“ The Water of Life”


BIBLE READING: Ezekiel 46-48
DISCUSSION                                                             
                As the vision of Ezekiel ends, God gives him a glimpse of what the future of this Temple will bring.  The vision that he revives is one where he is standing at the door of the Temple and watching as water flows from the threshold.  This water continues to flow from the areas of the Temple trickling into a river that will flow into the sea.  The interesting aspect of this vison is that there is no source of a river that flows near Jerusalem, therefore we must gather that this part of the vision is symbolic of what is to come.  As Ezekiel continues, he is carried into the flow of the water.  As he wades the water he progressively gets deeper and deeper as he goes, to the point that it is so deep he could swim in it.  The water continues to flow into the Arabah and enters the sea, bringing fresh life as it flows to all the living creatures.  Another interesting fact is that this sea would be the Dead Sea, in which no life is sustainable.  What does all this mean to us today?  There are several differing opinions concerning this prophecy, but one that I would like to consider is that this water represents the “water of Life” that is mentioned in Revelation 22.1-2.  The waters of Life can not only bring those that are spiritually dead back to life, but also to make them profitable in the Kingdom.  This water of life is what Jesus brings, just as He revealed it to the woman at the well in John 4.  When Jesus comes to this earth, He will bring with Him life eternal and that is the kind of water that we want.  This water is an illusion to the waters of baptism that we receive when we are baptized into Christ.  These waters give us the “gift of the Holy Spirit” and make us a “new creature”, by washing us in His blood. If the vision describes these waters in this way, how much more does the reality of it place a significant role in our salvation?
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