Revelation 22: River & Trees of Life, All Israel in the Holy of Holies of ☧

Rev. Rolf Preus, pastor of Trinity-Sidney & St. John-Fairview, Montana, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 22.

“On either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month.” As the final chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22 takes us back to the beginning. By the tree of the Cross, Eden’s tree of life is restored in the heavenly Jerusalem.

Yet the “river of the water of life” from Ezekiel’s vision also runs through the city streets. The 1400 mile–wide Jerusalem is not just a city, but one giant temple. More than that, the entire city is the Holy of Holies itself: in ☧ the High Priest, the whole twelvefold people of God are constantly in the immediate presence of God, an eternal Day of Atonement for all sins. Longing for this future, we cry “Come, Lord Jesus!” Yet we can go to this heaven every Sunday: every time we gather in ☧ for the Divine Service, heaven comes to us, as it did for John.

Thy Strong Word is a daily in-depth study of the books of the Bible with host Rev. AJ Espinosa and guest pastors from across the country. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation and produced by the LCMS Office of National Mission.