The Specific Allocation of the Land
Book of Ezekiel
Chapter 48 verse 1_9-10_11_21_29_31-35
In our lesson today
we will see that Jehovah will divide the Promised Land far
differently than it was divided by Moses or Joshua.
If there were a
comparison, then this division is closer to that of Moses than the
division by Joshua.
One of the most
important things we need to know is, that all lands will be far
different after the 7 years of tribulation than they were before.
The Lord will cause
a major change in the structure of all the lands and this includes
the Promised Land.
We should understand
that this will be the exact division of these lands during the
Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ!
The world will not
be involved in this division! Jesus will not ask for suggestions!
The United Nations
will not exist!
There will be no
power but the power of the Lord Jesus Christ!
The land will be
divided equally among the families of each tribe, remember all 12
tribes will have returned home to Israel.
The tribe of Levi
will still not have a portion of land as the other tribes.
We should remember
it was actually Levi who caused Joseph to be placed in that hole in
the ground and intended to return later to kill him.
There will also be
some Gentile foreigners living among the Jews, but these will be true
believers only and they will be treated the same as native born
Israelites!
These foreigners
will receive an inheritance within the borders of the tribe they
settle with.
There will be a
sacred district set aside for the Lord.
There will be seven
tribes will be north of the Temple and five tribes south of the
Temple.
From last week’s
lesson we know that this is the Temple described to us in the Book of
Ezekiel.
The tribe of Judah
will still be located closest to the new Temple(the Temple of
Ezekiel).
There will be a
portion of land set aside for the Lord and His Temple.
The tribe of Dan
will still be farther to the North.(They were the most idolatrous)
The tribe of Gad
will be located farther to the South.
The tribe of Gad
continued all through history to follow the pastoral pursuits of the
patriarchs.
The tribe of Dan
always seemed to give in to the evilness that was around them.
In reality we will
see that politics had no part in the location of each tribe nor each
person!
The Lord Jesus
Christ has an equal love for all His children!
Chapter 48 verse 1:
*****Eze 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, Hazarenan, the border of
Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides
east and west; a portion for Dan.
The names of the
tribes are the tribe of Dan, the tribe of Asher, the tribe of
Naphtali, the tribe of Manasseh, the tribe of Ephraim, the tribe of
Reuben, the tribe of Benjamin, the tribe of Simeon, the tribe of
Issachar, the tribe of Zebulon, and the tribe of Gad.
Notice Joseph still
has a double portion of land divided between his two children.
There is also a
place set aside for the Levites, in that area the Lord set aside for
Himself.
In this land
dedicated to the Lord, will be the city of Jerusalem, the Sanctuary
of the Lord(The Temple as described by Ezekiel), the Levites, a
portion for the prince, and a portion for the priests but only the
priests in the line of Zadok.
The size of the
Lord's portion will be 50 miles long and 20 miles wide and God's
sanctuary will be in the center.
The most important
piece of all this land is the land given to the priests!
*****Eze 48:9 The
oblation that ye shall offer unto the LORD shall be of five and
twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth.
Eze 48:10 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.
That word "oblation"
means a sacrifice of the first fruits. The first portion of the of
this land will be set aside for the priests but not just any priest.
This land will be
set aside for the priestly descendants of the High Priest Zadok from
the time of King David.
It is these priests
that had remained faithful to the Word of God all the years of the
monarchs.
It will be those
priests in the line of Zadok who will offer the sacrifices in the
Temple of Ezekiel.
Prior to the
Babylonian exile, the other priests of the tribe of Levi had been
some of the worst betrayers of the Word of God and had become idol
worshipers.
The family of Zadok
had remained faithful!
*****Eze 48:11 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.
Zadok and Abiathar
were High priests in the time of Solomon.
We should understand
the Lord God Jehovah will always do as He has said He will do!
Abiathar had sided
with Adonijah rather than Solomon and Solomon thrust him out of the
priesthood. Zadok remained faithful all his years!
1Ki 2:27 So Solomon
thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might
fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of
Eli in Shiloh.
What did God tell
Eli?
1Sa 2:32 And thou
shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God
shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house
for ever.
1Sa 2:33 And the
man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to
consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase
of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.
1Sa 2:34 And this
shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on
Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.
1Sa 2:35 And I will
raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which
is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house;
and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.
We should understand
God expects a lot from priests and this is another example for those
who fall away from the Lord!
We should also
understand this entire division of land is based upon faithfulness to
the Word of God!
Even the land in the
portion set aside for the prince is divided according to
faithfulness!
All land divisions
during the Millennial Reign of Christ Jesus will be according to
faithfulness and servitude!
This includes the
land set aside for the prince.
*****Eze 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.
Here again I just
feel that this prince is in typology, could the Church but I also
realize that the Church may be scattered around all remaining nations
as "judges" and "spiritual leaders".
It is not possible
for this prince to be the church because the Church will all be in
glorified bodies like that of the Lord.
This prince is
certainly one who has accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior!
This prince will
certainly represent the seat of government, not only of the nation of
Israel, but also the entire world!
This area for the
prince is ten times the area set aside for the Millennial Temple.
We know that "ten"
represents the tithe, which again could be the tithe of those in the
Church which could be part of the government.
Rev_5:10 And hast
made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the
earth.
Jehovah has set this
area apart from all of Israel as a sacred district, and this district
will be involved in all the lawmaking for the entire world and of
course the same Word of God we have today will be the basis for all
laws!
If we look back at
last week’s lesson, we know that this prince was ordained and set
apart for the ministry of Jehovah God!
I keep mentioning
Jehovah for one reason and that reason is that Jehovah is not Allah
and Allah is not Jehovah!
