A River of Life

In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side. The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing out through the south side of the east gateway.

Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.

He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean. But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.” [Ezekiel 47.1-12]

I know the passage above is kind of long, but I could not help but consider its meaning in light of my last two days' posts.

If the Temple can be correlated to the Holy Spirit, then this passage has great meaning for us today. While I am excited to consider what it might mean, I must confess I have yet to grasp a real direction for what it might mean.

The first thing of interest is the marked distances from the Temple that the stream flowed and the depths of the stream at those distances.

Perhaps the most interesting thing though is that the stream will be a source of great life wherever it goes.

If, in fact, I am a correct path in my limited understanding of this passage, then the Church has a LOT of work to do.

Father, I just really don't understand all I feel I need to understand about this passage from Ezekiel, but please help me to begin to grasp Your meaning from it.