Chapter XI: Part 11

The invasion will happen some time after the beastly empire with its beasthead (the revived Roman empire), in its final ten kingdom form and the clay, with the little horn as leader (Dan. vii; Rev. xiii:1-10) and the false prophet, the personal Antichrist (Rev. xiii:11, etc.) have been dealt with in judgment (Rev. xix:19-20). The stone out of heaven has then fallen upon the feet of the great dream image of Nebuchadnezzar, and as far as the Western confederated world power is concerned it is now ended. But other nations gather now for an assault. It is a Northern confederacy which sweeps southward to invade the land as Antiochus Epiphanes did in the past, as well as the Assyrian in the days of Isaiah. These final invading hosts, under the leadership of a powerful king, come like a storm, and like a cloud to cover the land.

In verse 17 we read "Thus saith the Lord God: Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old times by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring thee against them?" By the way, in these words we have a very clear statement concerning the prophets of God. They all were the mouthpiece of Jehovah; He has spoken through them. According to this verse other prophets prophesied of the same enemy. Some expositors have stated their inability to find a single prophecy elsewhere which would confirm Ezekiel's vision and prophecy.

We believe the foe, of whom Isaiah speaks as the Assyrian, foreshadows this one coming with his hordes from the North. The Assyrian in the days of Isaiah, who threatened to cover the land like a cloud, was Sennacherib. How the Lord dealt with him by wiping out his proud army with a single stroke is known to every reader of the Bible. But he also foreshadows the final Assyrian, the last King of the North. He is described in Isaiah x. A significant statement is made in that chapter as to the time when the Lord will deal with this Assyrian of the future. It is this "Wherefore it shall come to pass that when the Lord has performed His whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria and the glory of his high looks" (verse 12). When the Lord has performed His work in judgment and in mercy upon Mount Zion and in behalf of Israel and their enemies, then He will also punish the last invader and spoiler of His people, the one foreshadowed by the Assyrian.

The Antichrist, who opposed the heavenly rights and glory of Christ, has then already been overthrown by the brightness of His coming; and next this last enemy who opposeth the earthly rights of the King of kings will also meet his defeat. Notice that in the same chapter of Isaiah the Lord comforts His people in view of the invader, showing thereby that He is with them and on their side. "Therefore, thus saith the Lord God of hosts, O my people that dwelleth in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian" (Isa. x:24).

The prophet Micah bears a similar testimony to the same person. In chapter v we have a prophetic announcement of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem Ephrata. We also read of His rejection: "they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek." Then the nation is seen as rejected--given up, set aside--till Israel brings forth in travail pains a godly remnant during the end of the age. Then the Lord returns. "And He shall stand and rule in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; and they shall abide, for now shall He be great unto the ends of the earth" (verse 4).

When this has come to pass then the Assyrian appears on the scene, invading the land. But Micah tells us: "And this man (Christ) shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into the land" (verse 5). All this confirms the story of Ezekiel xxxviii. The reader may also turn to Isaiah xxxiii, to Joel and find there a description of the same invading forces which Ezekiel describes and their judgment.

But some will find a difficulty here. If the Lord has returned and His people Israel are being gathered to dwell in safety in their own land, if the Lord has revealed His glory, how is it possible that such an invasion can take place? Is not Satan to be bound at once after Christ has come back? And if Satan is put into the pit of the abyss to seduce the nations no more, how is it that these nations are so blind to come up into Immanuel's land to challenge the earthly rights of the King of kings?

Satan will be bound for a thousand years, but the last act by which he attempts to oppose Christ will be through Gog and Magog. The evil thought the leader, the prince of Rosh, thinks (verse 10) is inspired by Satan. He stands behind this wild company of nations and blinds them as he blinded the kings of the Roman Empire and their armies to make war against Him that sat upon the horse. (Rev. xix:19). But then Satan has spent his last arrow. He has completely failed and is then put into the prison for a thousand years to seduce the nations no more. His last attempt was through the prince of Rosh with the nations mentioned in the beginning of this chapter.

And when the Lord looses him, after the thousand years, he is still the same old devil, as he always will be forever and ever; once more he gets a Gog and Magog, this time from the four quarters of the earth, to put up his very last fight. How that will end we know from Revelation (xx:7-9).

