THE GLORIFIED STATE
"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 8 of 33
" . . . which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month."
In sharp contrast with the cyclical nature of life in the flesh, a continual spiritual crop will be yielded in glory. There will be no famine, drought, reduction of benefits, or cessation of fruitage – ever, or in any sense. Because such an condition contradicts our experience in this world, the revelation paints a picture of continuity that will allow us to get a more firm grasp on the truth. This is not intended to be an exact representation of the realities of glory, but is rather a proclamation of their nature, or characteristics.
First, observe that the fruit is diverse. The King James Version reads, "twelve manner of fruits." The New King James Version says, "twelve fruits." The New American Standard Bible and New Revised Standard Version read, "twelve kinds of fruits," and the New International Version reads, "twelve crops of fruit." You can see that there is some difficult translating the thought of the text, for it speaks of something that is totally outside the circumference of experience in this world. There is no such thing in nature as a tree that produces twelve differing kinds of fruit. Here, in this world, a tree is noted by its fruit, for the fruit itself is singular and unique. When we speak of glory, however, we are dealing with a realm of remarkable complexity and variety. Here we are dealing with fulness, while in this world we deal with parts, fragments, and firstfruits.
Ezekiel's vision spoke in precisely the same manner. "On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, BECAUSE the water for them flows from the sanctuary" (Ezek 47:12, NKJV). The words "twelve manner" in the Revelation is equivalent to "all kinds" of Ezekiel's vision. This speaks of thoroughness, with nothing lacking at any time. This completeness is owing to what proceeds forth from the throne of God – "from the sanctuary."
The bearing of fruit "every month" signifies the absence of seasons. As in nature, so it is in grace. There are seasons – times when spiritual fruit flourishes, and times when it does not. In this world, God's people must learn to "abound AND to suffer need" (Phil 4:12). That is the nature of spiritual life in this world. But it will not be so in the world to come. There will be no fall, when the leaf begins to wither, and life begins to wane. Nor, indeed, will there be winter, when deadness returns.
In glory, life will be experientially and discerningly sustained. In this world, our blessed Lord sustains our lives according to His promise: "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Heb 13:5). However, this is not always apparent, though it is always there for faith to grasp. Sometimes the most spiritual of all live on the very border of despair. Paul once wrote, "For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life" (2 Cor 1:8). Again, he wrote of an experience he had in prison. "For indeed he (Epaphroditus) was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow" (Phil 2:27).
During such times, the sensitive soul cries out to God, "Show Thyself!' (Psa 94:1). But in the world to come, no such cry will ever be heard! There will be obvious and accessible provision, with no season of scarcity. Praise the Lord for such marvelous promises!
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the anticipation of a time when there will be no more cycles, no more ups-and-downs, and no more deficiency.