"For your days shall be filled and you lie with your fathers, yet I will set up
your seed after you, who passes forth from your bowels, and I establish his kingdom. He
shall build a house for My name and I establish His throne for the eon" (2
Sam.7:12,13).
"God swears to him [David] with an oath, out of the fruit of his loin to seat One
on his throne, foreseeing this, he speaks concerning the resurrection of Christ,
that He was neither abandoned to the unseen, nor was His flesh acquainted with decay"
(Acts 2:30,31).
"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the
Lord God shall be giving Him the throne of David, His father, and He shall be reigning
over the house of Jacob for the eons, and of His kingdom there shall be no
consummation" (Luke 1:32,33).
"Now, whenever He may again be leading the Firstborn into the inhabited
earth, He is saying, `And let all the messengers of God worship Him'" (Heb.1:6).
"For not to messengers does He subject the future inhabited earth concerning
which we are speaking" (Heb.2:5).
"And the seventh messenger trumpets. And loud voices occurred in heaven, saying:
`The world kingdom became our Lord's and His Christ's, and He shall be reigning for the
eons of the eons! Amen!'" (Rev.11:15).
"Lo! He is coming with clouds, and every eye will be viewing Him--those
also, who stab Him--and all the tribes of the land will be grieving over Him"
(Rev.1:7).
"I come to perceive in the visions of the night, and behold! with the clouds of
the heavens, He arrives as the son of a mortal. ...And to Him is granted authority, and
esteem, and a kingdom, and all the peoples, the races, the languages are serving Him. His
authority is an eonian authority which passes not away, and His kingdom that is not
pawned" (Dan.7:13,14).
"And the kingdom and the authority and the majesty of the kingdom under all the
heavens is granted to the people of the saints of the supremacies. The kingdom is an
eonian kingdom and all authorities shall serve and hearken to it" (Dan.7:27).
THE scriptural evidence presented above should show to all truth- lovers that God will
set up a kingdom on this earth which shall embrace all the kingdoms under the whole
heavens, with Messiah ben David sitting on the throne of his father, in which God's will
is to be done as it is in heaven. In Chapter V we pointed out in the Scriptures that this
would be a literal kingdom, in the primary sense of the term, Jerusalem to be the
capital city and the delight of all the earth, Israel the ruling people, the sermon on the
mount the kingdom code, with all lands and peoples under the whole heavens subject to its
sovereignty. Now, as our subject concerns Israel and the nations subservient to them, we
must go to the Circumcision writings for the testimony of truth relating to its
establishment.
SCRIPTURAL CHRONOLOGY
In Chapter XV we called attention to the fact that the Desolator of Daniel 9:27 would
empower a covenant with many of Israel in the land of Palestine for seven years, and in
the midst of these years, break the covenant, causing their sacrifice and gift offerings
to cease and inaugurate a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, up
to that time (Dan.12:1). Now one of the most helpful points to remember is, that all
time measurements relative to the unveiling of Christ, the deliverance of watchful
Israel, the resumption of the offerings, the resurrection of the faithful in Israel, and
the dedication or anointing of a holy of holies in the millennial sanctuary, is computed
from the breaking of the covenant in the middle of the seventieth seven. An
appreciation of this will enable truth- seekers to enter into the revealed purpose of God
in His word, and see clearly the fulfillment of His patriarchal promises to Israel.
The time period from the breaking of the covenant to the unveiling of Christ is three
and a half years, and is designated in the Scriptures as "a season, and [two]
seasons, and the distribution of a season" (Dan.7:25), a season and seasons and half
a season" (Rev.12:14), forty-two months" (Rev.11:2; 13:5), "twelve hundred
and sixty days" (Rev.11:3; 12:6), and refers to the last half of the seventieth seven
[week] of Daniel's prophecy.
CHRIST'S UNVEILING AND ISRAEL'S DELIVERANCE
At the end of the twelve hundred and sixty days (or possibly some days earlier,
Matt.24:22), Christ will be unveiled from heaven with power and much glory, bringing
deliverance to waiting Israel (Rom.11:26,27; Heb.9:28). Of this same event, the messenger
tells Daniel: "And in that era your people shall be delivered, everyone found written
in the scroll" (Dan.12:1).
Now it must be remembered that this is speaking exclusively of Daniel's people,
Israel. If we expect to get the mind of Inspiration in these matters of revelation, it is
absolutely necessary to note of whom the Scriptures are speaking, and read no others into
the text.
THE OFFERING RESUMED
We are next presented with a period of 1290 days with reference to the resumption of
the offerings which were made to cease at the breaking of the covenant by the Desolator.
But note that we are not to add these days to the 1260, but to compute them from
the middle of the seventieth seven, when the covenant was broken and the
offerings taken away. It reads:
"Now from the era the continual [offering] is taken away and of the giving of the
desolating detestation is a thousand, two hundred ninety days" (Dan.12:11).
This carries us thirty days beyond Christ's unveiling from heaven, to the time
when the offerings will be resumed and Israel's order of worship is reestablished.
THE RESURRECTION TO EONIAN LIFE
In Daniel 12:12, we are given a statement of still greater importance concerning all
the faithful in Israel, who died in the faith, not being requited with the promises. It is
the "better resurrection," and reads:
"Happy is he who tarries and attains to a thousand three hundred and thirty-five
days."
Remembering our point of computation--the breaking of the covenant in the middle of the
seventieth seven the--1335 days carries us two and a half months, or seventy-five days beyond
the unveiling of Christ to the first, or former resurrection and the beginning
of the glorious reign of the thousand years. Hence, the purpose of this Scripture is to
console the saints in Israel of that era, suffering martyrdom at the hands of the
Desolator, with the happy expectation of the "better resurrection." John, in the
Unveiling, writes concerning it, saying:
"Happy and holy is he who is having a part in the former resurrection; over these
the second death has no jurisdiction, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and
they will be reigning with Him the thousand year" (Rev.20:6).
