Ezekiel 48:17, commentary and pictures

The suburbs belonging to the city reach 250 measures toward the north and 250 toward the south and 250 toward the east and 250 toward the west, as part of the sanctuary, city and division of the land with a new and glorious temple and God's presence among His people. The pattern was shown to Ezekiel among the captives in Ezekiel 40-48, fourteen years after Jerusalem, the temple and the sanctuary were destroyed in the eleventh year of Zedekiah in B.C. 588, the vision being given in B.C. 574. The whole vision, including this measure, was a gracious provisional offer conditioned on Israel being ashamed of their iniquities, putting them away, turning, repenting and returning wholeheartedly from captivity, which if met would have been literally fulfilled in fullest detail in the restoration from Babylon at the end of the seventy years. Israel did not meet the conditions but continued in apostasy, with only about forty thousand returning, so the sanctuary and city described were never built and never will be built in their literal details, having only a feeble partial shadow fulfillment in the inferior temple built by Zerubbabel and Ezra. It cannot belong to the future immortal state or the gospel dispensation, for the prince here is a frail mortal who must offer sin-offerings for himself and has sons and servants, while sacrifice has ceased when Christ reigns, and it requires circumcision, distinction of clean and unclean meats, and bulls and goats and the Levitical priesthood abolished at the cross, to renew which would annul Christ's once-for-all offering. In its spiritual aspect it stands as a faint general type of greater things God will do through Christ, to be realized under greater conditions with much former detail omitted in the holy city prepared in heaven to descend to earth, even the earth made new, where the temporary allotment points to a lasting permanent inheritance apportioned among the families of the redeemed.

Vision's Setting and Measurements

The verse belongs to the pattern of another sanctuary, city, and division of the land shown to Ezekiel among the captives in Ezekiel 40-48, given in B.C. 574, fourteen years after Jerusalem, the temple, and the sanctuary were destroyed in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in B.C. 588. It was offered to be shown to the house of Israel in captivity as what God would cause to be established with the return of the twelve tribes.

Like the tabernacle and the temple, the building shown has two holy places, and its most holy place is the same size as Solomon's. The word sanctuary is applied to this building throughout the vision, including in chapter 48. The vision describes in detail the sanctuary, the city and its arrangements, and the division of the land among the twelve tribes, with a new and glorious temple built and God's presence among His people.

The suburbs of the city extend 250 toward the north, 250 toward the south, 250 toward the east, and 250 toward the west. They are part of that conditional offer of Jerusalem made a praise in the earth with the sanctuary built within it. No separate explanation of these specific measurements is given. The closing chapters are noted as seeming to predict a greater temple, without identifying its fulfillment with Herod's temple.

The city was to be the center of blessed worship with God's glory resting upon it. It teaches that Jehovah is there, whose presence would heal all barren land, salt marshes, and impure waters and would give life to all. It is a grand and magnificent temple pattern for restored Jerusalem that would ultimately become a house of prayer for all nations.

Conditional Promise Left Unfulfilled

Ezekiel 48:17 belongs to a gracious, provisional offer of a new temple, a new city, and a new division of the land set before captive Israel in Ezekiel 40-48. The offer was conditional throughout on Israel being ashamed of iniquities, putting them away, turning from wickedness, repenting, yielding fully to God, obeying, and returning wholeheartedly from captivity, under the universal conditions of turning and judgment. Had Israel met those conditions, the promises, including the city's measurements and suburbs and the building of the temple with its attendant sacrifices, would have been literally fulfilled in fullest detail in the restoration from Babylon at the end of the seventy years. In its spiritual aspect the unfulfilled temple vision still stands as a prophecy of greater things God will do for His people through Christ.

Israel did not meet the conditions, was not ashamed, did not truly and fully repent, continued in apostasy, and rejected the offer. When the decree for restoration went forth all Israel could go up, but the ten tribes slighted it and only Judah and Benjamin with a portion of Levi and a few others went up, only about forty thousand returning. The promised restoration was therefore forfeited, and what followed was only a feeble, partial, shadow fulfillment in the inferior, lesser temple built by Zerubbabel and Ezra, when far greater things had been promised. Because the people were unwilling and unfaithful, God did not then do all that was promised in the form shown in the vision.

The sanctuary and city described were never built and never will be built. They were designed to be fulfilled not in the future immortal state and not in the present dispensation but in the past, and were not to be built after the Christian dispensation began. Their literal details, including the suburbs of the city, will never be fulfilled. That Jerusalem was never thus restored because Israel would not yield all to God, and God could not come in and dwell among a half-hearted people to dishonor His name.

The vision cannot belong to the future immortal state or to the future reign of Christ and His saints. There is only one Prince and King over Israel in the glorified state, Jesus, while the prince here is a frail mortal who must offer sin-offerings and all kinds of offerings for himself, has sons and servants to whom he gives inheritance, must take away exactions, and is forbidden to oppress the people, whereas when Christ reigns sacrifice has ceased and there is no oppression. It cannot belong to the gospel dispensation, for it requires literal circumcision, permitted divorce, distinction between clean and unclean meats, burnt-offerings and sin-offerings of bulls and goats, the Levitical priesthood, and the old sacrificial service, all abolished or superseded at the cross and first advent. To renew animal sacrifices and build this sanctuary in the future would undermine and annul Christ's once-for-all offering, since offering sacrifices after Christ's sacrifice would set aside the sacrifice He offered. The city in the vision is not the New Jerusalem.

Future Hope Beyond Letter

In its spiritual aspect the temple vision remains a prophecy of greater things God will do for His people through Christ. It is a faint, general type of what God will do for His people at the second coming and related events. It is not a prediction to be fulfilled in every detail nor in the same local conditions as in Ezekiel's day.

What was promised for earthly Jerusalem will instead be realized in the New City prepared for God's people. That holy city is prepared in heaven to descend to earth, for God's purpose has not changed though the city envisioned was never built because Israel failed to do its part. The promises will be fulfilled under greater conditions, with much of the former detail omitted, and the literal details of the suburbs will never be fulfilled. The future glory and fulness of the immortal inheritance will still come to the faithful true Israel according to later revelations, even the earth made new given as a more glorious inheritance to redeemed true Israel.

The apportionment of the promised land in Ezekiel 48 was temporary in its original setting but was designed to point to God's purpose for the future world. There the allotment points to a lasting, permanent inheritance apportioned among the families of the redeemed. Though times and surroundings vary, God's purposes toward wicked nations and toward true Israel remain the same. Gog and Magog representing the northern nations are punished in part in this world and in full at the coming of Christ and ultimately at the end of the 1,000 years.

Had God's people met the conditions, the plan for the sanctuary and city would have been built on the present earth as the Messiah's kingdom was established. If Israel had been faithful, the resurrection of Ezekiel 37 would have taken place and the northern enemies of Ezekiel 38 and 39 would have been destroyed by plagues. Then Israel would have built the marvelous sanctuary and city with its suburbs, with the presence of God dwelling among them in overpowering glory. No separate explanation of the specific measurements of the suburbs is given.

That Jerusalem was never thus restored and that temple was never built and never will be built, because Israel would not yield all to God. God could not come in and dwell among a half-hearted people, nor build a temple for His name for them to dishonor. The temple actually built at the restoration from Babylon fell far short of Ezekiel's pattern. It never saw the glory of Solomon's temple except in the person of Jesus Christ, whom the temple-keepers rejected.