twelve apostles, twelve foundations support the city. And twelve gates access the city, each bearing the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. But what’s notable about this Jerusalem, in contrast to other cities of antiquity, is that it has no temple because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And since the light of the Lamb shines nonstop, illuminating the city with perpetual light, there is no darkness. Thus, its gates are always open, providing access to all nations for the glory of God. And only those whose names appear in the Lamb’s “book of life” will enter it.
Today’s reading concludes John’s tour of the holy city of God with the angel showing him the river of the water of life. John sees its crystal-clear water flowing from the Lamb and God’s throne, dividing the city’s street. The tree of life borders the river, bearing various fruits monthly, each with unique healing properties that refresh God’s people. And now that the Lamb and God reside on their throne, all God’s people (identified by the Lord’s name written on their foreheads) will worship them face to face, free of the curse and its darkness, because the Lord is their light. And, together with the Father and Son, they will eternally rule the new creation.
Takeaway: John’s symbolic language in this closing scene points to the fulfillment of Ezekiel and Isaiah’s eschatological prophecies and John’s earlier visions, signaling the regaining of Eden’s paradise. Specifically, the metaphors of water and light refer to salvation and point the reader to its fulfillment as Isaiah (12:3), Zechariah (14:7-8), Joel (3:18), and Ezekiel (47:1-12) envisioned.
We may understand the somewhat confusing language of a single tree that lines both sides of the river as a collective singular noun, particularly given the parallelism to Ezekiel’s trees of life whose leaves bring healing (Ezekiel 47:12). But why mention healing if all sin and suffering ended with Christ casting all elements of evil and sin into the eternal lake of sulfur (20:10)? As theologian Alan Johnson surmises, “The imagery of abundant fruit and medicinal leaves should be understood as symbolic of the far-reaching effects of the death of Christ in the redeemed community the Holy City” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Revelation, p. 599).
Our takeaway? Now, in part, we can enjoy elements of paradise regained through Christ’s salvific work. How so? Christ, who crushed the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15), has removed Eden’s curse (Genesis 3:17), freeing us to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God as our spiritual acts of worship (Romans 12:1). And as we submit to the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies our souls through rivers of cleansing water (John 3:5; Titus 3:5), we will see more clearly what awaits us in paradise regained: eternal, joyful worship of our Beloved—free of sin’s tyranny. Indeed, this glorious vision keeps us going in this era of the “now but not yet.”
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who crushed the serpent’s head at Calvery and will one day cleanse our world of the lingering remnants of sin and evil so that we might intimately dwell with him and you. And we thank you for your Holy Spirit, who continues your Son’s marvelous work by regenerating and sanctifying our souls so that we may offer our bodies to you as living sacrifices of holy worship. Still, we confess that we are prone to idol worship that distances us from you and your Son. So please help us cooperate with your Holy Spirit to repent and refresh our worship of you and our hope of paradise regained with the two of you. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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