This is the resurrection of life (John 5:29), the resurrection of the just
(Luke 14:14), in contrast with the resurrection of judgment (Rev.20:12), which
Daniel terms "eonian repulsion and contempt" (Dan.12:2).
THE MILLENNIUM OR THOUSAND YEARS' REIGN
The resurrection of the saints in Israel marks the beginning of the millennial kingdom,
for we are told that those who are resurrected "live and reign with Christ the
thousand years" (Rev.20:6). The Hebrew Scriptures, as well as the accounts of
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, speak of this time as the "kingdom," or more
specifically in Matthew, "the kingdom of the heavens," and concerns the
suzerainty of Israel over the other nations under all the heavens. We shall now appeal to
the Scriptures for evidence of their restoration and establishment in their kingdom.
ISRAEL'S RESTORATION
In spite of the abundance of Scripture detailing Israel's restoration to their
sovereign power and glory in the future inhabited earth, Christendom at large has been
misled into believing that all the promises should have a spiritual application to the
church today; that the disciples were simply mistaken when they asked the question,
"Lord, art Thou at this time restoring the kingdom to Israel?" But
those who will give ear to what has been written will find that the delusion is not with
Israel in believing that their God would make good the promise covenants which He swore He
would fulfill, but with the ignorant who are wise in their own conceits, who make God a
liar by twisting the Scriptures to fit their spiritualizing theories. Paul wrote
concerning the "mystery" or secret of Israel's blindness until the full
complement of the nations may be entering (Rom.11:25-27), that no one should go astray
in the matter. And he declared by the holy spirit that after the full complement
of the nations should be entering (which speaks of the completing of the church which is
the body of Christ), "all Israel shall be saved according as it is written"
(Rom.11:26). So we now appeal to what is written for our testimony concerning their
restoration, salvation, and kingdom glory.
The first Scripture we present for study is Zechariah 8:1-8:
"And the word of Jehovah of hosts is coming, saying:
Thus says Jehovah of hosts:
`I am Jealous for Zion with a great jealousy,
And I am jealous for her with great fury.'
Thus says Jehovah:
`I return to Zion,
And I tabernacle in the midst of Jerusalem,
And Jerusalem shall be called the city of the truth.
And the mountain of Jehovah of hosts,
The holy mountain.'
Thus says Jehovah of hosts:
`Yet old men and old women shall sit in the squares of Jerusalem,
And a man with a staff in his hand for multitude of days.
And the squares of the city shall be full of
boys
And girls gamboling in the squares.'
Thus says Jehovah of hosts:
`It will be marvelous in the eyes of the remainder of this people in those days.
Moreover it will be marvelous in My eyes,' says Jehovah of hosts.
Thus says Jehovah of hosts:
`Lo! it is I, saving My people from the land eastward,
And from the land of the setting sun,
And I will bring them,
And they tabernacle in the midst of Jerusalem.
And they shall come to be My
people,
And I will become their God,
In truth
and righteousness.'"
Now let us consider how the evil effects of Israel's dispersion are to be removed by
her restoration and abundant blessings in the kingdom:
"And the word of Jehovah is coming to me, saying: `Son of mankind, the house of
Israel, dwelling in their land, are defiling it by their way and by their actions. As the
defilement of one who is isolated is their way before Me.
And I am pouring out My fury on them for the blood which they pour out on the land, and
for defiling it with their idols of ordure. And I am scattering them among the
nations, and they are being winnowed among the lands. According to their way and according
to their actions I judge them. And My name is coming to the nations where they came, and
they are profaning My holy name in saying to them, "These are Jehovah's people, and
they are going forth from His land."
Yet I am sparing My holy name, which the house of Israel profane among the nations
where they came. Therefore, say to the house of Israel, "Thus says the Lord Jehovah:
`I do it not for your sakes, house of Israel, should I not for My holy name, which
you profane among the nations where you come. And I hallow My great name, profaned among
the nations, which you profaned in their midst. And the nations shall know that I am
Jehovah, avers the Lord Jehovah, by being hallowed in you before their eyes.
And I take you from the nations, and gather you together from all lands,
and bring you to your ground. And I will sprinkle cleansing water on you, and you are
cleansed. From all your uncleanness, and from all your idols of ordure will I cleanse you.
I give you a new heart, and a new spirit will I bestow within you, and take away the
heart of stone from your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh. And I will bestow My spirit
within you. And I will make it that you shall walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments,
and do them.
And you shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers, and you shall become My
people, and I shall be your God. And I save you from all your uncleannesses. And I
call to the grain and increase it, and I will give you no famine. And I increase the fruit
of the tree, and the produce of the field, that you no more may take the reproach of
famine among the nations.
And you shall remember your evil ways and your actions which were not good, and shall
be disgusted with yourselves over your depravities and over your abominations. I do it not
for your sakes, avers the Lord Jehovah, be it known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for
your ways, house of Israel!'
Thus says the Lord Jehovah: `In the day I cleanse you from all your depravities
I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the deserted places shall be built. And
the desolate land shall be cultivated, whereas it had become a desolation to the eyes of
all who passed. And they. say, "The desolate land is become as the garden
of Eden, and the deserted, desolate, demolished cities are fortified dwelling
places."
And the nations which remain around shall know that I, Jehovah, build
what was demolished, plant the desolate places. I, Jehovah, speak, and will do.'
Thus says the Lord Jehovah: `For this I shall be inquired of further by the house of
Israel, to do it for them. I will increase them with humans as sheep, as holy sheep, as
the sheep of Jerusalem in appointed times. So the deserted cities shall become filled with
humans as if sheep, and they shall know that I am Jehovah'" (Ezek.36:16-38).
