The service of the city Revelation 22v3-5.
"And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His face: and His name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light; and they shall reign forever and ever."
These closing verses, describing the eternal city, bring before us something unique in the whole of scripture: the merging together of two distinct words for "service". "His servants(doulos-the word for work service) shall serve(latreuo, the word for temple service) Him. What this indicates in a very wonderful way, that we shall be permanently, and constantly engaged in holy temple service, because we shall be close to God forever. There will be no inactivity, rather glorious occupation,. The verses give us a clue as to the nature of this service. Our constant(doulos), and holy(latreuo) service will be in the context of:
- No more curse. The curse of sin, which affected the whole earth (Genesis 3v17-18, Romans 8v19-21); all the animals(Genesis 3v14); and all human beings(Genesis3v16-19), will be removed. That curse was the decay and ultimate death of everything; this will be no more. No more degradation, no more corruption, no more waning of energy, ,living and serving the Lord in the full bloom of youth, in the powwer of an endless life! It is all too wonderful for us to imagine here and now.
- The throne of God and of the lamb shall be in it. No possibility of any breakdown, because the Sovereign God is in total control. The repeated reference to the Lamb (21v22,21v23,,21v27,22v1,22v3), is a blessed reminder is that this control is in the hands of One who loved us unto death, and so it will be a worry-free service.
- They shall see His face. It will be intimate servie. Not everyone will see the face of God. The bible is clear that God can never be seen face to face(1 Timothy 6v17; John 1v18). Not man, not angel(Isaiah6v2). Job says in26v14, "Lo, these are parts of His ways, behold how little a portion is heard of Him...." God remains invisible, inscrutable, yet He brings certain ones into intimacy with Himself, as close as is possible. One such was Jacob(Genesis 32v30); Moses(Exodus 33v11.) This is an experience that will be known by all believers (Matthew 5v8; 1John 3v2 "we shall see Him as He is", we shall see God in Christ, and now here in Revelation 22v4 we shall serve Him in closest intimacy as it is possible to be!
- His name shall be on their foreheads. This signifies Divine ownership, and points to the fact that His service will be at the very forefront of our eternal existence. It also speaks of a position of great honour, in that we shall carry His brandmark forever.
- There shall be no night there. No limitation of time, no need for sleep, nothing that speaks of darkness, only eternal day.Unbroken, unsullied service forever! No need of the candle for service in the dark, no need of the sun, for ser ice in the light. There is one who illuminates our way, the Lord God Himself.
- They shall reign forever and ever. Our service shall be enhanced by kingly status. Any service is more effectual, and more productive, when it is glorified by Divine status. God alone will determine the level of standing we have in that glorious kingdom, and what He graciously bestows, will add weight to the service
In summary: Undying service, loving service, holy service, intimate service, eternal service, and honourable service!!
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