Welcome to this last piece in our prophetic relay race to the end of time. In our last piece, examining Revelation 21, we saw the New Jerusalem descending down from Heaven to rest on the New Earth.
Today we will examine what Revelation 22:1-5 unveils to us about completing this transition into eternity. We will be in eternity and immersed by infinity...God’s infinity. The infinite nature of God means that God exists outside of time or space. Therefore, He is not limited by time or space. Infinite means “without limits”. God is free from all limitations. You and I will be living in His infinite world.
One of the great theologians from history named Dr. James Orr from Glasgow, Scotland, said this in his 1909 book called “Side-Lights on Christian Doctrine”(p. 26.)
I pulled some other select quotes from another source called Theological Primer: Divine Infinity Kevin DeYoung | March 31, 2017. Kevin wrote these things about infinity.
⇒Infinity is one of the incommunicable attributes, meaning this characteristic of God finds no analogy in the human person.
⇒We understand “infinity” to mean something like “going on forever and ever”. But what does the word mean when applied to God? We can understand divine infinity in three ways.
First, God is infinite in relation to himself. We can call this God’s absolute perfection. All that God has He is and all that God is He is ad infinitum. He possesses love and grace and sovereignty, not largely or mostly or partially, but in infinite measure. His greatness is unsearchable (Psalm 145:3). His power and perfection know no limit. God does whatever He pleases, and no one can thwart His plans or purposes. (2 Chronicles 20:6, Isaiah 40:15, Psalm 115:3, Psalm 115:3).
Second, God is infinite in relation to time. We can call this God’s eternity. He is without beginning and without end (Psalm 90:2; 1 Tim. 1:17). Unlike all created things, God has no origin and no starting point. There never was when God was not. God has always been God and has always been, even before there was matter or a universe or time as we understand time. Our God is Jehovah El Olam, the Everlasting God (Gen. 21:33).
Third, God is infinite in relation to space. We can call this God’s immensity. He is not constrained by physicality or geographic location. The God who made everything in heaven and earth does not live in temples made by human hands (Acts 17:24). “Am I only a God nearby, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Declares the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth?” (Jer. 23:23-24). Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain God (1 Kings 8:27).
Whereas omnipresence suggests God fills every part of space with His being (Eph. 1:23), the attribute of immensity stresses that God’s being is not subject to any limitations. The former emphasizes God’s immanence, while the latter emphasizes His transcendence. There is nowhere where God is not and no way God can be contained—by imperfection, by time, or by space.
So, my friends...we have a lot to look forward to living in God’s eternity while also immersed in God’s infinity. Keep that immersion in mind as we consider life in the New Jerusalem.
Now, we will see how the New Jerusalem (our new home forever), has similar characteristics to the original Garden of Eden (which would have gone on forever, if sin had not entered the human race), but the New Jerusalem far out shines the original Garden of Eden.
If you walked toward and through the gate of the city, you would be walking into your new city of residence. Once inside the gate, it is possible an attending angel will guide you down the streets of transparent gold until you end up on a specific street, with a specific address. At this address, the attending angel points to a brand new residence and announces to you, that this is your new eternal residence. YOU ARE HOME FOREVER! Remember the city is not flat. It is a cube 1400 miles to 1500 miles on each side.
What will you think?
How will you feel?
What will you do?
Well...the good news is that you will have the rest of eternity to consider what you think, how you feel, and what you might do. BUT...for now, the Apostle John (inspired by the Holy Spirit) is going to give you a few more details about your new city, in Revelation 22...the last chapter of the Bible.
Have you ever watched an incredible suspense movie that you did not want to end? It was so thrilling, you just wanted more and more! You found yourself screaming at the movie screen: .................Don’t stop. Give me more!!!
Well...in the similar way, it can be an emotional experience to reach the end of the last Book of the Bible...the Book of Revelation...and then to reach the end of the Book of Revelation. Each time I reach this point in my daily and annual Bible reading, I can hear myself saying to God, don’t stop now...give me more!
In retrospect, as we finish our study of Revelation 22 today, we can all say, “What a prophetic relay race this has been to the end of history and the end of time”, as we now make that supernatural transition into eternity.
I love the truth Solomon expressed in Ecclesiastes 3:11, where he said, “God has made everything beautiful (appropriate) in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end”.
We are all aware of how there is an eternity beyond this life. We just know it. We don’t know how we know it, but we know that we know it. This is because God placed the reality of eternity into our hearts, our minds, and our souls when He created us. Here are some great insights on Ecclesiastes 3:1 from GotQuestions.org.
“In the human heart” is an expression representing the mind, soul,or spirit of each person. God places eternity (Hebrew word“olam”) into our heart and soul. Olam refers to God’s placing an eternal longing or the sense of eternity in the human heart.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 affirms the idea that humans operate in a different way than other forms of life. We have a sense of eternity in our lives. We possess an innate knowledge that there is something more to life than what we can see and experience in the here and now.
This unveiling in Revelation 22 characterizes our heavenly living conditions in the New Jerusalem, that God has prepared for us...His children. He wants us to anticipate being there and living there. Therefore, He gives us this divine glimpse of eternal life. The following five verses do an awesome job introducing Revelation 22.
Hebrews 13:14: For here (on this earth) - we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
Philippians 3:20: But our citizenship is in heaven and from heaven we await a Savior...the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:9: As it is written, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him...”
1 Peter 1:4: We have an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is being kept in heaven for you...
Psalm 73:25: Whom have I in heaven, but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire...besides You.
We will spend eternity in that place the Bible calls HEAVEN. Heaven is not a fictitious, allegorical, fabricated...mythical place. So, what is HEAVEN? In terms that we use every day in this life, HEAVEN is seven things.
- Heaven is a garden.
- Heaven is a paradise.
- Heaven is a city.
- Heaven is a country.
- Heaven is a world.
- Heaven is a universe.
- Heaven is a cosmos.
So once again, I would like to say that we will not be floating around on some huge cloud, aimlessly wandering here and there throughout an endless cosmos. We will be living in a real place with both spiritual and material substance.
A few of the terms scientific minds use to describe something with substance are...light, energy, mass, space, color, volume, weight, density, etc... Well, if there were ever a place with substance, it is HEAVEN. So take heart my friend...you are going to a real place.
The essence of HEAVEN is God and His presence. HEAVEN is eternal, because God is eternal. When we say we will be in HEAVEN, this means we will be with God for eternity (forever). Revelation 22 sums up for us, what it will mean to be with God, and for God to be with us...forever.
As we consider the Bible in its entirety and how God chose to bring His divine record to a close here in Revelation 22, let me share these helpful insights with you from the Ethnos360 Bible Institute.
The Bible: God’s Compiled Revelation
The Bible is God’s specific revelation that has been compiled over many years and through the pens of many different human writers. It gathers up the history of God’s dealings with His people, His character and attributes, His plan for redeeming mankind, and most importantly, it introduces us to Christ, the ultimate expression of God Himself. God has seen fit to preserve His Word through the centuries, so that His truth is available to us. This revelation from Him is His most direct communication to us and is His authoritative voice. We can put all our hope in its message and stake our lives on its claims.
Because Revelation 22 will speak for itself and is only 21 verses long, please spend the 60 seconds it will take you to read these verses right now, before we focus on the first five verses. See for yourself what the Holy Spirit said in context and then, we can consider what these concepts mean for us...ushering us into our new home in the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 22
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.
The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent His angel to show His servants the things that must soon take place”.
“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the
words of the prophecy written in this scroll”.
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”
Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong. Let the vile person continue to be vile. Let the one who does right continue to do right and let the holy person continue to be holy”.
“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give
to each person according to what they have done. I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning
and the End”.
Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the
churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright
Morning Star”.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll:
If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon”. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.
