Ezek. 47:1,3-5 – – Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple…. And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed.
This passage is the famous vision of the River given to the prophet Ezekiel. In it we see Ezekiel wading out into the River as a picture of the Lord touching His people in the last days. There have been many interpretations of this passage and like most prophesy they can have multiple applications. This is what this vision says to me. As Ezekiel goes to the edge of the River up to his ankles this speaks to me of having the first taste of the supernatural, you are basically testing it out. Next he proceeds to his knees. This is where we begin to pray and hear from God, the spiritual world becomes real to us. Next, we are up to our waist, covering our loins. Here we begin to be productive and bring forth fruit. The final stage is when the River goes over your head, this is the place of breakthrough where anything can happen. Ezekiel then begins to see the effect of the River on the world reflected in this next passage.
Ezek.47:7, 9 -10 – When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other….. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many.
The trees in this vision are a picture of the healthy church in the last days planted by the River of Life. This is where the church begins to effect the world. Ezekiel then sees the healing power of the River bringing spiritual life to everyone touched by it. Next Ezekiel turns his attention to the fishermen and the fish. This, of course, reminds us of Jesus calling His disciples to follow Him and become fishers of men. This is God’s work, the large multitude of fish is the harvest at the end of the world. The fishermen are His disciples casting their nets into the waters for a final harvest of souls.
