Revelation 22:1-5 - No Longer Cursed

Find life in which everything is as it should be.

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Revelation 22:1-5 (NIV)

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 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

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Listen to passage & devotional:

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Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 37: The Last Judgment (Part 2)

The evil ones will be convicted

by the witness of their own consciences,

and shall be made immortal—

but only to be tormented

in the everlasting fire

prepared for the devil and his angels.

In contrast,

the faithful and elect will be crowned

with glory and honor.

The Son of God will “confess their names”

before God his Father and the holy and elect angels;

all tears will be “wiped from their eyes”;

and their cause—

at present condemned as heretical and evil

by many judges and civil officers—

will be acknowledged as the “cause of the Son of God.”

And as a gracious reward

the Lord will make them possess a glory

such as the heart of man

could never imagine.

So we look forward to that great day with longing

in order to enjoy fully

the promises of God in Christ Jesus,

our Lord.

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Summary

So much about both John's gospel and this revelation given to him are now fulfilled in what he now describes to us. John records Jesus offering the Samaritan woman living water (John 4:10) and then later on he tells of Jesus standing up in the middle of temple courtyard on the most important day of a festival and loudly said whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them (John 7:39, quoting Isaiah 58:11).

And now, right in the middle of the great and glorious city of God that descended from heaven, runs the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal. The source of this river, and indeed the very source of eternal life itself, is none other than the throne of God and the Lamb.

This river, as many rivers do, irrigates the trees alongside it. But the trees John sees are no ordinary trees. This river feeds a very specific and important tree; a tree we read about in the opening pages of scripture - the tree of life, which is the very tree God placed His mightiest angel to guard so that Adam could not take hold of it.

But now it's easily accessible by all of God's saints. Unlike conventional trees, which have one location, and at best bear one crop of fruit per year, this tree of life stands on each side of the river, bearing twelve crops of fruit, continually yielding its fruit every month, bringing healing to the nations (ethnos).

Dig Deeper

This river of the water of life, as awesome and amazing as it is, is not even the most significant aspect of what's revealed to John. That honor is found in v3 - no longer will there be any curse. What good would a river of life be if the everlasting life it provided was subjected to the ongoing curse brought about by sin? That's exactly why God guarded Adam from taking hold of it in the garden!

But since Christ's atonement ended the curse, the separation necessary between sinful man and our holy God has been eliminated. His throne will be right there in their midst, in the city. We, His servants, will serve Him (the word serve can also be translated worship).

Best of all, we will see His face; the same face that He's turned toward His covenant people in blessing, but yet which we're unable to fully see until we live in His presence in this new and holy city. The light of God's glorious face will be so sufficient that the sun will no longer be necessary, for the Lord God will give us light!

It's here in the never ending blessing of God's Holy City on earth that we will reign for ever and ever! So we end our year together in the Belgic Confession the way that John ends scripture:

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen (v20-21).

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AAA Prayer (About)

• ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, from whose throne flows the water of life everlasting;

• ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Echo John's closing prayer: erchou, Kurio Iēsou - Come, Lord Jesus!

• ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

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Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 22