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                               River Of Life

                    A message on what the church will be
                   like just prior to the Lord's Coming.

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By David Wilkerson
April 16, 1990
__________

          "Afterward He brought me again unto the door of the
          house and behold, waters issued out from under the
          threshold of the house eastward: for the fore-front of
          the house stood toward the east, and the waters came
          down from under from the right side of the house, at
          the south side of the alter.

          "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. 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.

          "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. And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen
          this?

          "And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side
          and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose
          leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be
          consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to
          his months, because their waters they issued out of the
          sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and
          the leaf thereof for medicine." (Ezekiel 47:1-12).

          Ezekiel had been given a vision - and it was presented
          to him by the Lord Himself. Scripture says the hand of
          God carried Ezekiel to a very high mountain, where a
          Man appeared to him "whose appearance was like the
          appearance of brass" (Ezekiel 40:2-3). John exiled on
          the island of Patmos, saw unto this same Man - " his
          feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a
          furnace." (Revelation 1:15).

          The Man, in both passages, was none other than Christ.
          He brought Ezekiel to the door of the house of God, and
          there He gave the prophet and amazing vision of the
          future of the church. This vision revealed what the
          body of Christ would become as the final days of time
          on earth would draw to a close.

          The vision reveals Jesus Himself and an outpouring of
          the Holy Spirit is the last days. It is so mighty, so
          overwhelming in scope, that at the time, Ezekiel could
          neither comprehend it nor comment on it's meaning!

          In fact halfway into this prophetic vision, the Lord
          stops, turns to Ezekiel and asks, "Have you seen this
          ?" (Ezekiel 47:6). It is as though the Lord is saying
          to him. "Do you comprehend the magnitude of what you
          see? Are you able to grasp the prophetic power of this
          vision? Do you yet see what the rising of the waters
          speaks of - how it is going to end? Do you see His
          glory coming? It is so awesome, so mind-boggling, that
          I don't want you to miss the true meaning of this
          revelation!"

          As I read this chapter, the Holy Spirit stopped me at
          this very same verse and would not let me go any
          further! The Spirit of God posed to me the same
          questions asked of Ezekiel: "Do you understand that
          this is a great prophecy from the very throne of God
          about the church of the last days? Do you understand
          the meaning of the rising of the river?"

          This vision must have astonished Ezekiel and, though it
          is not recorded, I am convinced he did not understand
          it. The Old Testament prophets had a limited vision of
          Christ. Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, that many
          prophets and righteous men have desired to see those
          things which you see, and have not seen them; and to
          hear those things which you hear, and have not heard
          them... hear ye therefore" (Matthew 13:17).

          "Hear ye therefore...." Make sure you see it! Don't
          miss it! Just what is it that the Lord reveals in this
          prophetic vision?

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                        There Is an Ever-increasing
                   Outpouring of the Holy Spirit Coming!

                      -------------------------------

          What Ezekiel is being shown is that the church of Jesus
          Christ in the very last days will be more glorious,
          more victorious, than in all of its history: the church
          will go out in a blaze of power and glory, enjoying the
          fullest revelation of Jesus man has ever known!

          The true church of Jesus Christ is not going to weaken
          and sputter! It is not going to dwindle in numbers or
          decrease in power and spiritual authority! "The fish of
          the great sea shall be exceeding many" (Ezekiel 47:
          10). Coming forth is a body of believers who will be
          swimming in the rising waters of the Lord's presence.
          The knowledge and presence of Jesus will increase until
          the end!

          There has been a tendency among Christians to limit
          their vision of God to their own little group and area.
          Often the attitude has been, "We are the new move of
          God. What God is going to do in these last days will
          begin right here and flow out of us. You'd better come
          join us, because we've got it! This is God's new thing
          on earth. He is networking out from us!"

          This attitude actually limits God in much the same way
          denominations have done for centuries, giving the
          impression that they alone represent the move of God on
          earth! An old false doctrine is being resurrected
          today. It says, "God has only one church in any city or
          area and only one spiritual authority." Operating on
          this belief, the adherents of this doctrine appoint
          "apostles" to rule these areas. New York City itself
          has such self-appointed apostles and prophets who
          believe they alone rule the heavenly realm here.

          Another way the church limits itself is through its
          tendency to look back to the early church and apostles
          as if those ancient, believers had a better revelation
          of what the body of Christ should be! So they emphasize
          recapturing, or imitating their methods.

          The Lord does not want us to go back to the early
          church. He has planned something much better for these
          last days! Why go back to a trickle of water when you
          can have "waters to swim in"?

          Beloved, the spring and fountainhead of this river is
          the Cross! "One of the soldiers with a spear pierced
          his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water"
          (John 19:34).

          This is exactly what Ezekiel saw as this vision opened
          -- a trickle of water issuing "out from under the
          threshold of the house eastward... the waters came down
          from under from the right side of the house... at the
          south side of the altar... the waters came down...
          there ran out waters" (Ezekiel 47:12). This is the
          image of Pentecost, when the Spirit was given to the
          disciples - with a promise that it was to be a river of
          life, springing up to flow out into all the world.

          "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said,
          out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water....
          this he spake of the Spirit, which they that believe on
          him should receive" (John 7:38-39).

          Let me ask you: Are you grasping this yet? If this
          river of living water is the Holy Spirit, then
          Pentecost - with all its glory and manifestation -- was
          just the beginning trickle of the flow out of the
          house!

          Peter announced that this water was flowing, as
          promised by the Lord, at the beginning of the last
          days. And as it flows, it grows! It expands in width,
          depth, volume, power and restoration glory. You see,
          Peter and the 120 had water only to the ankles!

          The church had been persecuted for hundreds of years.
          When the emperor Constantine came to power, Constantine
          opened the salt mines and released all the ministers
          who had been enslaved.

          In addition, he declared Christianity the religion of
          the empire! Yet it was during those years of
          persecution that the church grew greatly in its
          knowledge and revelation of Jesus. Those persecuted
          saints enjoyed water to the knees! Martin Luther was
          another who brought the body of Christ to a new realm
          of faith. The water during the Reformation rose to the
          loins as the church grew in, a greater revelation of
          the Cross, leading to a deeper knowledge of His power!
          How wonderful it must have been, finally, to behold
          masses of people being baptized and coming into the
          revelation of salvation by faith! It must have been
          quite a sight as well to see multitudes of believers,
          filled with a zeal for the house of the Lord, rushing
          into cathedrals to tear down all the idols and graven
          images!

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                       This River of Life Will Crest
                     Just Prior to The Lord's Coming!

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          This is foretold in the vision given to Ezekiel. God
          took the prophet on an amazing trip! With a measuring
          rod in His hand, the Lord walked off a 1,000 cubits,
          about one-third of a mile. At this distance Ezekiel and
          the Lord walked in the water, and the flow was ankle
          high. Ezekiel said, "He brought me through the waters"
          (Ezekiel 47:3). And the Lord kept urging him on,
          deeper, further! After another 1,000 cubits, the water
          came up to their knees and was still rising.

          Saints, Ezekiel was walking into the future - right
          into our time! Today we live in the last 1,000 cubits
          of this vision, the very last measurement of water!
          Ezekiel stepped to the edge of it but it was too deep
          for him, too overwhelming! He said, "I could not pass
          over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in"
          (Ezekiel 47:5). In essence he was saying, "This is over
          my head!"

          Can't you imagine the prophet's wonder, as he said to
          the Lord, "What is this sea that has risen? If this
          river is all about life and resurrection, who are the
          ones who will be so blessed that they can swim in such
          power and glory."

          Beloved, if you think we have experienced the presence
          of Jesus abundantly, if you have been thrilled by your
          present revelation of Jesus, I tell you that you have
          seen nothing in comparison to the increase that is
          coming for the righteous. Jesus is going to open our
          eyes and wonderfully appear in our midst! He will
          reveal Himself and pour upon us as much of His life as
          we can possibly stand without having glorified bodies!

          The prophet Isaiah had a glimpse of this same prophetic
          river! But he saw something else also: In the last days
          the church will enjoy great protection against satanic
          attack!

          "No galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass
          thereby" (Isaiah 33:21). He is speaking of slave-driven
          warships. This is a picture of the enemy trying to
          launch an attack upon those who are swimming in great
          waters. And it is a picture of total confusion! Satan
          is barking commands: "Batten down the hatches... set
          sail... strengthen the mast!" But nothing works! They
          can't even spread the sail to launch the warship! All
          the demon-slave oarsmen sit there - the wicked sailors
          of hell - in the midst of confusion. The living waters
          are off-limits to Satan!

          "Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek
          after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to
          confusion that devise my hurt.... let the angel of the
          Lord chase them .... let the angel of the Lord
          persecute them" (Psalm35:4-6).

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                           A Time Is Coming When
                       Unprecedented Numbers Will Be
                       Revived From Spiritual Death

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          "So everything will live where the river goes" (Ezekiel
          47:9). When Ezekiel returned to the bank of the river,
          he stood astonished. He looked back and saw "very many
          trees" on both sides of the river. These trees had been
          given life from the river! They had leaves that never
          faded and their fruit brought healing. Life had sprung
          up everywhere in these towering, fruit bearing trees!

          Yet even though this river of God will bring life
          wherever it goes, the last days will also see a
          corresponding flood of death. AIDS is a sea of
          destruction - a modern day Dead Sea! Multitudes are
          dying. The Bible warns that scoffers will come, mocking
          the message of Christ's imminent return, putting to
          death expectancy and hopeful love! Jesus said, The love
          of many shall wax cold" (Matthew 24:12). "Evil men and
          seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and
          being deceived" (2 Timothy 3:13). Morals will die and
          sin will abound while false prophets spread doctrines
          of deaths.

