The tree of life is a vine tree, not a pine tree. A pine grows by shooting upward into the heavens, but a vine grows by stretching forth to reach people. Since Christ is a vine, everyone can partake of His fruit. In the New Jerusalem the tree of life grows like a vine close to the earth on the two banks of the river. It is one tree, but it grows on two sides of the river. If the tree of life were tall like a pine tree and its fruit were at the top, its fruit would be too high for us to reach without difficulty. But the tree of life as a vine is lower than we are; thus, it is so easy to obtain its fruit. The tree of life is spreading and proceeding along the flow of the water of life for God’s people to receive and enjoy.
The tree of life as a great vine is the available food, the nourishment, for God’s redeemed in eternity; hence, it is the life pulse of the New Jerusalem. Christ is the vine tree, and we are the branches (John 15:5). He is the centrality and universality of God’s economy, and God’s economy consummates in the New Jerusalem. The centrality and universality of this holy city is the tree of life, the greatest vine in the universe. This vine comprises our God, our Lord, our Master, our Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, and us. We are a part of this vine because we are the branches.
In the New Jerusalem, the ultimate item is the tree of life. If there were no tree of life in the holy city, there would be no food by which God’s redeemed can live. The center of the New Jerusalem is the tree of life for the feeding and nourishing of the entire city. The Bible begins and ends with the tree of life as the center in order to carry out an organic union between God and us by our drinking of God as the water of life and our eating of Him as the tree of life. The water of life quenches our thirst from within by our drinking, and the tree of life nourishes us from within by our eating. In the New Jerusalem this is to maintain the organic union. For eternity we will be organically united with God every day and every minute by our eating and drinking of Him. This nourishing tree is the center of the entire New Jerusalem. The story of the Bible is that God made the tree of life the center.
Where there is the street, there is the river; and where the river is, the tree of life is growing. Once we enter the gate, we have three things before us: a unique street on which to walk, a unique river of which to drink, and a unique tree on which to feed.
In the midst of the street is the river; hence, the street spontaneously becomes the two banks of the river. The tree of life grows as a vine on the banks of the river. The street, the river, and the tree are all interrelated. After we enter through the pearl gate and get on the golden street, we immediately have the flowing river. Along the flow of the living water is the tree of life.
The street of the holy city is pure gold (Rev. 21:21). Gold symbolizes the divine nature. That the river of water of life proceeds “in the middle of its street” (22:1) signifies that the divine life flows in the divine nature as the unique way for the daily life of God’s redeemed people. Where the divine life flows, there the divine nature is as the holy way by which God’s people walk, and where the holy way of the divine nature is, there the divine life is flowing. The divine life and the divine nature as the holy way always go together. Thus, God’s river of water of life is available along this divine way, and we enjoy the river by walking in this way of life.
The street is the two banks of the river on which the tree of life grows, and the street signifies the divine nature as our holy way. When we take the way according to God’s nature, the life of God flows within us. When we act according to God’s nature, we immediately sense that the flow of life is watering us.
When we walk and move in the nature of God, we sense not only the flow of life within us but also the supply of life, the nourishment of life, the spiritual food. When we take the divine way, the street of God’s nature, we will have the life flowing in us and the life supply nourishing us. Day by day, as we are living such a life and walking according to God’s nature, we enjoy the water of life and the tree of life as our supply. We all need a day-by-day experience of the divine street of gold with the river of water of life and the tree of life in its middle, signifying that the life water and the life supply flow in the divine way. This vine, the tree of life, grows within and along the middle of the street. Thus, in the middle of the fellowship is the tree of life.
If we do not follow the inward regulation of the divine nature, the flow within us will stop. In contrast, if we follow the inner regulation, we will find ourselves walking on the golden street and sense that the inner flow is intensified and strengthened. We will also sense that the inner flow brings us the rich supply of life. This is what it means to walk on the golden street, to partake of the flowing river, and to enjoy all the riches of the tree of life.
Whenever we submit our entire being to the headship of the redeeming God, His throne is set up within us. Out of this throne flows the river of life. This river of life flows in the midst of the golden street, and along this flowing river there is the tree of life, which is a vine growing along the river as our rich life supply. The throne is here, waiting for us to submit to the headship and authority of the redeeming God. As soon as we submit to this headship, the life-giving Spirit immediately flows within us, and we find ourselves on the golden street. As we walk along the golden street, we find that the inward flowing of the life-giving Spirit is marvelous, refreshing, satisfying, and supplying. Along this flow of the living water there are the riches of the tree of life that grows by the flow of the river. This means that where the flow of the river is, there is the tree of life to supply us. In our experience we should have a throne, the flowing of the water of life, and Christ as the tree of life growing within us in a very practical way. This is not a doctrinal understanding; it is absolutely a matter of experience in life.
The street begins from the mountaintop, which represents God Himself, to reach all the twelve gates of the city. As we have seen, in the midst of this street is the river of water of life to flow out the riches of God to be our supply. The street with the river is a two-way traffic, proceeding down and spiraling up. This coming and going is the fellowship. All who enter into the city through the pearl gates participate in the same fellowship. This fellowship begins from God as the source to reach all twelve gates. That means it reaches all the ones who have entered into the city to bring them back to God.
Human beings need food as the supply to nourish them, and without water they cannot survive. We need water as our beverage to match the food that we eat. The tree of life is for our nourishment, and the river of water of life is for our drinking. For our growth in the divine life, Christ nourishes us and the Spirit quenches our thirst, and the growth of the divine life is for the building up of the city as the organic constitution of the processed Triune God mingled with His regenerated, transformed, and glorified tripartite elect.
The river of life flows out of the throne and spirals down the mountain, eventually reaching all twelve gates on each of the four sides. This indicates that the flow of the Triune God waters the whole city. Every part of the city receives the life supply, because the tree of life grows in the river, and the river reaches every part of the city. The tree of life is a vine growing on both sides of the river. Only as a vine could its growth follow the flow of the river. The river moves in spiral fashion, and the tree grows in the same way. It is like a grapevine, making many turns as it grows along the flow of the river of life. Wherever the river flows, the tree of life grows. Thus, the supply of life is in the flow of life. In the church life today we have the flow of the river of life, that is, the flow of the life-giving Spirit. With this life-giving Spirit we have Christ as the tree of life to be our life supply.
In the entire Bible the books that speak most clearly concerning God’s flowing out as life are Ezekiel and Revelation. Ezekiel and Revelation both show us the flow of the living water. Ezekiel 47:1 speaks of the river that flows out of the house of God. Verse 9 says, “Everything shall live wherever the river comes,” and verse 12 says, “On the banks on both sides of the river will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail; but they will bring forth new fruit every month, because the water for them flows out of the sanctuary. And their fruit shall be for food, and their leaves for healing.” Revelation 22:1-2 says, “He showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street. And on this side and on that side of the river was the tree of life, producing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” In both Ezekiel and Revelation, therefore, we have a river flowing out of God with the life supply.
By the water of life and by the tree of life, the New Jerusalem will be richly supplied for eternity. Through this abundant supply of life, the oneness of the New Jerusalem will be forever maintained. Division will not be possible in the holy city. The light will shine throughout the city, and the life will water and supply the city. This life and light will eliminate the possibility of division. Even the nations that surround the new city will be one. At that time, all things in heaven and on earth will be headed up in Christ (Eph. 1:10). This will be the ultimate, universal, and eternal oneness. This oneness will be kept and preserved in life and with light.