THE RESERVOIR OF THE WATERS OF LIFE
May 5,
2002 am
MFBlume
I am going to refer to several verses in the Book of Revelation.
- Do not panic and think that I am preaching something you can never
understand.
- Revelation was never meant to be incomprehensible.
- The first few verses speak of a blessing to those who can hear, or
understand its message.
- So God wants you to understand it.
- And if He wants us to understand it, then He is not going to intentionally
blind us from it.
- He is going to aid us in understanding it through the leading of His
Spirit.
- How many believe that?
Revelation 4:2 And immediately I
was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the
throne.
Revelation 4:6 And before the throne
there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne,
and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and
behind.
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.
Look at the differences between this
first vision of the throne of God and the last.
1. One on the throne in
Chapter 4.
2. Chapter 22 shows the throne of GOD AND THE LAMB. --
Both.
1. A "crystal sea" that is still and serene like glass in chapter
4, sitting before the throne, like a reservoir.
2. A rushing "Crystal River"
flowing from the throne, unlocked and unbarred from mankind, as it
were.
The bodies of water are both said to be CRYSTAL.
- And both are associated with the throne.
- They must be the same water!
- In one case the water is barred up in heaven and still like glass.
- In the other, it flows outward from Heaven!
In this change of
scenery, the Lamb is involved and makes the entire difference!
Later in
Revelation 21, we read this about the river of life.
Revelation 21:6 And he said unto me, It
is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him
that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life
freely.
And compare with:
Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride
say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst
come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Jesus makes the difference!
This
body of water was locked up inside the confines of Heaven in chapter 4.
- And only one sat on the throne in Chapter 4.
- It is not so much that the Bible is trying to tell us that God is one.
- Why would it mention that only one sat on the throne?
- There is a further point to this.
- God is sitting ALONE on the throne.
- And when chapter 5 rolls around, John hears a might angel invite someone
to come to the throne and take the sealed book out of God's hand.
- And then the LAMB comes into the picture.
- The one who is on the throne with God.
Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh
will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set
down with my Father in his throne.
We read that the Son
of God sat down with His Father in His throne.
And its as if we read the
story of how that happened when we proceed to chapter 4.
We see God alone
on the throne.
- Jesus is the lamb who then comes to the throne in chapter 5.
We
have to overcome the way Jesus overcame in order to sit with Him on the throne
like He sat on the Father's throne.
Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and
was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of
hell and of death.
He did it by the resurrection!
- He defeated death and the grave by being buried into it and made its
prisoner, and then resurrecting out of it completely!
And if we must
overcome as He did, that means we must resurrect.
- And we do that by being baptized into His death.
Romans 6:5 For if we have been planted
together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his
resurrection:
So He sat on the throne by the overcoming
power of His resurrection.
We make His resurrection our resurrection, and
we overcome!
After the Lamb is on the throne as well as the Father, we
read of the throne as the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb which is in
the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living
fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes.
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.
Revelation 22:3 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:
The lamb makes the difference
between a crystal sea of water locked up in heaven and a rushing crystal river
of water.
- Notice that the River of Life flows from the throne of God and of the
Lamb.
- And that the tree of life is on either side of the river.
- Just like the River in Ezekiel 47!
Ezekiel 47:1 Afterward he brought me
again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under
the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood
toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of
the house, at the south side of the altar.
Ezekiel 47:5 Afterward he measured a
thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were
risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed
over.
Ezekiel 47:12 And by the river upon the
bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat,
whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it
shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they
issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the
leaf thereof for medicine.
Revelation 22:2 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.
And look what This River does!
Ezekiel 47:9 And it shall come to pass,
that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall
come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because
these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing
shall live whither the river cometh.
It gives LIFE to
everyone it reaches.
This is the same River!
However, one point
seems off.
The river flowed from the throne of God and of the Lamb in Rev
22.
Ezekiel 47:1 says the river flowed from the HOUSE, or the
temple.
But it is indeed the same picture!
John saw this throne of
God and the Lamb inside the NEW JERUSALEM.
- In contrast to the Old Jerusalem, which presently still exists in the
middle east.
- And the temple was inside old Jerusalem.
- However, read this:
Revelation 21:22 And I saw no temple
therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of
it.
The Lord God and the Lamb ARE the temple of this
City!
So if the river flows from the temple in Ezekiel 47, and the Lord
God and the lamb are the temple of the NEW JERUSALEM, then it only stands to
reason that the river flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb!
The
Lamb made the difference between a still body of water of life in Chapter 4 and
the same waters turned into a river in Chapter 22!
It was as though the
Life was locked up in God's treasure house in glory, and unleashed to flow out
after the Lamb came into the scene.
Notice what Jesus called His
body.
John 2:19-21 Jesus answered and said
unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
(20) Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in
building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? (21) But he
spake of the temple of his body.
His body was the
temple.
- The Book of Revelation is filled with symbolic pictures of what Jesus
already spoke about in the Gospels.
- With that in mind, ask yourself if the river of life flowed from the
spiritual temple comprised of of God and the Lamb, and if Jesus' body was the
temple of God...
- Then what particular picture can we think about that has to do with Jesus'
body and a river coming from it?
John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had
received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave
up the ghost.
John 19:34 But one of the soldiers with
a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and
water.
The only place where we read anything similar to
water flowing from Jesus' body in actual manners, is after He died on the
cross.
Church, the cross of Jesus needs to be absolutely central to
everything in our Christian lives!
The temple of God and of the Lamb was
the body of Jesus Christ.
- From it flowed a river of living water!
- Blood is called the LIFE of the flesh in Leviticus 17:11.
