Ezekiel 47:1-12--Water Flowing from the Temple

Ezekiel 47:1-12
English Standard Version

Water Flowing from the Temple
47 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.

3 Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. 4 Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. 5 Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. 6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. 8 And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. 9 And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. 10 Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. 12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

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This is almost certainly the Last Temple that is in the New Jerusalem, as this is almost certainly talking about the River of Life that flows from the throne of God that we read about in the book of Revelation.  I know it's been challenging to keep it all straight with Ezekiel's visions jumping all around to different points in the future, but with us being on this side of post-Exilic Temple that was destroyed in AD 70 but not yet to the Tribulation Temple that will be present during the Tribulation and be defiled by the Antichrist, and with more prophecy about both the Millennial Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom, we can infer which future Temple Ezekiel is talking about (though I admit it is still challenging) based off of if the Prince (the Christ) enters it, but the people are still sinful, or if the world has been made new and heaven and earth appeaser to be one again (like appears to be so with this passage).

Water flowed from the gate that only the Prince as allowed to use (the East Gate) and we are told that the Temple faced East (towards the sunrise) in case we had forgotten that.  In the New Heavens and the New Earth, it will always be day and never night, and the Lord Himself will be the Light of the City (we will not see the sun, moon, or stars, and there is some argument that they will "pass away" when their time and purpose comes to an end).

Ezekiel was led out of the Temple through the North Gate that the people were supposed to use and then the LORD led him over to the East side of the Temple to see the River that flowed from the East Gate.  It was just a trickle at its source here, but it would become deeper and deeper as the LORD led Ezekiel on a journey to follow these waters.  1000 cubits later (500 yards later) it was ankle-deep.; another 1000 cubits later it was knee-deep; another thousand cubits later it was waist deep.  Finally, after 4000 cubits, it was a rushing river that Ezekiel could not walk through, but it was deep enough to swim in--as I said before, this is probably the River of Life that is talked about as coming from the Throne of God in Revelation 22:1-4.

The LORD led Ezekiel back to the bank of the River and there were trees on both sides of the River (John talks about The Tree of Life being on both sides of the River in Revelation 22, so they are probably having a similar vision here).  The River would flow through the wilderness and all that is "dead" near the Dead Sea to the region south of the Dead Sea called Arabah, just north of the portion of the Red Sea called the Gulf of Agaba.  The LORD said that the River of Life would bring life where there was no life and it would make the salt-water that it touches to become fresh water (which is miraculous because saltwater contaminates fresh water, fresh water does not "cleanse" salt water and make it fresh).  This is meant to make us realize the picture of supernatural healing and regeneration that is occurring.

The Red Sea will become full of fish because of the waters of the River of Life and many of the Gentile nations will fish there for their food because of it.  Apparently they will never be able to overfish the region as it will always supply enough food for them. The LORD will not get rid of all of the salt because salt is also necessary in many applications, so He will leave the salty marshes that border the River as a source of salt for the people.  All along the River, there will be fruit-bearing trees on both sides that will feed the people.  They will bear fresh fruit every month.  John spoke of a specific tree which bore a different kind of fruit every month (12 types of fruit for the twelve months, which seems to be the only way to keep track of time in the Eternal Kingdom, unless we also celebrate the Feasts and Festivals).  Their leaves of these fruit trees will not wither and their fruit will not fall and it will always be the season for good fruit from them.  Nor will the fruit spoil or rot or become overripe.  John says the leaves of the Tree of Life will be for the healing of the nations (like they had some life-giving property or medicinal use).  I'm not exactly sure if that means we will get the benefits by eating them in a salad or if they will be changed into some kind of herbs to season everything with or if they will be used to make some kind of balm like aloe.  It is just clear that these trees are special and not quite like anything we have here and now, but maybe they were what the LORD intended us to have all along, but nature was corrupted by sin and the Fall.

We can infer from the link between this passage and the Revelation 22 that this River has its source at the Temple and also at the Lord's throne, so the Lord's throne must be in or at the Eastern Gate to the Temple.  This must also be the River that flows through the City called The New Jerusalem (which is missive) and there is probably a specific tree that is the Tree of Life just like there were many trees in the Garden of Eden, but there was one tree that was the The Tree of Life that was in the midst of the Garden.  What is not there in either of these images of the future is The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  That tree seems to be gone forever.  I think you see now why I am saying that Ezekiel must be seeing snapshots of different points in the future and he does not realize when he has shifted from one era to another--the only consistent thing in all of his visions is the Temple, but they were actually different Temples--some built by human hands and some built by the LORD Himself as His dwelling place to live among His people forever and ever.