          Even now, spiritual death has spread throughout the
          apostate church! In the midst of the death and
          destruction of these last days, I hear the Lord's
          prophecy thundering in my soul: The river will rise,
          and everything will live where the river goes!

          In China it looked as though the church might be dying!
          The enemy had driven believers under ground, and for
          years there was no word coming out of that country.
          Western Christians had no idea whether the church there
          was surviving. But thank God the river could not be
          stopped! It was rising all the time. And we know that
          millions of Chinese are swimming in the river of life!
          "Everything will live where the river goes."

          Consider New York City, a wicked city of death. Many
          thousands are dying from AIDS, overdoses, murder and
          assaults. It all seems to be out of control.

          I know that many people want to move out - but the Holy
          Ghost has dug a well on Broadway! The Spirit has begun
          to plow deeply, and the river is rising, Jesus is now
          appearing on Broadway! He is revealing His holiness!

          The theater district can't keep the river out of their
          territory. Wall Street can't keep out the river of
          life! Nor can city hall stop the river from flowing.
          Homosexuals can't keep it out of Greenwich Village.
          Pro-abortionists can't keep it out of the clinics. Nor
          can orthodox rabbis keep this river out of their
          synagogues! The river is rising, and everything will
          live where the river goes!

          The river is now flowing at flood tide throughout
          Romania, East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia
          and Russia! Life in Christ is springing up all over the
          world! As Martin Luther once said, "If you want to get
          rid of an ant hill, turn the river on it!"

          What about your household? Has it seemed hopeless to
          you?

          Are you watching rampant death among your loved ones?
          Believe these prophetic words of our blessed Lord: "For
          they shall be healed, and every thing shall live
          whither the river cometh."

          I don't know how the Lord will do all this. But if He
          says the river will rise and bring life to all it
          touches, I believe it! If God can wipe out Communism in
          one year, can He not do this as well?

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                            In The Midst of All
                         This Healing and Reviving,
                       Some are Going to be Left Out!
                        They Will be Given to Salt!

                      -------------------------------

          "But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof
          shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt"
          (Ezekiel 47:11). These are mud puddles, full of dirt
          and mire. The river flows over them - yet they are not
          healed! Eventually the river passes by and leaves them
          so dry they turn to salt (a symbol of rebellion and
          barrenness).

          Salt marshes represent those who feel deeply but do not
          change. They cry but do not obey. They make promises
          and resolutions but do not follow through. "The wicked
          are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose
          waters cast up mire and dirt" (Isaiah 57:20).

          These people profess Christianity and have been
          inundated with gospel reproof. They have had the Holy
          Spirit plumb the depths of their souls and woo them,
          but they remain unchanged! They have been in the river
          - but they haven't allowed its life to enter their
          innermost selves. The life of Jesus does not spring
          forth out of them!

          Instead, out of their bellies flows a stream of filthy
          gossip, insincere flatteries, lies and distortions.
          They are not life-givers. All about them are strife and
          bitterness! They wallow in self-pity, they continually
          complain and question authority. They are phonies,
          mired in dirt! They spread death to all they touch!

          But a sentence of doom has been passed on them: "They
          shall be given to salt." This is the curse of
          barrenness: a lifetime bearing no fruit -- total
          uselessness. Yet they still stand in their rebellion,
          full of pride!

          Believe me, God will bend the river and flow by these
          people! They will become blind and insensitive to their
          danger. As the Holy Ghost withdraws, they will be left
          crying, "Peace, peace," while sudden destruction falls!

          Ezekiel must have been amazed by such pockets of death.
          Life was springing up on all sides, but these pockets
          of death remained barren and white with dryness. Peter
          called them "wells without water" (2 Peter 2:17).

          How did they get this way - so empty, dry and cut off
          from the life-giving river? Because, said Peter, "They
          walk after the flesh... they are presumptuous...
          self-willed... they speak against. God ordained
          authority... they speak evil of the things they know
          nothing about... they are entangled with the world and
          have been overcome... they have turned from the holy
          commandments once delivered to them" (2 Peter 2:10-21,
          paraphrased).

          The real tragedy is that most of these dry wells were
          once fountains of living water! Whereas they once
          issued forth life, healing and blessing, they now spew
          out bitterness, hatred and death!

          Saints, don't be caught up in stubborn bitterness while
          the river is flowing. Let God fill your belly instead
          with His living water the river of life! A flood of
          revelation of Jesus Christ is on its way, and it will
          not stop to cater to any flesh. Do you comprehend the
          magnitude of the vision given to Ezekiel? The Old
          Testament prophets couldn't see it. But through His
          Holy Spirit, God has given us eyes to behold His
          exceeding greatness.

          Hear ye therefore - a river of life is coming!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

          This material is solely for personal use and is not to
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          on its web page. You are free to download, copy, print
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