Lessons From Ezekiel – Lesson 34
Massive rivers of healing waters
The ending of Ezekiel is ignored by most, and misunderstood by many.
There is a guy that stands up for the Bible and Bible truth on X. I sometimes see his response to some attack or other. Recently I saw him respond to a Jew who was using the end of Ezekiel. And the guy gave an incorrect response.
He used the dispensation defense in a way that goes against Ezekiel.
I have said it many times, but the Bible was not written by man. God is the author, it is His book and He does not make mistakes.
All the bible goes together. If you think you see one part of the Bible contradict another part of the Bible, then you have a problem. The Bible does not have a problem. It does not contradict itself. Therefore if you see a contradiction, then it is you who are missing some information or looking at things wrong or you have made a wrong conclusion.
It is always important to consider the context of the entire Bible. And as we have seen many times there is sometimes important information in another book of the bible that has bearing on the passage you are looking at.
In fact there can be important information in several different books. The end of Ezekiel is a great example of this.
The end of Ezekiel is about the end times and the 1,000 year reign. Therefore you need to take the book of revelation into account. We have gone thru revelation already a while ago and so we will quickly refresh our memory on what things will be like during that time.
Go to Rev. chapter 8. Think about how messed up the earth becomes. The environmental state becomes worse than we can properly visualize.
Rev 8:7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Rev 8:8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
Rev 8:9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
Rev 8:10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
Rev 8:11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
Rev 8:12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
Rev 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
1/3 of the trees burned. All of the green grass burned. A great burning mountain was cast into the sea. I am just guessing but that could be a huge volcano. Maybe. 1/3 of the sea is dead. And 1/3 of the waters on land are poisoned and many men die because of that pollution.
Go to Rev chapter 9
Rev 9:17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
Rev 9:18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
Rev 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Rev 9:21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
And we see the wickedness of men hearts during this. Early on in Revelation it said they knew who was doing this. They knew it was Jesus the lamb of God. And even with all of this they would not repent of worshipping devils.
Smoke, brimstone, fire, plagues. 1/3 of men are killed by these beasts. That is not all that died. 1/3 died just from those beasts. All the other things killed many more.
Go to Matt chapter 24 and let’s remind ourselves of what Jesus said about these times.
Matt 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Matt 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Ok. Now that we have this picture fresh in our minds. How poisoned is the earth? I don’t think that I am out of line by saying it is almost to the point that it cannot sustain life. At least most of it. 1/3 of the ocean is blood.
I think most of the earth is not habitable. There are just some places that are and even those feel the effects of this. Even those have some pollution from all of this.
And somehow man has to live 1,000 years in this. So how do they do that? What is the solution to the pollution and poison everywhere?
The answer is given in the end of Ezekiel.
We stopped in Ezekiel chapter 39. Go to Ezekiel chapter 40
Years have passed between chapter 39 and chapter 40
Eze 40:1 In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither.
It is now 14 years since Jerusalem fell. And God comes to Ezekiel again with new visions. And these are about the end times and the 1,000 year reign. And the visual aspect of how God used Ezekiel over and over does not change.
This will all also be very visual.
Eze 40:2 In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south.
Eze 40:3 And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.
Eze 40:4 And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.
So what Ezekiel is shown, God wants it declared. He wants others to know about it and learn from it.
The first thing he is shown is all of the chambers of the Temple that will be during the 1,000 year reign. Most of it if not all of it will be built and exist during the tribulation. It could be that some of it is built tribulation time and some of it might be finished at the beginning of the 1,000 year reign.
And we will not read all the verses but Ezekiel is shown all of these chambers and the angel takes time and measures them.
He is shown the chambers and the outer court and the inner court and the east gate and the north gate and the south gate. And that takes all of chapter 40. A lot of detail. Sizes of things and where they are at and how they look.
Then in Chapter 41 Ezekiel is shown the Temple.
Eze 41:1 Afterward he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle.
Eze 41:2 And the breadth of the door was ten cubits; and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits: and the breadth, twenty cubits.
Eze 41:3 Then went he inward, and measured the post of the door, two cubits; and the door, six cubits; and the breadth of the door, seven cubits.
And it is all done the same way. Great detail with all of the measurements. That takes all of chapter 41 and chapter 42.
Chapters 43 thru 46 deal with what is going to go on in this temple for 1,000 years. We will deal with that next week.
Jump forward to chapter 47.
Here we see the solution to the devastation and environmental crisis of the tribulation.
Eze 47:1 Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
Eze 47:2 Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
Eze 47:3 And 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 ankles.
A cubit is about a foot and a half. So 1,000 cubits is 1,500 feet and that far out the waters were about ankle deep.
Eze 47:4 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.
Another 1,500 feet so we are out 3,000 feet and the waters are now to the knees.