Summing up God’s revelation of what Heaven and eternity will be like.
Consider how the Holy Spirit literally had infinite choices, about the exact words He would use to express these truths He wanted to leave us with, in closing out the Bible...but He chose these specific items for us.
In our study today, we will focus on the first five verses of Chapter 22, because they specifically address...more of the characteristics of the New Jerusalem and what it will be like...living there throughout eternity.
The rest of Chapter 22 (verses 6-21), address many different items related to God’s Word, and how these things were given to the Apostle John to finish out God’s written revelation to mankind.
Verses 6-21 take in the faithfulness and trustworthiness of Scripture, the urgency of obedience to the moral and spiritual principles of Scripture, the need to proclaim these truths to every person in the world now, the surety of rewards for obedience and faithfulness, the Lord Jesus as the beginning and the end of life and history (the Alpha and the Omega), and the fulfillment of these prophecies being imminent.
BUT...there is just not time or space in our last piece today...to focus on so many various topics and themes. Therefore, in this closing piece, we want to concentrate on what the first five verses reveal about living in eternity. So, let’s dive into the depth of these revealed truths.
Revelation 22:1-5: 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.
⇒ The River.
⇒ The Water.
⇒ The Throne.
⇒ The Main Street.
⇒ The Tree Of Life.
⇒ The Fruit.
⇒ The Leaves.
⇒ The Healing of the Nations.
⇒ No more curse.
⇒ We are His servants and will serve Him.
⇒ Seeing God face to face.
⇒ His name on our foreheads.
⇒ God Himself as Himself is our eternal light...no more night.
The River
Our new city has a special river running through it. This river carries the water of life. This water is as clear as crystal and why wouldn’t it be? It flows right out of the throne of God and the Lamb of God. Because God is eternal, this water flowing from His throne will flow forever.
The Water
This water will affirm perennial life, which is enduring, perpetual, immortal, abiding, and endless. {Perennial: having an existence or validity that does not change or diminish...https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perennial} The water will flow to the entire New Jerusalem and each of its inhabitants and to the rest of the new earth.
You will never tire of drinking this water. Not only will it be the best tasting water you have every experienced, but it will nourish you and sustain you throughout eternity.
The purity of the water correlates to the purity each believer has in heaven from Jesus Christ. The pure water of the river from God is consumed by each resident of heaven and confirms or affirms the purity of the consumer...the child of God... you and I (Purity affirms purity).
This purity is addressed in Romans 6:5-7, where Paul explains that when we believed in Christ for our salvation, we were united with Him in His crucifixion, His death, His burial, His resurrection, and His ascension to the right hand of God in heaven.
Through this union with Christ, we were literally made pure from sin. Many Christians do not realize how the Lord Jesus made us pure from sin. In fact, we are as pure as He is. He recreated us and made us one with Him...a part of Him. This purity (His purity) lives in your spiritual nature and is one with your spiritual nature.
Romans 11:16: If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy. If the root is holy, so are the branches.
Jesus is the part of the dough offered as the first fruits and we are the rest of the batch. Jesus is the root and we are the branches.
Do you appreciate this purity He has given you? Do you allow it to live through your life now?
Romans 6:5-7: For if we have been united with Him in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self (old man or sinful nature) was crucified with Him, so that the body of sin (within us) might be destroyed (done away with), that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died (with Christ) has been made pure from sin.
As we continue reflecting on this water of life flowing from God’s throne, I would like to mention the best tasting water on earth right now. Today, the water from the legendary Ölfus Spring (shown below) in the southwest of Iceland is considered to be the purest water one can drink on earth.
Located in the southwest of Iceland, the Ölfus Spring was formed after a massive volcanic eruption over 5,000 years ago. The spring is constantly replenished by gradual filtration of the abundant rainfall and snowmelt of Iceland. Located on 128,000 acre exclusion zone, The Ölfus Spring is shielded by an impenetrable layer of lava rock and surrounded by a 128,000 acre exclusion zone of untouched lava fields. With over 900,000 cubic meters of water overflowing from the Ölfus Spring into the ocean every day, Icelandic Glacial bottles 0.1% of the runoff to the ocean, directly at the source.
But the legendary Ölfus Spring water cannot measure up to the water flowing right out of the throne of God. The absolute purity of God produces the water of life, that you and I will partake of. Each time we drink this water, I believe we will feel quickened by the holiness and the purity and the grace and the mercy of God.
To appreciate this water, just think of the untold millions of people around the world that do not have access to clean, pure water right now. Consider this statistic from: https://blogs.worldbank.org
Although we see progress, there are still around 2 billion people around the world without access to safely managed drinking water services. Among them, 771 million people cannot access even basic drinking water services (water from improved sources with a round-trip collection time of less than 30 minutes including queuing). People with low access to drinking water services are concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Throne
Our water of life flows out from the throne of God. In Ezekiel 1, the prophet describes his vision of the throne of God.
Ezekiel 1:26-28: Above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone. Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. Then I noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it. From the appearance of His loins and downward, I saw something like fire, and there was a radiance around Him...as the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day...so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.
Here are a few other Biblical references to God’s throne.
2 Chronicles 18:18: And Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and on His left.
Psalm 11:4: The Lord is in His holy temple. The Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold...His eyelids test the sons of men.
Hebrews 12:2: Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Revelation 3:21: He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Here are some inspiring thoughts from J.I. Packer, in his book called “Knowing God”, quoted at: https://www.gotquestions.org/God-transcendent.html
When the Bible speaks of God’s “throne”, the emphasis is on God’s transcendence, dignity, and sovereign rule. The fact that His throne is in heaven further underscores the transcendent nature of God’s existence.
What does it mean that God is transcendent?
To transcend means “to exist above and independent from...to rise above, surpass, succeed”. By this definition, God is the only truly transcendent Being. The “LORD God Almighty” (in Hebrew, El Shaddai) created all things on the earth, beneath the earth and in the heavens above, yet He exists above and independent from them. All things are upheld by His mighty power (Hebrews 1:3), yet He is upheld by Himself alone. The whole universe exists in Him and for Him that He may receive glory, honor and praise.
Being transcendent, God is both the unknown and unknowable, yet God continually seeks to reveal Himself to His creation, i.e., the unknown seeks to be known. Here is a paradox. Being transcendent, God is the incomprehensible Creator existing outside of space and time and thus is unknowable and unsearchable.
Neither by an act of our will nor by our own reasoning can we possibly come to understand God or experience Him personally. God wants us to seek to know Him, yet how can the finite possibly know and understand the infinite when our minds and thoughts are so far beneath His (Isaiah 55:8-9). Romans 11:33-36 says, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay Him? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him is the glory forever!”
The Main Street
Our water will continue to flow down the middle of the great street of the city. We would call this “The Main Street Of Heaven”.
As a teenager growing up in a small town, cruising around town on Friday and Saturday nights was sometimes the highlight of our week. Of course Main Street was a “go to”. Everyone wanted to see what everyone else was doing and many times, there was just not much else to do anyway. So, we made the most of it.
In the New Jerusalem, we will never be bored or have to try and find something to do, but with the great street of the city being the main thoroughfare, I can visualize multitudes of believers (including me), spending time fellowshipping up and down our heavenly main street. Why don’t you and I plan now to meet up at the corner of Main & Righteous Street, at least once every thousand years.
The Tree of Life
...Its Leaves
...Its Fruit
Along with the river stands the tree of life. This tree produces twelve different crops of fruit and it yields its fruit every month. This tree will never cease producing these fruits and we shall never stop consuming them. Again, we will never feel hungry, but we will desire to consume the fruits for the pleasure and benefits they provide.
This tree of life is real and literal, not symbolic or allegorical. It’s leaves and various fruits will enrich our existence throughout eternity. Believers from all the nations represented (from the old earth) will have equal access to the tree of life, and therefore be protected from any division, dissension, disharmony, disunity, discord, dissent, friction, infighting, schisms, or conflicts. Thus you have the healing of the nations mentioned below!
