One Day We Will Eat And Drink From God’s Garden

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

In this week’s lesson we take a look at God’s garden in the New Jerusalem. Why is there a garden in the new Jerusalem?

One Day We Will Eat And Drink From God’s Garden

Shared on May 18, 2025

Introduction

What’s going to be in the new Jerusalem?  What are we going to be doing in the New Jerusalem?  In this week’s Sunday School commentary, we’re going to see that there is a garden in the new Jerusalem.  What is the purpose of this garden? Why is it there? We have quite a few questions to answer in this week’s lesson.

God’s Garden in New Jerusalem

The two closing chapters of the Revelation of Christ are like an epilogue of a great book.  After the wedding of the Lamb, in Revelation 21, we’ve seen the start of a new day, where there will be no more sin and no more death.  We’ve seen that a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem will come forth.  

In Revelation 22, John continues to describe the new Jerusalem to us.  John tells us that he was shown a “pure river of water of life” (Rev. 22:1).  John saw that the river was clear as crystal, which is the complete opposite of the murky and muddy rivers we are used to.  Even more, John saw that the river flowed from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

This, again, reminds us that the dwelling place of Christ is in New Jerusalem. This, again, reminds why God’s glory fills the New Jerusalem.

On either side of the river, John said that there was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, with each tree yielding its fruit every month (Rev 22:2).  The leaves of the tree, John noted, were for the “healing of the nations”.

Now, what John is describing to us is what some often call “God’s paradise”. Personally, I like to call this place the garden of heaven, or the garden of New Jerusalem. This place is God’s heavenly garden.

A Superior Version of Eden

The garden of New Jerusalem, if you’re familiar with scripture, might remind you of Eden. 

In Genesis 2, the Eden is described as being planted by God as He made every grow in it (Gen. 2:8-9). Every tree in the garden was pleasant to the sight and could be eaten from. We’re told that in the midst of the garden stood both the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Parting the garden was a river that cut through it and watered the garden, providing nutrients (Gen. 2:10).

Man was told by God that he could freely eat from every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:16).  This shows us that Adam and Eve, while in Eden’s garden, ate in it, and likely ate from the tree of life as well. What’s interesting about this point is that Adam and Eve didn’t have to eat like how we do today.

You and I, we have to eat in order to sustain ourselves and live. We eat in such a manner as a result of Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden. Man was cursed with laboring for its food and eating in the toil of its sweat (Gen. 3:17).

Adam and Eve didn’t have to labor for any food while in the garden. Adam and Eve weren’t born into sin like all of us are today.  So, for Adam and Eve, eating was of comfort and joy. Eating didn’t sustain them as they didn’t need to be sustained. They were perfect, without flaw or blemish, until they disobeyed in the garden. It was only after their sin that they were required to eat to be able to live.  

Life in the New Jerusalem’s won’t simply be similar to what Adam and Eve experienced, it will be superior. Why is that? Well, as we’ve seen, nothing that defiles or corrupts will be permitted into New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:27).  What this mean’s is that sin won’t emerge in the garden of New Jerusalem as it did in Eden. So, we will drink the water of life, and eat from the tree of life for everlasting life in peace, comfort, and joy. Eating and drinking from God’s garden will fill us with even more joy.  

Healing in the New Day?

Now, I do find it interesting that the leaves of the tree of life have a medicinal, healing purpose.  This raises a fair question:  Who would need healing in heaven if there won’t be any sickness in the new day? You may wonder whether or not we will need healing.

The healing of these leaves, I don’t believe, will be for those of the church age. Now, why do I say that?

My reason behind this answer points to the relationship between Christ and the Lamb’s wife. First, let’s notice that the scripture states that leaves were for the healing “of the nations”. At this point in scripture, we’ve seen that those of the church age are acknowledged as the “Lamb’s wife”, not as “the nations”.

Evenmore, we must remember that we, the Lamb’s wife, are going to have an appearance like Christ, in our glorified bodies. Peter touched on this thought in 2 Peter 1:3-4.

“as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

2 Peter 1:3-4 NKJV

In 1 Corinthians 15:50-54, Paul wrote of the day when we are called to join Christ in the air. When we go to meet Christ, we are going to put off these mortal bodies and put on our true bodies – the incorruptible. Our incorruptible bodies won’t grow weary, nor weak. This, again, points to the fact that when we eat in God’s garden, we will eat simply for joy, rather than to live. And again, the incorruptible points to the fact that we won’t need healing in the new day.

So, who is it that will need healing in the new day? “The Nations”. Who are the nations?

The Nations of the New Day

Well, let’s try to remember who we’ve seen made it into the Millennial Kingdom.  We know that the angels will be a part of the Millennial Kingdom, and enter into the new day. Yet, the angels are the angels, they aren’t “the nations”. We have seen them referred to as the angels throughout the Revelation of Christ. In fact, an angel is showing John the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21:9).

