Revelation 22:1-5

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

There will be characteristics about the New Earth that are dramatically different than the reality we currently experience.  The quality and quantity of life will be beyond our ability to imagine.  However, the starkest contrast will be living in the presence of God and all the implications associated with that.  He will be the source of light and it will be our joy to worship Him.

THE LIFE OF HEAVEN: There are two provisions God has designed in heaven that demonstrate the life God has planned for His children: the river of life and the tree of life.  The river flows from the throne of God as its source.  This river contains the water of life, and it flows down the middle of the street of the New Jerusalem, and it sparkles like crystal.  It is hard to imagine what this will look like, and it could simply be a metaphor that indicates how heaven will be a place of eternal life.  On either side of the river there is a tree of life, which sounds like two trees or perhaps there are groves of “life trees” throughout heaven.  These trees don’t just produce a crop once a year like today’s trees.  The produce a crop every month and the fruit is different every month.  The leaves from this tree have a healing quality that are said to heal the nations.  The point is that on the new earth we will drink water of life from a river that flows from God’s throne, eat from a tree of life that constantly produces a wide variety of fruit, and be healed of all maladies from or earthly fallen state.  We will be abundantly supplied and it is clear that our existence in heaven will be marked by a life that is abundant and eternal.

THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN: Nothing sinful and no residual effects from the curse of sin will be in heaven.  The Lord Jesus will be worshiped constantly by all created beings that are present in heaven.  We will be able to see the face of Jesus, and we will be identified with Him as His righteousness is our own.  There will be no night because the face of the Lord Jesus will constantly light up and fill the earth.  His glory will shine like we have never seen and can only dream about.  There are two activities that describe what we will be doing in heaven: worship and reigning.  Worship is more than singing praises to our Lord.  It certainly includes this, but worship involves everything we say and do.  The anthems of praise that will be composed and performed in heaven will delight our souls.  But we will do far more than float on clouds playing harps for eternity.  What it means to reign with Christ in heaven is difficult to imagine because we don’t know over whom or what we will reign.  We will have to wait to understand these realities to the fullest.

APPLICATION: Rejoice and take hope in the eternal and abundant life God has prepared for us.  Walk in the light of Christ now and live to worship Him as a precursor of our eternal existence when we will reign with Him.