The different fruits the tree bears could represent an infinite variety of the most delicious stuff you could ever dream of. I looked up words that describe some kind of food (in this case we are thinking of fruit) that tastes beyond belief and hard to comprehend. These words help us visualize what we are in for with the tree of life.
*heavenly *succulent *luscious *sapid *soporific *scrumptious *divine *mouthwatering *relishing *aperitive *tantalizing *titillating *delectable
Notice that the water of the river feeds the tree (nourishes the tree). With this constant nourishment from an infinite God, the tree can produce many kinds of fruit on a monthly basis...for us. This indicates that we will be consuming and enjoying these fruits on an on-going basis (possibly whenever you want), but you will never be hungry.
Also notice that the text mentions how the fruit-bearing is on a monthly basis. Maybe there will be a new variety each month. It’s also interesting that the concept of a “month” (close to a 30 day period as we know it) is mentioned. In our present day mode of time, a month is determined by the moon’s passage around the Earth.
It takes our Moon about 29.5 days to complete one cycle of phases (from new Moon to new Moon). From: Sky Tellers - Moon Phases - Lunar and Planetary Institute Lunar and Planetary Institute...https://www.lpi.usra.edu › education › moon-phases
So, it appears there will be a new sun and a new moon created along with the new heaven and new earth, but they will not be needed for light upon the New Jerusalem...as it said back in Revelation 21:23: The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. Therefore, the new sun and moon will have new functions in eternity.
The scientific research team at Answers In Genesis have some helpful thoughts about this. Here are their insights:
We would point out that Scripture only definitively says that the sun and moon will no longer be needed for light in the new heavens, New Jerusalem, and the new earth—it never says anything about them being completely done away with. But several other passages (as we have highlighted) do seem to directly state or hint that there will be a purpose for the sun and moon in the eternal state. Those future functions may still include heat for the new earth, markers for times and seasons, and/or just as they serve now, to bring praise to their Creator...Psalms 148:3. {https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/solar-system/present-future-functions-sun-moon/}
The Healing of the Nations
No More Curse!
The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations, even though there will no longer be any curse upon the creation (the new creation).
At the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, we see how the nations were divided after the flood in Noah’s time. Here in Revelation 22, we see the healing of the nations...no more divisions.
The phrase “the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” is very interesting. Why would healing be necessary in eternity? In this context, the healing leaves do not imply the presence of sickness or disease. Remember how the tree of life existed in the Garden of Eden before there was any sin, sickness, or death in Genesis 2:9 and Genesis 3:22. The tree of life was there for ongoing sustenance and health...that would have kept Adam and Eve and their descendants going forever (literally), if sin and death had not entered the picture.
Therefore, the leaves of the tree in the New Jerusalem can also exist in the New Jerusalem without sin, sickness, disease, and death. AND we know from Revelation 22:3, there will be no curse there.
Therefore, the concept of healing from the leaves would have to refer to the stimulation of perfect health and the harmony of body, soul, and spirit. The leaves will bless and preserve the biology of our new “earth suits” and the fruits will be for our joy and pleasure.
It is neat to note that the Greek word for healing is θεραπεία [therapeia] ... "serving, service, care, or attend to” from the verb θεραπεύω [therapeuo]...to serve or be a servant”. (https://platosacademy.org/stoicism-as-therapeia-θεραπεία)
You can see the implication here that when one is serving or providing service to another or attending another, it becomes therapy to the serving one. This can be such a dynamic factor for all of us in this life right now.
The more we serve others and minister to others on a daily basis, in any context or environment, the more we will experience God’s therapy (healing) within our own body and soul.
