And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures.
The verse sets the exits on the north side of the city at four thousand and five hundred measures, giving the length of that northern boundary. It belongs to the larger pattern of a new city, sanctuary and division of the land shown fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed, picturing the twelve tribes returning to abundant blessing with God's glory resting on the city to heal the land and give life. That city and its measurements were offered conditionally on Israel being ashamed of iniquity and returning with faith and obedience, and had they met those conditions it would have been fulfilled literally in fullest detail. Israel did not meet the conditions but continued in apostasy, so only about forty thousand returned and the sanctuary and city described were never erected and never will be fulfilled literally. Its animal sacrifices cannot now be restored without making void the offering made once for all by Jesus Christ, yet the promises point faintly to the new heavens and new earth and the holy city descending to earth for God's true Israel in fullest measure.
City in Its Vision
The goings out or exits of the city on the north side are four thousand and five hundred measures, giving the length of the north-side boundary. The north-side exits extend four thousand five hundred measures.
The verse belongs to the pattern of another city and sanctuary with division of the land in Ezekiel 40-48, given fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed to show to the house of Israel in Babylonian captivity. The building described is a sanctuary consisting of two holy places like the tabernacle and the temple, with a most holy place of the same size as Solomon's. It sets forth a new and larger city and temple, with the twelve tribes returning to abundant blessing under wonderful circumstances of restoration to their land. The passage seems to predict a greater temple but does not explain how the work would be carried out.
Ezekiel 48 describes the allotment of the promised land among the twelve tribes and among families. That allotment was temporary and typical in its historical setting, but was designed to teach that the redeemed will receive a lasting and individual inheritance in the future world and enjoy it forever.
The promised city and sanctuary involved God's people worshiping there with God's glory resting on the city as never before. This is summed up in the name Jehovah Is There, whose manifest presence would heal barren land, salt marshes and impure waters and give life to all. It included a glorious city from which they would go out to convert the nations. That grand and magnificent temple would ultimately become the house of prayer for all nations.
Conditional Offer Forfeited
The city with its sanctuary, temple, division of the land, and measurements was offered only on condition that Israel be ashamed of iniquities, be cleansed from sin, put sins away, and return wholeheartedly to God with faith and obedience after the seventy years captivity. That condition stands under the principle of Jeremiah 18:7-10, that God promises blessing if a people turn from wickedness and withholds it if they do not. Had they met those conditions the prophecy with its city measurements would have been fulfilled literally and in fullest detail. The plan was provisional, a temple and its arrangements to be given if the people returned wholeheartedly from captivity and lived up to their calling.
Israel did not meet the conditions, was not ashamed, continued in apostasy and half-heartedness, and refused to yield all to God. When the decree of Cyrus let all Israel go up, the ten tribes slighted the offer and only Judah and Benjamin with part of Levi and a few others went up, only about forty thousand returning. The people thus failed to do their part and forfeited the promised future for earthly Jerusalem.
Hence the sanctuary and city described were never erected and their literal details, including the city in Ezekiel 48, were never fulfilled and never will be fulfilled literally. What was built at the restoration by Zerubbabel and Ezra fell far short of the pattern. It never saw the glory of Solomon's temple except in the person of Jesus, and was only a weak, faint, inferior shadow counterpart of what God had shown.
No Future Literal Temple
The vision cannot describe the immortal state, for in the glorified state there is to be but one Prince and King over Israel, Jesus, while the prince here must offer a sin-offering and all kinds of offerings for himself. That prince has sons and servants to whom he may give an inheritance, must take away exactions, and is forbidden to oppress the people, proving him a poor frail mortal. Christ as the great Sacrifice caused all other sacrifices to cease at His cross, and when He reigns officers will be peace and exactors righteousness with no oppression.
Nor can the vision refer to the gospel dispensation, for it was to be fulfilled while literal circumcision was in force, while divorce was permitted, while distinction between clean and unclean meats was recognized, while burnt-offerings and sin-offerings of bulls and goats were in force, and while the Levitical priesthood existed. All these were abolished or superseded at the first advent and the cross by the priesthood of Melchizedek. It does not describe a temple to be built after the Christian dispensation began, is not identical with the New Jerusalem, and is not a future restoration of the Jewish people with Levitical sacrifices nor a sanctuary yet to be built. The north-side extent of 4,500 measures belongs to that unbuilt order, whose sanctuary built by Zerubbabel only feebly realized its promises, and whose prescribed sacrifices show it is not a temple God would ordain again.
Its sacrificial system cannot be restored or pressed into literal fulfillment now, since offering animal sacrifices now would annul and make void and of none effect the offering made once for all by Jesus Christ. God cannot go back to the typical sacrifices which pointed forward to Jesus and were fulfilled by the Lord Himself. The sanctuary and city with its measured goings out were a provisional, conditional plan, and because the people continued in apostasy the vision does not refer to a future temple in which sacrifices would be offered.
Nevertheless the promises point faintly to God's future restoration of the new heavens and new earth and the New City prepared for God's true Israel, the faithful. The vision's purpose will instead be realized with the holy city prepared in heaven descending to earth, fulfilled not by those literal details but according to later revelation as the fullness of the immortal inheritance in fullest measure. That fulfillment brings absolute joy, peace and harmony, lengthened life, transformed character reaching even the animals, no hurting or destroying, and the constantly seen manifest presence of God. What was offered to literal Israel on condition of wholehearted return thus stands as a faint type of greater spiritual things God would accomplish for His people through Christ at the second coming, while Gog and Magog, the northern nations, are punished in part before and at the coming of Christ and in full at the end of the thousand years.
