What is the importance of the Dead Sea in the Bible?

The lake on the south of Palestine, now commonly called the Dead Sea, because it was for long judged that nothing having life could exist in it; but some inferior organisms (as the polygaster) have been found in it at its northern end. It is called, 'the Salt Sea' in Num. 34:3, 12; Deut. 3:17; Joshua 3:16; 'the Sea of the plain' ('Sea of the Arabah,' R.V.), in Deut. 4:49; 2 Kings 14:25; 'the East Sea' in Ezek. 47:18; Joel 2:20; and simply, 'the Sea' in Ezek. 47:8. The term, 'Salt Sea' is very appropriate; for it contains much more salt than is found in ordinary sea water, which makes it extremely nauseous. It is also very heavy, so that a person cannot sink in it; and after bathing it leaves a crust of salt on the flesh.

The river Jordan and some streams run into the Salt Sea, but there is no outlet. The rocks that surround it make the heat there very great, and evaporation must be rapid. Its size is about 48 miles long, and 10 miles across at its widest part. Its surface is at times (for it varies according to the rain) about 1,292 feet below the level of the sea, making it, as far as is known, the lowest lake in existence. Its deepest part is about 1,300 feet below the surface. Altogether it is like no other known lake, and is characteristic of death and dreary desolation.

On the restoration of Israel in a future day a river will issue out of the house, the future temple, which river will go down into the desert and run into this sea, and the waters will be healed. En-gedi (Ain Jidy, about half way along the coast of the Dead Sea, on the west) will be one of the stations of the fishermen. Ezek. 47:1-10. A beautiful figure of God's future bringing to life the dead and dry bones of Israel and Judah, and making them the means of life to others.

What connection there is, if any, between the present state of the Salt Sea and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, is not known. In Genesis 14 the battle of the four kings against the five was in "the vale of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea." Gen. 14:3. The four kings had come from a distance, but the five kings, of whom the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were two, were near home; farther than this the connection cannot be traced. This sea is now called Bahr Lut, the 'Sea of Lot.'

Of the first three, the first is the salt sea; and measurably we already know what this means. It is the awful similitude of the pit of woe, into which the river of death pours unceasingly without overflow or escape again. It fertilizes nothing, but abides under the curse of barrenness., which is but the perpetuation of what is in the nature of sin. Its first law, which we may most naturally see in this glimpse of one end of it (for we do not see it all), is just this utter barrenness which its waters, wherever they are, produce. This is only a first thought, and a negative one indeed; and yet in God's creation, which all was once made good, and for good, barrenness is of itself a terrible reproach and stain.

We return in verse 5 to consider the east border, which was the Dead Sea, the border continuing north to the mouth of the River Jordan where it emptied into the Dead Sea. Though the east is the direction of the sun rising, reminding us of the coming of the Lord, which will mean great blessing for believers, yet when John the Baptist speaks of the Lord's coming, he tells us, "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Thus the Dead Sea (really a large lake) speaks of the lake of fire. The Jordan, the river of death, runs into the Dead Sea, where no life is found. How many there are who, with no repentance or faith, drift with the current of death into the awesome death of eternal punishment (Mt.25:46) -- the second death of Revelation 20:14! Judah's border separates her from the Dead Sea, but the reminder was always there of the judgment that is escaped only by faith in the living God.

The easterly direction is again noticed (ver. 8), and in addition Ezekiel is told that the river flows into the Dead Sea, healing its waters so that they teem with life, for "everything shall live whither the river cometh." Its waters are waters of life issuing from the Sanctuary of the living God. Only the marshes and pools are not healed; they are reserved as a means of supplying salt.

