Waters to the Ankles

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. 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. (Ezekiel 47:3-5)

The "river" of Ezekiel typifies the Water of the Holy Spirit in the earth. The sixth chapter of Hosea, which we have just mentioned, portrays the coming of the Lord as the rain. In Ezekiel we see the same coming of the Lord portrayed as a river flowing in the earth.

The River of God always flows from the Throne of God, from the Temple of God. We are the Temple of God, as Paul tells us plainly (Ephesians 2:21).

Jesus declared: "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38).

Notice the source of Ezekiel's river:

Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; . . . . (Ezekiel 47:1)

The "house" is the Temple of God. Christ is the "door" of the Temple of God.

. . . waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: . . . . (Ezekiel 47:1)

The term "eastward" refers to the dawning of the Day of the Lord. Do you remember the instruction of Hosea: "His going forth is prepared as the morning"?

The man "that had the line in his hand" went toward the east. As he progressed toward the east, toward the "morning," toward the coming of the Lord, the waters rose on Ezekiel who is, in this instance, a type of the saints of Christ. The man with the measuring line advanced four thousand cubits before the waters reached their fullness.

The number four symbolizes the fullness of the Holy Spirit, four being the number of the Lampstand.

The "line" with which he was measuring represents the judgment of God. As we have stated previously, the working of God in us always is preceded by a "death"—a judgment on our person. After God has measured (judged) us and our ways with His "line," He turns and blesses us with an increase of the Holy Spirit. Each time we go deeper in the Spirit there must be a more penetrating and complete judgment of our person and ways.

The three judgments symbolized by the man with the line in his hand bring us as far as the waters "to the loins" (just above the hips). After that, the waters become so great as to be our total environment, as will be true during the new heaven and earth reign of Christ.

Waters to the "ankles" speaks of the salvation experience.

Waters to the "knees" (the Christian walk) portrays the sanctification (holy living) experience.

Waters to the "loins" (the area of reproduction and strength) represents the conquest experience.

The "waters to swim in" is the complete mastery by the water, as will be true when we are immersed eternally in the Fullness of the Spirit of God during the new heaven and earth reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. After we are totally redeemed we are to give back our personality to the Lord and be ready to be a vehicle for His Glory as it is directed toward other people.

Captured by the Holy Spirit.

We can witness this same "taking" of the individual by the Spirit of the Lord, in Isaiah 28:9-13:

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Notice the expression: "for with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people." Paul applies this passage to the speaking in tongues that we Christians do (I Corinthians 14:21).

"This is the rest," Isaiah claims. So it is that speaking in tongues, as well as the other manifestations of the Holy Spirit in us, brings us into the rest of God (Hebrews, Chapter Four), into the perfect will of God in Christ.

The man with the line in his hand, and the above passage from Isaiah, both portray a progressive capturing of us by the Spirit of God. The Spirit takes the Word of God and uses it as a hammer to break the rock of our heart into pieces. The Word of the Lord breaks us down each day as the Spirit applies it "precept upon precept, precept upon precept, rule upon rule, rule upon rule, here a little and there a little."

The purpose of the hammering on us is that we may "go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken."

"Go, and fall backward" refers to our turning away from the works of the flesh.

"Broken" speaks of our coming to the end of our own ability, and trusting God for the work of redemption. Our proud will is broken and we learn to trust in the atoning death and triumphant resurrection of Christ.

Coming to the cross for salvation is such a blow to the pride of the person who has trusted in his own merit, ability, and strength to make himself acceptable to God that some individuals never can take that step of faith and humility. Their pride prevents them from coming to the foot of the cross for salvation.

"Snared" reveals the actions of the Holy Spirit in bringing into captivity to Christ our deeds, words, thoughts, motives, and imaginations. We do not come into holy behavior overnight. We do pass from death to life, from the authority of Satan to the authority of Christ, and are forgiven all our sins, the moment we believe in Christ.

However, the change in us from unrighteous behavior to holy behavior requires a period of time for its accomplishment. It is command upon command, rule upon rule. We fuss, kick, complain, resist, but the Spirit of the Lord gently leads us into paths of righteousness for His name's sake. We are "snared" by the infinite wisdom of the Holy Spirit as He directs our circumstances until we come willingly into the kind of behavior that is pleasing to the Lord.

"Taken" is the end result of the dealings of the Holy Spirit with us. The waters of the Spirit come up to our "loins," up to the source of reproductive power and strength. We are not just broken, we are not just snared, we are taken as well. Our will is so transformed by the Spirit of God working through the Word of God that we choose to perform the will of God. We begin to please God by our thoughts and actions.

When we first were saved we continually were opposed to the will of God, our human mind being an enemy of God. After God completes His deepest workings in our nature we will long to do the things that please Him. Our greatest joy will be to act in the manner that God desires. Our will shall be synchronized with God's will so that the two wills, God's and ours, shall coincide in all matters great and small.

Sometimes people who are well-placed in their vocation are heard to say: "I feel guilty about picking up my paycheck because I am so happy in my job." There are those who would not cease to perform their tasks even if they possessed millions of dollars because they are enjoying so much what they are doing. Yet, their work may be difficult and challenging.

That is the way it is with us when the Spirit of God completes His work in us. We desire to do what God desires that we do. Here is an important dimension of the rest of God. "It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).

God enjoys opening His hand and satisfying the desire of every creature. However, there are seasons during our training when He cannot do this. His will and our will are opposed for a time. There is a prolonged withholding of our most intense desires so we may be perfected. At the end of the period of restraint we shall discover that God's will and our will have become one will and we then shall receive the desires of our heart.

