Ezekiel 48:35

This is the measurement round the 4 walls.

The city’s new name is a brief explanation of Ezekiel’s whole message. This is what God wants. This is his desire for his people. He wants to live with them. He wants to be their only God. He wants them to be able to declare boldly that he is present with them.

That was the last *prophecy in Ezekiel’s book. It is an impressive end to the record of his *prophecies. But Ezekiel continued to be a *prophet. He recorded a *prophecy with a later date in 29:17.

Ezekiel’s *vision and John’s *vision

(Ezekiel Chapter s 40-48 and Revelation Chapter s 21-22)

Several centuries after Ezekiel’s *vision, John saw a *vision of future events. That *vision is in the Book of Revelation. In Revelation Chapter s 21-22, John described the New Jerusalem. Several things that John saw then were similar to things in Ezekiel’s *vision. But many things were different.

Both *visions happened when God’s people were suffering great troubles. Ezekiel saw his *vision after the *Babylonian army destroyed Jerusalem. The *Israelites were in *exile and their situation seemed hopeless. John was a prisoner when he saw his *vision. The government was then opposing the first Christians in a very cruel manner.

Both *visions happened after enemies had destroyed God’s *temple. The loss of the first *temple was a terrible shock for the *Israelites when Ezekiel was alive. The loss of Herod’s *temple happened at a time when many Christians were suffering greatly. And by the time when John wrote, the government’s cruelty to them had become even worse. But the Christians were not without hope. They knew that, by Jesus’ death, God had established a new relationship with people.

Both *visions were *visions of hope. God was using these *visions to encourage his people. He knew about their situation. He cared about them. And he had good plans for the future. Their troubles would not last always. Evil forces would not always rule. In the end, God would rule. And then he would live with his loyal people.

Some of the things in the two *visions were similar. But John’s *vision shows progress from Ezekiel’s *vision:

• In both *visions, there was a city. In that city, God would live among his people. And both cities had a square plan. But the New Jerusalem, which John saw, was much larger. In fact, each wall was a thousand times longer than Ezekiel’s city (Revelation 21:16; Ezekiel 48:16). And the New Jerusalem’s plan was not merely a square. It was the same height as its length. That was extraordinary. So although the plan in Ezekiel’s *vision seemed perfect, the New Jerusalem will be very much better. God does things that people cannot even imagine.

• The names of the 12 *tribes were on the city gates in both *visions (Revelation 21:12-13; Ezekiel 48:30-34). But in the New Jerusalem, the names of the 12 apostles were on the city’s 12 bases in addition – Revelation 21:14. (The ‘apostles’ were the men whom Jesus first sent with his message.) Ezekiel’s city was for the *Israelites only, but foreigners could live among the *Israelites. But the New Jerusalem will be for people from every nation. People must confess their *sins to God; and they must trust Christ. Everyone who does this will be in the New Jerusalem. And that will include the *Israelites who *turn back to God.
• There was a river in both *visions (Revelation 22:1-2; Ezekiel 47:1-12). Ezekiel’s river cured the nation called *Israel. But in the New Jerusalem, God will cure all the nations (Revelation 22:2).

The most important difference between the two *visions is Revelation 21:22. John saw that there was no *temple in the New Jerusalem. There had to be a *temple in Ezekiel’s *vision because God was still dealing with human *sin. That building separated God from the people. It separated *holy things from everything else. It needed the *altar, because there had to be *sacrifices because of human *sin. It needed the priests, because ordinary people could not come close to God. These things were necessary then. And they made it possible for people to have a relationship with God.

But God’s plan is that, in the end, these things will not be necessary. In the end, God will free his people from *sin and from death (1 Corinthians 15:51-57). That is the perfect state which God will bring about (Romans 8:18-25). Then, in the New Jerusalem, God’s people will have a perfect relationship with him. God himself will be their *temple (Revelation 21:22). And there will be no limit to their *worship. Then, at last, God will have his home among people. Their tears will end. They will not still suffer. Death and pain will not exist. God will make everything new (Revelation 21:4-5).