- Here we have water with blood in it flowing from Jesus.
- LIVING WATER!
- The life is in the water, making it living water!
On this cross,
as on a throne he wore the crown of thorns.
- And from that throne of the cross, Jesus showed an indication of what
would happen in the spiritual realm.
- Out would come forth the river of living water!
- It was locked up in glory waiting for someone to redeem mankind.
- Then it would release its Living River out to all the world, and give life
to everything it touches!
- The work of the cross would unlock Heaven's shut doors!
Think of
the irony of it all.
- From His death originates Life for you and me!
- And that TEMPLE of God and the Lamb continues on today on the throne of
glory!
- The river still flows out.
- Giving life to all who are thirsty.
John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great
day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him
come unto me, and drink. (38) He that believeth on me, as the
scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
(39) (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him
should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was
not yet glorified.)
Some
people believe the Holy Ghost is only for a few.
- But here we read its for ANY MAN WHO THIRSTS.
- John said the river Jesus spoke about is the Holy Ghost.
- And its for everyone who thirsts.
Jesus did not resurrect yet, so
the Holy Ghost was not yet given.
- But He would resurrect.
- And by resurrecting, He would overcome and proceed to the throne!
- Then the waters would flow forth!
You must COME to
Jesus.
He said "If any man thirsts, let him come unto me."
John 7:37 In the last day, that great
day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him
come unto me, and drink.
Revelation 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of
the water of life freely.
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth
say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely.
See how Revelation repeats the
truths of Jesus from the Gospels?
Notice how we read Jesus saying IT IS
DONE in Revelation 21:6, and then He mentions coming and drinking of the waters
of life freely.
- John 19:30 shows Jesus crying IT IS FINISHED.
- John 19:34 shows the blood and water flowing out of Jesus' body.
Isn't the Word of God beautiful!
What is Jesus actually talking
about when he tells us to drink waters that come from Him?
Notice He said
we drink FREELY?
Isaiah 55:1-3 Ho, every one that
thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and
eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
(2) Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your
labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye
that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
(3) Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live;
and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of
David.
Isaiah 55 says EVERYONE THAT THIRSTETH, COME TO
THE WATERS!
Jesus said, "If any man thirst let him come unto
me."
The Alpha and Omega, in Rev. 21:6, said, "I will give to him that is
athirst of the waters of life freely."
Rev 21:17 says "Let him that is
athirst come... let him take the water of life freely."
It is LEARNING
something.
- The picture of drinking water without paying for it is interpreted in
Isaiah 55:3 as hearing truths and learning.
- Since this is pointing to a river flowing from Jesus' body on the cross,
we understand what we hear and learn about is THE TRUTHS OF THE CROSS.
- They give LIFE to your soul!
- That is the reason Ezekiel said that everything touched by the river will
live!
The truths are that Jesus died in your place.
- He took the sin and death away from you that separated you from God.
- Someone had to overcome this obstacle before we could be redeemed back to
God.
- It had to be more than anything you or I could ever do, because it took
Jesus' resurrection from the grave to save us.
That is the reason a
River flows from the cross.
- From Jesus' body that died and resurrected.
- From the throne of God and of the Lamb.
- God and the Lamb, Jesus Christ, form the temple of God that Ezekiel saw,
from which came rivers of living water.
- All telling us that this truth of Jesus' death as us gives us eternal
life.
- Its telling us that the story of the cross is what we need to understand.
- The message of the cross is the only thing that will save a soul.
- The only thing to get us back to God.
- That message is that Jesus' death pays for your sins.
- All who sin must die.
- And Jesus took care of your sin for you by dying your death.
- But you have to come to Him in order to benefit from it.
- In other words, you have to accept Him as Lord of your life and serve Him
all your days and live by His word.
Notice what Revelation also says
about COMING TO JESUS.
Revelation 18:4 And I heard another
voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not
partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her
plagues.
Its a voice from Heaven.
- A voice of God from inside the storehouse of the rivers of life.
- Up in there, where the waters of life have been locked away from us.
- Come out of the world and the wickedness of this world, towards Jesus.
- If we're told to come out of one thing, that implies we are coming to
another.
- And this other is GOD AND THE LAMB.
You see, the Lamb made it
possible for the locked up waters of life to flow to us again.
- The lamb speaks of sacrifice for sins.
- Daily sacrifices in Israel involved the deaths of lambs.
- Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac, his son, and was told by God to take
the ram instead and slay it.
- Without Jesus' death INSTEAD of our own, we would not be able to come to
God.
Genesis 22:10-13 And Abraham stretched
forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. (11) And the
angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham:
and he said, Here am I. (12) And he said, Lay not thine hand upon
the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest
God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
(13) And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a
ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and
offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his
son.
Like Abraham, we need to look behind us and find a
lamb ensnared in the thorns and thistles for our sacrifice, when we should have
died, like Isaac.
- The ram's death was instead of Isaac's death.
- Behind us, 2000 years in the past, is the Lord Jesus who walked into the
thicket of the thorns and thistles that Adam brought into the world by his
sin.
- Adam's sins caused thorns to grow in the world.
- So thorns represent the results of our sins.
But the ram got his
head caught in the thorns.
- Jesus had a crown of thorns on his head!
- He was the Ram, the Lamb, who would die instead of us, with our sins.
The message is that Christ's death was intended to free you from the
pending judgment of death and hell to come.
- No wonder that a river flowing from the cross and God's throne is said to
give life!
- Believing that Jesus' death was what God provided to free you from the
judgment you had coming due to your sin, is to get eternal life and be ready
for glory with Jesus!