A RIVER OF WATER … CLEAR AS CRYSTAL

It has often been pointed out that there is a remarkable corre­spondence between the first and last books of the Bible. In this we should not be surprised. God’s first thought was that a man crowned ‘with glory and honour’, Ps. 8. 5, should have dominion over the earth, in union with his wife. Our Lord Jesus Christ is now ‘crowned with glory and honour’, Heb. 2. 9, in anticipation of that glorious and long anticipated day, the dispensation of the fulness of times, when He shall exer­cise manifest, universal dominion. Truly, God’s first thoughts are also God’s last thoughts.

In Genesis, we learn that there was the tree of life in the garden of Eden. In the mercy of God, fallen man was disal­lowed from returning to partake of it and was thereby saved from a perpetual life of sin and misery. There was a river, too, in Eden, the purpose of which was to water the garden; and, from Eden, there went out four tributaries. Two of these rivers become famous as being rivers on which Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and Babylon were built. They are linked, then, with times of scourging from the Lord for His ancient people. Now, in Revelation, everything that in Genesis may remind us of man’s testing and failure has been superseded in grace.

The curse is now removed. Man is no longer shut out from the divine presence. There shall be unsullied service, for ‘his ser­vants shall serve him’, v. 3. At the same time, His saints shall reign. What wonderful conditions there shall be! There will be no night there: as there is no need of the sun or candles, for the ‘Lord God giveth them light’, v. 5; it will indeed be ‘the land of fadeless day’.

The effects of the tree and the river cannot be touched by Satan. There will be a free partaking of the tree of life which will be abundantly fruitful. Indeed, its monthly fruit will sustain and refresh the inhabitants of the city and the leaves will be for the health of the nations on earth. This is surely grace reigning in life and ourselves intimately involved.

May we, with the apostle Paul, ‘love His appearing’, 2 Tim. 4. 8, and live devotedly now in the light of that day.