FBCD_FaithEssentials_June_FlipBook

Faith Essentials

Next, follow the river’s course. The Bible says it flows down the middle of the great street of the city (Revelation 22:2, emphasis added). This geographic placement suggests prominence and enables access. John provides evidence of this by describing the river’s bountiful harvest. First, there’s the tree of life, which will yield a crop of fruit every month. Remember from chapter one that this tree was originally designed to provide nourishment to Adam and Eve. After the fall, however, it became off limits. That will all change in the new Paradise. God’s children from throughout the ages, joined by Adam and Eve, will be able to enjoy this tasty, perpetual fruit. God’s Word tells us that the leaves of this tree serve to heal the nations. A skeptic might wonder why healing would be necessary in a perfectly healthy environment. “The healing leaves indicate the complete absence of physical and spiritual want. The life to come will be a life of abundance and perfection.” 3 Some of you may be thinking, “that’s all well and good, but I’d like to tap into some of that abundance right now”—to which I say “Amen.” Jesus came that we might have abundant life (John 10:10). He promised that, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38, KJV). In a sense, Christians become God’s kingdom on this earth, instruments through which the Holy Spirit can pour forth His blessings. But as exciting, available and prominent as the river, peace and city are, they all pale in comparison to the future literal presence of God among His children. With the coming of the Holy City, “the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). Throughout redemptive history, God’s presence has been manifested in various ways. “In the Old Testament it was mediated through the prophetic word, theophanies, dreams, angels and the cult. To come face to face with the living God meant death” (Exodus 33:20). 4 God became one of us when Jesus appeared the first time

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