Commentary - Ezekiel 47:1-12

Bird's-eye view

Ezekiel's vision of the temple, which occupies the final section of his prophecy, is not a blueprint for some future millennial temple to be built with bricks and mortar. That is to fundamentally misread the nature of prophetic literature and, more importantly, to misunderstand the finished work of Jesus Christ. This temple is a glorious symbolic vision of the Christian Church. The entire vision culminates in this chapter with the river of life flowing out from the sanctuary. This is a picture of the gospel's triumphant progress throughout the world. It begins as a trickle and becomes an uncrossable, life-giving torrent. This river is the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb, which is the Church (Rev. 22:1). The water heals the dead places of the world, brings forth abundant life, and provides nourishment and medicine for the nations. It is a picture of the success of the Great Commission and the establishment of Christ's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

This passage is a profound encouragement to the saints. It shows us that what God starts, He brings to glorious completion. From the small beginnings of the apostolic band, the river of God's grace has flowed out into all the world, and its effects are transformative. The world is being healed, life is springing up where there was only death, and the knowledge of the glory of the Lord is covering the earth as these waters cover the sea. This is the future God has promised, and this is the work He is accomplishing through His Church.

Outline

The River of Yahweh's House

47:1 Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar.

Ezekiel is brought back to the entrance of the visionary temple. The central point of this entire vision, from chapter 40 onward, is the presence of God with His people. And from that presence, life flows. The water issues from under the threshold, from the very foundation of God's house. This is not incidental. The source of all life and healing for the world is the presence of God in His Church. The orientation is eastward, which in Scripture is the direction of new beginnings, of the sunrise, of Christ's return. The water flows from the right side, the side of power and authority, and south of the altar, the place of sacrifice. This is a picture of the gospel. It flows from the sacrificial work of Christ, applied by the power of the Holy Spirit, and it brings a new day to the world.

47:2 He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around by way of the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side.

The angel guides Ezekiel outside the temple complex to observe the water's exit. It is just a trickle. This is a crucial detail. The kingdom of God often begins in ways that the world would despise as small and insignificant. A baby in a manger, a handful of disciples, a mustard seed. But God specializes in bringing great things from small beginnings. This trickle is the Holy Spirit, poured out at Pentecost. It is the gospel going forth from Jerusalem. At its inception, it was scarcely noticeable to the powers that be, but it was destined to become a flood.

47:3 When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he had me pass through the water, water reaching the ankles.

The measuring man, a figure of divine order and purpose, leads Ezekiel eastward, following the flow of the water. After a thousand cubits, a significant distance, the water is ankle-deep. The gospel is advancing. The Church is growing. What began as a trickle is now a walkable stream. This represents the initial spread of the gospel in Judea and Samaria. It is measurable, noticeable progress. The kingdom is expanding, just as God ordained.

47:4 Again he measured one thousand and had me pass through the water, water reaching the knees. Again he measured one thousand and had me pass through the water, water reaching the loins.

The progression continues. With each measurement of a thousand cubits, the river deepens. From the ankles to the knees, and from the knees to the loins. This is not a stagnant pool; it is a river with a powerful, ever-increasing current. This pictures the gospel's advance into the Gentile world, the fulfillment of the Great Commission throughout the early centuries. The influence of the kingdom is becoming more profound, its depth more significant. It is moving from something that you can easily walk through to something that begins to affect your balance and movement. The gospel changes things, and the further it goes, the more it changes things.

47:5 Again he measured one thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had become high, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.

After the fourth measurement, the river has become an impassable torrent. It is no longer something a man can control or wade through. It is a mighty force that carries you along. This is the triumph of the gospel in the world. This is postmillennialism in a nutshell. The knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14). This river is the Holy Spirit's work in history, and it will swell to such a degree that it inundates the nations, bringing them into submission to Christ. It becomes a force so powerful that it cannot be crossed or resisted. You can only be swept up in it. This is the future of the Christian faith in the world.

47:6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he led and returned me back to the bank of the river.

The angel's question is pointed. "Son of man, have you seen this?" It is a call to pay close attention, to comprehend the magnitude of what is being revealed. This is not a minor detail; it is the whole point of the vision. This is what God is doing in the world. Ezekiel is brought back to the bank to observe the effects of this mighty river.

