2023_12_18 Insight Post- Kim Feld

“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. 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.

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. ⁴ And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 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.”

The beauty of these words from Revelation 22 takes my breath away. This is literally a picture of a restored Eden. Can you imagine crystal clear, cleansing water flowing directly from the Throne? Trees bearing a different kind of fruit every month? But don’t miss the best part: “The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.” The redemption that comes through the blood of Christ heals the nations. The healing effects of our God’s salvation work overcomes sin’s effects! Our world is so in need of this healing!

The effects of the curse from Eden will be overturned entirely. I don’t fully grasp the impact sin has had on our world, but one day, I will because I will see the magnificent difference. Even the most beautiful things in our world are marred in some way by the impact of sin, but one day, creation will be complete without blemish or stain.

Ezekiel saw some of this in his visions. Let’s take a look back at Ezekiel 47:12:

¹² Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”

In John’s vision of the new city of God, the water flows from the Throne of God, not from the Temple, because God is the center of this city, and life flows freely from Him (Barker & Kohlenberger, 2004). What a fantastic sight that will be. Best of all, we will see His face, and His name will be written on our foreheads, showing that we belong to Him.

I have loved reading these passages as we get closer to Christmas. I am again reminded that our Great God humbled Himself to become one of us. To become a baby in a manger.

Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach