Waters to swim in

One of the most interesting rivers in the Bible is found in Ezekiel 47.

Ezekiel tells us that “when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ancles.
[4] Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
[5] Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
[6] And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
[7] Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.
[8] Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.”

Jordan explains, “Notice he’s going to measure the waters. You remember those verses in Paul he talks about the measure of every part? And how we’re members of the body? The example here in Ezekiel is of edification. There’s a strange parallel between the ministry of the Holy Spirit and what you see in this river here.”

Verse 3 says “the waters were to the ancles” and then they go deeper to the knees and then to the loins, or up to the waist.

“It’s actually easier to walk in water up to your waist then it is water that is knee-deep; that’s a strange thing,” says Jordan. “He keeps going right into the ‘waters to swim in.’

“You remember in Luke 5 when Jesus tells His disciples to launch out in the deep? He sends them fishing. That’s actually an allusion back to this chapter here. Don’t be satisfied with the ankle-deep water; don’t be satisfied with the knee-deep water and don’t be satisfied with the waist-high water. Launch out where you got to swim, where your feet can’t touch the bottom. Where you’re suspended and held up by the water.

“You say, ‘but I’m suspended because I suck air into my lungs, because I don’t float so good.' But that’s okay because you know another emblem of the Holy Spirit in the Bible? Wind and breath.

“Notice it says ‘at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.’ The water produces some fruit here; it’s productive. There’s some trees growing by it. It says ‘the waters shall be healed.’

“You remember that verse in Revelation he talks about ‘for the healing of the nations’? A river is not an end in itself. A river has a termination place. A river terminates in the sea. Ecclesiastes 1 talks about what comes up, goes down and goes right back to the sea. The water cycle.

“The sea in the Bible is a picture of the nations of the earth. Unorganized humanity. ‘The wicked are like the troubled sea.’ In Daniel 7, he sees those beasts come out of the sea. In Revelation 13, the Antichrist comes out of the sea. He comes out of the nations.

“This river in Ezekiel, when it goes out, what happens to the water? It’s the healing of the nations. The next verse says ‘there shall be a very great multitude of fish.’ You remember Jesus talked about that dragnet of fish, about going out and catching the fish? The dragnet parable in Matthew 53 represents the nations of the earth. They’re out there ‘harvesting’ the nations.

“Ezekiel 40-48 is talking about the Millennial Kingdom, specifically about the restructuring of the land of Palestine and how at the Second Advent the topography of that land is completely changed. That’s why there will be all the earthquakes and such in the land from the Mediterranean all the way to the Euphrates River, which is the land grant God gave Abraham.

“In Ezekiel, the land is parceled out to the tribes of Israel. So they’re going to fill up that land, and in the middle is going to be the priest portion, and in that priest portion they’re going to build a temple and sanctuary. Involved in that is going to be a river that flows out of the sanctuary.

“The rivers in Scripture, when they’re laid out, often describe the ministry that the Spirit of God produces and all of this stuff. When you take a passage like this, and plug it into John 7, you begin to say, ‘Ooh, wow, there’s more to John 7 than just some words. The rivers of living water flowing out of those people is capturing a whole concept of the emblem of the Holy Spirit as water, as rivers flowing.

“One of the fascinating things in all this is where this water comes from. Look at the end of verse 12. It says this river ‘shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary.’

 “That’s where the waters come from. Back in verse 1 he brings me to the house and they come out from the altar. Now what do you do on the altar in the sanctuary? You offer a sacrifice. Where did that water come from in Exodus 17? It came from the smitten rock. Where does the water come from here in Ezekiel? It comes from the sacrifice.

“The only way they’re going to get the Spirit of God to work in Israel, or in you, is through the Crosswork of Jesus Christ because God’s justice won’t give perfect life--which is what the Spirit imparts--to anyone who doesn’t have perfect righteousness.”