“And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” (Rev.22:1)
Imagine a very large ornate throne, capable of seating both God the Father, and His Son. Imagine that they are both seated on this throne. Then imagine that from under their feet, and out of the very material of the throne itself, crystal clear water is gushing in such vast quantities that it forms a river. This is what we would call the “nuts and bolts” part of the subject in hand for this chapter.
Can anyone really believe that it will be like that? Yes, this is what John was shown by the angel, but as with other visions, they are symbolic. Now let us say that we have every sympathy with those who try to maintain a literal interpretation of Biblical verses, especially when their motive is to honour the Author of the visionary material, and especially again when such expositors are antagonistic to the many fanciful non-literal interpretations, which often bring mockery from the world at large. However, we felt in this case that we would begin by showing the impossibility of taking the literalist position. One merely has to ask just where the water comes from, and what is its purpose, to see that further thought is necessary. Thankfully we are not left without adequate testimony from other parts of the Bible.
Please bear with us as we try to bring out the splendid spiritual meaning behind the words “living water.” First of all, let us have a look at three O.T. passages.
“And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streams of Judah shall flow with water, and a fountain shall come forth from the House of the Lord and water the Valley of Acacias.” (Joel 3:18)
“On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter.” (Zech.14:8)
“And he brought me back to the door of the temple; and behold, water was issuing out from below the threshold of the temple towards the east.” (Ezek.47:1) “This water flows towards the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and when it enters the stagnant waters of the [Dead] Sea the water will become fresh . . . so everything will live where the river goes.” (Ezek.47:8-9)
These three references speak about the effect of the living water, bringing life where there was formerly only death. There is still quite a lot of poetic imagery in the prophets’ messages. Can we get a clear understanding from them? What do they mean?
The Dead Sea is so salty that it cannot sustain life. Nothing lives in its waters. But if fresh water were to flow down into the sea, it would form a steadily growing layer on top of the salt water. The two would not mix. Salt water is much denser than fresh water, and therefore the fresh water will “float” on the salt water. Under these conditions, the Dead Sea would become replete with fish, and “the fishermen will stand beside the sea.”(Ezek.47:10)
All this sounds very literal, and it would certainly be nice to witness the transformation of the Dead Sea in this manner. But is this the sum of what the Lord had in mind when He gave the prophecies? I have no doubt that during the Kingdom many regions of the earth will be cleansed, made habitable, and beautified, but is this all? Doesn’t God have a greater work to do? What is this work? “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering towards you, not purposing that any should perish, but that all men should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) The purpose of God is for universal repentance according to Peter. Having obtained His Bride, Jesus will use her for the accomplishment of that purpose. Having now seen the greater purpose of God, way beyond geographical reclamations, we are in a position to move forward.
Zechariah said that the living water from Jerusalem would flow in two directions, east and west. Already we have spoken about the eastern sea, the Dead Sea, but the waters also flow down towards the western sea, the Mediterranean. But Mediterranean waters are already teeming with aquatic life, so what purpose can be understood from this?
This is where we shall have to turn to John’s Revelation for a moment. “I will show you the judgment of the great whore who sits upon many waters. . . . . And the waters where the woman sits are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. . . . and the woman is that great city which rules over the kings of the earth.” (Rev.17:1,15.18) Here is the pictorial language that describes the counterfeit bride. Much can be learned from this, but at the moment we are only concerned with the angel’s interpretation of the waters. He said they represent people, ruled by a spiritually dark principle. They need the water of life to open their eyes to spiritual realities.
Now we can go back to think again about the Dead Sea. There is no life there, but God intends to bring life out from the dead. Did not our Lord say that “the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29) Are not these two seas the symbols of the two classes of people in the world? When the Kingdom starts, these waters will begin to flow to bring life, resurrection, and healing to both groups, even to those who must first pass through the fires of judgment.
Having reached this point we are in a position to investigate the symbolism further, based upon our Lord’s words in John’s Gospel. “On the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood up and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture declared, rivers of living water will flow out of his innermost parts.'” (John 7:37) The 8th day of Tabernacles was noted for its joyful assemblies. The high priest would obtain a jug of water from the Pool of Siloam, and pour it out unto the Lord, and the temple choirs would lead the recitation of Psalm 118. This explains the nature of the Lord’s cry. He was calling for the crowds to turn their attention to Him, rather than just to the symbolic outpouring of the Siloam water. But here again, we need to unlock the symbolism, of which the Bible is so full. How can living waters flow out from the inside of a person? What does it mean? John explains. “But this He said concerning the Spirit, Whom those who believed in Him should receive.” (John 7:39)
The power of the Holy Spirit is the Living Water. The Living Water that flows from the throne of God and theLamb, is the power of the Holy Spirit. The water that flows symbolically to the eastern and western seas is also the power of the Holy Spirit. What is accomplished? “When He is come, He will reprove [convince, enlighten] the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.” (John 16:8) This is the Lord’s word to His disciples concerning their ministry. The Holy Spirit would begin to convict the world of sin, in order that God’s ultimate goal would be achieved, in the repentance of mankind. All symbols point in that direction when once the grand purpose of God is understood.
Books have been written about times of revival, when sovereign works of the Holy Spirit have been witnessed. We have recently read a first-hand account of the Welsh revival, where, for example, miners coming out of the pits suddenly found themselves aware of the presence of the Lord, and their lives were laid open to His scrutiny. Seeking the nearest place of worship, they entered, asking for prayer to be saved. In 1968 a similar thing happened at the school where I was teaching, where 92 boys came to know the Lord within just eight weeks. We believe that all such occasions have been given as foretastes of what will happen when the Bride of Christ enters upon her world-wide ministry in the days of the Kingdom. Hebrews 6:4-5 speaks about certain people who “have tasted the heavenly gift, . . . and the powers of the age to come.” Paul spoke about this as “the earnest [the pledge, the down payment] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.” (Eph.1:14) The apostles, during the Acts period, were granted the power of the Holy Spirit to perform miracles, and to bring conviction to the hearts of those who heard them. It was the beginning of the process of world conversion, but the fulness could not be accomplished except through the Bride in resurrection, in the fulness of the Kingdom.
In the Millennial Kingdom the Bride of Christ “with joy will draw water from the wells of salvation, and will say in that day, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the nations, proclaim that His name is exalted.'” (Isa.12:3)
And the Lord will say to His Bride, “You shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. You shall rebuild the ancient ruins, and raise up the foundations of many generations, you shall be called the repairer of the breach, and the restorer of the way that leads to home.” (Isa.58:11-12)
And the Bride will say, “Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters, and he who has no money, come, buy and eat.” (Isa.55:1) “And the Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price.” (Rev.22:17)
The result? “Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the wine press is full, the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision, for the Day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.” (Joel 3:13-14) Yet more symbols! But easy to understand. God’s harvest is great. Mankind will undergo great inner struggles as the truth is finally out in the open for all to see. The Holy Spirit will be unveiling the inner wretchedness of the human heart, depicted by the treading of the “grapes of wrath.” And “the will of the Lord will prosper in His (Christ’s) hands. He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul and be satisfied. By His knowledge shall the righteous one, my Servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and He shall bear their iniquities.” (Isa.53:11) It is the time of the Lord’s Kingdom, and the King’s Fountain shall spring up to bring refreshment and life to the whole world. Often we used to sing –
We’re feeding on the living bread,
we’re drinking at the fountain head,
And whoso drinketh, Jesus said, shall never never thirst again.
What never thirst again? No, never thirst again.
What never thirst again? No, never thirst again.
And whoso drinketh, Jesus said, shall never never thirst again.
