The Source of the River (Part I)

(This is the first in a 3 part blog series)


"The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east)...
...Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing." (Ezk. 47:1,12)

Today we are the temple and according to the Gospel of John, the river that flows from within is the Holy Spirit.

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive."(John. 7:38-39)


This is a good reminder that we are not the scource but the vessel, even though it is flowing out of us, out of the body of Christ, both individually and corporately we are not the source. The key words in this passage are 'from within him', not 'from him'. There is a Source that dwells within us that this water of the Spirit issues from.

The Source:
"The glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east.  Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.   While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple.  He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever." (Ezk. 43:4-7)

The Source within the temple, within us, is a throne. It is THE throne. It is this throne and, more importantly, the One who sits on that throne that is the Source of the River (the Spirit).

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb  down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.  No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him." (Rev. 22:1-3, emphasis mine.)

This River rushes to the lowest places. It flows one direction...West to East.