The Gospel Flow: The Healing of the Nations Text: Ezekiel 47:1-12
Introduction: The Geography of Grace
The book of Ezekiel is a difficult book, full of strange visions, symbolic actions, and prophecies that have bewildered many. But we must not let the strangeness of the imagery cause us to miss the glorious, central point. One scholar has rightly said that the book of Revelation is simply a Christian rewrite of the book of Ezekiel. To understand Revelation, you must first grapple with Ezekiel. And at the glorious climax of this book, after the judgments and the pronouncements of woe, we are given this vision of a new Temple. This is not a blueprint for some future millennial temple to be built by returned Jews in Jerusalem. No, the New Testament is our interpretive key, and it tells us plainly that the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the Temple of the living God (1 Cor. 3:16). We are the New Jerusalem. We are the Temple that Ezekiel saw.
This vision, therefore, is not about architecture; it is about Christology and ecclesiology. It is a picture of the Church, filled with the Spirit, becoming the source of life and healing for the entire world. This is a profoundly postmillennial vision. It describes the victorious advance of the gospel throughout history, transforming cultures and healing the nations. It is a picture of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord filling the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14). This river is the Holy Spirit, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, which is the Church. Jesus told us this Himself: "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." And John tells us, "But this He spoke concerning the Spirit" (John 7:38-39).
So, as we come to this text, we are not looking at some far-off, disconnected prophecy. We are looking at a description of us. This is what the Church is. This is what the Church does. This river flows from us. The healing of the nations is our task, our mission, our destiny in Christ. This vision is the geography of grace, charting the course of the gospel from the threshold of the sanctuary to the ends of the earth.
The Text
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he led and returned me back to the bank of theriver. 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. 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. 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. 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. But its marshes and swamps will not be healed; they will be left for salt. 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.”
(Ezekiel 47:1-12 LSB)
The Source and Growth of the River (vv. 1-5)
We begin with the source of this miraculous river.
"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... water was trickling from the south side." (Ezekiel 47:1-2)
The water comes from the Temple, the house of God. It flows from under the threshold, from the right side, south of the altar. This is precise. The source of all life and healing for the world is the presence of God among His people. It is the worship of God. Everything flows from the sanctuary. When the Church is rightly ordered, when we are gathered for worship, we are at the headwaters of this global, healing flood. The world is not healed by politics, or by education, or by social programs, though all these things will be affected. The world is healed by what flows from the altar, from the place of sacrifice and communion with God. The river begins as a trickle, something you might overlook. The kingdom of God often starts small, like a mustard seed, like a little bit of yeast. But it is a supernatural trickle. It has no earthly source; it flows directly from the presence of God.
Then we see the man with the measuring line, charting the river's impossible growth.
"he measured one thousand cubits, and he had me pass through the water, water reaching the ankles. Again he measured one thousand... water reaching the knees. Again he measured one thousand... water reaching the loins. Again he measured one thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through..." (Ezekiel 47:3-5)
A thousand cubits is about a third of a mile. So, over the course of about a mile and a third, this trickle becomes an uncrossable river. This is not natural. Rivers get bigger because tributaries flow into them. This river gets bigger because God is in it. This is a picture of the progress of the gospel through history. It starts small, a handful of disciples in an upper room. Then it is ankle-deep in Jerusalem. Then it is knee-deep in Judea and Samaria. Then it is loin-deep as it flows out to the Gentiles. And now, we are in a time when the water is high, a river to swim in, a force that cannot be stopped or contained. This is the promised growth of Christ's kingdom. It is a measured, deliberate, and certain growth. The man with the line is measuring it out. This is God's sovereign plan, unfolding precisely on schedule.
The Effect of the River (vv. 6-10)
The guide then asks Ezekiel a crucial question and shows him the results of this divine torrent.
"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. 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." (Ezekiel 47:6-7)
The first effect is abundant life. Where there was once a barren wilderness, now there are very many trees. This is a direct echo of the Garden of Eden. The river of God restores the paradise of God. This is not just about individual souls being saved; it is about the transformation of the entire created order. Where the gospel goes, life flourishes. This is why Christians have always been at the forefront of building hospitals, universities, and flourishing cultures. We are tree-planters, because we serve the God of life.
