Ezekiel 48 Footnotes

48:30-35 Ezekiel closed his prophecy with a marvelous vision of the new Jerusalem located foursquare in the southern sector of the sacred district. The city has twelve gates, three on each side, and is the pattern for John’s vision of the Jerusalem “from God” in Rv 21:12-14. The city’s name is a testimony of the Lord’s presence among his people forever: Yahweh-shammah, “The LORD Is There.” John’s city, likewise, is the place where God will dwell among his people, to “be with them and will be their God” (Rv 21:3).

The first city mentioned in the Bible came about as a result of Cain’s act of rebellion (Gn 4:12-14). The final city is the city of God, his dwelling place. Ezekiel’s ministry began with an awesome vision of the storm of judgment approaching a sinful nation. It closes with a glorious vision of a new people, a new land, a new worship—and in the midst of it all, “The LORD Is There.”