Next let us give study to the thirty-fifth chapter of Isaiah, which tells of the time
when the land shall be relieved of its curse to blossom in exultation, when the ransomed
of Jehovah shall return to Zion with eonian gladness in their hearts.
"The wilderness and the arid [waste] shall be glad over them,
And the gorge shall exult and bud as the rose.
It is budding to bud, and exults indeed,
With exultation and joyous shouting.
The glory of Lebanon is given to it,
The honor of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see
the glory of Jehovah,
The honor of our God.
Make the relaxed hands steadfast.
Make the stumbling knees resolute.
Say to the hasty of heart:
`Be steadfast!
Fear not!
Lo! Your God with vengeance shall come,
With the requital of God He shall come
And save you!'
Then shall the eyes of the blind be unclosed,
And the ears of the deaf be opened,
Then shall the lame leap as a deer,
And the tongue of the mute shout for Joy.
For waters are rent in the wilderness,
And water courses in the gorge,
And the mirage shall
become a pond,
And the thirsty place a
font of water.
In the homestead where
jackals recline
Is grass with reeds and
papyrus.
And a causeway shall come to be there, and a
way,
The way of holiness shall it be called.
The unclean shall not pass over it,
And it shall be for those walking the way.
And fools shall not
stray,
No lion shall be there,
Nor shall a breaching
animal ascend it:
It shall not be found
there.
And the redeemed shall walk,
And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return,
And come to Zion with joyous shouting,
And eonian joy upon their heads.
Gladness and joy shall overtake them,
And affliction and groaning shall flee" (Isaiah 35).
We have given space to these long passages, because of the unquestionable testimony
they bear and the clear illumination which they shed upon the future expectation of
Israel, when the Lord Jehovah will restore them to their own land and make good all these
promises, when they shall become His people and He will be their God in truth and
righteousness.
Ezekiel describes how Israel and Judah are to be made one nation in the land, with
David as their king and prince for the eon, when an eonian covenant of peace will be made
with them, and Jehovah shall set His sanctuary in their midst.
"And speak to them, `Thus says the Lord Jehovah: "Lo! I take the sons
of Israel from among the nations where they go, and gather them together from
around, and I bring them to their ground. And I make them one nation in the land in
the mountains of Israel, and one King shall become king for them all, and they shall no
more be two nations, nor shall they still be divided into two kingdoms, nor shall they
defile themselves with idols of ordure, nor with their detestations, nor with their
trespasses; and I will save them from their dwellings wherein they sin, and I
cleanse them, and they become My people, and I become their God.
And My servant David is king over them, and there comes to be one shepherd for them
all, and they shall walk in My judgments, and keep My statutes and do them. And
they shall dwell on the land which I give to my servant Jacob, in which your fathers
dwelt, and they shall dwell on it, they and their sons, and their sons' sons, for
the eon. And David My servant is their prince for the eon.
And I contract a covenant of peace with them, an eonian covenant shall it come to be
with them. And I will bestow on them, and increase them, and bestow My
sanctuary in the midst of them for the eon. My tabernacle also shall be over them, and I
will become their God and they shall become My people. And the nations shall know
that I, Jehovah am the Hallower of Israel, by My sanctuary's being in the midst of
them for the eon.'" (Ezek.37:21-28).
There is no uncertainty about the language of this Scripture. The sons of Israel and
Judah are to be made one nation and kingdom in the land Jehovah gave to
Jacob, and in which their fathers dwelt--the land of Palestine--where they, and their
sons, and their sons' sons shall dwell for the eon. David will be prince over them for the
eon, occupying a place of high authority and esteem among them as Messiah's vicegerent,
with honored privileges in the sanctuary accorded to no other (Ezek.37:24,25).
THE REDIVISION OF THE LAND
The land will be divided among the twelve tribes in parallel sections, beginning at
Hamath on the north, with a section first for Dan, the next for Asher, then sections for
Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah (Ezek.48:1-7). Then comes the holy
ablation.
East and west of the holy oblation are two portions allotted to the Prince,
corresponding in breadth to the holy oblation (Ezek.45:7-17; 48:21,22). Immediately south
of the holy oblation and the portions allotted to the Prince will follow sections for the
tribes of Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulon, and Gad (Ezek. 48:23-29).
THE HOLY OBLATION
The holy oblation will be divided into three parallel sections from east to west. The
northern section will be the Levites' portion.
Immediately south of it will be the Priests' portion of corresponding size
(Ezek.48:10-12), in which will be located Jehovah's sanctuary.
Then south of the priests' portion will be the city's portion, with its suburbs,
gardens, and farming sections.
THE PHYSICAL REGENERATION OF THE EARTH
The size of the new city and the location of the sanctuary and the elevation of the
Dead Sea, call for great physical changes in the land surface of Palestine, as well as the
entire earth in that day. We recall in our study of the Coming Indignation the terrible
earthquake that takes place at the unveiling of Christ from heaven in His power and glory.
Let us now consider it in relation to what the prophet Zechariah has to say of the same
event:
"And a great earthquake occurred such as did not occur since mankind came to be on
the earth, a quake prodigious, it is so great. And the great city came to be divided into
three parts; and the cities of the nations fall....And every Island fled, and the
mountains were not found" (Rev.16:17-21).
"Lo! a day comes for Jehovah!
And your loot is apportioned within you.
And I gather all nations to Jerusalem for war
And the city is captured,
And the houses rifted,
And the wives ravished,
And half of the city passes forth to be deported,
And the people who are left shall not be cut off from the city.
And Jehovah goes forth and fights those nations
As in the day of the attack.
And His feet stand in that day on the mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem from the east.
And the mount of Olives is rent in half,
Eastward and seaward is a very great ravine
And half of the mountain removes northward
And half toward the southland.
*
* * * *
He shall surround all the land as the gorge
From Geba to Rimmon the southland of Jerusalem.
And she is high, and she shall dwell beneath,
From the gate of Benjamin unto the first gate, unto the corner gate,
And from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's vats.