vision ~ something that God shows to a person but not with the physical sight. Visions are often in the form of dreams.
tribe ~ The Israelites were divided into the 12 families of the sons of Jacob. These families are the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel. Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah. However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel. Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah. However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
holy ~ what God is like. He is completely different from people. He never does anything wrong. The word ‘holy’ also describes something that is separate, for God’s use only. People must never use a holy thing for ordinary purposes.
Levites ~ members of the tribe whose ancestor is Levi, son of Jacob.
tribe ~ The Israelites were divided into the 12 families of the sons of Jacob. These families are the 12 tribes of Israel.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel. Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah. However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God or other gods. The Jews had one in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
vision ~ something that God shows to a person but not with the physical sight. Visions are often in the form of dreams.
Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people and things.
LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to himself. It probably means, ‘He is always God’. This name has a relationship with the special promises that God gave to his people.
cubit ~ a length of about half a metre.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
turn ~ to change your behaviour, your friends, or your God; or, to carry out actions in order to oppose someone.
sacrifice ~ something that people gave to God. (or, something that people gave to a false god). It could be an animal, or grain, or oil, or wine. The priest burned all or part of the sacrifice on an altar. Sometimes people gave sacrifices in order to thank God. And sometimes people gave sacrifices so that God could forgive sin (Leviticus 4:35).
altar ~ the special table where people burn animals or offer other gifts to God or to false gods.
sin ~ Sin means the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. People are called sinners because of their sins.
prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.
prophet ~ person who speaks for God. He can sometimes say what will happen in the future. However, false prophets are people who merely pretend to speak God’s words.
Babylonian ~ a person from the nation called Babylon or anything that has a relationship with Babylon.
exile ~ When people have to live in a foreign country they are in exile. Such a person is called an exile.
sin ~ Sin means the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. People are called sinners because of their sins.
altar ~ the special table where people burn animals or offer other gifts to God or to false gods.'

Ezekiel: “They shall know that I am God”

The Future *Temple and *Sacrifices

Ezekiel Chapter s 40 to 48

Ian Mackervoy

Chapter 48

The share of the country for 7 *tribes to the north – Ezekiel 48:1-7

v1 ‘Here is a list of the names of the *tribes.

The northern border is from the sea through Hethlon to Lebo Hamath. Then the border goes all the way to Hazar Enan. North of here is Damascus. The end of the border is next to Hamath.

Here Dan will have one share of land. It will go from the east side to the west side.

v2 South of Dan, Asher will have one share of land. It will go from the east side to the west side.

v3 South of Asher, Naphtali will have one share of land. It will go from the east side to the west side.

v4 South of Naphtali, Manasseh will have one share of land. It will go from the east side to the west side.

v5 South of Manasseh, Ephraim will have one share of land. It will go from the east side to the west side.

v6 South of Ephraim, Reuben will have one share of land. It will go from the east side to the west side.

v7 South of Reuben, Judah will have one share of land. It will go from the east side to the west side.’

Verses 1-7 To the north of the *holy area will be the shares of 7 of the *tribes. The shares are all the same size. Each share goes from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River.

The *holy area – Ezekiel 48:8-12

v8 ‘South of Judah will be the *holy area of land which you are to give to the *LORD. It will be 25 000 *cubits wide, and its length from east to west will be equal to one share of land for the *tribes. The *temple will be in the centre of it.

v9 The share that you will give to the *LORD will be 25 000 *cubits long and 10 000 *cubits wide. v10 This will be the *holy area for the priests. It will be 25 000 *cubits long on the north side. It will be 10 000 *cubits wide on the west side. It will be 10 000 *cubits wide on the east side. And it will be 25 000 *cubits long on the south side. The *temple of the *LORD will be in the centre of it. v11 This land is for the *holy priests who serve the *LORD. Their *ancestor is Zadok. These priests remained loyal to me. They did my work. They did not *turn away from me when the *Israelites and the *Levites *turned away from me. v12 They will have a special share in the *holy area of the land. It will be a very *holy share. It will be next to the land that belongs to the *Levites.’

Verses 8-12 To the south of Judah’s share there will be the *holy area of land. The total length of this area from east to west will be the same as the *tribe’s shares.

In this total area, there will be a square of 8.3 miles (13.4 kilometres). From the north of this square 3.3 miles (5.3 kilometres) width is for the *Levites. The next 3.3 miles (5.3 kilometres) width is for the *Lord. The last 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometres) is for the city.

