Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 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. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.” Revelation 22:1-7
[PRAYER]
Back To The What Now?
When I was 13 years old, one of my favorite movies was Back to the Future II. The first one had come out when I was nine, and it blew my mind. The whole concept of time travel, and the ways the past affects the present, was just beyond amazing to me. But I always felt that the first movie was missing something, and that was THE FUTURE. It was about a guy named Marty McFly who went back in time from 1985 to 1955, and had to spend the whole movie trying to get back to… the present. For him, 1985 wasn’t the future, it was the present. But what if he was actually able to go to the future? What would that look like?
And in Back to the Future II, I finally got my wish. Marty got to go 30 years into the future, into the far-off year of 2015. It was a world of flying cars and hoverboards and self-drying jackets that talked to you. There were self-tying shoelaces and wearable TV glasses and holographic movies that projected into 3D space all around you. And it captured my imagination.
Now obviously, all of us here have already been to the year 2015. That was ten years ago! And none of that stuff came true. But there is still something really exciting about imagining what the future might be like.
And that’s why people love to study the Book of Revelation. It shows us the future.
Now, in my message two days ago, I said that “a prophecy is a prediction. It’s a confident statement about what will happen in the future.” And that’s what our passage today from the book of Revelation is: a glimpse into our true and final futures as Christians.
BUT! I have to stop here and give an extremely important disclaimer. We have to be careful when interpreting the prophecies in the book of Revelation because they are not given to us as normal historical narrative, but as a form of literature known as apocalyptic literature. In other words, these prophecies are 100% true, but they are also sometimes quite fuzzy and vague. It’s sort of like in a mystery show or movie where at the beginning, you get to see the crime being committed, but it’s blurry and out of focus. Why? Because the filmmakers want you to wait until the very end before they reveal everything.
And that’s what God is doing here. Our passage today is not a full revelation, but a partial revelation. The whole Bible put together is only a partial revelation of God’s glorious plans. The full revelation won’t be until Jesus comes back.
So, with that out of the way, let’s take a look at a glimpse of what the Bible says the future will be like for those who trust in Jesus.
What Will the Future Be Like for Christians?
The first thing that the angel reveals to the Apostle John in this passage is “the river of the water of life.” What is he talking about? Well, in John Chapter 4, Jesus meets the woman at the well and offers her “living water.” When she seems confused by this offer, Jesus says these amazing words:
“Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)
Sounds good, right? And where can we get our hands on this living water? From Jesus Himself! Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:3-4 that the people of Israel “all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” And in our text today, it says that the water of life is “flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
So what does this mean? It means that Jesus, who is the source of living water, will be forever in our midst, giving us eternal life and satisfying all of our desires. In heaven, you will never WANT anything, because you will HAVE EVERYTHING! We will be content and happy forever!
And not only that, but look at what it says after that:
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.
Now those of you who know your Bibles know what this this is talking about. Back in the garden of Eden, there were two special trees: the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the Tree of Life. When Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, God blocked their way to the tree of life with a flaming sword, lest they eat of it and live forever.
But if you look closely at our text from Revelation this morning, there is no flaming sword guarding the tree of life. There is also not just one tree of life, but many, all along the riverbank, yielding an eternal abundance of fruit and having healing in its leaves.
So what does this mean? It means that in heaven, what was broken will be restored. The fall and its effects will be done away with. We will literally be able to eat of the tree of life, and live forever. And, it means that in heaven there will be no sickness or disease, or death or suffering any more. As I wrote these words I couldn’t help but think of Lady Chocolat in the hospital, surrounded by her family. It’s sad to see people we love suffering so much., But in heaven, there is none of that! There is only LIFE, eternal life that will never fade.
Verse 3 of Revelation 22 says this:
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.
So what does this mean? This means heaven will be perfect. There will be no evil there, no serpent capable of coming in to tempt us. And it means that WE will be perfect. We will be sinless and blameless. And what will we be doing? We will worship God forever and ever and ever! God and the Lamb will dwell with us forever, and we will dwell with Him. It will be a rapture of such love and joy and fulfillment that words cannot do it justice.
But it gets even better. Verse 4 says this:
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Those of you who are familiar with the beatitudes may be able to complete this sentence: “Blessed are the pure in heart……..(for they shall see God).” That’s right! This is an amazing promise. After all, no man can see God’s holy face and live. Not even Moses, the most humble man on the earth, could see God’s face and live. But in heaven, where we will be perfect and sinless, we will finally be able to see God face to face, and walk with him in the cool of the day.
So what does it mean that “his name will be on our foreheads?” I believe this is a symbol of perfect, unbroken, eternal covenant love. When you marry someone, you usually give them a ring that is a symbol of your commitment to that covenant. But what if, instead of rings, we gave people permanent tattoos right smack in the middle of their foreheads? That would be wild, right? Well, that’s exactly the image that God is using here.
And note that God has already done this for us! Isaiah 49:16 says “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” Obviously, our hands are a symbol of what we DO. God is basically saying here that not only can He never forget us, but He can’t do anything without thinking of us. Isn’t that beautiful? Just as we are graven on His hands, His holy name will be front and center in our hearts forever and ever.