The verse sets the exits on the north side of the city at four thousand and five hundred measures, giving the length of that northern boundary. It belongs to the larger pattern of a new city, sanctuary and division of the land shown fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed, picturing the twelve tribes returning to abundant blessing with God's glory resting on the city to heal the land and give life. That city and its measurements were offered conditionally on Israel being ashamed of iniquity and returning with faith and obedience, and had they met those conditions it would have been fulfilled literally in fullest detail. Israel did not meet the conditions but continued in apostasy, so only about forty thousand returned and the sanctuary and city described were never erected and never will be fulfilled literally. Its animal sacrifices cannot now be restored without making void the offering made once for all by Jesus Christ, yet the promises point faintly to the new heavens and new earth and the holy city descending to earth for God's true Israel in fullest measure.
City in Its Vision
The goings out or exits of the city on the north side are four thousand and five hundred measures, giving the length of the north-side boundary. The north-side exits extend four thousand five hundred measures.
The verse belongs to the pattern of another city and sanctuary with division of the land in Ezekiel 40-48, given fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed to show to the house of Israel in Babylonian captivity. The building described is a sanctuary consisting of two holy places like the tabernacle and the temple, with a most holy place of the same size as Solomon's. It sets forth a new and larger city and temple, with the twelve tribes returning to abundant blessing under wonderful circumstances of restoration to their land. The passage seems to predict a greater temple but does not explain how the work would be carried out.
Ezekiel 48 describes the allotment of the promised land among the twelve tribes and among families. That allotment was temporary and typical in its historical setting, but was designed to teach that the redeemed will receive a lasting and individual inheritance in the future world and enjoy it forever.
The promised city and sanctuary involved God's people worshiping there with God's glory resting on the city as never before. This is summed up in the name Jehovah Is There, whose manifest presence would heal barren land, salt marshes and impure waters and give life to all. It included a glorious city from which they would go out to convert the nations. That grand and magnificent temple would ultimately become the house of prayer for all nations.
Conditional Offer Forfeited
The city with its sanctuary, temple, division of the land, and measurements was offered only on condition that Israel be ashamed of iniquities, be cleansed from sin, put sins away, and return wholeheartedly to God with faith and obedience after the seventy years captivity. That condition stands under the principle of Jeremiah 18:7-10, that God promises blessing if a people turn from wickedness and withholds it if they do not. Had they met those conditions the prophecy with its city measurements would have been fulfilled literally and in fullest detail. The plan was provisional, a temple and its arrangements to be given if the people returned wholeheartedly from captivity and lived up to their calling.
Israel did not meet the conditions, was not ashamed, continued in apostasy and half-heartedness, and refused to yield all to God. When the decree of Cyrus let all Israel go up, the ten tribes slighted the offer and only Judah and Benjamin with part of Levi and a few others went up, only about forty thousand returning. The people thus failed to do their part and forfeited the promised future for earthly Jerusalem.
Hence the sanctuary and city described were never erected and their literal details, including the city in Ezekiel 48, were never fulfilled and never will be fulfilled literally. What was built at the restoration by Zerubbabel and Ezra fell far short of the pattern. It never saw the glory of Solomon's temple except in the person of Jesus, and was only a weak, faint, inferior shadow counterpart of what God had shown.
No Future Literal Temple
The vision cannot describe the immortal state, for in the glorified state there is to be but one Prince and King over Israel, Jesus, while the prince here must offer a sin-offering and all kinds of offerings for himself. That prince has sons and servants to whom he may give an inheritance, must take away exactions, and is forbidden to oppress the people, proving him a poor frail mortal. Christ as the great Sacrifice caused all other sacrifices to cease at His cross, and when He reigns officers will be peace and exactors righteousness with no oppression.
Nor can the vision refer to the gospel dispensation, for it was to be fulfilled while literal circumcision was in force, while divorce was permitted, while distinction between clean and unclean meats was recognized, while burnt-offerings and sin-offerings of bulls and goats were in force, and while the Levitical priesthood existed. All these were abolished or superseded at the first advent and the cross by the priesthood of Melchizedek. It does not describe a temple to be built after the Christian dispensation began, is not identical with the New Jerusalem, and is not a future restoration of the Jewish people with Levitical sacrifices nor a sanctuary yet to be built. The north-side extent of 4,500 measures belongs to that unbuilt order, whose sanctuary built by Zerubbabel only feebly realized its promises, and whose prescribed sacrifices show it is not a temple God would ordain again.
Its sacrificial system cannot be restored or pressed into literal fulfillment now, since offering animal sacrifices now would annul and make void and of none effect the offering made once for all by Jesus Christ. God cannot go back to the typical sacrifices which pointed forward to Jesus and were fulfilled by the Lord Himself. The sanctuary and city with its measured goings out were a provisional, conditional plan, and because the people continued in apostasy the vision does not refer to a future temple in which sacrifices would be offered.
Nevertheless the promises point faintly to God's future restoration of the new heavens and new earth and the New City prepared for God's true Israel, the faithful. The vision's purpose will instead be realized with the holy city prepared in heaven descending to earth, fulfilled not by those literal details but according to later revelation as the fullness of the immortal inheritance in fullest measure. That fulfillment brings absolute joy, peace and harmony, lengthened life, transformed character reaching even the animals, no hurting or destroying, and the constantly seen manifest presence of God. What was offered to literal Israel on condition of wholehearted return thus stands as a faint type of greater spiritual things God would accomplish for His people through Christ at the second coming, while Gog and Magog, the northern nations, are punished in part before and at the coming of Christ and in full at the end of the thousand years.