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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
And if we must overcome as He did, that means we must resurrect.
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.

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.
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.
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.
On this cross, as on a throne he wore the crown of thorns.
Think of the irony of it all.
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.
Jesus did not resurrect yet, so the Holy Ghost was not yet given.
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.
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 truths are that Jesus died in your place.
That is the reason a River flows from the cross.
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.
You see, the Lamb made it possible for the locked up waters of life to flow to us again.
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.
But the ram got his head caught in the thorns.
The message is that Christ's death was intended to free you from the pending judgment of death and hell to come.