The Blessings of Eternity

Best Day Ever! Ever said that? Maybe you’ve said it many times over. I mean, If you could describe your best day ever, what would you say about that day? Now, for me the first thing that comes to mind is my wedding day. It was the best day ever because all my family and friends were there to celebrate it with me. But what really made it the best day ever was I got to marry Becky! And when the wedding ended, we got to drive to the beach and begin our life together. No question, that was my best day ever…

Now, I trust that if I sat down with you all over a meal and we made this the topic of our discussion, I can imagine hearing all kinds of your best days. You might describe the time you were on a cruise going through the Greek Islands and watching the sunset at the end of a perfect day. Or you might share how you held your firstborn the very first time. Or you might tell me of the day you started your own business, or a perfect vacation with your family, or your wedding day. Or maybe you’d tell me that you best day ever was the day you retired and moved to Robson Ranch. It would be so much fun to hear of all you describe you best day ever! And I’m sure some of you are thinking about that right now. But as you’re contemplating your best day ever, what if I told you that your worst day in heaven will be better than the best day you’ll ever experience on earth. How do I know that? Well, that’s the subject matter of our passage as we dive back into the book of Revelation this morning. In fact, if you have your Bible with you today, let me encourage you to find Revelation 22:1-5 where in John’s final vision of the new Jerusalem, he describes four ways God will pour out His blessings upon us every single day in the new paradise of heaven.

In fact, as we look at these blessings this morning, one thing is clear in this final vision and that is this: These passage describes the completion of God’s redeeming love for His people as all the blessings that were lost in the garden of Eden will be ours to enjoy every day with God in eternity. So, if you’ve found Revelation 22, let’s look at the first blessing:

We Will Be Nourished by God 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 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. Revelation 22:1-2 This is the renewed garden of Eden, where from the throne of God and of the Lamb will flow all the blessings of His grace to us. The first thing we see is that the river of the water of life flows from His throne “down the middle of the broad street of the city.” It flows alongside the streets of gold, and immediately our eyes are drawn to “the tree of life,” standing on each side of the river. Whereas in the garden of Eden, the Tree of life stood in the center of the garden, this image of the tree of life standing on both sides of the river alerts us to the abundance of blessings God is pouring out to us from His throne. So, let’s unpack these images as they reveal God’s abundant blessing of nourishment to us in heaven.

First, The River of Life: There are many forerunners to this vision, but two stand out. The first was the river that “flowed out of Eden to water the garden” in Genesis 2:10. The second was the river that “was issuing from below the threshold of the temple” in Ezekiel’s vision of God’s end-times temple (Ezekiel 47:1). Take note a couple things here. The first river flowed “out of Eden” to water paradise. And Ezekiel’s river flowed from the eastern temple door, which symbolizes that it flowed from God’s presence.

The point is that God is the source of eternal life that will flow from His life to ours in eternity. This is “the living water” Jesus spoke of to the women of the well, when he said: “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

Jesus said of this water: “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 This precisely is what God promised to give us as recorded in the previous chapter: “To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.” Revelation 21:6 This living water flowing from the throne will be a constant reminder of God’s grace. We first experienced God’s grace to us when we put our trust in Jesus. He gave us what we didn’t deserve. He gave us mercy. He cleansed our souls. He gave us new life. He adopted us as His own. And in paradise, this flow of God’s grace in the water of life will be a constant reminder of His grace to us that never ends.

Now, have you ever wondered why God’s Word talks so much about living water? Did you know that there is such a thing as dead water? Dead water is void of minerals, electrolytes and micro-organisms that are necessary for life. But the living water that flows from His throne will be pure, nutrient rich and full of spiritual life. It will not just quench our bodies but fill us with His life. It will be beyond the most refreshing, tasteful, satisfying and thirst-quenching water you’ve ever tasted. When Jesus spoke of this water in the gospel of John, he said, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” And John added this interpretive comment about this gift of living water: “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:39

How cool is this? Whenever we drink of the water of life, we will fill our lives with the purity of God’s life. He will nourish us spiritually every day in heaven. Your morning cup of coffee will be heavenly! But we won’t just drink of this water; this water will flow down the middle of the great street of the city. It will give life to everything in the city; it will nourish the Tree of Life growing on both sides of the river: 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. Revelation 22:2

