“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” (Revelation 22:2 ESV).
While there was a punitive aspect to God’s decision to banish Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, we should not overlook another facet of that judgment. By prohibiting access to the Tree of Life within the Garden, God eliminated the possibility that humanity might partake of that tree and remain perpetually estranged from Him. So, that decision contained an element of mercy as well.
However, the chain of events that started with that first act of disobedience will finally reach its end, for Revelation 22:3 declares, “…there shall be no more curse.” Genesis 3:16-19 defined several characteristics of that curse, including sorrow, pain, strenuous labor with minimal return, and death. But once God lifts that curse, His people will enjoy life as it was meant to be.
Revelation 22:3 also says, “the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.” Unlike the caricature of heaven where the people of God float among the clouds while strumming harps, the word “servant” implies “service.” The implication is that there will be things to do in eternity. While we can only speculate on what form that service will take, we will undoubtedly find many ways to serve God, along with the satisfaction and enjoyment of doing so.
Verse four then continues by saying, “They will see his face…” While there is much we can learn about people we’ve never met, there is no substitute for an in-person encounter with those we seek to know better. The Living Bible paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13:12 offers the following insight with respect to this idea…
“…we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, face to face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly…”
Next comes a rather cryptic reference: “…his name will be on their foreheads.” Just as a furrowed brow often serves to express our inner thought process, this reference to one’s forehead may be symbolic of our internal mindset. Thus, we can say that our thoughts, our character, and our individual personalities will find their identity in the God who created us.
Revelation 22:5 then concludes by saying, “And they will reign for ever and ever.” So what opportunities to reign await in the boundless expanse of eternity? We’ll consider the answer to that question next.
Image Attribution: Adam and Eve Leave the Garden, CC BY-NC 2.0, pcstratman, via flickr.com disclaimer notice