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The Beginning
With today's passage we not only finish out NT in a year, but we come full circle. This is the culmination - what we often call, "the end" - but more on that later. Notice the descriptions in this chapter: there is a river (as there was in Eden, the original paradise), and more importantly, "the tree of life". This is the same tree mentioned in Genesis 3:22 - God kept Adam and Eve out of the Garden so that they might NOT eat of the tree of life, but now it stands at the center of everything, a symbol of the fully restored relationship between God and man. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations (see Ezekiel 47:12?). All that is sad will come untrue. All that is broken will be remade. All that we have always known as imperfect, even in the best circumstances, will be made perfect. This is unbelievable. In fact, it is truly, literally unbelievable for some - they cannot accept that this could be true and see it as merely a dream. Maybe that is why, immediately following these things, it is said "These words are trustworthy and true." It is an affirmation. It is a promise.
As I said before, we usually think of Revelation as speaking about the "End Times", but I would say rather that it speaks of the beginning. There is a really great scene in one of C.S. Lewis's novels that speaks about this:
“And that,” said Ransom, “will be the end?” The King stared at him. “The end?” he said. “Who spoke of an end?” “The end of your world, I mean,” said Ransom. “Splendor of Heaven!” said the King. “Your thoughts are unlike ours. About that time we shall be not far from the beginning of all things. But there will be one matter to settle before the beginning rightly begins...”
"....I did not at once see what you were talking of, because what you call the beginning we are accustomed to call the Last Things.” “I do not call it the beginning,” said the King. “It is but the wiping out of a false start in order that the world may then begin. As when a man lies down to sleep, if he finds a twisted root under his shoulder he will change his place and after that his real sleep begins. Or as a man setting foot on an island, may make a false step. He steadies himself and after that his journey begins. You would not call that steadying of himself a last thing?” [1]
The point here is not that all of our history is nothing more than a "false start" or "false step" - God Himself became man in order to die and resurrect to redeem this world - but that we MUST NOT think of these things as an end. They are but the beginning of the story that goes on for all eternity. These current suffering aren't even worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed!
I can't leave you with anything better than that: rest in His grace and wait for the beginning of the true story!
The Beginning
With today's passage we not only finish out NT in a year, but we come full circle. This is the culmination - what we often call, "the end" - but more on that later. Notice the descriptions in this chapter: there is a river (as there was in Eden, the original paradise), and more importantly, "the tree of life". This is the same tree mentioned in Genesis 3:22 - God kept Adam and Eve out of the Garden so that they might NOT eat of the tree of life, but now it stands at the center of everything, a symbol of the fully restored relationship between God and man. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations (see Ezekiel 47:12?). All that is sad will come untrue. All that is broken will be remade. All that we have always known as imperfect, even in the best circumstances, will be made perfect. This is unbelievable. In fact, it is truly, literally unbelievable for some - they cannot accept that this could be true and see it as merely a dream. Maybe that is why, immediately following these things, it is said "These words are trustworthy and true." It is an affirmation. It is a promise.
As I said before, we usually think of Revelation as speaking about the "End Times", but I would say rather that it speaks of the beginning. There is a really great scene in one of C.S. Lewis's novels that speaks about this:
“And that,” said Ransom, “will be the end?” The King stared at him. “The end?” he said. “Who spoke of an end?” “The end of your world, I mean,” said Ransom. “Splendor of Heaven!” said the King. “Your thoughts are unlike ours. About that time we shall be not far from the beginning of all things. But there will be one matter to settle before the beginning rightly begins...”
"....I did not at once see what you were talking of, because what you call the beginning we are accustomed to call the Last Things.” “I do not call it the beginning,” said the King. “It is but the wiping out of a false start in order that the world may then begin. As when a man lies down to sleep, if he finds a twisted root under his shoulder he will change his place and after that his real sleep begins. Or as a man setting foot on an island, may make a false step. He steadies himself and after that his journey begins. You would not call that steadying of himself a last thing?” [1]
The point here is not that all of our history is nothing more than a "false start" or "false step" - God Himself became man in order to die and resurrect to redeem this world - but that we MUST NOT think of these things as an end. They are but the beginning of the story that goes on for all eternity. These current suffering aren't even worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed!
I can't leave you with anything better than that: rest in His grace and wait for the beginning of the true story!
[1] Lewis, C. S. (2012-04-03). Perelandra: (Space Trilogy, Book Two) (Kindle Locations 3409-3414, 3425-3429). . Kindle Edition.
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