What comes into your mind when you hear the word paradise? Although viewed by many as merely a myth, the book of Genesis introduces the earliest picture of paradise as the Garden of Eden. In Genesis chapter two, verses eight through 10, we read, and Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden. toward the east, and there he placed the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground Yahweh God caused to grow every tree that is desirable in appearance and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, And from there, it divided and became four rivers. This extremely lush, perfect environment, abounding with vegetation, with wildlife, with beauty, was not only a place of supreme happiness and joy that was free from sin, free from suffering, free from pain, for Adam and Eve. But most importantly, this was the place where the creator God walked with men in intimate fellowship. However, it ended, that intimacy didn't last long, it ended with the fall of man into sin in Genesis chapter three. For disobeying God's command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Immediately Adam and Eve died spiritually and then they began to die physically. just as God had promised would happen. And He mercifully banished them from Eden to hinder them from eating of the tree of life and living forever in their sinful state, separated from God. This was paradise lost. Since then, sinful people have tried innumerable ways to create their own paradise, to find happiness, to find joy, to find a life for their soul in something other than God himself. But the word paradise is found three times in the Bible, specifically in the New Testament. First, when Jesus promised the repentant thief next to him on the cross, who believed in him, in Luke chapter 23, verse 43, he said, truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise. Second, when Paul described paradise in 2 Corinthians 12, verses two through four, as the real place of God's heavenly abode in the third heaven, where God has prepared things that are utterly indescribable for those who love him. and will be with him when we die. And then third, Jesus promised in Revelation chapter two, verse seven, he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. So in Eden, the tree of life was shut down. Adam and Eve were banished from the garden so they couldn't eat of it. And so we see in Revelation, and we've already, quite a while ago, looked at chapter two, verse seven, that talks about those who have overcome, those who are true believers, they place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They will be able to eat of the tree of life. Again here in the paradise of God. As we look at our passage this morning in Revelation, we come again to the tree of life. This tree of life. And it is in the new Jerusalem where God dwells in perfect harmony and an intimate fellowship with his redeemed people forever. You see, this is paradise restored. And that's what we're talking about. That's what we're talking about this morning. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Revelation chapter 22. You should have in your bulletin an outline, and I've kind of listed the seven categories. In Revelation 21, verse nine through 22 and verse five, we've been looking at seven categories of the new Jerusalem. Paradise restored, if you will. That should fill every believer's heart with comfort and with hope and with anticipation of looking forward to being there. And thus far we've seen the first five categories and I've listed them there. Her, talking about the new Jerusalem, her location in general radiant appearance, her walls with gates and foundations, her measurements that show God's ownership, her construction with precious building materials, and then the last time, her light that will benefit the nations. Those are the first five of these seven categories. And this morning, I want us to look at the remaining two. So the sixth category of the New Jerusalem, is what I call her features that reveal paradise qualities. Her features that reveal paradise qualities. And in verses one and two, there are two features that reveal these paradise qualities within the city, which nourish and enrich the lives of all the redeemed who are there. And if you know the Lord Jesus Christ, These are things we will see and we will partake of. The first feature is the river of life. Look what John says in verse one. Then he showed me a river of the water of life, bright as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Now the phrase here, then he showed me, again, refers back to that same angel who began showing John the new Jerusalem back in chapter 21 in verses nine and 10. This is the same angel who has been showing him these visions and now kind of brings him to this last vision. And in this last vision, we see in the center of the city, there is a river of the water of life. Now this river is reminiscent of the river of Eden that flowed from, again, the garden of Eden and then divided into four rivers that we saw back in chapter two in verse 10 of Genesis. Now concerning this river, I believe John MacArthur's right when he states, and I quote, with no sea in the eternal state, which we saw in chapter 21, verse one, with no sea in the eternal state, there could be no hydrologic cycle, and hence no rain to fall to fill the river. Thus, the water of life is not water as we know it. It is a symbol of eternal life." End quote. Robert Thomas goes on to explain a little further. He says, and I quote, unlimited access to this life-giving river will assure the residents of the new Jerusalem, of an everlasting enjoyment of life. In the new creation, the physical properties of water will impart the spiritual life, which this creation can only