Presents
Without The Millennial Temple:
Ezekiel Chapters 45-48
Isn't this Book of Ezekiel exciting? It is the book that was written to be specifically and maturely understood by the generation that would come to understand the "vision in the first chapter"! If you read older Bible commentaries written before the twentieth century you will see how little Ezekiel chapter one was understood until now. You see, it was not until the Baby Boomer generation, whose beginning coincided with the planting of the fig tree on May 15, 1948, signaling the final generation, that space travel and the description in Hebrew of a "highly polished spectrum bronze circular whirling flying wheel with people inside" was clearly understood.
Once Ezekiel saw the vision, he was then told in chapters 2 & 3 to eat the entire scroll, i.e. study the entire Word of God, and having done so, he was appointed a WATCHMAN and his duties and obligations and the detailed knowledge he must possess to be a watchman fill the remainder of this great book. He was instructed to teach and warn his people of the house of Israel, from the Word of God (thus saith the Lord GOD) about many things, such as the coming of the king of Babylon and even the mark of the beast (remember the "tav"), and such things as to be careful of false shepherds who teach the polluted traditions of men handed down from the idolatrous groves of Ishtar (Easter), and such things as "fly away" rapture theories (chpt. 13).
Ezekiel was also told what happened in "the world that then was" in chapter 28 when Satan used the powers of controlling (enslaving) men which are contained in religion, politics, education and economics, to bring about the end of that first earth age, and as a result Satan was sentenced at his judgment to perish from within by the consuming fire, even in the lake of fire. And just prior to that he had shown us the forerunner of the NWO through the international trading system run from the ancient merchant city of Tyre.
The beloved watchman was also told of the love our Father has and the eternal covenant He made with Jerusalem and how He has promised to restore His people to their land, but first there needs to be some "life" breathed into the dry bones, the spiritually dead children of God in this final generation. So Ezekiel is instructed to "get busy" and preach to them! And there is so much more he was told that we cannot recap it all in this short study.
Finally, as we began to near the closing chapters of the book, even as we near the closing days of this flesh age, the watchman was privledged to SEE the specific details of the final battle of Hamon-gog and the "vision" of the defeat of the army led by the chief prince Meshach (Russia) which comes against true Israel just before the 7th Trump sounds and the King of kings and Lord of lords returns. It is not a pretty sight for those who are His enemies, but the good news is that they shall surely come to know that He is the Lord. And now in these last nine chapters Ezekiel is being shown a most beautiful vision of the fulfillment of God's promise to restore His people and the land and usher in the Kingdom of God to fill the whole earth with His Word and His righteous laws and judgments.
Are you a "watchman"? Do you eat your "daily bread" from the table of the Lord? If so, you know that we have been instructed to "WATCH" in this final generation.
We were told to watch by Jesus Christ:
We were told to watch by the apostle Paul:Mark 13:37
And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
We were told to watch by apostle Peter:1 Thes. 5:6
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Does "watching" mean to just be on the lookout for the return of Christ, so WE know when He is coming? No it DOES NOT! It means to DO the JOB of the WATCHMAN! It means get to WORK even as we are just about finished studying the Book of the Watchman, the book which explains how to be a "Watchman" in these last days! It is not the hearers who are justified, but the DOERS!1 Peter 4:7
But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
We have now come to final four chapters in Ezekiel where we are now going to zoom out and take a look at the Greater Metropolitan Area of Millennial Jerusalem and see the locations and dimensions of the land given and allotted by our Father for His people's inheritance, just as He promised. The amount of space taken up in God's Word to give these dimensions, so that we can form a mental picture in our mind's eye of the glory of the Temple and of the Ordinances and now the Allotment of the Land itself, emphasizes their significance and the fact that our Father obviously feels that it is important that we come to a mature understanding of the soon coming Kingdom of God in the Millennium as best we can given the limitations of our flesh minds, which limitations we must recognize. In other words, we must be wise enough to know that the physical instruments of measurement which we have in this dimension (cubits, reeds, yardsticks, etc.) cannot and do not measure those things which are in the spiritual dimension. Remember, that is why we were shown right at the beginning of these Millennium chapters (chapter 40) that the cubit and the reed used to measure the sanctuary are 1/7th larger, because "7" is the number of spiritual perfection and that lets us know that we are being granted a glimpse, a VISION, even if ever so dimly (1 Cor. 13:12), behind the veil which separates the dimensions of flesh and spirit.
We therefore cannot even begin to imagine the beauty and the splendor of the magnificent World Capital of Jerusalem as it will be during the Millennium. But just knowing that the Civil Engineer and Architect is the Lord GOD Almighty, we can understand and perhaps appreciate that the entire oblation will be perfectly planned and brilliantly constructed. Though we will see in these few remaining chapters but a mere sketch of the layout, we can be sure it will be the most beautiful and magnificent of all cities in all the world. Only the New Jerusalem which will come down out of heaven when the Third Earth Age begins, will outshine this gorgeous and glorious oblation and sanctuary of the Millennium, where Christ and His saints will rule for 1000 years.
THE LAND. The OBLATION unto Yahveh, 25,000 reeds by 10,000 reeds. (vs. 1)
The oblation to be offered is the "Terumah" in Hebrew, which is called the "heave offering" because it is lifted up to heaven for Yahveh only. This alone declares the splendor of what we are about to read. The "holy portion of the land" in verse one is the middle section of the following block plan marked "The Portion of the Oblation for the Priests", which is 25,000 reeds long and 10,000 reeds wide, i.e. about 60 miles by 24 miles. Actually, depending on the cubit used, it could be upwards of 70 miles long.Ezekiel 45:1
Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, ye shall offer an oblation unto the LORD, an holy portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about.
If you have a Companion Bible, the layout can be found in appendix 88 on page 127.
THE SANCTUARY (500 reeds by 500 reeds square = about 1 mile square) and THE MOST HOLY PLACE - and for the dwelling of the priests. (vv. 2 - 4)
Notice in the picture that the sanctuary itself is situated in midst of the holy portion of the land, which is measured in the next verse.Ezekiel 45:2
Of this there shall be for the sanctuary five hundred in length, with five hundred in breadth, square round about; and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof.
