And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion.
The allotment gives Gad its own strip of land reaching fully from east to west beside Zebulun, as one share in the new twelve-tribe division of the land that would have been unlike the old settlement and would have been carried out literally. It was part of the temple, city and land shown to encourage the captives with God's offer to bring them back from captivity to glory, but only if they were ashamed of their ways, put away iniquity and returned to Him in faith and obedience. Israel did not meet those terms and only a remnant returned, so the glorious house and its full division were never built, and in its stated literal details including Gad's portion and its sacrifices it will never be built literally. In its spiritual aspect it stands as a type of greater things God will do through Christ, to be fulfilled to the true Israel of faithful believers of all nations in the immortal inheritance of the earth made new with the New Jerusalem.
Verse Text and Context
The allotment gives Gad a portion lying along the border of Zebulun, running from the east side to the west side, as one of the twelve tribal allotments in the new division of the land set out in Ezekiel 47-48. That new division would have differed from the former arrangement of the tribes, and the promised allocation would have been fulfilled literally. Beyond treating the verse as part of that division, no further explanation of the specific boundary detail is given. It belongs to the description of the land and the envisioned city and its land arrangement that God would have given at that time.
The verse belongs to the pattern of another sanctuary and city, a temple and land arrangement in Ezekiel 36-48, especially Ezekiel 40-48. The pattern was shown to Ezekiel fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed, to show to the house of Israel in Babylonian captivity. It was given to encourage the captive Jews with God's gracious offer to restore them from the seventy-year captivity to their land with a city and temple in glory. Like the tabernacle and the temple the building had two holy places, with a most holy place of the same size as Solomon's temple, but how the work would be carried out is secondary and unrevealed.
The whole vision including this allotment was offered conditionally. The condition was that Israel be ashamed and confounded for their ways and iniquities, put away wickedness and iniquities, and be cleansed from sin. They were to return to God wholeheartedly with faith and obedience, truly and fully repent, and live up to their calling when restoration was offered.
Conditional Promise Never Built
The allotment to Gad by the border of Zebulun from east to west belongs to the conditional offer running from Ezekiel 36 onward, in which God promised captive Israel the raising of the righteous dead, the subjection of the kings of the north and enemies far and near, a new temple, a new division of the land among the tribes, and the coming of His life and healing power upon Palestine and the earth as never before. Its fulfillment depended on Israel being ashamed and confounded for their ways, being cleansed from sin, putting away wickedness and iniquities, and returning to God with faith and obedience when restoration from the seventy-year captivity was offered. Israel was not ashamed and did not put away iniquities, but continued in apostasy and failed to leave Babylon and do its part, and only a few returned when Cyrus offered the opportunity, only Judah and Benjamin with a portion of Levi and a few others going up. Therefore the glorious temple and city were never built, and only the inferior temple of Zerubbabel and Ezra was erected with a shadow of its greatness, falling far short of the pattern and never seeing Solomon's glory except in the person of Jesus Christ. Had Israel been faithful and been brought back to the mountains of Israel to shoot forth branches and yield fruit and to receive better things than at their beginnings, the resurrection pictured in Ezekiel 37 would have taken place, the enemies from the north pictured in Ezekiel 38-39 would have been destroyed by plagues, Israel would have built the marvelous sanctuary, the presence of God would have dwelt among them in overpowering glory, and the name of the city would have been Jehovah Is There.
The vision with Gad's portion does not directly describe the immortal state, the gospel dispensation, the New Jerusalem, or a future temple with renewed sacrifices. That state has only one Prince and King over Israel, Jesus, while this vision shows a mortal prince who must offer a sin offering and all kinds of offerings for himself, who must take away exactions, who has sons and servants to receive inheritance, and who must not oppress the people, whereas when Christ reigns sacrifice has ceased and officers are peace and exactors righteousness with no oppression. It cannot describe the gospel dispensation because it requires literal circumcision, permits divorce, maintains clean and unclean meats, continues burnt offerings and sin offerings of bulls and goats, and continues the Levitical priesthood superseded by the priesthood of Melchisedec. Its typical sacrifices pointed to Christ and were fulfilled by His death on the cross, so to offer them again after Christ's sacrifice would annul His offering and set it aside.
Because of Israel's failure the conditional promise in its stated literal details will never be fulfilled literally and the sanctuary will never be built literally. This includes the full land division for Gad in the divided land God would have given at that time if Israel had been ashamed and truly and fully repented, the building of the temple with its attendant sacrifices, and the burning of weapons for seven years. The promised privileges and restoration were forfeited for earthly Jerusalem and do not hold in their stated details, though read in the light of the New Testament revelation that the Gentiles are fellowheirs and partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, God's purposes toward wicked nations and the true Israel remain the same though times and surroundings vary.
