Ezekiel 47:3-5

The "man" took his measuring line (cf. Ezekiel 40:3) and measured 1,000 cubits (about one-third of a mile) east from the wall along the watercourse. He led Ezekiel across the river (Heb. nahal), and it was ankle deep. Another 1,000 cubits farther east they crossed again, and this time the water was knee-deep. Another 1,000 cubits, and it was up to his waist. Another 1,000 cubits, and it was so deep that they could not cross it standing up. It was so deep they would have had to swim across.

This description suggests that some major topographical changes will have occurred east of present-day Jerusalem by this time. Other revelation supports this conclusion (cf. Ezekiel 34:26-30; Ezekiel 36:8-12; Ezekiel 36:30-36; Ezekiel 37:25-28; Ezekiel 45:1-8; Ezekiel 48:8-14; Joel 3:18; Zechariah 13:1; Zechariah 14:4-8). The water will follow the contours of the altered terrain, not the past or present landscape. Zechariah recorded that the water flowing from Jerusalem will divide with half of it going west to the Mediterranean Sea and half east to the Dead Sea (Zechariah 14:8). Ezekiel described only the branch that flowed east.