And who are the only ones who can come near to minister unto the LORD? By now you should know that it is only the priests of the Zadok![3] And of this measure shalt thou measure the length of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand: and in it shall be the sanctuary and the most holy place.[4] The holy portion of the land shall be for the priests the ministers of the sanctuary, which shall come near to minister unto the LORD: and it shall be a place for their houses, and an holy place for the sanctuary.
THE LEVITES' PORTION, 25,000 reeds by 10,000. (vs. 5)
Remember these are the ministers who are the keepers of the house. They do approach unto Christ as they minister only to the people.Ezekiel 45:5
And the five and twenty thousand of length, and the ten thousand of breadth, shall also the Levites, the ministers of the house, have for themselves, for a possession for twenty chambers.
THE POSSESSION OF THE CITY
This is the narrower bottom area in the above block plan. In summary, so far we have seen:[6] And ye shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand broad, and five and twenty thousand long, over against the oblation of the holy portion: it shall be for the whole house of Israel.
Next we will read more about "the land", including the Prince's Portion, and then read of the righteous ordinances to be instituted among the people. So keep the block diagram in this study handy for the remainder of this truly exciting Book of Ezekiel.(1) The Portion for the Priests of the Zadok, containing the Sanctuary in the center, The Holy Portion of the Land. (middle section)(2) The Portion for the Levites. (top section)
(3) The "Possession of the City". (bottom section)
God's Word contains a great deal of information, especially in these last nine chapters of Ezekiel, about what will be happening during the soon coming 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ. Some of what we will learn in this study is that our nation will exist under just and fair civil laws and ordinances which our leaders will be obligated to uphold and even keep themselves (so much for the double standard we now see among our politicians and leaders). So we know by those laws and ordinances that there will be buying and selling in the Millennium and there will be money, shekels, with which to do so. That should come as no surprise to students of His Word, because there was commerce and trade, i.e. merchandizing, in the first earth age, before the overthrow of Satan, as documented in chapter 28 of Ezekiel. Concerning Satan, it is written:
The word "traffick" is the same Hebrew word translated "merchandise" in the next verse (16). It means to "trade" and as in "peddling". Satan corrupted the economy in the "world that then was" (2 Pet. 3:6) and became a CORRUPTED LEADER both politically and religiously. The word "violence" in the next verse means "unrighteous" or "corrupt".Ezekiel 28:5
By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:
The word translated "sinned" is "chata" in Hebrew and its causative meaning is "to lead astray" (see Strong's Concordance). You see, it wasn't the fact that Satan himself became corrupt that led to the destruction of the "world that then was", that beautiful age when the dinosaurs roamed this lush green planet. If it had just been one corrupted individual, he could have been eliminated and things would have continued in their perfect original state. It was the "chata", the fact that Lucifer "led astray" one third (Rev. 12:4) of God's children that caused our Father to destroy that first earth age. He did bring Satan to judgment and He did sentence him to die in the lake of fire. However, He postponed the lake of fire and everyone else's judgment until after His plan of salvation is complete and ALL of His children have passed through the womb and lived and died in the flesh. Additionally, those who didn't make the first resurrection (the 1st granting of eternal life) at Christ's return, will live (though they are called the "dead" because they still have mortal souls) in kingdom of God under Christ's rule for one thousand years and will have their opportunity to prove themselves worthy of the second resurrection (the 2nd granting of eternal life) after the Millennium, when Satan is released for a short season to test them. Then the books will be opened and the Great White Throne Judgment will take place where the "dead" will either receive eternal life (called the 2nd resurrection) or perish with the son of perdition in the lake of fire. Here is your documentation that all the sons of God must be born of woman and die the first death, before judgment. This "first death" is not optional, but the "second death", the death of the soul, is up to you.Ezekiel 28:16
By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned...
So during the Millennium, the leaders of the nations, including Israel, will not be allowed to rob and cheat and steal either property or money or anything else from their people. Jesus Christ and His saints will rule with a "rod of iron", meaning discipline, and both the civil and religious laws and ordinances of God will be enforced and strictly adhered to. Today many call them radical far right-wing conservative Christian ideologies.Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Earlier we learned about the layout of the LAND in Jerusalem which we noted contain the following three major divisions:
The next verse gives us more detail about the area surrounding the City on either side, which contains the suburbs and the "Prince's Portions".(1) The Portion for the Priests of the Zadok, containing the Sanctuary in the center, The Holy Portion of the Land.
(2) The Portion for the Levites.
(3) The "Possession of the City".
The PRINCE'S PORTIONS east and west of the City, each 5,000 x 5,000 reeds square = about 12 miles square and covering each an area of 144 square miles.Ezekiel 45:7
And a portion shall be for the prince on the one side and on the other side of the oblation of the holy portion, and of the possession of the city, before the oblation of the holy portion, and before the possession of the city, from the west side westward, and from the east side eastward: and the length shall be over against one of the portions, from the west border unto the east border.
This is the lower portion of the block diagram in appendix 88 in the Companion Bible showing the "Prince's Portion" on the east and on the west sides of the City. This whole area, 25,000 reeds by 5,000 reeds, is called the "Possession of the City" and the actual City itself is located in the middle. As Dr. Bullinger remarks in the appendix, one can only imagine the beauty of a spacious and perfectly planned 144 square mile city with magnificent gardens on either side of it. It will be spectacular to say the least.
We are now going to read about some of the prince's duties, even the civil duties. For one thing, he shall be responsible for the maintenance of administrative justice in economic affairs. Imagine if our politicians and civil leaders were honest and ran their administrations according to God's laws and statutes. Instead, we now have about the same corrupt and perverse system today that Satan brought us to in the world that then was.
One might asked, "How was Satan able to achieve such corruptness and perversion back then, in the world that then was?" The answer is, WE LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT! How is it that we have such a corrupt and perverse system and administration today? WE LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT! Just as Solomon said, There is nothing new "under the sun", i.e. in this second earth age.
Eccles. 1:9
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
This is God speaking about us, His people:
The word "sottish" in Hebrew means STUPID (see note in Companion Bible)! They are sottish because they are Biblically illiterate and DO NOT know His Word.Jeremiah 4:22
For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
The earth became "tohu va bohu", without form and void, i.e. totally, completely desolate, and "darkness was upon the face of the deep" (Gen. 1:2). There was no light (only darkness), just as verse 23 said![23] I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
This earth shook violently when He knocked it off its axis and out of its perfect orbit.[24] I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
All the sons of God were returned to their "first habitation", where they were before God created the earth.[25] I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
Note: If you would like more detailed information and further documentation log unto "The Plan of God".
