Begin—End, 4of12

~ Flowing Water ~

There are a number of fascinating parallels between the first three chapters of the Bible (Genesis 1-3) and the last three chapters of the Bible (Revelation 20-22).  In between we find 1,183 chapters which record mankind’s struggles as well as instructions for the struggle.  In this series each post looks at one of the parallels—it is not an exhaustive coverage of all the parallels.  

The Beginning  ~  “Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.  The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.  And the gold of that land is good.  Bdellium and the onyx stone are there.  The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush.  The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria.  The fourth river is the Euphrates” (Genesis 2:10-14). 

The Middle  ~  “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’  The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.  Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?’  Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 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 4:10-14).  “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  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 7:37-39).

The End  ~  “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.  In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.  The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:1-2).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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