And they dwell in her, and there shall be no more demolition,
And Jerusalem dwells trustingly" (Zech.14:1-4,10,11).
Back in the ancient days of Peleg (Gen.10:25) the earth was divided, the results
being the seven grand continents and many islands of the sea with which we are
geographically acquainted today. But here we are given a glimpse of the great physical
changes which are to take place in the future renascence of the earth, restoring it
to the unity and order that prevailed in Genesis 1:9,10. The islands of the sea will flee
and the mountains will not be found! The mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem from the
east, will be rent in half--half of the mountain removing northward and half toward the
southland--forming a very great ravine eastward and seaward. Jerusalem will be raised up
and called the mountain of Jehovah. Possibly, through the great physical renewing, the
earth becomes again one vast continent, surrounded by the sea, Palestine the geographical
center, with Jerusalem as the capital city and seat of government, where the nations will
ascend from year to year to worship the King, Jehovah of hosts (Zech.14:16-19; Isa.2:2,3).
THE CAPITAL CITY AND SEAT OF GOVERNMENT
In the center of the city's portion of the holy oblation, the new Jerusalem will be
built gloriously resplendent in its beauty, including the site of the old.
"Now it shall come to be in the days hereafter,
The mountain of Jehovah's house shall be established
At the head of the mountains,
And lifted up from the hills,
And to it stream all the nations.
And many peoples go and say,
`Go and ascend to the mountain of Jehovah,
To the house of the God of Jacob,
And He will instruct us
in His ways,
And we will walk in His
paths.'
For from Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem" (Isa.2:2,3).
The city proper will be eleven miles square, with suburbs one half mile on each side,
making it in all, twelve miles square. This will give an area of 121 square miles to the
city proper, or 144 square miles inclusive of the suburbs. There will be a wall
surrounding the city with three gates on each side, named after the tribes of Israel. On
the north side, the gates are for Reuben, Judah, and Levi; on the east side, Joseph,
Benjamin, and Dan; on the south side, Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulon, and on the west side,
Gad, Asher, and Naphtali (Ezek.48:30-34).
Ezekiel tells us that the name of the city in that day will be JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH--Jehovah
is there (Ezek.48:35). In Zechariah we are told that living waters will pass forth
from Jerusalem in that day, flowing eastward and westward, evidently through the great
ravine on the southern edge of the city caused by the great earthquake that divides the
mount of Olives.
"And it shall be in that day that living waters shall pass forth from Jerusalem,
Half of them to the eastern sea,
And half of them to the latter sea.
Summer and winter shall it be" (Zech.14:8).
As the day of the Lord presents the Melchisedec priesthood of Christ, these waters no
doubt figure His kingly administrations passing forth from Jerusalem and affecting all
mankind.
THE REIGN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Though Messiah will be reigning as the Prince of Peace in that day, yet it will be a
reign based on righteousness and law. The least infraction of the kingdom code, as
expounded in the sermon on the mount, will receive immediate judgment. The entire
catalogue of sins will be adjudicated according to the inflexible law of righteousness
which characterizes that reign of the kingdom, when judgment will be immediate and
summary.
We have a graphic picture of the severe order of adjudication in that day in Ananias
and Sapphire, in the Pentecostal Administration, when the kingdom was being preached with
the authority of heaven attending. Immediately, without recourse to mercy, when they lied
to the holy spirit, they were each struck dead before Peter! And it is written of the
kingdom administration:
"He who does deceit shall not dwell within My house:
He who speaks falsehood shall not be established in front of My eyes.
In the morning I will efface the wicked of the land,
To cut off from the city of Jehovah all who contrive lawlessness"
(Psa.101:7,8).
This reveals that righteousness will reign and sin will be suppressed. The
"judgment of Gehenna" will be reestablished in that day. This is a truth that is
lost to most of the saints, because of inaccurate translation and by not rightly dividing
the word of truth. In Israel there were several executive bodies empowered to judge and
execute the various laws. In Matthew 5:21, our Lord makes reference to them when
expounding the kingdom code in the sermon on the mount.
"You hear that it was declared to the ancients, `You shall not be murdering: yet
whoever should be murdering shall be liable to the judgment.' Yet I am saying to
you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to the judgment. Yet
whoever may be saying to his brother, `Raka' shall be liable to the Sanhedrin. Yet
whoever shall be saying, `Stupid,' shall be liable to the Gehenna of fire."
Here we find two executive bodies and three crimes of different degrees of enormity
which Christ declared deserved to be punished with three different degrees of severity.
First, rash and needless anger toward a brother is subject to the judgment of a lower
court. This lower court consisted of a council of twenty- three who have the power in some
cases to inflict death in a mild manner.
The second crime was that of using offensive terms to a brother, like raka, an
Aramaic word, meaning empty, which deserves such punishment as the Sanhedrin, the
great council of the nation, consisting of seventy-two chiefs, should inflict, even to
that of stoning to death.
The third crime, of holding a worthy brother up as stupid, meaning a reprobate,
destitute of all spiritual or divine knowledge, deserved the severest punishment of the
Sanhedrin, death by stoning and his body cast into the fire of Gehenna, the valley of the
son of Hinnom, just below the city of Jerusalem, where the city offal or refuse was
burned.
In the future day of the kingdom it will again be the incinerator of the city and the
receptacle of the bodies of criminals and transgressors of the law. So stringent will be
the law, that if one member of the body sins, the whole will be in danger of death
and consignment to the Gehenna of fire, as an object lesson against lawlessness in that
day. We have this verified by Isaiah who gives us a vision of the severity with which
judgment shall be meted out to transgressors:
And it shall come to be by a month's quota in its month,
And a sabbath's quota in its sabbath,
All flesh shall come to worship
Before Me, says Jehovah.