Another 1,500 feet, so we are out 4,500 feet and the waters are now to the loins, so just a ways below the waist.
But that is just getting started.
Eze 47:5 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.
So Ezekiel goes out another 1,500 feet so that is 6,000 feet. A mile is 5,280 feet. So we are out over a mile know and it keeps getting deeper. It is now too deep to walk in.
And it says waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. I think it is reasonable to assume that at this point that they are not even half way across the river.
Can you say humungous? We are not told how wide this river is. All of this description just describes the one bank of it. Over 1 mile before it is too deep to walk. The river keeps getting wider. And somewhere on the other side it will slowly get less deep again.
The only thing that really makes this river make sense is the book of Revelation. Knowing the depth of the destruction and pollution and poison of the earth brings perspective to why there needs to be this river and why it is so incredibly large.
Eze 47:6 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.
Eze 47:7 Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.
Eze 47:8 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.
Eze 47:9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.
These are healing waters. They clear out the pollution and they bring life.
Eze 47:10 And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
Eze 47:11 But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
Eze 47:12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.
These healing waters in their overwhelming abundant quantities are required for life to exist for those 1,000 years. The banks shall be for meat, and the leaf for medicine.
New fruit every month on all those trees. Lots of fresh food that never runs out and that would not be there without these healing waters.
And it is only here. What is healed is only where the waters reach. If anything is left of North America, it will not get these waters. These waters heal the land of Israel and the middle east. They flow east. And I believe the river bends and turns and splits into multiple rivers and go different directions. And where the water goes it brings healing and life.
And all of the heathen see this. The survivors of Mog and Magog see this. For 1,000 years the entire population of the world sees this.
Life and health flowing out from God’s Temple.
Jesus is providing, He is providing healing and food. Both for the land and for people. Remember the leaves of those trees are for medicine.
And He rules without sin, always doing right. You would think they would go sorry. I was wrong. But remember these people would not repent so they could worship devils.
So let’s skip ahead 1,000 years. Go to Rev chapter 20.
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Remember where did Gog and Magog come from? Somewhere in the north. Notice that changes in verse 8.
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
It is not the nations in the four quarters of the earth and also Gog and Magog. No. Gog and Magog are in comas. It is an extra detail that is added. An extra detail about the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth.
All those nations are now Gog and Magog. Either literally joined or at least so heavy influenced by them that they are now the same.
Gog and Magog are no longer just in the north, but their thinking and what they stand for are everywhere. Their sinful influence spread like cancer.
Satan goes to them. Remember they worshiped devils. And they march against Jesus.
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Jesus often used physical things as an object lesson of spiritual truth. He used lilies and sparrows and sheep. He healed blind men physically to show forth that He can heal the spiritually blind. In both cases all they have to do is ask.
He healed men of physical leprosy to show that He can heal from the leprosy of sin and in both cases all they had to do is ask.
And what we read today is one of the largest object lessons in all the Bible. It covers the entire planet. The planet is visibly ruined. And that ruin is all because of sin. Sin destroys. They could look everywhere and see that sin destroys.
Sin kills. In the end sin ends in death, for the wages of sin is death. That truth is staring them in the face and there is nowhere to escape it. Any place they look there it is. And it is ugly, dark, nasty, and smelly.
And then in contrast is the healing waters of Jesus which flow from His Temple. And by them Jesus brings healing and health and life.
The contrast between the two is complete. Total opposites. And where ever the life giving healing waters of Jesus goes, the sin and corruption and poison flees.
And they can see this physically. And it is teaching something. Jesus also does this spiritually.
No matter how defiled and sinful and bad someone is, the healing of Jesus can and will overpower it. They could be fixed. They could be healed spiritually, just like what they are seeing the healing waters do to the earth.
Jesus could do that to their soul. All they have to do is ask. Repent from worshipping devils and ask Jesus.
Jesus gives a final invitation on the last page of the Bible.
Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
That invitation goes for everyone. It goes for us today and it goes to the heathen during the 1,000 years.
Even after being given the healing waters for the earth and seeing that object lesson and even after seeing Jesus for 1,000 years. They still choose to go with Satan and worship devils instead of repenting and getting saved.
This is what is termed theologically as the depravity of man.
What we read today is the ultimate example of how depraved man can get. Man can get so depraved that he chooses to worship devils over Jesus.
He chooses sin and its consequences over health and healing and forgiveness.
Jesus will give them every chance. He even gives them the largest size object lesson ever done, outside of creation itself, and most of them will still choose to reject Him.
I like to believe, just because I want to, that a few will wake up during that time. A few might see the object lesson of those mighty healing waters and see the Lord and watch those that love Him and repent and get saved.
One day we will know if I am right in that, for we will come back with Him and reign and rule with Him.