This general testimony of Scripture helps us to see the significance and importance of the river which flows from the Sanctuary in Ezekiel's vision. These thoughts find confirmation as we consider the results of it reaching the Dead Sea — figure as that is of utter barrenness, death, and judgment. The inflow of these living waters so changes all, that life and fruitfulness fill the place of curse and death. Only the stream flowing out from the glory of God, by way of the altar of sacrifice, can transform the wilderness into a garden, overcoming the havoc wrought by sin. Within the limits of the purpose of God "there is nothing — nothing too sunken, too useless, too doomed — but by the grace of God it may be redeemed, lifted and made rich with life." The chief of sinners has been saved, and he is now in glory. Certainly Israel, new-born and blessed with the outflowing stream of life in the Spirit's power will be as different in her moral and spiritual condition from that' of her past history as will be the future physical change of the Dead Sea and its surroundings compared with that of its present existing state.*

The only just conclusion then is that the vision, as a whole and in all its parts, belongs to the future, and supposes the kingdom to be set up over Israel, restored once more, and planted for ever in their land. In this point of view the words of the translator referred to may be cited, though they need correction: — "Having left the temple, the seat of the divine residence, and the source whence blessings were to flow to the restored Hebrew nation, the prophet is carried in vision southward into the regions of the Dead Sea, which had been noted for everything that was forbidden and noxious in its aspect — the very embodiment of barrenness and desolation. These were now to be converted into fertility and beauty. As in their previous condition they were strikingly symbolical of the spiritually unproductive and abhorrent character of idolatrous Israel, so they were now to serve as images of the renewed state of things when God should bring back His people, and, according to His promises, bless them, by conferring upon them abundantly the rich tokens of His regard. Instead of a barren wilderness, they should now become as the garden of Eden. By the copious effusions of the influences of His Holy Spirit He would restore His church to spiritual life, and render her instrumental in diffusing blessings to the world around."

Ezekiel is next shown a remarkable phenomenon in the land of Israel which will characterize the introduction of millennial blessedness with its mitigation of the primeval curse (Ezek. 47:1-14). The prophet sees a miraculous stream of waters issuing from the threshold of the house and flowing eastward towards the Dead Sea, changing the face of the countryside from barren desolation to luxuriant fertility (Ezek. 47:1-9).

Previously to Ezekiel's vision, the prophet Joel had foretold the coming of these miraculous waters: "a fountain shall come forth from the house of Jehovah, and shall water the valley of Shittim" (Joel 3:18). A later prophet also spoke of the same millennial marvel: "It shall come to pass in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the hinder (western) sea: in summer and in winter shall it be" (Zech. 14:8). Like material blessing will of course spread from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. The Dead Sea and its neighborhood represent symbolically the utter ruin which man by his sin brought into the world bestowed upon him as his dominion (Gen. 1:28-30). But "the wages of sin is death."

Thus it is easy to see that it will be the time for removing the effects of curse and shedding both spiritual and natural blessing. In witness of this shall go forth the vivifying fountain from the house of Jehovah, the waters of which take their course even to the valley of Shittim beyond the Dead Sea. The very point is a blessing power beyond nature going directly through a sea so dismal. Ezekiel 47 gives full particulars, and states an exception to the healing, which is important as negativing the idea of heaven or eternity. Zechariah 14:8 lets us know that, of the living waters issuing from Jerusalem in that day, half should go west to the Mediterranean, and half east to the Salt Sea, unaffected by the vicissitudes of the year. Undoubtedly along with this will be vouchsafed spiritual good abundantly; but there is no solid ground to question the real physical fact and its consequences in that day so glorious to Jehovah-Messiah. We must leave room in the future for the divine vindication of Himself in the lower creation, remembering the reconciliation to God of all things as well as of believers (Col. 1:20-21), and that Christ is head over all things to the church which is His body. It is admitted that the vision of Ezekiel belongs to this life; as also Revelation 21:24-26; Revelation 22:1-2. But in none is the connection with the present evil age, but with the good age to come.

A stream will flow from the east gate of the Temple, travelling south to Jerusalem, where it will branch into two streams, one going into the great sea, the Mediterranean; the other, into the Dead Sea, curing it of its super saltness. Fish will again swim in its waters.

The “living waters” go out from Jerusalem, east and west two streams; whereas in Ezekiel 47:1, the waters issue from under the threshold of the Temple eastward, but it immediately adds “the waters came down from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar,” that is, they begin to flow southward. The man who measures the waters “went forth eastward,” just as the waters do, but it does not say that the man journeys eastward in measuring the waters. Further, we are told the waters “issue out toward the east country,” that is confined in the text to their issuing, and “go down into the desert [or plain], and go into the sea” (the Dead Sea), that is, the waters bifurcate, and flow eastward and westward, two streams. The waters are bound to flow south if their two dividing streams flow into the Dead Sea and the plain.