Still another question is raised, and this one in connection with the judgment of the nations, as revealed by our Lord in Matthew xxv:31, etc. After the Lord has returned He will receive His own throne and begin to judge the nations He finds then upon the earth. That this is not what has been termed the final--universal judgment of the quick and the dead--must be apparent to all who divide the Word of Truth rightly. It is the judgment of the living nations. Now the question is asked, if the Lord judges at once all living nations when He comes, how is it that these nations can invade the land? Why were they not also consigned to the place of eternal punishment? Why are they still unjudged?

We do not believe that the judgment of the living nations takes place on a single day. Such a judgment of necessity covers a longer period of time. Nation after nation will have to come up for judgment. This will consume considerable time. There is no question the millennial reign of our Lord will have two sides. There is first the Davidic aspect. He will begin to reign first as David did; His people are with Him and blessed, but all their enemies are not yet subdued and overcome. He will have to rule first with a rod of iron. And then when this final enemy is dealt with, He begins to reign as Prince of Peace, foreshadowed in the Solomonic reign. Gog and Magog, etc., complete and end the judgment of the nations. They are the last enemies to disappear.

After we have ascertained the time when this prophecy concerning Gog and Magog will be accomplished, we inquire next who this final enemy is. "And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of Man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold I am against thee, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them thoroughly equipped, a great assemblage with targets and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Cush, and Phut with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all his bands; the house of Togormah from the uttermost north, and all his bands--many peoples with thee." Here then we have a confederacy of nations. The leader is the Prince of Rosh (not as the authorized version has it "the chief prince"), of Meshech and Tubal. This prince is the head of the confederacy, and with him allied are Persia, Cush, Phut, Gomer and Togormah. They come out of the north, or, as it is in Hebrews, "out of the uttermost north" (verse 15). Inasmuch as the Prince of Rosh is addressed in verse 3 as Gog, we take it that Gog is the name given to this prince and leader of these nations. His dwelling place is in the land of Magog. We know from Genesis x:2 that Magog was the second son of Japheth. Gomer, Tubal and Meshech were also sons of Japheth; Togormah was a grandson of Japheth, being the third son of Gomer. Magog's land, was located in, what is called today, the Caucasus and the adjoining steppes. And the three Rosh, Meshech and Tubal were called by the ancients Scythians. They roamed as nomads in the country around and north of the Black and the Caspian Seas, and were known as the wildest barbarians. We learn from this that the invading forces, which fall into Israel's land in the future, when Israel has been regathered, come from a territory north of Palestine, which today is in the hands of Russia. And here we call attention to the prince, this northern leader, or king, who is the head of all these nations. He is the prince of Rosh. Careful research has established the fact that the progenitor of Rosh was Tiraz (Gen. x:2) and that Rosh is Russia. All students of Prophecy are agreed that this is the correct meaning of Rosh. The prince of Rosh, means, therefore, the prince or king of the Russian empire. But he also is in control of Meshech and Tubal, which are reproduced in the modern Moscow and Tobolsk.[33] Russia, we may well conclude from this, will furnish the man who will lead this confederacy of nations. We write this at a time when Russia is passing through horrors upon horrors. A revolution changed the autocratic government into a democracy and that given way to anarchy, produced by the satanic treachery of Germany. From what is written in this chapter we learn that Russia will ultimately return to the old regime and will once more become a monarchy to fulfill her final destiny as made known in this sublime prophecy. Well known it is that Russia has been in the past the most pronounced and bitterest enemy of the Jewish people. What she passes through today is but a fulfillment of what the Lord has spoken: "I will curse them that curse thee." Today the Jews in Russian may have bright hopes of getting their rights and complete emancipation at last. For a time this may come to pass, but ultimately Russia will turn against them and like Pharaoh did, when Israel had left his domain, so this coming King of the North, the prince of Rosh, when Israel is back in the land, will turn against them.

[33] The Septuagint translates, "Mesoch and Thobel."

With him come the other nations. Persia, which is even now in part occupied by Russia, will finally be a vassal to this prince of Rosh. Ethiopia and Phut are also in this confederacy. There also is Gomer and all its bands. Gomer, says Delitsch, "is most probably the tribe of the Cimmerians, who dwell, according to Herodotus, on the Maeotis, in the Taurian Chersonesus, and from whom are descended the Cumri or Cymry in Wales and Britain, whose relation to the Germanic Cimbri is still in obscurity." Valuable information is given in the Talmud; Gomer is there stated to be the Germani, the Germans. That the descendants of the Gomer moved northward and established themselves in parts of Germany seems to be an established fact. All this is of much interest. Germany did not belong to the Roman empire, at least the greater part of Germany was never conquered by Rome. She will therefore not participate in the Western confederacy. Will she then become united to Russia and march under the prince of Rosh into the land of Israel? We cannot be sure about all these things. This, however, we know, that a powerful confederacy of nations, under the leadership of the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, will come up against Immanuel's land, when Israel has been restored and dwells safely.

