The Supernatural River of Life
I see multitudes of Spirit-filled saints cover the earth
I see Living Water flowing from the throne of God and from the Lamb
I see these filling the hearts of the called-out Ones
I see streams of water of life flowing out from their bellies
I see it now,
Through these ones the waters of life
Will reach the ends of the earth
And He said to me:
“It’s the River of God,
Just as revealed to Ezekiel long ago”
I see, as I looked again I see the showers,
It’s the rain bringing more water
As the Wind began to blow
I see a River brought forth out these waters,
And tributaries began to grow
I see the sick healed, the lame walk
The oppressed delivered wherever they flow
I see their living waters giving life to the death in their path as they flow
I see prison doors flung wide open and captives leaping out into the flow
I see the blind eyes opened, and the depressed alighted with a glow
I see the defiled wash in the waters, and they come out white as snow
And He said to me:
“It’s the River of God,
Just as revealed to Ezekiel long ago.”
Let’s remind ourselves again and again that this river of Living water originates from the throne of Almighty God and it flows through the City of God. It begins its course through the House of God meeting the needs of the people of God. It is a river of provision that brings life-giving supply from the Throne of God. It is through this River, as David sang in the opening verse, that God visits the earth and enriches it. It is through this River that He causes the earth to bring forth fruit in abundance. It is the River the streams of which shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.
Dear Citizen of the City of God, this precious message is for you. Can you hear what the Spirit is saying here about the River of God? Are you in any need right now? Is it financial need, or health, or peace, or in need of direction in your life? Are you weary and fainting and in need of a revival? Dive into the River of God and the Living water will bring you refreshing and your every need will be met.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev 22:17).
Press On Toward the Mark of the High Calling
In the previous section above, we followed Ezekiel in the vision to the front of the House of God where he saw living “waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house”. The Spirit of God began to teach us that this river of living Water originates from the throne of Almighty God and flows through the City of God to humanity. God is the source of her, and as her water fountain flows and becomes a river, the streams of this river shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
We came to an understanding of the fact that this river is coming forth from the right side of the throne indicates that the river and her tributaries carry along God’s right-hand blessings. This right hand blessings speak of power and dominion among other things; and David in the Psalms sang of this in the spirit saying:
“Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11).
This living water flowed from the throne of God brings to us all the spiritual blessings in heavenly places. Joy, peace, health and provisions all flow to us, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb, (Rev_22:1).
Let’s go on then. Let’s follow on with Ezekiel in this revelation.
In the 3rd verse of the 47th chapter of Ezekiel we read:
“And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.”
Ezekiel’s guide in the vision had a measuring line in his hand. The guide, using the line, measured a thousand cubits along the stream of the waters flowing from the House of God eastward. Then he brought Ezekiel through the waters. At the end of the thousand cubits, the water was ankle deep.
This symbolizes the beginning of our experience in God. It was here in the shallow edge of the river that we all started our experience and walk with God. Here we are entering into a life of learning the ways of God.
After accepting Jesus the Messiah as Lord and Savior we stepped into the river of God at the Door of the Tabernacle. There is no depth at this shallow edges of the River of Life for the waters are only ankle-deep, but the experience is wonderful. We have access to the water of life and are beginning to learn about God but are yet to know Him.
At this shallow edge we are in control of our motion, we determine where we go and do what we please. Though we are in the River, we are not being controlled by it. Many are content to stay at this shallow edge of the River where they operate in the realms of human knowledge and understanding. Unwilling to plunge into the depths of the wisdom of God they opt for earthly wisdom therefore they fight, bite and devour one another in the name of God. In this realm they are occupied by works and full of human efforts and dominated by religious rat race.
At this stage we are only ankle deep in the things of God and not reaching any depths yet. The question is: Are we going to be satisfied with the shallow-water experience in God? Or are we going to press on to the mark of the high calling of God?
We must also notice that Ezekiel walked through the waters himself with the guide. He did not stay at the river bank and watch the guide go through. He experienced the waters by himself.
