THE EXPERIENCE OF ETERNAL BLESSEDNESS (BEING SAVED FOREVER)

The Experience of Eternal Blessedness  

Rev. 22:1-5

"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."

Here again the imagery is actual. There is a real river, tree, throne, face, and light in this celestial city now among men. Each one of these things is a constant reminder of the grace of God experienced by them.

The River of the Water of Life vs. 1

"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb."

This is a constant reminder of regeneration, God in them by the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and from the Son.

The primeval river emerging from Eden (Genesis 2:10) seems to have been a type of this eternal river proceeding from the throne of the Lamb. Like the former river, this also will probably part into four directions, watering the whole city and on out into the whole earth. Since there will be no sea, there will be no rain. This wonderful river of water of life, however, will surely support an abundance of vegetation everywhere—with enough water for the whole world, and with none wasted. Presumably, the Lord will continue to create an unending supply of water from His throne for all these needs.

The Tree of Life and the Twelve Fruits vs. 2

"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

This is a constant reminder of preservation, God for them, providing the needed sustenance and protection from harm.

"tree of life" The cherubim had once been directed by God to prevent sinful men from eating the fruit of the tree of life and living forever in their sins (Genesis 3:22-24). In the New Jerusalem, however, the tree of life will always be freely accessible to all; it will probably also grow alongside the river wherever its distributaries flow throughout the whole earth.
"twelve manner of fruits" Herein is a marvelous thing! Instead of twelve different kinds of fruit trees, each bearing its fruit only in its particular season, God has programmed this tree to bear all of them, each in its proper time.
"every month" There will still be a flow of time in the new earth, and some means (perhaps astronomical, as at present) of measuring time. Even though there will be no night in the city itself, since the glory of God perpetually illumines it, the sun and moon will still be in the sky, and may well continue the normal procession of days, months and years which God had originally established in His “very good” creation in the beginning (Genesis 1:14,31). It is not that time will cease, as some teach, but just that time will never end, “throughout all ages, world without end” (Ephesians 3:21).

The Throne of God and the Removal of the Curse vs. 3

"And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:"

This is a constant reminder of Divine presence. God is among them and over them as Lord and Sovereign. Where He is, there is no curse and His servants willingly submit to His dominion.
"
no more curse" The primeval curse (Genesis 3:17-19) will be completely lifted from the new earth (see notes on Revelation 20:11; 21:1,4-5).
"serve him" Life in the new earth will be far more than mere rest and fellowship. There will be ample time for these also, as well as for harps and singing, but there will also be work to do. This work will no doubt be referenced in some appropriate way to our service here in this life (note Revelation 22:12), but will surely be satisfying and fruitful work. In an infinite universe, with an eternity of time, we can never run out of something to do!

The Face of the Lamb and the Name He Gives vs. 4

"And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads."

This is a constant revelation of the glory of God. God is before them in the Lamb. We shall behold His glory with its transforming power throughout eternity.

"they shall see His face" This is the last reference in the Bible to the face of Jesus Christ. We shall finally see Him face to face! The gospel writers frequently mention His face, but they never give a description. After His arrest and trial, the Roman soldiers “struck Him on the face” (Luke 22:64), apparently so severely and repeatedly that “His visage was so marred more than any man” (Isaiah 52:14). But when He comes again, and we see Him, we shall rejoice forever in “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
"their foreheads" Note Revelation 3:12; 7:3

The Light of the City is the Lord God vs. 5

"And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."

This is a constant illumination that continues and increases. He is the physical light, the mental light, the moral light, and the spiritual light. For God is light. Every day the light will grow and our wonder shall increase.
Cf. Isa 60:20 "Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended."
John saw this from the prophecy in Zechariah 14:7.

"But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light."