The *Lord’s share will be for the Zadok priests. They will live there. But in the centre of it will be the *temple area.

An area for the *Levites – Ezekiel 48:13-14

v13 ‘Next to the priests, the *Levites will have a share of land. It will be 25 000 *cubits long and 10 000 *cubits wide. The whole length shall be 25 000 *cubits and the width 10 000 *cubits. v14 They must not sell or trade any of this land. It is the best land. Nobody else can own a part of this land. It is *holy and it belongs to the *LORD.’

Verses 13-14 The share for the *Levites is to the north of the *holy area. They will not be able to sell any of this land. It must remain the property of the *Levites. The *Lord will be the actual owner of the land.

The extent of the city – Ezekiel 48:14-20

v15 ‘The rest of the area will be 5000 *cubits wide and 25 000 *cubits long. It will not be *holy but it will belong to the city. There will be houses and open areas with the city in the centre. v16 The city will be square. Each side will be 4500 *cubits long. v17 The city shall have open land. To the north of the city, it will be 250 *cubits. To the south of the city, it will be 250 *cubits. To the east of the city, it will be 250 *cubits. And to the west of the city, it will be 250 *cubits. v18 Along the long side of the *holy area there will be 10 000 *cubits on the east side. And there will be 10 000 *cubits on the west side. This land will be for agriculture. It will produce food for the workers in the city. v19 The workers from the city who farm it will come from all the *tribes of *Israel. v20 This whole area will be square, 25 000 *cubits on each side. You shall give to the *LORD the *holy share and the city land.’

Verses 14-20 South of the *holy area will be the 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometres) for the city. The city will be in a square of 1½miles (2.4 kilometres). This will be in the centre of this whole area. All round the city there will open ground 437½ feet (135 metres) wide. So, the city and its open ground make a square of 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometres). Beyond this square on each side, there will be land 3.3 miles (5.3 kilometres) by 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometres).

This land by the sides of the city area will be for farms. People from the *tribes will live in the city. Some of them will work here to provide food for the city.

The share of land for the prince – Ezekiel 48:21-22

v21 ‘Some land will remain on both sides of the *holy part and the city. This land will belong to the prince. That land will be from the east of the *holy area to the east border. And it will be from the west of the *holy area to the west border. Both of these areas will be as long as the lands of the *tribes. They belong to the prince. The *holy area will have the *temple in the middle of it. v22 The *Levites’ land and the city land will be in the middle of the prince’s land. The lands of the prince will be between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin.’

Verses 21-22 The land on both sides of the *holy area (this includes the city area) will belong to the prince. He is the leader, under *Messiah, of the *Israelites. He is from the family of David. And like David, he loves and serves the *Lord with all his heart. His lands will be 8.3 miles (13.4 kilometres) from north to south.

The share of the country for 5 *tribes to the south – Ezekiel 48:23-29

v23 ‘Here is what the rest of the *tribes will receive. Benjamin will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.

v24 South of Benjamin's land, Simeon will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.

v25 South of Simeon's land, Issachar will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.

v26 South of Issachar's land, Zebulun will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.

v27 South of Zebulun's land, Gad will have one share. It will go from the east side to the west side.

v28 The southern border of Gad's land will be towards the Negev. The border will go from Tamar to the waters called Meribah Kadesh. Then it will go along the river of Egypt to the Great Sea.

v29 This is the land that you will give to the *tribes of *Israel to be their shares.’ So says the *LORD your King.

Verses 23-29 To the south of the *holy area will be the shares of the other 5 *tribes. The shares are all the same size. Each share goes from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River.

Judah and Benjamin are next to the *holy area. This may be because these two *tribes were more loyal to the *temple than the other *tribes were.

The 12 *tribes come from the sons of Jacob. He had 8 sons by his two wives. Their shares will be next to the *holy area. To the north, there will be the shares for Judah, Reuben, and Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh). To the south, there will be the shares for Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar and Zebulun.

Also, Jacob had sons from the maids of his wives. Their shares will be furthest from the *holy area. To the north, there will be Naphtali, Asher and Dan. To the far south, there will be the share of Gad.

