The Messiah, Prince, and Priests In the Millennial Kingdom

The Sacred District in the Millennial Kingdom

The Scriptures teach that at some time in the future, God will establish a kingdom that covers this current world. It will last for one thousand years. The capital of the earthly kingdom will be the city of Jerusalem. Zechariah 2:1-5 prophesies that in the millennial kingdom Yahweh will dwell in the city of Jerusalem. Since we do not see the glory of God in Jerusalem today, we know that this prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. In addition, Zechariah 14:9-21 prophesies that God will be king over all the earth. It also says that Jerusalem will dwell in security. Clearly that has not yet occurred because Jerusalem has been under the control of one nation after another since the Babylonian army conquered Jerusalem in 605 B.C. Even today, half of Jerusalem is under Arab control and Israel does not have possession of all of their old territory. So, we are waiting for this prophecy to be fulfilled and the millennial kingdom to be established.

The millennial kingdom should not be confused with the eternal heaven or the eternal state, because evil and sin will exist in it (Zechariah 14:11-19). Isaiah 65:17-25 reveals that people will live long lives in the millennial kingdom. Any child, youth, or adult who does not live to be at least one hundred years will be considered to be accursed (Isaiah 65:20-22). The animals will eat plants and not kill each other or humans. The animal kingdom will be at peace. The vegetation, trees, and crops will greatly flourish. The land of Israel will look like the Garden of Eden (Ezekiel 36:35).

We have discovered in Ezekiel 40-48 that the millennial kingdom is coming. It will be a worldwide kingdom ruled by the Messiah, Jesus Christ, from the capital city of Jerusalem. He will rule with absolute authority and in peace. Evil will not be tolerated. We have learned that the Shekinah glory of God will be seen in the new temple in the millennial kingdom. So, this helps us to understand the prophecies in Ezekiel 40-48 will be fulfilled at some time n the future. But we know this has not yet happened.

The Sacred District (v 1-5)

Would you like to discover how this worldwide kingdom will be ruled by the Messiah, Jesus Christ, from the capital city of Jerusalem? Then you will love this study from Ezekiel 45:1-25 for it is about the administration or the government of the millennial kingdom. It has six sections. The first section is verses 1-6. It describes the land that Yahweh will give to the temple, the Levites, the Levitical priests, and the city of Jerusalem. That is, it describes God’s architectural plan and His spiritual leaders for Israel. Here are the first two verses,

“‘When you allot the land as an inheritance, you are to present to the LORD a portion of the land as a sacred district, 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits wide; the entire area will be holy. Of this, a section 500 cubits square is to be for the sanctuary, with 50 cubits around it for open land.’” Ezekiel 45:1-2 (NASB)

Here Ezekiel’s guide describes the total area given for the temple, the Levites, the Levitical priests, and the city of Jerusalem—the central part of the millennial kingdom. This is called the sacred district in verse 1. The total land will be a rectangle of 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits wide, which will be 8.3 miles (13.35 km) by 6.6 miles (10.67 km). Then verse 2 says the land for the sanctuary or the temple will be 500 cubits square or 875 feet (266.7 m) square. This agrees with the dimensions of the temple complex given to us in Ezekiel 42:20.

Then verses 3-4 tell us that the sacred district will be divided into two parts or in half.

“In the sacred district, measure off a section 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide. In it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. It will be the sacred portion of the land for the priests, who minister in the sanctuary and who draw near to minister before the LORD. It will be a place for their houses as well as a holy place for the sanctuary.” Ezekiel 45:3-4 (NASB)

One half will be 25,000 cubits long from east to west and 10,000 cubits from north to south. If we convert that into miles, the dimensions will be 8.3 miles (13.35 km) by 3.3 miles (5.33 km). The temple complex and the homes of the Zadok priests will be located in this section. Notice these priests are those who will minister in the temple proper. These priests will be sons of Zadok. They will perform the sacrificial offerings, teach the people, and act as judges in difficult cases. This also implies that other people will be judges in simple cases.

Then verse 5 describes the second half of the sacred district,

An area 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide will belong to the Levites, who serve in the temple, as their possession for towns to live in. Ezekiel 45:5 (NASB)

This half of the sacred district is identical in size to the first half. It is for the Levites who will care for or maintain the temple. This is where they will live.

City of Jerusalem (v 6)

The next section of our study is about the land given for the city of Jerusalem. Ezekiel 45:6 says that it will be located adjacent to the sacred district.

“‘You are to give the city as its property an area 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, adjoining the sacred portion; it will belong to the whole house of Israel.’” Ezekiel 45:6 (NASB)

This section is a rectangle which will be 25,000 cubits long from east to west and 5,000 cubits from north to south. If we convert that into miles, the dimensions are 8.3 miles (13.35 km) by 1.66 miles (2.67 km). The city of Jerusalem will be in this section. It will be connected to the sacred district and belong to the entire nation of Israel.

