Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
(Revelation 22:1-9 ESV)
Sight is a wonderful thing. Just ask anyone who has lost it. Sight allows us to respond. It began with God at creation, as He responded to what He saw and called it good. It will culminate in what we see in eternity. People debate much about what John saw and what it means in The Revelation, but when all is said and done, the messenger makes it quite clear to Him why he has seen what he has seen: we are to keep the words of His book and to Worship God. It is not so we will know more than anyone else or be able to avoid any of the challenges of this life. It is to remind us to acknowledge that He is Truth, to exhort us to live lives of holiness here and now, and to have us practice what we will be doing for all of eternity: worshiping Him. Hopefully you are going to practice that today. May we all get a glimpse of Him in His glory, listen to His call on our lives, and sense we are closer to seeing Him.
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