II. The Disastrous Defeat of the Invaders.

Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto God, Thus saith the
Lord God: In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely,
shalt thou not know _it_? And thou shalt come from thy place out of
the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding
upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come
up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it
shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land,
that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O
Gog, before their eyes. Thus saith the Lord God: _Art_ thou he of
whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of
Israel, which prophesied in those days for _many_ years that I would
bring thee against them? And it shall come to pass at the same time
when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God,
_that_ my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy _and_ in
the fire of my wrath have I spoken. Surely in that day there shall
be a great shaking in the land of Israel: So that the fishes of the
sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and
all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that
_are_ upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and
the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall,
and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword
against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every
man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against
him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and
upon his bands, and upon the many people that _are_ with him, an
overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire and brimstone. Thus
will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in
the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I _am_ the Lord
(verses 14-23).

The awful fate of the invaders is now prophetically announced. The prophet is commanded to address Gog. They know that Israel dwelleth safely and they come to take the prey, to carry away silver and gold, cattle and goods and a great spoil (verse 13). The Lord permits it all so that He might be sanctified and magnified by the manifestation of His power in judgment, so that through this judgment the nations might know Him (verses 16, 23). When they come into the land then His fury will come into His face. "For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel." The next chapter gives the prophecy of the judgment upon Gog in detail.

THE DEFEAT OF THE INVADERS.

Chapter xxxix.

Once more the prophet is commanded to prophesy against this final invader of Israel's land and to describe the judgment which falls upon the Northern army. This chapter concludes the prophecy of the last enemy of Israel; the concluding chapters of this book mention no longer enemies, nor Israel's apostasy. They are taken up with the glory of the restoration of the nation and the great millennial temple, the construction, the order of worship, etc.

I. The Judgment and Destruction of Invading Gog.

Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus
saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief
prince of Meshech and Tubal; And I will turn thee back, and leave
but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the
north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I
will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows
to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains
of Israel, thou and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee:
I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the
beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open
field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. And I will send a
fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles;
and they shall know that I am the Lord. So will I make my holy name
known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not _let them_
pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I
_am_ the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is
done, saith the Lord God; this _is_ the day whereof I have spoken.
And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and
shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the
bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the
spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years; so that they
shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down _any_ out of
the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire; and they
shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them,
saith the Lord God (verses 1-10).

Jehovah announces now their complete judgment and destruction. The invading hordes are permitted to come upon the mountains of Israel, and like the Assyrian of old, "Shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem" (Is. x:32). Then the Lord will act in behalf of His people. Let us remember that the Lord is then with His people. His glory is with them and they have found rest and dwell in peace. The blinding power of Satan, who uses Gog and his companions in a final effort to dispute the authority of the King of Kings, is demonstrated by these nations, who, led by the Prince of Rosh (Russia) invade the land. The nations and their kings forming the Western Confederacy were equally blinded when, previously to this final attempt, they made war against the Lord (Rev. xix:19). Jehovah speaks His "I will;" it is the sovereign "I will" in judgment. As He spoke to His people Israel the "I will" of sovereign grace (chapter xxxvi), so now He speaks the word which seals the doom of Israel's last enemy. "And I will turn thee back and lead thee on[34] and will cause thee to come up from the sides of the north, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel." There the invaders are to be smitten. Upon the mountains where the Lord led them and permitted them to come, the hordes shall fall and their carcasses will be given to the ravenous beasts and to the beasts of the field. And those who helped Gog in the wicked endeavor, who dwell securely in the isles, who probably assisted them with ships and in other ways, will also be judged. Fire will be sent upon Magog. It will be a sweeping judgment. As a result of what takes place will be the vindication of His holy Name and both Israel and the nations of the earth shall know Him in that day. "And my holy name will I make known in the midst of my people Israel; neither will I suffer my holy name to be profaned any more; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel." And what an assuring statement is added: "Behold, it cometh, it shall be done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken."