portray through the metaphor of water. These are literal waters that are of such a nature and quality as to answer as to answer to the new Jerusalem to which they belong. Just as men on this earth have never known such a city, neither have they known such waters." So again, this river of water of life is something that is totally different than anything we're aware of. but it's a symbol of eternal life. And like everything else in the New Jerusalem, as we've seen all along, notice the river in verse one is bright as crystal. It's bright as crystal in appearance. This is because the radiant splendor of the glory of God is shining right through it as it shines through the crystal walls of the city and the golden surfaces of the streets, and again, it's just all crystal clear. And so God's glory is shining through it and illuminating it. And notice the source of this bright shining river of the water of life is seen at the end of verse one. Coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb. That's the origin, that's where it's coming from. the throne of God and of the Lamb. This is very similar to the river that flowed from the temple during Christ's earthly millennial kingdom in Ezekiel chapter 47, verses one through 12. However, in the eternal state, which we're in now, because the millennial kingdom, as we looked at chapter 20, merges into the eternal state. And so we're talking about the eternal state. And in the eternal state, there is no temple, there is no sanctuary, as we already saw in verse 22 of chapter 21. For the Lord God, the Almighty and the Lamb are the temple or the sanctuary. But there is one eternal throne of God. No temple, but there is a throne. One eternal throne of God and of the Lamb that both of them sit on. And as we've seen throughout the book of Revelation, this shows once again that God the Father and the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, are equal. They are equal in deity, they're equal in honor, they're equal in power and authority. Barbara Thomas goes on to say about this, and I quote, until now, John has distinguished the son from the father who sits on the throne. but now they are together on the throne. Joint occupancy of the throne in heaven is the teaching of both chapter three and verse 21 and this passage here that we will see specifically in verse three. He says, two persons sit on one throne, but they are not two separate entities. God is one and the Father and the Son are one. Man in his infinite, man in his finiteness cannot grasp the truth of the infinite being of the triune God." End quote. Isn't that true? I mean, to try to throw our brains around the infinite God, even to truly understand all that we've seen in the unimaginable beauty and magnificence of the new Jerusalem. It just kind of smoke begins to come out our ears. It's hard to grasp, but beloved, that's our eternal home. And that's the point I've been trying to drive you know, kind of nail down and drive through, you know, to all of us, that that's where we will spend all of eternity. Therefore, the source of this never-ending, life-giving river for God's people is the very presence of God himself on his throne. and how eternal life is flowing from him. The second feature that reveals paradise qualities within the city, which nourishes, it enriches our lives as the redeemed, is the tree of life. The tree of life. Look what John says in verse two. In the middle of the street, on either side of the river, was the tree of life. Let's stop there. This verse is confusing to understand. It's hard to understand the location of the river, as well as the tree of life in the city. And that's why there's a number of different views. And I'm not gonna, I don't like necessarily going through all the different views. I might touch on a couple of them. But that's why scholars, I mean, have a little confusion on what's he really saying? Where is this river and the tree of life and how it's all arranged? Some say the river runs down the middle of the street, which again, that's how it's interpreted here. The middle of the city's broad street, again, the city's main street is very broad and kind of running down the middle of it is this river. Some say that, while others, John MacArthur and others say that the Tree of Life is in the middle of the river's path. and therefore the river then splits around it. I don't think it's all that important to understand, you know, how it's laid out other than the fact that the river flows in the city. And look at the other part, we're told on either side of the river was the tree of life. And again, we don't know actually how the tree of life is assessable. from both sides of the river, but only that it is. It's accessible on both sides. In Ezekiel's vision of the millennial kingdom, he sees many trees on both sides of the river. As I said in Ezekiel chapter 47, verses one through 12, and I encourage you to read that, you can see. There's all these different trees on both sides. But here in the eternal state in Revelation, we are reconnected with the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. in Genesis chapter 2 and verse 9 as a single trait. And the tree of life symbolizes blessing of eternal life as well. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God and Eden, they lost access to the tree of life because As I said before, God didn't want them to eat of the tree of life and live in an eternal state of sinfulness. So he banished them and then put a guard around the tree of life so they could never get there. But now in the new Jerusalem, access to the tree of life is restored. So paradise lost is now paradise restored. Notice the produce of this tree is described in verse two, bearing 12 kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. Since the phrase 12 kinds of fruit doesn't tell us specifically what kinds of fruit, It probably is just emphasizing the tree's abundant variety. And since in the eternal state, time is no more, because God has destroyed this world prior, I mean, after the millennial kingdom and before the great white throne judgment, this present world as we know it has been destroyed completely. And then he has created a new heaven and a new earth, this new creation. And so there is no more time. So the word month here cannot necessarily refer to time, but means that the tree of life is perpetually in bloom with ripe fruit. And there is no season when fruit is not available. The tree of life also yields additional benefit at the end of verse two. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And the nations speak of the ethnic racial identities. We're not all just, when we get to heaven, When we are in the eternal state, we're just not all, we don't all look alike and act alike. There's still the distinctions because we're saved out of various languages and people groups and all kinds of, from people around the world. In our glorified bodies, we come together as one and as the bride of Christ. and yet we still have those distinct identities. At first glance, it seems confusing when it says the leaves of the tree are for healing. Since perfection prevails in the eternal state, why does anybody need healing? There is no sickness, there is no disease, there is no injury that requires healing. But the Greek word translated healing here is the word from which we get our English words therapy or therapeutic. Therefore the leaves of the tree simply are used for promoting ongoing health and enjoyment of all the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem. All of them can, again, take advantage of this. And once again, we're not told how these leaves do this. I mean, do we eat the leaves? Do we rub them on our skin? Again, it doesn't say. It doesn't say. That brings us to the seventh category of the New Jerusalem, which is her citizens enjoy glorious eternal privileges. Her citizens enjoy glorious eternal privileges. All of the citizens of the New Jerusalem, all the redeemed will enjoy Three privileges revealed here in verses three through five. The first privilege is what I call the curse is removed. What a privilege to enjoy a world where there is no curse. The curse is removed. John says in verse three, and there will no longer be any curse. Stop there. The most dramatic change from this present earth or world that we know. And the ultimate proof that the new Jerusalem is indeed a return to the conditions of Eden is the removal of the curse, which was first imposed by God upon Satan and humanity and the earth. Back in chapter three, verses 14 through 19 of Genesis. And we all deal with it. Since that point, clear up to today, we are all dealing with the consequences of the curse. We already saw that during Christ's millennial kingdom, the curse was partially lifted. That make it a, what I call the paradise regained. Not totally restored, but a paradise regained in various ways. But back then, in that millennial kingdom in chapter 20, it was merely selective and temporary because the people that were being born were still sinners. Sin was still alive and well. Even though Christ was ruling with a rod of iron and was shutting that down, at the end of the thousand years, when Satan was released from his bondage, he then gathered who? All of these sinful people. He gathered all of them and they went to war against Christ, which didn't last but a moment. The moment he spoke, it was done. But sin was still going on. So the curse was just partially lifted. However, in the new creation of the eternal state, the curse is completely removed and the redeemed live in paradise restored in its fullest sense forever. Beloved, that's our eternal home. That's what we have to look forward to. As we saw back in chapter 21, verse 4, and He, God, will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will no longer be any death. There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. The first things passed away. The second privilege that all citizens will enjoy is perfect fellowship with God. Perfect fellowship with God. Look at verses three and four. And there will no longer be any curse and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it. and his slaves will serve him and they will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads. Now, since the curse is totally, completely removed in the eternal state, there's absolutely nothing now that can hinder believers' fellowship with God. That's an ongoing issue with us. Because when we have sin in our life, it breaks the intimacy of our fellowship. It doesn't change our relationship. If we placed our faith in Jesus Christ alone, he is always our God. We are always his children. The relationship is intact. But the intimacy of that relationship is not. But in New Jerusalem, again, nothing can hinder, nothing can hinder the fellowship of God because He dwells in the New Jerusalem. And that's where the throne of God, the Father and the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ is located. They reign and rule together from the city throughout all eternity because Jesus said in John chapter 10, verse 30, I and the Father are one. Again, we see the Father and the Son share the same stature and dignity, identity, authority, and being as God himself. Again, we're talking about the triune God. This is why at the end of verse three, the singular pronouns, him and his refer to both when it says, and his slaves will serve him. His slaves are us. We will serve him. Again, him and his. is a reference to both God the Father and God the