"Then I, John, say the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.... And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb..." (Revelation 21:2, 22:1-2)

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The Crystal River and the Tree of Life
Adapted from talks by the Rt. Rev. George de Charms

Do you remember the disciples who followed the Lord while He was on the earth? Long after the Lord ascended to heaven at Eastertime, John, one of the Lord’s disciples, was on an island all by himself. There he was allowed to see amazing visions of things that were happening in the spiritual world because the Lord opened his spiritual eyes. Then John wrote them down in the last book of the Word, called Revelation, so that everyone could know about these beautiful sights.

John saw a great city called the Holy City New Jerusalem. It was very, very beautiful. The Lord was going to live in this city with people, to bless them and to make them very happy. Everyone there would live forever as young, strong and healthy people. How wonderful this city is, where we may all go if we love the Lord from our hearts!

Through the middle of the beautiful city that John saw, called the New Jerusalem, there flowed a pure river of the water of the life, clear as crystal. All the rivers in heaven come from the Lord. He creates them and makes them to flow so that angels may have water and that the plants and trees may grow. And because the rivers flow forth from Him, they are completely pure and clean and give life to all things. The pure, clear river of water in the New Jerusalem is so delicious that you cannot imagine it in this world. It is able to make everyone who drinks of it live forever. The river flows down from the Lord’s throne through the Holy City.

In the middle of the streets of the city and on either side of the river which flowed through it, there grew a beautiful tree. It was a wonderful tree, unlike any that you have ever seen on this earth. It grew twelve different kinds of fruit every year, a different kind every month. Its fruit is more delicious than anything you can imagine, for everyone who eats it is filled with happiness from the Lord. The fruit not only makes the angels happy, it also makes them very wise.

Now, not only fruit grew on this tree, but also leaves, and these are also wonderful. If people really wish to fight against evil, they should take the Tree’s leaves. The leaves would give them power from the Lord to fight against evil spirits and to follow His Commandments.

What an amazing vision John saw in the spiritual world! Afterwards, he heard the Lord say, “Behold, I am coming quickly…. Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:12, 14). If you wish to taste of the fruit of that wonderful tree in the spiritual world, you must keep the Lord’s Commandments here on earth. If you do this, then when you go to heaven you will be able to enter through the gates of pearl into the golden Holy City of the New Jerusalem, and walk by the beautiful river and that wonderful tree. You will be able to taste the pure clear water and eat the delicious fruit that the Lord has prepared for you.


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