Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Ezekiel Chapter 47
Metaphysically Interpreting Ezekiel 47:1-12
47:1And he brought me back unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward; (for the forefront of the house was toward the east;) and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar. 47:2Then he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me round by the way without unto the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looketh toward the east; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
47:3When the man went forth eastward with the line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles. 47:4Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the loins. 47:5Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through; for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. 47:6And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this?
Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the bank of the river. 47:7Now when I had returned, behold, upon the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. 47:8Then said he unto me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and they shall go toward the sea; into the sea shall the waters go which were made to issue forth; and the waters shall be healed. 47:9And it shall come to pass, that every living creature which swarmeth, in every place whither the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come thither, and the waters of the sea shall be healed, and everything shall live whithersoever the river cometh. 47:10And it shall come to pass, that fishers shall stand by it: from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. 47:11But the miry places thereof, and the marshes thereof, shall not be healed; they shall be given up to salt. 47:12And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not whither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for healing.
September 10, 1905: Ezekiel 47:1-12
Ezekiel means “God strengthens.” He shows how to demonstrate strength. The “house” which he saw in his vision is the vital body. By this we mean the body of thought, of which the physical body is the shape. All shapes have their origin in thought-forms.
The “door of the house” is the I AM. “I am the door,” said Jesus. The “East” is the within and the “West” the without, in all Scripture symbolism. “Waters” represent the universal all-pervading thought energy in its negative consciousness. In the body this may be termed the vitality. This vital current flows out from under the threshold, that is, it is less or beneath the door, I AM. The house faces “East;” that is, when we vitalize from the spiritual, we always look within. When we concentrate on the I AM within, and affirm, “I am strong with the strength of the Spirit,” we open the inner or “East” door of the soul-body, and a vital flow sets in from the brain down the right side to a point under the heart (altar), where is located the solar plexus, the vital centre of the organism, and through which the soul connects with the outer or physical body.
There is in reality no such thing as matter, solid, material forms, or physical substance. These are all concepts of ideas held by the mind and believed to be what they appear. When the “man,” which is the Spiritual I AM, goes “forth eastward with the line in his hand” he is estimating or getting a comprehension of the real character and capacity of this life flow. “A thousand cubits” represents the unlimited idea, which grows greater in human concept the more it is dwelt upon. The first estimate of the Universal vitality is low: “waters to the ankles.” The next measurement is higher: “to the knees;” and the next: “to the loins.” The fourth measurement is the concept gained from all sides of comprehension, and it reveals a great river that cannot be passed through. “In him we live, move and have our being.” This ocean of vital life and energy is not only within, but without also. Yet we must have our attention called to it, and continually see it with the mind before we comprehend and realize that it really exists. “Son of man, hast thou seen this?” “Having eyes we see not.”
Trees represent nerves, and nerves are thoughts of unity: they connect thought centres with one another. The “Arabah “ is the desert, or places in the earthly, physical ideas of substance, which have been separated from the indwelling vitality. When this inner vitality is turned to the without new life-forms spring up. Fish represent ideas of multiplication, fecundity.
The trees growing on both sides of the river represent the nerves radiating from the vital flow on each side of the spinal column, and connecting and unifying the whole organism. When we cultivate and conserve this inner vitality, it accumulates in the organism and about every four weeks overflows and becomes a permanent part of the soul. This is the fount that is the “meat” or food of the soul. If it goes down to the physical, it is the result of the sin of Eve. The leaf for healing is the sustaining, purifying, harmonizing power of this strength and vitality from the Spirit.
– UNITY magazine.
October 24, 1915: Ezekiel 47:1-12
What is the house in this vision of Ezekiel? Man's vital body.
What is the door of the house? I Am.
What is symbolized by the east? The within.
What is the west? The without.
What is the meaning of the house facing east? When we enter into spiritual consciousness we always turn within.
What do the different measurements of the water represent? Different concepts of the character and capacity of the life force.
What do the trees represent? Nerves.
What are nerves? Expressions of thought of unity. They connect the various thought centers.