Typical Future Fulfillment
In its spiritual aspect the temple vision stands as a prophecy of greater things to be done for the people through Christ, and the restoration with its division of the land among the twelve tribes serves as a general type of what will be done at the second coming, though not in every detail. The literal details will never be fulfilled, including the burning of weapons for seven years and the building of the temple with its attendant sacrifices, but the purposes toward wicked nations and the true Israel remain the same though times and surroundings vary. What was offered as restored Palestine with a glory beyond conceiving will be fulfilled under far greater conditions with much of the former detail eliminated. That kingdom was not fulfilled in the earth's present condition, but its peace will be fulfilled more gloriously in the new earth, with a greater fulfillment in events connected with Christ's coming.
What was promised will be fulfilled to the true Israel, the faithful, in future glory and the fullness of the immortal inheritance, but according to later revelations rather than its stated details. The promised privileges were forfeited for earthly Jerusalem, and the purposes of the vision will instead be realized in the New City for God's true Israel, in the new earth whose capital is the New Jerusalem. That true Israel includes the Gentiles as fellowheirs and partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel, where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian. The allotment of the promised land among tribes and families by lot, including Gad's portion along the border of Zebulun from the east side to the west side, was a temporary type to teach that purpose, while in the future world the redeemed receive a more glorious, individual inheritance that endures forever.
Faintly typical of that restoration are the raising of the righteous dead, the subjection and defeat of the kings of the north and enemies far and near by plagues, and the coming of life and healing power upon Palestine and the earth as never before. Gog and Magog, representing the northern nations, are punished in part in this world before and when Christ comes and in full at the end of the 1,000 years. Had the conditions been met the presence of God would have dwelt among them in overpowering glory in the city called Jehovah Is There, healing all barren land, all salt marshes, and all impure waters and giving life to all. There was offered lengthened life and a true-hearted people whose character would lay hold upon the animals themselves, with the manifest presence of God dwelling constantly among them so there would be no hurt nor destroying in all His holy mountain. For the new earth state there remains absolute joy and peace and harmony among all creatures.
The allotment gives Gad its own strip of land reaching fully from east to west beside Zebulun, as one share in the new twelve-tribe division of the land that would have been unlike the old settlement and would have been carried out literally. It was part of the temple, city and land shown to encourage the captives with God's offer to bring them back from captivity to glory, but only if they were ashamed of their ways, put away iniquity and returned to Him in faith and obedience. Israel did not meet those terms and only a remnant returned, so the glorious house and its full division were never built, and in its stated literal details including Gad's portion and its sacrifices it will never be built literally. In its spiritual aspect it stands as a type of greater things God will do through Christ, to be fulfilled to the true Israel of faithful believers of all nations in the immortal inheritance of the earth made new with the New Jerusalem.
Verse Text and Context
The allotment gives Gad a portion lying along the border of Zebulun, running from the east side to the west side, as one of the twelve tribal allotments in the new division of the land set out in Ezekiel 47-48. That new division would have differed from the former arrangement of the tribes, and the promised allocation would have been fulfilled literally. Beyond treating the verse as part of that division, no further explanation of the specific boundary detail is given. It belongs to the description of the land and the envisioned city and its land arrangement that God would have given at that time.
The verse belongs to the pattern of another sanctuary and city, a temple and land arrangement in Ezekiel 36-48, especially Ezekiel 40-48. The pattern was shown to Ezekiel fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed, to show to the house of Israel in Babylonian captivity. It was given to encourage the captive Jews with God's gracious offer to restore them from the seventy-year captivity to their land with a city and temple in glory. Like the tabernacle and the temple the building had two holy places, with a most holy place of the same size as Solomon's temple, but how the work would be carried out is secondary and unrevealed.
The whole vision including this allotment was offered conditionally. The condition was that Israel be ashamed and confounded for their ways and iniquities, put away wickedness and iniquities, and be cleansed from sin. They were to return to God wholeheartedly with faith and obedience, truly and fully repent, and live up to their calling when restoration was offered.
