THE GLORIFIED STATE

                   
"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.  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. 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. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 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. 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. Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.  Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me, See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."  (Revelation 22:1-9, NKJV)

Devotion 1 of 25

INTRODUCTION

Before concluding the remarkable vision recorded in the Revelation, the Holy Spirit sets the glory that awaits us before the eyes of our hearts. He does not provide an academic explanation of the glorified state, for the glory transcends human language. Thus, no descriptions are given such as those relating to Canaan, the promised land (Gen 15:18-21; Ex 23:31; Num 34:3-15; Deut 11:24). We do not read of borders and other external reference points. Rather, the Spirit addresses the heart, speaking of matters for which faith causes us to long. This is heart language, and if we work on believing the text instead of understanding it, a sense of its grandeur will burst upon us. It speaks more to our spiritual intuition than to our intellect. Even so, when once the our hearts are touched by this message, our minds will be able to think upon it in a productive and beneficial way.

The language that is used obtains its power to those engaged in the good fight of faith. It has little or no significance to anyone else. Think of  the words that will be accentuated: "life," "healing," "no more curse," "serve Him," "see His face," "no night there," and "reign forever." All of these expressions presume we are engaged in a fierce conflict in which liabilities and hindrances in these areas exist. They also emphasize that our present experience does not allow the fulness of these things that we desire, and for which we long. They are held out to us to ensure our hearts our labor is not in vain in the Lord. Thus they provide strong incentives to fight the fight of faith, wrestle against principalities and powers, and run the race set before us.

Through the Spirit, and by means of our faith, we are developing a hearty appetite for the very things now held before us. This is not a mere academic exercise something to be outlined, placed in prioritized order, and codified. At least two things are accentuated by this text. First, what is ahead for the saints is an enlargement of the very experiences faith has, in the first fruits sense, brought to us now. Second, the Holy Spirit is culturing within our hearts a yearning for these very things. The more we walk in the Spirit, the more we come to desire these coming realities.

It should be apparent to you that none of these things are of value to the institutional mind – i.e., the frame of spirit that associates every aspect of spiritual life with a religious institution or mindset. Too, they deal with lofty experience – life in the heavenly places. They lift us above mere human associations into spiritual ones. The common denominator that gives great value to them is not domestic life, institutional involvements, or other aspects of social life in this world. In fact, unless the individual is living by faith, all of these glorious affirmations appear irrelevant. They are more "pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by," having little to do with "where the rubber hits the road," so to speak. That is how unbelievers view these things. But for those who believe – all of them – there is a sweet and melodious sound in these precious words.

God's people must not allow their religion to take them where any affirmation of the Spirit becomes pointless! Who is not aware of the disturbing reality that countless religious gatherings never assist those attending them to come within the perimeter of Divine influence. They are more soulish than spiritual, and do not prepare the heart for deep involvements with Deity. Those so ensnared will find no lasting value in the text before us. They have been robbed by their religion – a most tragic condition.

The things to which we will now be exposed cannot be concluded by logical thinking. Rather, they are matters that must be revealed: i.e., "He SHOWED me . . . " The glorified state is so marvelous it exceeds all human abilities to imagine or think. These things are not the conclusions of a logical process of though, but revelations from the God of heaven. Yet, they are altogether true and comforting. Yea, they are essential for the believer, and no child of God can do without them.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You in the name of Jesus, for speaking so marvelously about the things that await us in glory.

– Tomorrow: THE PROMISE OF GLORY –