Day 259 Reading Schedule: Ezekiel 47-48
Ezekiel 47: The Sea of Grace and the Promised Land [Overview] This chapter shows a vision of a river flowing from under the threshold of the temple and flowing to the Dead Sea, the sea of death, reviving living things and turning the barren land into fertile soil. The water flowing from the throne of God has the power to revive not only dead living things but also inanimate objects. This fact foreshadows that Jesus Christ, as the water of life, will give eternal life to those who are destined to die. All people can move from death to life only by believing in Jesus Christ. This chapter, which describes the vision of the water of life flowing from the temple, consists of the first half (verses 1-12) which records the vision of the river of the water of life flowing from the threshold of the temple, and the second half (verses 13-23) that describes the distribution of land to the twelve tribes of Israel. The vision of the river of the water of life in this chapter shows that the kingdom of God is gradually expanding and ultimately being completed through the water of life flowing from the throne in heaven. This fact is similar to the fact that the New Testament identifies the 'throne of the Lamb' as the source of the river of the water of life (see Rev. 22:1).
Ezekiel 48: Distribution of the New Earth [Overview] This chapter deals with the restoration of God's community. The eschatological restoration of the people of Israel is not material or worldly, but rather God Himself is the enterprise of the entire community of Israel and the object to be pursued. Therefore, the author is interested in whether God is present or not. This chapter is composed of the section describing the distribution of the land to the seven tribes (verses 1-7), the section describing the distribution of the land belonging to God (verses 8-22), the section describing the distribution of the land to the remaining five tribes (verses 23-29), and the section describing the allocation of the entrances and exits to the city (verses 30-35). |