An excerpt from Creation Gospel Workbook 5 Vol. 1
Bereishit: A River Runs Through Us

The Garden of Eden[1] has a main river, and from it four other rivers flow.  The first was Pishon.  It means "increase."  It flowed around Havilah where gold and precious stones, including the onyx, were abundant.  The Pishon is associated with Nile where the pishton, the flax for making the fine linen of priestly garments grew.

The second river was the Gihon, which means "bursting forth," and it is described similarly to the Pishon in that it flowed around ( savav) in its course.  It flowed around the land of Cush.  The third river was the Chidekkel (Tigris), meaning "rapid, noisy," and it is described as "going," or "walking."  The fourth river was Perat (Euphrates), meaning "fruitfulness or bursting forth."  Perat is from pri, or fruit.  There is no description of its movement, but the three chagim, or Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot, center around offerings of first fruits.

What is a river?  Examine the following entry for nahar, river, and its root verb, nahar:

NAHAR  Strong's #5104, a noun                                                                           

Definition:  stream, river, underground streams[2]

from NAHAR Strong's Number 5102, a verb                           

Definition: to shine, beam, light, burn; (Qal) to beam, be radiant; to flow, stream

The essence of a river is actually a beam of light, the flowing of radiance.  A river is the means by which water carries light.  It makes a "lake of fire" seem much more plausible, doesn't it?  It is also consistent with the "fire-water" of shamayim, or Heaven.  Even the pre-Flood mist that arose from the "face" of the earth has a fiery connotation:

ED Strong's #0108    (Original Word from the same as #0181)

Definition: mist[3]

From OOD  Strong's Number 0181, from an unused root meaning to rake together

Definition: brand, firebrand

Example: "Is this not a brand ( ood) plucked from the fire?" (Zechariah 3:2)

The fiery mist required no work on the part of the man.  It was a daily application of fiery moisturizer for the face of the earth.  The special Garden of Eden, however, required Adam's participation in directing the radiant, sparkling river waters to grow the special arrangement of plants.  As the water source came from a Heavenly Eden, it was directed into the Earthly Eden.  Adam was not the source, but he did direct the flow, or division of the waters to the plants.

The rivers teach a common lesson.  First, the water source divided into four "heads" that gave drink for the Garden in circle-type path.  Two of the rivers, Pishon and Gihon, are specifically described as having cyclical qualities[4], like our moedim, for they savav, or surround like a circle.  Moses asked Pharaoh to let the Israelites go into the wilderness to observe a chag[5], a festival, meaning a circle.  The cycle of the feasts was part of the circle of the seasons.  Those within the circle of the rivers in Havilah drink from the life in the rivers, and they are described as "Good Gold" and "Precious Stones."

In 1 Peter 2:5, Yeshua's disciples are identified as the Precious Stones built on Messiah Yeshua, a holy nation bearing the precious stones of reconciliation on their chests:

...you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Those precious stones of the breastplate were set in very Good Gold like those surrounded by the Rivers of Eden, the rivers of the Holy Spirit. 

Each radiant river's essence is to increase and to burst forth with fruit.  Each chag season, Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot includes a firstfruits offering.  The moed river waters supplement the mist waters that arise from the carbon-based earth, and they create the ideal environment for goodly trees and all living creatures as well as man.    This is Eden, or "pleasure."  It is a condition pleasing to man's spirit, soul, and body of dust, and it is a place in which Elohim Himself could speak with man.  Living within the boundaries of the moedim has always been the method by which mankind could find an existence pleasurable both to himself and his Elohim.  

The Rivers that run through us represent the fire and water of the Ruach HaKodesh.  Their appearance is cocentric circles, a wheel within a wheel, and it is the appearance of the menorah when its path is complete, just as its appearance as a rainbow around the Throne in Revelation.  Viewed from above, a rainbow has the appearance of cocentric circles.

Yeshua hints to the Seven Spirits of Adonai that that fed the earthly Eden from above, the same Seven Spirits that should be the fuel and immersion of purity in our Seven Feasts, for it is a River that runs through the feasts:

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, "'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive...(Jn 7:37-39)

Let us remain inside the wheel within the wheel, the Rivers of obedience, and let the Rivers run through us in every direction we take!
                               
[1] EDEN Strong's Number 5731   Definition: pleasure, luxury, dainty

[2] Fits theme of fall feasts, hidden

[3] As or ( ayin-reish) is the light of the Spirit and or ( alef-reish) is the skin that covered Adam after sin, so ed ( ayin-dalet) is eternity and true witness and ad ( alef-dalet) is Adam without his mem, or enclosed gathering of waters, mayim, a mikveh.

[4] Savav means to go around or surround; Havilah means to circle, twist, or whirl

[5] Denotes the three pilgrimage festivals of the seven moedim.  See Workbook One for a more complete explanation.


LaMalah Children's Centre
 
We can't thank our donors enough for their monthly support of the Children's Center in Kenya.  Because of special gifts, Torah-submitted believers from all over Kenya were able to assemble in order to celebrate Sukkot with the children at the Centre.  Even the local neighbors of the Kenyan gathering have come to associate their annual celebration with the coming of the rain for blessing!  

I am pasting some of Pastor Ndungu's latest report below:

We even had people make a covenant with Abba through immersion in the Sabbath nearing the end of the feast.  Our children too had a wonderful time interacting with people of different cultures. We had people from Kericho, Naivasha, Teso, Nayahururu, Laikipia, Kipipiri and other areas.
     
Whenever we meet fro feasts, it always rains and rainfall is interpreted as blessings by even those who are not in this precious faith. But this also poses a challenge as we have black cotton soil on this property. With so many feet, the mud becomes a problem. We are hoping to pour concrete especially on the routes linking the buildings and going to the toilets.

Another challenge is all the past years whenever we met, people slept on the floor with inadequate beddings. We have tried this year and there were a number of beds to be shared. We hope to improve on this in the foreseeable future. Hopefully, everyone will have a place to lay on come Pesach next year.

Whereas there is no threat of mosquitoes in this area, it is a requirement from the authorities that each bed for the children will have a mosquito net. We are praying about that too.

Then we have a pastor in Bomet whose wife has been ailing from sometime now. It could be two years or more. Hardly two months goes by with her being rushed to hospital. I do not know exactly what she is ailing from, But i am convinced she needs specialized treatment. We are hoping to raise at least the equivalent of 150 dollars to see to it she goes to a bigger hospital. Any help towards this is much appreciated too.

There is this girl we helped join high school,. She has no words to thank you and since schools are closing this friday for two months, re-opening will be on 4th of January. Besides other expenses, she needs about 80 dollars for tuition for an year.

Once again, let us express our heartfelt gratitude for all those who have given us a shoulder to lean on. It is our utmost desire to help people ultimately enter into the soon coming kingdom of shalom. It would be so difficult, almost impossible to accomplish what we do without you. May Father bless you abundantly and may we all be found worthy to partake of the fruit of the tree of life when Messiah comes with the Kingdom.

    Thank you very much indeed
     Blessings
       Peter

We are saving for the purchase of a vehicle for the Centre, and we have the needs Pastor Ndungu listed above, so if you can help, please click on the link below:


http://www.thecreationgospel.com/donate/