[34] This is the more satisfactory rendering. The marginal reading, "Strike thee with six plagues" or "draw thee back with a hook of six teeth" is incorrect.

The weapons the invading hordes left behind will be used for firewood by Israel for seven years. It seems the invaders carried mostly wooden instruments. Perhaps the preceding wars exhausted the metals so that they had to resort to weapons made of wood. Israel shall then spoil those that spoiled them and rob those that robbed them.

II. The Burial of the Slain.

And it shall come to pass in that day _that_ I will give unto Gog a
place there of a grave in Israel, the valley of the passengers on
the east of the sea; and it shall stop the passengers; and there
shall they bury Gog and all his multitude; and they shall call _it_
The valley of Hamon-gog. And seven months shall the house of Israel
be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. Yea, all the
people of the land shall bury _them_; and it shall be to them a
renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God. And
they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through
the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face
of the earth, to cleanse it; after the end of seven months shall
they search. And the passengers _that_ pass through the land, when
_any_ seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till
the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog. And also the
name of the city _shall_ be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the
land (verses 11-16).

Gog's delusion was to take Israel's land for a possession. Territorial aggrandizement was the motive of the invasion, besides the wicked defiance of God; but instead God gives them graves in the land of Israel. All the multitude of Gog will be buried in the valley of the passengers of the east of the sea, which is the Dead Sea, outside of Israel's territory; that place will be called then "the valley of Hamon-gog," which means "the multitude of Gog." Seven months will it take to put away the bodies of the slain. And those who pass through that region will stop there to consider the judgment of the Lord which was executed upon Gog. It will be a solemn memorial of what God hath done; even a city will be named on account of the disaster which has come upon Gog, the city Hamonah. The whole land will be cleansed of the defilement. Whenever, after the seven months, one who passes that way sees a man's bones, he shall mark the place with a sign and the buriers will put these bones away in Hamon-gog.

The day will surely come when all these events will come to pass. Much may be obscure at this time but God will see to the fulfilment in His own time. As we have shown in the exposition of the previous chapter, Russia is the leader of this final assault. In these significant days Russia is in the grasp of anarchy. What will be the outcome? Will Russia side with Germany? Will the two form a strong confederacy with other semi-oriental and oriental nations? Are these things, as seen by the prophet at the river banks of Chebar, even now preparing? No mortal man can forecast the immediate future. God alone knows what is about to come.

III. The Sacrifice of Jehovah.

And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God: Speak unto every
feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble
yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my
sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, _even_ a great sacrifice upon
the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye
shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the
princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks,
all of them fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be
full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice, which I
have sacrificed for you. Thus ye shall be filled at my table with
horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith
the Lord God (verses 17-20).

In view of the great slaughter executed upon Gog and his vast army, the feathered fowl and every beast of the field are summoned to attend the sacrifice which Jehovah has prepared for them upon the mountains of Israel. They are to eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, which are compared to rams, lambs, goats, bullocks and the fatlings of Bashan. He promised these fowls and the beasts of the earth a feast, which will completely satisfy them. The table which is spread for them is His table: "Thus shall ye be filled at my table."

Rev. xix:17, 18 contains a similar scene. It is the great supper of God, which the angel standing in the sun announces, and to which he invites the fowls in the midst of heaven. The great supper in Revelation and Jehovah's sacrifice in Ezekiel are not the same. The great supper of God, that awful judgment supper, is in connection with the beastly empire (the Western Confederacy)--the kings and armies of apostate Christendom. And probably for this reason the fowls in the midst of heaven are only mentioned, because Christendom apostatized from the heavenly testimony of Christianity. These kings and their armies refused and rejected completely the invitation of the Lord to the Gospel-supper and now they will fall in the hands of God and receive their reward at the judgment supper. When Gog falls upon the mountains of Israel, the great supper of God announced in Rev. xix has already been executed.

IV. The Future of Glory.

And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall
see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid
upon them. So the house of Israel shall know that I _am_ the Lord
their God from that day and forward. And the nations shall know that
the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because
they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them and
gave them into the hands of their enemies: so fell they all by the
sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their
transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.
Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Now will I bring again the
captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel,
and will be jealous for my holy name; after that they have borne
their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed
against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made
_them_ afraid. When I have brought them again from the people, and
gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them
in the sight of many nations; then shall they know that I _am_ the
Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the
heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left
none of them any more there. Neither will I hide my face any more
from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel,
saith the Lord God (verses 21-29).

