Ezekiel 48:31, commentary and pictures

The verse belongs to the vision of a city and sanctuary shown to Israel while captive in Babylon, and it names three gates on the north side of that city for Reuben, Judah and Levi. They are part of twelve gates named for the twelve tribes, three on each side, with Reuben, Judah and Levi on the north, Joseph, Benjamin and Dan on the east, Simeon, Issachar and Zebulun on the south, and Gad, Asher and Naphtali on the west. The city with its tribe-named gates was a conditional offer under the old covenant, to be given only if Israel was ashamed of iniquity and returned wholeheartedly, but Israel did not meet the conditions and forfeited the glory, so it was never built as shown. It cannot be a literal building yet future, for the gospel dispensation or the immortal state, because that vision requires a mortal prince offering sacrifice for himself, circumcision, distinction of meats, and bulls and goats and the Levitical priesthood, all ended when Christ became priest after the order of Melchisedec. In its spiritual aspect it stands as a faint type fulfilled more gloriously in Christ's kingdom, when what was forfeited for earthly Jerusalem will be realized in fullest measure in the New Jerusalem prepared for God's true Israel in the new earth.

Vision Setting and Wording

Ezekiel 48:31 belongs to the city and sanctuary vision of Ezekiel 40-48. That pattern of another sanctuary and city was shown fourteen years after the sanctuary had been destroyed, to be shown to the house of Israel while they were captives. It was given during the Babylonian captivity for the encouragement of the captive Jews.

The verse names three gates on the north side of the envisioned city, which is Jerusalem: one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, and one gate of Levi. The full pattern has twelve gates named after the twelve tribes, three on each side. On the north are Reuben, Judah and Levi; on the east are Joseph, Benjamin and Dan; on the south are Simeon, Issachar and Zebulun; and on the west are Gad, Asher and Naphtali.

Like the tabernacle and Solomon's temple, the building has two holy places, with a most holy place the same size as Solomon's. It is set in an apportionment of the earth to the twelve tribes northward, southward, eastward and westward from the city, with the prince's portion between Judah and Benjamin beside the Levites' portion and the city. That allotment of the land among the tribes was a temporary model pointing to God's purpose for the future world, where the redeemed receive an enduring inheritance.

The vision showed the more glorious position, more extensive city, and more magnificent sanctuary Israel might have had after the captivity. It described a grand and magnificent temple that Israel might build at Jerusalem after exile, which would ultimately become a house of prayer for all nations.

Conditional Offer Forfeited

The city and sanctuary with its land division and tribe-named gates was a conditional offer to Israel under the old covenant, to be given only if they were ashamed of their iniquities, put away sin and wickedness, repented, were cleansed, yielded to God, and returned wholeheartedly from the Babylonian captivity. The pattern shown fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed was to be established and the twelve tribes caused to return if Israel would be ashamed and put away iniquity, and the restoration promises including the city's arrangement by tribes faintly pointed beyond themselves while standing in their spiritual aspect as prophecy of greater things God would do for His people through Christ. It was a provisional sanctuary promised on condition of shame for sin and return to God, a faint type to be fulfilled in general rather than in every detail, whose provision for sacrifices would conflict with God's plan since to offer such sacrifices now would annul Christ's offering.

Israel did not meet the conditions, was not ashamed, did not repent and return, and so forfeited the promises and never inherited the promised glory. Only Judah, Benjamin, part of Levi and a few others returned, while the ten tribes did not, and the sanctuary intended for that earlier dispensation was never built because the people did not meet the conditions for receiving it. About forty thousand returned from Babylon, and because the people failed to meet the conditions the promises to restore the scattered people, to dwell among them in great glory, to build a greater sanctuary, and to make them victorious over enemies were not realized in their fullness. The city that would have been built if all Israel had answered the calls to leave Babylon and returned was never built because Israel failed to do its part, and they forfeited those blessings for earthly Jerusalem.

The sanctuary and city with its tribe-named gates was therefore never built as shown, and the best Israel had was only a feeble realization and shadow in the inferior temple and city built under Zerubbabel and Ezra. That glorious temple described by Ezekiel was not built because Israel did not put away wickedness or meet the stated conditions, and the temple erected by Zerubbabel was only a shadow of it, feebly realizing the sanctuary and its promises because the people remained apostate. The temple built at the restoration from Babylon fell far short of Ezekiel's pattern and never saw the glory of Solomon's temple except in the person of Jesus Christ, whom the temple-keepers rejected. The vision was given during the captivity to show the more glorious position, more extensive city, and more magnificent sanctuary Israel might have had after the captivity if the people had believed and stepped out by faith with all their hearts when given opportunity to return, and their failure resulted in a far inferior city and temple with many difficulties in securing what they afterward enjoyed.

That temple was never built and never will be built, and was not to be built after the Christian dispensation began. Its Levitical priesthood had been superseded when Christ became the everlasting priest after the order of Melchisedec, and its prescribed typical sacrifices pointed to Christ who fulfilled them, showing that God would not ordain such a temple again. That restoration never happened because Israel would not yield all to God so God could not come in and dwell among them, for God could not build a temple for His name for a half-hearted people to dishonor.

No Future Literal Building

The city of this vision is not identical to the New Jerusalem, and its promises were conditional and forfeited. Those who held otherwise taught that it is the same holy city John saw coming down from God out of heaven with twelve gates bearing the names of the twelve tribes. In that reckoning the eternal city has gates named after the tribes three on each side, with Reuben, Judah and Levi on the north, Joseph, Benjamin and Dan on the east, Simeon, Issachar and Zebulun on the south, and Gad, Asher and Naphtali on the west. It was given in a vision of the apportionment of the earth to the twelve tribes, showing the division of the new earth among the tribes northward and southward and eastward and westward from the city, with the prince's portion between Judah and Benjamin beside the Levites' portion and the city.

