Advent, Day 19: Behold

“They will hunger no more and thirst no more;
    the sun will not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat,
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

—Revelation 7:16–17

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true, for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

 “See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

—Revelation 22:1–7

LOOK: The Supper of the Lamb by Wayne Forte

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In this eschatological painting by Wayne Forte, the slain and risen Lamb reopens Eden, welcoming us all to the feast. He holds a palm branch, symbol of the martyr’s victory, and stands atop a table set with bread, wine, and the fruits of the tree of life. A river issues forth, further underscoring that this is a place of refreshment.

In the foreground, the iron grillwork of the gate depicts key events from salvation history: the Fall and Expulsion, Noah’s Ark, the Sacrifice of Isaac, the Exodus, the Nativity, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection. Originating in the early Christian era, the IHS monogram at the top denotes the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus, ΙΗΣΟΥΣ: iota, eta, sigma. Later it came to be mistakenly (but appropriately!) interpreted as an acronym for the Latin Jesus Hominum Salvator, “Jesus, Savior of Humanity.”

LISTEN: “Behold, Behold” by Caroline Cobb, performed with Sean Carter on A Home and a Hunger: Songs of Kingdom Hope (2017)

I see a city coming down
Like a bride in whitest gown
Purely dressed
I see the pilgrims coming home
All creation finds shalom
The promised rest
The Lamb of God will be her light
The sun will have no need to shine

Refrain:
Behold, behold
God makes his home with us
He’ll take his throne, forever glorious
Behold, behold
God makes his home with us
He’ll take his throne, forever glorious
The curse will be undone
O come, Lord Jesus, come

The Lord will banish every sin
All that’s broken he will mend
And make new
And we will see him face to face
As he wipes our tears away
And death is through
And all the ransomed and redeemed
From every tongue and tribe will sing

[Refrain]

At last the darkness will surrender to the light
But we, unveiled in glory, will forever shine
At last the powers of hell will drown in lakes of fire
But we will freely drink the crystal streams of life

Come, thirsty, taste and see
Come, hungry, to the feast
Come, weary, find your peace
The Bride and Spirit sing
Come!
Come!

[Refrain]

Based on Revelation 21–22, “Behold, Behold” is the last song on Caroline Cobb’s album A Home and a Hunger, which traces kingdom hope from Genesis to Revelation, each song focusing on a different biblical book.

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This post is part of a daily Advent series from December 2 to 24, 2023 (with Christmas to follow through January 6, 2024). View all the posts here, and the accompanying Spotify playlist here.