Yes, God Himself destroyed that earth age and as you can see He was fiercely angry at His "stupid" children for allowing such evil![26] I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
Note: Notice that the once beautiful and fruitful place (this earth) was now a wilderness, including the cities. There were cities in that first earth age, as their are cities now, as there will be cities in the Millennium, as there will be cities in the third earth age when even the city of the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven.
So the question is, "Will the people allow the leaders to become corrupt and perverse during the Millennium?" The answer is, "Jesus Christ and His Zadok, God's elect, will not permit it, PERIOD!"
There won't be anymore oppressive "land grab" ordinances and "environmental whacko" laws passed whereby people's properties are rendered useless to them as "protected lands" or even confiscated.Ezekiel 45:8
In the land shall be his possession in Israel: and my princes shall no more oppress my people; and the rest of the land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes.
Here is exactly how it is going to be, and it will be enforced by the "rod of iron" which issues forth from the throne of the King of kings.[9] Thus saith the Lord GOD;
"Quit robbing and cheating my people out of their land, and expelling them from their homes. Always be fair and honest." (LB)[9 ..continued] Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord GOD.
"Saith the Lord GOD!" This implies OR ELSE, PAL!
The scales of weights and measures shall be precise, and ONLY honest, fair proportions will be used. Again, cheating people and "tipping the scales" ever so slightly to gain that little extra profit will not be tolerated. (This could be a kenite's worst nightmare!)Ezekiel 45:10
Ye shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath.
An "ephah" is about 3 pecks in English, a peck being 8 quarts or 2 gallons. A "bath" is also about 6 English gallons."There were two sets of measurements, one for dry and one for liquid, both having a unit of the same value, the bath and the ephah." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, Holman, pg. 323)
The homer, the standard of measure, is therefore 10 times that of both the ephah and the bath.[11] The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer.
Next, we see that there will not only be accuracy in weights and measurements but the monetary units will be standardized as well. There will be no more "Hidden Dynasty of the Economy".
The shekel shall be twenty gerahs, no more, no less! And there will be no provisions for a little "exchange rate" fee to be extracted! Also, you can kiss usury GOOD BYE, forever!Ezekiel 45:12
And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh.
Note: The word "maneh" means a "fixed" weight like a pound.
And guess what? The leaders will also not be able to raise taxes on the people! They will actually serve the people. What a novel concept. We are now going to read in verses 13 through 25 about the ordinances relating to the nation, and the "tithes" of the people that will be in effect during the Millennium. The people will give their oblations, call them contributions, to the prince (vs. 13) who will make the national offering for the People or nation as a whole.
One sixth of an ephah of wheat, one sixth of an ephah of barley, and ten percent of a bath of oil (next verse) will be given to the prince in Israel (vs 16). (Sure beats our progressive income tax, doesn't it?)Ezekiel 45:13
This is the oblation that ye shall offer; the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of wheat, and ye shall give the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of barley:
[14] Concerning the ordinance of oil, the bath of oil, ye shall offer the tenth part of a bath out of the cor, which is an homer of ten baths; for ten baths are an homer:
One out of two hundred is only one-half of one percent of the flock, out of the "well-watered" pastures of bountiful Israel.[15] And one lamb out of the flock, out of two hundred, out of the fat pastures of Israel; for a meat offering, and for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make reconciliation for them, saith the Lord GOD.
Again, the people of the land shall give their oblations to the prince who shall be the one to prepare the offerings for the house of Israel.[16] All the people of the land shall give this oblation for the prince in Israel.
Next we see that the sacred calendar will be in effect.Ezekiel 45:17
And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.
It should be noted that there are six important events recorded in the Bible concerning the first day of the first month (see note on Gen. 6:13 in the Companion Bible):Ezekiel 45:18
Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the first month, in the first day of the month, thou shalt take a young bullock without blemish, and cleanse the sanctuary:
(1) The drying up of the flood waters (Gen. 6:13)Again, don't miss the fact that this is done "for every one" on a national basis, to "reconcile the house".
(2) Setting up of the Tabernacle by Moses (Ex. 40:2)
(3) Sanctification of cleansed-up temple by Hezekiah (2 Chron. 29:17)
(4) The going up of Ezra (Ezra 7:9)
(5) The giving up of strange wives (Ezra 10:17)
(6) The offering of the bullock and cleansing of the sanctuary here in Ezekiel 45:18.Ezekiel 45:19
And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering, and put it upon the posts of the house, and upon the four corners of the settle of the altar, and upon the posts of the gate of the inner court.[20] And so thou shalt do the seventh day of the month for every one that erreth, and for him that is simple: so shall ye reconcile the house.
And now let's see if the nation will be celebrating Easter (Ishtar) or keeping the Passover.
Once more, it will be the prince who shall make the preparation for the ALL the people of the land.Ezekiel 45:21
In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.[22] And upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin offering.
Remember, this is NOT the same as in the Mosaic law. Instead of one ram and seven lambs for the daily burnt offering, there are to be seven bullocks and seven rams for the seven days. Likewise, whereas the Feast of Tabernacles (vs. 25) under the old covenant, had its own offerings which diminished as the week progressed, there will be these same seven bullocks and seven rams for the seven days. What does this mean?[23] And seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bullocks and seven rams without blemish daily the seven days; and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering.
We have already learned that there will be NO ANIMAL sacrifices during the Millennium. Christ did away with those once and for all. Seven is the number of "spiritual" perfection or completeness, and the "sacrifices" during the Millennium will be spiritual as in "love".
He shall also prepare an ephah (like a bushel) of grain for each bullock and ram and an hin (about a gallon) of oil for each ephah of grain.[24] And he shall prepare a meat offering of an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and an hin of oil for an ephah.
Next we see the observance of The Feast of Tabernacles on the 15th day of the 7th month.
Perhaps we should review the offerings which we covered in chapter 43.Ezekiel 45:25
In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, shall he do the like in the feast of the seven days, according to the sin offering, according to the burnt offering, and according to the meat offering, and according to the oil.
