WEEKLY SUNDAY
SCHOOL LESSON
An international
Sunday school lesson commentary
For
Sunday November 16, 2014
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readers worldwide
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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
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website
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