Prayer Thought:
Also “in that day,” further says Zechariah, “there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” Zech. 13:1.
When this fountain “for sin and for uncleanness” is finally opened “to the house of David,” the crowning evidence will be seen that the consolidation of the two kingdoms is an accomplished fact, and that the time has come for the proclamation of the gospel in all the world.
And “it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.” Zech. 13:2. That is, at the time that this gospel-proclaiming kingdom is set up, it will be a church without guile — free from all idolaters and false teachers. And it shall be fed by “one shepherd…even My servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them.” Ezek. 34:23, 24. (8Tr. 18)
When will this Fountain open?
Zech. 13:1 – “in that day”
To what events does the phrase “in that day” point?
To the preceding events of the 12th chapter.
Read Zech. 12: 10-14
In the time of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and heart-felt sorrow for sin.
Read Zech. 12: 3
In the time when the church is strong as a burdensome stone and the nations cannot prevail against it.
Read Zech. 12: 8
In the time when the church, the House of David, is as strong as the Angel of the Lord and the weak members of the congregation are as strong as David.
The Fountain opens to the House of David, the purified church in the time of the Loud Cry, when the church is empowered to preach the gospel.
What two things will this Fountain wash away?
Sin, “the transgression of the Law” (1 John 3:4.) and
Uncleanness, the result of sin, the decay of the body, sickness (Lev. 15:2)
God is able to heal the soul and the body; but He will not heal the latter before He has healed the former — “sin” first, then “uncleanness.“ See Ezek. 36:29.
Since the Fountain opens to the purified, kingdom church and is not now opened, by what process are we cleansed as a pre-requisite for entrance into the kingdom?
“But to him that … believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
See also 1SM 365.1
By Christ imparted righteousness
The Fountain is the source of the River of Ezekiel 47: 1-12
Testimonies for the Church Vol. 6, p. 227
From this fountain flows the mighty river seen in Ezekiel’s vision… {6T 227.3}
Wonderful is the work which the Lord designs to accomplish through His church, that His name may be glorified. A picture of this work is given in Ezekiel’s vision of the river of healing:.. {AA 13.1}
Read Ezek. 47:1
What does the eastward position of the house represent?
The eastward position of the house, with the worshippers’ backs against that direction represents true worship and disrespect for sun worship and idolatry.
What do the waters denote?
The waters denote the same as the waters in Rev. 17:15, “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”
What is the significance of the waters coming from the north?
The waters, the people are endowed with something which comes from the north, the throne of God. – Isa. 14:13; Ps. 48:2; Ps. 75:6
What does the stream flowing from the fountain to the east gate represent?
The 144,000 priests and ministers (Isa. 61:6; Zech. 12:8)
Read Ezek. 47: 2-12
What does the river represent?
It stand for the Great Multitude (Rev. 7:9, Ps. 46: 4, 5)
Why are the waters healed
(verse 8)?
Because they are brought forth into the sea.
What does the sea represent?
As the mighty river represents the saints from the earth, then the sea necessarily represents the sinless world (inhabitants) in the universe of God.
What is the significance of the river being brought forth into the sea?
It shows that the saints will come in contact with the eternal nations who do not know sin. So the saints must be “healed” before “being brought forth” to join the beings of God’s universe.
Why everything live wherever the rivers flows (verse 9)?
The waters which make up this mighty river represent a multitude of saints endowed with permanent healing power from the throne of God (Isa. 33: 24; 35: 5, 6).
What do the leaf and fruit of the trees (verses 7 and 12) denote?
They are “for medicine” as are the leaves of the tree of life for “the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2).
What is the significance?
The “House of David,” the Kingdom church, is endowed with power from the throne of God to offer life eternal with no taste of death to those who accept the truth, and are willing to become part of this mighty river. – Zech. 12:8
What do the fishes, fishers and the two cities (verses 9 and 10) denote?
The fishes represent those who are converted to the Church, “river” and the fishers
represent the Ministry. – Mark 1: 17
The two cities reveal that the fishes are caught in two places:
Engedi represents the SDA church as it becomes “the House of David.”
Eneglaim represents Babylon.
What application can be Made from the eastward Direction in which the waters of verse 8 flows?
This direction of the compass shows that the message of the Loud Cry is to start eastward (from California) when it is first revealed (See Sis. White’s letter to Elder E.E. Andros).
