Rivers of Living Water
I am repeating these important biblical verses that will form the basis of our understanding:
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood up and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me, and drink. He that believes on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (By this he spoke of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive; for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7: 37-39) KJV Version.
These verses have certainly perplexed and confused many but once you understand what they mean, I trust it would be an eye-opener for you.
I have googled “Rivers of Living Water”, and the main texts of many online contributions have referenced this to the Holy Spirit. But these online texts do not fully explain what “Rivers of Living Water” mean, and why it pertains to our salvation by the Spirit of God.
Although Jesus said that it was referenced from scripture, you won’t find any mention of “Rivers of Living Water” in the old texts, other than these verses in the Gospel of John. The reason for this is that such references in the Old Testament were all couched in symbolism and imagery and only through the grace of the Holy Spirit, will we understand what this Rivers of Living Water, truly mean.
One cue to comprehending what Rivers of Living Water is, is found in John 4: 10,13-14: Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is that is saying to you, give me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water. Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water I give them will never be thirsty. The water that I give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life”.
If you read the bible, scriptures are full of passages regarding fountain, river, rain, springs and showers which are all related to water, which is the only element that can quench a thirsty soul. More importantly, water in the bible relates to how the Spirit will satisfy His people with the Peace, Joy, Life and Salvation of God.
For with You is the Fountain of Life; in Your Light we see Light (Psalm 36:9).
Coming back to the scriptures in John 7, let me first strip these verses and address some of these parts on a standalone basis. With that, the sum of these parts will perhaps contribute to a larger picture from which you can then draw your own conclusion. To do this, I have separated these verses into the following sections:
a.Thirst for God
b. The Believers in Jesus Christ
c. As the scripture has said
d. The Holy Ghost was not yet Given
e. Rivers of Living Water
As a further note before I go on, while I’ve tried to confine my missives to the texts mentioned above, there are however many sidetracks on related spiritual truths, as the Lord leads. In addition, I’ve made many repetitions of scripture and biblical truths which may lead to tiresome reading for some of you, particularly, those who are unfamiliar with bible scripture.
However, do plod on as these reiterations I believe, will have the effect of reinforcing our understanding of biblical truths further. For our understanding and knowledge of such truths will then lead us on to wisdom in God’s words, as we grow and recognize the ways of God, in our walk with the Lord.
a. Thirst for God
At some point, we might all wonder the purpose of our being and existence in this world, perhaps even a hunger for God that emanates from either our soul or spirit. How do we tell the difference between the two? Well, if it comes from your soul, then the search for God is shallow and passing, while if it comes from your spirit (heart), then it’s likely the work of God.
I too had that thought countless times, which is basically a search for the meaning of life. For some of us particularly in our youth and untainted by the concerns of the world, it may be a natural thing to seek after a higher meaning to our existence, this was how I felt when I was in my teens and early twenties. Having lost my father while at a relatively tender age of 11 years old, I knew that life was fleeting and that somehow nothing happened by chance.
In my mid-teens, I attended a Christian crusade. When the preacher called out for those who wanted to be saved, I rose up and accepted Jesus. I was told that something would happen to change my life. As I accepted Jesus, I recall that there was no visible change to my being.
That night, I wrestled with my thoughts and emotions but still could not feel any change. I thought that perhaps I wasn’t exercising enough faith or that I was still too sinful to receive God’s grace.
To set the record straight, I am by no means a ‘religious’ person and have on most occasions succumbed to the pleasures of the flesh. In respect to my faith, I believe that God looks at the heart; the Lord who made us from the dust of the earth would surely care more for the deep contemplations of our heart and our steadfast faith in Him, rather than be concerned with the inclinations of our human and natural frailties.
However, there was a period in my life when I truly sought after the Lord, particularly, the Holy Spirit. This was when I was in my early twenties. The Lord had somehow put it in my spirit to seek after Him.
I was an unemployed youth then and after accepting the Lord in another Christian crusade, spent a great deal of time in a Christian bookstore.
While in my early Christian year, a church member who was managing the store saw my enthusiasm for the word of the Lord and allowed me access to the literature displayed on the shelves.
Among the many Christian books that I’d read, I was particularly inspired by three books:
“Chasing the Dragon” by Jackie Pullinger, detailing the experiences of a white Christian lady in the walled slums of old Hong Kong and how hardcore drug addicts were set free and saved by the grace of God.
