Ezekiel 45:8, commentary and pictures

In the land the prince is given his own possession in Israel, while the rest of the land is to be divided fairly among the tribes of the house of Israel, and the princes are commanded to cease oppressing and exacting from the people. It belongs to the vision of Ezekiel 36 to 48, and especially chapters 40 to 48, given while Israel was captive in Babylon as a pattern and offer of restoration of the twelve tribes, a new sanctuary and city in glory, and healing for the land if they were ashamed of their iniquities, put them away, and returned to God in obedience. Because Israel did not meet those conditions but rejected the offer, the sanctuary as described was never built and the promised glory was not fulfilled as described, and what followed was only a small and feeble realization in Zerubbabel's temple far short of the pattern, with fewer than fifty thousand returning and subjection to foes unto the Romans. If the conditions had been met the figures would have been literally fulfilled, but fleshly Israel did not yield so the literal details in every detail will never be so fulfilled, for the temple with its thousands of animal offerings by the sons of Levi belonged to the time before types met antitype in Christ and to renew them now would make His once-for-all offering of none effect. Wherein it failed for earthly Jerusalem it will be grandly and more gloriously realized as a general type for the true Israel at the second coming in the fulness of the immortal inheritance in the new heavens and new earth and the New Jerusalem, and it does not teach a future earthly age with restored Jerusalem sacrifices nor a special work of God among the literal Jews in the Christian dispensation.

Vision Setting and Context

Ezekiel 45:8 belongs to the vision of Ezekiel 36 to 48, and especially chapters 40 to 48, concerning the new sanctuary with its offerings and worship and glory, and concerning the city and the division of the land. It is part of the description of sanctuary, city, and land that would have been given to Israel if they had met God's conditions, whose promises and figures would then have been literally fulfilled. That vision has not been fulfilled, for no such city or sanctuary stands today, and it will not be fulfilled literally, for its offerings of thousands of sheep and oxen belonged to the time then present, shadowing forth the only effectual offering of Jesus Christ. To renew those sacrifices now would make Christ's once-for-all offering of none effect, building again what was destroyed and returning from sunlight to shadow. Those who apply this city-and-land vision to a future earthly age with a restored Jerusalem where offerings and sacrifices continue and take the place of the heavenly Jerusalem misread it.

The vision was given as a pattern and offer while the house of Israel was captive in Babylon, to encourage the captive Jews with a future kingdom of God. It promised restoration of the twelve tribes to their own land with a city and a temple in wonderful glory, if they became ashamed of their iniquities, put them away, and returned to God. It describes another sanctuary building with holy places including a most holy of a stated size, called the sanctuary a stated number of times, offered on condition of shame for iniquity with promise of what God would do if the conditions were fulfilled. That promise was connected to the restoration when the whole house of Israel could have gone up if they had chosen under the decree of Cyrus, but Israel rejected the offer and disregarded the condition, so the sanctuary was never built and the glory offered was never inherited. The same setting contains allusions to the Sabbath of the Lord and to the Hebrew festivals.

The same setting presents the pattern for a temple at the center of a restored Jerusalem, grand and magnificent, whose presence would bring life and healing to the land and would ultimately become a house of prayer for all nations. It covers the same period and the same purpose of God toward Jerusalem as Zechariah 2, the one being the counterpart of the other. It was a conditional prophecy concerning the future of Jerusalem, given on condition that God's people put aside sins and come up to the full measure of children of God. Because they failed to meet that standard and did not yield fully to God, they forfeited its privileges, the temple in Ezekiel's pattern was never built, and the later temple built after the return from Babylon fell far short of it. Wherein it failed for old earthly Jerusalem then, it will be grandly realized in the New City that awaits the true Israel of God.

The verse stands within a larger promised restoration far exceeding any prosperity or power Israel had dreamed of, after gathering scattered Israel home to their own land with forgiven sins, new hearts, and rebuilt waste cities as a holy flock. The whole house of Israel was to be revived as dry bones clothed with flesh and life, including the raising of their righteous dead, with Israel and Judah joined together in one nation under the seed of David ruling over them. Before them the northern Scythian nations of Gog and Magog with the kings of the North and all enemies far and near were to be destroyed and subjected, and God's life and healing power was to come down upon Palestine and the earth as never before, with His glory resting on the city named from that day forward Jehovah-shammah, meaning Jehovah is there. The land promise in the verse faintly foreshadows what God will restore by His mighty power in the new heavens and new earth. Because Israel was not ashamed and did not put away wickedness and iniquities, the glorious temple and division were never realized and the promise received only the feeblest fulfillment, with less than fifty thousand gathered back, only Zerubbabel's temple erected as a shadow of that greatness and not at all equal in glory to Solomon's, with northern foes persecuting instead of being destroyed preeminently under Antiochus IV, and with final subjection to the Romans until the nation was destroyed, for the temple with its sacrifices will never be built because Jesus Christ fulfilled all sacrifices by His death on the cross.