Son. Let me ask you this morning, do we realize that we are no longer slaves to Satan and to sin, but we are slaves to God and to Christ and to righteousness? Again, where there's a pushback. I mean, we wanna be independent. We don't wanna be anybody's slave. And yet, we are a slave always to someone. It's either sin and Satan, or it's gonna be Christ and righteousness, either one. and whom we yield ourself as we see in Romans six. Whoever you yield yourself to obey, that's whose slave you become, even as a Christian. If we're living in sin and we're not dependent on God's grace to live above that, where he's given us that grace and enabling power to walk in the spirit so we won't fulfill the desire of the flesh, We become, again, the slave to sin, slave to Satan, in a very practical way. And as Christ's slaves, we not only belong to Him, but also we are to live to only do His will and to please Him. The word slave, doulos, is the lowest level of slave. Again, Roman Empire, they had all kinds of slaves, different levels. This is the lowest level. This is where you have no will of your own, only to do the will of your master. This is what we are. But is that true of us? Do we live only to do the Lord's will? Do we live only to please Him no matter what's going on in our life? Or do we get to the place where you hurt me and it's like gloves are off. I'm no longer committed to do what God tells me to do. I'm standing up for myself. We see this slave in 1 Corinthians chapter six, verses 19 through 20, where Paul says, or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own? You have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body. We are to do his will. We are to please Him, glorify Him. And as slaves, we're also called to serve Him, both now and throughout all of eternity. And that's what we see in this passage, that we're His slaves and we will serve Him. And it's talking about throughout all of the eternal state, throughout all of eternity. But it begins now in this life. As good stewards, we're to exercise the gifts, the talents, the resources that God has entrusted to each one of us to fulfill the unique plan that He has for you and for me. He has a plan and He has given you spiritual gifts. He has given you various talents. He's given you certain resources that are all part of that plan. 1 Corinthians 4, verse 2, we're told, in this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found faithful. 1 Peter 4, verses 10 and 11 goes on to say, as each one has received a gift, talking about spiritual gifts, employ it in serving one another, here it is, as good stewards. of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks as one speaking the oracles of God, whoever serves as one serving by the strength which God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and might forever and ever. Amen. Let me ask you, are you being a good and faithful steward? of what God has entrusted to you, to which one day all of us will give an account of the stewardship that he's given to us. Are we being good stewards? Or are we hoarding it for ourself? or trying to make our life work, to take care of ourself, that shows no real trust in the Lord and commitment to obey Him. Now as beautiful and magnificent as the New Jerusalem will be, the most glorious aspect of being there, is the privilege of experiencing perfect fellowship with the triune God. Perfect fellowship. Look again at verse four. And they will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads. Since all the redeemed are glorified and perfectly holy and righteous because of the Lord Jesus Christ, because of what he has done for us, at the cross and clothing us in his perfect righteousness. We will see his face. We will see his face. Jesus promised the greatest privilege and joy to true believers in Matthew chapter five, verse eight, when he said, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. In the only way we become pure in heart is to be able to have Christ clothe us in His righteousness. 1 John 3, verse two says, beloved, now we are children of God and it has been manifested. It has not been manifested as yet what we will be. We know that when He is manifested, we will be like Him. because we will see him just as he is. This perfect, intimate fellowship with God, again, recalls how Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden prior to their sin, and then expulsion from the Garden of Eden. But after their sin, after they sin, they disobeyed God. They feared talking with God. They hid themselves from Him, from His presence. And that has been that way ever since. Sinful man cannot see the infinitely holy God and live. And when we have sin in our life, the last thing we wanna do is get close to Him. That's why we need to keep short sin accounts. Apostle John said, 1 John 1, verses 8 and 10, if we say we have no sin, we're lying. The truth is not in us. Even as a believer, we continue to struggle with the hangover of sin. But we've got to continue to confess it. That's why sandwiched between those two verses in verse nine, if we confess our sin, he's faithful and righteous to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. What a promise. Because God wants to have that intimacy of fellowship with us as much as we can have it here. But in the eternal state, we will see him. We will see his face. This is why although Moses was God's chosen man to lead Israel, but God would not allow Moses to see His face, only His back, because of the infinite holiness of who God is. When the tabernacle was constructed and later the temple, God placed the symbol of His presence, the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies away from sinful men, no one could go behind that curtain into the Holy of Holies except