The destination of the river is the Dead Sea, the Arabah.
"These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea... and the waters of the sea will be healed. And it will be that every living creature, which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live." (Ezekiel 47:8-9)
The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth and its water is so salty that nothing can live in it. It is a perfect symbol of death, of humanity under the curse. And this is precisely where the river of God goes. The gospel does not flow to the healthy, but to the sick. It goes to the places of death and brings life. When this river of grace hits the dead sea of fallen humanity, the waters are healed. Life becomes possible where it was once impossible. "Everything will live where the river goes." This is an absolute, universal statement of the gospel's power. There is no person, no family, no culture, no nation so dead in sin that this river cannot bring it to life.
And the result is a great harvest.
"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." (Ezekiel 47:10)
Engedi and Eneglaim were towns on the shores of the Dead Sea. The sea of death will become a place of thriving industry. Fishermen will line its banks. This is a direct prophecy of the Great Commission. Jesus called His disciples to be "fishers of men" (Mark 1:17). The Church's great task is to cast the gospel net into the sea of humanity, and the result will be a massive catch. The fish will be "very many." This is not a picture of a struggling, minority church, hiding in the catacombs of history. This is a picture of global, triumphant success.
The Limits and the Provisions (vv. 11-12)
Even in this glorious vision, there is a sober warning.
"But its marshes and swamps will not be healed; they will be left for salt." (Ezekiel 47:11)
Not everything will be healed. There are some places, some people, who remain in their deadness. These are the marshes, the stagnant backwaters that are connected to the sea but cut off from the river's main flow. This tells us that while the gospel will be overwhelmingly successful in a global and historical sense, it does not mean that every single individual will be saved. There will always be those who, by their own stubborn rebellion, choose salt and death over the fresh, healing water. They are given over to their choice. God does not force His healing on those who refuse it.
But the vision ends with the glorious provision that comes from the river.
"And by the river on its bank... 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." (Ezekiel 47:12)
This is the Tree of Life, restored. John sees the same thing in the New Jerusalem: "on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (Rev. 22:2). Notice, it is not just one tree, but "all kinds of trees," lining both banks of the river. The life of God is not monotonous; it is gloriously diverse. These trees are perpetually fruitful because their source is the sanctuary. Their life comes from God's presence. The fruit is for food, spiritual nourishment for the people of God. And the leaves are for "healing," or as the Hebrew says, for medicine. The Church, nourished by the river of the Spirit, is God's pharmacy for a sick and dying world. We are the means by which God brings His healing power to the nations.
Conclusion: Wade In
This is not just a beautiful picture. It is a commission. It is a promise. The river is flowing now. It flows from this place, from every faithful church where the gospel is preached and the sacraments are administered. It flows from your heart, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ. The question the angel asked Ezekiel is the question for us today: "Son of man, have you seen this?"
Do you see what God is doing in the world? Do you see the victory of His kingdom? It is easy to look at the news and see only the Dead Sea. It is easy to see the salt marshes of rebellion and despair. But God calls us to see with the eyes of faith. He calls us to see the river. He calls us to see its inexorable, divinely measured, world-transforming power.
And He calls us not just to see it, but to get in it. The prophet was made to pass through the water. We too are called to wade into the great work of God. First, it is up to the ankles. This is the walk of basic discipleship. Then, it is up to the knees. This is the life of prayer and deeper commitment. Then it is up to the loins, where our strength is. This is the life of active service, of pouring ourselves out for the sake of the gospel. Finally, it is a river over our heads, a river to swim in. This is the life of total surrender, of being carried along by the mighty current of the Holy Spirit, where we no longer rely on our own strength but are borne along by His power.
The world is dying of thirst. It is a vast and salty sea of death. But God has opened a fountain in His house. A river of living water is flowing out to heal the nations. Our job is to be fishermen on its banks, to be trees planted by its waters, and to be conduits of its life to a world that is dead. So come. Wade in. The water is fine.