Friday, November 14, 2014

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday November 16, 2014

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LIFE NEEDS WATER
(GOD’s glory brings us life)
(Ezekiel 47:1-12)

In Ezekiel 47, verses 1-12 we see depicted, an eschatological “river of healing” that will flow from beneath, and through, the Temple at Jerusalem, as Ezekiel’s vision now moves far into the future once again. Here the prophet describes a river that is clearly not the “New Jerusalem” river that is described by the Apostle John in Revelations 22. However, it is also clearly not the kidron brook that flowed through the Temple in post-exilic times, because here Ezekiel tells us that this stream of water will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea into “fresh water” like in a typical lake. And so that is something that still has not happened, even to this day, as the Dead Sea remains “six times saltier” than all of the oceans of the world.
In this passage the angelic being brings Ezekiel back to the entrance of the Temple where he saw a stream of water flowing pass the right (south side) of the altar. The angelic being then brought him outside the wall through the north gateway and led him around to the eastern entrance of the Temple. There Ezekiel could see the stream flowing out through the south side of the east gateway.
The angelic being then led Ezekiel along the stream, and he took measurements as they went. First he measured off a distance of 1750 feet and told Ezekiel to cross over the water at that point, to the other side. As Ezekiel waded across the water, it only came up to his ankles. The angelic being then measured off a distance of another 1750 feet and instructed the prophet to cross over again. This time the water had risen up to his knees. The angelic being then took a third measurement of 1750 feet and when Ezekiel crossed the water this time it had risen up to his waist. Then the angelic being measured off a fourth and final distance of 1750 feet, and this time, Ezekiel had to swim across to get to the other side (Vs.3-5).
The angelic being instructed Ezekiel to keep in mind what he had seen, and then, he led him back along the riverbank. As they walked along, Ezekiel, much to his surprise, noticed that many trees and vegetation had sprung up along both sides if the river. Then the angelic being said to him, “this river flows east through the desert into the Jordan Valley where it then enters the Dead Sea”. He also tells Ezekiel that the waters from this stream will heal the salty waters of the Dead Sea, and make them fresh and pure, and not only that, everything that touches the waters of this stream will live. Every kind of fish will abound in the Dead Sea, something that has never happened before, and fishermen will stand on the shores and fish all the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim. The shores will be covered with fish nets drying in the sun, just as it was along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea (Vs.6-10).
The angelic being told Ezekiel that the marshes and swamps would remain salty, and in fact, would become an important source of salt. And all the fruit trees along the banks of the river will continue to bear fruit all year round, and the leaves will remain green. There will be a new crop every month, without fail, because they are watered by the waters flowing from the holy Temple, and the leaves on these trees will be used for healing (Vs.11-12). Now that’s real “Holy Water”.
The life-giving waters talked about here in this passage presents a lovely picture of how the life-giving blood of JESUS symbolizes the only thing that can satisfy the thirst that GOD has put inside of each of us, innately, from birth. In fact, GOD, as our CREATOR, has continued to offer us this free “living water” that is needed for life itself here on earth, and, for eternal life with HIM in Heaven.
The living water of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST that is offered by HIM to each of us personally, right now at this moment, will cleanse us from all sickness and death, and brings us into eternal life with HIM, starting in HIS Millennial Kingdom here on earth, and carrying on into the new Heaven and earth (Revelations 21), talked about by the Apostle John in the book of Revelations.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander





                                 
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