BIRTH PANG NUMBER 26
May 30, 2010
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
Chapter 28 – God Digs a River Bed
December 7, 2001
Ezekiel 47:2-5 – 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, swell ing up, they made themselves new channels, tear
ing 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 – 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 11:13-15,18 – 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.
I Corinthians15:52 – 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.