The moral effect of this judgment is described in verses 21-24. The Lord will then establish His glory among the nations. From this we learn that the glory of the Lord will be made known world-wide to cover the earth after this final invasion has come to pass, and this last judgment of nations has been executed. The nations will be the witnesses of this judgment. Of course these nations are those who have been converted and are embodied in the Kingdom of Christ. And then the Lord is vindicated for having dealt with Israel as He did. They went into captivity--the dispersion among all the nations of the earth--on account of their iniquities. God dealt righteously with them when on account of their transgressions He hid His face from them. All God's ways are righteous and in that day all His dealings in judgment will be openly justified.

Then comes the prophecy of the bright future of Israel. It is one of the many found in this book of Ezekiel and the greater number in the other prophetic books. The captivity of Jacob is ended. Mercy will be bestowed upon the whole house of Israel. They have borne their shame; but now it is all ended through the mercy of the Lord. He will bring them again from the peoples, and gather them out of the enemies' lands and sanctify them, by taking away their sins, in the sight of many nations. None will be left behind; all will be gathered back. It is next to inconceivable that, with so many promises in the Word of God as to Israel's future restoration and blessing, that the greater part of professing Christians can ignore these things and refuse to believe in a glorious future of the Jewish race.

The last verse contains an important statement. The Lord says that He hides His face no more from them. This in itself shows that all this is not yet here; for still He hides His face from them. The hiding of His face from them will be no more when His Spirit is poured upon them. "I have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God." There comes then a time when the house of Israel, the literal descendants of Abraham, will receive an outpouring of the Spirit of God. Such is also the message of Joel, in which restoration and spiritual blessing, through the outpouring of the Spirit are blended together (Joel ii).[35] We call attention to another passage which should be linked with the statement in this chapter. Isaiah xxxii:13-18 is a very striking prophecy. There is an announcement made first of all concerning the judgment which is to fall upon Israel's land. "Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city," etc. But this is not to last forever. An "until" follows. "Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high." This is the same future outpouring of the Spirit of God. Up to now it has not been. The Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost came to form the body of Christ, but this outpouring in connection with Israel has another significance. We read, therefore, in the above passage what will happen when this outpouring has come to pass. "And the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places." It is a description of the Kingdom to come, when Israel has found rest and when all the earth will receive the blessing, when righteousness will have given peace, lasting peace to the world.

[35] See "The Prophet Joel," by A. C. G., where this interesting and important chapter is explained in full.

A. The Temple House, xli.
B. Altar of Burnt Offering, xliii:13.
C. Inner Court.
D. Gates to Inner Court, xl:28.
E. Separate Place, vli:10.
F. Hinder Building, xli:12.
G. Priest's Kitchens, xlvi:19.
H. Chambers for Priests, xlii:1.
I. Chambers, xl:44.
K. People's Kitchen, xlvi:21-24.
L. Gates into Outer Court, xl:6.
M. Pavement, xl:18.
N. Chambers in Outer Court (30) xl:17.
O. Outer Court.

---------------Temple Stream

THE GROUND PLAN OF THE TEMPLE.

THE MILLENNIAL TEMPLE AND ITS WORSHIP. THE LAND AND ITS GLORY.

Chapters xl-xlviii.

The final nine chapters of this book form the climax of the great prophecies of Ezekiel; they belong to the most difficult in the entire prophetic Word. Once more the hand of the Lord rests upon the seer and in the visions of God he is brought into the land of Israel. In the very beginning of this grand finale we learn therefore that the visions concern the land of Israel. Let us remember that after the fall of Jerusalem had been announced to Ezekiel (chapter xxxiii:21), his prophetic utterances and visions concern the future when Israel is to be regathered and restored to the land. The previous two chapters dealt with the last invasion of the land of Israel and the complete overthrow of Gog and its hordes. The vision contained in this last section follows after Israel's final deliverance. So much is clear as to the time when the prophecies of these eight chapters will be accomplished. They have not been fulfilled in the past, certainly not in the remnant which returned under Zerubabbel and Ezra. Nor have these prophecies been fulfilled since then. All is future. Only when the Lord has gathered Judah and Israel, when He has established His glorious Kingdom in their midst and delivered His people and the land from the last invader, will this last vision of Ezekiel become history.

