Revelation 22 - 11.6.25
Revelation 22:1-2, 17
S – 1 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.
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
O – Seeing the tree of life again points to a restoration of all things. “Now at last, almost at the end of the great drama of the Bible, man may return and legitimately enjoy the blessing which he was banished for illegitimately desiring.” (Preston/Hanson Blue Letter Bible.org)
Revelations closes human history as Genesis opened it, in paradise! There is one distinct difference and that is that evil is gone forever. Revelations is a book of hope. It shows that no matter what happens on earth, God is in control. It promises that evil will not last forever. And it depicts the wonderful reward that is waiting for all those who believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior.
A - As we get closer to the end times, and we can see everything lining up just as His Word was written, we have TWO choices…..BELIEVE and spend eternity with our creator in a beautiful place, where we are never hungry, hurting, or lacking for anything. A place where we get to worship our Heavenly Father face to face.
On the flip side, as we read in previous chapters is what’s in store for those who turn AWAY from God:
Rev 20:15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Rev 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
Those words alone should be enough to stop everyone in their tracks and get right with the Lord. Funny, how it doesn’t affect everyone. They are hardened and they can’t see the truth, and that is a scary thought. I know where I want to be. And I know where I want my loved ones to be. Am I doing enough to make sure they know the truth? Am I praying for those I love daily, to open their hearts and hear the truth? Am I behaving in a way that shows that this is a matter of life or death?
P – Lord forgive me for being passive at times and for being complacent. Knowing that I get to be with you in paradise, I can sometimes be too comfortable in that thought. But you want more. You want us to love others more than ourselves so I pray you will break my heart for the lost….for those in my realm of influence that you also want in paradise with you. Give me boldness to speak Your truth to them and to remember them at all times. And thank you that this life here on earth is not where it ends. Thank you for loving me and keeping me out of that fiery pit! I love you Lord! Amen
- Crystal Flory
