Revelation 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 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.
This passage of scripture gives us a brief description of the process of physical restoration that will continue on in heaven, after the righteous are finally redeemed from the earth. It is true that the vigor of immortal youth will be ours, but we will need time to grow up to the original giant stature which God had originally intended. What we see today in the specimens of humanity are greatly compromised and vastly inferior replicas of what God had made when Adam and Eve were created. Sin, with its results of disease, decay, and death have indeed taken a serious toll on the entire human family, and though there are still some on the planet who try to lead healthful lives, yet according to the Bible, our life span has been greatly reduced from what it used to be. Let's read:
Genesis 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth: 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. 6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: 7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: 8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
Psalm 90:9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. 10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off".....
Now the Bible is crystal clear concerning the New Earth, which will have no sickness and funerals as we've now been accustomed to for many centuries, and so the question is, why will the nations of the saved need to be healed? In answering this question we must always remember that God is very practical in His instructions and methods of operations, and the whimsical and fantastic views that are often held by many, cause us at times to harbor many unrealistic expectations, based on what we believe is the unrestrained and wanton use of His omnipotent power. As a matter of fact there are many instances in our lives as Christians, where miracles were expected, but they never occurred, because, as stated before, God is more practical than many of us realize.
The leaves of the tree, and the water from the river of life, together with the twelve different fruits that will be produced from the tree of life, will take over from the point of our resurrection, in which the righteous will come forth from the tomb clothe in immortal beauty and symmetry, but having the very same stature as before. Over the one thousand years that will expire in heaven after the resurrection, we will have opportunity to partake freely of the tree of life, with its life-giving properties, and during that period we will grow up and develop to the full physical extent originally intended by God. This sacred truth is also plainly stated in the scriptures. Let's read:
Malachi 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. 3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
A calf is a young cow, and therefore the reference made to us as calves growing up, means that at the resurrection we would not have reached our fullest potential, but over time will develop as we continue to partake of the tree of life. It is the will of God that as many as are willing and obedient eat of the tree of life, and now is the time for us to prepare to do so, by abstaining from all flesh foods and other edibles that are not listed in God's ideal dietary plan for our lives, and since practice makes perfect, we will only be continuing in heaven, what we began here on earth.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to live in harmony with God's revealed will for our health and longevity, and God will take up the slack after we have done our very best by His grace. Let's read:
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new".....
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!