This disposes then at once of the different modes of interpretation employed by so many expositors of this book. These are the following:

1. The theory of interpretation which looks upon the vision of these chapters as fulfilled in the return of the remnant from Babylon. One of the expositors who follows this line stated that these visions are "an ideal representation of the Jewish state about to be restored after the captivity." It does not need much argument to show that this mode of interpretation is erroneous. The temple which the remnant built does in no way whatever correspond with the magnificent structure which Ezekiel beheld in his vision. The fact is, if this temple is a literal building (as it assuredly is) it has never yet been erected. Furthermore, it is distinctly stated that the glory of the Lord returned to the temple and made His dwelling place there, the same glory which Ezekiel had seen departing from the temple and from Jerusalem. But the glory did not return to the second temple. No glory cloud filled that house. And furthermore no high priest is mentioned in the worship of the temple Ezekiel describes, but the Jews after their return from Babylon had high priests again. Nor can the stream of healing waters flowing from the temple as seen by Ezekiel be in any way applied to the restoration from the Babylonian captivity. Expositors who follow this mode of interpretation claim that all has been fulfilled and that there is nothing in store for Israel in the future. It is the most superficial method and totally wrong.

2. Another interpretation claims that the whole vision sprang from the imagination of the prophet. That all is an ideal description of something which the expositor himself is unable to define. This mode of interpretation needs no further mention and answer.

3. The third interpretation of these chapters is the allegorical which spiritualizes everything and claims that the Christian church, its earthly glory and blessing, is symbolically described by the prophet. This is the weakest of all and yet the most accepted. But this theory gives no exposition of the text, is vague and abounds in fanciful applications, while the greater part of this vision is left unexplained even in its allegorical meaning, for it evidently has no such meaning at all.[36]

[36] What strange applications have been made of this vision! We quote from the "New Century Bible" which says concerning this temple: "Its details shed a light nowhere else vouchsafed to us upon the ideals of _Hebrew art_, influenced perhaps, by Babylonian masterpieces, yet entirely national and Puritan; and they embody in material form Ezekiel's sober but intense conception of religion, as completely as the Gothic cathedrals translate into concrete and abiding stone and marble the soaring visions of mediaeval Christianity."(!)

The true interpretation is the literal one which looks upon these chapters as a prophecy yet unfulfilled and to be fulfilled when Israel has been restored by the Shepherd and when His glory is once more manifested in the midst of His people. The great building seen in his prophetic vision will then come into existence and all will be accomplished.

But while we are sure of the strictly future fulfillment of this final vision, the many details which abound in these chapters can hardly be fully interpreted as to their meaning. Much is obscure. That all has a deeper meaning we do not doubt; and here and there we shall offer suggestions, but many things we shall have to pass over. Before we turn to the text and open up the contents of these chapters, a telescopic view of the whole section is in order and will be helpful in our further studies.

We call attention first to the three main divisions.

=I. The Description of the Temple.= Chapters xl-xlii.

=II. The Temple Worship.= Chapters xliii-xlvi.

=III. The Vision Concerning the Land.= Chapters xlvii-xlviii.

Generally these eight chapters are called "The Temple Vision;" but there is much more than the vision of a future temple. We shall see next the contents of these chapters.

=I. The Description of the Temple.= Chapters xl-xlii.

Chapter xl.

1. The Introduction. Verses 1-4.
2. The Gate toward the East. Verses 5-16.
3. The Outer Court. Verses 17-27.
4. The Inner Court. Verses 28-37.
5. The Tables for the Offerings and the Chambers for the Inner
Court. Verses 38-47.
6. The Porch of the House. Verses 48-49.

Chapter xli.

1. The Holy Place. Verses 1-2.
2. The Most Holy. Verses 3-4.
3. The Side Chambers. Verses 5-11.
4. The Hinder Buildings and the Measurement. Verses 12-14.
5. Description of the Interior of the Temple. Verses 15-26.

Chapter xlii.

1. The Priest's Chambers in the Inner Court. Verses 1-14.
2. The Final Measurements. Verses 15-20.

=II. The Temple Worship.= Chapters xliii-xlvi.

Chapter xliii.

1. The Return of the Glory of the Lord and Filling the House.
Verses 1-9.
2. The Address to the Nation. Verses 10-12.
3. The Dimensions of the Altar. Verses 13-17.
4. The Offerings to be Brought. Verses 18-27.

