Revelation 22:1-2 “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. (2) 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.”
The above passage of scripture mentions the tree of life. This is the same tree of life that God placed in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). The difference between the trees this time however, is the quantity. For although there was only one tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden, in the New Jerusalem, there will be a vast number of trees. For the passage tells us, that the trees will be all along the banks of the river of life, and we know that the river of Life will flow throughout the city. As with the street of the city, the trees of life will begin from the edge of the sea of glass, and they will end at the gates of the city. This passage also informs us that the tree of life will produce twelve different fruits, not just one. And that each month, the trees will produce a different fruit. As an aside, we can see from this passage that the new earth will continue to orbit the new sun that God will create, and that it will take twelve months to complete its orbit. This passage of scripture also implies that it will only be the saints that will be allowed to eat of the fruit of the tree, for it states that the leaves of the trees will be available for the healing of the nations. The nations referred to in this passage, are those nations that will be living outside the city walls.
Michael E.B. Maher
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