So, the leaves are there to minister to or serve the redeemed, as we serve God...Revelation 22:3. (Wong, The Tree of Life in Revelation 2:7, 220-221) {The chemical ingredients of the rich foliage of the trees might be available for innumerable uses in the economy of the nations, which is to be kept healthy by the leaves of the tree.}
John Walvoord pointed this out: In the ancient Greek language, the word for healing can also mean “health-giving”, and this may be the sense here. “The word for ‘healing’ is therapeian, from which the English word therapeutic is derived, almost directly transliterated from the Greek. Rather than meaning ‘healing’, it should be understood as ‘health-giving’, as the word in its root meaning has the idea of ‘serving or ministering’.
If you add up all of the insights above, we can conclude that in the eternal state, everything will be blessed...and the tree of life represents that blessedness. Oh that we had that now...AMEN?
We are His servants.
We will serve Him.
We will experience and enjoy a perfect sinless environment, with a perfect administrative hierarchy, and we will have perfect service to God and perfect fellowship with God and with each other.
It is hard to fathom such blessedness now, but we will have it, and we will have it forever.
Verse 3 declares how the center of Heaven and focal point of all eternity is the throne of God & the Lamb. We as His servants will serve Him and it will be a constant pleasure for us...a sheer delight. Our service to God and worship of God will be one in the same, so to speak. As we serve Him, we will be worshipping Him. As we worship Him, we will be serving Him.
We will see God face to face.
Verse 4 declares how we will see the face of God. This might be the most exciting point in the entire chapter. Can you imagine what you will feel like, when you are seeing God’s face and when you and He are looking at each other face to face and eye to eye?
Jentrie Hales shared some interesting thoughts about “THE VALUE OF FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNICATION” in a magazine called “Cache Valley family magazine”.
https://cachevalleyfamilymagazine.com/the-value-of-face-to-face-communication/#:~:text=Face%2Dto%2Dface%20communication%20promotes,also%20fire%20to%20feel%20joy
Face-to-face communication promotes empathy. Research shows that when you make eye contact with someone, the limbic mirror system activates. So, if your eyes are communicating joy, their neurons will also fire to feel joy. When emotional states are shared, empathy is increased. Seeing other people’s facial expressions in real time also helps us to understand people’s genuine feelings.
Note: I pasted in here an explanation of the Limbic Mirror System from SCIENCE DIRECT.COM
The limbic mirror network hypothesizes that there is a common motor mechanism for understanding (some) emotions in others and feeling the same emotion in ourselves. Noteworthy, such a mechanism does not exclude the presence of higher conceptual reasoning supporting a declarative and propositional understanding of others’ emotions.
The concepts and definitions of the Limbic Mirror System are very fascinating and open the door of the power of face-to-face and eye-to-eye contact with each other. We can visualize these principles being amplified a million times over when we have close and intimate eye contact with God Himself.
Think of the intimacy...when you look into His eyes? What will you feel? What will you think? His eyes will penetrate every degree of your being. As you look into His eyes:
⇒ You will feel the pure love of God.
⇒ You will feel the exhilarating holiness of God.
⇒ You will feel the everlasting mercy of God.
⇒ You will feel the eternal grace of God.
⇒ You will feel the almighty power of God.
⇒ You will know God in the most intimate way possible.
⇒ You will feel how God knows you perfectly and loves the human being He created in His own image...YOU! You might not understand this complete love and acceptance, but you will feel it and you will know it is real and you will know it will be this way forever and you will relax into this total state of peace and rest.
As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness...Psalm 17:15
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known...1 Corinthians 13:12
Beloved, now we are children of God and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure...1 John 3:2-3
This will be in contrast to the feeling so many people grow up with and go through their lives with, that they have never been totally loved and accepted. Therefore, they have always felt some degree of incompleteness and insecurity and somewhat unaccepted, but they never knew what to do about it. Now this has passed away and is all over.
His Name will be on our foreheads.
Verse 4 also addresses how each of us will have God’s name on our foreheads.
This is the second time this is mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Revelation 3:12 stated, “I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
This is very significant and meaningful for us.