Land Given to the Prince (v 7-8)

The third section of the chapter is land for the prince and his princes. It is described in verses 7-8a.

“‘The prince will have the land bordering each side of the area formed by the sacred district and the property of the city. It will extend westward from the west side and eastward from the east side, running lengthwise from the western to the eastern border parallel to one of the tribal portions. This land will be his possession in Israel.’” Ezekiel 45:7-8a (NASB)

His land will extend along the upper boundary of the sacred district westward to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. His land will also extend eastward to the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. These extensions of land will be for the prince and the princes.

There are several important things for us to notice from verses 1-8. The first point is that the priests will not be scattered over the land of Israel to various cities as required under the Mosaic Law. But in the millennial kingdom, they will all be together and adjacent to the temple. Now why will Yahweh require all of the Levites and the Levitical priests to live next to the temple and the city of Jerusalem? Unfortunately, we are not given an answer. But I believe the answer may have two parts. The temple is the center of everything, and Yahweh should be the focus of the kingdom’s leaders, the Levites, Levitical priests, and the people. Also, people will be coming from around the earth to Jerusalem to worship the Messiah, the king, the Lord of hosts during the millennial kingdom and not just Israelites. That is, the number of worshipers will be tremendously greater than in biblical times. For example, Zechariah 14:16-17 gives us a hint about what will happen in the kingdom,

Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain. Zechariah 14:16-17 (NASB)

So, with so many priests living closer to the temple, they will be able to minister to very large crowds.

The second point for us to notice from verses 1-8 is that the temple will not be located in the center of the city of Jerusalem. A third point to notice is that the prince will be given property east and west of the sacred district and the city of Jerusalem. That is, his property is not included in the land of the Levites and the Levitical priests. These points reveal that this prophecy has not yet been fulfilled. This prophecy was never fulfilled before the time of Christ nor yet after Him. There is no historical data that proves this prophecy has been fulfilled. It is a prophecy for the future. We should remember that the prophecies of the destruction of Judah, Jerusalem, Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt have already been literally fulfilled. But this prophecy has not, but it will be!

Righteousness Demanded of the Princes (v 8b-12)

In the next or fourth section Yahweh reveals the holy standard that He will demand of all leaders of Israel. Verse 8 gives the high standard that these men will have to meet.

“So My princes shall no longer oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.” Ezekiel 45:8b-9 (NASB)

In the last part of verse 8, Yahweh announces to His princes or the leaders in Israel that they cannot continue to oppress the people. Businesses today would call it a code of conduct. It is important to notice that the same root Hebrew word used for “prince” is also used for “princes.” This helps us understand that both the prince and the princes are government officials. Most likely the “princes” are the leaders of the tribes of Israel. This will become clear in chapter 8 when the tribes are given their own land. Apparently, the “prince” himself will be the administrator over Israel just as the prophet was the administrator over the Babylonian empire (Daniel 2:48-49). The other “princes” or leaders will be like Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego who were over the administration, while Daniel 2:49 says that “Daniel was at the king’s court.” The “prince” will report to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who will be the King of kings and Lord of lords over the entire world. The world will be controlled from Jerusalem.

Notice that Yahweh used a key statement “no longer.” That is, these leaders of Israel cannot continue to oppress Yahweh’s people. I love this statement. Notice that the people of Israel belong to Yahweh and not to their leaders. He says “My people.” It would be wonderful if the leaders of this country and other countries would understand that the citizens do not belong to them. Yahweh’s statement reveals that whether a person believes in Him or rejects Him, He still seeks to care for them. He pours out His common grace.

Then verses 8b-12 describe eight high standards these leaders must meet. They must stop depriving the people of their land, stop being violent, and stop the oppression. They are to practice justice, practice righteousness, and stop evicting the people from their land. In verse 10, Yahweh said they shall stop being dishonest. In verses 11-12 Yahweh defines just weights and standards. The message is that in the millennial kingdom, Yahweh will not allow evil from the leaders of Israel.
So, once again we are reminded that the millennial kingdom will not be completely free from sin. The gospels of Luke and John reveal that after Jesus was crucified and resurrected, He walked among us, talked with us, and ate with two men on the Emmaus Road (Luke 24:13-35). Luke 24:36-43 reveals that Jesus was able to instantly appear in a room with some of the disciples. He demonstrated that He was not a spirit by allowing them to touch His hands and side. John 20:19-29 describes some of the same events. John 21:1-12 reveals that Jesus cooked breakfast for the disciples. The point is that even though Jesus had a resurrected and immortal body, He still had the wounds from His crucifixion. He could function like mortal men. He mingled with moral men. Mortal and immortal men can live together just as angels can mingle with mortal men.

So, this is a glimpse into how the mortal believers who survived the tribulation will live together with immortal believers in the millennial kingdom. As we have discovered earlier, these mortal believers who survived the tribulation are still sinners and will have children (Isaiah 65:20-22) who are sinners. Some of them will become leaders over Israel. We will discover soon that the prince himself will be a mortal, sinful believer. So, these mortal leaders will be required to comply with a high righteous standard in the millennial kingdom.

