Ezekiel 48

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

The Division of the Land in the Millennial Israel

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. Israel, during the Millennium, will have a new layout.

  2. Jerusalem, during the Millennium, will have a new name.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Remember, DNA is not the only way!

QUESTIONS

  1. When the land of the Israel of the future is divided among the twelve tribes, some sections will be longer east-to-west than others. Does this mean that some tribes will receive more land area than others?

  2. Is the millennial city of Jerusalem the same city as the New Jerusalem described in Revelation chapters 21 and 22? Describe some of the differences between the two.

  3. Are the boundaries of the land to be divided among the twelve tribes in the Millennium the same boundaries that were given for the division of the land at the time of Joshua and the conquest?

  4. Will the city of Jerusalem still be called Jerusalem during the Millennium? Will it receive an additional name? If so, what will that new name be?

ANSWERS

  1. When the long east-to-west sections of land are laid out for each of the twelve tribes, each tribe will receive the same amount of land area (Ezekiel 47:14). Since some sections will be longer than others, it means that the longer ones will be narrower in their north-to-south dimension.

  2. There will be so many significant differences between the millennial city of Jerusalem and the New Jerusalem described in Revelation chapters 21 and 22, that we do not believe they are the same city. The New Jerusalem of Revelation may hover over the earth as a satellite city during the Millennium and then descend to the earth for the eternal state, but we believe the millennial Jerusalem is a different city. Here are some of the notable differences: The millennial Jerusalem will be the city of the Temple while the New Jerusalem of Revelation will have no temple; the millennial Jerusalem will be about 8 miles on a side while the New Jerusalem will be about 1500 miles on a side; the New Jerusalem will have golden streets and foundations, wall and gates of precious stones while the millennial Jerusalem will have neither; the river of the New Jerusalem will flow in the middle of the main street while the river of the millennial Jerusalem will flow down into the Arabah to the Dead Sea; the New Jerusalem will descend from heaven to earth while the millennial Jerusalem will be built on earth; and the New Jerusalem will be for the eternal state while the millennial Jerusalem will be for the Millennial Kingdom of Christ.

  3. The boundaries of the land between the twelve tribes during the Millennium will be totally different than the boundaries established during the time of Joshua. See Joshua 13-21 for the description of the land at the time of the conquest, and Ezekiel 47 and 48 for the markedly different boundaries given for the time of the Millennium.

  4. Yes, Jerusalem will still be called Jerusalem based on the millennial passage of Zechariah 14. However, the city will be given the new name, “Jehovah Shammah”, which means, the Lord is there, because the Lord literally will be there!

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Discuss the layout of the section of land that will be set aside for the city of Jerusalem, the temple complex, the Levites, the priests and for the prince. Descriptions are listed in Ezekiel 45:1-8 and 48:8-22.

CHALLENGE

  1. Is your life one that brings spiritual healing wherever it goes, like the river that will flow from the Millennial Temple? Will you make your life one that brings new life to others as you share the life-giving message of Christ?

KEY VERSES

  • “All the way around [the city] shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: The Lord Is There.” Ezekiel 48:35



Ezekiel, Old Testament, TalksDeb HarmsEzekiel 48