阅读经文 

在这里，我们有两幅非常相似的图画：一条从神那里流出来的河——河的两边的树每月都会结出果子。启示录中的这幅图画是对以西结书中名为“主在那里”的城市异象的提醒和补充，其中生命之水和生命之树交融在一起。

请注意，生命树已经不只是一棵树，而是在河两岸的许多树，仿佛一路上所有充满希望的时刻都聚集在一起，成为一个充满希望的果园；走在这个花园城市里的人不只是被洒了点水，或只是浅浅地涉水，而是沉浸在神的同在中——获得整全、得到医治，聚集在宝座周围，对神所做的一切充满感激和惊奇。

这一切的重点是要沉浸在神的同在中，歌唱每一件事到最后都会变成好的了，这一切是多么奇妙的事。

今天可能很难——对我们当中的一些人来说真的很难——但如果我们现在以祷告的心想象它，我们也会开始体验到天堂的喜乐，因为我们渴望生活在完美的花园城市里，在那里我们能够认识和享受上帝。

愿“主耶稣的恩典与神的子民同在。阿们。”

Here we have two very similar pictures of a river flowing from God—and on each side of the river the trees bear fruit every month. The picture in Revelation is a reminder and a completion of Ezekiel's vision of the city called "The Lord Is There," in which the waters of life and the tree of life mingle together.

Notice that the tree of life is not just one tree anymore but many trees on both sides of the river, as if all of the hope-filled moments along the way are gathered together into an orchard of hope, and the people who walk in this garden city are not just sprinkled, and are not merely wading, but are immersed in the presence of God—whole, healed, and gathered around the throne with gratitude and wonder at all that God has done.

The point of all this is to revel in God's presence and to sing out how amazing it is that everything will turn out well in the end.

It might be hard today—really hard for some of us—but even as we prayerfully imagine it now, we begin to experience the joy of heaven as we long to live in the perfect garden city where we are able to know and enjoy God.

May "the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen."