The Heavenly Life
D. Davies. Revelation 22:3-4 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:… HEAVENLY BLESSEDNESS CONSISTS OF SERVICE. Even the angels excel in strength to do His commandments. We shall never get beyond that. The highest blessedness consists in being beneficently useful and reverently obedient. Our aim should not be to become ornamental, but to render perfect service. To serve God without imperfection, without the frailty of this human nature of ours, without the sin that mixes up here with our divinest things; that is the highest ambition of every true servant of God. The truth emphasised here is the advancement of the true servant into higher spheres of service. This is just what heaven will do for us. It will not take away from us the opportunity or capacity for service, it will only ennoble and exalt all. Who of us will not begin to serve Him here? Never mind where you begin. It may be in the back kitchen, or in the scullery, in God's great house. You may not be required to take a prominent or honourable part in it; go on and do the little work you have to do — do it well, and according to the fidelity of your service shall be your progress, until at last you shall enter into the highest celestial meaning of a service that began amid earthly infirmities and human sin. II. The Lord's servants shall have not only exaltation in service, but also FULNESS OF VISION — "And they shall see His face." This clear vision of God is spoken of by Our Lord Himself as the reward of purity. "The pure in heart shall see God." The obedient spirit is the seeing one. "The doer must ever be the true seer. The only way in which you can see Him face to face is to take the path which He has taken. III. HIS NAME SHALL BE UPON THEIR FOREHEADS. The face of God seems always to represent the revelation of Him by vision, and His name the revelation of Him by testimony. In our text, those who see His face are represented as bearing HIS impress, and carrying the sign of ownership upon their foreheads. The forehead is that part of the face expressive of strength. (D. Davies.) Parallel Verses KJV: And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: WEB: There will be no curse any more. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants serve him.