THE GLORIFIED STATE -- Tomorrow:
"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and 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: and they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God." (Rev 22:1-9)
Devotion 5 of 33
"Proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb."
John sees a vision of the river of the water of life – a vivid depiction of the ongoing nature of life in he presence of God. Its source is the throne of God and of the Lamb. That is, it is the extension of their Persons, and the issuing forth of the life they have within themselves.
This flow of sustaining life will come directly from the Lord, without secondary means. It will not be filtered through any other person or means. In this world, revelation comes through appointed means. Even the book of Revelation was given by God through Jesus, through and angel, through John (1:1). Everyone brought to faith is given a "minister," some individual through whom the knowledge of the truth came. As it is written, "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?" (1 Cor 3:5). Those who think they can ignore these ministers and still be ready to meet the Lord have been sorely deceived.
God has also appointed the Scriptures as a means to sustain spiritual life. As it is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt 4:4). And again, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Rom 15:4). Any notion that we can adequately prepare for glory independently of the Scriptures is nothing less than an imagination, to be cast down with our spiritual weaponry. When one ponders the remarkable degree of Scriptural illiteracy that exists within the professing church, this is a most arresting consideration!
The saints themselves are a rich source of benefit to one another. It is through them that Jesus ministers, bringing life-sustaining supplies to His people. As it is written, "the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow" (Col 2:19, NIV). The various members of the body are essential for spiritual growth. They have been placed in the body precisely where God wants them, and endued with a measure of faith that enables them to effectively minister to one another (1 Cor 12:18,22-27; Rom 12:3-6). If you are ever tempted to think you can make it to glory by ignoring kindred saints God has placed in your path, you have simply been seduced by the devil. Nothing God gives can be treated as unnecessary.
Thus, in this world, we are provided access to the truth through INDIRECT means, as well as directly between our spirits and the Holy Spirit. The reason for this provision can be traced to the impact of sin upon our persons. Thus, ministers of truth, the Scriptures, and the body of Christ have been given to assist us in laying hold on the truth.
This will not be the case in glory. We will have direct access to the truth, with no need for it to pass through another before it comes to us. The abundant things of God will all be within our reach.
Thus John's first exposure to the blessed state of the redeemed finds them in a state of Divine abundance. What they have tasted in this world will be expanded in the world to come. The appetite created and sustained by grace through faith will be thoroughly satisfied, and will be no spiritually arid places. It will all be accomplished in an intensely personal environment with no restrictions or limitation. Everything will be within reach.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the prospect of deliverance from deserts, all forms of deprivation, and the hindering influence of these vile bodies.