May God soon bring us to the place where we are "taken" by the Spirit of God such that our will corresponds to His will. Our joy is His joy. Our plan is His plan. Our sorrow is His sorrow. Our desire is His desire. Our judgment is His judgment. Only then will we be fully in the rest of God. Then the Father and the Son can find rest in us.

We do not come permanently into the fullness of the rest of God the instant we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior. There is a progressive capturing of us by the Spirit of God.

In the illustration of Ezekiel's river, the first death and resurrection are portrayed as the measuring of a thousand cubits and the bringing of us through the waters until they are to the ankles. The number one thousand suggests a "day" of the workings of God.

You may recall that the dimensions of the Tabernacle building were ten by ten by thirty cubits. This totals 3,000 cubic cubits. The first three judgments of the man with the line in his hand include 3,000 cubits, suggesting that the two thousand years of the Church age, and the one thousand years of the Kingdom Age, have been accomplished and we now are ready for the new heaven and earth reign of Christ.

The first judgment of God, that which brings the waters to the ankles, is the judgment brought on Christ at the cross of Calvary. It is the judgment on the gods of the present evil age (the prince of the world is judged). Calvary is a work of judgment, from God's viewpoint.

If we enter it, the first judgment brings us to the place where the Holy Spirit is up to our ankles, so to speak. We still maintain control over our actions, over our deeds, words, motives, and imaginations. Much of what we do and say is mixed with the lusts and desires of our flesh and human mind.

The "ankles" experience is close to the shore. We can run back up on the beach if we change our mind about serving the Lord. We definitely have entered a new environment, the Kingdom of God. Although most of our personality is still "dry," our feet (direction of our life) are submerged in the Holy Spirit of God.

If we are willing to follow the man with the line in his hand (the Holy Spirit), He will lead us into deeper waters.

The seal of the Holy Spirit. Part of the act of salvation is the "renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). Every true Christian has the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in him, the Spirit of eternal life.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (Titus 3:5)

Little ponds of water on the beach are stagnant until the tide comes in and the ponds are renewed by the water from the ocean. Each human being is as a stagnant, dead pond until the Holy Spirit breathes the breath of life into him during the first step of salvation.

After the blood of Christ has been applied to our life, the "oil" of the Holy Spirit comes upon the blood. We then are "sealed" to the coming Day of Redemption, the Day of the Lord.

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest [pledge; guarantee] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13,14)

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)

Most of us have seen the seal of a notary public or that of a university or government. The seal is pressed into a document, thereby making it an official instrument of the issuing institution. So it is that God seals us with the Holy Spirit. The sealing establishes us as belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the preceding passage we can notice the expression, "which is the earnest of the purchased possession (our entire personality—body, soul, and spirit)." The term earnest means a pledge, down payment, firstfruits, foretaste, guarantee. We receive an initial indwelling of the Holy Spirit when we receive Christ. The waters are "to the ankles." It is the beginning of life lived in the Spirit of God.

After we receive the pledge of the Holy Spirit, which is the first installment of greater glory yet to come, we then are to live each day before Christ in such a manner that our whole personality gradually is brought under the control of the Spirit of God. Learning to be led of the Holy Spirit requires time and much experience. It demands the attention of our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.

The Holy Spirit opposes our flesh and soul in many decisions and our flesh and soul oppose the Holy Spirit in many decisions. We ourselves decide whether the victory of the moment goes to the Holy Spirit or to our fleshly nature. As we attend to the Spirit, the influence of the Holy Spirit increases in our life. We may have known people who possess a continuing strong Presence of the Holy Spirit.

We are not speaking now of the powerful anointing that accompanies an outstanding ministry. That is another matter. The anointing for outstanding ministry is not always associated with godliness of character, unfortunately. The anointing for ministry lifts when the minister no longer is being utilized.

We are speaking, rather, of those ordinary Christian people who walk before the Lord so conscientiously that the Holy Spirit abides on them. The increased fullness of the Holy Spirit is more than the first installment given to every believer, it is more in the area of the waters "to the knees," or "to the loins."

Every true saint without exception has the down payment, the earnest of the Holy Spirit. If any individual does not have this sealing on him he does not belong to God, the King.

Receiving the pledge of redemption by being "sealed" is not the full measure of the Holy Spirit that the believer is destined to enjoy. As we sow to the Spirit each day, patiently waiting on the Lord, accepting the Spirit's judgment on every action, every word, every motive, every imagination of our heart, we receive a greater portion of the Holy Spirit.

The holy anointing oil that was employed to anoint the priests of the Tabernacle of the Congregation is a type of the Holy Spirit. Every priest had the oil placed on his ear, thumb, and toe (Leviticus 8:23,24). The high priest of Israel had the oil poured on his head (Leviticus 21:10) and was known as the "anointed priest."

The holy anointing oil was to be used only in the ministry of the Tabernacle and never was to be placed on the flesh of people. (Exodus 30:32). The fact that every member of the Body of Christ is anointed with the Holy Spirit, the "oil," reveals that every member of the Body is a priest of God.

The touch of the Holy Spirit on our "ear" (hearing the Lord's voice) on our "thumb" (the works of our hands) and on our "toe" (the way we walk in the world) sets us apart as a holy priesthood to the Lord God of Heaven.

We always can tell a true Christian because there is a touch of the Holy Spirit on him or her.

Back to Three Deaths and Three Resurrections: Vol 1