There will not be any ark, as in the temple of old; for the prophet Jeremiah tells us, in Jeremiah 3:16-17, that “in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord; neither shall it come to mind, neither shall they remember it, neither shall they visit it, neither shall that be done any more.” (margin, be magnified). “At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem.”
“In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all languages of the rations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you for we have heard that God is with you” (Zech. 8:23). Idolatry, which will have been forced upon the nation (and readily accepted by the mass), and also throughout the domain of the beast, will be utterly abolished by the Lord when He comes in judgment. For “in that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold. which they made each one for himself to worship. to the moles, an to the bats” (Isa. 2:12-22).
The shekinah glory, the glory of the God of Israel, will come from the way of the east, where it was last seen when retreating from the earth, after the captivity of Judah. (Ezek. 11:22-23). It will then fill the house or temple (Ezek. 43:1-5), which is called “the place of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever” (Ezek. 43:7). “The Lord is great in Zion: and He is high above all the people. Let them praise Thy great and terrible name; for it is holy. The king’s strength also loveth judgment; Thou dost establish equity, Thou executed judgment and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is holy” (Psa. 99:2-5).
There will also be a prince at the head of the house of Israel, mentioned many times from Ezekiel 44-46. He must in no way be confounded with the Lord, as he is the prince of Israel, ruling as His vicegerent in the land, and offering sacrifices in connection with the temple worship; whereas Christ will reign with His saints over the earth.
The land, Israel’s ancient inheritance, now almost a wilderness, and under the dominion of the Gentiles, will then be redivided after a new order, each tribe having its measured portion, and a holy oblation foursquare in the center, divided among the priests and the Levites, and part for the city and suburbs. On either side of this, the residue will be for the prince. (Ezek. 48; 45:7).
Then as to the city of Jerusalem itself in that day, its glory and magnificence, as described in the prophets and the Psalms, will far surpass anything that the world has ever seen, much as men boast of the wonders they have wrought. Neither the ancient cities of Nineveh and Babylon, with all their glories, nor the modern cities of London and Paris, bear any comparison.
From Zechariah. 14:10 we find that “all the land shall be turned as a plain, from Geba (north) to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem: and it (that is, the city) shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place.” The Mount of Olives is described as cleaving asunder when touched by the feet of the Lord at His appearing. Important physical changes will take place, thus affording a most magnificent plateau for the enlargement of the city during His reign.
Well may the Psalmist sing, “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great king” (Psa. 48:2). And again, “Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following” (Psa. 48:12-13). And again, “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined” (Psa. 50:2). “Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah” (Psa. 87:3). “Put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city” (Isa. 52:1).” Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise (Isa. 60:18). “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory; and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken: neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzibah (that is, my delight is in her), and thy land Beulah (that is, married): for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married” (Isa. 62:1-4).
“They shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 60:14).
These are a few of the many passages indicating the unprecedented glory and splendor of the city of the Lord of hosts, in the day of Israel’s blessing, and the earth’s jubilee. But this is not all; for not only will it be a praise in the earth for its beauty, but the center of government and blessing for the earth under the Lord’s righteous rule. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob: and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isa. 2:2-3). “Because of Thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto Thee” (Psa. 68:29). “Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him” (Psa. 72:11). It is then that the government shall be upon His shoulder, and He shall reign as the true Solomon, the Prince of Peace, from the river to the ends of the earth (Isa. 9:6-7).
“He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isa. 2:4; Psa. 46:9; 68:30; Mic. 4:3). The Mighty God shall judge the earth, and take war from it. Instead of nation arming and warring against nation as now, peace shall flow as a river; a king shall reign in righteousness, “the Prince of Peace,” and princes with Him shall rule in judgment (Isa. 33:1).
(Continued and to be continued).