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The water that came out of the rock is the water of life in resurrection:
１
Resurrection denotes something that has been put to death and is alive again; it also denotes life that springs forth out of something that has passed through death.
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The water that flowed out of the smitten rock sprang forth only after the major steps of incarnation, human living, and crucifixion had been accomplished; hence, Exodus 17:6 is a profound verse, implying Christ's incarnation, human living, and death.
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The Spirit as the living water for us to drink and flow out could be received only after the Lord Jesus had been glorified, that is, only after Christ had entered into resurrection—John 7:37-39; Luke 24:26.
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Actually, the water of life, the flowing water, is resurrection; resurrection is the Triune God—the Father as the source, the Son as the course, and the Spirit as the flow—John 5:26; 11:25.
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The source of the water of life is the throne of God and of the Lamb—the redeeming God; hence, the water of life is the Triune God flowing out to be our life—Rev. 22:1:
１
The flow of the living water began from the throne in eternity, continued through the incarnation, human living, and crucifixion of Christ (John 4:10, 14; 19:34), and now flows on in resurrection to supply God's people with all the riches of the divine life (Rev. 22:1-2).
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The flowing of the water of life in resurrection is for the building up of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13) and the preparation of the bride of Christ (Rev. 19:7), both of which will consummate in the New Jerusalem (21:9-10; cf. Eph. 5:23, 28-30).
Morning Nourishment
John 7:37-39 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.Resurrection denotes something which has been put to death and which is alive again. It also denotes life which springs forth out of something that has passed through death. The living water in Exodus 17 came out of a rock…. In the Bible this rock speaks of God's redemption and Christ's incarnation. It also speaks of Christ's humanity and of His death. The water that flowed out of the smitten rock sprang forth after incarnation, human living, and death. It flowed only after these major steps of Christ had been accomplished. The Bible tells us clearly that the rock was Christ [1 Cor. 10:4]. How could Christ, who is God, become a rock? This implies incarnation and human living. In order to be the rock, Christ had to become incarnated and live among men for a period of time. Eventually, when He was on the cross, He was smitten by the authority of God's law. Hence, Exodus 17:6 is a profound verse. It implies Christ's incarnation, human living, and death. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 488-489)
Today's Reading
According to John 7:38 and 39, the rivers of living water are related to Christ's resurrection. Here we see that the Spirit as the living water could be received only after the Lord Jesus had been glorified, that is, only after Christ had been crucified and had entered into resurrection. The glorification spoken of in John 7:39 refers to Christ's glorification in His resurrection. Luke 24:26 indicates that in resurrection Christ entered into His glory. Thus, when He was resurrected, He was glorified. After Christ's glorification in resurrection, the living water flows. The Spirit as the rivers of living water could be experienced by the believers only after Christ had passed through incarnation, human living, and death, and after He had entered into resurrection.Because the water of life is in resurrection, it is victorious and triumphant. It transcends every negative thing. Actually, the water itself is resurrection. This means that the Spirit, signified by the flowing water, is resurrection. Resurrection is the Triune God, the Father as the source, Christ the Son as the course, and the Spirit as the flow….The more we drink [this water], the more we are out of our natural condition and are triumphant over hardships and difficulties. This living water delivers us from the world and from every kind of negative thing.
The life-giving Spirit as the water of life flows out of God on the throne (Rev. 22:1). On the one hand, the One sitting on the throne is God; on the other hand, the water of life proceeding out of the throne is also God. The living water flowing from God's throne conveys to us the riches of the divine life. This is indicated by the fact that the tree of life grows in the water of life (Rev. 22:2). Because the riches of the divine life are carried in the flow of the living water, we receive these riches whenever we drink this water.
The flowing of the water of life in resurrection is for the formation of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). Because we all drink of the same …one Spirit in resurrection, [this] makes us members of the Body and builds us up as the Body.
The flowing of the living water in resurrection is also for the preparation of the bride of Christ. According to Revelation 22:17, the Spirit and the bride sound forth the call to come and drink of the water of life….The water which the bride drinks is the Spirit. By drinking the Spirit, the bride becomes one with the Spirit…. If we drink of the living water day by day, the Body of Christ will be built up, and the bride of Christ will be prepared. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 489, 491, 493, 495-497)
Further Reading: Life-study of Exodus, msgs. 42-45