The Revelation 22:   

Reading #454  The Tree of Life

John continues with his description of the new Jerusalem and its surroundings.  As he does so he shows us in picture form the way in which the lives of the creatures of the universe are sustained.

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Revelation 22:

1 And he [his angel guide] showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2 In the midst of the street [channel] of it, and on either side of the river, was there the Tree of Life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

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There, just as it had been in the Garden of Eden on earth, was the river of life which flows from God.  It is written, “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads [to compass the earth]”. Genesis 2:10.  In his case, John saw the Tree of Life with stems on either side of the channel of the river, which met in the middle to form one trunk. (The Garden is now part of the city.)  The tree was not alone, for it is in a group whose purpose is to feed the redeemed, but it is the only one which sustains the life given by God in a special way, at special times.  On earth it had stood beside the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  “And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the Tree of Life also in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”.  Genesis 2:9.  Since sin entered we have not had access to the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:22-24), but its place has been taken by God’s other gift, the Bible. 

Lateral thought:

You’ll notice that John did not see the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in his vision, for there is no need of one in the new world – the redeemed know very well the difference!  Of course, there is (and was) nothing magical about these trees – they are simply physical objects that God uses to illustrate His eternal truths.  The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was set aside as His personal property in a world where Adam and Eve had full access to everything else.  To take from THAT tree was to STEAL from God!!  

Here’s an illustration of such a system.  “Happy is the man that finds wisdom, and the man that gets understanding. [“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding”.  Proverbs 9:10.]  For the merchandise [profit] of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.  She is more precious than rubies: and all the things you can desire are not to be compared to her.  Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.  Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.  She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retains her”.  Proverbs 3:13–18.

So, even in a universe restored to perfection, the LORD uses symbols and objects to continually illustrate eternal truths.

The purpose of the Tree of Life is amply described in the following text:

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Ezekiel 47:

1 Afterward he [an angel] brought me again to the door of the house [temple]; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar [from the right hand of God, seen from the front] . . .    

Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. 7 Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other . . .   

12 “And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat [food], whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed [when one is picked another grows in its place]: it [the Tree of Life] shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat [food], and the leaf thereof for medicine [for the redeemed].  

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I repeat, its place has now been taken by God’s other gift of life, the Bible.  We are all to feast upon the word of God, for the relation of the word to the believer is a vital matter.  “Your words were found, and I did eat them; and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts”.  Jeremiah 15:16.

Appropriating the word to our spiritual necessities is the equivalent of eating of the leaves of the tree that are for the healing of the nations.  We should study the word, and practice the word, for it is our life.  As we have just read, the “leaves” will be used in the new world, not for healing physical injuries for we won’t have any, but for increasing our understanding of God’s way.  (At the beginning of the 1,000 years all the redeemed will have all sorts of incorrect ideas regarding the ways of God, and will need a great deal of assorting out.  The concept of an eternally burning hell in which wicked souls suffer forever is one that comes to mind, but there will be plenty of others.)

In all His promises He is speaking to us individually, speaking as directly as if we could listen to His voice.  It is in these promises that Christ communicates to us His grace and power.  Today they are “leaves” from that tree which is “for the healing of the nations”.  Received, assimilated, they are the strength of the character, the inspiration and sustenance of the life.

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Revelation 22:  

3 And there shall be no more curse [separation from God]: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: 4 and they shall see His face; and His name [character] shall be in their foreheads.

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As discussed in other readings, this world and the conflict in it, is all under the control of the Son of God.  Because He has made the sacrifice from the beginning of sin, we can approach Him safely, but no one of us can go near God the Father without danger of extinction.  It is written, “No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him”.  John 1:18.  However, after the resurrection those who have developed a character like His can approach His throne and see Him face to face, and they too, will “declare Him”.  

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Revelation 22:  

5 And there shall be no night there; and they [the redeemed] need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the LORD God gives them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. 6 And he said to me, “These sayings are faithful and true: and the LORD God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show to His servants the things which must shortly be done”. 

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Once sin has been disposed of, the glory of the Son of God can be expressed fully, and that will overpower the brilliances of the sun and the moon.  The city (and wherever the Son moves) will be bathed in that glory continually. 

Jesus added a caution:

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Revelation 22:  

7 “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book”.

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Because the vision was nearly over, the Son of God warned John (and us) that we should read carefully and prayerfully, and then obey, the truths that we find written in the Bible.

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Revelation 22: 

8 And I John saw these things, and heard them.  And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. 9 Then said he to me, “See you do it not: for I am your fellowservant, and of your brothers [and sisters] the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God”.

10 And He said to me, “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. 11 He that is unjust, let [allow] him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let [allow] him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.  12 And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

13 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last”.

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Again John forgot that angels, even exalted ones like Gabriel, are not gods.  Like so many humans in the church who seem to worship their leaders, we need to be reminded that we are all equal in God’s sight.  Sure, some among us are more capable than others in certain fields of expertise, but that simply increases the need for them to be ministers and helpers when needed, not bosses or gods.  

Christ then spoke to John and assured him again that the judgment would be based on what each individual desired.  He was not boasting when He claimed to be First and Last, for He is capable of helping more people with more power than any other.  That’s His nature.

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Revelation 22:  

14 Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15 For without [outside] are dogs [a derogatory term for certain religious people], and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.

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The leaves of that widespread tree will be for the healing of the nations, which means that all our physical woes will then be gone also.  Sickness, sorrow, and death we will never feel again, for the “leaves” of the new Tree of Life have healed us.  Jesus will then “see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied”, for He is the real Tree of Life.  Isaiah 53:11.  When the redeemed, who have been subject to sorrow, toil, and afflictions, who have groaned beneath the curse of death, are gathered up around that Tree to eat of its fruit, there will be no danger of their ever losing that right again, for he that tempted our first parents to sin will have been destroyed by the second death.  Restored to the Tree of Life in the long-lost Eden, the redeemed will “grow up” to the full stature of the race in its primeval glory.  Malachi 4:2.  The last lingering traces of the curse of sin will be removed, and Christ's faithful ones will appear in “the beauty of the LORD our God,” in mind and soul and body reflecting the perfect image of their LORD.  Psalm 90:17.  Oh, wonderful redemption!  Long talked of, long hoped for, contemplated with eager anticipation, but never fully understood.

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Revelation 22:  

16 “I Jesus have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches.  I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star”. 

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While describing Himself as one of us, the LORD impresses upon us that every word of the book of The Revelation is for our understanding. 

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Revelation 22:

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come”. 

And let him that hears say, “Come”. 

And let him that is athirst come.  And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. 18 For I testify to every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. 

20 He which testifies these things said, “Surely I come quickly”. 

Amen.  Even so, come, LORD Jesus.  

21 The grace of our LORD Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen.

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The Spirit finishes the book with a universal appeal, because it is not God’s intention that any one should be lost.  The call goes out to all, and the end result will be on the listener’s head.  The whole Bible, from Genesis through to The Revelation is a record of how the Son of God has tried over and over again to stop men and women from destroying themselves, without using any force on them.

Bye for now,

RonP

P. S.  It is my intention (God willing) to start a new series of readings from the book of Ezekiel next week.  I hope you’ll continue to read along with me.   

Some of the comments in these readings are adapted from books in my library.      No recognition is given because they are not intended as authorities, but are used because they express my understanding clearly.     All the ideas expressed in these readings, right or wrong, are my own.

Some of these readings are available at

http://www.oocities.org/weprotest.geo/BibleReadings/books_index.html

(If any link does not work then I suggest that you cut and paste it into your browser. Sometimes the end is cut off when sent from the group file.)

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