Unit 3: The Word: The Great Hope of the Saints
Key Verse:
Revelation 22:1 NLT
1 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Water from the Rock. Just as it was, so shall it forever be…!
What you need to know
Revelation 21:1-2 NLT
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
In the last two weeks, we have been treated to a glorious vision of the wonder that awaits the believers in eternity. The Bible tells us that God will give us a new heaven, to mean a new sky, a sky with a restored firmament. In conjunction with the new heaven, or sky, there will be given us a new earth, an earth whose galactical orbit and rotation have been set according to God’s pre-flood design. For you and I, this means little at this juncture unless you have a background in creation science. Suffice it to say, the new heaven and new earth will be wondrous.
Additionally, there will be a Jerusalem given to us. This will be the literal dwelling place of God Almighty. The magnitude and splendor of this great new City of God will exceed the wonder of the new heaven and new earth that God has given. Imagine a city 1400 miles square and 1400 miles high, covered in gold and fine jewels. And yet, what God has yet to reveal will be even more glorious.
Interlude:
Strange place for a break, but there is a reason. I did not finish this week’s (8/21) before Sunday, but in the interim, the Sunday School meeting yielded a lively discussion centered around the third person of theTrinity: The Holy Spirit. The discussion centers around whether or not a believer, once raptured and in Heaven, will be indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Three positions were taken: 1. There won’t be a need for the Holy Ghost. Since He is not mentioned in this passage, He must not have continued in Heaven and will simply be no more. 2. The ministry of the Holy Ghost will be complete. Thus, while the Holy Spirit will abide in Heaven, He (or She) will not indwell the believer. I will probably lose most of my audience with that last statement. I won’t make further comments on the topic of gender except to say that the Holy Spirit is never assigned gender, nor personified in the Book of Revelation. A different argument for a different day. 3. Every person, in fact, every being in Heaven, is completely imbued by and with the Holy Spirit (for very good reason). Thus, every believer is ‘indwelt’ by the Holy Spirit. Let’s get started…
The Lesson
Revelation 22:1 NLT
1 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
John’s tour continues. The angel takes him to a beautiful river. Rivers take on many characteristics. Some flow quietly from their origin. They are quiet and beautiful, inspiring a quiet, contemplative wonder at the beauty of God’s creation. Some are powerful entities that give life to entire nations. The Mississippi and Amazo Rivers are examples of such. The Mississippi is eleven miles wide at its widest point. The Amazon expands to as much as thirty miles during the rainy season. Their force can never fully be harnessed, only managed. No matter how beautiful or how powerful the rivers we’ve seen, none can compare to the splendor or majesty of the River of God. Its source is the very throne of God, its beauty and its majesty will be unlike anything we have ever witnessed.
John 7:37-39 NLT
37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”[e] 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given,[f] because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
Beloved, John wrote the Book of John, The Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation. It is not by accident, nor coincidence, that in the passage from the Book of John, he clearly describes the Holy Spirit as ‘Rivers of Living Water’. Furthermore, these are not John’s words. It is Jesus who describes the Holy Spirit in this way. Therefore, when we see this same expression used in the Book of Revelation, we can safely deduce that the River of Life that emanates from the throne of God is a prophetic allusion to the Holy Spirit. Thus, the third part of the Trinity is present in the same space as the Father, and Jesus, the Son. This puts to rest that the Holy Spirit is no more. How would that even be possible? In the same way that God is God and Jesus is fully God, so too is the Holy Spirit fully God, and thus fully Eternal. Yes, Beloved. the Holy Spirit will forever Be.
Revelation 22:2 NLT
2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
The Bible says that this great river will flow down the center of the main boulevard and that on each side of the river will grow a tree of life, something unseen since the Garden of Eden. Beloved, this will be Paradise, nothing less. We will be constantly overwhelmed by the sights and sounds, the wonder of God’s finished work. From the trees of life will grow twelve varieties of fruit, all from each tree individually. Imagine that! And the Bible says that the leaves from these two trees will be used as medicine for the healing of the nations. Why will believers need medicine in Heaven? What can this mean? Remember, these are all prophetic allusions intended to add vivid, lasting images of the glory that awaits all of those who believe.