Prince and Land Promise

The verse assigns the prince a possession in the land in Israel, while the rest of the land is to be given to the house of Israel according to their tribes. That remaining land is to be allotted fairly among the tribes under just rule, with the princes no longer oppressing the people. This ordering of land and rule belongs to the promised restoration in which the people would return to their land and worship in the sanctuary described in Ezekiel 40-48.

The prince is a mortal ruler in Israel, not Christ, who is commanded to stop oppressing the people and taking exactions from them. The verse therefore means freedom from oppression by princes and a settled tribal inheritance by tribes. It does not describe the glorified age to come.

The prince's authority and landholding are limited, unlike Christ's possession of the earth. He is forbidden to oppress the people or take their property for his sons, and must provide his sons' inheritance from his own possession. He is also required to provide offerings for himself, which marks him as distinct from Jesus Christ, who is the sin-offering for the world.

Conditional Offer and History

The sanctuary, its land division, and the ending of oppression were offered only on condition that Israel become ashamed of sins, repent, put away iniquity, and yield to God in faith and obedience. The condition looked to the time after the seventy years captivity and under the return from Babylon, when the people were to come up to the full measure of children of God and return wholeheartedly to Him. If they had done so God would have established the sanctuary, brought the twelve tribes back to the land, allotted the land among them, and caused the princes no longer to oppress the people. The vision therefore belonged to the past dispensation in which it was given during the captivity, not to the present or to the immortal state in its local form. What God would have done for Israel if they had been willing stands as a prophecy of greater spiritual things He will do for His people through Christ, to be fulfilled in Christ and in the new earth and New Jerusalem.

Because Israel did not meet the conditions but rejected the offer and failed to return wholeheartedly, the sanctuary as Ezekiel described it was never built. The promised restoration and glory in wonderful beauty, with its city and temple, were never inherited as described because the condition was disregarded. The glorious temple and division of the land were never realized, and the later temple built after the return fell far short of the pattern shown for a temple at the center of a restored Jerusalem whose presence would bring life and healing.

What followed was only a small, weak, and feeble realization of the promise. The temple built by Zerubbabel was only a shadow of the greatness described, falling far short of the pattern and not equal in glory to Solomon's. Only about forty thousand, less than fifty thousand, returned after the Babylonian captivity, so the promises in their fullness were not realized. Northern foes persecuted instead of being destroyed and subjected with all enemies far and near, preeminently under Antiochus IV, and Israel was finally subjected to the Romans until the nation was destroyed.

If Israel had met God's conditions the promises and figures of these chapters would have been literally fulfilled at that time, with freedom from oppression by princes and a settled tribal inheritance fairly allotted. Because fleshly Israel did not yield, truly repent, and become ashamed, the literal details never were fulfilled and never will be fulfilled literally in every detail. The full glorious fulfillment depended on heeding God's words, and its land arrangement will not be literally fulfilled but will be fulfilled to the true Israel according to later revelation, in future glory and the fullness of the immortal inheritance given to the faithful in fullest measure.

The temple with its sacrifices of thousands of sheep and oxen, to be offered by the sons of Levi, belonged to the time then present before Christ, when types met their antitype in the only effectual offering of Jesus Christ. It was not to be built after the opening of the Christian dispensation, and no such city or sanctuary stands today. To renew those sacrifices now would make Christ's once-for-all offering of none effect, annul His death on the cross, build again what was destroyed, and return from sunlight to shadow.

Future Hope and Misreadings

The conditional vision of temple, ceremonies, offerings, and division of the land among the twelve tribes after return from Babylon was what God would have done for Israel if they had returned wholeheartedly, forsaken sin, and become ashamed of iniquities. Because they were not willing and failed to meet those conditions, the promised restoration and its glory were not fulfilled as described but only in small part. The unfulfilled promise therefore stands as a prophecy of greater spiritual things the Lord will do for His people through Christ. It serves as a general type of what God will do for His people at the second coming, though not in every detail nor under the local conditions of Ezekiel's time.

Wherein it failed for old earthly Jerusalem it will be grandly and more gloriously realized for the true Israel of God in the New City that awaits them. The literal details belonging to fleshly Israel will never be fulfilled literally, but according to later revelation the promise will be fulfilled to the true Israel in future glory in the fulness of the immortal inheritance given to the faithful in fullest measure. God will fulfill His promises to His people in Christ in the new heavens and new earth and the New Jerusalem, which the land promise faintly foreshadows and which was meant finally after the time when temple sacrifices as types met their antitype. There absolute peace presides so that no harm comes to the feeblest, under greater conditions than the earlier detail, much of which will not remain, since the glorious temple with its sacrifices will never be built because Jesus Christ fulfilled all sacrifices by His death on the cross.

The city-and-land vision of Ezekiel 40-48 does not establish a future earthly age with a restored Jerusalem where offerings and sacrifices continue and take the place of the heavenly Jerusalem. Nor do the last nineteen chapters teach a reign of Christ, an inheritance of the saints, or a return of the Jews as a special work of God among the literal Jews in the Christian dispensation. The taking of the saints to heaven at Christ's second coming and the desolation of the earth overthrows that theory, for God has no special work among the Jews in the Christian dispensation.