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Thomas Cole - The Garden of Eden (1828). From Wikimedia Commons
The bible starts with the river that went out of Eden. It watered the garden and then split into four more rivers.
[Gen 2:10 ESV] 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.
The bible also ends with a river, the river that proceeds from the throne of God.
[Rev 22:1-2 KJV] 1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations.
These are literal rivers and they are sources of life. There are also spiritual rivers that run through history. Mystery Babylon (as it is referred to in Revelation 17:5) and the River of God.
Nile River and delta from orbit. From Wikimedia Commons
Rivers bring life with them and most great civilizations have been built on rivers. When the river dries up the civilization dies. The nation of Egypt depends upon the waters of the Nile. The day will come when the Nile will dry up. This is something the Lord will do to humble the nation and bring it to faith in Jesus Christ.
[Isa 19:5, 22 KJV] 5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up. ... 22 And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal [it]: and they shall return [even] to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.
Every river has a source. Eventually the river will run to the open sea with some exceptions such as the River Jordan which empties into the Dead Sea which has no outlet. The place where the river starts determines its destination. It will flow in a predetermined direction, north or south, east or west. The river runs until it finishes its course. I starts at a high point and finishes at its lowest point.
Several rivers have their source in my local area. The chart below shows the heads of some rivers that start on north Dartmoor. The rivers that start above the watershed line flow north. The rivers that start below the watershed line flow south
Rivers above the watershed line flow north. Those below flow south.
Louis de Caullery - King Nimrod ordering the construction of the Tower of Babel. From Wikimedia Commons
This is all relevant in terms of bible prophecy because of the spiritual rivers that run through history. Where the rivers start determine their course. God’s river started in the Garden of Eden. Satan’s river started at the Tower of Babel. Both rivers will run their course and influence everything in their paths.
Mystery Babylon is really a river or stream that runs through history. It started with Nimrod who was descended from Ham and Cush. Nimrod was a mighty hunter and seems to be the person who started building cities on the earth, beginning with Babel, or Babylon.
After the flood mankind had one language and one speech. They travelled to the plain of Shinar (Babylonia) and settled there. God had spoken to Noah and his sons and told them to replenish the earth.
[Gen 9:1 KJV] 1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
The Tower of Babel destroyed. The Phillip Medhurst Picture Torah. From Wikimedia Commons
However under the leadership of Nimrod the descendants of Noah remained together as a group and did not want to be scattered.
[Gen 11:4 KJV] 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top [may reach] unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
Building the Tower of Babel was a deliberate attempt to avoid doing the will of God. God had to split the people up and give them different languages so that they would have to separate into different groups
[Gen 11:8 KJV] 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
From that time mankind has been split into national and linguistic groups. There has always been a push for nations say “we don’t need God if we band together”.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon. 19th century illustration. From Wikimedia Commons
The Significance of Rivers in the Bible. Part 2
This has been the driving force behind many power blocs and associations of nations throughout history. However the Spirit of God has always resisted this and the nation state has remained the most stable platform for government.
Mystery Babylon represents man’s desire to be independent from God. It is a river of rebellion that has run throughout history. When this is combined with Satan’s own rebellion against God you have the recipe for the torrent of evil that has flowed through the millennia. The literal city of Babylon was built on the river Euphrates. The bible tells us that this river will eventually dry up
[Rev 16:12 KJV] 12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
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Unlike God’s river which is eternal, this river of evil will eventually dry up and come to nothing, Its start and its end are barren and worthless.
The Significance of Rivers in the Bible. Part 2 Video
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The Earth was corrupt before God and filled with violence. Illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible; illustrated by Gerard Hoet (1648–1733). From Wikimedia Commons
The River of God is the other river that runs through history. God’s river originally started in the Garden of Eden and watered the Garden. After the fall of Adam and Eve the river of God’s purposes slowed to a trickle as evil grew upon the earth. As time went by the corruption on the earth increased. About 1,500 years after the Fall God spoke to Noah about the state of the earth.
[Gen 6:12-13 KJV] 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
It seems that everything had become corrupted apart from Noah and his family. Even after the flood, wickedness remained among the people and the line of righteousness seemed to all but Peter out. Only with Abraham and his descendants did it revive. Since the flood the literal river that has most represented the River of God is the Jordan river.
Naaman washes in Jordan. Author unknown. From Wikimedia Commons
The Jordan is only a small river. It’s not particularly wide or deep and it’s not used for navigation as it doesn’t go anywhere apart from the Dead Sea.
In the Old Testament the commander of the army of Aram, Naaman, suffered from leprosy and sought a cure from the prophet Elisha. He was told to wash himself seven times in the river Jordan. Naaman was insulted by this as he regarded the Jordan as insignificant.
