The first entry in this series can be found here.
The previous entry can be found here.
Conflict.
Conflict is what propels a story.
Conflict is what takes a story from the introduction to the “rising action.”
And the resolution of conflict is what brings a story to its conclusion.
This reality is true in the Bible as well. The first two chapters of Genesis set the scene, and it’s at the beginning of Genesis 3 that the conflict begins. But it’s worth pausing for a moment to appreciate the scene depicted in Genesis 2.
These are the records of the heavens and the earth, concerning their creation at the time that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. No shrub of the field had yet grown on the land, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not made it rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground. But water would come out of the ground and water the entire surface of the land. Then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He placed the man He had formed. The LORD God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river went out from Eden to water the garden. From there it divided and became the source of four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon, which flows through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. Gold from that land is pure; bdellium and onyx are also there. The name of the second river is Gihon, which flows through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris, which runs east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”
Genesis 2:4-17 HCSB
This is critical, because John continues his Revelation of Jesus Christ by showing what the world will look like when heaven and earth and fully and finally united—when the conflict has been fully and finally removed.
Then he showed me the river of living water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the broad street of the city. The tree of life was on both sides of the river, bearing 12 kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, and there will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His slaves will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. Night will no longer exist, and people will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.
Revelation 22:1-5 HCSB
I mentioned previously that this text was hinted at in 21:6-7. There it was declared that the river of living water is a gift from God. But who is it a gift for? It’s for the thirsty. The thirsty will be satisfied in this spring (cf. 7:16-17). And we’ll come back to this idea again before we wrap up our study of Revelation (see 22:17). But as we walk through 22:1-5, John highlights both the source of this blessing and the results of this blessing. When heaven has fully and finally come to earth, blessing for all results.
The Source of Blessing
The source of this blessing is God. But the text makes it clear that this is a future blessing that we have yet to see realized in this world.
God is the source. The river is said to come from the throne of God and the Lamb (22:1). The throne of God and of the Lamb is said to be inside the city (22:3). These were still separate in 21:2, 9-27. This is why 22:2 says the river flows down the middle of the street of the city. No longer is God’s dwelling place separated from humanity’s (21:3). We presently long for this reality–and we experience it to a small extent in various ways–but in the future God will fully and finally dwell with us. This is a beautiful promise!
So God has been shown to be the source of the blessing, but what exactly is this blessing? The HCSB translates it as “the river of living water.” This is an interesting turn of phrase. This whole phrase only shows up in two places in the Bible: here and John 7:38. The broader concept of “living water” occurs considerably more: Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13; Zechariah 14:8; John 4:10-11; 7:38; Revelation 7:17; 22:1, 17 (see also Ezekiel 47:1-12). But let’s look specifically at two texts, keeping in mind that the source of this river—in Revelation 22:1—is God.
For My people have committed a double evil:
Jeremiah 2:13 HCSB
They have abandoned Me,
the fountain of living water,
and dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.
LORD, the hope of Israel,
Jeremiah 17:13 HCSB
all who abandon You
will be put to shame.
All who turn away from Me
will be written in the dirt,
for they have abandoned
the LORD, the fountain of living water.
Yahweh is the fountain (source) of living water. When people resist God, they are doing what the people are described as doing throughout the book of Jeremiah. As a result, one of the points of this text in Revelation is to reiterate that people need to turn to God as their source of life before they experience the negative happenings of the book of Jeremiah. So God is the source of blessing, and blessing is “living water,” that enables the proliferation of the “tree of life.”
The Results of Blessing
There are numerous results that come from this blessing. The first is the end of the curse.
“What curse?” you ask.
The curse mentioned at the end of the text we looked at above in Genesis: “On the day you eat from it, you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17). Because Adam and Eve ate from the tree, the world has fallen under a curse. But when God and man are fully and finally reunited after heaven and earth have become one, the curse will be lifted. We will be back in the Edenic state, fully and finally free from the curse.
A lot of these blessings are similar to the blessings we looked at last time (21:22-27). For instance, the proliferation of light is mentioned in both texts (21:23; 22:5). I would posit–based on context–that what we have here is the “finally” of chapter 21’s “not yet.” This blessing will be fully and finally realized when heaven and earth are fully and finally united as one.
A unique result mentioned in this text is that we will be face-to-face with God, and he will stamp us with his name (22:4). Names are mentioned repeatedly in Revelation (31 times). A few of the specific times God’s name is mentioned early in the book are related to God giving the “victors” his name (2:17; 3:12). Another interesting use of the word “name” occurs in 3:1, when the HCSB translates it as “reputation.” And I think this is what John wants to show us in this verse. In the future, blessed age, God will write his reputation on believers. And since foreheads (faces) are where are attention is drawn (should be drawn!) when we are talking to people, for God to write his reputation on our foreheads is to say that everyone we interact with in the future state will see God when they see us.
As such, the mark of the beast is not computer chips or vaccines or tattoos. The mark of the beast is enmity and strife, hostility toward God and people—a LACK of LOVE. Where is the mark of the beast placed? The forehead—reputation—and the hand—actions (Revelation 13:16).
The final result here is that “they will reign forever and ever” (22:5). We need to pause here and ask, “They?” Is this referring to God and the Lamb only? Or is this referring to God, the Lamb, and the saints? And if the latter, how is that possible when 22:3 says, “His slaves will serve Him”?
A search through the New Testament reveals that this word is variously translated as “worship” or “serve,” and several times it is translated as “serve” in parallel with a different word translated “worship” in a connected phrase. Due to the fact that Revelation 20:6 specifies that we reign with God for 1,000 years (the same period of time described in Revelation 21), it makes sense to think that, in the future fully and finally glorified state, we would continue reigning with him. We (will) reign with him, but we (will) acknowledge simultaneously that we are less than him, mere servants—serving him by our worship—praising him for his grace to allow us to reign alongside him.
Choose Life!
So the curse will be completely removed, and the glory of God will be revealed. This is the glorious ending of the human story. Are you ready for God to unite heaven and earth as one? Have you trusted Christ for your salvation?
It is worth mentioning that one of the times we previously saw the word “serve/worship” was in Revelation 7:15. The verse prior explains the only way to enter this blessed situation:
“They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (7:14).
Christ shed his blood to allow us to enter the New Jerusalem of the new earth when heaven and earth are fully and finally reunited. We wash our robes by repenting of our sins, trusting Christ for salvation, and then living a life that showcases God’s reputation to the world (19:8; 7:9; 19:14). Will you gain admittance to the blessed future?
I pray I’ll see you there and rejoice with you fully and finally for eternity!
In this with you.
Thanks for reading.
The next entry can be found here.
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