“THERE IS A RIVER”
Ezekiel 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.”
Ezekiel was a Priest and a Prophet. His messages were given by the Lord to exiles in Babylonia. His prophecies were wide-ranging, covering a wide range of events all the way from the fall of Jerusalem, to its restoration, which is yet to come. He was given Visions into the Spirit world that are equaled only by that given to John on the isle of Patmos.
Ezekiel saw the Glory of God leave the Temple as Israel lost their way, but he also saw the coming day when the Spirit of God would return to the Temple during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ. Actually, he is often referred to as the “Millennial Prophet” due to his glorious Visions of that great day to come.
Chapters 40 through 48 of Ezekiel deal with the Temple of God that will be built in the coming Kingdom Age.
In Chapter 47 we are given a glimpse of the River of the Sanctuary, which serves as a Type of the Holy Spirit.
The Door
The phrase of Verse 1, “Afterward He brought me again unto the Door of the House,” speaks of the Sanctuary from which these waters will flow. There are two Biblical types found in this phrase, “the House” is the Sanctuary which serves as a Type of God the Father, “the Door” represents Christ, and the fact that the only way to the Father is through “the Door,” His Son, Jesus Christ.
The Waters
The phrase, “And, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the House eastward,” proclaims a symbolism of the Holy Spirit of which water is a Type, representing the Life of the Holy Spirit, “Living Water.”
This serves as a symbolic fulfillment of the Words of our Lord when He said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his innermost being shall flow Rivers of Living Water. But this spake He of the Spirit” (Jn. 7:37-39).
As stated, water is a Symbol of the Holy Spirit for Life. The Holy Spirit is the Fountain of Living Water, He is a veritable River of Life, flooding and gushing over our souls. This water purifies, refreshes, and makes fruitful. As literal water is indispensable to us for physical life, so too is the River of the Spirit indispensable to our Spiritual Life.
Without the Holy Spirit – the River of Life – church is just a religious exercise that will profit no man, but, if the River that flows from the Sanctuary is welcome and is flowing, then a dead cold religious service, becomes a living organism of power.
If the River flows, then the sinner can be Saved, the sick body healed, the broken heart mended, Believers can be filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God can literally come alive to the human heart. Simply put, if the “waters that flow from the Sanctuary” is not in your church, then you have no church.
The River began to flow on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and has been flowing ever since. As the Church was born on the Day of Pentecost, this tells us that it is God’s Will for the Church of today for the power of Pentecost to flow unhindered and uninterrupted.
The modern Pentecostal and Charismatic church has, by and large, apostatized, forsaking “the Fountain of Living Waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water“ (Jer. 2:13). I can say that because of what they are offering the people: psychology, works, schemes, and plans from the minds of man. You can either drink and live in the Waters of the Sanctuary or you can drink from the stagnant water that flows from the heart of men no longer flowing in the Holy Spirit.
According to the latest statistics, the major Pentecostal denominations (the Assemblies of God, Church of God, Foursquare, etc.) can no longer truly call themselves Pentecostal, as they no longer can say an overwhelming majority of their membership speak in Tongues. According to the “Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life”, it was found that 49% of Pentecostals do not speak in Tongues (Charisma Magazine, December 2006 Issue). Unless the waters flow, our churches cannot truly address the need of the human heart.
The “Threshold”
The “threshold” speaks of place and position. It speaks of the floor and denotes humility. The “threshold” typifies the person, who must get down on their knees, Spiritually speaking, putting their head down in order to drink the water. Pride is one of the major reasons why people don’t seek the infilling of The Holy Spirit.
The Altar
The phrase, “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,” this denotes the course of the River, the Altar of Jehovah, i.e., Calvary. Let’s say it this way; the course of this River is the Cross of Christ. The Holy Spirit comes through Calvary. Every grace and benefit we have comes to us through what Christ did at Calvary. I don’t know what you desire, but I want that River to flow into my life. For everything the River touches shall live.
Your Evangelist,
Donnie Swaggart
Publication Date:
07/01/2009
- DOWNLOAD Donnie's Podcasts
- PURCHASE Donnie's CD's /DVD's
- GIVE to help Spread the Good News!
- LISTEN to Sonlife Radio Newtwork
- WATCH Sonlife Broadcasting Network
- Go to JIMMY SWAGGART MINISTRIES
- Go to FRANCES AND FRIENDS Website
- Go to GABRIEL SWAGGART'S Blog
- Go to CROSSFIRE YOUTH Minsitries
- MATHEW SWAGGART Photography
- RANDERS, DENMARK(7 days)
- FAYETTEVILLE, PA (28 days)
- CLEVELAND, TN(37 days)
- ODESSA, TX(42 days)
- BELGIUM(56 days)
- SANTIAGO, CHILE(70 days)
