A new heaven and earth have been created, and this final chapter fills us with hope and expectation, while at the same time reminding us to remain holy.I find myself trying to imagine the holy city as I jot these few notes. I know the city will be much larger than it currently is…huge by comparison. I know that “a river runs through it”…the crystal clear waters of the river of life. The trees lining the bank on either side always have fresh fruit on them. This is the fruit that Adam and Eve gazed upon but did not eat. The fruit that the guardian angel protected with a flaming sword back in the garden of Eden. Then it was one tree, now there are hundreds, and we are free to eat from them any time we wish. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is missing, presumably because we have already eaten from that tree. Praise God that He protected us from eating from the second tree! We would have been locked in sin forever had that occurred.
The river comes from the throne, which is where all life comes from. God is the Author and Creator so it’s only right that everything springs from within Him. I wonder if the river of life stands for anything in this life…or is it simply and wonderfully a river that exists in heaven?
Jesus sent His angel to give us this testimony. That’s what verse 16 says, then verse 17 mentions that the Spirit is inviting us to join Him. It also mentions that the “bride” says “come”. I have always considered the Church to be the “bride of Christ” and He is the Bridegroom. I wonder if this is a reference to the Holy Spirit and the Body of Christ working together to compel those who are lost to “come to Jesus”? If so, the “one who hears” would be a lost person who accepts Christ, and then becomes part of the Church, which is saying to the rest of the world “come!”
The book and the Bible close with the familiar warning to add nothing and take nothing away from what has been given. Taking something away would be saying “that’s not important anymore” or “that was for them, not for us”. And adding would be creating new requirements and rules that we then twist scripture into supporting. I won’t bother with examples, because I don’t think that would be helpful overall.
Let’s just agree together to allow the text to be the authority, and work together to see God’s kingdom come as quickly as possible, with the full number of those who are willing to be adopted with their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
In His Service,
PR