In this message we want to continue our fellowship concerning the functions of the all-inclusive Spirit. In the previous message we saw fifteen of these functions, and in this message we will see twenty more. The Spirit, although abstract and hidden, is mentioned frequently in the Bible. But, sorry, many of those in fundamental Christianity do not see this clearly.
In the previous message and in this message, we are pointing out thirty-five functions of the all-inclusive Spirit. These are only some of the many functions of the Spirit. Revelation 22 shows us the throne of God and of the Lamb with the Spirit as the river of water of life proceeding out of it (v. 1).
God and the Lamb are sitting on the throne. We may wonder how one throne can seat two people. In Revelation 21 and 22 in the description of the New Jerusalem, we can find the explanation. Revelation 21:23 says that the lamp in the New Jerusalem is the Lamb. The Lamb is the lamp, and God is the light within the lamp (22:5). The Lamb as the lamp is the One sitting on the throne with God as the light within Him. The one throne for both God and the Lamb indicates that God and the Lamb are one.
From this One, flows the river of water of life. Revelation 21 and 22 present the ultimate, consummated revelation of the New Jerusalem. In this presentation we can see the Father, the Son—Christ, and the Spirit. The light is a figure signifying the Father (Rev. 22:5). The word Christ is not mentioned in these chapters, but Christ is revealed as the Lamb and as the lamp. The Lamb and the lamp are not physical things, but figures, signifying the Son of God, Christ. Then there is a river. This river is not a physical river but a figure signifying the Spirit.
The flowing of the river is the top function, the total function, of the Spirit. The flowing of the river quenches the thirst of the whole city, supplying the whole city with the spiritual water of life. Thus, quenching is another function of the Spirit. The quenching of the Spirit is saturating, the saturating is transfusing, and the transfusing is infusing. These are more functions of the Spirit. Revelation 22 also reveals that the river grows the tree of life. According to Revelation 22, the tree of life does not grow in earth but in water. It is the water that grows the tree of life. This is another function of the Spirit. There are many functions of the Spirit revealed throughout the entire Bible.
The entire Bible is a book on the Spirit and a book of the Spirit. Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God...." God here is Elohim in Hebrew, a plural word. Thus, the first verse of the Bible refers to the Triune God. Then the second verse refers to the Spirit of God, saying that the Spirit of God brooded over the face of the waters. Then at the end of the Bible in Revelation 22:17 there are the Spirit and the bride.
The Spirit of God is one aspect, and the Spirit with the bride is another aspect. The Spirit of God was the Spirit not yet consummated. The unconsummated Spirit of God was not yet ready for marriage. But at the end of the Bible, there are the Spirit and the bride. This means that the Spirit is married. In Revelation 22, He is the consummated Spirit as the Bridegroom. The bride needs a bridegroom. The Groom is the consummated Spirit, and the consummated Spirit is the consummated Triune God.
Actually, the revelation of the all-inclusive Spirit and the functions of this Spirit are endless. What I am doing in these messages is giving us a little view to know what the Spirit is doing. Actually, we cannot exhaust the functions of the all-inclusive Spirit.