the high priest only once a year. Only once a year on the Day of Atonement was he allowed to enter in to make sacrifice first for himself as a sinner and then for the sins of the people. And even though the God-man Jesus Christ was the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his nature, he was still veiled in human flesh. But Jesus is the image of the invisible God. This is why Jesus said to Philip in John chapter 14 and verse nine, have I been with you so long? You all so long that you have not come to know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, show us the Father? They had the privilege of seeing Jesus in the flesh, God himself in the flesh. And to see Jesus was to see the Father, because the two are one. And yet we're talking about seeing His face in a totally different way in the New Jerusalem. Now in the New Jerusalem, every believer has the privilege to see His face as glorified saints clothed in the righteousness of Christ. We will be able to endure the blazing glory of God's presence without being consumed. which was once impossible for sinful man. And not only will we see his face, but at the end of verse four, look what it says, and his name will be on their foreheads. And we've talked about that a number of times in Revelation. But here again, it drives home the point that we are God's personal possession. As a believer, You are God's personal possession and you belong to him. And here in the eternal state, we belong to him forever, forever. What blessed hope of eternal security is that? And then the third privilege that all citizens will enjoy is eternal reigning with Christ. Eternal reigning with Christ. Look at verse five, and there will no longer be any night. They will not have the need of the light of a lamp or the light of the sun because the Lord God will illumine them and they will reign forever and ever. John here concludes by reiterating what he's already stated earlier in chapter 21, verses 22 through 25, about the new Jerusalem needing or having no night or no need for a lamp or the need for the light of the sun, if there is one. I mean, I don't know. There may very well be a sun, but it's not the light from the sun that we need. That's not what it's talking about. Because the Lord God will illumine everything. His blazing glory that shines out throughout all of his new creation, the new heaven, the new earth. As we've already seen, that's what lights everything. Because God is light. And He illumines everything, both in the city and its inhabitants. And His glory will constantly reflect, reflect, reflect and refract through the diamond walls of the city, the crystal clear golden surfaces of the city, the river itself that is Bright as crystal, again, God's glory shines through everything. To go out to illumine the whole of the new creation. What a beautiful, what a beautiful picture of what our eternal home will look like. And throughout this God illumined new creation, we as believers will not only serve him forever, but we will also at the end of verse five, it says, and they will reign forever and ever. We've already seen where the reign of Christ begins during the earthly millennial kingdom of Christ. and that will continue on into the eternal state throughout all eternity. We will reign forever and ever with Him. Thing is, it doesn't tell us what exactly we're ruling over. It just says, we will do that. God's word doesn't answer every question that we have. And this is the fulfillment of Christ's promise in Revelation chapter three, verse 21, he overcomes, I will grant him to sit down with me on my throne. And I also, as I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne. Also in 2 Timothy chapter two and verse 12, we read, if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we will deny him, he also will deny us. Beloved, may we never forget that we are destined for the throne. We are destined for the throne. This is the ultimate fulfillment of God's original command given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, to rule over all of God's creation, which they forfeited to Satan when they listened to him and disobeyed what God told them. What a glimpse of the incredible beauty and unimaginable privileges that are waiting for each one of us in the new Jerusalem, paradise restored. May these seven categories of the city fill our hearts with comfort, with hope, with anticipation, For no matter how difficult this life may be, and I know a number of us are dealing with ongoing issues, physical issues, emotional thing. Again, we live in a fallen, sinful world. And no matter how difficult this life may be at times, we must focus on, we must look forward to the reality that one day One day, we will not only live in that glorious place, but also we will experience perfect fellowship with God the Father and with the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. We will see them face to face, serving them in fullness of joy and reigning with them forever and ever. Beloved, the best is yet to come. Don't cave in on what we're dealing with now. Tenaciously cling to that truth. The biblical story of paradise that began in the Garden of Eden ends in the eternal city of God, the new Jerusalem. but in between stands the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, which alone changes the destiny of mankind from eternal death to eternal life for all of those who will repent of their sins and believe in Jesus alone to save them from the wrath to come, which we have seen in the book of Revelation. Let me ask you, have you done that? Have you done that? If not, please don't wait. No one, no one is guaranteed tomorrow. Do today what one day you will be glad you did when you stand before the almighty judge of the universe.