It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORDis there.
The verse closes the pattern of sanctuary, city and divided land shown to captive Israel, and gives the city its name, Jehovah-shammah, meaning Jehovah is there to declare that God Himself is present and dwelling among His people in overpowering glory. It was offered on condition that Israel would be ashamed for their ways, put away iniquity and return wholeheartedly from Babylon, but because they continued in apostasy the sanctuary was never erected and the promised dwelling did not occur as described. It will never be built as described as a future immortal dwelling or gospel-age temple, for its prince offers sin offerings for himself and has sons and servants, and its circumcision, meats, burnt offerings and Levitical priesthood were superseded by Christ's once-for-all sacrifice. Its purpose will instead be realized in the New Jerusalem prepared in heaven to descend in the new heaven and new earth, where God dwells with the true Israel in fullest measure with absolute joy, peace and harmony. Those who held it teach that despite points of similarity the city in Ezekiel's vision is not the New Jerusalem. The name also marks every place where God is met in prayer and every contrite home, school and trial where He dwells, so that the redeemed will look back on life's battlefields and say of every affliction that the Lord was there.
Name and Vision Setting
The name given to the city is The Lord is there, Jehovah-shammah, meaning Jehovah is there, declaring that God is present and dwells there. The name expresses the return of God's glorious, visible presence to rest on the city and its temple as never before, dwelling among His people in overpowering glory.
The verse closes the vision of chapters 40 to 48, a detailed pattern of another sanctuary with its services, a city, and a division of the land among the twelve tribes. Like the tabernacle and the temple the building has two holy places, with a most holy place of the same size as Solomon's. The pattern was shown to the house of Israel in captivity, fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed, as a sanctuary, city, and land that would have been literally given and built if the people had met God's conditions.
The verse closes the book and, standing with the rainbow around the throne in chapter one, shows the book full of heavenly suggestions that lift the mind to sublime visions. It presents the center of the restored Jerusalem and a new and larger city and temple than Israel had known. The sacrifices and priesthood in the vision place it before the Messiah's coming, and its prince was to serve until the Messiah came.
Conditional Offer Forfeited
The whole vision of chapters 40 to 48, including the naming of the city The LORD is there, was offered to the house of Israel in captivity as a provisional promise for the past restoration after Babylon, not for a future or present dispensation. It was shown fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed as the pattern of another sanctuary with two holy places and a most holy place the size of Solomon's, together with a city, a rebuilt temple, a new division of the land, and an allotment for the twelve tribes. The condition was that Israel would be ashamed and confounded for their ways, put away iniquity, yield wholly to God, be cleansed from sin, repent fully, and return wholeheartedly from the seventy years in Babylon, and if they did this God would cause the building to be established and cause the twelve tribes to return. The city was to be named for His manifest presence constantly seen dwelling there, with His glory resting among His people in overpowering glory.
Because Israel was not ashamed of its iniquities, did not turn from wickedness and sins, continued in apostasy, and rejected the promised restoration, the sanctuary was never erected and the promised restoration, glory, and dwelling of God among them did not occur as described. Only a few accepted return, about forty thousand returning from captivity, so the promises were not fulfilled in their fullness. What was built fell far short of the pattern, for the inferior temple built by Zerubbabel, Ezra, and others at the restoration was only a shadow and only partly realized the promises, never seeing the glory of Solomon's temple except in the person of Jesus Christ, whom its keepers rejected, because God could not build a temple for His name for a half-hearted people to dishonor.
Had Israel been faithful and with all their hearts returned to God, the resurrection described in Ezekiel 37 would have taken place, the northern enemies described in Ezekiel 38-39 would have been destroyed by plagues, Israel would have been brought back to the mountains of Israel to be made great, would have built that sanctuary, and the city would henceforth have received this name. Had Israel obeyed, God would have restored His people to their land and to restored Palestine in unsurpassable glory, established the promised temple and sanctuary with the land divided, dwelt among them in great glory, and made His presence known among the nations. In that true-hearted state life would have been lengthened and would have affected even the animals, with absolute joy and peace and harmony among all creatures and no injury, hurt, or destroying in His holy mountain.