⇒ This shows how we will have a material forehead that His name can rest upon.
⇒ We will not be some kind of “spiritual ghost” or “spirit only” creature.
⇒ His name upon our foreheads also correlates to the new and unique name He gives each of us in Revelation 2:17.
Revelation 2:17: I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
⇒ His name upon our foreheads proves “ownership”. Jesus Christ bought us (paid for us with His own blood) for His Father. “No one” or “No Thing” can ever take you away from God. I have to wonder if there will be a cross build into His name, upon each of our foreheads.
⇒ His name upon our foreheads also represents how our lives will be immersed into His character. Now...we are totally one with Him.
There will be no more night time.
Verse 5 explains how there will be no more night time. We will live in constant light and this light will be the light of God, penetrating every “Fermi” of our being (“Fermi” is the smallest unit of measurement).
Revelation 22:5: 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.
In our current economy, the cycle of sleep and wakefulness is crucial to health and needed sleep just feels so good. This is why we spend about a third of our lives sleeping, because we would not survive without it.
Sunlight and darkness both trigger the release of vital hormones in our brains. Exposure to sunlight increases the brain’s release of serotonin (boosting our moods and helping us feel calm and focused), while the darkness of night time triggers the brain to make and release melatonin (the hormone, which helps us sleep properly).
We all know what it is like to wake up, go outside, and feel the warmth of a beautiful sunny day, while we give our bodies that first “feel good stretch” of the day.
As we are stretching, the sun is emitting its broad spectrum of electromagnetic radiation (including visible light and infrared light), and our skin begins to absorb the infrared light...which raises its temperature and produces that pleasant feeling of warmth.
In our new economy (life in heaven), we will need no darkness or night time, because we will need no rest or sleep. God never has to rest or sleep and neither will we. The sun (Son) of righteousness will always have its (His) healing rays in place.
We will always be absorbing the light of Christ, which will keep our spiritual temperatures at the highest possible point and produce those pleasant and stimulating feelings of godly warmth...the godly glow inside and out.
We will always feel like going out and frolicking like well-fed calves...Malachi 4:2: But for you who fear My name, the sun (Son) of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall.
In John 8:12, Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”. When Jesus declared this, He was revealing how He was both the light of the world at that time and also the light of the future world...the New Jerusalem...for all of eternity
It seems very appropriate to sum up the truths shared in verses 1-5 with the declaration made in verses 6-7.
These last words from God are trustworthy and true.
Revelation 22:6-7: The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent His angel to show His servants the things that must soon take place”. Look, I (Jesus) am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.
Verse 6 explains how God is giving us His last words pertaining to the end of time, our lives in heaven, and eternal life. The angel is making the point, that once you see the things that were prophesied in this Book, the truths revealed will be happening quickly.
Have you ever seen news footage of a tidal wave or tsunami coming towards a beach and the people on the beach are just standing there watching it come towards them? If you haven’t seen anything like this, click on the link below for a very short video recording of this happening.
As you are viewing this, visualize in your mind...multitudes of unprepared people across the world - sitting there right now...watching the end time unfold before them...and they do nothing about it. They just watch it coming towards them. Please don’t be one of those!!!
Terrifying footage of a tsunami hitting a beach
Therefore, we have the reassurance that what God shows us or reveals to us is authentic and genuine, which means His words to us are reliable, dependable, and absolutely true and trustworthy all of the time.
Trustworthy describes something you can believe in. In our case, the “believing” is a matter of life and death...not only temporal life and death...but eternal life and death.
This concept is at the heart of our faith as Christians...believers who are actual children of God almighty. If what God says is not 100% true, then it is not trustworthy, and our faith is in vain. But what God says is 100% true and therefore trustworthy.
Something or someone has to be true before that thing or person can be trustworthy and it has to be 100% true 100% of the time. If there is one flaw or falsehood involved, it cannot be trustworthy, because you would never know when you would be trusting in one of the true parts or one of the false parts.