Chapter xliv.

1. The Outward Eastern Gate for the Prince. Verses 1-3.
2. The Charge concerning the Strangers and the Rebellious Tribes.
Verses 4-14.
3. The Charge concerning the Priests, the Sons of Zadok. Verses 15-27.
4. The Inheritance of the Priests. Verses 28-31.

Chapter xlv.

1. The Portions of the Priests, the Levites, of the whole House of
Israel and the Prince. Verses 1-8.
2. Concerning the Prince. Verses 9-17.
3. The Feast of Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. Verse 18-25.

Chapter xlvi.

1. The Worship of the Prince. Verses 1-8.
2. Further Instruction as to Worship. Verses 9-15.
3. Concerning the Prince, his Sons and his Servants. Verses 16-18.
4. A Final Description of places in the Temple. Verses 19-24.

=III. The Vision concerning the Land.= Chapters xlvii-xlviii.

Chapter xlvii.

1. The Waters of Healing from the Temple. Verses 1-12.
2. Borders of the Land. Verses 13-21.
3. Concerning the Stranger in the land. Verses 22-23.

Chapter xlviii.

1. The Portion of the Seven Tribes. Verses 1-7.
2. The Oblation for the Sanctuary, for the City and for the Prince.
Verses 8-29.
3. The Gates of the City and its new Name. Verses 30-35.

THE TEMPLE VISION.

Chapter xl.

The Temple vision is first recorded and the opening verses form the introduction.

I. The Introduction to the Temple Vision.

In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of
the year, in the tenth _day_ of the month, in the fourteenth year
after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the
Lord was upon me, and brought me thither. In the visions of God
brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high
mountain, by which _was_ as the frame of a city on the south. And
he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose
appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in
his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate. And the
man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with
thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for
to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought
hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel (verses
1-4).

The time of the vision is first given by the prophet. It was in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been smitten, which would make the date 572 B. C. The beginning of the year is mentioned. In the Hebrew a word is employed (Rosh hashanah) which is not used again in the Old Testament. In Exodus xii we read "this month shall be unto you the beginnings of months, it shall be the first month of the year to you." (Abib or Nisan.) Some expositors claim that the beginning of the year in Ezekiel's vision was in the month of Nisan commemorating the Passover. But it may mean the seventh month (September-October) the feast of trumpets from which the Jews reckon the new year, and the first day of the month would be the day of atonement. We incline to the latter view. Both the feast of trumpets and the day of atonement foreshadow the regathering of Israel and the forgiveness of their sins. And when that has come then, and not before, Ezekiel's glory vision will be accomplished in the land. We also read in Lev. xxv:9: "Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout your land." It will be the time of Israel's jubilee when this temple, Ezekiel beheld, will be erected in their land. Once more the hand of the Lord rested upon the prophet. It is the seventh time that this happened to Ezekiel, and not again after this. (See chapters. i:3, iii:14-22, vii:1, xxxiii:22, xxxvii:1, xl:1.) In the visions of God the prophet was brought into the land of Israel, which is conclusive evidence that the vision he is about to receive concerns the people Israel and not, as the spritualizing, allegorical school of interpreters claim, the church. Ezekiel knew nothing whatever of the church and therefore not a line of all his prophecies could intelligently be applied to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. He finds himself upon a very high mountain; towards the south he noticed the frame (or building) of a city.[37] The high mountain is, no doubt, the mountain frequently mentioned in the prophetic Word. "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills and all nations shall flow unto it" (Isaiah ii:2). "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north the city of the great King" (Ps. xlviii:2). It is the place of His rest (Ps. cxxxii:14), where the King is enthroned (Ps. ii).

[37] May also be translated "and set me upon a very high mountain, and upon it was as the building of a city, on the south." It will be upon that exalted mountain.

* * * * *

Then appeared in the vision the man with the line of flax and the measuring reed. Zachariah beheld such a man with a measuring line in his hand to measure Jerusalem (Zech. ii:13). In Rev. xxi:15 we read of the heavenly Jerusalem, that wonderful city, "and he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city and the gates thereof and the wall thereof." And then follows the measurement of the city. The one who measured in Revelation was an angel and the measure was that of an angel. We shall make, when we come to the measurement itself, a brief comparison between the measure mentioned by Ezekiel and the measure of the city in Revelation. And the man with the measuring reed stood in the gate. He addressed the prophet once more as "Son of Man." He was to give attention to all. His eyes were to see, his ears to hear, he should set his heart upon all that would be shown unto him and declare it to the house of Israel.