Gifts For the Prince (v 13-17)

Next, in verses 13-17 we are told that the prince must make various sacrifices for the people. This is the fifth section. Here the people are told to give gifts to the prince based on their wealth for the sacrifices that will be performed. These gifts will include 1/60 of a homer of wheat or barley. Other gifts will be 1% of their olive oil, and one sheep for every 200 sheep in a flock. These gifts will be used to perform various sacrifices during the festivals, the new moons, and the Sabbaths. These will include the burnt offering, and the sin offering, grain offering, peace offering, and drink offerings.

Sacrifices and Feasts in the Millennial Kingdom (v 18-25)

The sixth section is verses 18-25. Here we learn that there will be only four feasts in the millennial kingdom. Under the Mosaic Law there were seven. The first feast is the Feast of the New Year, a new feast (v. 18-20). The other three feasts will be the Feast of Passover (v. 21-24), the Feast of Unleavened Bread (v. 21-24), and the Feast of Booths (v. 25), which is also known as the Feast of Tabernacles. This feast is also described in Zechariah 14:16. The Feast of the New Year is described in verses 18-20. This feast will begin on Nisan 1 in the Hebrew calendar.

The Feast of Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread are both described in verses 21-24. The Feast of Passover will celebrate Christ’s death for the forgiveness of our sins. It will be like our celebration called the Lord’s Supper. It looks back to Christ’s death and resurrection. The Feast of Unleavened Bread will celebrate the perfection of Christ’s vicarious and substitutionary work. The Feast of Booths is mentioned in verse 25. It will celebrate Christ’s reign as king during the millennial kingdom.

In verses 15, 17, and 20, five of the Mosaic sacrificial offerings are mentioned. We are told they will make atonement for the people of Israel. They will occur during the various feasts. The sacrificial offerings include: the burnt offering (Ezekiel 45:15, 17, 23, 25; 46:2, 4, 12, 13, 15), sin offering (Ezekiel 45: 17, 19, 22, 23, 25; 46:20), grain offering (Ezekiel 45:17, 24, 25; 46:5, 7, 11, 14, 15, 20), peace offering (Ezekiel 45:15, 17), and the drink offering (Ezekiel 45:17). The guilt offering is mentioned in Ezekiel 40:39; 42:13; 44:19; Ezekiel 46:20.

If we read the book of Leviticus, we discover that these five sacrifices made atonement for sin under the Mosaic Law. But the sacrifices never removed the sin. They only covered the sin temporarily. But unlike the Mosaic Law, there will not be a feast called the Day of Atonement in the millennial kingdom. This is an important change. Consequently, no human high priest is needed. That explains why no high priest is described from the sons of Zadok in Ezekiel 40-48.

We should also note that during the millennial kingdom, none of Zadok’s sons will serve as a high priest. This is emphasized by the fact that the Day of Atonement will not exist. Yes, Zadok’s priesthood continues but it is very different. The old Mosaic Law has ceased to exist and so has the traditional Aaronic purpose and ministry of the priesthood has ceased. Exodus 40:15 referred to a “perpetual priesthood” but that only applied “throughout their generations “ (Exodus 40:15).

No description of the Holy of Holies is given to us either. In fact, the ark of the covenant, the mercy seat, Aaron’s rod, the tables of the law, cherubim, golden candlestick, table of shewbread, and the veil are not mentioned in Ezekiel 40-48. The reason this will occur is that Jesus is the high priest after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 6:20; 7:26; 8:1). The Messiah, Jesus Christ, will be both high priest and king (Zechariah 6:12-13). This means the Zadok priests’ ministry will be restricted to the Holy Place itself.

So, three feasts that were celebrated under the Mosaic Law will not be celebrated in the millennial kingdom. They are the Feast of Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets, and the Day of Atonement. Most likely these three feasts will not be celebrated because they looked forward to Christ’s atoning work on the cross, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the second coming of Christ.

Conclusion

Before we end our study, we must notice that verses 22-23 reveal the prince will perform a sin offering for his own sins and the sins of the people. That is, he cannot be the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In addition, He cannot be a high priest since he is not a son of Zadok. He cannot be a son of Zadok since his land is separate from the land given to the sons of Zadok. Also, it is clear that he is an administrator over the nation of Israel. So, he will be a very important person who sets a godly example of holiness for the other leaders and the people in the millennial kingdom. Rather than oppressing the people, he will be an example of righteousness man (Hebrews 13:7). God has revealed how His kingdom will operate. He has given believers a reason for hope. Holiness will be everywhere in the millennial kingdom from Christ who will reign as king and high priest, to the prince, the Levitical priests, to the Levites, and the people.

Since holiness will be the standard for every leader in the millennial kingdom, this is the standard for every leader today in our nation, churches, and homes. Praise the Lord.