No Literal Future Temple
The city and sanctuary of Ezekiel 40-48 will never be built as described, neither as a future immortal dwelling, nor as a gospel-age sanctuary, nor as a temple where sacrifices are now offered, nor as something already fulfilled under the first covenant. The pattern was shown to the house of Israel fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed, and it belonged to services that were not to be built or carried out after the Christian dispensation began. It was offered on condition that Israel should be ashamed of iniquities and put them away, yet they were not ashamed and only a few accepted return, so it was not accomplished under the first covenant. What was built fell far short, an inferior sanctuary under Ezra and Zerubbabel, and the chapters describe in great detail a new and larger city and temple with wonderful divine glory that was never built and is not yet to be built.
It cannot belong to the immortal state, because its prince offers sin offerings and all kinds of offerings for himself, takes away exactions, has sons and servants to receive inheritance, and is forbidden to oppress the people. That prince is therefore a poor frail mortal and not Jesus, the one Prince who shall be King over Israel in the glorified state, whose reign has peace for officers and righteousness for exactors with no oppression. It cannot belong to the gospel dispensation, because it requires literal circumcision, permits divorce, maintains the distinction between clean and unclean meats, continues burnt offerings and sin offerings of bulls and goats, and continues the Levitical priesthood. All these were abolished and superseded by Christ the great Sacrifice and by the priesthood of Melchisedec.
Its literal fulfillment through renewed animal sacrifices would deny Christ's once-for-all offering, make His sacrifice void, and annul it. Its typical sacrifices pointed forward to Jesus and were fulfilled when He suffered, so the sanctuary with those sacrifices can never and will never be literally built. The vision is therefore not a prediction of a future temple where sacrifices would be offered, since to offer sacrifices now would annul Christ's sacrifice. Because Israel continued in apostasy, the sanctuary and its promises were only partly realized in the temple built by Zerubbabel.
Because fleshly Israel did not yield to God, the literal details of Ezekiel 36-48 will never be fulfilled in fullest literal detail. Had Israel met the conditions of being ashamed and truly and fully repenting, the prophecy would have been fulfilled in fullest literal detail, including its temple and city. The promise was conditional under the universal principle of turning and mercy and under the principle of conditional prophecy depending on Israel's acceptance or rejection. The promise will instead be fulfilled to the true Israel not according to those details but according to later revelation, with future glory and the fullness of the immortal inheritance given to the faithful in fullest measure in a more glorious inheritance, the earth made new.
Greater Future Fulfillment
The vision also stands as prophecy of greater spiritual things to be done through Christ, with its promises as faint types of what will be accomplished in restoring the new heavens and new earth. It remains a type fulfilled only in its broad promises when God comes again, not in every detail. With more or less of the former detail eliminated, there will remain in the new-earth state absolute joy and peace and harmony among all creatures, with lengthened life, a true-hearted people affecting even the animals, the manifest presence of God constantly seen dwelling in His holy mountain, and no injury, hurt, or destroying.
The promise will be fulfilled to the true Israel not according to those literal details but according to later revelation, with future glory and the fullness of the immortal inheritance given to the faithful in fullest measure. Had the conditions of faith, obedience, shame for iniquity, and full repentance been met, the prophecy of Ezekiel 36 to the close would have been fulfilled in fullest literal detail including its temple and city, but because fleshly Israel did not yield that literal detailed fulfillment will never take place. God's purpose remains the same under changed times and surroundings, giving the true Israel a more glorious inheritance, the earth made new.
