“I saw no
temple therein: for the Lord God, the Almighty and the Lamb are the temple
thereof. And that city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine
upon it, for the glory of God lightens it, and the throne of God and the Lamb
are therein: and his servants shall do Him service, and
they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads.” [G.
Vos using excerpts from Revelation chapters 21 & 22]
“…and they
shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads.” This is a quote of Revelation 22:4. What
does this image say to you? Ponder what seeing the Face of God is like…as best
you can. Consider having the name of God and the Lamb on your forehead – what
does this imagery convey? What might this say about our minds and our thoughts?
What does the Bible teach us about the importance of a name? What do Biblical
names often convey?
The Scriptures begin
with God creating man in His own image, they conclude with redeemed man being
transformed into His Image, the Image of His Son (Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:10).
However we may understand the original condition of Adam and Eve, we are not
looking to return to that condition, but rather we are looking for Jesus Christ
and transformation, by His grace, into His beloved image. This is our
individual calling, and it is our calling as His Bride, His Temple, His Church.
Even the Tree of Life is transformed from Genesis to Revelation, going from the
image of one Tree, to an image of one Tree with many expressions, and yet
remaining one Tree (Rev. 22:2; John 12:24). Consider the aspen tree, which
propagates via its root system. Some aspen trees are among the largest organisms
on earth – this is a picture of John 15 on a grand scale, “I am the Vine, you
are the branches.”
The image of the
Tree of Life in Rev. 22:2 can be confusing, for it first appears as if there
are many trees, “on either side of the river was the tree of life,” but when we
realize that this is one Tree reaching back to Genesis, one Tree which has
fallen into the ground and died, one Tree which has come forth in resurrection
life, one Tree which has brought us into Himself, one Tree which has placed His
life in us…well, when we begin to ponder these things, we not only begin to
anticipate our glorious future inheritance, but we also begin to see how we
should live today in Jesus Christ…abiding in Him as His life abides in us.
To be heavenly
– minded is to seek the Face of God, and to have His Name progressively
unfold in our hearts and minds and souls. Consider the context of the following
words of Jesus:
“The eye is the
lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of
light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If
then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew
6:22 – 23).
What comes
before this passage? “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…but
store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where you treasure is, there
your heart will be also.”
What comes after
Matthew 6:22 – 23? “No one can serve two masters…”
Cultivating a
clear, sincere, and single eye for the Trinity, for the Face of God, for the
Name of God, is our calling. We should not be surprised that we are called to enter
the narrow gate to find eternal life (Matthew 7:13 – 14). Can we hear Jesus
saying, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8)?
How are we
responding to Revelation 22:4? How is this image and hope working and living within
us? Is our pilgrimage one in which our eye becomes clearer and clearer as we
behold our Lord Jesus Christ? Are we becoming a people of the narrow gate? Are
we storing up treasures in heaven in Christ? Are our hearts loving God and
serving Him exclusively? Is Jesus Christ our one true Master?
Are we living as
men and women of that City we see in Revelation chapters 21 and 22?
No comments:
Post a Comment