We’ve seen the four living creatures, the seraphim, but again, they won’t be considered as part of the nations.  The twenty-four elders, we’ve seen, and have learned that they are representatives of the church, which also eliminates them from being a part of the nations. 

So, this leaves us with the OId Testament believers and the tribulation saints as the only potential candidates for being part of “the nations”. 

When we were introduced to the tribulation saints in Revelation 7:9, they were described as a great multitude of all nations. “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands…”

I believe “the nations”  will be the tribulation saints. 

But what about Israel, in all of us? Now, we’ve seen that those who are of Isarel, like John the Baptist, who lived before Christ are thought of as the friends of the Lamb (Matt. 9:15; John 3:29). Now, the Oldt Testament faithful have an earthly promise under the “Old Covenant”, rather than a promise of dwelling (Gen. 12:1-3, 7).

Now, some may argue that the earthly promise has already been fulfilled. Sure, Israel reached the Promised Land, but they have never dwelt in that land as God intended. From the days of Joshua, up to modern times, the Promised Land has been filled with great violence and death. One day, Israel is going to have a great deal more land to dwell in when they dwell on the new earth.

I also believe that the Tribulation Saints will set up their eternal home on the new earth as well. The reason why I say this is because New Jerusalem will be the dwelling place for the Lamb and the Lamb’s wife.

In Revelation 21:24, we’re told that “the nations”, those who are saved, will walk in New Jerusalem’s light, the light of Christ. The same verse tells us that the kings of the earth will bring their glory and honor into it, the New Jerusalem. I believe that all of the earth dwellers will be considered as kings, as the only one who will reign over them is Christ (John 10:16).  So, Revelation 21:24 is pointing out that the Old Testament believers, Israel, and the Tribulation Saints will make trips to the holy city.

Now, why will they make trips to the holy city?

Worship and Fellowship in New Jerusalem

The earth dwellers are going to come to the holy city for a couple of reasons!

Revelation 22:3 shows us that they will come to serve, or worship, the Lamb. Let’s keep in mind that New Jerusalem will also be the temple in the new day because Jesus will be the temple (Rev. 21:22).

As they come to the holy city, Revelation 22:4 shows us that they will be permitted entrance because they’ll have His name on their foreheads.  After worship, they go through God’s garden and eat its fruits and drink from the river of life. They will also eat the leaves of the tree of life to be healed.

I don’t believe this “healing” will be in a sense of healing as to how we understand healing, because again, there won’t be any sickness or death in the new day. However, the Old Testament believer and the Tribulation Saint will be different from the Lamb’s wife. As I mentioned earlier, the Lamb’s wife will have a body similar to the Lamb.

However, the Old Testament believer aren’t a part of the New Covenant. In fact, the Old Testament saints aren’t a part of the church’s resurrection. The Old Testament saints have already taken part in their resurrection (Matt. 27:51-53). Because of this, their appearance differs from the Lamb and the Lamb’s wife. I believe that this reason is another reason why they will come and eat the leaves from the tree of life.

Like the Old Testament saints, the Tribulation Saints are in the same boat. What I mean by that is that those who are saved during the great tribulation will have missed out on the resurrection of the church. Therefore, they will also come to the holy city to worship and to eat the leaves from the tree of life.

I do believe that the Old Testament saints and those of the tribulation will be holy in the new day, they will just have a different appearance. What a wonderful sight this is!  To top it all off, we’re told that the citizens of the new day will reign with Him (Rev. 22:5).  I don’t know about you but this is a sight that I want to be a part of!

Make Preparation Today

Our lesson comes to a close with the angel saying to John, “These words are faithful and true.”  Then the angel said, “Behold, I am coming quickly!  Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book (Rev. 22:7).”  The angel was not speaking about his coming, but rather, saying the words which are the words of the Lamb.

Each time we’ve seen this phrase in scripture, it serves as both a word of warning and advice.  The parable of the wise and foolish virgins speaks of what happens when one doesn’t prepare for Jesus’ coming (Matt. 25:1-13).  When Jesus spoke of a thief coming in the night, He used that to speak of His coming and how one ought to be on watch (Matt. 24:42-44).

A couple of years ago, I preached a sermon titled:  “It’s a Dressing Up Room Down Here”.  That title is a reference to a song by the same name that speaks of this day as a day of preparation for the day to come.  The day to come is the new day where sin won’t and the result of sin won’t exist.  You and I should be living in a manner to get ourselves ready for that day.

Do you believe the new day is worth your time of preparation?  I certainly believe the new day is worth the effort of living in obedience.  I believe being a citizen of the new and holy Jerusalem is worth the effort of living in obedience.  I believe eating the fruit from the tree of life and drinking from the river of life is worth the effort of living in obedience.  I believe walking the streets of gold is worth the effort of living in obedience.

If you believe the new day is worth the effort, then continue watching and waiting for Christ.  Continue to be diligent in your living by keeping heaven, the new day, on your mind.