East being the Biblical direction of idolatry, it shows that the message is headed towards the conversion of sinners and the destruction of idolatry.
What does the angel’s measurement of 4 x 1000 cubits in verses 3-5 symbolize?
4 × 1000 (10 × 100). The number 10 is the symbol for universal and the number 4 for completeness of the earth or four points of the compass. Thus it symbolically denotes that the message is world wide; and while it starts toward the east, it spreads from pole to pole, and encircles the earth completely. – Matt. 24:14.
What do the miry places, Marshes and salt in verse 11represent?
The “marishes” and the “miry places” represent denominations and sects separate of the “mighty river,” that shall not be saved, or healed.
“Turned to salt,” means eternally lost, as was Lot’s wife. – Luke 17:26, 28, 32.
Conclusion
Testimonies Vol. 7T pp. 171-2
“Our work has been presented to me as, in its beginning, a small, very small, rivulet. To the prophet Ezekiel was given
the representation of waters issuing “from under the threshold of the house eastward,” at the south side of the altar.” Read Ezekiel 47. Especially mark verse 8:.. So our work was presented to me as extending to the east and to the west, to the islands of the sea, and to all parts of the world…” {7T 171.4}
God Sanctifies Us – Cleansing Fountain
How God Sanctifies Us?
How it Works?
Let me Share 5 P’s of how God Sanctifies Us!
A Cleansing Fountain for our Purification!
Process.
This process is one that is not complete until you reach glorification. By granting us the Holy Spirit and the process of sanctification, God communicates something about His expectation of us; He wants us to seek to follow Him, confess our sins when we fail, and move forward in repentance. His grief over our sin does not diminish His availability to us or His love for us. He doesn’t lose sleep over our sin. There is no sin big enough to scare Him. He gives us perfect grace when we fall, dusts us off, and says “try again.” There is no time for condemnation, for getting angry with ourselves, or for doubting our salvation because we fail. Instead, confess your sin, and recommit yourself to Him with the full knowledge that you are being sanctified. Especially when you fail!
Personalized.
No Christian is sanctified at the same rate or in the same way. There is no room for comparison. The same God who is at work in you is at work in that Christian you think you are better than. He has a purpose for each of us, and our individualized sanctification is preparing us for our different calls. Stop worrying about how you stack up compared to other Christians you see and instead look only to Jesus. Are you more Christ-like than you were a month ago? A year ago? Praise the Lord for His growth in you and in your brothers and sisters!
Promise.
You don’t have to wonder if God is going to sanctify you or not. You don’t have to try to be as holy or spiritual as the women around you. God will sanctify you. Paul comforts the Philippian church by reminding them of the truth that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). If you wish to seek sanctification, the answer is not to act more holy and put on airs—it’s to seek Him. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matt. 7:7-8).
Practice.
Someday a mother could expect a mother that her children will do the dishes all by themselves. For now, when her kids load the dishwasher, her expectation and desire is only that they will participate. Sometimes the practice of loading the dishwasher is a lesson in working willingly. Sometimes it’s a lesson in diligence–completing a task. Sometimes it’s a lesson in dishwashing–what goes where, and be sure you scrape your food first! As we practice our sanctification, habits like reading our Bibles may at first be a practice in obedience and faithfulness, but sometimes it’s a practice in learning how to interpret scripture. For the children, every day is an opportunity to take another step towards adulthood, and in our case, we strive daily towards spiritual maturity.
Position.
We are to position ourselves at the feet of Jesus to learn. This means accepting our need to become spiritual adults and submitting ourselves to the prescribed means of getting there: scripture intake, Christian community, corporate worship, and prayer. Once we’re ‘positioned’ to learn by engaging in these spiritual disciplines, they can transform our hearts and minds to the right understanding of who God is and who we are as His needy and growing children.
At the heart of it, sanctification is the process of being set apart from the world and losing ourselves in constant devotion to the Lord. The childishness of my children does not surprise me. It ought not to anger me. As long as my children remain teachable, I am confident that they will leave their childishness behind and mature into adults at the right time. How much more so, then, does God look at our childishness with peace?
Spiritual adulthood cannot happen in our own strength. In our own understanding, we cannot begin to fathom how to get there. All we can do is realize and accept our childishness and pray for God to make us more like Him, that we might “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” (2 Pet. 3:18).