PART 4 - The Eternal Reign of Christ. - The Millennial Land and Temple.

THE MILLENNIAL LAND and TEMPLE

Major Geographic Changes are made - especially in the Land of Israel so that the glory of God shining from the Throne would be seen everywhere.  Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth. The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken (Isaiah 40:3-5).

The whole land except the Holy Mount will become a flat plain (Isa 40:3-5). All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananeel to the king’s wine presses. The people shall dwell in it; and no longer shall there be utter destruction, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited (Zechariah 14:10).  All the land sinks, becoming a plain and Mount Zion is raised up high.  So Jerusalem and the Temple will be visible from everywhere in Israel.  Instead of today’s mountainous terrain, a great fertile plain will come into existence.  This will permit the river to flow out of the elevated city of Jerusalem and divide to the Seas to water the land. Jerusalem will truly be “beautiful for situation”(Ps48:2)

The mountain of the Lord’s house will be the tallest of the mountains.  It is the centre of world government and worship. 
Isaiah 2:2-4: It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it.  Many people shall come and say, “Come let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.  He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people.  They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.  Jerusalem will be the world-capital for 1000 years of peace and prosperity helped by the fact that no resources have to go into armies and weapons.

Micah 4:1-5: Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it.  Many nations shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths. For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.  He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off.  They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.  But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.  For all people walk each in the name of his god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.  In that day, says the LORD, I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast and those whom I have afflicted;  I will make the lame a remnnt, and the outcast a strong nation; so the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on, even forever.

Isaiah 27:13: So it shall be in that day: the great trumpet will be blown.  They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, and they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

Isaiah 56:6-8: Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants - everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant - even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”  The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to Him others besides those who are gathered to Him.

Isaiah 66:20: Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the LORD out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.

Ezekiel 17:22-24 describes the Mountain of the height of Israel as having lush greenery.

Ezekiel 20:40,41: For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel, says the Lord GOD, there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things.  I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.

The geographical changes shall be accomplished immediately by Jesus when He returns (Zechariah 14:3-11): 
First, He creates a large valley so that waters will flow through from the Temple to the east and west Seas watering the land: Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle.  And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.   And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south (v3-4).  Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal.  Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with You.  It shall come to pass in that day that there will be no light.  The lights will diminish.  It shall be one (unique) day which is known to the LORD - neither day nor night.  But at evening time it shall happen that it will be light (v5-7).

And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea.  In both summer and winter it shall occur and the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be - The LORD is One, and His Name One (v8,9). 
He creates a fresh water canal.   Living (springs) of water flow out of Jerusalem to the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean.

The land will be reconstructed after being ravaged in the Tribulation (Isa 32:16-18, 49:19, 61:4,5, Ezekiel 36:33-38, 39:9; Amos 9:14,15).  The remnants of destruction are removed that the land may be clean again.

Ezekiel was given a detailed vision of Jerusalem and the Temple in ch40-48. 
In the visions of God, He took me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a city (40:2).   On this mountain will be the Temple and Jerusalem and Christ’s Throne.

Ezekiel 45:1-8 describes the mountain of the Lord’s House (see the pictures).  It will be 50 miles square!: 
When you divide the land by lot into inheritance, you shall set apart a district for the LORD, a holy section of the land; its length shall be 25,000 cubits, and the width 10,000.   It shall be holy throughout its territory all around.  Of this there shall be a square plot for the sanctuary, 500 by 500 rods, with 50 cubits around it for an open space.  So this is the district you shall measure: 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 wide; in it shall be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.   It shall be a holy section of the land, belonging to the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to the LORD; it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary.  An area 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 wide shall belong to the Levites, the ministers of the Temple; they shall have twenty chambers as a possession.  You shall appoint as the property of the city an area 5000 cubits wide and 25,000 long, adjacent to the district of the holy section; it shall belong to the whole house of Israel.  The prince shall have a section on one side and the other of the holy district and the city’s property; and bordering on the holy district and the city’s property, extending westward on the west side and eastward on the east side, the length shall be side by side with one of the tribal portions, from the west border to the east border.  The land shall be his possession in Israel; and My princes shall no more oppress my people; and the rest of the land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes.

Ezekiel 48:8-20 gives the measurements for this 50-mile square plateau (see pictures for a summary). 
The Temple will be at the central high-point of this plateau.

The land is greatly enlarged from before (Isaiah 26:15, 33:17; Obad17-21, Micah 7:14).

The Boundaries and Tribal divisions of Israel are given in Ezekiel 47:13-48:29.

The Millennial Jerusalem is described in Ezekiel 48:30-35; Jer 31:38-40; Psalm 48, 87, 122, 147;  Isaiah 1:26,27; 14:32, 33:20-24; 52:1,2, 7-10;  60:10-14.  It will be a place of great holiness, joy and glory:

Isaiah 4:2-6: In that day the Branch of the LORD (King Jesus) shall be beautiful and glorious; and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped.  It shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy- everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem.  When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night.   For over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.

Isaiah 62:1-12: For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns.  The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will name.   You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.  You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah’; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married.  For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem.  They shall never hold their peace day or night. You, who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.  The LORD has sworn by His right hand and by the arm of His strength: Surely I will no longer give your grain as food for your enemies; and the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine, for which you have laboured.  But those who have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD.  Those who have brought it together shall drink it in My holy courts. Go through, go through the gates!   Prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway!  Take out the stones, lift up a banner for the peoples!  Indeed the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the world: Say to the daughter of Zion, Surely your salvation is coming; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.  And they shall call them: the Holy People, the Redeemed of the LORD’ and you shall be called: Sought Out, a City Not Forsaken.