Because earthly Jerusalem forfeited the restoration, the purpose of the vision will instead be realized in the New City prepared for God's people, the New Jerusalem as capital in the new heaven and new earth, the holy city prepared in heaven to descend to earth. Its greater fulfillment is connected with Christ's second coming and the events surrounding it, not with a return to the local conditions of that day, and that fulfillment will come more gloriously in the new earth. This includes what would have been done then if Israel had turned: bringing back the faithful dead, conquering enemies far and near, establishing the sanctuary within Jerusalem, and making Jerusalem a praise with His dwelling in the city, since the typical sacrifices pointing forward to Jesus were fulfilled when He suffered.
Despite points of similarity, those who held one position taught that the city in the vision is not the New Jerusalem. Those who held the other position identified the city named by God's presence as the New Jerusalem where God dwells with His people, whose law and character are truth obeyed by its inhabitants. It points to the renewed earth as God's special dwelling among people, where the redeemed live in restored creation, pictured as a bright, beautiful home beyond toil, sorrow, death, strife, and sin where the redeemed find rest and reign in peace. In the future restored setting associated with Israel's resurrection, the sanctuary is distinct from both the land and the people, set in their midst and forming part of the city called The Lord is there, where the Lord's sanctuary dwells among the people forever. The allotment of the promised land was temporary but designed to show God's purpose for the future world, where the redeemed possess an enduring inheritance, and the reference to the land being married signifies that each person's inheritance will be permanent.
Christ and Scriptural Links
Christ came into this world to be Priest-King, the Melchizedek who means King of Righteousness and King of His own city of peace whose name from that day declares that the Lord is there. The glorious temple pattern shown to Ezekiel presents the center of the restored Jerusalem and teaches that the only holy and worthy thing is that in which God dwells, calling man to yield himself as God's dwelling-place, temple, and sanctuary. God's presence there would heal all barren land and all salt marshes and all impure waters and would give life to all. Jerusalem was never thus restored and that temple was never built and never will be built, because Israel would not yield all to God and He could not come in and dwell among them nor build a temple for His name for a half-hearted people to dishonor. The temple built at the restoration from Babylon therefore fell far short of Ezekiel's pattern and never saw the glory of Solomon's temple except in the person of Jesus Christ, whom its keepers rejected.
The grand temple at Jerusalem in the vision is to become ultimately a house of prayer for all nations. Those who held it taught that the closing chapters predict the building of a greater temple fulfilled in Herod's temple, as do some of the minor prophets. On that showing the prophecy gives the fact of the building but does not reveal the process and circumstances by which the work was to be done, since those circumstances are secondary to the prediction itself.
Present Personal Application
The name The LORD is there can describe a home where God dwells, for He dwells with the contrite and humble. Evil thoughts, pride, and worldliness are incompatible with His presence, and disobedience and quarrels among children belong with the presence of evil angels rather than God. Parents and children should therefore seek the Lord personally and together, so that their home may be known by God's presence. When the redeemed reach glory and look back on the battlefields of life, those who carried themselves nobly and fought successfully and mastered every trial will gladly say of each trial that Jehovah Shammah, the Lord was there with them, and will see that earth's light afflictions worked out eternal glory. A school where God blesses teachers and students can likewise be described as a place where the Lord is present, marked by an excellent spirit from the start, by refreshing united worship, and by students showing they have kept their spirituality.
God's presence is not confined to a particular shrine or holy place, but may be met wherever prayer is offered and answered. It is not confined to Jerusalem's temple or David's palace, for Jehovah-shammah means the Lord is present in every place where acceptable prayer goes up and a prompt answer comes down. Access to God is open at every hour and in every location without need of a special Pisgah or Moriah or holy ground. Each such spot where acceptable prayer ascends and a prompt answer descends becomes marked as where the Lord has been, the foot of the ladder let down from heaven and a landing-place of mercies because it is a starting-point of prayer. So the dungeon floor, the fisherman's cottage, the shore of Gennesaret, the upper room of Pentecost, Isaac's field of meditation, Jacob's sleeping place, the brook of wrestling, Daniel's lions' den, and the hillside of night prayer are all marked by the Lord being there.
