The Reality, the River of Water of Life
The Old Testament has many pictures of the river of water of life in New Jerusalem: the river from the garden of Eden, the water out of the smitten rock, the streams in the good land, the river which gladdens the city of God, water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation, and the river which causes everything to live.
The gospel of John presents the Spirit as the reality of all the former images. In 4:14 Jesus says, “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life.”
This is not merely water but living water as a fountain springing up. Jesus is the source of this water. We receive Him as our life; He then is life in us (Col. 3:4) and becomes the fountain of water in our being.
“Whoever drinks of the water that I will give” is a promise to all of us, a promise to give which requires our cooperation to receive. Let us all be willing to receive this living water every day, in every situation. This is our foretaste of New Jerusalem.
Graphic courtesy of pixabay.com.
Posted by Don on April 20, 2026
https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2026/04/20/the-reality-the-river-of-water-of-life/