The second was, “Like a Mighty Wind”, the chronicles of Mel Tari and a group of villagers in a far-flung island off Indonesia and how the Holy Spirit worked mightily in their lives.
The third book was rather special, notwithstanding that, I’ve forgotten the name of the title and author. It was probably written sometime in the 1950’s, or perhaps even earlier. What was nonetheless distinct about this book, was that the author had taught me how to receive the Holy Spirit. He quoted from simple biblical texts, I will explain these texts further in a later part of these missives for your further edification.
It’s only when we thirst for God will we find Him, and the Lord says He will give us drink from the river of His delights and from the fountain of life. Note this when reading scripture, the element of water and its connotations has got to do with God’s provision of His blessings of salvation for us. Here are some other scriptures to ponder on:
Let everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without price (Isaiah 55:1).
Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord, His appearing is as sure as the dawn, He will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth (Hosea 6:3).
Psalm 36:8-9: They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights. For with You is the Fountain of Life, in your Light we see Light.
Commoners and kings have been seeking this fountain of life (youth) in its imagined physical form for ages, not realizing that the True Fountain of Life is at the doorstep of their heart and spirit.
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the Living God. (Psalms 42:1-2).
b. The Believers in Jesus Christ or the Messiah
What Makes a Christian?
Before proceeding with this section, from hereon I will be referring to the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit or the Spirit of God, with all three names denoting God the Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord has been called by many other titles in scripture, as men under the anointing of the Spirit, wrote.
Have you ever wondered what Christ signifies or why Jesus is called the Christ? The meaning of Christ isn’t just about the anointing of the Holy Spirit, as were the cases with the prophets and men of God in the Old Texts, it however, denotes the fulness of the Spirit of God in a person.
Before being Christ, Jesus the man was very much an observant Jew and had a given name. When Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan, the Spirit of God came on him and this was when he too received the baptism of the Spirit. It was from thereon, Jesus who had a given name before this, was called Jesus Christ. Jesus being translated as the
‘Deliverer of Believers’, while Christ means the ‘Fully Anointed of God’.
John 3:34: For whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure (to him).
This is the Messiah, foretold and prophesied in the old texts. Sadly, most Jews and Christians alike are unaware of the importance of the Holy Spirit, who is central in the work of the Messiah Christ, and in the faith of believers too.
Revelations 3:20 – 22, Listen, I stand at the door knocking, if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with Me. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. (This is also an invitation to the great banquet of the Lord for God’s people).
Christ, therefore, has a wider meaning and significance in the understanding of our faith as Christians. We shouldn’t just believe and accept Jesus solely, and expect our path to redemption has been sealed. If you believe solely on the redemption power of Jesus, then Christ should not be mentioned together with the name of Jesus.
As believers in the redemption goal of God through only Jesus, we should be called Jesuits or Jesus Freaks, or whatever, rather than Christians. (Strange but true, there were a group of Christians who called themselves Jesus Freaks in the 1960’s and 1970’s)
For we have overlooked the fundamental role of the Spirit of God, who worked even through Jesus. For how then can we experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit of God, if we do not know Him or believe in Him?
Messiah Jesus and the Spirit
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness (Luke 4:1). Here scripture says that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit after his baptism and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness (not just led into the wilderness).
This fulness of the Holy Spirit remained in Jesus (as Christ), throughout his ministry, even unto the cross of Calvary and later too after his resurrection.
For thirty years of Jesus’ life, we do not read much of his backstory. Before the full anointing of God, Jesus as the eldest son was probably a carpenter following in the trade of his earthly father, Joseph. It was only when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at his baptism in the river Jordan, did his ministry begin.
After this baptism, Matthew 4:1 says, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. When Jesus had overcome the devil he then returned to Galilee. Luke 4 :14-20, reads (paraphrased for ease of understanding, note this too for other verses which I will be quoting in other chapters): Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and into a synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood to read from the book of Isaiah (61:1), the prophet: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery in sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of God’s favor”.
This was an important proclamation from the mouth of Jesus in God’s synagogue, which fulfilled the law and scripture, that the year of the Lord had arrived with his appearance as the Messiah of the Jews who was sent from the Lord.