If you think back to Ezekiels’ temple vision you will see the stream beginning at the temple was a trickle, but then its flow grew to ankle-deep, then it became waist-deep, and finally, it was so deep it could not be crossed. And as it flowed to the east, Ezekiel saw the brackish water becoming fresh, and fish swarming with life. And as it reached the Dead Sea, this water purified its salt and cleansed so it could produce life. And as it gave life to all Ezekiel said, “there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month… Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing” Ezekial 47:12

This Old Testament image will be fulfilled in heaven. Not only will we drink of eternal life in heaven, but we will eat of the tree of life. And it will be better than anything you’ve ever eaten on earth. Better than barbecued Ribeye. Better than grilled Salmon or Halibut. Better that Marionberry Pie. Better than Crème Brulé or Tillamook Mudslide Ice Cream. God will bless us not simply with life but will nourish our souls with a great variety and abundance. His blessing will never run out. Here is a vision of God’s generous provision of abundant life and grace to meet our every need. We will walk in the grove of God’s grace along the streams of living water every day. God will nourish our souls and fill us with satisfaction and delight every single day in heaven!

Not only that, but when Ezekiel spoke of trees with “leaves for healing” John tells us the purpose of such healing in this passage, saying And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Not only will the scars of nationalism, racism, bitterness and wars between the nations be healed, but one scholar speaks of how these leaves will heal us: “Since there are no ills to heal in the city of the redeemed, the wounds that are healed probably come from life in this world. This is a wonderful idea. Think how even the strongest Christians depart from this life, whether tragically during their early years or feebly in old age, with the scars of battle and the grief of our own character failings. Though we depart from this life often battered and bowed down, we will receive in the life to come the complete restoration of both body and soul.”

So, not only will God wipe away our tears; God will heal us completely of the wounds of this life from the leaves of the tree of life. This is the first blessing from the throne of grace. God will nourish our spirits, satisfy our souls and heal us with leaves from the Tree of life. That’s the first blessing of life in eternity with God. Here’s the second:

We will worship Our God No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. Revelation 22:3 What great news! In eternity the curse will be no more. Remarkably, the curse is replaced by “the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Think about the results of the curse for a moment. When Adam and Eve first sinned against God, they fell under the curse of His just wrath. As a result, they were cast out of the garden and barred from the Tree of Life. No longer would they enjoy personal fellowship with God and serve as His people. Now, the creation itself struggled against them, making life frustrating, demanding, and exhausting. We are all acquainted with the ramifications of the curse:

Number one ramification being death: Every person born today will suffer death. Approximately 150,000 to 170,000 people die every day. We don’t do well with death. The death of a loved one can leave you shocked, numbed, sad, angry and sometimes even guilty. Death can be painful and disorienting. It can make you irritable and depressed. Death can cause you to lose sleep, lose your appetite, and in some cases even lose your will to live. We don’t’ do well with death. But in heaven there will no longer be any curse, and that means no death, and no dealing with death.

Here some other ramifications of the curse: Widespread disease, suffering and famine; conflict, alienation and war; stress, anxiety and discontentment – the inner turmoil of shame and guilt. But in heaven, no one will shame you, blame you, accuse you or assault you. The curse will be reversed. All we lost in the fall we’ll get back and more.

In fact, in heaven, since the curse is reversed, we will walk with God and the Lamb. This will be a huge blessing. The key to understanding this blessing is found in this word “serve.” In the Greek language the word translated here is latreus. It can mean both “serve” and “worship.” Of course, the two go together in the eternal city. Just as Adam was called to “work… and keep” the original garden, making it to be “fruitful and multiply,” so also will we be given the privilege of worshiping God through the work God gives us to spread His glory throughout the new heavens and new earth.

So then, heaven will not simply be some never-ending worship service. Oh, yes, we will worship God with thunderous praise. We will be awestruck by His beauty, His majesty and His grace. We will cast our crowns at the feet of Jesus. But we will also serve Jesus in the care and cultivation of His glorified universe. We will be given work to do with God and for God. Work was given to Adam before the fall. It was satisfying, creative, joyful and productive. And all our work will bring glory to God. By our work we will worship Him. That’s the second blessing.

But before we look at the next blessing. If we are going to worship God by our service in heaven, how might God want us to be serve Him today? Would He have us connect with others, so the Christ in you could bless them? Would He have you build relationships with unbelievers so you could impart His grace to them? Would He have you share your gifts with God’s church? If God means to bless us in eternity by our service, could it be we are missing out on His blessing today by limiting our service? Just a thought. That’s the second blessing that will make every day in heaven our best day. But what’s next?

