In several of my previous studies, I had been examining Ezekiel 37 and how this prophecy relates to, predicts, if you will, the Messianic Kingdom. Nevertheless, Ezekiel also prophesied that David the King (i.e. the Messiah) would arise. He also predicted the resurrection of the dead and that God would make a covenant of peace with the **whole** House of Israel. That is, God would restore the kingdoms of Judah and Israel and make them one kingdom again. Then he would make a ‘covenant of peace’ with them. Finally, Ezekiel predicted the Messianic Temple or Tabernacle would be built and God would dwell with his people forever.
In this study I hope to focus on three of Ezekiel’s prophecies, namely, his prediction of a New Covenant, his prediction of the restoration of the two Houses of Israel and finally, his prediction of the construction of the Messianic Temple. In so doing, I hope to show the nature of God’s promises and, therefore, the nature of his Kingdom.
First, notice what Ezekiel prophesied would occur in terms of a covenant between God and his people:
And I will cut a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them, and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. (Ezekiel 37:26; emphasis mine)
In this scripture we are able to see all three of Ezekiel’s predictions, upon which I wish to set my focus in this study. First of all, Ezekiel predicted a ‘covenant of peace’ and it would be “an everlasting covenant’. In other words, unlike the first covenant God made through Moses, this New Covenant could not be broken. It would be everlasting. Secondly, the covenant would be made with **them**! Who is them? The prophet tells us that the dried bones were the whole House of Israel, and they believed they had no hope, because they had broken their covenant with God (Ezekiel 37:11). They were the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. Ezekiel was told to take two sticks, one for each house, and unite them, so that they would no longer be two kingdoms but one nation (Ezekiel 37:16-22). Therefore, God claimed he would make a New Covenant with the whole House of Israel. Finally the prophet said God would place his Sanctuary (i.e. his Temple or Tabernacle) in their midst—i.e. in the midst of the whole House of Israel—forever.
We need to keep in mind at this point that both kingdoms of Israel had been destroyed, God would permit the Jews to return to their land, but that would only be for a temporary period of time, roughly five centuries. At the end of that time they two would be destroyed as a nation once more and scattered throughout the world. Moreover, it goes without saying, if one doesn’t have a kingdom, one doesn’t have a Temple, so both Judah and Israel were without anything at the time of Ezekiel’s prophecy. They were hopeless (Ezekiel 37:11). So the question is: did God keep his word to Judah and Israel?
After the Jews were brought back into their land and the Temple was nearly finished, the Lord spoke through Haggai, the prophet saying:
with the Word who cut a covenant with you when you came out of Egypt, and My Spirit remains among you. Do not fear. For so says Jehovah of Hosts: Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land. And I will shake all the nations; and the desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, says Jehovah of Hosts. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, says Jehovah of Hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former, says Jehovah of Hosts. And in this place I will give peace, says Jehovah of Hosts. (Haggai 2:5-9)
At this point the Jews’ Temple was nearly complete, and God commanded the nations through Cyrus and Artaxerxes to give gifts of gold, silver and all else that was needed for the house of God at Jerusalem (Ezra 7:12-22). So, there was a near fulfillment of the prophecy, but the greater part of the prophecy would be fulfilled later, at the time when both houses of Israel would be united into one kingdom. But, did that ever occur? Did the prophecy fail?
Consider that Haggai prophesied of God shaking ‘the heavens and the earth’ (verse-6). The desire of the nations (i.e. the Messiah) would come and he would fill the House with glory, more glory than the former House (Haggai 2:7, 9). Jesus said the heavens and the earth would pass away (Matthew 24:35) within the timeframe of that generation (Matthew 24:34), so Jesus connects the fulfillment of the prophecy with his generation, in that the passing of the heavens and the earth is the same as Haggai’s shaking the heavens and the earth. Moreover, Peter puts this time closer to the end of his own life in 2Peter 3:7-12, which would indicate the time of Jesus’ judgment upon Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD (remember the entire Olivet Discourse was given in explanation of Jesus words that the Temple would be destroyed – see Mathew 24:1-3).
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul drew a contrast between the Old and New Covenants. The Old Covenant brought death, but the New made alive (2Corinthians 3:3-6). Then he contrasted their glory, showing the New Covenant far exceeded the glory of the Old. He does this by showing that Moses covered his face, so that no one would see the glory of God fade away. On the other hand, we, who are of the New Covenant, behold the glory of the Lord are changed from glory to glory (2Corinthians 3:7-18). One can recall the words of Haggai at this point to note how more glorious the spiritual Messianic Temple (1Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:21-22) is than that which was temporary (the physical Temple).
Add to this that the Apostles were sent to the lost sheep of Israel, and they were told that they would not have preached the Gospel to all of their cities, until Jesus would come (Matthew 10:5-7). Those who believed would be saved, and enter the Kingdom of God. In other words Ezekiel’s two sticks were united through faith in the Gospel. Judah and Israel would become one nation through the Gospel. This was completed during the ministry of the Apostles, so all things concerning the Kingdom of God is spiritual, not physical. The New Covenant isn’t geopolitical in nature, and the Temple is composed of living stones (people who believe in Jesus), and the union of Judah and Israel is accomplished through the Gospel, not a geopolitical endeavor. This was all accomplished by 70 AD, when Jesus returned to judge Jerusalem for unbelief and to destroy the physical Temple, thus, officially bringing to an end the Old Covenant and officially establishing the New with the House of Israel – one nation and one Kingdom, which invites all among the nations to take part in the blessings of God by submitting to Christ the Savior of all.
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