The pattern of city and sanctuary was shown fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed to show to the house of Israel, and the tribe-named gates were part of a conditional offer that was never built and is never to be built. It cannot belong to the future immortal state, because that state has only one King over Israel, Jesus, while this vision has a mortal prince who must offer a sin offering and all kinds of offerings for himself. That prince must take away exactions, has sons and servants to receive inheritance, and must be forbidden to oppress the people, whereas Christ ended sacrifice at His cross and His reign has peace and righteousness with no oppression.

It cannot belong to the gospel dispensation or be a sanctuary yet to be built, because it requires literal circumcision, permitted divorce, distinction between clean and unclean meats, burnt offerings and sin offerings of bulls and goats, the old sanctuary service, and the Levitical priesthood. All these were abolished and superseded when Christ became the everlasting priest after the order of Melchisedec, and it was not to be built after the Christian dispensation began for that reason. To offer such sacrifices now would annul Christ's offering and make void His sacrifice, so its provision for sacrifices conflicts with God's plan and shows God would not ordain such a temple again. That sanctuary was never built and will not be built, because its typical sacrifices pointed to Christ who fulfilled them.

It does not foretell a literal rebuilt Jerusalem to be erected on this sin-cursed earth during Christ's thousand-year reign with restored offerings and sacrifices in place of the heavenly Jerusalem. Such a literal earthly city with a renewed sacrificial system would set aside the heavenly Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. It would return to the ordinances of the first covenant after Christ obtained a more excellent ministry as Mediator of a better covenant, and would provide only a less glorious state than the present gospel dispensation.

Because fleshly Israel did not yield to God, the literal detail of three northward gates named for Reuben, Judah and Levi, with its temple building and attendant sacrifices, will never be fulfilled in fullest literal detail. The promises of Ezekiel 36-48 were offered to Israel at the restoration from the seventy years in Babylon on condition of being ashamed and truly repenting and of faith and obedience, and had ancient Israel met those conditions the verse would have been fulfilled in fullest literal detail together with the offered temple building. Since Israel did not meet those conditions this literal fulfillment will never take place, but the promise will be fulfilled to the true Israel not by those details but as described in later revelation, with future glory and the fullness of the immortal inheritance given to the faithful in fullest measure, even the earth made new. The closing chapters were also held to predict the building of the greater temple afterward built by Herod, foretelling the building itself without revealing the process by which the work was to be done, with the circumstances attending the work secondary to the fact of the building.

Foreshadowing New Earth Inheritance

In its spiritual aspect the conditional promise of a new temple, a new division of the land, and a city arranged by the tribes belongs to Israel's restoration, and because Israel did not put away wickedness and meet the stated conditions the glorious temple was never built in detail, Zerubbabel's temple being only its shadow. Since Israel was unwilling and did not return wholeheartedly and turn from iniquity, the vision stands as prophecy of greater things God would do for His people through Christ. Those promises in the closing chapters are a faint type of God's later work, to be fulfilled in general rather than in every detail.

The blessings forfeited for earthly Jerusalem will be realized in the New City prepared for God's true Israel. The promised enlargement and glory of Jerusalem, with its gates named for Reuben, Judah and Levi on the north, depended on Israel turning from evil and being ashamed and truly repenting, and because Israel according to the flesh did not yield to God that literal detail will never be fulfilled. Had ancient Israel met the conditions of faith and obedience the verse would have been fulfilled in fullest literal detail together with the offered temple building and its attendant sacrifices, but only a small realization followed the return, and the greater fulfillment is connected with Christ's second coming. Its promises will be fulfilled more gloriously in Christ's kingdom, with future glory and the fullness of the immortal inheritance given to the faithful in fullest measure. God's promises are fulfilled in Christ in the new earth, whose capital is the New Jerusalem.

The unrealized earthly plan did not mean God had changed His purpose, for though the city that would have been built if all Israel had answered the calls to leave Babylon was never built because Israel failed to do its part, God would instead prepare a holy city in heaven to descend to earth. His purpose remains the same toward the true Israel, who will be redeemed and given a more glorious inheritance, even the earth made new. The allotment of the land among Israel's tribes and families, including gates named for the tribes, was a temporary model pointing to God's purpose for the future world. There the redeemed will receive an enduring and lasting inheritance in the land, not a temporary one.

Had Israel been faithful and returned to the mountains of Israel, their enemies from the north would have been destroyed by plagues, the resurrection of Ezekiel 37 would have taken place, and they would have built that marvelous sanctuary and city. The city would have been the center of blessed worship, with God's glory resting on it as never before and His presence dwelling among them in overpowering glory, for the meaning of the pattern is that Jehovah is there. That presence would have healed all barren land, all salt marshes and all impure waters, and would have given life to all. Because Israel would not yield all to God and receive only a feeble fulfillment, God could not come in and dwell among them. In that glorious kingdom with a true-hearted people and His sanctuary in their midst and the land divided among the tribes, life would have been lengthened, the character of the people would have taken hold upon even the animals, and the manifest presence of God would have been constantly seen on His holy mountain where there would have been no hurting or destroying. Since Israel did not accept God's conditions of unsurpassable and inconceivable glory for Palestine, it will be fulfilled under far greater conditions with more or less of the former detail eliminated, leaving absolute joy and peace and harmony among all God's creatures in the new earth state. The sanctuary prophecy must therefore be read in the light of the New Testament revelation that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel, in which there is neither Greek nor Jew, and any theory that uses it to exclude God's gospel work to the world for all alike goes astray.