Di River of Life

You hear am? Water wey dey run. E clear and e bright, e dey sparkle like crystal. For im banks, trees wey fruit full well well. And di light. Light dey everywhere, and e no dey ever fade.

You remember how di Bible start? For one garden, for Eden. One river flow comot from there to water di garden, and for di middle, di tree of life grow. But when people turn away from God, dem must leave di garden, and dem close di road to di tree of life. Since dat time, di Bible don dey tell di long story of how God go bring im people come back home. Now, for di very end of di book of Revelation, di last chapter of di whole Bible, dem show John new heaven, new earth, and one holy city. And one angel show am one last wonderful sight.

And e show me one pure river of di water of life, clear like crystal, wey dey flow comot from di throne of God and of di Lamb. Di river no come from spring for mountain, or from snow wey dey melt. E dey flow straight from God throne. Life itself, wey dey pour comot from God. E run pass for di middle of di big street of di city. And for each side of di river, John see di tree of life. Di same tree wey grow for Eden, now e dey grow for both banks, open to everybody. E dey bear twelve kinds of fruit, new fruit every month. No cold season. No empty branches. Always enough.

And di leaves of di tree na for di healing of di nations. Think about everything wey don go wrong between di peoples of di world: war, injustice, hatred, sorrow. Here, di nations don heal. And then John talk, curse no go dey again. Di sorrow wey enter di world since di time of Genesis don go, finish. Di throne of God and of di Lamb go dey inside di city, and im servants go serve am. And dem go see im face. For di Old Testament, God even tell Moses say e no fit see God face and still live. But now God people go look am, face to face, and im name go dey for dia forehead, because dem belong to am.

And night no go dey there. No darkness. No fear of darkness. Dem no go need di light of lamp, or even di light of di sun. Because di Lord God go give dem light. God imself na dia light. And dem go reign forever and ever. Na there di whole Bible story don dey go. From one garden to one city. From one river for Eden to one river from di throne. From one tree wey dem shut people out from, to one tree wey open to every nation. From to hide from God among di trees, to see im face. Di first pages and di last pages fit together, like di two ends of one rainbow.

John vision dey echo di prophet Ezekiel, wey live as exile for Babylon around six hundred years before. Ezekiel see one river wey dey flow comot from di temple, e dey deep pass as e dey go, and e dey bring life anywhere wey e reach. For im banks, trees grow wey dey bear fruit every month, and dia leaves na for healing. For people wey dey far from home, wey dem don destroy dia temple, na picture of hope.

Di river of life. You go find am for Revelation chapter twenty-two, verse one reach verse five, where di Bible end as e take start, with one river, one tree, and God with im people. From Genesis reach Revelation, na one story, and e end inside light. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Which part of di future wey God promise you dey look forward to pass, and how dat hope fit shape di way you dey live today?