End of the Beginning

Revelation 22:1-5, the passage that concludes God's story with a powerful and beautiful vision of the restoration and eternal communion for humanity with the Almighty.

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 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. 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. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

This passage is the culmination of the entire biblical story, offering a glimpse into God's renewed creation; the New Jerusalem. This isn't the end, rather it's the glorious new beginning, that answers humanities longing for healing and wholeness that we've cried out for since our separation began in Genesis.

No water, no life!, so we begin with 'The River of the Water of Life (v.1)

This river, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, is a beautifully deep symbol of a pure unending source of life that flows directly from God himself. It echoes the river that flowed from the Garden of Eden;

A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. Gen 2:10

and also the life-giving river in Ezekiel's vision (Ezekiel 47:1-12).

The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side. As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”

This vision tells us that in God's new creation, the source of all sustenance, healing, and vitality comes from God's presence. There is no separation from Him anymore, and life flows directly from the center of His very being.

Then in verse two we find 'The Tree of Life'

This imagery brings the biblical narrative full circle, right back to the start! We got barred from the Tree of Life after the Fall (Genesis 3:22-24)

And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

This was to prevent us from gaining eternal existence in a state of sin and brokenness. But here, access is not only restored, but it's amplified, for it now comes with "the healing of the nations," This tells us that all divisions, conflicts, and wounds, both personal and global, are completely and eternally healed. The tree yields monthly crops of fruit, which reminds us of God's everlasting provision and abundance for us.

In verse three we read of 'The Removal of the Curse' (v.3)

This is one of the most pivotal statements in all Scripture for "No longer will there be any curse." This directly reverses the curse pronounced after our rebellion in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:17-19).

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

All creation, has been "groaning" under the weight of our brokenness from the fall, Paul tells us this in Romans 8:22;

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

And now it's finally over. Every aspect that came as the result of our sin; pain, decay, toil, and death is totally and utterly eradicated.

No need for a Temple with our new Centrality of Worship (v.3-4)

The core activity of our new existence is uninterrupted, face-to-face communion with God. "His servants will serve him. We will see his face." Serving God isn't a chore but the ultimate fulfillment of our human purpose. The promise of seeing His face; which is something that even Moses couldn't do (Exodus 33:20)

But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

This tells us of a an intimacy and knowledge that's beyond anything previously possible. His name will be on our foreheads, which signifies our complete belonging to and identity with God.

Finally there will be no more night, (v.5)

The absence of night is a powerful metaphor. For darkness is often used to represent evil, uncertainty, fear, and hiddenness. Its elimination means that every shadow of darkness, both literal and spiritual is no more. The Lord God Himself is our light, meaning that His glory, truth, and holiness will illuminate everything perfectly for us. There's no need for sun, moon, or any king of lamp because His presence provides all the illumination we need, and this is forever.

To close this up, Revelation 22:1-5 paints a beautiful portrait of the final destination for God's people, some call it heaven, some the garden city, the new Jerusalem, or paradise. It's a place of perfect healing, unbroken relationship, redeemed purpose, and everlasting light. It is a vision of shalom, absolute peace, wholeness, and flourishing. The place where every tear is wiped away and every wrong is made right. It's the hope toward which the entire biblical story moves, assuring every believer that our struggles in the present age are temporary and are ultimately leading us to an eternal reality of dwelling in the direct and glorious presence of God. To get there you all you have to do is accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Its thst easy@

Have a great week, and God Bless,

Trev.