Revelation 22:1-2

"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
Revelation 22:1-2


Apparently there will still be water and trees.  Cool water, and cool trees... I like how there are 12 different kinds of fruit on one tree.  You don't usually get that variety. :) Plus the tree of life, standing there, available... that is amazing.  I think of "water of life" used just like "tree of life" ... and that water seems very significant. ... Even better, later in this chapter it says "And let him that is athirst come.  And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." ... There are similar verses scattered throughout the scriptures, but I love this one where in the same chapter where it talks about the source of the water, it invites people to partake of it.  It seems more than symbolic that way... and can you imagine what the "water of life" would taste like?  Wow... probably never have anything as wonderful and thirst-quenching as that. :) I'm looking forward to it.

Revelation 21:23-25

"And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there."
Revelation 21:23-25


More incredible stuff from Revelation. ... I love the sun, but I like the whole idea of not even needing it because God and Christ are there. :) And the whole "there shall be no night there" is almost as huge as there being no sea. :) ... Can you imagine it being light all the time? I'm guessing at that point we'll have overcome the need to sleep, so it won't be annoying. :) But who knows. Maybe the light from God is never annoying anyway, even while you are trying to sleep.  :) ... I think that some of this seems so far from reality that it is stunning... but that is good in a way. We really need to connect with God on a personal and understandable level, but we also really need to see that there is so much more there.  So much more power, and difference between God and us, and so much more that we think is necessary to our lives that really isn't... I mean, seriously... no ocean, and no need of the sun?  That really makes other things that we think we need... cars, money, cell phones, candy bars... really pale.  And it highlights the fact that what we REALLY really really *really* need is God.  God will be our sun.  He means we probably won't miss the ocean. ... Having him there and learning the things that we need to learn will make all of these changes make sense... move from unimaginable to logical and comprehensible.  Just like smaller changes we go through every day.  Death.  Pain.  Isolation.  So many things.  If God can handle the sea and the sun being gone, he can probably handle ANYTHING that we ask him for help with. ... And it does kind of put into perspective when we ask him for help finding the keys, doesn't it? The fact that he helps us find them, when he can control the universe... that's pretty cool.  He loves us SO much.

Revelation 21:1

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."
Revelation 21:1


This just boggles the mind, doesn't it?  My mind can almost get around the new heaven and the new earth... goes along with the theme of resurrection, renewal... baptism even. Everything clean and new and perfect.  I love that idea, that image.  But the sea?  GONE?  Wow.  That is *crazy* ... or, not crazy, because God always knows what he is doing, but what I mean is, mind-blowing.  Hard to even imagine. ... Like Tatooine? :) But it can't be like that with just sand dunes... has to be perfect and beautiful.  So, I don't have an answer on how to imagine it, but ... wow.  There are so many cool things in Revelation, even though there are a lot of scary things too.  And I think that is what we should try to get out of today.  Bad things are going to happen, not just in Revelation and the huge last days stuff, but just in everyday life.  But all of it is for a reason, and all of it can teach us something.  And if we can hang in there and look for the lesson instead of giving up or shutting down everything but necessary functions... if we can find a way to stay engaged and still listen to God even through the hard times, we'll learn SO much... and in the end, so many cool things will happen and the wonders that we will see and experience will be incredible.  We learn line upon line, and we're slowly being taught to expect the incredible... to believe in things that we can't even imagine now.   We just have to stay awake and focused, even when it is easy to blank things out because they are new or hard to cope with.

