Bible Studies: Worldnet Grace Ministries

The book of ezekiel: overview, part II

GOING DOWN, DOWN, DOWN…
By Johnny Tatum

Different Levels of Enjoying God

Stage Six: For the individual who believes God, He comes back, He regenerates him, and He makes him a new creation. Then there are different levels of enjoying God.

Ezekiel 47 records the vision of the new Temple in eternity [the new Israel]. What is the significance for the individual? From God's perspective, the new Temple is a picture of the regenerate's spirit and what he has.

Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from the south of the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate (something built inside of the believer) and led me around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side. (Ezekiel 47:1-2)

If we were to look inside of the regenerate's spirit with God's eyes, we would see water. Messiah Jesus said that water is a picture of Holy Spirit:

Unless a man is born again of Water, that is the Spirit… (John 3:5)

So every believer has Holy Spirit, who is that Water.

Appropriating that Water

There are different levels of appropriating that Water; therefore, there are different degrees of enjoyment of God. As presented in Ezekiel, Chapter 47, Ezekiel used water as a symbol of Holy Spirit's presence in ever-greater measure.

Ankles

When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching his ankles. (Ezekiel 47:3)

Picture: Every believer who is walking in water up to his ankles, is being led by Holy Spirit at bare minimum.

According to Paul, all regenerate individuals are at least in Water at the ankles. He divided the world into those who walk according to the flesh (the unregenerate) and those who walk according to the Spirit (the regenerate) when he said:

In order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:4)

Many believers say Uh-oh! I do not always walk according to the Spirit. But Paul was saying Yes, you do. The fact that you are alive and that you believe Messiah Jesus is your Redeemer means you are walking according to the Spirit. Now that may be all you are doing, but you are walking according to the Spirit.

The most noticeable characteristics for those who walk only ankle deep in Water are as follows:

Their sins are forgiven.
They know the Father.
They need food (the word of God) and time (no way around this one) to spiritually mature.

Largely, they tend to be self-centered, concerned about their daily activities, and, basically, they are doing the walking. It is at times like those when they need Holy Spirit most; however, it does not work according to their flesh. At this point, many choose to stay ankle-deep rather than getting to know the Lord God to go deeper. The Bible character, Lot, is a good example of this type of "carnal" believer.

Unfortunately, most believers are satisfied with ankle-deep Holy Spirit; however, there is a higher level available:

Knees

Again he measured a thousand and led me through the waters, water reaching the knees. (Ezekiel 47:4a)

Picture: Every believer who is walking in water up to his knees, is being led by Holy Spirit a bit deeper.

I think it is appropriate that water is reaching the knees, because when a person is on his knees, he is begging for more! For the believers who are not satisfied with ankle-deep water, it is good to be a knee-deep believer. He is not totally dependent on Holy Spirit to lead him, but the individual is getting there.

The most noticeable characteristics for those who walk knee-deep are as follows:

They are maturing, learning, growing, and struggling through the realities of their spiritual life, including understanding the existence of evil in the world and that the real enemy is Satan.
They desire to grow in the knowledge of Messiah Jesus through the study of God's word.
They know the Father as the Forgiver and the Fighter.

Generally, they have a half-full (knee-deep) life in Holy Spirit; however, they are getting out there!

There is a higher level than knee-deep:

Loins

Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the loins. (Ezekiel 47:4b)

A Strange Word in the Bible:

Loins

When I was a child in the Baptist Church, I always used to blush when I heard the word loins. I thought it meant something that it did not mean!

Actually, in the ancient Orient, it meant "the upper leg muscles all the way up to the shoulders", or the equivalent of the torso. These days, it means just the "waist" or "upper leg area"; it is not the same.

Picture: Almost everything a person does is with his legs, arms, and upper body. A believer who is loin-deep in water is led by Holy Spirit most of his life.

An individual uses his legs, arm, and body to accomplish most activities in his daily life. Likewise, in this degree of appropriating that Water, Holy Spirit would control this degree of activities. Spiritually, it is a very high level and very few reach it.

The most noticeable characteristics for those who are walking loin-deep in Water are as follows:

They have known Messiah Jesus as their Redeemer for a while.
They have endured the difficulties and struggles of life through Holy Spirit's counsel. And, because of that, they have a deeper, personal knowledge of God (they know God as a Person).
They are spiritually mature, because they choose to feed on the word of God to know Him.
They have put away the childish things (self-centeredness), and adhere to being reliant on the Lord God as they grow in Him.

Certainly, Ezekiel attained this level of appropriating Holy Spirit.

What is amazing is that only One person has ever reached the very highest level:

Entire Body

Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded. He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he brought me back to the bank of the river. (Ezekiel 47:5-6)

Before we go on, let us look again at verse 5:

5 Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded.

