The New Eden
In the previous section of Revelation, John described the new heaven and earth (Rev 21:1-8), then he zoomed in on the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:9-27). His description of this incomparable city first focused on its appearance, construction, and design. Next, he zooms in on the center of the city to focus on its living conditions and natural features.
John’s previous explanations have shown correlations between this future city and the well-known city of Jerusalem from history. Now John’s further explanations show correlations to the well-known Garden of Eden from the beginning of time. By highlighting such correlations, John underscores God’s purpose for the New Creation as being to provide not only a new but a renewed creation – both recovering what sin had corrupted and restored the world to an even better condition than before.
The water of life will flow from the city center.
The angel who initiated John’s tour of the New Jerusalem also initiated this new shift in perspective from the construction of the city to its conditions at the center (Rev 21:9).
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb [in the middle of its street].
Revelation 22:1
This is John’s first allusion to the Garden of Eden. To visualize what he saw, it seems best to attach “in the middle of the street” to the end of this sentence rather than to the beginning of the next one. It is also helpful to interpret “street” as either the “city square” or the “main street” that runs from the city square.
The point here is that God’s throne sits at the center of this city and is the primary, ultimate destination of the main thoroughfare or highway that runs to the city center. A captivating river also flows from the immediate vicinity of God’s throne and runs down the middle of the city center and this major road as well.
- This river is clear and translucent, free from anything that would contaminate or pollute it. How many rivers are this way in cities today?
- This river “pours out” or “flows out” from the throne where God the Father and Christ the Lamb are present.
- The water of this river provides spiritually refreshing and life-sustaining qualities, beyond what water provides for us today.
This river reminds us of the river that flowed from the Garden of Eden – only better (Gen 2:10). That river watered not only the Garden of Eden but the outlying regions of the world as well (Gen 2:11-14; 13:10). The same will likely be the case with this river of life in the New Creation.
The tree of life will flourish on both sides of the river.
And on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Revelation 22:2
This is John’s second allusion to the Garden of Eden. He observed that a certain kind of tree was growing on both banks of this river – the infamous “tree of life.” To envision what John saw, we should not envision a single tree, for how could a single tree straddle both riverbanks at once? Instead, we should envision that this one species of tree – the tree of life – will line both sides of this river, perhaps on the scale of a forest or a massive garden.
What’s more, this tree will produce twelve varieties of fruit in what seems to be a repeating cycle of one type of fruit after another, month by month. This being the case, there will be no “off-season.”
Though John doesn’t say anything about eating this fruit, we know that fruit from this kind of tree would support endless life (Gen 2:9). So long as Adam and Eve had access to this tree, they would be able to sustain endless life in their sinful condition. Therefore, God prevented Adam and Eve from accessing this tree after they sinned (Gen 3:22-24).
Since God’s people in the New Creation are delivered from sin, they will be granted unrestricted access to the tree of life once again in abundance.
John also highlights a second benefit of this tree – “the healing of the nations.” Perhaps they’ll resemble aloe vera plants, for instance, only better. Though we’re not entirely sure what this “healing” power refers to, we can safely conclude that the leaves will promote optimal health for all people one way or another.
Both the water of life and the tree of life will be central features of the New Creation, providing the physical and spiritual nourishment we need for an endless, healthy life in God’s new world. Though we will not be able to die, contract disease, or become ill, we will still need to rely on these God-given resources to maintain optimal health.
God’s presence will replace the curse.
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.
Revelation 22:3
This is yet another allusion to the Garden of Eden, reminding us about sad and tragic memory from that place – when the curse God has warned about entered the world through sin (Gen 2:17; 3:17).
There is a sense in which the curse is a result of sin because sin requires necessary distance and separation from God. In the New Creation, this separation and its resulting effects will cease to exist because God will no longer be separated from his creation. He will be present with us instead, even more directly and fully than in the Garden of Eden.
We will serve God as he created us to do.
They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: they need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
Revelation 22:4-5
One more correlation with the Garden of Eden appears when John highlights the behavior of God’s people in this New Jerusalem and New Creation:
- They will serve him (Rev 22:3). This activity reminds us of how Adam originally served God in Eden by caring for the animals and plants of the garden (Gen 2:15).
- They will reign with him (Rev 22:5). This activity reminds us of how God told Adam and Eve to “subdue the earth” and to “have dominion over it” (Gen 1:28).
In both cases, these activities constitute a return to our original purpose as human beings, which was to care for and govern God’s creation as his delegated vice-regents, bringing all that he has made to its full potential for his glory. This universal human behavior will be a complete and comprehensive reversal of our fallen, sinful tendency to rebel against God and exalt ourselves rather than carry out his will.
John highlights three details about God’s people as they serve him:
- They will “see God’s face.” This means they will have full access to his immediate, personal presence with no intermediary or hindrances in between.
- They will have “his name on their foreheads.” This indicates God’s ownership of his people, which further implies not only his authority over them but his obligation to care for and protect them. John has already mentioned a similar mark on the foreheads of the 144,000 Jewish witnesses (Rev 7:3; 14:1) and promised the same thing to faithful believers in the church (Rev 3:12). Though we’re not sure what kind of “mark” this will be (whether a spiritual mark, a physical imprint, a marked hat or crown, or something else) it will be a mark of special status for us all. In this fallen world, such an obvious identification with Christ gets us into trouble, but in the New Creation, it will have the opposite effect.
- They will need to light sources there and there will be no darkness of night in the New Jerusalem because God’s presence will be so close and direct that his own glory will illuminate the entire city.
With these thoughts, the curtains begin to close on John’s draws end-times visions. The remainder of this book of Revelation will function like an epilogue or conclusion that consists of final announcements and comments by three primary speakers: God the Father, Jesus Christ, and John.
Key Takeaway
The end will be the like the beginning – only far better.
In “The Hobbit,” Bilbo’s adventures begin and end in “the Shire.” This charming, cheerful, and delightful place on Middle Earth exudes a warm and vibrant sense of comfort, friendliness, happiness, and safety. The adventures which happen between the beginning and end of this story are anything but comforting and safe, but it sure is nice to know that no matter what dreadful dangers confront Bilbo Baggins on the way, he’ll end up right back where he started, comfier than ever in his cozy hobbit-hole in the Shire.
The overarching storyline of the Bible and human history is this way, too. It begins in the garden with God, and it ends there, too – only bigger and better than before. The adventures that happen in between are often harrowing and horrible, dangerous and deadly. Yet there is great comfort in knowing that the end of the story will return to where it started.
The river, the tree of life, the work God has given us to do, no curse, but most importantly – God. God the Father will be immediately and personally with us, and the Lamb of God who was only a veiled promise (Gen 3:15) will also be with us in all his glory having conquered the curse forever by suffering for our sins.
And we will enjoy his presence and carry out his plans forever in an actual, physical world that he has designed for that purpose. Since we have so much to look forward to, we should see and savor what John saw and be inspired to persevere through the twists and turns of our lives in this fallen world. The end of our story as God’s people is worth the adventure.