Psalm 1: 1-3 NLT
1
Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
2
But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
3
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.
First things first. The first hymn in the Hymnal of the nation of Israel gives voice to the thought that those who are righteous, who delight themselves in the way of the Lord, will be like trees planted by the river bank, each bearing fruit in its season. Thus, people are compared to trees. The imagery brings to mind healthy, fruitful trees that are forever nourished and replenished by the river by which they abide. Additionally, the imagery of Scripture suggests that these trees are deeply rooted and firmly planted so that they cannot be removed from their source: the river. All by the Master’s grand design.
There is another possibility or another way to interpret the imagery. The fact that there are two trees suggests two of something. In this case, could it be the Old Covenant and the New Covenant? I can make the argument for or against this position since the Old Testament records several different covenants under which God guided His servants. The more likely argument then is that the first tree represents the twelve tribes of Israel, and the second tree is representative of the twelve Apostles. In both cases, God’s governance of men shines forth. So then, the first tree represents all who died in faith before Christ, and the second represents all of us who have come to faith by Christ: the Church. And the River? The River is clearly representative of the Holy Spirit, The Ruach Ha’Kodesh. (It’s not just a name, it’s a title, an indication of royalty).
Revelation 22:3 NLT
3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.
No longer will the stain of sin tarnish the entirety of God’s creation. Nothing will be cursed. All of the saints of God will be unencumbered by worry or stress or any other weight that may beset us in this temporal realm. We will be free to praise God in Spirit and in Truth.
Revelation 22:4 NLT
4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.
And we will be given a new name in the Kingdom of God. We will forever be identified as His children. In our culture, we are given two names, a first and a last name. Our first name tells people who we are as individuals. Our last name tells people who our father is, who our people are, and where we come from. This name, written on our foreheads, will eternally identify us as the children of the Most High God. In eternity, we will come into our full inheritance. All that His Word promised, His Spirit will deliver.
Revelation 22:5 NLT
5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
And then, to accentuate all that the angel has communicated concerning the River of Life, John describes the eternal light that emanates from God. It is light that outshines any sun. This light will light the entire world. This parallels the description of the river that comes from God. This is the light that comes from God. And just as the river sustains all life, the light from God lights all. Beloved, both the water from the river and the light from God describe the PRESENCE: The Holy Spirit of God. The PRESENCE of God will imbue every part of the fabric of Heaven. The Spirit of God is the force by which all of eternity will function. Will the Holy Spirit have a ministry? Yes. To power Eternity
Revelation 22:6 NLT
6 Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets,[b] has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.
This portion of John’s vision closes with the angel of the Lord testifying that all that John has seen was true, that it was from the Lord.
Revelation 22:7 NLT
7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.
The words of the angel are immediately followed by our Lord’s personal admonition to John to take all that he has seen and heard to heart, for it will surely come to pass. There will be a blessing for all who heed the prophecy contained here. Taken to heart, how should we, as believers, conduct ourselves?
2 Peter 3:11-12 NLT
11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.
Remember that Peter warned his follower in similar fashion. Thus the truth is confirmed in the mouth of many witnesses, none greater than the Lord, Jesus Christ, Himself.
Revelation 22:8-9 NLT
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. 9 But he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!”
The lesson closes with John being so overwhelmed with all that he has been shown that he falls to his face to worship the heavenly being. The angel immediately reprimands him, telling him that in Heaven, there are none to be worshipped but God. Beloved, as it is in Heaven, so must it be on earth. Our worship is reserved for God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit? To continue to reveal to our understanding the majesty and glory of our Lord to us eternally.
Selah
wb
Ephesians 3:14-19 NLT
14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,[e] 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.[f] 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Amen Brother Wayne !!!
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