“And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing” (Ezekiel 47:12).
Both the prophet Ezekiel and the apostle John received visions from God that reveal something of the future God has in store for his children. And these men wrote down what they saw. They lived centuries apart and in different countries when they saw these visions, but their accounts are remarkably similar (which is not surprising actually, since God’s promises don’t change).
Ezekiel and John tell about abundant trees bearing fruit and bringing healing. And both stress what is the source of this abundance and blessing: the living water flowing from the sanctuary respectively from God’s throne — which in the end is the same, since the sanctuary in Ezekiel’s vision is God’s dwelling place. This is not a new idea. The prophet Jeremiah, for example, already spoke about “the Lord, the fountain of living water” (Jeremiah 17:13, ESV).
God Himself is the ultimate source of life, joy and blessing. That is the essence of God’s kingdom: being in His presence forever.
Are you longing for the living water that comes from God, and that brings abundance and blessing?