And they shall go forth and see the corpses;
Of the men who trespass against Me,
For their maggot shall not die,
Nor shall their fire be quenched,
And they shall be a repulsion to all flesh (Isa.66:23,24).
Here we find that all who come to Jerusalem from month to month and sabbath to sabbath
to worship before Jehovah, shall go forth and look upon the corpses of men who have
transgressed Jehovah's law, and there in Gehenna fire, that is kept continually burning
day and night, the portions of the bodies not burned, will be infested by the repulsive
maggots!
ISRAEL JUDGED BY THE TWELVE APOSTLES
The government of the nation of Israel in the future inhabited earth will be in the
hands of the apostles, which explains in part why there must be just twelve, one for each
tribe. Concerning this, the Lord Jesus made prophetic promise to them in the closing days
of His earthly ministry, saying:
"Verily, I am saying to you that you, who follow Me, in the renascence,
whenever the Son of Mankind should be sitting on His glorious throne, you, also,
shall be seated on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel"
(Matt.19:28).
Just as twelve is the number of government and the kingdom, and twelve apostles are
chosen to rule the twelve tribes of Israel, there are also twelve times twelve thousand
(144,000) sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel (Rev.7:4) for kingdom
administrators, who will have jurisdiction over the nations of the earth in that
day, shepherding them with an iron club (Rev.12:5).
JEHOVAH'S SANCTUARY
The millennial sanctuary will not be built in the new city of Jerusalem, but in the
midst of the holy oblation (Ezek.45:1-6; 48:10,20,21), which locates it about eighteen
miles north of the city, near Shiloh, where the tabernacle rested after the sons of Israel
conquered the land, and where it remained until the death of Eli.
A study of the closing chapters of Ezekiel gives a wonderful vision of divine wisdom in
the outlay of everything for that glorious era. Nothing will be crowded, but all will be
located according to specifications in keeping with the august administration of that eon.
The new sanctuary will occupy a space of 500 reeds on each side (Ezek.42:15-20), which is
equivalent to about nine English furlongs, or a little more than one mile square.
THE SANCTUARY DEDICATED
Just here we are favored with a very interesting set of figures from Daniel, concerning
the anointing of a holy of holies in the millennial sanctuary. In His vision he asks:
"Until when is the vision of the continual (offering), and the desolating
trespass,
to give the sanctuary as well as the army to tramping?
The messenger replied:
Until two thousand three hundred evenings-mornings, and the sanctuary
shall be justified" (Dan.8:13,14).
Now by counting 2300 evenings-mornings or days from the breaking of the covenant,
brings us 2 years, 10 months and 20 days beyond the unveiling of Christ, or 965
days (32 months and 5 days) after the resurrection and the beginning of the thousand
years' reign, to the dedication, or "anointing of the holy of holies"
(Dan.9:24). In other words, from the time the millennial reign begins until the dedication
of the sanctuary, 2 years, 8 months and 5 days have evidently been consumed in building
the glorious edifice, which will have the admiration of all the world for its hallowed
location and architectural beauty.
THE SHEKINAH GLORY
In the days of Ezekiel, he describes how the shekinah glory of Jehovah departed from
the midst of Israel. It reads:
"And the glory of Jehovah passes forth from over the threshold of the house and is
standing over the cherubim. And the cherubim are lifting up their wings, and are exalted
from the earth before my eyes. In passing forth the wheels also are with them. And it is
standing at the door of the gate of Jehovah's house at the east. And the glory of the God
of Israel is over them from above which I saw under the God of Israel at the stream
Chebar, and I know that they are the cherubim" (Ezek.10:18,20).
"And the cherubim are lifting up their wings, and the wheels with them, and the
glory of the God of Israel is over them from above. And the glory of Jehovah is ascending
from over the midst of the city, and stood over the mountain which is on the east of the
city" (Ezek.11:22,23).
But in the coming day of Jehovah when His sanctuary is erected in the midst of His
ancient people again, He will cause His glory to return and fill the holy of holies at the
time of the dedication.
"And he brought me to the gate, the gate which is before the way of the east. And
lo! The glory of the God of Israel comes from the way of the east! And His voice is as the
sound of many waters, and the earth is lightened with His glory. And the sight is as the
sight which I saw in coming to ruin the city; and the sights are as the sight I saw at the
river Chebar; and I fall on my face. And the glory of Jehovah comes to the house by the
way of the east. And the spirit lifts me up and brings me to the inner court. And lo! The
glory of Jehovah fills the house" (Ezek.43:1-5).
Ezekiel, describing further his vision of the sanctuary, tells how he was taken to the
eastern door, where he saw living waters streaming forth from under the threshold of the
sanctuary, flowing past the altar on the south side eastward, until the stream became a
water course large enough to swim in, a water course not to be passed.
"And he is saying to me, `These waters are passing forth to the circuit of the
east, and are descending to the gorge, and enter the sea. On passing forth into the sea,
its waters are healed. And it shall come to be that every living soul, which teems
everywhere the watercourses are coming, shall live. And there shall be exceedingly many
fish, for the waters come there and heal, and everything lives wherever the watercourse
comes. And it shall come to be that fishers shall stand on it from En-gedi to En-eglaim.
They shall be for spreading out nets....And on the watercourse, ascending the shore, is
every food tree of this and of that, whose leaf is not decaying, and whose fruit does not
come to an end. Monthly there is firstripe fruit, for its waters, they pass forth from
the sanctuary, and its fruit is for food, and its leaf for healing'"
(Ezek.47:1-12).
These living waters, flowing forth from the sanctuary, evidently figure the abundant
spiritual blessings that will flow to mankind in that day, when every heart shall be
satisfied.
THE CAUSEWAY
Then will the oft perverted passage of Isaiah 35:8,9 be fulfilled:
"And a causeway shall come to be there, and a way,
The way of holiness shall it be called.
The unclean shall not pass over it,
And it shall be for those walking the way."
