Ezekiel 47:1-12
Dear RTB’ers,
Only twelve verses today. The STS authors must have considered today’s river as a good stand-alone topic! And no doubt, many of us will connect today’s river with the “River of Life” in Revelation 22. True, there are similarities. The key distinction is that this river flows from the millennium temple, while the River of Life flows from the post-millennium throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1b). Clearly, however, both are life-giving rivers.
As today’s river flows east from the temple, geographically it would meet up with the Jordan River and then flow into the Dead Sea, there transforming that dead sea into water teeming with life: …when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. (vv. 8b-9) What joy to behold!!
You may already know that the Dead Sea is dead and the Great Salt Lake is dead because water flows in and never goes out. I’ve heard the same thing said of our spiritual lives. As we receive Holy Spirit inspiration and knowledge from readings and teachings, we need to “let it out”! Let the Spirit within us become life to others, not “dead” inside our own bodies. As the apostle Paul wrote, …what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. (II Timothy 2:2) Yes, let it out!!
Blessings.
Fred