I hesitate because this translation gives the impression that he was swimming. Actually, he was NOT. Clearly, there was enough water in which to swim. However, according to the original text, he was not swimming, instead, he was being swept along.

Interestingly, the swimming stage is bypassed when one would think there would be a stage of swimming. The critical distinction is that in the ankle-, the knee-, and even the torso-deep degrees it is the person doing a certain amount of the work, and Holy Spirit doing the rest. As the person does progressively less, Holy Spirit does progressively more.

But there is NO swimming stage! And that is the critical mistake most believers make. When they are looking for more of Holy Spirit, they persistently choose to continue to swim, which is always against His current.

This final level is GIVE UP! This is the person who is not even swimming, but is being carried along by the current of God's power. Even Ezekiel did not reach this level. Let us look at verse 6 again:

6a He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?"

This figure of speech meant, basically, This is something unfamiliar to you, is it not? He was imploring Ezekiel to go for that higher level, which he had never experienced before. The God-man Jesus was the only One who lived at that level all of the time, the only One who lived a perfect life. [I do all things at the impulse of My Father.]

The Results of Living a Life Swept Along by the Water

Now when I returned, behold, on the bank of the river there were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then he said to me, "These water go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea, being made to flow into the sea, and waters of the sea become fresh. (Ezekiel 47:7-8)

Thereafter, Ezekiel describes what all that water does. Somebody who lives a life like that -- not by swimming, but by being swept along by the current of Holy Spirit -- is:

Fruitful, and
Everything around him (people, circumstances, etc.) becomes fruitful.

We want to recognize that at every level Ezekiel says he led me through (see verses 3-5). Why is that significant? Because man does not find his own salvation through his own leading. Additionally, man cannot get more of Holy Spirit (go to a deeper level, to the knees - loins - being swept along) through more study or through more [SELF-] discipline.

Man cannot lead himself into the depths of maturity; the Lord God must lead him there.

The good news for those who are redeemed and living on this side of eternity is that at the end of the age (when everything converges) all redeemed humanity will be fruitful, because Holy Spirit [alone] will lead.

A Question to Ask:

A Phobia from Man's Flesh?

Recently and for a particular reason, I was looking on the Internet under the subject of "phobias". I had always thought that peoples' most common fear was the fear of heights. However, as it turns out, by far, the fear of water (the fear of drowning) is the number one fear for people.

Now I love the sea, but my worst nightmare would be for me to be on a ship that sinks in the middle of the ocean. [I have this objection to treading water in the middle of the Pacific!] For some reason, I am fearful when I think about having seven miles of water below me and several thousand miles of water in front of me. And there is no life preserver holding me up! Though I love the water, I shudder when I think about that.

I am wondering, however, if the number one phobia -- the fear of water -- stems from man's flesh? Remember that Water is the picture of Holy Spirit. And the final level of Spirit control is an individual being swept along by the current; he is not even touching bottom anymore. Does the flesh give us this fear of water as a manifestation of its fear that Water -- Holy Spirit -- and not the flesh will control us?

What Does This Mean to Me?

Ezekiel has just described the levels of growth in the life of the regenerate, and they are ALL good. Importantly, however, is for the believer to know that they are growing rather than to determine at which level they are.

There has not been one believer who has gone in a direct walk from being ankle deep to being loin deep, much less to being swept along by Holy Spirit. Know that:

There are ups and downs, and the downs can be profound ones.
There is backtracking in the believer's life; people can die physically at an ankle deep level.
There are back and forths. Believers can always be ankle deep, such as when they childishly take it for granted that the Father will take care of them, which is not good.
There are times when believers are walking only knee-deep, and they are truly struggling as they are growing and learning spiritually.
There are those rare times, for some believers, when they are being swept along by Holy Spirit because they have given it ALL to Him.

Father, thank You for the Book of Ezekiel that presents the apocalyptic stages of the nation of Israel, the human race, and most especially, of every human being -- of me.

Thank You for leading me so that I would understand that I have rejected you at some point in my life, and at that time You left me. However, the Good News for me is that You have come back because I have changed my mind. I know that I was wrong about You. Thank You for Your Son, Messiah Jesus, who came from the heavenly places as God-man to die for my sins, to be resurrected to life, and to live, once again, at Your right hand forevermore. And now, knowing that You have regenerated my spirit and have given me Holy Spirit for all eternity is beyond my expression of thankfulness!

Truly You are a Forgiver, a Fighter, and a Person to me. I am so grateful that You have designed our relationship in such a way that it can be dynamic and personal. Please help me to stay close to You through the leading of the Water, of Holy Spirit.

Father, just knowing that I am one of Your children is not enough for me. I desire to know You more each new day so that I will appropriate that Water in all that I do, say, and think. And help me to consistently have that desire to grow.

I pray this in Messiah Jesus' name. Amen.

Next:

Ezekiel: WATER TABLE

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