Conditional Promise Never Built
The allotment to Gad by the border of Zebulun from east to west belongs to the conditional offer running from Ezekiel 36 onward, in which God promised captive Israel the raising of the righteous dead, the subjection of the kings of the north and enemies far and near, a new temple, a new division of the land among the tribes, and the coming of His life and healing power upon Palestine and the earth as never before. Its fulfillment depended on Israel being ashamed and confounded for their ways, being cleansed from sin, putting away wickedness and iniquities, and returning to God with faith and obedience when restoration from the seventy-year captivity was offered. Israel was not ashamed and did not put away iniquities, but continued in apostasy and failed to leave Babylon and do its part, and only a few returned when Cyrus offered the opportunity, only Judah and Benjamin with a portion of Levi and a few others going up. Therefore the glorious temple and city were never built, and only the inferior temple of Zerubbabel and Ezra was erected with a shadow of its greatness, falling far short of the pattern and never seeing Solomon's glory except in the person of Jesus Christ. Had Israel been faithful and been brought back to the mountains of Israel to shoot forth branches and yield fruit and to receive better things than at their beginnings, the resurrection pictured in Ezekiel 37 would have taken place, the enemies from the north pictured in Ezekiel 38-39 would have been destroyed by plagues, Israel would have built the marvelous sanctuary, the presence of God would have dwelt among them in overpowering glory, and the name of the city would have been Jehovah Is There.
The vision with Gad's portion does not directly describe the immortal state, the gospel dispensation, the New Jerusalem, or a future temple with renewed sacrifices. That state has only one Prince and King over Israel, Jesus, while this vision shows a mortal prince who must offer a sin offering and all kinds of offerings for himself, who must take away exactions, who has sons and servants to receive inheritance, and who must not oppress the people, whereas when Christ reigns sacrifice has ceased and officers are peace and exactors righteousness with no oppression. It cannot describe the gospel dispensation because it requires literal circumcision, permits divorce, maintains clean and unclean meats, continues burnt offerings and sin offerings of bulls and goats, and continues the Levitical priesthood superseded by the priesthood of Melchisedec. Its typical sacrifices pointed to Christ and were fulfilled by His death on the cross, so to offer them again after Christ's sacrifice would annul His offering and set it aside.
Because of Israel's failure the conditional promise in its stated literal details will never be fulfilled literally and the sanctuary will never be built literally. This includes the full land division for Gad in the divided land God would have given at that time if Israel had been ashamed and truly and fully repented, the building of the temple with its attendant sacrifices, and the burning of weapons for seven years. The promised privileges and restoration were forfeited for earthly Jerusalem and do not hold in their stated details, though read in the light of the New Testament revelation that the Gentiles are fellowheirs and partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, God's purposes toward wicked nations and the true Israel remain the same though times and surroundings vary.
Typical Future Fulfillment
In its spiritual aspect the temple vision stands as a prophecy of greater things to be done for the people through Christ, and the restoration with its division of the land among the twelve tribes serves as a general type of what will be done at the second coming, though not in every detail. The literal details will never be fulfilled, including the burning of weapons for seven years and the building of the temple with its attendant sacrifices, but the purposes toward wicked nations and the true Israel remain the same though times and surroundings vary. What was offered as restored Palestine with a glory beyond conceiving will be fulfilled under far greater conditions with much of the former detail eliminated. That kingdom was not fulfilled in the earth's present condition, but its peace will be fulfilled more gloriously in the new earth, with a greater fulfillment in events connected with Christ's coming.
What was promised will be fulfilled to the true Israel, the faithful, in future glory and the fullness of the immortal inheritance, but according to later revelations rather than its stated details. The promised privileges were forfeited for earthly Jerusalem, and the purposes of the vision will instead be realized in the New City for God's true Israel, in the new earth whose capital is the New Jerusalem. That true Israel includes the Gentiles as fellowheirs and partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel, where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian. The allotment of the promised land among tribes and families by lot, including Gad's portion along the border of Zebulun from the east side to the west side, was a temporary type to teach that purpose, while in the future world the redeemed receive a more glorious, individual inheritance that endures forever.
Faintly typical of that restoration are the raising of the righteous dead, the subjection and defeat of the kings of the north and enemies far and near by plagues, and the coming of life and healing power upon Palestine and the earth as never before. Gog and Magog, representing the northern nations, are punished in part in this world before and when Christ comes and in full at the end of the 1,000 years. Had the conditions been met the presence of God would have dwelt among them in overpowering glory in the city called Jehovah Is There, healing all barren land, all salt marshes, and all impure waters and giving life to all. There was offered lengthened life and a true-hearted people whose character would lay hold upon the animals themselves, with the manifest presence of God dwelling constantly among them so there would be no hurt nor destroying in all His holy mountain. For the new earth state there remains absolute joy and peace and harmony among all creatures.