A River Runs Through It
Ezekiel 47:1-12
Copyright John Mark Jones 2004 All Rights Reserved
All scripture quotes: Holy Bible, New King James Version
Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side. And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river. When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other. Then he said to me:
"This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many. But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt.
Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine."
(Eze 47:1-12)
Essence of the Lesson:
Ezekiels’ River of Life is the River of God running through Holy History and its life-giving waters grow deeper and deeper as we are invited to immerse ourselves in its refreshing!
Preliminary thoughts:
But when I am alone in the half-light of the canyon all existence seems to fade to a being with my soul, and memories. And the sounds of the Big Black Foot River, and a four count rhythm, and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.
–Norman MacLean “A River Runs Through It”
There’s something about a river, something that resonates deep within our souls.
I remember spending the day at Niagra Falls, watching the raging torrent as it proceeded towards the majestic falls. What raw power, what natural beauty, wonder and riches!
I remember my dad telling me stories of World War II where he fought in the Battle for the Rhine River and the Battle for the Bulge River in Germany. He stacked bodies of dead Americans all night long who gave their lives for control of these rivers.
I remember tubing down the Chattahoochee in Helen, and being amazed how a small creek ten inches deep could suddenly turn into white water and dump your body into an icy cold hole in the riverbed, which seemed be bottomless! As a matter of fact it may have been in that hole that I was called to preach…
By God’s design and plan, The River is a creation that brings life to all of mankind. It feeds, it floods, it rages and it calms. The River has in some way dramatically impacted every human civilization.
God chose to begin and end all of Holy History, from Genesis to Revelation, with a river.
And a river runs through it.
Tonight we find ourselves in a glorious vision, given by God some 2600 years ago in a place called Babylon, to a Hebrew prophet and priest named Ezekiel, which means “strengthened by God.” He was a contemporary of Jeremiah, and recognizes the young and already well known prophet Daniel in his writings.
If Ezekiel were alive and ministering today we might be tempted to call the men in white with straightjackets-he was a real live wire, a whack-job if you will! At least it seemed that way. God had this prophet do many things which seem bizarre, to dramatically illustrate the prophetic word.
For example:
Ezekiel was housebound, tied up and mute
Ezekiel used a clay tablet and an iron plate as illustrations in his preaching
Ezekiel had to lie on his left side for 390 days and on his right side for 40 days
Ezekiel had to cook his food using human dung as fuel
Ezekiel had to cook a pot of stew
Ezekiel had to shave his head and beard (which was a dishonorable thing in the culture)
Ezekiel could not mourn at the death of his wife (she symbolized the destruction of the Temple)
Ezekiel was a lonely man in a lonely place, giving his life for the call of God to his people in a strange land. Yet one amazing vision that God gave Ezekiel has captured my imagination each time I traverse through the Old Testament: The River of Life in Chapter 47.
It’s the River, it resonates within me because there’s something about a river, because a River runs through it.
As we approach the River, we see first that it flows from under the Temple, just south of the Altar, where the great sacrifices are made. Remember that Ezekiel prophesied from Babylon, and the Temple of God in Jerusalem was in ruins! Ezekiel is speaking of a future Temple of God. Some would make a case that there will be an actual Temple built to exact specifications in the millennial reign of Christ upon this earth. While that may be the consummation of that prophecy (we’re not here to teach eschatology tonight), the Word of God shows a much more immediate fulfillment of this grand and glorious river.
Let’s look to the Word of God and allow scripture to interpret scripture, and understand what God would tell His church tonight, regarding this ancient prophecy.
The River Runs from A Temple of People From All Nations
The River appears again in the Book of Revealation!
As we look to the end of Holy History we see Ezekiel’s River at the final consummation of all things!
And he showed me a pure* river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
(Rev 22:1-3)
It is astounding, that 700 years after the lonely prophet Ezekiel saw this grand vision, the Lord Jesus Christ gave His Apostle John the same glimpse, with the same detail of this crystal clear river teaming with life and healing! Ezekiel saw it from the past, and John saw it from what we know to be the future!
Beginning in Genesis, with a Tree of Life alongside a life-giving river
A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. One of these branches is the Pishon, which flows around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. The second branch is the Gihon, which flows around the entire land of Cush. The third branch is the Tigris, which flows to the east of Asshur. The fourth branch is the Euphrates.
(Gen 2:10-14)
NLT
A River Runs Through It! From the Beginning to the End of History This River runs!
Is the river literal, one that actually ran from Eden, and that will run from under God’s throne one day, or is it a spiritual metaphor to show us where God wants us to go tonight?
The answer is “YES!” While a future millenial literal temple is a separate issue, we see that Scripture interprets scripture, and there is an immediate application to our lives today!
Let’s back up in Revelation to the verses preceding the river and find:
But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
(Rev 21:22)
John saw no Temple! But where is that huge edifice that Ezekiel describes, the one where the river flows from under the altar? The Temple is a Temple of Life, made up of Jews and Gentiles from all tongues, tribes and people!
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
(Eph 2:19-22)
The Temple is here, and it is us!
An Ever-Increasing Flow That Brings Life
Its waters heal and deliver life
As the water flows it gets deeper
We can go in as deep as we will
The Temple made by God, of People from every tongue tribe and nation has a river running from under it. If the Temple is “us”, then what is the River that runs through it?
As we go to the Gospel of John, we see a powerful moment where Jesus Christ himself describes this mighty River that runs through His Temple.