47:7 When I had returned, now behold, on the bank of the river there were very many trees on the one side and on the other.

The result of this river is abundant life. Where the river flows, trees flourish. This immediately brings to mind the Tree of Life in Genesis and in Revelation. John sees the same reality in his vision of the New Jerusalem: "on either side of the river, was there the tree of life" (Rev. 22:2). This is not just one tree, but a kind of tree, lining both banks. This is a picture of the Church, the people of God, flourishing and bearing fruit because they are nourished by the river of the Spirit.

47:8 Then he said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea, being made to flow out to the sea, and the waters of the sea will be healed.”

The river's destination is specified. It flows east, down into the Arabah, the desolate Jordan Valley, and into the sea. The sea here is the Dead Sea, a place of utter barrenness and death. And the purpose of the river is to heal these dead waters. This is a potent symbol. The gospel flows into the most dead, barren, and hopeless places of human culture and brings healing and life. There is no area of human existence so salted with sin that the river of God's grace cannot make it fresh and alive.

47:9 And it will be that every living creature, which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the other waters are healed; so everything will live where the river goes.

The healing is total. Wherever this river goes, life explodes. Swarms of living creatures will live. The Dead Sea will be filled with "very many fish." This is a picture of mass conversion. The apostles were called to be fishers of men, and here we see the great catch. The gospel does not just bring a little improvement; it brings resurrection life. "Everything will live where the river goes." This is a promise of the comprehensive success of the gospel in history.

47:10 And it will be that fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to Eneglaim there will be a place for the spreading of nets. Their fish will be according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, very many.

The vision gets very specific. Fishermen, those fishers of men, will line the banks of this once-dead sea. Engedi and Eneglaim were oases on the western and possibly eastern shores of the Dead Sea. The gospel will establish outposts of life and productivity in the most desolate regions. The catch will be immense and varied, like the fish of the Mediterranean. This points to the ingathering of the nations, people from every tribe and tongue being brought into the kingdom. The Church's nets will be full.

47:11 But its marshes and swamps will not be healed; they will be left for salt.

Here is a sober warning. Not every place will be healed. The marshes and swamps, the stagnant backwaters that are connected to the sea but cut off from the river's main flow, will remain salt. This signifies that there will always be a remnant of rebellion. Not every individual will be saved. There will be those who, despite the overwhelming evidence of God's grace all around them, will persist in their rebellion and will be left to their own barrenness. This is a picture of the reprobate, those who are given over to their sin. God's triumph is comprehensive, but it is not universal in the sense of saving every last person.

47:12 And by the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows out from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”

The vision concludes by returning to the trees on the riverbank. These trees are perpetually fruitful, bearing new crops every month. Their vitality is constant because their source is the sanctuary, the very presence of God. This is a beautiful picture of the saints, nourished by the Spirit, constantly producing fruit for the glory of God. Their fruit is for food, providing spiritual nourishment, and their leaves are for healing. This connects directly to Revelation 22:2, where the leaves of the tree are "for the healing of the nations." The Church, in its witness and life, is God's instrument for bringing healing and restoration to the broken nations of the world. This is our task, and this is the certain outcome, because the river that nourishes us flows directly from the throne of God.

Application

The vision of Ezekiel 47 is not a futuristic fantasy; it is a present reality and a future certainty. The river of God is flowing now. It flows from the Church, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. It flows from the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments. It may look like a trickle in our day, and we may be tempted to despair. But we must see with the eyes of faith what Ezekiel saw. This river is growing. It is deepening. It will become an unstoppable flood that heals the nations.

Our task is to be faithful. We are to be like those trees planted by the river, drawing our life from the Spirit and bearing fruit in season. Our lives, our families, and our churches are to be conduits of this living water to a dead and thirsty world. We are to be the fishermen, casting our nets in the expectation of a great catch, because our God has promised it. We must not be discouraged by the salt marshes, by those who resist the grace of God. We must fix our eyes on the river and its inexorable advance. The kingdom of God is like this river, and its final triumph is as certain as the rising of the sun.