II. The Eastern Gate.

And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in
the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and
an hand breadth; so he measured the breadth of the building, one
reed, and the height, one reed. Then came he unto the gate which
looked toward the east, and went up the stairs thereof, and measured
the threshold of the gate which was one reed broad; and the other
threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad. And every little
chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad; and between the
little chambers were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by
the porch of the gate within was one reed. He measured also the
porch of the gate within, one reed. Then measured he the porch of
the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, two cubits; and the
porch of the gate was inward. And the little chambers of the gate
eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three
were of one measure; and the posts had one measure on this side and
on that side. And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate,
ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. The space
also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the
space was one cubit on that side; and the little chambers were six
cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side. He measured then
the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another;
the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door. He made
also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court
round about the gate. And from the face of the gate of the entrance
unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits. And
there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts
within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches; and windows
were round about inward; and upon each post were palm trees (verses
5-16).

The house mentioned is the whole building of the Temple. A wall was round about the building. A wall is also mentioned in chapter xlii:20 which had a length of five hundred reeds and a breadth of five hundred reeds. The purpose of that wall is stated "to make a separation between that which was holy and that which was common." This wall of five hundred is not identical with the wall in the beginning of the vision as mentioned in verse 5. The wall here surrounded the outer court; the wall in chapter xlii:20 surrounds the whole temple area. That is why the separation between the holy and the common is spoken of with that wall. The length of the great wall which enclosed all the Temple area is not given. But the man in the vision measures the breadth and the height, and as the reed is six cubits we have 2x6 (breadth six cubits and height six cubits), which gives us the number 12. So we meet the number 12, the symbol of divine government on the threshold of this vision. How prominent the number 12 is in the description of the heavenly Jerusalem in the last book of the Bible (Rev. xxi) is known to every reader of that book. The wall there has 12 gates and 12 foundations and is 12x12 cubits high, that is 144 cubits. All is perfection in that heavenly Jerusalem. Here in Ezekiel we have the description of the earthly sanctuary which will be in existence during the millennium. While in Revelation the one who measures is an angel with a golden reed, it is a man in Ezekiel and the cubit he uses (the length of the human forearm from the elbow to the tip of the little finger) has a handbreadth added. The eastern gate, the little chambers, the porch, etc.--everything is measured. The lesson is that even to the details everything is here by divine appointment. If the reed mentioned frequently is taken as six cubits we have in the measure the number 12 several times. Every little chamber (guard houses) was one reed long (six cubits) and six cubits broad--twice 6--12. That all this must have a deeper meaning we doubt not; and yet who can at this time give it to us in full? These instructions will be literally followed and carried out in the coming day of Israel's restoration.

In these verses we find the wall and its construction, surrounding the outer court of this future temple described. Three gates were seen by the prophet in this wall--an Eastern gate, a Northern gate (verse 10) and a Southern gate (verse 24). The West side of the wall has no gate. As we learn later the returning glory of the Lord will enter the temple by the Eastern gate. Seven steps lead up to these gates. Seven is the number of divine perfection and accomplishment. These gates must not be thought of as mere openings in the wall; they are gateways forming separate buildings which project into the outer court to a distance of fifty cubits with a breadth of twenty-five cubits. On both sides of these gateways the prophet saw six little chambers, three on each side, and each six cubits square. There has been much speculation as to the possible use of these little chambers and their meaning. The Hebrew word used here is the same as in 1 Kings xiv:28, translated in this passage "guard-chamber." This may be the purpose of these chambers in the gateway building of this first wall. This seems to be confirmed by chapter xliv:11 and 14, which speaks of the Levites having charge of the gates of the house, so that in all probability these guard-chambers will be in charge of the Levites. Let us also notice the prominence of the numbers three and twelve. There are 2x3 guard-chambers in each gateway both in the outer court and also in the inner court. This gives us thirty-six guard-chambers, or 3x12. The number three means symbolically fullness, a divine fullness, and twelve stands for divine sovereignty and government. Three times twelve means, therefore, divine fullness in sovereign power and government. God Himself will be the guardian and protector of this millennial sanctuary of His earthly people.