Revelation Chapter 22 Verses 1-2

1 Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 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; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

What is the river of the water of life in verse 1? Water is a common symbol for the blessings of God, and one that we have seen before in this book. (Recall our comments about the feast of the tabernacles in Chapter 7.) In Isaiah 12:3, God’s people were told that with joy they would draw water from the wells of salvation. In John 7:37-38, Jesus said that if anyone believed in him then that person would have rivers of living water flowing out of his heart. The water of life depicts the blessings that flow from God and that the church enjoys now and forever.

But has the church always enjoyed these blessings? Yes! Read Joel 3:18 — “And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the stream beds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the LORD and water the valley of Shittim.” And then turn to Acts 2 to find out when that prophecy from Joel was fulfilled. The church has enjoyed those blessings from the day of its establishment.

In verse 2, we see a tree of life with 12 fruits. (First the water of life, and now the tree of life. Do we see a message there to a church that daily faced the threat of death from Rome?) This tree provides nourishment for God’s people just as the original tree of life did in the Garden. But this tree provides 12 different kinds of fruit 12 times a year. These blessings are for the people of God — and the church enjoys these blessings then, now, and always.

Verse 2 tells us something else about this tree of life — the leaves on the tree are for the healing of the nations. Again, we see nations that need the light and healing that this city—the church—provides. Who are these nations outside of the city if this is a description of the church in Heaven after the end of the world? If we are looking at the church in Heaven then who is it that needs healing — and from what are they being healed?

This is a description of the church on earth! The church sheds light on the darkness outside. The church provides healing to those who enter into its open gates. The invitation we will see in a moment in 22:17 is for those outside of the church (those who are thirsty) to come and drink of the water of life. (“And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price.”) Could such descriptions apply to the church after the end of the world?

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