Look at verse 5:
And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
So what does this mean? Kind of a lot. In Scripture, darkness and light are used as symbols for a number of contrasting ideas: Uncertainty versus certainty. Ignorance versus knowledge. Hidden versus revealed. Evil versus good. And in heaven, light wins. How could it not? After all, darkness is not a thing in and of itself, but the absence of light. And where God is, there can be no darkness, because “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Who needs a lamp when you have God? Who needs the sun when you’re with the God “who dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16)? So, in heaven, we will have knowledge, certainty, goodness, and safety in unlimited measure, because the author of these things Himself will be right there with us.
These Things Must Soon Take Place
All of this is true if you are a Christian. If you are not a Christian, then I’m afraid a different fate awaits you. Now when I say this, it’s not just me being all judgmental and hateful on non-Christians. I’ll be honest: part of me doesn’t want to talk about this part of the future, because I’m worried that some of you will hear this and write me off as a hater. But part of being a faithful servant of God is teaching what the Bible teaches, and not just leaving certain parts out because they’re difficult or unpleasant. Just remember, what you’re about to hear is exactly what you’ve been hearing all week. It’s God’s word, not mine.
Anyway, here’s what the Bible says is in your future if you have not trusted in Christ:
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)
Now that is scary. I can’t think of anything scarier than being judged by God according to what I have done. Because there’s no hiding from Him. He fills heaven and earth, and He sees everything we do. And he has the right to punish us for not loving Him, not obeying Him, and not believing in the Son whom he has sent.
Now some of you who are hearing this message, whether here in this room or on the recording, may be thinking to yourselves, “I don’t believe you, Sir Ezekiel. This is all just ancient mythology. I don’t need to believe in Jesus or be saved from my sins. This will never happen to me.” And if this is you, please listen to what I’m about to say. Verse 6 of our passage says this:
“These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
Did you hear that? God sent His angel to show us what MUST SOON take place. Not what “might” take place or “is likely” to take place—no, what MUST take place.
Remember, God is outside of time, and is in perfect control of the future. This isn’t like Avengers: Infinity War where there are millions of possible futures. There is only ONE future, ONE timeline, because there is ONE God who rules over time and over all things. And He is showing us by His Spirit what will surely take place.
So, if you have not yet trusted in Christ for your salvation, don’t wait another day! Talk to your counselors and ask them to lead you in making Jesus your Lord and Savior. There are only two options for you at the judgment throne: either you will be judged according to what you have done, or according to what Jesus has done. And it’s not too late! I urge you, if you are not yet a Christian, don’t let the sun go down until you’ve put your trust and hope in Him!
And if you have trusted in Christ, rejoice that your salvation is secure. You not only will be saved, you MUST be saved! Matthew 25:34 says that those who trust in Christ have a kingdom prepared for them “from the foundation of the world.” And Revelation 13:8 says that your names were “written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”
Amen? Only the God who is the beginning and the end can make such promises. Only the God who is, and was, and is to come can say such things. And if HE says you are saved, you will be saved, you MUST be saved, you will FOREVER be saved! Amen?
THE FEAST
I want to close by pointing you to one more glorious promise about the future. It’s from Revelation 19, verses 6-9:
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
In these verses, God is using a very special metaphor to describe His relationship with us: that of a marriage feast. Right now, those of us who have trusted in Jesus for salvation—that is, the church—we are the betrothed of Christ. We have promised to be with Him forever, and for all intents and purposes, we are as good as married. But we’re not married yet. Why not? Because the bridegroom isn’t here yet!
This is why there are so many parables in the Scriptures about waiting for His coming. Imagine there is a bride whose fiancée says to her, “I have to go and prepare a place for you. Then, when I come back, we will be married, and go to the place I’ve prepared and live in happiness.” Now, suppose he takes longer in coming than she thought. What will she do? If she truly loves him, she will wait for him! And if some other guy comes up who is handsome and rich and says, “Hey baby, looks like your fiancée ditched you. Why don’t you get hitched with me, baby?” A truly loving bride would say, “How dare you! I only have eyes for my beloved. Get out of here! I will wait for him.”
That’s the picture. That’s what it’s like to be a Christian here in this world, right now. We have been promised perfect eternal happiness, and because we love Him, we know He is telling the truth. All we need to do is wait, and one day He will take us to be with Himself. But that doesn’t mean that other suitors will just leave us alone! No, we get catcalled every day by Satan and the world, trying to get us to renounce our affections for Jesus and settle for some lesser love.
But one day He will return. Jesus will take us to be with Him. And in that day, there will be a great Feast, the marriage supper of the Lamb. And tonight’s feast is a foretaste of that, an appetizer. I love the Feast; it’s one of my favorite parts of camp. The garb, the food, the big long table, the beauty of the outdoors. But I can only imagine what the REAL feast will be like—bathed in heavenly light, dressed in robes of righteousness, getting to taste heavenly food!
But I do know who will be there: all of God’s people. All of them, even those who have died. Moses will be there. David will be there. Peter will be there. Any and all of your loved ones who have trusted in Christ will be there. All of God’s chosen holy ones will be there. And I just can’t wait.
So that’s the future. That’s YOUR future. And these are the true words of God. May God bless each one of us with a hunger for Christ that can only be fulfilled at His second coming.
Let’s Pray.
[PRAYER]
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