Coming back to the verses, we further note that even our Lord Jesus was beholden and totally under the control and anointing of the Spirit of God during his ministry, becoming an earthly vassal through whom the Spirit could complete His work. It is this Christ that had been foretold in Isaiah 40:10: Behold, the Lord God will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him.
Let me shed more light on these verses, the fulness of the Spirit of God (strong hand) certainly resided in Jesus to manifest the power of the Lord, which enabled Jesus to perform (arm shall rule) the work of God with miracles.
The reason why God had to use a man is because God cannot appear in person even to His people. For man under the yoke of sin cannot see God. Additionally, His glory will be just too much to bear for our mortal body, soul and spirit. Moses, whom God used mightily with signs and wonders, could only perceive the Lord through the cracks of a rock and even then, only the back view of God was glimpsed by him.
If that’s Moses’ story, how are we unworthy mortals then be able to see the Lord? Even in heaven not all angels have seen the Lord, except those in direct ministry to Him (certain Ancients, Seraphs and Cherubs) and only after specific heavenly protocols have first been observed.
It is for this reason that the bible says in John 1:18 (refer 1 John 4:12 too): No man has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made Him known.
Now this is a very important truth! Let’s now pause for a moment and reflect on these verses.
If no man can see God, how is Jesus then God? Had he not been seen by the tens of thousands of believers and unbelievers in his day, including his disciples and close relatives, and what about the five thousand who were fed by a miracle? If man cannot see God, who then is this only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart?
I guess by now, some of you believers will be fuming, seething even with indignation on my questioning the divinity of Jesus. Please bear with me, I will make these disagreements clear in my next chapter on the Holy Spirit.
For those who think that what I’ve just said is heresy, you may click-off this site and read no more. For what I am going to say later in further chapters may even upend your current belief or even cause you to question your faith. This is not my intention, if what you believe has served your Christian walk well, why go any further? My wish for you is that the Lord continues to bless you with goodness and grace in your life.
However, this message is for those who have believed in the Lord at some point in their lives, but now question the emptiness of their walk with Him. It is also for the Jews, who are steep in the practices and beliefs of man (I’m afraid so are most Christians), and for the non-believers who are searching for the truth. In these rough times, many I’m sure are eager to know the Truth that leads to eternal life!
Essentially, the Good News of the Kingdom of God in the Old Testament, can be summed-up by these verses found in the book of Isaiah:
Isaiah 43:1-5:
But now says the Lord, He Who created you, O Jacob (an allegory of Jesus). For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Because you are precious in My sight, I give people in return for you, *nations in exchange for your life. I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west, everyone who is called by My name, whom I’ve created for My glory, whom I formed and made.
Interestingly couched in symbolism, this is a proclamation from the Lord that the Messiah will inherit all of God’s creation, including man and the angels.
Isaiah 43:19-21:
I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people, the people I formed for Myself that they may declare My praise.
The Messiah and His Work
The Lord God, in His ‘appearance’ to the world had to be through a person, a chosen vassal of God; which is why the fulness of the Spirit of the Lord came on Jesus, who is also called the second/last Adam (see 1 Corinthians 15: 45-49). Only when the Holy Spirit had resided in him, was Jesus called the Christ or Messiah and the Deliverer of Believers. But what role then did the Messiah Jesus play with His coming and revelation to the Jews?
The obvious reason of course is to fulfil the prophecies about the coming of the Lord and His Messiah, as in Isaiah 40:10, where the Lord God will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. We are given an example of the very act of fulfilling this prophecy in Luke 11:20, when Jesus said: But if I (the arm of God) with the finger of God (strong hand of God) cast out demons, no doubt the Kingdom of God is come upon you.
However, more than just fulfilling prophecies, the coming of the Lord and the Messiah was to establish victory for God over Satan, so that judgement can be pronounced on him in accordance to the laws of the court of heaven and also to release the people of God from the bondage of the devil.
Galatians 4: 3-7 says: we were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world. But when the fulness of time had come, God sent His son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father! So that you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
The religious Jews in Jesus’ day, however, could not accept Jesus because he was a worker of miracles and preached forgiveness of sin. They searched the scriptures for the Messiah, but found Moses instead. Under the heavy yoke of Rome, the Jews had expected another Moses and messiah to deliver them from the tyranny of being enslaved by Caesar; like how their forebears had been snatched from the grip of Pharaoh, through signs and wonders.
Don’t get me wrong, Jesus is indeed the deliverer of the people of God, but it’s a ministry towards spiritual deliverance and salvation. This deliverance is therefore not from the physical Caesar but the spiritual Caesar, Satan himself!
Like Christians today, the Jews were divided into many sects and beliefs in Jewry when the Lord appeared. These different Jewish ideologies, customs and doctrines were the beliefs and scriptural interpretations of the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees of the time. Even the so-called experts of the law who were sent to test the Lord with scripture were opposed to Jesus and the Spirit in him.
These were the religious elite of the day who had profound knowledge of scripture and were yet spiritually blind to the coming of the Lord. Their spiritual faith strayed from God’s truth until they were unable to recognize the Lord and His Messiah, denying even the miracles performed: the blind made to see, lame made to walk and the dead brought back to life; which only God the Creator, can accomplish!
For they do not know the Lord, who says in Isaiah 43:19-21: Behold I do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people I formed for Myself that they may declare My praise.
These verses speak of God’s victory in the wilderness over Satan, and the rivers of living water and joy of salvation that will soon be poured out by the Holy Spirit.
The Arm of the Lord
Coming back to the Gospels, Jesus never ever claimed that the miracles performed by him were attributed to his own powers. Rather, scripture quotes Jesus saying, I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgement is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of Him who sent me (John 5:30). And Luke 18:19: Jesus said to him: Why, call me good? No one is good except God alone.
Therefore, Jesus had expressly taught his disciples that he was a man sent from God and not to be equaled with God.
We are given a prophecy of the Messiah who is called the arm of the Lord and these verses are found in Isaiah 53:1-12:
(Indeed, if you understand this truth about who the arm of the Lord is, then it’s God’s revelation to you!)
Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For he grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with sorrow; and as one whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. Surely, he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his stripes we are healed.
We who all are like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb (the Lamb of God) that is led to slaughter and like sheep before its shearers remain quiet. By a perversion of justice, he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of My people.
They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When You make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.
After he has suffered, he will see the Light of Life (New International Version, italics are mine) and he will be greatly satisfied; by his knowledge My righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong. Because he poured out his life unto death and was numbered among the transgressors. For he bore the sins of many and made intercession for all transgressors.
These rather weighty verses ironically, summarize the work of the Messiah of the Jews.
While Jesus was on earth, he was more acquainted with sorrow because of the constant attack of the enemies of God, the Spirit of the Lord in him was his only source of peace and joy, and the Spirit eventually sustained him to the cross on Calvary. He had no comely appearance nor a glib tongue that would have attracted a huge following and therefore, very few believed on him. For He did as he was ordered by the Holy Spirit in fulfillment of righteousness and remained faithful even unto death, and scripture proclaims him as God’s righteous servant.
Note that righteousness is the fulfilling of God’s law and this righteous servant paid the sin penalty in full for man, with his life. The Light of Life (in bold) speaks of the Spirit who came to redeem Jesus from the bowels of Hell after his death at the cross. This deliverance from death and hell, is the resurrection and the life spoken of in scripture, John 11:25.
This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is Light, in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).
In addition, as part of our Christian faith, we often quote John 3:16, as we believe these verses to be foundational to our Christian faith. However, John 3:16 should not just be taken in isolation to other scripture, such as John 5:24, which says: Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgement, but has passed from death to life.
I will add more light into the meaning of the Only Begotten Son, found in John 3:16, in my later missives.
This brings me now to say this, if you think that being a Christian means to believe in Jesus solely, then you have missed out on the most important aspect of your Christian faith, which is that of receiving the Holy Spirit.
I will elaborate further on this matter later, but first let me quote John the Baptist, who said in Matthew 4:11: I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Today, Christians are baptized with water for repentance, this is the physical aspect of our faith. There is however another spiritual step in our Christian walk that needs to be fulfilled, which is that of being baptized in the Holy Spirit.
For God is Spirit and those who worship Him should worship in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24).
c. As the scripture has said
Should you google “Rivers of Living Water” in the old testament, you would probably get a response like: “Request cannot be found”. This is due to scripture in the Old Testament, when alluding to this matter, having been hidden in imagery and allegory.
Why then did the apostle John write that the Spirit of God had not yet been given to believers, when Jesus spoke about rivers of living water? (With the exception of David, whom I will discuss in more detail later)
The answer lies in the new covenant of God through Jesus Christ. The old covenant was one from the law and not of grace. For the law in the Old Testament required the sacrifice of animals in God’s temple for the forgiveness of sin of His people, while the redemption of sin in the new covenant has been paid in full by the sacrifice and death of Jesus Christ.
This sacrifice of Jesus also paved the way for the Lord and Spirit, who was once at the Mercy Seat in the temple of God in Jerusalem, to be released from its physical and spiritual confines. Jesus said, ‘a time will come when we will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem’ (John 4: 21). But the hour is coming and now is here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth (John 4: 23-24).
This brings us to the words of the apostle Paul: Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is Holy, and you are that temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
God will no longer reside in any temple built by man, for He now dwells in His people through the Holy Spirit!
Why is the Holy Spirit related and central to these Rivers of Living Water?
There are many scriptures in the Old Testament regarding rivers with the overriding theme of water and its joyful connotations.
Psalm 46:4 says: There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. While in Rev 22:1: Then he showed me the river of the Water of Life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
For I will pour (living) water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring (Isaiah 44:3).
These rivers of living water are in fact the first fruits of the blessings of God which He has prepared for His people here on earth. This is no ordinary gift of God since those who have tasted the living waters have tasted water from the wells of salvation in heaven.
The Spirit of Life and Creator
God is Life and that’s why the Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2), this Spirit is also the Creator of the heavens and the earth and the sectors dividing what we now know as our universe, from the abode of God in heaven.
The New Testament speaks about a ‘third heaven’, while there are some Jewish theologians who believe about the seventh heaven. There are seven sectors between heaven and earth. The earth and our universe is but one sector which is by the way, the smallest sector of the seven sectors; and if you imagine a profile of these seven sectors, it would look like an inverted pyramid, with our universe occupying the bottom and smallest sector, while heaven the abode of God at the top, being the largest.
Let me give some understanding as to why there are seven sectors. The creation of the heavens and earth by God was not accomplished in six days (by human reckoning) but recorded and condensed in the bible to give us some idea of the beginning of creation. In fact, before God created our universe, there were the other sectors that had first been formed, which acted as a base and support to the kingdom of heaven as God expanded His Kingdom. From time to time, God created the different angels that would inherit His kingdom, heaven too was then renewed and enlarged to accommodate His burgeoning entourage (before the rebellion there were 300 billion angels in heaven).
Much like the earth, heaven has its vast oceans, lakes, mountain ranges, hills and beautiful landscapes of land, where God also provided game and food for sustenance of His angels. The scale and beauty of heaven is beyond our imagination. As heaven greatly expanded to accommodate more of His angels, these sectors too were formed which acted as a firmament in support of the enlarged Kingdom of God in heaven. (He stretches out the heavens like a canopy and spreads them out like a tent to live in, Isaiah 40:22).
It’s something that most of us cannot fathom and that’s because we are created physical and finite beings, constrained by time and space. Our understanding of how wonderful our Creator is, is also limited by our mind of flesh. But God says: Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool (Isaiah 66:1).
Coming back, the bible records: You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30). The Spirit of God, therefore, has been explicitly articulated in scripture as the Creator.
Elsewhere, we are introduced to the Spirit of God in the first chapter of Genesis, during the creation process. Genesis 1:1-2: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the waters.
In heaven, there is a river that flows from the throne of God and where this river flows there is great joy which makes glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High (Psalm 46:5). This is the River of Life in heaven. The promises of God are for us to experience and sample the delights of this River of Life here on earth, a foretaste of things in heaven, as the Holy Spirit seals us for redemption to His kingdom.
This also fulfills scripture in Psalms 36:8-9: and You give them drink from the river of Your delights. For with You is the Fountain of Life; in Your Light we see Light.
Jeremiah 17:13: O hope of Israel! O Lord! All who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be recorded in the underworld, for they have forsaken the Fountain of Living Water, the Lord.
Living water literally translates to water of life, for God is Life and from Him alone, this fountain of living water flows.
Isaiah 12: 3: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Today, most believers when accepting Jesus Christ into their lives are taught to stand by faith and to accept things not seen. While I’m not disputing that believers ought to put their faith totally on God, but why would believers not want the Joy of Salvation from God, while drawing water from the wells of salvation as spoken of in the book of Isaiah?
Isaiah 41:17 – 20: When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water, so that all may see and know, all may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.
When Jesus preached about these Rivers of Living Water, he was talking about the work of the Holy Spirit unto Salvation (Joy of Salvation) that believers will receive after his resurrection.
d. The Holy Ghost was not yet Given
What did the Apostle John mean when he said the Holy Spirit was not yet given? Afterall, the Holy Spirit had been working in the lives of His anointed prophets and chosen vassals, as recorded in the Old Texts. The way John said it was as though the gift of the Holy Spirit and the receiving of Him was a separate and future event.
To understand this, we will need to examine scripture, particularly, the first covenant God made with Adam before the original sin. After the fall, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:23), Satan was thus master over all that was Adam’s birthright and quickly took control over both the world and its inhabitants.
This control over the world was all encompassing and included the nether regions of our earth. Satan also held the keys over death through sin, and this is the key to death and Hell, where all the dead including the people of God were kept on their passing (before the victory of Christ).
It was for this reason, a second Adam (1 Cor 15: 45-49), had to appear to challenge Satan and gain control over man’s fate.
Jesus was called the Son of David in his time, which piqued the ears of the scribes and Pharisees and the religious establishments of the day. The Son of David was an honorific bestowed by the people of Israel, particularly the hoi-polloi or people like you and me, in Jesus’ time. Having seen the miracles that he performed, they sang praises in recognition of Jesus as the Son of David and thereby, acknowledging him as the chosen Messiah of the Lord.
The reason for the Messiah and the house of David, as being integral to God’s plan for redemption is due to this prophecy: For the Lord said, I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut and no one shall open (Isaiah 22:22).
I will explain in more detail what this key of David represents in a later section.
In the Old Testament, God worked though His people and only a chosen and selected few from the tribes of Israel, like how God used Elijah, the prophet of God. He was the only prophet of God among the five thousand prophets of Baal in Israel. In fact, this has been the underlying theme of God, that His chosen are few. The first covenant was brought down from Mount Sinai by Moses, while a new and better covenant was to be fulfilled with the coming and death of the Messiah, Christ Jesus. (Please bear with me as I am summarizing a lengthy spiritual truth).
During this time, we see God working only through the Jews, and even then, through the chosen people of God, which is why we rarely hear of the Lord using the gentiles for His purposes. In fact, after the promise to Abraham, the Lord resided only among the Jews, His chosen people; first in a tent in the wilderness and then in Solomon’s temple when it was built and later in the temple during Jesus’ time.
Even Jesus when answering a gentile lady, said that he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24), therefore, before the death of Jesus on the cross, his ministry was just confined to the people of Israel and only to the Jews of his day, which was in fulfilment of the law.
But what happened after his death? The bible records that the veil of the Holy of Holies in the temple was torn from top to bottom, signifying a divine act (Matthew 27:51). What this meant was that the Lord residing in the Holy of Holies in the temple built by man, was no longer confined to its physical and spiritual boundaries.
When Christ Jesus died, he atoned for the sins of all man, not just the Jews. The sacrifice of the Lamb of God was redemption in full for the sin requirement, and satisfied righteousness before the Lord at the Mercy Seat. This righteous work of the Messiah was the final sacrifice required of the Lamb of God, which paved the way for the Lord to be sent out from Jerusalem to the world.
Now, who then is this Lord that has been released from the confines of the temple on the death of Jesus? If you truly seek the truth, then know this: He is the Spirit of the Lord, who is the gift of God.
The Seal of the Holy Spirit
Jesus said: Even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you (John 14:17).
It is clear from these verses that Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit who would soon dwell in His believers. But what then does this indwelling really mean?
This speaks of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and His seal on a person for redemption/salvation. Through this seal and doorway, the Spirit can also work through a person for His plans and purposes. Having the Holy Spirit’s seal doesn’t mean that we are totally consumed by the fervor of the Lord throughout our lives, for God knows our nature, we are after all made from the dust of the earth and therefore, subject to our earthly proclivities.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of Truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13).
A further note about this seal, which is a spiritual seal placed in us by the Holy Spirit to distinguish the people of the Lord from the people of the world. When we have the seal of the Holy Spirit, the authority given by this seal, for instance, enables us to do the work of the Lord, for the Lord can then minister to us or through us. This seal also extends to the afterlife, the devil will certainly demand our souls for his kingdom, but because of this seal of righteousness from the Holy Spirit, the powers of darkness no longer have any hold over us, for we belong to the Most High.
There is another aspect to this seal which needs further explanation, which is that of the seal being a “spiritual-pathway” or doorway, through which the Holy Spirit can then move in a person. This spiritual seal is also employed by the dark side, for the devil has also sealed his servants in the world to do his work. I live in Southeast Asia, a place that has a long history of shamanism and idol worship. The witch doctors and temple mediums in these parts have a thriving business, with both rich and the poor banging on their doors. While this may be considered superstition by some, desperate people will take fraught measures for their spiritual or physical needs.
Let me tell you that these ‘spiritual consultations’ do work! If you hunger for fame and fortune, like the many who have sold their souls to the devil and have been “blessed” by the dark side, you will certainly be tempted to engage in these practices. Though you may experience temporal happiness, however, the peace and joy of God will certainly be far from you.
Let me warn those who seek blessings from these dark sources – the end is more bitter than the beginning. For though you will find whatever financial rewards or fame quickly indeed, it is a deception by the devil for the spiritual reckless who come to him. In due time, the devil will exact his price, and it is also from such associations that a seal will be placed in these folks and their family members. From this seal, a doorway will be opened through which familiar spirits have access to these peoples’ familial environment. Ultimately, many generations of innocent lives will be cursed by the bondage of the devil.
It is also by this seal, whether from the devil or the seal of the Holy Spirit that will eventually determine our destination in the afterlife.
e. Rivers of Living Water
Let me first expand this matter with further scripture from the New Testament:
Titus 3: 5-7: He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness, but according to His mercy, through the water of rebirth (born again through living water) and renewal of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
John 4:10 – 14: If you knew the gift of God, and who is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water’. Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again. But those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life’.
Coming back to the main verses in John 7:38, Jesus spoke of rivers of living water in a plural sense. While living water was singular, the texts speak of rivers, as though there was more than one river. I do understand the reason for the plurality in these texts as they refer to the River of Life in heaven, whose streams the bible records, make glad the city of God (Psalm 46:4).
But on a more personal note, when I first received the salvation experience, I remember that it was initially a deep bubbling sensation that came from the depths of my belly and thereafter came the peace and joy of the Lord and later the knowledge of His salvation.
Years earlier when I was about 15 years old, I had hiked up a mountain with a group of friends. This was the same mountain in which I had a vision about as I’ve said earlier.
It was a long arduous 6-hour trek of uphill terrain and being unprepared for the hike, we took more than a few stops along the way and thereby exhausted all drinking water, halfway through the climb. Fortunately, our guide who was an experienced trekker and classmate, always encouraged us with: ‘We’re almost there!’.
When we were close to the summit, we made camp by a brook. After a long hard climb, we plunged ourselves into the brook to relish its cool and thirst-quenching waters.
At night as we slept, I could hear the gurgle of the brook just beside my tent, which was a constant but soothing sound. For drinking, we just dunked our containers into the cool waters of the brook and drank directly from it. There is a taste of fresh spring water close to its source that is hard to describe, as you could almost taste the sweetness of the water as well as the elements and minerals that it was made up of.
A river starts from its source, a point that needs mentioning, and the source of a river is always a bubbling brook!
The Lord showed me that the bubbling sensation in my belly, when I first experienced the Rivers of Living Water, started just as much as a bubbling brook. This sensation then gave way to the utmost peace and joy of the Lord, which may be likened to a peaceful river meandering its way to the ocean, with laughter and mirth on both sides of its banks.
As I’ve mentioned earlier about this river in heaven, the original River of Life, whose streams the bible say, make glad the city of God. All who have taken just a sip of its waters will certainly receive the fulness of joy. I was filled with the deepest peace, a peace which no worldly experience can compare with. And almost instantaneously, there was a peace and joy so full and fulfilling that it can only come from the Lord. I felt like running and jumping with hands raised up high, in praise of God.
And moments later, the salvation of God became very real to me. I am very certain all who have tasted the Rivers of Living Water, would have had these same experiences.
In the Book of Psalms (51:10 – 12), David, a man with a heart for God and who was filled with the Holy Spirit at an early age, summed up his experiences succinctly when he prayed: Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast Spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the Joy of Your Salvation and grant me a willing Spirit, to sustain me.
Please do read the full text of Psalm 51, an important aspect of these passages is that David specifically acknowledged the Holy Spirit as the Lord, who enabled his salvation experience. This is because the key to salvation lies in the hand of the Holy Spirit!
There is another feature that I would like to emphasize and that is related to the verses that I have made in bold, and that primarily speaks about the Joy of God’s salvation. There is great peace and joy in the salvation experience, and its source is the Spirit of God.
Born Again
Do you know that what Jesus described about the Rivers of Living Water is also the depiction of the Born-Again experience?
In John 3:5 – 8, Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God, without being born of Water and Spirit (born again). What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, you must be born again from above. The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sounds of it (read Acts 2:2), but you do not know where it comes or where it goes. So, it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
These verses in bold speak about being born of Water (Rivers of Living Water) and the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) which is what Jesus meant of being born again. Jesus also said that one needs to be born from above, or that the source of our salvation comes from Heaven. It is God the Holy Spirit, who baptizes us into the Kingdom of God. I’m afraid one cannot be born again into the Kingdom of God through the works of the flesh, no matter how earnest the effort, faith and conviction!
I understand that in certain Christian circles, believers have been persuaded to attend workshops and seminars touting: “How to be born again”. I hope the organizers have placed their trust in the Holy Spirit, for only then will He move mightily.
Do you know that when one is born again, there is 100% conviction of one’s salvation? Very much like David, we will know the Joy of Salvation as David had written. I will however say that the Born-Again experience or Joy of Salvation can be experienced only once in our lifetime. While we may have had the peace and joy of the Lord in times of our Christian walk, knowing the Joy of Salvation will be a one-time experience for us. This explains why even David who had the Holy Spirit with him, cried out to God to restore the Joy of Salvation, in his moment of deep remorse.
This born-again experience and the depiction of it has been hidden in wonderful allegory in the old texts:
Psalm 87: 6 –7: The Lord records, as he registers the peoples, “This person was born there”. Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in You”.
These verses speak about the Lord recording and registering born-again believers whose names have been written in the Book of Life (or those born in Zion, the Holy City of God in heaven). These believers too have been detailed as singing and dancing, after having been overwhelmed by the Joy of Salvation, and praising and acknowledging the Lord, as the source of their springs of life.
On a personal note and based on my experience of being born again, I do not know the exact date and time of the most significant event of my life. This might confound some of you as coming from someone who professes to be familiar with being born again. I have no answer to that, though it was certainly a milestone event in my life and indeed the one and only momentous experience of my entire life. I roughly remember it to be in 1980 in the month of December, or thereabouts.
But what I do know is the place where I had experienced salvation, which was on the road back home. I am however, overwhelmed and humbled by scripture that speaks of God recording the place of our being born again, rather than the date and time of our salvation.
The Seal of the Spirit
There is another aspect to this born again and Rivers of Living Water experience and this is recorded in Ephesians 4:30: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Yes, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, when we are born again. Note, the scripture doesn’t say that we are sealed by Jesus but rather by the Spirit of God, who is central to and the prime mover in our salvation.
Indeed, if one has that joy of salvation, you will experience with certainty that you will make it to heaven. There is no doubt when the Rivers of Living Water flow in you. This is also the time, the Holy Spirit seals us to God’s Kingdom by registering our names in the Book of Life, which was why I had the most unshakeable confidence of being saved when I experienced the rivers of living water.
To end this, here are three verses from the book of Revelations:
Rev 21:6: I am the Alpha and the Omega. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the Water of Life.
Rev 22:1: Then the angels showed me the river of the Water of Life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb.
Rev 22:17: The Spirit and the bride say come. And let everyone who hears say, come. Let anyone who wishes take the Water of Life as a gift.
When we make it to heaven, our designated angels will lead us to this River, from where a sip of its waters will cause us to bubble-up with outmost joy. This River of Life divides the abode of the inhabitants of heaven of both man and angels, with man occupying the western part of heaven and the angels, the east; and the waters too will be for the refreshing and healing of both man and angels.
On either side of the River, is the Tree of Life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the fruit are for the healing of the nations, Revelations 22: 2.
This gift of the joy of salvation here on earth is a foretaste of this River of Life in heaven.
Let anyone who thirsts say come, O Lord Holy Spirit!
