Revelation 22:1-5: a reflection

1He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3There will be no curse any more. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will serve him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5There will be no night, and they need no lamp light or sun light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.

The closing vision of Scripture shows the final state of God's people, and it is a scene of unhindered blessing. A river of the water of life flows from God's throne; the tree of life bears fruit and its leaves heal the nations; and, the vision says, there will be no more curse. God dwells among his people; there is no night, and no need of sun or lamp, for God himself is their light. And at the heart of it comes the crowning blessing: They will see his face.

Notice the crown of all these blessings: they will see his face. The end of the story is not merely a beautiful place, or the absence of curse and darkness, wonderful as these are; it is the unhindered presence of God, seeing his face. Throughout Scripture, no one could see God's face and live; but in the end, God's people will see his face, dwelling in his presence without barrier, without the veil of sin or the limits of this life. This is the deepest hope: to see God face to face.

That hope is meant to sustain us now. Whatever our present griefs, whatever the curse still does in this broken world, whatever darkness we walk through, the end for God's people is to see his face, in a place where there is no more curse and no more night. This is what we are moving toward: not merely relief from trouble, but the unhindered presence of God, seeing his face. Live now in the hope of that day. When the present is hard, lift your eyes to the end: the river of life, the healing of the nations, no more curse, and, above all, seeing the face of God. Let the hope of seeing his face draw and sustain you, for that is the crowning blessing toward which all things move.

Lord, the closing vision of Scripture shows a river of life flowing from your throne, the tree of life healing the nations, no more curse, no night, and, at the heart of it, the crowning blessing: they will see his face. Let that hope sustain me now. The end of the story is not merely a beautiful place, or the absence of curse and darkness, but your unhindered presence, seeing your face. Throughout your word, no one could see your face and live; but in the end, your people will see your face, dwelling in your presence without barrier, without the veil of sin or the limits of this life. This is my deepest hope: to see you face to face. Whatever my present griefs, whatever the curse still does in this broken world, whatever darkness I walk through, the end is to see your face, where there is no more curse and no more night. Help me live now in the hope of that day. When the present is hard, help me lift my eyes to the end, and let the hope of seeing your face draw and sustain me. I long to see your face, Lord.