[2Ki 5:12 KJV] 12 [Are] not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
He was eventually persuaded to change his mind and he got healed but the story serves to show how the Jordan, as a symbol of the things of God, was despised by worldly people,
Jordan River. From Wikimedia Commons
So, the Jordan river seems quite small and insignificant looking compared to other rivers such as the mighty river Euphrates, which is the river that Babylon was built on. This is really a picture of how the things of God can seem weak compared to the things of the world. However the Jordan river has a great future ahead of it whereas the Euphrates will eventually dry up.
At the moment the Jordan flows into the Dead Sea which has no life in it and has no outlet to the ocean. It is the lowest point on earth. However in the Millennial period when Christ rules on earth, waters will spring from the temple in Jerusalem and flow east into the Arabah, the Dead Sea basin.
[Eze 47:8 KJV] 8 Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: [which being] brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
Trees by a River, painting by Arthur Turner. From Wikimedia Commons
Ultimately the river of God is eternal and will flow from God’s throne in the New Jerusalem. The river will actually flow through the Tree of Life.
[Rev 22:1-2 KJV] 1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations.
The river contains the water of life, carrying that life from the throne of God. Looking at the the whole picture we can see how God’s river started as a mighty river in the Garden of Eden, it became small and despised during the 6,000 years of human history. In the Millennium it will be restored to greatness and in the New Jerusalem it will achieve its amazing, eternal fullness.
Photo by Jeffrey Workman on Unsplash
Ultimately the river of God is eternal and will flow from God’s throne in the New Jerusalem. The river will actually flow through the Tree of Life.
[Rev 22:1-2 KJV] 1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations.
The river contains the water of life, carrying that life from the throne of God. Looking at the the whole picture we can see how God’s river started as a mighty river in the Garden of Eden, it became small and despised during the 6,000 years of human history. In the Millennium it will be restored to greatness and in the New Jerusalem it will achieve its amazing, eternal fullness.
Jesus was despised and rejected when he was on earth. He will return in power and majesty. Do not reject Christianity because you may know Christians who are weak and foolish. Every believer has an amazing future ahead. Those who reject Jesus have no future.
Very old Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane, where according to the Bible Jesus was praying before crucifixion. From Wikimedia Commons
The Significance of Trees in the Bible
The Significance of Trees in the Bible Video
Trees are extremely significant in bible prophecy. The two trees mentioned in the Garden of Eden were there to teach us about the purposes of God.
[Gen 2:9 KJV] 9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
The Tree of Life represents the life that God offers to all of us. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represents the desire of man to live by his own understanding. The choice we have is either to trust totally in God or to live by our own reason. The bible advises the first course of action
[Pro 3:5 KJV] 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. From Wikimedia Commons
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Cedrus libani, known as the Cedar of Lebanon, a species of cedar native to the mountains of the Eastern Mediterranean. Kadisha Valley. From Wikimedia Commons
For a Christian the Tree of Life represents Jesus. He offers us eternal life simply through believing in Him. We don’t come to him through a process of working out all the answers but simply by faith.
In the bible trees are often used to represent kings and nations. For example in chapter 9 of the book of Judges, Jotham, the youngest of Gideon’s 70 sons protests against his murderous half brother Abimelech. Abimelech had murdered all Gideon’s sons apart from Jotham who had escaped. Jotham uses an illustration of useful trees (the olive, the fig, and the vine) as righteous and servant hearted whereas the worthless bramble was vain-glorious and self serving. Clearly the bramble represented Abimelech.
Every type of tree in the bible has a spiritual significance. The chart on the following page looks at five different types of tree that are mentioned in the bible, starting with the Cedar. They are all useful productive trees, either useful for their fruit or their wood.
We as believers should be like trees rooted and planted in the word of God. The righteous man spends time meditating on God’s word and is constantly bearing fruit because his roots go down deep and reach water even in times of drought.
[Psa 1:3 KJV] 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The warning that goes with this is that a tree should be fruitful. If a tree is unfruitful then it is good for nothing. This applies to believers and to nations, regions and towns. God himself will cut off any unfruitful branches.
[Jhn 15:1-2 KJV] 1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
George Chinnery - Trees by a River. From Wikimedia Commons
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The bible is clear that we can only bear fruit if we abide in Jesus. He is the source of life for us.
[Jhn 15:4-5 KJV] 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
We are created to bear fruit and when we are unfruitful we become depressed and frustrated. It’s not about doing things, activity, getting results. It’s about abiding in Jesus. This is the real lesson that we get from trees. They can’t move. They don’t go anywhere. They just stand, grow and put down roots.
Jesus wants us to spend time with Him. This is our “work”. He can take care of everything else. We can’t bear fruit that lasts any other way.
Abide with Me. Library of the world's best literature, ancient and modern (1896). From Wikimedia Commons