“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” – Rev. 22:1

I first posted this article in June of 2022 but so much has happened since then that I felt I must write on this topic again. This year there is beginning of revival harvest going on and already many church leaders are beginning to speak out against it, for one reason or another. I feel a teaching on the water of the word is once again needed.

When God created the heavens and the earth, Scripture says, “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” So, in other words the waters were there at the very beginning of the creation. They were even there before the heaven for God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. . .  And God called the firmament Heaven.” Have you ever given much thought to water? You should because God began the Creation with water. All humans are carried in the womb in water. And it is indispensable to life. The article The Importance of Water states –

“The cornerstone of our lives is water. The human body needs water for everyday life. We can live without any food for a week, but we can not even survive without water for three days. 70 per cent of our body fluids are also water.”

But I want to know what God says about water in His word! The Apostle John writes –

“And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. – 1 John 5:8

They agree? How can water speak? I understand the Spirit speaking and the blood of Abel spoke from the ground but, how does the water speak? Perhaps John has an answer. When John was receiving the Revelation, God showed him the New Jerusalem and the Throne of God and John said –

“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. – Rev. 22:1

Now, what is it that flows from the Throne of God? Many think it is the Holy Spirit, but I believe it is His word! This is the source of the pure water Jesus talked about to the woman of Samaria –

“But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” – John 4:14

Jesus also said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. “ (John 6:63).

When John spoke of three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood, he was speaking of the word of God (the water), the blood (the sacrifice blood of Jesus), and the Spirit (the Holy Spirit of God). John takes great pains to tell us how Jesus came to earth –

“This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.” – 1 John 5:6

In fact, John calls Jesus the Word in the beginning of his Gospel –

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend (overcome) it.” – John 1:1-5

Paul wrote to the Ephesians that Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, (Eph. 5:26).

John the Baptist said – “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.(Matt. 3:11). The water that comes from God is pure and there is life in it but sadly, as the Creation was corrupted by sin so all water is not pure, some of it is tainted by man’s sin. So God sends His prophets to warn man of faulty sources of water –

“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.” – Jer. 2:13

This is basically a warning to separate true belief from mere religion. The truth is of God, but religion is solely of man! We are warned beforehand that false teachers and false prophets will come but our protection is to stay safely in the word of God. If we repent and turn to Jesus letting His blood cleanse from all sin and if we walk in the light as He is in the light – that means letting the word of God wash us with His truth, and if we obey the Holy Spirit, we will be safe! Remember, the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). God is sending forth workers into the harvest and they are sharing the light of His Word and casting out demons and bringing people to Christ. So, what if they don’t act like ‘normal’ Christians’, or know all the truths you know, or think you know! They are the rewards of fresh wine of the Holy Spirit being poured out. Instead of standing against them, let all true Christians rejoice for them, pray for them, and do what we can to disciple them! Or would you prefer them to follow the woke ways of Joe Biden’s crowd? We all need to relearn this Scripture –

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” – John 7:38-39

Well, these are some thoughts of mine on water. I believe the water represents the Word of God. It is pure, it is refreshing, and its hearing causes us to be ‘born again’. May God bless you with the Living Water of His Word for as John said, there is life in the Word. And it is the Holy Spirit ‘hovering over the face of the deep’ that brings it to life!

Pastor
Charles Cooley, retired