LESSON VIII.—SUNDAY, AUGUST 20, 1899.
NOTE.—This vision will be better comprehended if we consider its conditional nature, the double nature of the prophecy. In Ezekiel, chapters 34 to 48, is a conditional prophecy so far as Israel's future as a literal kingdom was concerned. God would have fulfilled all these promises then and there; He would have rebuilt gloriously the sanctuary; His presence would have dwelt there eternally; all their enemies would have been subdued or destroyed; the land would have been healed, and Jerusalem would have stood forever, if Israel had been ashamed of their sins, had submitted to God, and had let Him change their hearts. But to the Israel of God, when Christ shall come, all these things will be more gloriously fulfilled, and the inheritance and kingdom will include the whole earth. 1 "And He brought me back 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 was toward the east; and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar. 2 Then brought He me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me round by the way without unto the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looketh toward the east; and behold, there ran out waters on the right side. 3 When the Man went forth eastward with the line in His hand, He measured a thousand cubits, and He caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles. 4 Again He measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the knees. Again He measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the loins. 5 After afterward He measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through; for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. 6 And He said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then He brought me, and caused me to return to the bank of the river. 7 Now when I had returned, behold, upon the bank of the river were 8 very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said He unto me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and they shall go toward the sea; into the sea shall the waters go which were 9 made to issue forth; and the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every living creature which swarmeth, in every place whither the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come thither, and the waters of the sea shall be healed, and 10 everything shall live whithersoever the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that fishers shall stand by it; from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, 11 exceeding many. But the miry places thereof, and the marshes thereof, shall not be healed; they shall be given up 12 to salt. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for meat, whose leaf shall not wither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail; it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for healing." Golden Text: "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Rev. 22:17. (1) From whence was the prophet given this part of the vision? V. 1. Note 1. (2) What did he see? Note 2. (3) Where was he then taken? and what did he see? V. 3. (4) What was shown regarding these waters? V. 3. (5) What change took place in the waters as they flowed out from the city? Vs. 4, 5. Note 3. (6) What question was then asked? and where was the prophet then taken? V. 6. (7) What did he see on the banks of the river? V. 7. Note 4. (8) Whence did the waters flow? V. 8. (9) What is the effect of these waters? Vs. 8, 9. (10) What does the prophet say of the sea into which these waters flow? V. 10. Note 5. (11) What is said of the marshes? V. 11. (12) What invitation is given to all in this earth cursed by sin? Golden Text. 1. Door of the house.—The house or temple of the Lord, to be built on the return of the Jews from captivity, the fulness, glory, and beauty of which depended upon the faithful obedience of God's creatures. These were never realized by them, because the Lord's promises were not appreciated. 2. Came down from under.—The waters welled up from beneath the glorious presence of God, from whence is all life. "With Thee is the fountain of life." Ps. 36:9. See Rev. 22:1. 3. Waters to the ankles . . . knees, . . . loins, . . . to swim in.—The selfish heart of man is to withhold and diminish. In man's selfish methods of irrigation the waters decrease as they outflow; but in God's plan they increase. God multiplied the five loaves and two fishes. The farther they were distributed, the more they became, till 5,000 men, besides women and children, were fed. "Give, and it shall be given unto you." God's blessings multiply by use. Man's efforts, planned for self, wear out. See 2 Cor. 8:6-11. 4. Very many trees.—A forest. Represented in Rev. 22:2, in the new earth, as a tree,—illustrated by the banyan, with many trunks, like a forest grown together. Some translators render "wood" instead of "tree." 5. Waters of the sea shall be healed.—The life of God is healing. The sea mentioned is the Dead or Salt Sea. The Arabah, of verse 8, the desert of the Jordan Valley. God's life overcomes death, and gives fruit for barrenness. Now no fish can live in the Dead Sea. If Israel had accepted God, the waters would have been healed, and filled with fish. But the marshes would have been still left for salt. Most of that used in Jerusalem came from the Dead Sea. This, as well as the sacrifices of the temple (chapters 45, 46), show all this prophecy to have its application before Christ came, when type met anti-type. But Israel did not comply with the conditions, and so the promises and prophecy were not then fulfilled. For the fulfilment in the glorious new earth, see Revelation 21, 22.