This causeway will be a magnificent elevated boulevard, about eighteen miles long,
reaching from the city to the sanctuary, called "the way of
holiness," on which the ransomed of Jehovah shall walk, with eonian joy upon their
heads.
THE ORDER OF DIVINE SERVICE
Apparently little consideration is ever given by teachers to the order of divine
service that will prevail during the millennial reign. Christendom not recognizing the
teaching of the Scriptures concerning the readjustment of the eons, has tried to make the
coming kingdom a present reality. By confusing the present spiritual counterparts with
future fulfillments, they have been actually spiritualized away.
But let us bear in mind that the two great eons of glory are yet future in God's Eonian
Purpose. The first, "the coming eon," will be made glorious by Christ's reign as
Priest-King after the order of Melchisedec, confirming all the patriarchal promises to
Israel, and through them blessing all the families of the earth. In the last, "the
eon of the eons," which is "the administration of the complement of the
eras," the universe will be headed up in the Christ, as the Son of His love, and He
will reign until all things are reconciled unto Him through the peace made by the blood of
His cross, whether on the earth or in the heavens.
But in the coming eon Israel is to be restored to the land of their fathers and
Jehovah's sanctuary set in the midst of them, the "better covenant," instituted
on better promises, will be confirmed, and their priestly order of worship will be resumed
to a finality.
THE BETTER COVENANT
Few phrases are more confusing and misleading than "the New Testament." The
majority of truth-lovers have had planted in their hearts the erroneous idea which causes
them to think of the Greek Scriptures as "the New Testament" and the Hebrew
Scriptures as "the Old Testament." Yet, in truth, the "new covenant,"
or "testament," is found in the "Old Testament!" It has never been in
force yet, and "New Testament" times will not come until after the coming
indignation when Jehovah calls Israel and Judah back to Himself and the land of their
fathers, as we have been studying in this chapter, and erects His sanctuary in the midst
of them for the eon. Jeremiah gives it in full:
"`Lo! the days come,' avers Jehovah,
`I contract with the house of Israel
And with the house of Judah a new covenant,
Not as the covenant which I contract with their fathers
In the day I held fast their hand, to bring them forth from the land of Egypt,
Which covenant of Mine they frustrate,
And I was their owner,' avers Jehovah.
`For this is the covenant which I will contract
With the house of Israel after those days,' avers Jehovah:
`I will bestow My law within them,
And on their hearts I will write it,
And I will become their God,
And they shall become My people.
And no more shall a man teach his associate,
And a man his brother, saying, "Know Jehovah,"
For all shall know Me,
From the small to the great,' avers Jehovah.
`For I will pardon their depravities,
And their sin will I remember no more'" (Jer.31:31-34).
A discriminating study of this Scripture reveals that the "new covenant" is
not for the nations, but for the "house of Israel and the house of Judah." It is
confirmed to the "faithful" in Hebrews 8:8-12, which speaks of "the future
inhabited earth" (Heb.1:6; 2:5), when they have been restored to their own land and
received their Messiah. Then will He inscribe His law on their hearts and they shall walk
in His statutes, and keep His judgments, and do them.
WORSHIP
The priestly order of approach to Jehovah will be reestablished. The Levites as a class
will be allowed temple service but will be barred from priestly duties, because of leading
the house of Israel astray to idols in the past.
"For should it be the Levites who are far from Me in the straying of Israel, who
stray from Me after the idols of ordure, and bear their depravity, they also shall become
ministers in My sanctuary, supervisors at the gates of the house, and ministers of the
house. They shall slay the ascending offering and the sacrifice of the people, and they
shall stand before them to minister to them, because they ministered to them before
their idols of ordure, and became to the house of Israel a stumbling block of depravity.
So I lift up My hand on them, avers the Lord Jehovah, and they bear their depravity. And
they shall not be close to Me, to be priests to Me, nor to be close to any of My holy
things, to the holy of holies. And they bear their confounding and the abominations
which they do. And I give into their keeping the keeping of the house, for all its service
and for all which is done in it" (Ezek.44:10-14).
From the "sons of Zadok" priests are to be chosen to officiate in the holy
places of the sanctuary:
"And the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of My
sanctuary when the sons of Israel strayed from Me, they shall draw near to Me, to minister
to Me, and shall stand before Me to offer to Me the suet and the blood, avers my Lord,
Jehovah. They enter My sanctuary, and they draw near to My table, to
minister to Me. And they keep My charge" (Ezek.44: 15,16).
THE SACRIFICES
Of the sacrifices of that era, there will be a daily morning ascending offering,
but apparently no evening offerings. This is described by Ezekiel as follows:
"And a flawless yearling lamb shall you make an ascending (offering) to Jehovah
daily: Morning by morning shall you make it. And a present shall you make with it
morning by morning, the sixth of an ephah, and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the
flour: a present to Jehovah, a statute of eonian continuance.
And they make the lamb, and the present, and the oil morning by morning, a continual
ascending [offering]" (Ezek.46:13-15).
There will be six offerings connected with the worship of that day--the
"ascending" (burnt), the "present" (meat), the "libation"
(drink), the "sin," the "peace," and the "guilt" (trespass).
These are enumerated in the following Scriptures in relation to their worship:
And he is saying to me, "The north room, the south room, which face the
sequestered place, they are holy rooms, where the priests who approach Jehovah shall eat
that which is holy of holies. There they shall leave that which holy of holies be, and the
present, and the sin, and the guilt [offerings], for the place is holy" (Ezek.42:13).
"And on the prince shall come the ascending [offerings], and the present, and the
libation, and the festivals, and in the months and in the sabbaths. In all the appointed
times of the house of Israel he shall make the sin [offering], and the peace
[offering] to make propitiation for the house of Israel" (Ezek. 45:17).
Apparently only two festivals, or feasts, will be observed during the millennial
reign--the "Passover" and "Tabernacles," or "booths." These
are very significant and worthy of our most earnest consideration.
