Eze48:15-35, Jehovah Shammah(Immanuel), God, long for the new heavens …

Ezekiel 48:15-35, Jehovah Shammah(Immanuel), God, long for the new heavens and the new earth.
Eze. Ch.48 describes the completion of God's kingdom, which divided among the twelve tribes of Israel,&the hope for it.

1. Allotment of the Land(15-29) - Enjoy Your Inheritance: Vs1-29 describe the allotment of the land to the twelve tribes. All are concentrated west of the Jordan River,&each inheritance is listed from north to south. In the center is the sanctuary with the temple(8-22). The twelve tribes are divided into two, with seven tribe(1-7) to the north of the sanctuary and five tribes(23-29) to the south. The temple is at the center of the nation, with Jerusalem located south of the temple. Ezekiel saw a temple long ago polluted by sin, unable to contain God(chs8-11). Now, in the temple vision of chs40-48, he sees the holy temple filled with God's glory. He saw the city of Jerusalem, once an adulterous city. Now he sees the holy city with a new name: Jehovah Shammah. The prophet saw Israel utterly destroyed by invaders. Now he sees a vision of a new earth, revived by the living water flowing from the temple, and where even the Dead Sea is restored to life. Therefore, the prophet's vision is a happy ending story that restores all and brings blessing to all. Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of the kingdom of God. We who believe in Jesus belong to His kingdom, are governed by Him, and will ultimately dwell with God forever in the new heaven and new earth. May we, who have become heirs of the kingdom of God through Jesus, experience and live a part of that kingdom already on this earth.

2. Holy Jerusalem (30-35) - Look to the Eternal Heaven : The city beneath the sanctuary has twelve gates. There are three gates each in the east, west, north, south, and east, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. 30-34, 35. The total area around it was eighteen thousand cubits. From that day on, the name of the city will be called Jehovah Shammah(Jehovah Is There).” This is the conclusion of Ezekiel, referring to the kingdom of God, the city of heaven. Interestingly, the same city also appears in the Book of Revelation. Rev.21:10-14, “10.And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11.It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12.It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13.There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14.The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb..” The Book of Revelation contains the names of the twelve tribes and twelve apostles.

 In Ezekiel, the twelve tribes are mentioned, and in Revelation, the twelve tribes and twelve apostles. The twelve tribes represent all the saints of the Old Testament era, and the twelve apostles represent all the saints of the New Testament era. In other words, it shows the inheritance that all the saints of the Old and New Testament eras will enjoy, the eternal and glorious inheritance that all God's people will enter and enjoy under the Old and New Testament eras, the New and New Covenants. Our names are there. This is the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God's people. This is what concerns us. Mt.19:27-28, "Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?" Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel..'" This is a shadow of the inheritance that not only the Israelites but all Christ's disciples will share. Yes, the Promised Land, the New Jerusalem, is our inheritance as God's people. The New Jerusalem coming down from heaven is the church of today. The foundations of this city are all precious stones, its gates are pearls, and its streets are pure gold, like transparent glass. It has no need for the sun or the moon to shine on it, and nothing profane or abominable will enter it. Then God speaks again: "22:6...It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty, I will give to drink freely from the spring of the water of life. 7.He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son." This world is by no means perfect. It is already tainted by sin. To truly survive in this world, we must build this temple. It is a new temple, a spiritual temple, built solely with the blood of Jesus' cross and the Word of life. This is a place where lambs and lions will play together, and where children will not be bitten even if they put their hands into vipers' dens(Is.11:6-8). We will never again be hurt, nor will we suffer from depression, schizophrenia, alcohol/drug addiction, or paranoia. We will never again be deprived of the blessings of family, nor will we grieve over our children. I bless you to live with your eyes fixed on this blessed and eternal heaven, the New Jerusalem.

