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“Everything Will Live Wherever the Stream Goes”Pure Worship of Jehovah—Restored At Last!
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However, the vision also conveys a timely warning: Not all remain receptive to such truth. Like the marshy and swampy places in the Dead Sea in Ezekiel’s vision, there are hearts that become unreceptive, refusing to accept and apply the truth.c May that never be true of us!
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“Everything Will Live Wherever the Stream Goes”Pure Worship of Jehovah—Restored At Last!
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14, 15. (a) What lesson should we take from the unhealed marshy places in Ezekiel’s vision? (b) How does Ezekiel’s visionary river benefit us today?
14 At the same time, we may take a lesson from those unhealed marshy places. Never would we want to refuse to let Jehovah’s blessings flow into our life. It would be tragic to remain unhealed, like so many in this sick world. (Matt. 13:15)
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“Everything Will Live Wherever the Stream Goes”Pure Worship of Jehovah—Restored At Last!
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Nonetheless, some will refuse that blessing, choosing instead to disobey Jehovah. Some individuals may rebel during the Millennium, but they will not be allowed to disrupt Paradise. (Isa. 65:20) We may be reminded of Ezekiel’s vision and think of those marshy places that remained barren, “abandoned to salt.” How foolish are those who stubbornly refuse to drink from the precious water of life! After the Millennium, a group of rebels will side with Satan. All who reject Jehovah’s righteous rule will face the same end: eternal death.—Rev. 20:7-12.
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“Everything Will Live Wherever the Stream Goes”Pure Worship of Jehovah—Restored At Last!
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b Some commentators view this as a positive expression, noting that harvesting salt for use as a preservative has long been a profitable industry in the Dead Sea region. Note, though, that the account pointedly says that those marshy waters “will not be healed.” They remain lifeless, unhealed, because the life-giving water from Jehovah’s house does not reach them. So it seems that, in this instance, the saltiness of those marshes is meant in a negative sense.—Ps. 107:33, 34; Jer. 17:6.
c In a similar vein, consider Jesus’ illustration of the dragnet. Many fish are caught in the net, but not all prove to be “fine.” The unsuitable ones need to be thrown away. Jesus thus warned that a sizable number of those who come into Jehovah’s organization may, in time, prove to be unfaithful.—Matt. 13:47-50; 2 Tim. 2:20, 21.
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