THE PASSOVER FESTIVAL
They will observe the Passover festival, but no Passover lamb will be slain, as Christ
fulfilled that type in His sacrifice on the cross. Let us consider what is written
concerning this festival:
"On the fourteenth day of the first month, shall your passover festival occur.
Seven days that which is unleavened is eaten. And on that day the prince shall make for
himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin [offering]. And seven days
of the festival he shall make an ascending offering to Jehovah of seven bullocks and seven
rams, flawless, daily the seven days, and a sin [offering] of a hairy goat daily. And he
shall make a present of an ephah for a bullock and an ephah for a ram, and a hin of oil
for an ephah" (Ezek.45:21-24).
It is then that the words of Christ will find fulfillment which He spoke to His
disciples when eating the last passover with them:
"And taking the cup and giving thanks, He gives it to them, saying, `All drink of
it, for this is My blood of the new covenant, being poured out for many for the pardon of
sins. Now I am saying to you that I may under no circumstances be drinking henceforth of
this, the product of the grapevine, till that day whenever I an drinking it new with
you in the kingdom of My Father'" (Matt.26:27-30).
Here in the kingdom, at the festival of the Passover, they will drink the cup of the
new covenant, a memorial of the great deliverance which Christ's sacrifice on Golgotha
accomplished. It will direct the minds and hearts of the people back to the cross.
THE FESTIVAL OF BOOTHS
The festival of booths (tabernacles) will be observed by representatives of all
nations, and will be a grand universal national thanksgiving for unfailing and fruitful
seasons. Under the direction of King Messiah, once a year all nations will be under bond
to send their representatives to Jerusalem to worship and return thanksgiving unto Jehovah
for His abundant blessings upon them.
"And it shall be that everyone left
From all the nations that come against Jerusalem,
A quota shall ascend year by year
To worship the King, Jehovah of hosts,
And to celebrate the festival of booths.
And it shall be that the families of the earth
Who will not ascend to Jerusalem
To worship the King, Jehovah of hosts,
On them shall be no downpour.
And should the family of Egypt not ascend and not come, that have none,
On them shall be the stroke
With which Jehovah strikes the nations
Which do not ascend to celebrate the festival
of booths."
(Zech.14:16-19).
THE MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE
The missionary enterprise will be carried out by the ministers of God according to the
program of the great commission decreed for that day. The reason for the sad failure
experienced by our missionary movements today is because they are out of harmony with
God's program. They are attempting to carry out Israel's future missionary work now,
instead of giving heed to our own commission as ambassadors of Christ, to proclaim the
evangel of the grace of God and the conciliation.
In that day, the sons of Israel will be called the "priests of Jehovah, and the
ministers of our God" by the nations (Isa.61: 6), and will go forth with the
authority of reigning Messiah and fulfill the great commission as it is written:
"`All authority in heaven and on earth was given to Me. Going then, disciple
all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
holy spirit, teaching them to be keeping all, whatever I direct you. And lo! I am with
you all the days till the conclusion of the eon Amen!'" (Matt.28:18-20).
This Scripture, apportioned to its proper place in God's eonian administrations,
exemplifies how ministers of the priestly nation of Israel shall go forth to all the world
in the day of the Lord and disciple all the nations--not a few individuals out of
the nations--teaching them to observe all whatever Messiah directs them. Then shall men of
distant cities and strong nations come to Jerusalem to worship before Jehovah.
"Thus says Jehovah of hosts:
`Yet there shall come peoples
And dwellers of many cities.
And the dwellers of one shall go to another to say,
"We are going to go to beseech the face of Jehovah,
And to seek Jehovah of hosts,"
"Moreover, I will go."
And many peoples and strong nations come
To seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem
And to beseech the face of Jehovah.'
Thus says Jehovah of hosts:
`In those days ten mortals from all the languages of the nations shall
hold fast,
And they shall hold fast the hem of the man who
is a Jew, saying,
"We will go with you
For we hear that God is
with you" (Zech.8:20-23).
This gives us a glimpse of how eagerly the nations, in that day, will receive
the glad message of the reigning Messiah in Jerusalem and come to worship before Him.
THE EARTH RELIEVED OF ITS CURSE
When Adam sinned he dragged all creation down with him, and for six millenniums the
creation has been subjected to vanity and the slavery of corruption, groaning and
travailing together until now, as Paul sets forth in Romans:
"For I am reckoning that the sufferings of the current era do not deserve the
glory about to be revealed for us. For the premonition of the creation is awaiting the
unveiling of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity (not
voluntarily, but because of Him Who is subjecting it) in expectation that the creation
itself also shall be freed from the slavery of corruption into the glorious freedom of the
children of God. For we are aware that the entire creation is groaning and travailing
together until now" (Rom.8:18-25).
Yet in the future inhabited earth, under the beneficent reign of Messiah, creation
itself, freed from the slavery of corruption, will respond to His redemptive work. The
desert will blossom as the rose, orchards will bend low with freighted fruit, vines will
hang their purple clusters in the sun, the earth will again be a paradise and man
its happy keeper. Of this time, Jehovah says:
"I will open streams on ridges,
And springs in the midst of valleys:
I will make the wilderness a pond of water,
And and land fonts of water:
I will give the wilderness the cedar,
The acacia, and the myrtle, and the oil tree:
I will place in the gorge the fir,
The elm and the box together,
That they may see and know
And place with intelligence together,
That the hand of Jehovah does this,
And the Holy One of Israel creates it" (Isa.41:18-20).
The renascence of the earth in the day of the Lord will display so unmistakably the
Omnipotence of Jehovah that all will acknowledge and ascribe to Him the glory and praise
together with adoration and worship.
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM BLESSED
The animal kingdom, though innocent of the transgression of man, nevertheless, has had
to suffer all its consequences passively. But in the glorious era of the millennium it
will share the blessedness of the reign of the Prince of Peace.