You will find in Leviticus 23:13 and Numbers 6:15 that the oil (olive oil, symbolic of the Holy Spirit) was to be mixed (anointed) with the grain in the meat offering. And so it is that the sacrifice of the people during the Millennium will be of the spirit, of their love for Him who now resides in the Inner Court of the Millennium Temple.The burnt offering is called "Olah", so called from the Hiphil of the verb "'alah", to cause to ascend [as the flame and smoke ascend by burning]. In Greek holocausta, which conveys its meaning as being wholly burnt.The sin offering is called "Chattath" in Hebrew, which comes from "chat'a", to sin by coming short of, by missing the mark in sins of commission. "Also of the feet, to stumble and fall (Prov. 19:2). Hence, morally, a coming short, blameworthiness - not necessarily wilful."
The meat offering is "Minchah" which means a present, as such. Hence a gift offering, not necessarily to secure admittance, but to secure favor.
We have been studying about the duties of the prince of Israel (for Christ is King) and we have learned by the vision of the layout and the plan of ALL the oblation, which is that entire 25,000 reeds by 25,000 reeds square area (vs. 48:20), that there will be separate locations in the Millennium for the Civil administration and the Ecclesiastical.
In this study of chapter 46, we will continue following some more detailed description of the prince's duties, the primary one of which is to be the representative of the nation of Israel and prepare the gifts and offerings on her behalf. He will be the only one allowed to enter in by way of the porch of the East Gate.
Though there will be a cleansing of the land as we read in chapter 39, and though there will be a restoration of the land of Israel as we have read so many times, the earth itself will not be restored to its former state of glory, as it was before the overthrow of Satan in the first earth age, until after the Millennium when the seas will be dried up (Rev. 21:1) and the water canopy will be returned and the earth will be set aright on its axis. It will be at that time that He "makes all things new" (Rev. 21:5). Meanwhile the sun will still rise in the east and the moon shall still be seen at even.Ezekiel 46:1
Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
And so it shall be during the Millennium that on each sabbath day the east gate shall be opened. Do you recall in chapter 43 that the Glory of the Lord, Jesus Christ, entered through the East Gate and afterwards the gate was shut (44:2)? It is written that only the prince will be allowed to enter in by the way of the porch of that gate.
Let's review what we read in chapter 44.
Ezekiel 44:2
Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.
The prince, however, shall not only enter by the way of the porch of that gate, he will also go out the same way he came in. Here in chapter 46 we are now going to see what it is he shall do when he enters that East Gate.[3]It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.
So the prince will enter through the vestibule to the post of the gate and he will give his burnt offering and peace offerings to the priests on behalf of the people and the nation, and the priests shall prepare them for presentation to the Lord. The prince shall go no further than the threshold of the Inner East Gate and there he shall worship the Lord, at that threshold of the East Gate.Ezekiel 46:2
And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.
The prince will be accompanied by the people of the land, but the people shall not enter by way of the porch. They will stand without and worship at the door of the gate.[3]Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the LORD in the sabbaths and in the new moons.
Also, remember we read in the last chapter (45:17) that it is the prince's duty to give the offerings for the reconciliation of the house of Israel. So we are now going to see that on the sabbath day (vs. 46:4-5) and in the day of the new moon (vs. 46:6-7) the prince will enter in at the porch of the East Gate and the people will assemble without, worshipping at the door. Then in verse 9 we shall see that during the solemn feasts the people will not worship at the door of the East Gate, rather they will also enter in, only it will be through the north and south gates.
* Here are the offerings to be given on the sabbath (weekly):
* Here are the offerings to be given in day of the new moon (moon is "chodesh" in Hebrew, meaning month, i.e. monthly):Ezekiel 46:4
And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the LORD in the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish.[5]And the meat offering shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meat offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
This is the same as we read in chapter 44, verse 3. The prince goes in and comes out the same way. However, at the solemn feasts, i.e. appointed times, the prince will enter in as before but the people shall enter in through the north and south gates.Ezekiel 46:6
And in the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram: they shall be without blemish.[7] And he shall prepare a meat offering, an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs according as his hand shall attain unto, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
[8] And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof.
Why must the people not "turn back" but rather exit through the opposite gate from that which they entered? If you look at the diagram of the Temple in appendix 88 in the Companion Bible, you will see that in order to enter in at the north gate and exit through the south gate (or vice versa), you must pass by the East Gate, even the East Gate of the Inner Court.Ezekiel 46:9
But when the people of the land shall come before the LORD in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over against it.
Again, if you refer to the diagram of the Temple, you will see that the prince would be in the midst of the people when standing at the East Gate. He will enter in when the people enter in and leave when they all leave.[10] And the prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go in; and when they go forth, shall go forth.
* Here are the offerings to be given in feasts and in the solemnities:
There will also be other times, i.e. special occasions, when the prince will prepare offerings of sacrifice and thanksgiving.Ezekiel 46:11
And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meat offering shall be an ephah to a bullock, and ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as he is able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
Again, it is the prince's duty to offer for the nation. The "one" referred to here who opens and shuts the gate is "the gatekeeper".[12] Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt offering or peace offerings voluntarily unto the LORD, one shall then open him the gate that looketh toward the east, and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, as he did on the sabbath day: then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate.
We should be reminded that in the Millennium the primary purpose of the teaching, lead by the priests of the Zadok, is first to teach the "spiritually dead" people the difference between that which is holy and that which is not, i.e. profane, and then the tough part, which is to cause them to discern for themselves between the unclean and the clean. The reason this is so important is because Satan will be released for that short season after the 1000 years has elapsed and they will make their own free will choice whether or not to follow him.
Here is a review of the duties of the priests of the Zadok:
Righteous judgments and the strict adherence to God laws and statutes by both individuals and nations along with the solemnity and hallowing of His sabbaths are all part of that process designed to turn the children's love to their Father. What a contrast the total peace on earth for that 1000 years will be to the unrest and violence of the previous 6,000 years and even the first earth age spoken of by Peter as "the world that then was", the one that perished (2 Pet. 3:6).Ezekiel 44:23
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.[24] And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.
* So does it seem like there are a lot of "offerings" and "sacrificing" going on in the Millennium?Ezekiel 46:13
Thou shalt daily prepare a burnt offering unto the LORD of a lamb of the first year without blemish: thou shalt prepare it every morning.