We will see our God They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. Revelation 22:4 Here is a twofold promise for the child of God. It seems too good to be true. First, His name on our foreheads. Simply put, having His name on our foreheads signifies that we will bear the image of the glorified Christ. It is a mark of dignity, acceptance and ownership. God marks us as His beloved children. Godwill always know you, always be available to you, and never forget you because He marked you out of love with the very name of Christ. You will be part of God’s family forever.

Second, John says, “They will see His face.” Do you realize what a blessing it will be to see God’s face? One of God’s greatest servants was denied this privilege. Moses pleaded to see God’s face, but God answered, “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). Moses was instead placed in a cleft of the rock and was allowed to see the back of Gods’ glory.

Jesus told us why we’re unable to see God’s face this side of heaven. We may not see God’s face because of our sin. But he also said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) Today, none of us is able to see God. But if you’ve trusted in Christ one day you will see Him face to face. Why is this such a blessing?

Remember when you first fell in love with your spouse? What did you want to do? You wanted to go and be with him so you could see his face – look into his eyes, see her love, hear her voice and see her smile. When I fell for Becky, that’s what drew me in, her smile. And this is what we will see when we see God. We will see His smile for us. Seeing the smile of God will be the greatest blessing we will ever experience. His smile communicates not just His love for you but His acceptance of you, His delight in you, and His great joy that He gets to look upon you as the one He created to be with Him for eternity. And the blessing is that you will never get tired of His smile.

Randy Alcorn really helped me grasp how awesome it will be to see God face to face: He said it this way: “Have you known people who couldn’t be boring if they tried? Some people are just fascinating. You could listen to them forever. But not really. Eventually, You’d feel if you’d gotten enough. But we can never get enough of God. There is no end to what He knows, no end to what He can do, no end to who He is. He is mesmerizing to the depths of His being, and those depths will never be exhausted. No wonder those in Heaven always redirect their eyes to Him – they won’t want to miss anything.”

And that’s how it will be with us. We won’t miss a thing. Every day we will get to look upon the face of God. Every day we will see His glory. He will be more beautiful, stunning, glorious, entertaining, thrilling and awesome than anyone who has ever lived. Every day there will be something new to discover, to learn, to behold, to experience. Every day we will get to look into the face of the Creator of all good things, who is infinite in wonder and wisdom, grace and mercy, knowledge and love. And we will never ever, ever, ever get bored of looking into the eyes of grace and love. We will see our God. What a blessing! And finally,

We Will Reign With Our God There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:5 There will be no more night, for the glory of God will give light to paradise. There will be no more sin, no more evil, no more darkness. Paradise will indeed be a place of light and life and love. And every day will be the most beautiful day to be alive.

But then we see this final declaration of our life in eternity: And they will reign for ever and ever. This final statement about our relationship with God is so significant. God originally created us to rule. When God created Adam, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, And let them have dominion” (Genesis 1:26). And the sad reality of the Fall is that sin made us slaves. But now in heaven God restores us to be His kings and queens across over earth.

Bruce Milne speaks of this powerfully. He says, “Humanity will again raise their heads and stand tall in God’s presence, and in His world. The wretch will ascend the throne. The rebel will reign. The condemned will be crowned.” In other words, the final ruin of the Fall will be reversed. God’s noble creation will be restored to our dominion over the new earth. For neither Satan nor sin can thwart God’s purposes. Instead, we will reign with God forever and ever over the new heavens and new earth, enhancing and expanding the glory of God throughout His new creation.

There is so much in store for us in heaven. Every day will be your best day, for when we arrive in paradise… God will not simply give the water of eternal life from the river of life and the tree of life. But we will serve our God, rest in the joy of His smile upon us and reign with Him as we get to spread the glory of God throughout the universe for all eternity.

Earlier, I said that my best day ever was the day I married Becky, but as I prepared this message I came to realize that there was a day even better. And that is the day I trusted in Jesus. For on that day, not only did God forgive me, but He gave me a new life that includes everything we’ve seen here today. And here’s the good news, if you thirst for this new life in Jesus, you can have it today. For God’s Word says today is the day of salvation. And all you need to do to receive this life is to turn from your sin and turn to Jesus, put your trust in Him. If you are willing to do this, then every day will be your best day ever with Him. Let’s pray.