Waters Cry Out

Water Protectors, Watershed Justice, and the Voice of Waters in Revelation 16:4-6, 21:6 and 22:17

Abstract

In Revelation and other apocalyptic texts, waters are personified by their angels or messengers who communicate with God—somewhat similar to indigenous understandings of cosmology and spirits. We can listen for apocalyptic calls for discernment of spirits, including the spirits of living ecosystems. The Bible’s prophetic critique of economic systems that pollute waters and make water unaffordable can help us address watershed justice issues today. In Revelation the rivers and fresh waters cry out, bringing a lawsuit on their behalf and on behalf of peoples against oppressive empires and corporate polluters.