For many who even call themselves Christians in these last days, worshipping God is something they do just on the weekend (though Sunday is considered the first day of the week), while God's elect give their offerings of thanks and praise everyday by telling Him each and every day that they love Him so much and then they give their offerings of sacrifice by keeping His commands which include daily studying and with prayer rightly dividing His Word (2 Tim. 2:15) and then they plant "seeds" whenever fertile ground is made ready. And they do all that because they WANT TO, because they love their Father and what He has done for us all including the supreme sacrifice He made FOR US! Do they think of their love and service to Him as sacrifice? No they do not, yet that is how our Father sees it and it pleases Him greatly and so He blesses them.No, the sacrifices in the Millennium will not be of blood and sacrificial animals any more than it is today, but they must be of the same spirit of love and service that causes those who truly believe in Jesus Christ to hunger and thirst after righteousness... every day.
We are now going to change subjects. One of the things we learned in chapter 44 about the Millennium is that the priests of Zadok, God's elect who make all those sacrifices now and are the only ones who will be able to come near unto Him during the Millennium, will not be given an inheritance in the land of Israel. Why? Well, part of their eternal reward is that they will be "joint heirs" of "all things" with Yeshua (Rom. 8:17) for as it is written in chapter 44 that He (the I AM) is their inheritance.[14]And thou shalt prepare a meat offering for it every morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of an hin of oil, to temper with the fine flour; a meat offering continually by a perpetual ordinance unto the LORD.[15] Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meat offering, and the oil, every morning for a continual burnt offering.
However, all others of all the twelve tribes of the house of Israel shall receive inheritance in the land and they shall have possessions in the land. In fact, we are going to read the details of the land division in the last two chapters (47 & 48).Ezekiel 44:28
And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance: and ye shall give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession.
The word "sons" is used here in the widest sense to mean any of the prince's subjects and not his literal offspring.Ezekiel 46:16
Thus saith the Lord GOD; If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons'; it shall be their possession by inheritance.
Here is the definition from Strong's Concordance:
So if the prince gives a gift of his inheritance to a "son" then it shall be that son's permanently. However, if he gifts it to a servant it shall remain his only unto the Jubilee year when it shall be returned to the prince.son = ben, bane, Hebrew 1121; from Hebrew 1129 (banah); a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., ...
The land belongs to Israel and shall remain so. The law of the Jubilee, the 50th year, can be found in Leviticus 25:10 "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.[17] But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them.
The words underlined in the previous paragraph are inscribed on our Liberty Bell. We as a nation did not and still do not obey the laws of the Jubilee year, but in the Millennium we shall!
The executive branch of Israel and of all nations will definitely have limited powers which will be subject to veto by the Zadok.[18] Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.
Would you believe that Ezekiel is still not finished with his tour of the house? Here he goes again.
The phrase "on the two sides" means "on the farthest side" (See note in Companion Bible).Ezekiel 46:19
After he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the two sides westward.
This concerns the priests of the Inner Court, i.e. the priests of the Zadok, who do not go out into the outer court except they change their garments.[20] Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people.
Remember we read of that in chapter 44:19 concerning the priests of the Zadok?
Next Ezekiel is taken to the outer (utter) court and gets to tour all four corners of the outer court. This tour can be done much faster in a "vision" than on roller blades or a skateboard.Ezekiel 44:19
And when they go forth into the utter court, even into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments.
Ezekiel 46:21
Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court.
All four corners were identical in size, 40 cubits by 30 cubits which is 1200 square cubits.[22] In the four corners of the court there were courts joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four corners were of one measure.
The expression "there was a row of building round about them" means that there was an enclosure as pictured in the diagram. In other words they were small compounds.[23] And there was a row of building round about in them, round about them four, and it was made with boiling places under the rows round about.
These are not the ministers of altar in the Inner Court, i.e. the Zadok referred to in verse 20, but rather those ministers of the house, who minister unto the people. Are you still with us "in the spirit" when it comes to the sacrifices during the Millennium? When we think of "boiling" our minds usually think of water coming to a boil in a pot or cauldron. However, physical water (H2O) won't cook love, will it? Anyway, to "boil" the sacrifices of the people simply means to prepare and bring forth their sacrifices.[24] Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
Speaking of water, in the next chapter Ezekiel is going to see "waters" issue forth from under the threshold of the house and become a river so deep he cannot swim across it.(Not literally, silly! This is still a vision, remember?)
There IS a condition here, though as we noted it is not of race or nationality. The condition is simply "IF" you thirst.
Do you know that Jesus Christ is the very fountain of living waters from which life itself flows? I'm sure you do for it is written throughout the Bible, both in the Old and the New Testaments. More importantly though, do you know that you can drink from that fountain of life this very day, IF you thirst? Let's listen to the conversation that Jesus Christ had at Jacob's well with the woman from Samaria. Jesus had just ask her to "give Him to drink" and she was surprised that He would talk to an outsider from Samaria, especially a woman.
Anyone who knows Christ (Who is the gift of God, Jn. 3:16), whether he or she is of the house of Israel or not, and who will come and ask of Him, can freely drink of the living water which gives life eternal. Yes, the mythical "Fountain of Youth" is not mythical at all, it is Jesus Christ.John 4:9
Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.John 4:10
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
The question is, "Where will the water come from?"[11] The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
There is nothing in this world, nothing under the sun, that can bring salvation or even lasting peace of mind and happiness.[12] Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?[13] Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
[14] But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Notice also that if one does drink of that water, then that living water shall become a "well of water" in him and it shall "spring up" into everlasting life. The water here is symbolic of the Holy Spirit which flows forth from Him through those who have truly received Him. Jesus uses this analogy again in John chapter 7.
John 7:37-39
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
The rivers of living water, His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, flows from the belly of those who believe on Jesus Christ and who do drink from the water which He gives, even from the Word of God, the Spirit of Truth.[38] He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Again, the free gift, the open offer from Almighty God to drink from the fountain of the water of life, is available to ANYONE who is "athirst".
In this 47th chapter of Ezekiel, we are about to go forward again to the time of the Millennium when the "Fountain of the water of life" will have returned to the temple and where all of God's children will now be in their spiritual bodies. However, it is written that so many of God's children, who even now claim to be Christian, will be there who have NOT partaken of that living water, because they have forsaken Him (even as they do now) because they did not thirst and drink from His Word, and so they are still in need of spiritual healing. Jesus Christ is the only hope and the only way to that spiritual healing which leads to eternal life. So the Millennium is a very important period of time. It is the time of great healing, even the greatest time of great healing, which is why there is so much written about it and why it is that we as latter day watchmen need to understand it, even so we are knowledgeable and able to communicate His wonderful plan to others.Rev. 22:6
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
We have also documented several times throughout this book of Ezekiel that many will be ashamed at the 7th Trump when Christ returns and even wish the mountains to fall upon them, because they will have worshipped the false messiah as Jesus Christ. The reason they will do that is because they do not know the Word of God, which means they have forsaken Him already, which means they do not KNOW Jesus Christ who is their only hope of salvation. Jeremiah puts it in easy to understand language.
And so they will STILL be in need of spiritual healing and will need to cry out to Him.Jeremiah 17:13
O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.
The other major point we will learn from Ezekiel's vision is that Jesus Christ is Lord and King over all peoples and all nations and He wants us to know that His healing waters of life will freely flow forth into ALL nations. Again, ANYONE WHO WILL can freely partake of those waters. Let's go to Zechariah and read about the King over ALL the earth during the Millennium.[14] Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
These are the waters we shall read of today in the 47th chapter of Ezekiel which flow to the Dead Sea (eastern or former sea) and to the Mediterranean (western or hinder sea), i.e. to all nations like we say today the Western nations and the East. And it shall flow continuously and cannot be dried up in the summer heat or frozen by the winter cold.Zech. 14:8
And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
This is the point! The LORD shall be king over ALL the earth, not just Israel. You see, following Ezekiel's vision, which we will SEE today, of the mighty flowing river from the throne of God, we are going to read of the allotment of the lands of only the nations of Israel. However, all nations shall have their allotment in the Millennium and God's love and healing waters of life shall freely flow to all His children of all His nations because He loves them all.[9] And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
So let's continue in spirit now, with Ezekiel, to the Millennium. (Remember, chapters 40-49 in Ezekiel are all about the Millennium, the 1000 year reign of Christ and His saints.)
The house is the Temple which faces east looking across the Kidron Valley toward the Mount of Olives, and we read in chapter 43 that Christ's throne is now in the Temple. Ezekiel 43:7 "And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever..." So Ezekiel saw "water" emanating from the under the throne (vs. 12) of Jesus Christ and flowing along the south side of the altar.Ezekiel 47:1
Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
Note: Did you know that Jesus Christ is the promised One who shall come and sit on the throne of David over the house of Israel. It is written that that throne would exist and have a descendant of David upon it until Shiloh come? Do you know where that throne is today?
The Stone of Scone, known as Jacob's Pillar, which was also the "rock" carried in the wilderness which Moses struck and the waters abundantly flowed forth to quench the thirst of the whole house of Israel, has resided under the Coronation Throne in Westminster Abbey since the 1300's until Prime Minister John Majors had it moved to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland a few years ago (that in itself being a sign to the watchmen). All the kings and queens of Ireland, Scotland, and England have been coronated on this rock since Jeremiah took it to the shores of Ireland along with the daughters of king Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. If you would like to read the rich history and prophecy concerning this "rock" then write to Artisan Publishers www.artisanpublishers.com for the booklet "Jacob's Pillar", by E. Raymond Capt or you can read about it here @ Live Link to=>The Birthright and the Sceptre
This is all Ezekiel sees at this point. Notice he does not say he sees any trees. Also, remember this outer East Gate was shut after the Glory of God entered it and we know that only the priests of the Zadok can directly approach unto Him during the 1000 years. However, we shall see that His Spirit shall flow forth from Him into all the earth in ever increasing volume and depth.Ezekiel 47:2
Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
It is most significant that the number one thousand denotes "Divine Completeness and The Glory of God". Here's a quote from the book "Biblical Mathematics", by Ed. F. Vallowe, pg. 232.[3] And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ancles.
That about sums it up!"This number (1000) is connected with DIVINE COMPLETENESS AND THE GLORY OF GOD. It is usually used with angels especially in the book of Revelation. It reveals His Divine care and protection to those who are in Jesus Christ."
The water is beginning to getting deeper. We are now at 3,000 cubits.Ezekiel 47:4
Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
We are now at 4,000 cubits and the river is so high that Ezekiel cannot ford it. "4" is the number denoting "Earth", even as this river of living waters flows from the throne of God into all the 4 corners of the earth. It is also interesting that the farther the river flows the more volume it accumulates and the deeper it becomes. Real H20 couldn't possibly do that flowing from a single source, could it? Well, with God all things are possible and it seems to me, judging from the size of the Stone of Scone, that the waters flowing from that rock would have had to do the same thing in order to adequately "water" a multitude the size of which was before Moses. Think about it! It was a miracle after all![5] Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
Got the picture? The prophet Joel, quoted by Peter in Acts 2, said that in the last days God's servants would see visions, which means they would spiritually SEE and understand the visions of the prophets, like those of Ezekiel beginning even in chapter one. The question then is to you, son of man (no gender implied), "Have you SEEN this vision?"[6] And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
Look here! Behold! When Ezekiel returned to the "lip" of the river there were lots and lots of "TREES". Trees are symbolic of people throughout the Bible.Ezekiel 47:7
Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.
So there are very many people drawn to the banks of the river of life, on BOTH sides of the river, meaning both of Israel and those of all the other nations (ethnos). Where did these trees come from? Let's find out!
The "Dead Sea", symbolic of "dead spiritual waters" that nothing can live in, shall be healed.[8] Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
If you have the VISION Ezekiel is describing PICTURED in your mind, then notice now what our Father says "Shall come to pass"!
The healing waters from the throne of God will go forth into ALL the earth to give life to every thing and there will a VERY GREAT multitude of fish!Ezekiel 47:9
And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.