Jesus is in attendance at the Great Feast of Tabernacles. On this “last great day of the feast” which was one of the greatest celebrations in Israeli life there was a particular ceremony was taking place:
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing [34] in Him would receive; for the Holy [35] Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
(Joh 7:37-39)
We understand that on this “Last Great Day of the Feast” it was the close of the biggest celebration of the Jewish Year, the finale of the Feast of Tabernacles. The High Priest would make sacrifices of seventy bullochs for every nation of the world. He would go out with a joyful processional of worshipers to take water from the Pool of Siloam which flowed from under the Temple Mountain The people would chant Psalms and praise and would follow him back to the Temple Altar where He would mix the water with wine, and pour it over the sacrifice. It was seen as a fulfillment of Isaiah 12:3
Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation.
(Isa 12:3)
John gives us a clue that in the middle of this high and holy celebration, Jesus stood and cried out…
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
Oh friends that cry comes through today! Will you allow the River to run through you?
That River that runs through it is the Holy Spirit, sent by God to comfort and empower us for service to the Living God! He will lead us into all truth! COME TO THE RIVER! HE wants to flow through you, satisfying your deepest thirst, and to flow out of you and into everything around you!
Jesus said to the Woman at the well in Samaria:
"Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
(John 4:14)
It is the very river that proceeds from the Throne of God! It is God himself living in you…Christ in YOU the Hope of Glory!
The invitation comes at the end of The Revelation from Jesus…ALL who are thirsty…come!
Immediately following our final view of The River in Revelation we hear:
Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
Beloved, does your soul have that deep hunger tonight? Do you sense that deep thirst that is common to every man? COME! Don’t neglect this great salvation! The River runs through this place tonight! Come to the water!
After we’ve come to the water, it’s a matter of degree…
And notice…the angel takes Ezekiel ankle deep, then knee deep, then waist deep and then over his head.
God will take us as deep as we want to go into the spiritual realm!
You’re as close to God was you want to be!
When Jesus was upon this earth, he ministered first to thousands…the multitudes. They came to check him out, and he even fed them on at least two occasions. Many were changed, yet many never went any further than ankle deep.
Next, the apostle Paul tells us that Jesus appeared to about five hundred people following His Resurrection. These were people who were closer to him than the multitudes, people who He hand picked as witnesses of His Resurrection.
Taking it a level deeper, Jesus picked seventy evangelists to go out two by two preaching, teaching, healing and delivering. He gave them His power to do his mighty works. These people actually had the very power of God operating in their lives. The River was flowing through them, and they were in it up to their waist.
Deeper still, Jesus handpicked 12 disciples to pour Himself into. Eleven of these men would become Apostles and each disperse to evangelize and pastor the brand new Church after Jesus’ return to heaven. These men ate with Him, worked with Him, laughed and cried with Him for three and a half years.
Finally, there was the Disciple whom Jesus loved…John. He was the one that Jesus asked at the foot of the Cross to take care of His mother. He was the first one to the empty tomb and John was the one who wrote the glorious words about the Living Water! It was John who received The Revelation directly from Jesus Christ as an old man in exile, and HE knew what it was to be completely immersed in the River of God!
Just when you think you can’t get any close to God, suddenly you realize that you are just on a Georgia Hill…and God is in the Himalayas! GO DEEP my beloved!
WE can go there tonight! The Spirit and the Bride say COME!
A River That Teems With Fish
There will be great harvest from the waters and a continuous catch
The Healed waters will bring in all manner of fish, not limited to a locale
Friends, we are seeing the very beginnings of the greatest spiritual harvest in the history of mankind. There is no doubt in my mind that the Church of Jesus Christ is entering into that point just before the Glorious Appearing of our Savior where the river will crest, and God will bring an increase of souls like we have never imagined.
The Old Testament Prophets saw the day:
Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, [6] And He will cause the rain to come down for you-- The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
(Joe 2:23-24)
And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.
(Joe 2:32)
"And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
(Joe 2:28-29)
The earth shall answer With grain, With new wine, And with oil; They shall answer Jezreel. [9] Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; [
10] Then I will say to those who were not My people, [11] ’You are My people!’ And they shall say, ’You are my God!’ "
(Hos 2:22-23)
"On that day I will raise up The tabernacle [19] of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; That they may possess the remnant of Edom, [20] And all the Gentiles who are called by My name," Says the Lord who does this thing. "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it.
(Amo 9:11-13)
Hallelujah! My Beloved, we live in that day! Do we understand the Spiritual Harvest that God is giving all over the world? Look to China, India, The “10:40 Window”, and friends you will see the greatest revival in the history of the church!
Look at our harvest fields…they are white! THE RIVER is running through it!
A Salt Marsh that Forms On The Sides
The Healed Waters will not be polluted
The Life that flows will not end
As the River Runs Through It, the waters are healed, they are purified. God’s flow will not be defiled. His work is pure and it is Holy. As the Holy Spirit flows through the Holy Temple from every tribe and nation His Church will be made clean. He is preparing her as a spotless bride as Paul uses the Bridal metaphor in:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
(Eph 5:25-27)
As the River flows, salt marshes form on the sides. They represent those who refuse to bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ, they are the representative of this World System that is in direct opposition to the Kingdom of God as it increases, ever deepening. The flow itself, the very momentum purifies itself. The waters are healed and the salt moves aside…the Move of the Holy Spirit continually purifies God’s people who are in this flow.
A Rainforest That Abounds
There are great trees lining the shores of the river which bring forth fruit and have healing in their leaves
God’s people are the trees; Tall, Strong Trees With Deep Wet Roots!
There’s healing in our hands, and we bear much fruit!
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear [11] when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
(Jer 17:8)
He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
(Psa 1:3)
Friends A River Runs Through It, and The River Is Here!