Because of their cruelty, Jacob *prophesied against Simeon and Levi. They did not receive shares in the time of Joshua. They lived among the other *tribes. But in the future Simeon’s *tribe will have a share. It will be equal to the shares of the other *tribes. And Levi’s *tribe will have their place in the *holy area.

So all the *tribes will be there. They will all have their proper place in the country. No *tribe will have more land than another *tribe. This may not be possible or practical by the present geography of *Israel. But many things in this world will change when Jesus the *Messiah returns. He will rule the world. And all his judgements will be fair and good.

The City with 12 gates – Ezekiel 48:30-35

v30 ‘These exits will be the exits of the city. The north side will be 4500 *cubits long. v31 There will be three gates on the north side. Each gate will have the name of a *tribe of *Israel. The gates on the north side will be the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah and the gate of Levi.

v32 The east side will be 4500 *cubits long. Here there will be three gates. They will be the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin and the gate of Dan.

v33 The south side will be 4500 *cubits long. Here there will be three gates. They will be the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar and the gate of Zebulun.

v34 The west side will be 4500 *cubits long. Here there will be three gates. They will be the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher and the gate of Naphtali.

v35 The city shall be 18 000 *cubits round about. From that time, the name of the city will be “The *LORD is there.” ’

Verses 30-35 There will be three gates on each side of the city. The names of the gates will be the names of the *tribes.

The gates to the north will be Reuben, Judah and Levi. The gates to the east will be Joseph, Benjamin and Dan. Joseph was the father of Ephraim and Manasseh. So, Joseph’s name replaces their names here. The gates to the south will be Simeon, Issachar and Zebulun. The gates to the west will be Gad, Asher and Naphtali.

The gates to the north and the south have the names of Leah’s sons. She was one of Jacob’s wives. The gates to the east have the names of Rachel’s two sons and Dan. Rachel was the other wife of Jacob. Dan was the son of Rachel’s maid. The gates to the west have the names of Leah’s maid’s sons.

This city is for all the *Israelites. That is why the names of all the *tribes are on the gates.

For many centuries, the capital city of *Israel has been Jerusalem. That name means ‘the city of peace’. But the city has not often been peaceful. There have been many wars there. Only Jesus the *Messiah can bring about true peace that will last. And when he does, people from all the *tribes will live together peacefully in the capital city. And that city will have a new name, because the *Lord will be present with his people.

So, Ezekiel ends his *prophecy with the name of the city. Its name will be ‘the *Lord is there.’ The whole city, not just the *temple, has the *Lord’s name. This shows that there will be a new relationship between the *Lord and his people *Israel.

temple ~ a special building for the worship of God or other gods. The Jews had one in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
sacrifice ~ The priests killed a special animal and they burned it on an altar. That animal was called a sacrifice. They offered a sacrifice when they asked God to forgive sins. When Jesus died, he was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Animals or people whom God or other people kill for a purpose are also sacrifices (see Ezekiel 39:17). And people also made sacrifices to false gods.
altar ~ the special table where people burn animals or offer other gifts to God or to false gods.
sin ~ Sin means the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. People are called sinners because of their sins.
tribe ~ The Israelites were divided into the 12 families of the sons of Jacob. These families are the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel. Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah. However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
holy ~ a holy object is special; it is only for religion. God himself and his name are also called ‘holy’. This means that God and his name are perfect, in fact, even more than perfect.
Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people and things.
LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to himself. It probably means ‘always God’. This name has a relationship with the special promises that God gave to his people.
cubit ~ a length of about half a metre.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God or other gods. The Jews had one in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
turn ~ to change your behaviour, your friends, or your God; or, to carry out actions in order to oppose someone.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
Levites ~ members of the tribe whose ancestor is Levi, son of Jacob.
tribe ~ The Israelites were divided into the 12 families of the sons of Jacob. These families are the 12 tribes of Israel.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel. Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah. However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.
Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people and things.
LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to himself. It probably means ‘always God’. This name has a relationship with the special promises that God gave to his people.
Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel. Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah. However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
Messiah ~ The Jews expect a king to come who will save them. That king, called the Messiah, will rule both them and all people.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
prophesy ~ to speak a prophecy.
prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.
prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.