The Jordan River offers us a picture of our lives, and a lesson of life. The headwaters of the river are in the mountains north of Israel. As the waters run down through the rocks of the mountains, the young river is a picture of youth; helter-skelter and unorganized. Later, the Jordan flows into the Sea of Galilee, broad and teeming with life. This sea is a picture of mature adulthood.

Leaving the Sea of Galilee, the river continues through the narrow constrictions of the lower river valley. This portion of the river shows us the constrictions of old age. Finally, the Jordan River ends in the Dead Sea. This sea is a picture of the end of life.

There is also a lesson in the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, and a related prophecy.

As with the Dead Sea, where hyper salinity will not allow fish or animals to flourish, if you receive blessings but do not give some of those blessings to others, you will become stagnant and your life will not flourish. This is a principle of life found in Holy Scripture, and the Dead Sea is a picture of this principle.

The prophet Ezekiel tells of the Millennial Temple beginning in chapter 40 of the book containing his name. In Ezekiel chapter 47 he prophesies of healing water flowing from the threshold of the Temple. The water flows eastward from the Temple to the Jordan River valley, where it continues to the Dead Sea. There the healing waters make the Dead Sea alive, and there will be multitudes of fish living in it.

This is a picture of the power of the Living Water Jesus provides. He said, “the water that I give will become a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)

Praise the Lord for the picture of everlasting life shown by prophecy and for Jesus who gives us that everlasting life.