John the Beloved, also called John the Seer because of his authorship of the book of Revelation, was taken into the Kingdom of God by the Spirit. He visited the city of God, and there he saw the River: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1–2) The City of God is a real thing, certainly; the Tree of Life is real; the River is real. It is critical for the ordinary mystic to understand the availability of the River in this current life: On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:37–38) It is an invitation as powerful as when Christ said, “If anyone opens the door, I will come in.” Jesus comes, really; the River comes too. We also have the wonderful promise of Psalm 1, which links our humanity to the Tree of Life planted by the River in the City of God: That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:3) A human life can only be evergreen if it is drawing upon the River of Life! Want More? Order your copy of Experience Jesus. Really. today
