| Church School Lesson: No Better Refreshment |
"No Better Refreshment"
August 21, 2022
Background: Revelation 22:1-7; Print: Revelation 22:1-7;
Key Verse: Revelation 22:1; Devotional: Psalm 46:1-7
Revelation 22:1-7 (NKJV)
1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the middle of its street, 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.
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.
4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
5 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.
6 Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and true." And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.
7 "Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."
Revelation Chapter 22 (Commentary)
22:1-2 Since there is no sea on the new earth, water will be supplied by the river of the water of life . . . flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb—a single throne shared by God the Father and God the Son (22:1). The new earth also will contain the tree of life (22:2), which first appeared in the garden of Eden (Gen 2:9) and from which humans were barred from eating after Adam and Eve sinned (Gen 3:22-24).
The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations. Why would healing be necessary in the new heaven and new earth? Because there is a group of people who have access to the heavenly Jerusalem but who do not live there (see 21:24-26). There is only one group of people left on earth to go into eternity in their physical bodies—those who were true to Jesus Christ and served him during his millennial reign. They go into eternity after the millennium with physically glorified bodies not spiritually glorified bodies (see 1 Cor 15:38-41)—that is, like Adam and Eve in the garden. These will make up the nations who do not live in the new Jerusalem but who will have access to the city. They will need the leaves of the tree for their continued health and well-being.
22:3-5 In the new heaven and new earth, there will no longer be any curse. Everything will be just as God intended it, and his servants will worship him (22:3). Use of the term “servants” implies that believers will be happily serving and working in the new creation, overseeing the planet to varying degrees corresponding to their rewards. In this environment, God’s people will see his face (22:4), and there will no longer be a need for either the light of a lamp or the light of the sun because God’s radiant presence will provide all necessary illumination.
22:6-7 The speaker in 22:6 is the angel who began guiding John in 21:9. He offers a reminder that every word spoken in Revelation is true. We don’t know when these events will occur, but we are assured they will soon take place (22:6), a truth echoed by Jesus himself in 22:7. In response to the imminence of Christ’s return, readers are commanded to take this book seriously and act on it.