"And the wolf sojourns with the lamb,
And the leopard shall recline with the kid,
And the calf and the sheltered lion and the fatling shall be together,
And a small youth leading among them.
And the heifer and the bear shall feed, and their young shall recline
together.
And the lion shall eat crushed straw as a beeve,
And the suckling revels on the hole of the
cobra,
And on the light shaft of the yellow viper the
weanling obstrudes his hand.
They shall not do evil and not ruin,
In all My holy mountain.
For the earth is full of the knowledge of Jehovah
As the waters are a covering for the sea (Isa.11:6-9).
It is evident, from what is written, that everything in that blessed era will feel the
boon of His glorious presence, save the serpent, the medium through which Satan beguiled
Adam and Eve in Eden. Of it we are told:
"And the wolf and lambkin shall feed,
And the lion shall eat crushed straw like the beeve,
Soil shall be the serpent's bread.
They do not destroy,
And do not ruin,
In all My holy mountain, says Jehovah" (Isa.65:25).
The whole creation, blighted by the curse of sin, shall be restored to its original
beauty and harmony, save the serpent, which, though rendered harmless, apparently
continues to grovel its way upon the ground, possibly as a sign of the ancient deception
of Satan, and a warning of his future release for a little season at the close of the
thousand years.
THE BLESSINGS OF MANKIND
Mankind will share to the full in the general blessedness of that long millennial day.
Physical vitality shall be strong and generous and premature death will be unknown.
"Thenceforth there shall not come to be one brought up [a few] days.
Nor an old [person] who has not filled his days,
For a youth a hundred years old shall die,
And a sinner of a hundred years shall be lightly [esteemed]"
(Isa.65:20).
One may die a hundred years of age and still be called a youth, while a sinner of a
hundred years shall be lightly esteemed, and dealt with according to Jehovah's righteous
judgment.
The temporal prosperity holds forth a glorious prospect for the sons of Israel in that
day.
"And they build houses and they dwell,
And they plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another dwell,
They shall not plant and another eat,
For as the days of a tree are the days of My people,
And My chosen shall wear out what their hands have made.
They shall not be weary for naught,
Nor generate for flurry,
For the seed of the blessed of Jehovah are they,
And their issue with them.
And it shall come to be, ere they call, I will answer,
While they are still speaking, I will hear" (Isa.65:21-24).
Again it is written:
"In that day I will raise up the booth of David which is fallen,
And its breaches I will dike with stones,
And I will raise up what is demolished,
And build it as in the days of the eon,
That the remnant of mankind may occupy it,
And all the nations on whom My name is called,
Avers Jehovah, Who does this.
Lo! the days come, avers Jehovah,
And the plowman comes close to the reaper,
And the treader of grapes him who draws forth the seed,
And the mountains drop juice,
And the hills shall be dissolving.
And I restore My people Israel from captivity,
And they build the desolate cities and dwell.
And they plant vineyards and drink the wine,
And make gardens and eat their fruit.
And I plant them on their ground,
And no more pluck them up from the ground which I give them,
Says Jehovah, your God" (Amos 9:11-15).
It will be a great change when Christ is King over all the earth, for then the profit
will go to the toiler. However, it is well to remember that when Israel comes into their
place as the royal priesthood of Jehovah, all nations, tribes, and peoples will be subject
to their suzerainty, serving as herdsmen, farmers, and vineyardists.
"Thus says Lord Jehovah:
Lo! I shall lift up My hands to the nations,
And I shall raise My ensign to the peoples,
And they shall bring your sons in their bosom pouches,
And your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders,
And kings become your foster fathers,
And their chiefesses your wet nurses,
They shall bow down to you, face to the earth,
And shall lick up the soil of your feet" (Isa.49:22,23).
Again:
"And aliens stand and feed your sheep,
And sons of a foreigner are your farmers and vineyardists.
And you shall be called the priests of Jehovah.
And shall be termed ministers of our God.
You shall eat the estate of the nations
And by their glory shall you be changed" (Isa.61:5,6).
With the kingdom under all the heavens committed to the sovereignty of Israel
(Dan.7:27), then the promise to Abraham (Gen.12:3) will be fulfilled, and "all the
families of the earth will be blessed." Justice and security of life will be assured
to all from the least unto the greatest under this glorious reign of righteousness.
"He shall judge the humble of the people,
He shall save the sons of the needy,
And shall crush the oppressor" (Psa.72:4).
"And the suckling revels on the hole of the cobra,
And on the light shaft of the yellow viper the weaseling obtrudes his hand"
(Isa.11:8).
"And the squares of the city shall be full of boys
And girls gamboling in the squares" (Zech.8:5).
What is the great King's ideal for child life revealed here? Play! But with what shall
they play? With that from which we carefully and necessarily guard our little ones today.
With no thought of harm, in that glorious era, the little dimpled fist of a child may be
entwined in the mane of a great shaggy lion and lead him about as his royal playmate!
The glorious era of the millennium holds forth a prospect of the most favorable and
perfect environment yet enjoyed by man, but we must emphasize the fact, contrary to the
idea entertained by many of the saints, that it closes with the greatest apostasy
of all the eons! Instead of the glory and honor and prosperity and well-being leading to
heart allegiance to God, it results in an innumerable host, countless as the sands by the
seashore, seizing the first opportunity that comes to show their latent hostility to Him
and His saints.
Let us bear in mind that all the eons, except the final one, end in failure and
disaster, and each in increasing measure. The first brought on the disruption, the second
the deluge. The present wicked eon closes in the awful judgments of the apocalypse. But
the worst failure of all will be the close of the millennium.
We must look beyond the millennium, beyond the great white throne, yea, beyond the new
heavens and earth--beyond to the consummation, for perfection and finality, when God is
All in all.