En-gedi means "fountain of a kid" and En-eglaim means "fountain of two calves". These two locations are fixed on to comprise the whole "dead sea", meaning that the "dead waters" are healed by the living waters and made pure so that the "fishers" can cast their nets even there. (In other words, truth shall abound and Christianity will flow unto all nations. There will be no more idolatry and whoredoms.)[10] And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
Who then are these "fishers" who cast nets? Well, as we learned in the 2nd and 3rd chapters of this book, Ezekiel had to eat the whole scroll, the whole Bible, before he was appointed a watchman and shown the visions of the Millennium. So we read in the New Testament that it is the disciples of Jesus Christ who are "fishers" who cast nets. However, they are not fishers of fish, but of men! Is that not what Jesus Christ told Peter and his brother Andrew they would become? Matthew 4:19 "And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you "fishers" of men." So it is the followers of Jesus Christ who "cast nets" to draw the fish out of the waters. We can document it in John 21 where Christ appeared for the third time to the disciples.
And we just read in Ezek. 47:10 of the "exceeding many" fishes that will be swimming in, surrounded by, the living water flowing forth from the Temple. We'll explain in a moment.John 21:6
And He said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
These fish (men) aren't caught by onesies and twosies but by the net-full, in abundance. Like we said, it is a time of GREAT healing. In fact, there will be more people saved in the Millennium than at any other time in the salvation plan of God.[7] Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.[8] And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.
Christ always has tons of fish and bread from His altar (the fire of coals) ready to feed His people. Hey, remember how many thousands of people He fed with just a few fish and a few loaves of bread? Now let's understand this next verse:John 21:9
As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
The instructions to the disciples of Christ are to bring the fish which they catch unto Him (and He will feed them).[10] Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.
One hundred and fifty-three is symbolic of God's elect, great fishes.[11] Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, and hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
So what have learned about Ezekiel's vision?
It is recorded that during the Millennium Satan will be bound for the entire 1,000 years and the Word of God, His Spirit of Truth (Jn. 15:26, 16:13), will go forth and fill the whole earth. But just because the Word of God is available to all doesn't guarantee that everyone will come to Christ. As we have read, the people must still be taught to "learn to discern" for themselves between the holy and the profane. That is where the fisherman come in who draw them to shore where they now become trees who can stand tall because they are watered by the river of life.So on the banks of both sides of the river, both of Israel and the ethnic nations, many trees will spring forth, as "very many" are drawn from the nets of the disciples of Christ from ALL nations and brought to Him! This is exciting and thrilling and it is a wonderful and beautiful vision of the future, to know and understand that God's plan of salvation will draw many, many of His children back to Him.
Still, a person doesn't have to come to the living waters that heal. He or she can always stay in the mucky water or even turn back as did Lot's wife, who turned to a pillar of salt. Salvation is still a matter of free will.Ezekiel 47:11
But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
Don't let your mind revert back to snakes and apple trees here. Remember, trees are symbolic of people, even as we shall read in Rev. 22 that Jesus Christ is the tree of life who brings forth fruit. There are good trees who bring forth good fruit and bad trees which bring forth corruption.Ezekiel 47:12
And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.
The good trees shall stand for eternity but the bad trees shall be consumed in the lake of fire.Matthew 7:17
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
After the Millennium, when we enter that eternal age and the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven, that river of water of life shall still flow forth from the throne of God and of the Lamb.Matthew 3:10
And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
And the tree of life will supply all that is necessary for satisfaction, happiness and healing of nations (i.e. preventive "medicine" which prevents boredom, etc.)Rev. 22:1
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
So what about it? Are you going to wait until the Millennium to drink from the water of life, or are you thirsty now?[2] In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Yes, thank God for the Millennium and that great time of healing, when His Truth shall flow forth from Jerusalem and fill the whole earth, but know this: Those who hunger and thirst now and partake of the bread of life and drink from that living water, shall be His firstfruits and enjoy a double portion of the inheritance. Blessed are they indeed! Jesus Christ said so!Rev. 22:17
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Come to the Water.Matthew 5:6
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
The Spirit of God will flow from the throne of the LORD like a grand river all through the Millennium. Yes, it will still be the time of salvation for most, but Satan will be bound in the pit and there will be peace and harmony maintained among peoples and nations and the very earth itself will be refreshed as it will no longer suffer under the pollution of flesh man. Jesus Christ is returning soon to bring to pass the prophecies of His Word and to fulfill the promises of His Covenant. Let's now complete chapter 47 of Ezekiel, where the boundaries, the New Millennial Frontiers of Eretz Israel are given to us.
"Thus saith the Lord GOD" means this is the way it is going to be in the Millennium. There are going to be borders and there is going to be a distribution of the inheritance of the land according to the promise and the covenant our Father made to Abraham back in Genesis 13:14-15, which was a promise to inherit the land (eretz) forever.Ezekiel 47:13
Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions.
Also, in Gen. 48:5 and 48:22 Joseph was promised a double portion (two portions) of the inheritance and so his birthright was split between his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Joseph's birthright became the birthright of the firstborn because his brother Reuben, the rightful heir and actual firstborn, forfeited it due to incest (1 Chron. 5:1). We will see in the following allotments that promise of Joseph's double blessing fulfilled because God ALWAYS keeps His promises.
Here is that original promise to our father Abraham.[14] And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance.
And so here it is, the division of the land northward, eastward, southward and westward, just as God promised in Gen. 13:14. (For those who are interested in a deeper study of this land division, compare the following verses, 15-21, with Numbers 34. Remember though, we be in the spiritual dimension and in spiritual bodies at this time.)Genesis 13:14-15
And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:[15] For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
Israel is also to make provision for the non-Israelites who live among them in the their land. The exception is that of the 25,000 square reed oblation including the portion of Levites (see Ezekiel 48:14). We also read that the prince may not permanently sell or give away any of his portion. He may do so only until the year of the Jubilee when the land must return to him.Ezekiel 47:15
And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad;[16]Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazar-hatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran.
[17] And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side.
[18]And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side.
[19] And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward.
[20] The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side.
[21] So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel.
Do not err as some do when they read this verse. Of course people won't be having babies in the Millennium! Jesus Christ settled this question long ago concerning the spiritual bodies when the Sadducees asked Him about it in Mark 12:23-25 concerning the woman who was married 7 times: "In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. [24] And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? [25] For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.Ezekiel 47:22
And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
So
we will all be in angelic bodies, i.e. spiritual bodies, and those bodies
do not dance the horizontal cha cha. Here's how the N.E.B. Bible translates
Ezek. 47:22:
"You shall distribute this land
among the tribes of Israel and assign it by lot as a patrimony for yourselves
and for any aliens living in your midst who leave sons among you."
