Rev 22:1 And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb,
In the Old Testament this was seen.
Ezek 47:1-12
Eze 47:1 And he brought me back 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 was toward the east); and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar.
Eze 47:2 Then he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me round by the way without unto the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looketh toward the east; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
Eze 47:3 When the man went forth eastward with the line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles.
Eze 47:4 Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the loins.
Eze 47:5 Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through; for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.
Eze 47:6 And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the bank of the river.
In the back of the “house” is a issue of water from the right side at its gate. The waters head east.
These waters will run through the “Arabah” to the sea. It is to “heal” the rivers and the sea… Now if perchance this is the resting place for Jerusalem the Great City…. This rivulet that deepens ever thousand Reeds or 8000 Feet give or take, has trees….. on both sides of the bank… the fruit is yielded every month the leaf is for healing… This is an irregularity for an interim Temple to the book of Revelation. Is it possible that this Temple is a layout to the Great City itself? It does talk about housing for the priests…
But our primary goal is to look at the river. In Ezekiel’s passage it talks about Trees whereas in Revelation it mentions one tree of Life. Both scenarios have leaves for healing. But how is it that this healing leaf tree with its 12 kinds of fruits each bearing in its month so to speak is found there? Moreover where is the Arabah today? According to a bible map it lists the Arabah as being the Salt Sea. So then this river of Ezekiel’s Temple flows from possibly Jerusalem to the east to the Salt Sea making it FRESH. Now that sea connects to the “sea of Chinnereth” or what looks suspiciously like the Galilee Sea of Jesus day. It connects by way of the Jordan from the Salt Sea to Galilee to a little area called lake Huleh which might have been around in Jesus day or might have been dry bed. On this map it then comes to a junction splitting five ways and all along the Jordan and after the split this waterway wends itself out eastward into the desert and westward to the Mediterranean sea. Now if this is the same river and all the text implies that it is, the need for healing of the waters both fresh and salt is because of Wormwood. It is also because the seas became blood. Also the swarms of fish and teeming life will return as the waters “heal”.
Eze 47:7 Now when I had returned, behold, upon the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.
Eze 47:8 Then said he unto me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and they shall go toward the sea; into the sea shall the waters go which were made to issue forth; and the waters shall be healed.
Eze 47:9 And it shall come to pass, that every living creature which swarmeth, in every place whither the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come thither, and the waters of the sea shall be healed, and everything shall live whithersoever the river cometh.
Eze 47:10 And it shall come to pass, that fishers shall stand by it: from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
Eze 47:11 But the miry places thereof, and the marshes thereof, shall not be healed; they shall be given up to salt.
Eze 47:12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not whither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for healing.
Rev 22:2 in the midst of the street thereof. And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
When we compare the texts Ezekiel’s text seems to go into greater detail. But they talk about the same thing. A River bright and clear as crystal… Have you ever been to the Bahamas and seen the clear bright blue shoal inlet waters? This is the idea. You can see to the bottom of the river bed. It is LIVING or FLOWING water. It starts very small and gradually deepens to an un-fordable river. It is a place for catching fish of all kinds.
If this is the same River then the place in the back of the Temple where the Holy of Holies should be is where the Throne of God and of the Lamb will sit.
It might be a very interesting study to actually compare the two.
Rev 22:3 And there shall be no curse any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and his servants shall serve him;
No more curse… When Adam fell the universe was condemned to be twisted as it were, because the Order was upset. Even though it was destined to be that Christ might be the recipient of all the glory and eventually lay even all that He has at The Father’s feet. Paul says this in Romans 8
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope
Rom 8:21 that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
This groaning of Creation and our groaning or straining at bonds as it were it the curse, but He creates again and in this the curse is NO MORE.
Rev 22:4 and they shall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads.
Rev 22:5 And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
This is the sketched out edges of the portrait painted in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. This is how we will spend eternity, and notice that there is a mark on the forehead. The reason the enemy wants his mark on our foreheads is because then God wont place His mark on us, for we are His possession. When He said He is the Light of the World, He may have spoken, in our understanding, as “spiritual” but He truly meant it because, He is the Source of Light to Illumine everything for us all. This shows us an aspect of the scope of His power.
So ends the vision.