Why should the substance of life be conserved? Because it is needed as a sustaining, vitalizing power in the body.
July 21, 1929: Ezekiel 47:1-12
The body is the home of the Lord. The Lord was showing Ezekiel different planes of consciousness or different energies manifesting in and through the body. What phase of consciousness is being developed in the lesson today? The lesson today has principally to do with the body's vitality, which is symbolized as water.
What is symbolized by the door of the house to which Ezekiel was brought back? The door symbolizes the conscious mind manifesting through the front brain as I AM.
What is the meaning of the waters issuing “out from under the threshold of the house eastward”? The east represents the within. The significance of this passage is that vitality comes from within.
How does man incorporate into his conscious mind the strength, energy, and life of the body? The vitality is controlled by the mind, manifesting through its directive faculty in the forehead. When we concentrate on the I AM and affirm, “I am one with the energy of Spirit,” “I am alive with the life of Spirit,” we open the inner door of the soul. When the inner door is opened, a vital flow sets in from the brain, down the right side to a point under the heart (altar), where the solar plexus, the vital center of the organism through which the soul connects with the physical body, is located.
In verse 3 we read, “When the man went forth eastward with the line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles.” Explain. When the “man” (the spiritual I AM) goes “forth eastward with the line in his hand,” he is estimating, or getting a comprehension of, the real character and capacity of this life flow. “A thousand cubits” represents the unlimited idea, which grows greater in human concept the more it is dwelt upon. The first estimate of the universal vitality is low, “waters that were to the ankles.”
As man unfolds, does his comprehension of spiritual life increase? Yes, the next measurement is higher, “to the knees,” and the next yet higher, “to the loins.” The fourth measurement is the concept that is gained from all sides of comprehension, and it reveals a great river that cannot be passed through. “In him we live, and move, and have our being.” This ocean of vital life and energy is not only within us, but is without us also. Yet we must have our attention called to it, and must continually see it with the mind before we can comprehend and realize that it really exists. “Son of man; hast thou seen this?” “Having eyes, see ye not?”
“Now when I had returned, behold, upon the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and out the other.” Explain. Trees represent nerves, and nerves are expressions of thoughts of unity; they connect thought centers with one another.
What does Arabah represent? The word “Arabah” means the desert and signifies places in the earthly, physical ideas of substance that have been separated, seemingly from the indwelling vitality.
What is the result when the inner vitality is realized and is turned without? When the inner vitality is realized and is turned without, the result is great renewal in mind and in body; the word, “fish” represents ideas of multiplication, fecundity, “and everything shall live whithersoever, the river cometh.”
When man has overcome sense consciousness and conserves his inner vitality, what results? The nerves radiating from the vital flow on each side of the spinal column connect and unify the whole organism. The vitality conserved in the organism overflows about every four weeks and becomes a permanent part of the soul. “And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not wither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for healing.”
Metaphysically Interpreting Ezekiel 47:13-23
47:13Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: This shall be the border, whereby ye shall divide the land for inheritance according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions. 47:14And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another; for I sware to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance.
47:15And this shall be the border of the land: On the north side, from the great sea, by the way of Hethlon, unto the entrance of Zedad; 47:16Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazer-hatticon, which is by the border of Hauran. 47:17And the border from the sea, shall be Hazar-enon at the border of Damascus; and on the north northward is the border of Hamath. This is the north side.
47:18And the east side, between Hauran and Damascus and Gilead, and the land of Israel, shall be the Jordan; from the north border unto the east sea shall ye measure. This is the east side.
47:19And the south side southward shall be from Tamar as far as the waters of Meriboth-kadesh, to the brook of Egypt, unto the great sea. This is the south side southward.
47:20And the west side shall be the great sea, from the south border as far as over against the entrance of Hamath. This is the west side.
47:21So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. 47:22And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you and to the strangers that sojourn among you, who shall beget children among you; and they shall be unto you as the home-born among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 47:23And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord Jehovah.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-28-2014
