“Life and Light” – Revelation 22:1-6

One of the most scenic places in Texas is the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Yes, it’s lined with restaurants, shops and hotels, but it’s still a scenic place and walk. Waco is developing its Riverwalk, focused more on nature than commerce, but with iconic buildings along it, as well.

Both the San Antonio and Waco walks are designed to draw attention to their respective rivers, the San Antonio and the Brazos. Both cities are built around the rivers, and both offer opportunities that set the river and the city apart.

In today’s passage, we see another river flowing through the middle of another city. This river won’t have a Riverwalk like we see in Texas, but it will draw people to its banks.

Central Truth: God promises eternal fellowship with Him.

The River of Life (1-2)

John has taken us from the vastness of a new world to the locality of a new city, one that stretches across most of a continent. Now he takes us into the heart of the city, and here we see the river of life.

John describes the river in this way: “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” (vs. 1-2a).

I’ve always been fascinated with water, running water in particular. I love streams, creeks and rivers. One of the greatest parts of visiting Red River, New Mexico, is sitting beside the river, listening to it, watching it and contemplating beside it.

I think of this as I read the description of the river of life running down the middle of the main street of the New Jerusalem. I don’t know how deep that river will be, nor do we know how quickly it will flow, but it’s wonderful to know that the river will be crystal clear. I’m sure the clarity has a symbolic meaning, but I just want to focus on a river so clear we can see to the bed, seeing every pebble and plant in it, as well as the fish and other animals that will live in it.

I imagine the river being a relatively small one since its source is the throne of God, situated in the heart of the city. The symbolism here is evident—Jesus is the source of life, being the Way, the Truth and the Life (cf. John 14:6). John tells us in the introduction to his gospel account, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men (John 1:4). Jesus, the source of life and light, is the source of the river of life. This reminds us of Jesus’ proclamation, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 7:37-38). John goes on to explain that the living water Jesus was referring to was the Holy Spirit, but when we enter the new city, we will no longer need the Spirit, because we will have Jesus with us at all times. That doesn’t mean the Spirit disappears, only that His ministry is complete.

The river, as beautiful as it sounds, also is the source of watering for a glorious garden. “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, each yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (v. 2b). The tree of life will grow all along the river bank throughout the city, filled each month with life-giving and –sustaining fruit.

The tree of life was planted originally in the Garden of Eden. It was there for Adam and Eve to eat from as often as they wanted to. When they had sinned, God exiled them from the garden in order to prevent them from eating of that tree ever again. But the good news is that God never destroyed the tree. Here, we see that the tree is planted by the river of life. The tree of life that reminds us again that sin has been conquered and thrown into the lake of fire. Because we are freed from sin, we are free to partake once again of this glorious tree.

I’m not really sure what John meant when he said the leaves of the trees will bring healing to the nations. By the time the new creation comes about, all sin and death will have been removed from the creation. One of the consequences of sin is illness and disease. If the leaves are used to heal, then the healing must mean something different than what we think now. Perhaps the leaves will bring a restoration of the soul, much like the drying of tears that was mentioned in Revelation 21. Tears are dried because sorrow is removed; the leaves heal because sickness is removed.

Regardless of what the full meaning is, the significance of the river and the trees of life is that the promise of eternal life is fulfilled from the throne of Jesus. He is the source of eternal life. He is the source of spiritual healing. He is the reason we are able to find our names written in the book of life, and He is the reason we will live with Him for all eternity in His holy city.

The Throne of God (3-5)

Having described the river of life and the tree of life, John then focuses on God’s throne. There are three things John notes.

The first is that the throne is situated within the city where we will live. John’s words echo the promise of Rev. 21:3-4, where God promises that He will dwell with His people and His people will dwell with Him. It is similar to the promise found in Rev. 21:22, when John writes that God and the Lamb are the temple of the city. Now the throne is reaffirmed to be within the city. It will here that we will always find Him through the presence of Jesus. And it will be our privilege to serve Jesus, just as we have been called to do throughout our lives. So, the throne will be in the city, and we will serve Jesus there.

The second thing John mentions is we will see Jesus’ face and His name will be written on our forehead. A couple of things about this.

The first is that our relationship will be fulfilled when Jesus returns. We shall see Him, and we shall know Him. The relationship that has been one of faith and hope is now faith affirmed and hope realized. I can’t wait for the day we see His face and hear His voice. It will be a wonderful experience, and it will be an experience we will have for all eternity.

The second part is the name on the forehead. I don’t think it will be a literal tattoo upon our head. I think it means that it will be known that we are His simply by looking at our faces. Our faces express our emotions, and in that day, our faces will radiate with God’s glory and we shall be known as His.

The third thing John mentions about the throne is the light emanating from the throne. God is the light, and His light will be such that we won’t need the sun or the moon or the stars. I don’t think that means we won’t have the sun or moon or stars, only that we won’t need them. “The life was the light of men,” and that light will live with us for all eternity.

The Promise (6)

John then tells of the words of the angel that was showing him the new creation. He said, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place” (v.6).

John’s encounter with this guiding angel is about to come to a close, but the emphasis on this statement is to confirm the validity of the vision shown to John. Again, there are a few things that need to be mentioned.

The first is the affirmation of the accuracy of the vision. It is God’s guarantee that the things shown in the book of the Revelation is accurate and reliable. While we may disagree on what exactly is written in the book, it’s generally agreed that the message of the book is that of final victory through Jesus Christ over Satan, sin and death. It is the assurance of eternal life.

The second is that the vision is from God through His Spirit. It is a God-inspired message, and, like the rest of the Bible, can be used as a reliable source of God’s message to us, His people.

The third thing is the phrase “must soon take place.” We may question what, exactly, does God mean by “soon.” However, it is important to remember that God is above time, and that with God, a day is as a thousand years, and vice versa. Time is irrelevant to Him, but the promise that it will come soon is to let us know that there will be a certain ending of life was we know it and the coming of a new creation and a new life in Him. We may not know when, but we know it will take place. I believe it will happen within 50 years. The events of the world over the last few years has led me to believe that all Jesus talked about in relation to the signs of His second coming are at hand. Since even Jesus did not know when He would return, I won’t pretend to know the exact day. But I know that it’s coming sooner.

Conclusion

“Shall We Gather at the River” is a wonderful song in our hymnal. I’ve heard it sung almost all of my life.

God’s words to us through John tell us not only that we should gather there, but that we most definitely will gather at His river. And we shall enjoy eternal fellowship with Him, if our names are written in the book of life. That only comes through faith in Christ, and repentance and submission to Him.

Shall we gather at the river?