How the Story Ends
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 its, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads… and they shall reign forever and ever.
Revelation 22:1–4
The French word denouement is used to describe the final peaceful resolution to a drama. And as we read novels and watch films, we are quite unsatisfied if there is no final resolution. It may only be three pages or three minutes long, but it is terribly important to us. And this is the way God has made our hearts: the human soul longs for the assurance that all things work out in the end.
What we have in these final words of Revelation is not merely man attempting to give an answer to this desire, but God Himself answering the question that our hearts raise: will everything turnout alright?
A singular throne: In our efforts to make sense of what our minds struggle with, we have used the term Trinity to describe God. One of the clearest expressions of the Trinity — the great Three in One — is in the baptismal formula at the end of Matthew’s gospel: “Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). The word “name” is singular, and the Father, the Son, and the Spirit all share that Name. And it is rightfully said to be the name “of” each.
But if we expect to see three thrones in heaven, we are wrong. There is only One throne and if is the throne of God and of the Lamb. There is no divided rule in heaven, nor divided praise, nor divided parties — one praising the Father, another praising the Son, another praising the Spirit. There is One and only One throne and the perfect love that has bound the Father and Son in perfect unity shall bind them for all eternity.
Paul wrote that the Son “who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God” (Phil. 2:6). On the night of His betrayal and arrest Christ prayed to the Father and said, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:4–5). So there is one throne and One seated on the throne.
I believe the only God we shall ever see is Jesus, God the Son. Christ said, “He who has seen Me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9), and that is as true in heaven as it is here on earth. Our Savior shall fully satisfy our hearts and being the One and Only, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Perfect love: The Son prayed to the Father also on that night of His betrayal, “O righteous Father, the World has not known You, but I have known You, and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it that the love with which You loved me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26) — the last intimate teachings of Christ to His disciples before His crucifixion.
And in these words are summed up the plan of God for the redeemed, that we may live forever in the reality of His eternal and perfected love. Here it is described as “seeing His face.” In Matthew 18:10, Christ said that even the least of the saints on earth have angels that “see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” The idea is one of constant access, and borrows the imagery of ancient courts, where to see the king’s face meant to gain support and approval and favor whenever necessary. Nothing shall banish us or bar us or limit our access to our God in heaven.
Eternal Healing and Life: This means perfect life and healing as well. After humanity sinned, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, “lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” (Gen. 3:22) — and it is assumed to mean “live forever in his fallen condition” — but there in heaven there is not just one tree of life but they are everywhere, on both sides of the river that flows through the middle. It is a description of plenty, of life in abundance, and of eternal healing of our hearts and life. They bear not just one fruit a year, but twelve, meaning that they are always and forever bearing fruit.
It will never be the case that our hearts will be divided again, that we will be estranged from the eternal love of God, or that we will be removed from those things that give life and healing to our souls. We will not wake up one day in heaven, five thousand years from now, and remember how cruelly and dispassionately we were treated here on earth, or now meanly we treated others, so that sadness would disturb our hearts. Rather the assurance of our salvation, the healing of our inner wounds, the divisions in our souls shall all be completely healed, resolved, and done so eternally.
How precious are these words to our souls. How wonderful to read them, to know this assurance in our hearts, and to leave our eternity into the hands of God. As we age on earth we worry about our retirement here, whether we will have enough to live on, whether we will leave enough for our children — but earthly retirement lasts only a few years at the most. What our hearts really need is the assurance of heaven, for there is where we will be eternally.
As Christ said, “Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). Trust in God’s perfect provision for all eternity.
