Revelation
22:1-6 - Then the angel showed me the
river of the water of life, as clear as
crystal, flowing from the throne of God
and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each
side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve
crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are
for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any
curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the
city, and his servants will serve him. They will see
his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They
will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God
will give them light. And they will reign for ever and
ever. The angel said to me," These
words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the
spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to
show his servants the things that must soon take place."
God designed this great Earth with an amazing substance….water. About 70%
of our enormous planet is made up of water…but only 1-2 percent is pure enough
to drink…or use to grow the fruits and vegetables that also contain 80-90 percent
water when they are ripe and ready to eat. Water…the life giving substance of
which most things on Earth contain at least 60-70 percent. Our bodies have less
as we age…making it more important to find sources to replenish the supply our
bodies need to function properly. Good
ole tap water works most of the time for me…but I can’t deny that some of the
bottled waters taste better.
John’s last vision in this great book of prophecy…reveals a river…flowing
from the throne of God and the lamb. It is flanked on both sides by amazing
trees of life…that bear twelve crops of fruit every month….and leaves that heal
the nations scarred by Satan’s tricks and lies. God will finally be able to lift the curse he
placed on the Earth when Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit of the tree of
good and evil…when man chose to follow the lusts of their heart ...instead of obey
God.
How fitting that God should begin and end his great work with references
to water. From Genesis 1:2…where he created it …Ephesians 5:26…where he told us of its cleansing
power…Isaiah 55:1…which tells everyone who thirsts to drink it…John 4:1-42…where
Jesus told the woman at the well to drink the living water and thirst no more…John
7:37…where Jesus extended this invitation to drink his living water to everyone….to
these last verses of revelation….where we see clearly the source of this great
water is God himself.
He
tells us not to seal up this wonderful message…but to spread it to everyone we
know…for the time is near. I feel it...the intenseness of his message more and
more every day…just as John must have felt it as he processed and wrote down the
visions he was given to tell us what to expect.
As I sit down to watch the news and see the horrific stories of
craziness around me….I feel the closeness of that day coming faster and faster.
Almost 3,000 people lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of 9-11…over 73
people died in US hurricanes in the last three years...twelve people died in a
movie theater shooting just yesterday…sixteen dead from an earthquake in Italy
May 29th of this year…over 12 dead from wildfires in Colorado this
summer…the list could go on and on. …and doesn’t even include the crazy stories
of how our plants and animals are dying in mass numbers too.
I
hope all those people had heard of the living water…death took them without
warning...just like it will most of us.
Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “for you know very well that the day
of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”….and it will! The calamity
will continue to claim the ones who are not ready with the ones that are….what
a reminder to me to be a steadfast worker…bringing in the harvest…before it is
too late. The last words of John ring in
my ears and heart, “ He who testifies to these things says, "Yes,
I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The
grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.”
Father…I
THANK YOU…for helping me to complete this task of reading your word. Help me this morning to focus on these last
words of John…to spread this great message to all the places you guide me
to. Lord…forgive me for my selfishness once
again and use that living water to wash me clean and fresh once more for the
task you have laid out before me. Open my
eyes to the truth of your word and allow the entire bible I have read to be
assessable whenever I need to share it with others. Lord…help me to be ready…and
be your vessel to prepare others for the days ahead. Amen.
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