The verse closes the pattern of sanctuary, city and divided land shown to captive Israel, and gives the city its name, Jehovah-shammah, meaning Jehovah is there to declare that God Himself is present and dwelling among His people in overpowering glory. It was offered on condition that Israel would be ashamed for their ways, put away iniquity and return wholeheartedly from Babylon, but because they continued in apostasy the sanctuary was never erected and the promised dwelling did not occur as described. It will never be built as described as a future immortal dwelling or gospel-age temple, for its prince offers sin offerings for himself and has sons and servants, and its circumcision, meats, burnt offerings and Levitical priesthood were superseded by Christ's once-for-all sacrifice. Its purpose will instead be realized in the New Jerusalem prepared in heaven to descend in the new heaven and new earth, where God dwells with the true Israel in fullest measure with absolute joy, peace and harmony. Those who held it teach that despite points of similarity the city in Ezekiel's vision is not the New Jerusalem. The name also marks every place where God is met in prayer and every contrite home, school and trial where He dwells, so that the redeemed will look back on life's battlefields and say of every affliction that the Lord was there.
Name and Vision Setting
The name given to the city is The Lord is there, Jehovah-shammah, meaning Jehovah is there, declaring that God is present and dwells there. The name expresses the return of God's glorious, visible presence to rest on the city and its temple as never before, dwelling among His people in overpowering glory.
The verse closes the vision of chapters 40 to 48, a detailed pattern of another sanctuary with its services, a city, and a division of the land among the twelve tribes. Like the tabernacle and the temple the building has two holy places, with a most holy place of the same size as Solomon's. The pattern was shown to the house of Israel in captivity, fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed, as a sanctuary, city, and land that would have been literally given and built if the people had met God's conditions.
The verse closes the book and, standing with the rainbow around the throne in chapter one, shows the book full of heavenly suggestions that lift the mind to sublime visions. It presents the center of the restored Jerusalem and a new and larger city and temple than Israel had known. The sacrifices and priesthood in the vision place it before the Messiah's coming, and its prince was to serve until the Messiah came.
Conditional Offer Forfeited
The whole vision of chapters 40 to 48, including the naming of the city The LORD is there, was offered to the house of Israel in captivity as a provisional promise for the past restoration after Babylon, not for a future or present dispensation. It was shown fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed as the pattern of another sanctuary with two holy places and a most holy place the size of Solomon's, together with a city, a rebuilt temple, a new division of the land, and an allotment for the twelve tribes. The condition was that Israel would be ashamed and confounded for their ways, put away iniquity, yield wholly to God, be cleansed from sin, repent fully, and return wholeheartedly from the seventy years in Babylon, and if they did this God would cause the building to be established and cause the twelve tribes to return. The city was to be named for His manifest presence constantly seen dwelling there, with His glory resting among His people in overpowering glory.
Because Israel was not ashamed of its iniquities, did not turn from wickedness and sins, continued in apostasy, and rejected the promised restoration, the sanctuary was never erected and the promised restoration, glory, and dwelling of God among them did not occur as described. Only a few accepted return, about forty thousand returning from captivity, so the promises were not fulfilled in their fullness. What was built fell far short of the pattern, for the inferior temple built by Zerubbabel, Ezra, and others at the restoration was only a shadow and only partly realized the promises, never seeing the glory of Solomon's temple except in the person of Jesus Christ, whom its keepers rejected, because God could not build a temple for His name for a half-hearted people to dishonor.
Had Israel been faithful and with all their hearts returned to God, the resurrection described in Ezekiel 37 would have taken place, the northern enemies described in Ezekiel 38-39 would have been destroyed by plagues, Israel would have been brought back to the mountains of Israel to be made great, would have built that sanctuary, and the city would henceforth have received this name. Had Israel obeyed, God would have restored His people to their land and to restored Palestine in unsurpassable glory, established the promised temple and sanctuary with the land divided, dwelt among them in great glory, and made His presence known among the nations. In that true-hearted state life would have been lengthened and would have affected even the animals, with absolute joy and peace and harmony among all creatures and no injury, hurt, or destroying in His holy mountain.