3. The restored city, "Jehovah Shammah," with "God Who Is There" forever (Immanuel)!
 V.35: "The total area around it will be eighteen thousand cubits(approximately 9.4 km=6 miles). From that day on, the name of the city will be called Jehovah Shammah(The Lord Is There)." ’Jehovah Shammah,‘ means "Jehovah is there." The glory of this city lies in the presence of God. Even while we live on earth, we experience God with us. However, this is only partial. God's glory is partially revealed on earth. The presence of God we experience partially is still glorious and precious. However, on the last day, when we arrive in the eternal city, we will experience God's complete, not partial, presence. Imagine God fully revealing His glory and being with us personally. That is eternal heaven. It's not heaven because it has many jewels. Of course, there are many. But the highlight of heaven is the fact that God is there. How is He? He is glorious. To be able to enter into the presence of that glorious God and fully experience His glory—this is the glory of heaven.  Rev.21:1-3, “1.Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2.I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3.And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’” This is the first glimpse of the eternal kingdom. V.3, describing the eternal city, emphasizes three times that “God is with them.” That is why this new city is named Jehovah Shammah. As we journey toward that eternal kingdom, we too must call our hometown “Jehovah Shammah.” Its glory lies in God’s presence there. Rev.21:11, "And the glory of God..." God is present, fully revealing His glory. Ultimately, what God desires is for Him to be with us. That is, for Him to come into us. Because only when He comes can we become normal. Human problems cannot be solved by human ability. No matter how much people debate and research, human problems cannot be solved. This is because for us to become normal, God's complete power must enter. For example, even if you put a hundred volts of current into a machine that requires 10,000 kilowatts to operate, the machine will not function properly. All human problems today are directly related to the issue of faith. In other words, only when we are filled with the million-volt Holy Spirit can we love normally, overcome sin, and live beautifully.

 The God of Jehovah Shammah is like a million-volt current to us. Today, all humans are mad. Why? Because they are not receiving the abundant grace of God. That grace is the power of Jehovah Shammah. God is within us. If we earnestly seek the Lord's grace, the full power of the Holy Spirit will be supplied within us. All the shameful lives we have lived so far will end. May we all receive the power of the fullness of the Holy Spirit, be healed of the pain of our souls and bodies, and from now on, live the most beautiful and wonderful lives without regret. Amen. God withholds His glory from this world because of sin and human pride and stubbornness, and He is only partially present with His people. The presence of God we experience while living on earth is partial and imperfect. However, when we arrive in heaven, God will fully reveal His glory and be with us personally. Therefore, when describing heaven, He says, "The glory of God..." This glory of God is also important in the book of Ezekiel. In what stages did God's glory appear? First, when the people of Judah sinned, God's glory departed in ch.11. But when did God's glory return? It returns in ch.43. Sin caused the glory to depart, and repentance brought it back to the land of Judah. God's glory returned, and in the final chapter, ch.48, that glory is fully revealed and dwells forever. That place is heaven. This is also the structure of the Book of Revelation. Because of sin, God's glory departed. When we repented, God's glory returned. And finally, God's glory dwells completely and forever in this eternal city. The name of that city is New Jerusalem, Jehovah Shammah. 

 Now, here's the conclusion. Ezekiel deals with earthly events. The returned land is also the earthly land. The restored temple is also an earthly temple. In this temple, God bestowed His glory to a similar degree. However, Rev.21 deals with the coming heaven. This is similar to Ezekiel, but there is a difference. Rev.21:22, "I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple." There is no temple in heaven. Why? Because God and Jesus Himself are the temple. Furthermore, the entire heaven is filled with God's glory. Therefore, since the entire heaven is the temple, there is no need for a separate temple. A temple is necessary on earth. This is because this world is still in sin. To shine light in this sinful and dark world, God placed a temple here on earth, through which He partially and temporarily revealed His glory. Until the day when temples are no longer needed, until we reach the eternal temple in heaven, the temples built on earth will serve as loghthouse that partially illuminate God's glory. Therefore, our temple exists for the eternal heaven where there will be no temples. Until then, this temple on earth must perform the great mission of revealing God's glory, even if only partially, introducing the Lord and revealing the glory of the gospel. This is the core message of Revelation& Ezekiel.
Dear saints, let us all live on this earth, gratefully enjoying the inheritance(blessing) God has given us. While we live on earth, let us long for the eternal kingdom of heaven (the New Jerusalem). May we enjoy the blessings of Jehovah Shammah, Immanuel, not only on this earth, but even after we die. Amen.

(Prayer) Father God, God of Jehovah Shammah, I long for the eternal kingdom of heaven, a kingdom without tears, pain, or despair. We look forward to that heavenly kingdom, where God will be gloriously present and forever be with His people, wiping away our tears and becoming our comfort, hope,&glory. Until we arrive in that kingdom, we thank You for allowing us to taste&enjoy this glory through Your temple while we dwell on this earth. Loving God, please look after us, who are insufficient, &help us live a life in which Your glory never departs from us, abiding in You. Emmanuel God, let us become a people who walk with You for the rest of our days, proclaiming Your glory. Amen.