Revelation 11:18

"And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."
Revelation 11:18


Wow. I think that judgement day scares me, and reading about all of these things in Revelation that happen at "the end" is kind of scary too. I don't know that I am ready to be judged yet... so I'd better get on it. :) ... What stood out to me in this one though was the "destroy them which destroy the earth" part. Wow. That seems huge. And which of us don't contribute to the destruction of the earth in some way? Seems like our society has gotten more and more lax about littering and we do oil spills and dump poisons into rivers and lakes and the ocean all the time... clog up the air... landfills everywhere. I just moved to New York City, and it is interesting and great in some ways, yes, but it is also incredibly dirty. You can't take a step without seeing garbage and filth lying in the street or down on the subway tracks, or just in the middle of the sidewalk. Today, let's do what we can to respect the earth, and try not to contribute to her destruction. ... Then maybe we can avoid our own. :)

Revelation 11:6-7

"These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them."
Revelation 11:6-7


I thought these verses were interesting taken together.  They are talking about the two prophets that will come in the last days to Jerusalem and in the first verse it talks about their incredible power.  They can do all of the things that Moses could do, for instance... so many amazing things that you would think that would convince anyone that they were from God.  Except that they won't be here to win in that way.  They are here to give their testimonies... kind of like Abinadi, and then in the second verse as it says... they will be overcome and killed.  The "win" doesn't come until four verses later, when after their bodies have lain in the streets for three and a half days with people rejoicing over their deaths, they are resurrected in front of everyone, and ascend into heaven. ... The whole last battle thing always overwhelms me when I read about it, but in particular, it seems so amazingly patient of God to do things this way... and patient of his servants as well.  I guess I'm used to the stories where good triumphs over evil, usually by superior power.  Yeah, not at first... but usually before the good guys die in the street.  And we know that God *has* superior power, so why not just come in and ... win? ... Obviously a lot goes on here in mortality that he wants to allow.  We need to make choices, and have freedom, and give people a chance to change.  And so a lot of good people are out there prophesying and crying repentance, and the miracles don't come until later.  People suffer for God's sake and are taken to heaven.  And hey... Heaven I would say is worth it. :) For me today, what it means is that we don't always get the instant win.  God isn't going to step in and solve things for us in many cases.  Sometimes we're going to have to suffer, even when we are *clearly* in the right and the other person obviously in the wrong... because that isn't the way life works.  Good will eventually triumph over evil, but sometimes that doesn't happen until after our bodies lie in the street for a while. ... and that is okay.  God *still* knows what he is doing.  Choosing good rather than evil is STILL right. It just means we have to be a little bit more patient.  Being righteous doesn't always mean a big payoff in this life, but it does mean eternal happiness.  It does mean that our lives are a success.  It is always the right thing to do.  But today, let's not try to expect the win and the justification... because sometimes the other side wins anyway, at least for now.  It takes patience to wait on God's timing, but he knows what he is doing, and how to ensure justice and mercy for us all.
Remember in the Book of Mormon when the Anti-Nephi-Lehis who had sworn not to fight anymore were kneeling on the ground, and the bad guys came through and killed zillions of them anyway, without one of them fighting back? ... How many people were brought to the church that day?  Way more than the number that died.  Sometimes people have to see cruelty and vulnerability as they really are before they turn around. ... So today, no matter whether we're winning or losing, let's stay on the Lord's side. Whatever happens, it will always be for the best in the end.

Doctrine and Covenants 111:11

"Therefore, be ye as wise as serpents and yet without sin; and I will order all things for your good as fast as ye are able to receive them. Amen."
Doctrine and Covenants 111:11


I love this verse. So interesting. I like that God wants us to be wise. I think that there is a bias out there sometimes that goes something like "when people believe in Religion, they obviously aren't thinking straight" or "religious people are ignorant" or something along those lines... but here, God tells us very clearly that he wants us to think... he wants us to be wise. And you *can* think and gain wisdom and knowledge and all of those things, and still be righteous. Wise as serpents and yet without sin... love it. :) And the second part is equally cool, because, really, what is it but God telling us that if we do things the right way, the world really *does* revolve around us sometimes? :) As soon as we are ready for them, things will fall into place... if we are righteous and prepared. Sounds amazing, doesn't it? So, let's work on those things today... being wise, righteous, and prepared. :)