No Literal Future Temple
The city and sanctuary of Ezekiel 40-48 will never be built as described, neither as a future immortal dwelling, nor as a gospel-age sanctuary, nor as a temple where sacrifices are now offered, nor as something already fulfilled under the first covenant. The pattern was shown to the house of Israel fourteen years after the sanctuary was destroyed, and it belonged to services that were not to be built or carried out after the Christian dispensation began. It was offered on condition that Israel should be ashamed of iniquities and put them away, yet they were not ashamed and only a few accepted return, so it was not accomplished under the first covenant. What was built fell far short, an inferior sanctuary under Ezra and Zerubbabel, and the chapters describe in great detail a new and larger city and temple with wonderful divine glory that was never built and is not yet to be built.
It cannot belong to the immortal state, because its prince offers sin offerings and all kinds of offerings for himself, takes away exactions, has sons and servants to receive inheritance, and is forbidden to oppress the people. That prince is therefore a poor frail mortal and not Jesus, the one Prince who shall be King over Israel in the glorified state, whose reign has peace for officers and righteousness for exactors with no oppression. It cannot belong to the gospel dispensation, because it requires literal circumcision, permits divorce, maintains the distinction between clean and unclean meats, continues burnt offerings and sin offerings of bulls and goats, and continues the Levitical priesthood. All these were abolished and superseded by Christ the great Sacrifice and by the priesthood of Melchisedec.
Its literal fulfillment through renewed animal sacrifices would deny Christ's once-for-all offering, make His sacrifice void, and annul it. Its typical sacrifices pointed forward to Jesus and were fulfilled when He suffered, so the sanctuary with those sacrifices can never and will never be literally built. The vision is therefore not a prediction of a future temple where sacrifices would be offered, since to offer sacrifices now would annul Christ's sacrifice. Because Israel continued in apostasy, the sanctuary and its promises were only partly realized in the temple built by Zerubbabel.
Because fleshly Israel did not yield to God, the literal details of Ezekiel 36-48 will never be fulfilled in fullest literal detail. Had Israel met the conditions of being ashamed and truly and fully repenting, the prophecy would have been fulfilled in fullest literal detail, including its temple and city. The promise was conditional under the universal principle of turning and mercy and under the principle of conditional prophecy depending on Israel's acceptance or rejection. The promise will instead be fulfilled to the true Israel not according to those details but according to later revelation, with future glory and the fullness of the immortal inheritance given to the faithful in fullest measure in a more glorious inheritance, the earth made new.
Greater Future Fulfillment
The vision also stands as prophecy of greater spiritual things to be done through Christ, with its promises as faint types of what will be accomplished in restoring the new heavens and new earth. It remains a type fulfilled only in its broad promises when God comes again, not in every detail. With more or less of the former detail eliminated, there will remain in the new-earth state absolute joy and peace and harmony among all creatures, with lengthened life, a true-hearted people affecting even the animals, the manifest presence of God constantly seen dwelling in His holy mountain, and no injury, hurt, or destroying.
The promise will be fulfilled to the true Israel not according to those literal details but according to later revelation, with future glory and the fullness of the immortal inheritance given to the faithful in fullest measure. Had the conditions of faith, obedience, shame for iniquity, and full repentance been met, the prophecy of Ezekiel 36 to the close would have been fulfilled in fullest literal detail including its temple and city, but because fleshly Israel did not yield that literal detailed fulfillment will never take place. God's purpose remains the same under changed times and surroundings, giving the true Israel a more glorious inheritance, the earth made new.