[23] And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD.
What a time the Millennium will be!
We have now come to the final chapter in this great Book of EZEK-I-EL, whose name means "God is Strong" as in "God is my Strength", and it is so fitting that this last chapter depicts the fulfillment, the summation if you will, of our Father's faithful promise to His children He loves so much. Think about it. After all the trials and tribulations and punishments and captivities endured by the whole house of Israel down through the ages, like Reuben as we mentioned earlier who lost his firstborn rights because of his behavior, and Dan not being listed in Rev. 7 among the 144,000 because of his idolatry, and the split between Judah and the 10 Northern tribes, etc., etc., etc., and worst of all, and yet to come, when the majority of His children worship at the feet of the spurious messiah believing he is Jesus.
Yes, after all of that, after all the times we His children have hurt Him so badly, He still fulfills His Word exactly as He promised and gives His children the best of best and lists the allotment of their inheritance here in this closing chapter of the book of the watchman, name by name, tribe by tribe, and lot by lot. How could anyone who is on the receiving end of His gifts not turn to Him with love in their hearts and cry, Abba Father?
And then, in the midst of describing their land allotments, we are once again given the dimensions of the whole 25,000 reeds square Oblation, portion by portion. The chapter concludes with the vision of the names of each individual tribe upon the twelve gates of the Great City and then finally, the most comforting words that a child of God can ever hear, "Daddy's Home".
The following diagram shows the
order and location of each of the tribes of Israel that we are going to
read about in the remainder of this chapter. The shaded area is the 25,000
reeds square Oblation.
| Dan | ||||
| Asher | ||||
| Naphtali | ||||
| Manasseh | ||||
| Ephraim | ||||
| Reuben | ||||
| Judah | ||||
| Portion
for the Levites
|
||||
| Portion for the Priests [Sanctuary] | ||||
| P | City | P | ||
| Benjamin | ||||
| Simeon | ||||
| Issachar | ||||
| Zebulon | ||||
| Gad | ||||
Vs. 1-7 = Location of the Seven Tribes on the North Side (Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, Judah)Location of the Seven Tribes on the North Side.
Vs. 8-12 = The Oblation for the Sanctuary and the priests, 25,000 by 10,000 reeds.
Vs. 13-14 = The Portion for the Levites.
Vs. 15-19 = The Portion for the City.
Vs. 20 = All the Oblation, 25,000 by 25,000 reeds.
Vs. 21-22 = The Prince's Portion east and west of the City.
Vs. 23-28 = Location of the remaining five tribes (Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad).
Vs. 29 = Summary
Vs. 30-35 = Goings out of the City (exits) and its Gates.
Vs. 35 = The Name of the City, "Yahveh Shammah" (The Lord is There).
Next is the Oblation for the Sanctuary and the priests, 25,000 by 10,000 reeds. (For verses 8-22, refer to the diagram, the block plan in the prior studies showing all the Oblation, which can also be found in appendix 88 in the Companion Bible.)Ezekiel 48:1
Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan.[2] And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher.
[3] And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali.
[4] And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh.
[5] And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim.
[6] And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben.
[7] And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah.
The Portion for the Levites.Ezekiel 48:8
And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it.[9] The oblation that ye shall offer unto the LORD shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth.
[10] And for them, even for the priests, shall be this holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst thereof.
[11] It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok; which have kept my charge, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray.
[12] And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites.
Israel may make provisions for aliens in the territories allotted to the tribes, but not in the area of the Levites, nor of the whole Oblation.Ezekiel 48:13
And over against the border of the priests the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand.[14] And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the LORD.
The Portion for the City.
All the Oblation, 25,000 by 25,000 reeds.Ezekiel 48:15
And the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city, for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof.[16] And these shall be the measures thereof; the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred.
[17] And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty.
[18] And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city.
[19] And they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel.
The Prince's Portion east and west of the City.Ezekiel 48:20
All the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand: ye shall offer the holy oblation foursquare, with the possession of the city.
Location of the remaining five tribes (Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad).Ezekiel 48:21
And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince: and it shall be the holy oblation; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof.[22] Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince's, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince.
Summary.Ezekiel 48:23
As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion.[24]And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion.
[25]And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion.
[26]And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion.
[27] And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion.
[28] And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea.
Goings out of the City (exits) and its Gates.Ezekiel 48:29
This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord GOD.
We also find in Rev. 21:12-13 that the magnificent New City of Jerusalem when it comes down out of heaven following the Great White Throne judgment will also have 12 gates with the names of the twelve tribes on them. Will the "names" just be the single patriarch's name like "Reuben" or "Dan" or will they include their whole family? Here is what is written in Revelation concerning the Eternal City, the New Jerusalem.Ezekiel 48:30
And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures.[31]And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi.
[32] And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan.
[33] And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun.
[34]At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.
Here is the very last verse in the Book of Ezekiel.Rev. 21:12
And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
"The LORD is there" reads "Yahveh Shammah" in Hebrew, which means "Yahveh is There", and so from that day forward it will be a time to sing and rejoice for His children who love Him. He has promised He will come to dwell in our midst and so He shall.Ezekiel 48:35
It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.
All nations and all peoples shall know that He is the LORD (think how many times have we read that), and all the world shall know that His throne is in Jerusalem, the throne of the LORD, the LORD our righteousness.Zech. 2:10
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.
What a time the Millennium will be! And that glorious time is approaching more rapidly than many might think! Yes, soon, at the sound of the last trump, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we who are alive and remain (in flesh bodies) shall be instantly changed into our spiritual bodies (1 Cor. 15:52) and we shall gather together with Him and with those saints who come with Him (1 Thes. 4:17) as His feet touch down on the Mt. of Olives (Zech. 14:4). And so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thes. 4:17), in the presence of the Shekinah Glory, for from that Day on the name of the city of our God will be "Yahveh Shammah" (Ezek. 48:35).Jeremiah 3:17
At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.Jeremiah 33:16
In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.
"May God Bless You and Strengthen You and Appoint You one of His beloved Watchman in this final generation." Amen
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