Revelation 3:20

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
Revelation 3:20


You know, this makes things sound so simple... and maybe they are a lot more simple than we sometimes think.  God is always seeking to hang out with us.  He isn't even just waiting for us to come to him... he has already come to us, and he is knocking at the door, waiting for our answer.  We don't have to go searching for the spirit... we don't have to travel, trying to find God.  All we have to do is *listen* ... and let him in.  Not saying that both of these things are not hard in their own ways.  Sometimes with all of the distractions around us, it is hard for us to focus, hard to hear God through the extraneous everything that we let into our minds. ... And even harder sometimes to get the door open with the blockades and coils of barbed wire that we set sometimes to guard ourselves from the outside. :) ... But just knowing that those are the only two tasks, perhaps that can give us some hope... and also, with practice, it is easier.  Learning how to relax, to let go of our preoccupations, to find the soft knocking amongst the loud distractions.  We learn to hear God just like we can sometimes hear the voice of a friend amidst the jumbled cacophony of a crowd.  Easier, again, with practice, to let down our guard, to open the door to a friend.  Let's try to listen today, and answer the door, so that we can have God with us throughout this day.

Revelation 3:17-19

"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."
Revelation 3:17-19

One of my favorites, actually.  I love the first verse especially because it is pointing out to us that often we don't see ourselves truly.  We don't know how far we have to go, and sometimes we settle for what we are now, when we could grow and learn so much more.  Going on to the next verse, I think it tells us a little bit about how to get out of that false-contented state.  We need to keep looking for heavenly treasures rather than Earthly ones.  We should be seeking for things that really matter eternally rather than just things that make this life more comfortable.  And in the third verse, he tells us that he will rebuke and chasten us because he cares.  Just as we need trials, we sometimes need that chastening.  It reminds us where we need to go, and that we still need to grow and learn. ... Now with all of this, I really don't think that God wants us freaking out or hating ourselves.  That isn't the point.  The point is, rather, that when the trials and chastening come, we should act accordingly.  We should place value in our lives on the things the Lord values, and not be complacent thinking we are perfect as is.  We need to remember that we are God's students, God's children, and we haven't grown up or graduated yet... not for a long time.  No self-hatred... just continued self-improvement. :)

1 Peter 1:7-9

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."
1 Peter 1:7-9


This scripture struck me a few days ago, reading it in a hotel room while I was waiting for my stuff to get here to New York.  It's been harder to adjust that I thought it would be, and I was looking for something... I think God and I thought this was the right thing to do before I came, but it has been hard to recapture that feeling. ... Anyway, so I opened up the scriptures to this... and talking about the trial of your faith being more precious than gold got me thinking.  Yeah... it would be really nice to be back in my comfort zone, but if you think about it... how else do we learn some of the big lessons but by getting OUT of our comfort zones?  You can't learn to do new things without a little bit of discomfort and risk. ... And even when the trial is huge... one of the "tried with fire" ones... that just means you can handle, and therefore learn, a lot more. ... Or so it seems. :)  It doesn't immediately solve anything.  Not being able to get my home computer up is still frustrating, and not having a car and an easy way to get to and from stores, etc. is hard to get used to, but it's just like the scripture says.  It is more precious than gold in the same way we believe in Christ.  We haven't seen him, but we still have faith that he is there, and rejoice in that belief. ... We don't have to see exactly where every trial is heading beforehand to know that we'll learn something great, and be stronger and more refined afterward. :)  And the huge part is at the end... the end of our faith is the salvation of our souls. ... Now, my example is sort of wimpy.  I don't think that going without a car (poor me) is going to lead to my salvation. :) ... But you get the idea in general.  Trials are precious to us because they are the impetus to learning and change that we need in order to grow and change and eventually get to salvation.  Agreed... safer and easier to stay within the comfort zone, but that's why we need trials.  To wake us up and help us learn new things.  Let's try to remember how precious they are to us, even while we're in the middle of them. :)