Isaiah 65:18,19: But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy.  I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

Isaiah 66:10-14: Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you who love her.  Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her; that you may feed and be satisfied with the consolation of her bosom, that you may drink deeply and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.  For thus says the LORD: Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.  Then you shall feed; on her sides shall you be carried, and be dandled on her knees.  As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.  When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like grass.  The hand of the LORD shall be known to His servants, and His indignation to His enemies. 
Jerusalem will be the centre of Jewish and Gentile attraction (Zechariah 8:20-22, Jer 31:6) especially because the Throne of David will be there, where the King is enthroned (Jer 3:17; Micah 4:6-8; Zechariah 14:9). 
At that time I will cause to grow up to David, a Branch of righteousness. He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.  In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely, and this is the name by which she will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; nor shall the priests, the Levites, lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually (Jer 33:14-18). 

It is secure because the Lord dwells there (Joel 3:17; Zeph 3:14-17; Zech1:14-17; 2:1-5,10-12; 8:1-8). Thus it is also a place of great holiness (Zechariah 14:20,21), peace, joy and  glory (Jer 33:9-11).

The golden age of Jerusalem is yet to come.

The Millennial Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28; Ezekiel chapters 40-43). 
This is the  Fourth Temple.  Its dimensions are in Ezekiel 40:5-42:20  It is the centre of worship for Jew and Gentile in the Millennium.

The Shekinah Glory enters (Ezek 43:1-9): Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east.  And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east.  His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.  It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw - like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face.  And the glory of the LORD came into the Temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east.  The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple.  Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood beside me. And He said to me, Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever.   No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places.  When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger.  Now let them put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

The Temple is the dwelling place of God -the King’s Palace. 
Therefore it is where people will come to worship Christ.  Here, He will sit on the Throne of David which replaces the Ark of the Covenant as His footstool (1Chron 28:2, Psa 132:7).  The place of His feet will be glorious (Isa 60:13).  So, the Holy of Holies will be the earthly Throne Room of Christ.  From here He will exercise His dominion, for all things will be under His feet (Psa 110:1).  Psalm 99 will be fulfilled in the Millennium when the call to worship will be: Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool- He is holy (Psa 99:5).

The Altar is the centre-piece (43:13-27). 
The System of Priesthood and sacrifice (chapter 44-46).  The theological problem of sacrifices after Christ’s sacrifice once and for all is solved by understanding their purpose.  It will be used as a memorial of Christ’s sacrifice for teaching and evangelism, not for actual Atonement.  It is not Mosaic worship.  Those born in the Millennium have little experience of the curse and death but they still need to receive Jesus as their Saviour and accept His sacrifice for sin.   This will be taught by the Priests through the sacrifices.   It should be noted that the Mosaic sacrifices did not atone but pointed towards the sacrifice of Christ so that they could see and believe in salvation through the Blood of the Messiah.  Today, we have the Lord’s Supper as a visual memorial of His sacrificial death.

Gentiles are part of this Temple worship (56:1-8, 66:18-24). They will come to worship Jesus at Jerusalem: “In that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10). They will also receive justice from the King (Isaiah 42:1).

Every nation will be obliged to worship at the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16-19).    If they don’t they won’t get rainfall (Jesus will control the weather system).  Those, like Egypt, who have an independent source of water (the Nile) will receive another suitable punishment.

Jeremiah 3:14-19: Return, O backsliding children, says the LORD; for I am married to you.   I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion (the REGATHERING).  And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.  Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days(POPULATION GROWTH) says the LORD,that they will say no more, ‘the ark of the covenant of the LORD.   It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore. (The ARK was the earthly throne of God in Solomon’s Temple but is NOT THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION in the Millennium because CHRIST IS PERSONALLY PRESENT on the Throne in the Holy of Holies.  This scripture leaves open the possibility that the Ark exists and will be rediscovered before the Millennium as a sign to the nations). 
At that time Jerusalem shall be called the Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem.   No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.  In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers (the regathering).  But I said: How can I put you among the children and give you a pleasant land, a beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?  And I said: You shall call Me, My Father, and not turn away from Me (how can they dwell in the land?  - only through entering into the New Covenant).

The Millennial River of Life 
(1) Originates in the Temple (Ezekiel 47:1,2), 
(2) Flows through Jerusalem: In that day living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; in both summer and winter it shall occur(Zech  14:8). 
(3) Then it flows to the Seas bringing life even to the Dead Sea (Ezekiel 47:8-10)  It gets deeper as it flows out of the Temple as other underground springs on the Mount feed it.   Tributaries from this river will no doubt water the food-growing areas on both sides of Jerusalem.   The river will cascade down the Mountain in glorious waterfalls.

Ezekiel 47:1-12:  Then he brought me back to the door of the Temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the Temple toward the east, for the front of the Temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar.   He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.  And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured 1000 cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles.  Again he measured 1000 and brought me through the waters; the water came to my knees.  Again he measured 1000 and brought me through; the water came up to my waist.  Again he measured 1000, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed.  He said to me, Son of man, have you seen this?

Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.  When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other.   Then he said to me: This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed.  And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live.   There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.  “It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many.  But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt.  Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail.  They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.

Joel 3:18:  It will come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drip with new wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; a fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD and water the Valley of Acacias.