Dear ones, God wants you and me to have a first-hand experience of Him, of spiritual things, and of the realm of the supernatural. He does not want us to watch others do it for us. None of us is called to be a spectator. We are all called to participate in, and contribute to the building up of the Body of Christ.
However, to begin, you must experience salvation personally. You must experience the baptism of the Holy Ghost; you must experience the manifestations of the power of God in your life in healings, in deliverance, in provisions, and victory over the satanic forces of this evil world. You must experience speaking to, and hearing from God by yourself; and you must experience a personal intimacy with Him. You must experience the joy of practicing the presence of God in your life.
But don’t stop now, you have only gone a thousand cubit and the water is only up to your ankle. Move on dear saint, press on, toward the mark, for there is much more ahead of you.
You have only scratched the surface and are still drinking dilute milk. Press on into God, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. He wants you and me to proceed into deeper things of the Spirit.
The prophet and his guide are now ready to follow the stream as it ran outwards from God’s holy city towards the east.
“Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins” (Ezek 47:4).
Now they followed the waters another thousand cubits, and then checked the depth of it, and it was up to their knees. This kneel-deep portion of the river also gives a false sense of security because the carnal mind can still find its way around. He is familiar with the religion and tradition in this part of the river and would not venture into a greater depth of the River which might remove this sense of security. It takes extra faith to take the next step forward into the deeps in the River of God.
The Lord wants us to be people that are constantly searching and seeking after the things of God. People who are thirsty for Him will not be satisfied with walking in the shallow edges of this River, but will press forward and dig deeper, diving into the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
Have you ever stood on the banks of a mighty river, flowing with full force, and wondering what would happen if you just plunged into the River with reckless abandon? Suppose you are not a skillful swimmer and so decide to take a plunge into the deepest section of this River? What do you imagine would happen? We can guess that you will be at the mercy of the River, and just as the “the wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth” so will the River covey you wherever it wants. For it is not by our power or might that we’re going to make it in this ministry but by His Spirit.
The guide measured another thousand cubits and they waded through the flood of the river for at this third time, the waters was up to their loins. There is some depth to the waters now, but their feet is still touching the bottom of the river. They are still in control; the depth is still within their reach.
We must constantly ask ourselves? Are we going to stop at this level, or are we going to press onward into deeper things of God. The Almighty would have us press forward to the unsearchable depths of Christ. He wants us to keep flowing with the river and for the waters of life to constantly flow out of us; and as this water of life flows out of us He will continuously refill us. He does not want us to remain stagnant or stale; for as you clearly see from this vision, the waters of the sanctuary are running waters. The river of God is teeming with life and is flowing constantly with fresh waters, fresh life, fresh provision from the throne of God. Not only is it constantly flowing with fresh waters, it is also spreading further covering new territories and causing everything in her path to come alive.
The River of God seen here in the vision of Ezekiel grows deeper and fuller as she goes.
She is constantly running and the further she goes, the fuller she grows. So also are the things of the Spirit and of the kingdom of God. It may start, as it were, as small as the grain of mustard seed but grows up to be a great tree. The manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit increase as it’s being exercised. They multiply with use and are replenished in fullness as they are utilized in building the body. As we allow the streams to flow out of us unto others giving them life, we are being replenished with fresh waters from the fountain of Life. But a stagnant stream will quickly run dry. For a stagnant stream is really not a stream but a pond and will soon dry up.
However, dear saint, you must experience this yourself. You must follow this river wading through the waters. You must make a quality decision not to follow along the banks, but must wade through the river under divine guidance into the deep things of the Most High God.
It’s true that many people would rather stop here at the “waters to the loins” and not proceed to greater depth; for beyond this third thousand cubits they will loose their footing. They will loose control to the River because the bottom will probably become too deep. Some would even consider camping along this River bank now. At least they have gone further than most people would ever dare, they have made it up to a good depth in the Spirit and can now erect a tabernacle and camp here. Others might like to remain in the river, but go no further; but as for you dear saints, you must press on.
“Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over” Ezek 47:5
This fourth time the guide with the line measured another thousand cubits; but as they attempted to walk along in the river as in the previous times they couldn’t. The waters had risen and had become very deep with waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.