BIRTH PANG NUMBER 26
Chapter 28 – God Digs a River Bed
December 7, 2001
Ezekiel 47:2-5
[2] Then brought he me out of the way of the gate
northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that
looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters
on the right side. [3] 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 ancles. [4] 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. [5] 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.
These are the literal, physical waters that will
flow out of the Temple, which will be built in Jerusalem immediately following the
Second Advent during the Millennial Reign of Christ. As is typical of springs that suddenly
surface from karst topography, when one walks away
from the spring source, he or she notes that it becomes wider and deeper. Like many other springs, as the water flows
away from its source to cut a “V” shaped valley through limestone strata, it
will eventually be fed by side springs from the limestone water table along the
lower sections of the “V.” This feeding
by subterranean springs, from the water table source, will eventually cause the
millennial spring to become wider and deeper as one walks eastward through the
Eastern Gate of the new Temple (See Figure 45).
It is basically no different from thousands of other limestone springs
that God has formed in altered topography – springs that bubble forth, and then
keep getting wider and deeper as they obey gravity along a path of least
resistance, eventually flowing into a larger stream, creek, bayou, marsh, or
river.
As you may observe on Figure 45, the actual cubit
measurement begins at the “utter gate” of the newly built millennial Temple. The measurement of four thousand cubits, or
six thousand feet, carries us directly through the valley created by God at the
end of the Tribulation Period when he split the Mount of Olives. The stream will flow between the two divided
sections and, on the opposite side of the Mount of Olives, a dramatic
hydrologic change suddenly occurs at the end of four thousand cubits, which is
a great change in the depth of the stream.
The increase in depth is very gradual for almost four thousand cubits,
going from the ankles, to the knees, and to the thighs. But suddenly, at the end of the six thousand
feet, Ezekiel encounters a river he could not pass over except by
swimming. I am convinced this great
river is the diverted Jordan River.
When God rips open the Arabah
Fault, shown in Figure 25, the Jericho Valley will be opened as a riverbed from
north of Jericho to the point four thousand cubits east of the present Golden
Gate of Jerusalem. When this opening of
the Jericho Valley occurs, the Jordan River will be dammed temporarily by
massive landslides in its central portion, but will eventually flow southward
into its newly created riverbed, finally to link with the end of Ezekiel’s
spring stream. All of this may seem to
be unbelievable, but let me assure you this has occurred before in God’s
creation, as the quote from this 1692 earthquake report attests: “But the
greatest violence was among the mountains and rocks. Most of the rivers were stopped for
twenty-four hours by the falling of the mountains; till, swelling up, they made
themselves new channels, tearing up trees, and all they met in their
passage. A great mountain split, and
fell into the level ground, and covered several settlements, and destroyed the
people there.” The Jordan River itself
has been dammed up before on several occasions by earthquake landslides. But this time it will be the greatest
earthquake upheaval Israel has ever known, and the Jordan will be diverted
permanently to link with Ezekiel’s stream.
Ezekiel 38:19,20
[19] For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath
have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of
Israel; [20] So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and
the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and
all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence,
and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and
every wall shall fall to the ground.
Revelation 16:18-20 + 11:13-15,18 + I Corinthians 15:52
[18] And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was
not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. [19]
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations
fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the
cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. [13] And the same hour was
there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the
earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted,
and gave glory to the God of heaven. [14] The second woe is past; and, behold,
the third woe cometh quickly. [15] And the seventh angel sounded; and there
were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
[18] And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the
dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest
give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that
fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy
them which destroy the earth. [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (I Corinthians
15:52)