iouae
Well-known member
Obviously anything I say is speculative...My rule for determining when something is literal or not is scriptural context. Scripture is written here a little and there a little. We must connect the dots.
As for the river of the water of life, Jesus said, "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" (John 7:37 NKJV)
If the river in Revelation 22 were literal where would the water go? There is no sea.
Also there was no more sea. (Revelation 21:1 NKJV)
See?
There is a huge river in Botswana which does not run into the sea. Every year it rains in the highlands, and this river runs into the Okavango Delta. This is a huge land honeycombed with smaller rivers and which supports some of the best game viewing in Africa - which few tourists have ever heard of.
The river just runs into this inland delta where the water slowly seeps into the sandy soil. It never gets salty like the Dead Sea either.
The Rev 22 river runs down the middle of a huge street (of gold??). On either bank are the Trees of Life with their different fruits every month. The river flows from the throne of God, for thousands of miles, and eventually just disappears as trees absorb its water and as it soaks into the soil.
People stroll, cycle, rollerblade or whatever on the road on either side of the river. Occasionally they rest in the shade of the Tree of Life, or eat its varied fruits, which are not love, joy etc. but pomegranate, and fig, and mulberry etc. including fruits we have not yet seen.