The last part of 22:2 says, “The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” In the Bible, leaves are a symbol of man’s deeds (Gen. 3:7). According to the record of the Bible, the first time man used leaves was to make a covering for himself. The leaves of the tree of life symbolize the deeds of Christ. The regenerated believers will eat the fruit of the tree of life, receiving Christ as their life and life supply inwardly, that they may enjoy the divine life for eternity. The restored nations, however, will be healed by the leaves of the tree of life, taking the deeds of Christ as their guide outwardly, that they may live the human life forever. When the nations look at the way the Lord Jesus does things and behaves Himself, His deeds will become a source of healing to them, and this healing will maintain their human life forever.
In the New Jerusalem as the holy city, all the redeemed and perfected saints will be the kings and priests. Whereas during the millennium only the overcoming believers will reign with Christ, in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth, all the saints will have been perfected and matured in God’s life and thus will be the kings reigning over the nations as the people. The New Jerusalem will actually be a body of kings and priests. All the redeemed and perfected saints from both the Old Testament and the New Testament will be a royal and priestly body ruling over the nations as kings and serving God and Christ as priests.
Those in the New Jerusalem “shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:5). The New Jerusalem will reign over the nations by its shining, for “the nations shall walk by its light” (21:24). After the millennial kingdom, a part of the nations, deceived by the devil, will rebel against the Lord and will be consumed by fire from heaven (20:7-9). The rest will be transferred to the new earth as the nations and will live around the New Jerusalem and walk by its light. They will be the peoples mentioned in 21:3 and 4.
In the new heaven and new earth for eternity, all the redeemed and perfected saints will participate in the service of God. Concerning this, the last part of 22:3 says, “His slaves shall serve Him.” The pronoun Him here refers to God and the Lamb, that is, to the redeeming God, the One whom we will serve for eternity in the New Jerusalem. To serve God and the Lamb will be a blessing to God’s redeemed in eternity.
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