Jehovah is the God
of Israel!
Joh 4:22 Ye worship
ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the
Jews.
Jehovah is, God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit(Ghost)!
*****Eze 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.
All the remaining
land of the Millennial nation of Israel, will be divided equally
among all 12 tribes.
1Ch 16:13 O ye seed
of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
1Ch 16:14 He is the
LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
1Ch 16:15 Be ye
mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a
thousand generations;
1Ch 16:16 Even of
the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac;
1Ch 16:17 And hath
confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an
everlasting covenant,
There will be no
cities of refuge, because the Messiah will be the only refuge for all
the world!
Unlike the Church,
which is with the Lord after the rapture and now glorified, these
people of Israel will still be living in their physical bodies and
able to reproduce, and it will be the same for all the nations of the
world at this time, and we all know how family problems can creep
into these relationships.
There will be an
explosion of growth during the 1000 years and good food, pure water,
and pure air, will never be an issue!
They will all know
the Lord and live godly lives, but they will still need guidance as
long as they are in those physical bodies!
Satan will not be
around to hinder them, so temptation will not be an issue.
Rev 20:2 And he
laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and
Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 And cast
him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon
him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand
years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little
season.
The nation of Israel
and the nations that have survived because they helped Israel, will
live in a perfect environment, with perfect laws, and perfect judges.
They will not have
to worry about what nature will do because all of nature will be at
peace.
The land will be
perfect.
The animals will be
perfect.
The water will be
perfect.
The food will be
perfect.
The government will
be perfect.
The worship will be
perfect.
Rev 20:6 Blessed
and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the
second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
And now Ezekiel will
tell us of the city of Jerusalem, the capitol city of the world.
*****Eze 48:30 And
these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand
and five hundred measures.
Eze 48:31 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.
The seat of the
government of the entire world will be the city of Jerusalem!
Jerusalem will be
the capitol of the world during the Millennial Reign of Christ!
All the business in
this entire world will be handled through Jerusalem.
Not New York City.
Not Moscow. Not any other city that is important today.
The Church will be
scattered throughout the world to be priests and judges.
All the gates to the
city will be named after the sons of Jacob whose name was changed to
Israel.
If we do not have a
new name, then we may not belong to the Lord!
Gen_32:28 And he
said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a
prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
We should also
notice in this Scripture that word "prince".
We should notice
that the arrangement of the tribes in the land is not according to
the birth of the patriarchs.
The arrangement of
the tribes is not according to the blessing of Jacob.
The arrangement of
the tribes is not according to the way of Joshua.
The arrangement of
the tribes now includes a distinct area for the Levites. Their
position is now outside the Temple and not within the Temple.
This arrangement now
includes an area for the prince that we still question his identity.
I must admit I do not know his true identity and it is not important
to the Church.
The arrangement of
these lands is according to faithfulness and servitude as we have
already said!
For the answers to
the Church during this time we must rely on the New Testament
Scriptures, for we know we will be with the Lord for He said He would
never leave us.
Eph 1:21 Far above
all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name
that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to
come:
Eph 1:22 And hath
put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all
things to the church,
Eph 1:23 Which is
his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Eph 2:20 And are
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21 In whom
all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in
the Lord:
Eph 2:22 In whom ye
also are builded together for an habitation of God through the
Spirit.
We also know that
this time of the Millenial Kingdom is set aside for the Lord to deal
with Israel as He had promised!
*****Eze 48:32 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.
Eze 48:33 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.
Eze 48:34 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.
Eze 48:35 It was
round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from
that day shall be, The LORD is there.
These gates will be
named after the sons of Israel.
1Ch 2:1 These are
the sons of Israel; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, and
Zebulun,
1Ch 2:2 Dan,
Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
Notice that the
gates will be named after the 12 sons of Israel and Joseph will be a
name of a gate and Levi will also be a name of a gate.
These "measures"
could be just as easily with the "rod" (6 to 9 feet) just
as well as it could be with the "cubit" (18 to 22 inches).
There would be 3
gates on each side with each gate named after a son of Jacob.
If the "cubit"
is used Jerusalem would be 5 to 6 mile in circumference.
If the "rod"
is used Jerusalem would be in the neighborhood of 30 miles in
circumference which makes more sense to me, but is not worth an
argument for the Lord will be there.
We immediately see
God is faithful to all the House of Israel in every way as He had
stated!
Jerusalem will not
only be the city of power, and the city of government, but it will
become the eternal city of salvation for all who trust the Lord Jesus
Christ!
Every believer will
know the peace and security of God's promises and God's truth!
The Lord Himself
will dwell upon this earth for 1000 years and Satan will be locked
and bound during this whole time.
There will be no
temptations.
There will only be
the truth of God!
And yet in the end,
there will still be some who will rebel against perfection!
We must understand
that in the New Jerusalem and the New Earth there will not be any who
doubt the Lord Jesus Christ is God!
At the end of the
1000 years, Satan will be released for a short time and these that
rebelled will be eliminated.
Rev 20:3 And cast
him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon
him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand
years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little
season.
Then will come the
judgment of the saints from the Tribulation period and the 1000
years.
Rev 20:4 And I saw
thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them:
and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the
beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ
a thousand years.
Then will come the
last war that will only last for a day or less.
Rev 20:7 And when
the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his
prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall
go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the
earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number
of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And they
went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the
saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out
of heaven, and devoured them.
Only then will come
the White Throne Judgement at the end of all these things!
We do not have to
worry about this world ending soon or that man can destroy our world.
Only God can destroy
His own creation, He will not allow man to do so!
Amen
Let's Pray!
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