Because earthly Jerusalem forfeited the restoration, the purpose of the vision will instead be realized in the New City prepared for God's people, the New Jerusalem as capital in the new heaven and new earth, the holy city prepared in heaven to descend to earth. Its greater fulfillment is connected with Christ's second coming and the events surrounding it, not with a return to the local conditions of that day, and that fulfillment will come more gloriously in the new earth. This includes what would have been done then if Israel had turned: bringing back the faithful dead, conquering enemies far and near, establishing the sanctuary within Jerusalem, and making Jerusalem a praise with His dwelling in the city, since the typical sacrifices pointing forward to Jesus were fulfilled when He suffered.
Despite points of similarity, those who held one position taught that the city in the vision is not the New Jerusalem. Those who held the other position identified the city named by God's presence as the New Jerusalem where God dwells with His people, whose law and character are truth obeyed by its inhabitants. It points to the renewed earth as God's special dwelling among people, where the redeemed live in restored creation, pictured as a bright, beautiful home beyond toil, sorrow, death, strife, and sin where the redeemed find rest and reign in peace. In the future restored setting associated with Israel's resurrection, the sanctuary is distinct from both the land and the people, set in their midst and forming part of the city called The Lord is there, where the Lord's sanctuary dwells among the people forever. The allotment of the promised land was temporary but designed to show God's purpose for the future world, where the redeemed possess an enduring inheritance, and the reference to the land being married signifies that each person's inheritance will be permanent.
Christ and Scriptural Links
Christ came into this world to be Priest-King, the Melchizedek who means King of Righteousness and King of His own city of peace whose name from that day declares that the Lord is there. The glorious temple pattern shown to Ezekiel presents the center of the restored Jerusalem and teaches that the only holy and worthy thing is that in which God dwells, calling man to yield himself as God's dwelling-place, temple, and sanctuary. God's presence there would heal all barren land and all salt marshes and all impure waters and would give life to all. Jerusalem was never thus restored and that temple was never built and never will be built, because Israel would not yield all to God and He could not come in and dwell among them nor build a temple for His name for a half-hearted people to dishonor. The temple built at the restoration from Babylon therefore fell far short of Ezekiel's pattern and never saw the glory of Solomon's temple except in the person of Jesus Christ, whom its keepers rejected.
The grand temple at Jerusalem in the vision is to become ultimately a house of prayer for all nations. Those who held it taught that the closing chapters predict the building of a greater temple fulfilled in Herod's temple, as do some of the minor prophets. On that showing the prophecy gives the fact of the building but does not reveal the process and circumstances by which the work was to be done, since those circumstances are secondary to the prediction itself.
Present Personal Application
The name The LORD is there can describe a home where God dwells, for He dwells with the contrite and humble. Evil thoughts, pride, and worldliness are incompatible with His presence, and disobedience and quarrels among children belong with the presence of evil angels rather than God. Parents and children should therefore seek the Lord personally and together, so that their home may be known by God's presence. When the redeemed reach glory and look back on the battlefields of life, those who carried themselves nobly and fought successfully and mastered every trial will gladly say of each trial that Jehovah Shammah, the Lord was there with them, and will see that earth's light afflictions worked out eternal glory. A school where God blesses teachers and students can likewise be described as a place where the Lord is present, marked by an excellent spirit from the start, by refreshing united worship, and by students showing they have kept their spirituality.
God's presence is not confined to a particular shrine or holy place, but may be met wherever prayer is offered and answered. It is not confined to Jerusalem's temple or David's palace, for Jehovah-shammah means the Lord is present in every place where acceptable prayer goes up and a prompt answer comes down. Access to God is open at every hour and in every location without need of a special Pisgah or Moriah or holy ground. Each such spot where acceptable prayer ascends and a prompt answer descends becomes marked as where the Lord has been, the foot of the ladder let down from heaven and a landing-place of mercies because it is a starting-point of prayer. So the dungeon floor, the fisherman's cottage, the shore of Gennesaret, the upper room of Pentecost, Isaac's field of meditation, Jacob's sleeping place, the brook of wrestling, Daniel's lions' den, and the hillside of night prayer are all marked by the Lord being there.