Revelation 22:1: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

September 15th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

As John describes the New Jerusalem in chapter 22, he sees what seems to be a literal river coming out of the throne of God. This is probably not the same millennial river mentioned in Ezekiel 47 and Zechariah 14. That river flows from the temple and Old Jerusalem as part of the millennial reign of Christ on earth. But here, in Revelation 22, this river is part of the New Jerusalem and it flows straight from the throne of God down the middle of the great main street of the city.

Water is often pictured in Scripture as having life-giving power, but of course spiritual life is the main focus here. King David understood that when he wrote: “O God, You are my God; / Early will I seek You; / My soul thirsts for You; / My flesh longs for You / In a dry and thirsty land / Where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). God is essential for the spiritual life of humanity, just as water is essential for physical life.

John also describes a “tree of life” that seems to be similar to the original tree in the Garden of Eden, but because of Adam and Eve’s sin, they were barred from it so they wouldn’t eat of it and live forever (Gen. 3). The Good News is another tree that brought life was planted on a hill called Golgotha, 2000 years ago, when Jesus laid down His life for us. And in the New Jerusalem, which is paradise regained, God will restore the tree of life. But there will no longer be any danger because every believer in the New Jerusalem will already have tasted of good and evil. The leaves of the tree in the heavenly city will bring healing.

We love the story of a man on his deathbed who asked his Christian doctor to tell him something about heaven. As the doctor fumbled for a reply, he heard a scratching at the door, and he had his answer. “Do you hear that?” he asked his patient. “It’s my dog. I left him downstairs, but he has grown impatient, and has come up and hears my voice. He has no notion what is inside this door, but he knows that I am here. Isn’t it the same with you? You don’t know what lies beyond the Door, but you know that your Master is there.” God has prepared a place for us so good it is hard to even imagine.

“LORD, we trust You and Your word that promises eternity with You. Help us to serve You today like we will see You before tomorrow.”