God says His Word, in any context it addresses is always true and it addresses every important aspect of life. So, you can always trust it and trust in it. PRAISE THE LORD! And it is very exciting how verse 7 reads in the Greek.
The English reads: “I am coming quickly”
The Greek (ἔρχομαι – erchomai - present tense) reads:
“I am presently coming”
These things will happen soon.
If He is coming quickly, it makes sense that these things will happen soon.
Revelation 22:7: Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.
“He who keeps” is ὁ τηρῶν, a present participle, which reads:
“The one continually watching over and guarding”
In this case, the angel is telling us that what is being revealed here in the last chapter of the Bible will be happening soon or quickly. Therefore, because these revelations are true and trustworthy, we better listen up and do what we need to do to be ready.
This is really referring to our lives in this day and time (right now), as we continually watch and guard our hearts and our faith, knowing the rapture, the tribulation period, and the second coming are near.
In verse 7, the Lord Jesus inserts Himself into the what the angel was saying. So, as the angel is communicating these things, the Lord actually finishes the thoughts Himself. This is really awesome. It is like Christ is saying, “Hey man, this is Me talking to you! Listen up now, because I am on the way and I want you to be ready and waiting for Me”!
Come To Me!
Back in 1973, a man named Terry Jacks recorded a popular song that is so full of meaning, that I would like to share it with you here, as an appropriate way to bring our study of the end times to an end. The name of his song is "Seasons in the Sun".
The song portrays a young man who is dying in the spring of the year and is trying to share some last words with his loved ones, that will be meaningful and memorable.
As he lay there waiting on death, he begins to look around him and he sees how many good things in life are going on right then. The implication (for me anyway) is that he just kind of took life for granted and now that he is losing it, he sees how great life really is.
As I have done once or twice before, I have copied and pasted in below, the lyrics of this song below, with the hope you will read the words, as Terry Jacks sings them, to the excellent music in the song. If you are a sensitive person, you might want to have your Kleenex box close by.
To start the song, just open this link and click on the start arrow:
Please be ready to begin scrolling down through the words, as Terry sings them. I will share one last closing thought after the song is over.
“Seasons in the Sun”
Verse 1: Goodbye to you, my trusted friend
We've known each other since we were nine or ten
Together we’ve climbed hills and trees
Learned of love and ABC's
Skinned our hearts and skinned our knees
Goodbye my friend, it's hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
Pretty girls are everywhere
Think of me and I'll be there
Chorus 1: We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the hills that we climbed
Were just seasons out of time
Verse 2: Goodbye Papa, please pray for me
I was the black sheep of the family
You tried to teach me right from wrong
Too much wine and too much song
Wonder how I got along
Goodbye Papa, it's hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
Little children everywhere
When you see them, I'll be there
Chorus 2: We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song
Like the seasons, have all gone
We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song
Like the seasons, have all gone
Verse 3: Goodbye Michelle, my little one
You gave me love and helped me find the sun
And every time that I was down
You would always come around
And get my feet back on the ground
Goodbye Michelle, it's hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
With the flowers everywhere
I wish that we could both be there
Chorus 3: We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the stars we could reach
Were just starfish on the beach
We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the stars we could reach
Were just starfish on the beach
We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song
Like the seasons, have all gone
All our lives, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the hills that we climbed
Were just seasons out of time
We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
I am so glad, that we as children of God, can face death with hope and confidence and peace, knowing that when we take that last breath, we will wake up in the spring of eternal life...where innumerable and exciting things will be going on for the rest of eternity.
So, don’t let yourself reach this transition point unprepared. Ask the Lord Jesus to save you from your sinfulness and to forgive all of your sins. Ask Him to cleanse you through His holy and righteous blood. Ask Him to recreate you into the child of God you were purposed to be. And then, ask Him to be the Lord of your life, for the time you have left on this earth and for all of eternity.
Then you will be prepared to transition into eternal life and all that awaits you in the New Jerusalem.
Yours in Christ,
Gene
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