sacred layers

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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sacred layers

Ezekiel 48:11-14 (JDV)

Ezekiel 48:11 It is for the consecrated priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept my charge and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray.
Ezekiel 48:12 It will be a special donation for them out of the sacred donation of the land, a most sacred place adjacent to the territory of the Levites.
Ezekiel 48:13 “Next to the territory of the priests, the Levites will have an area 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide. The total length will be 25,000 cubits and the width 10,000 cubits.
Ezekiel 48:14 They must not sell or exchange any of it, and they must not transfer this first part of the land, for it is devoted to Yahveh.

sacred layers

Next to the land given to the priests will be a land designated for the Levites, and this too is sacred. There are layers of sacred land that set this entire land apart as unique and special to God.

As people ap[proach the land, they should sense the difference. While all the planet is God’s, what belongs to us should demonstrate a sacredness that is recognizable.

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the priest’s land

Posted on February 19, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the priest’s land

Ezekiel 48:8-14 (JDV)

Ezekiel 48:8 “Next to the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, will be the portion you donate to Yahveh, 25,000 cubits wide, and as long as one of the tribal portions from the east side to the west. The sanctuary will be in the middle of it.
Ezekiel 48:9 “The special portion you donate to Yahveh will be 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide.
Ezekiel 48:10 This devoted donation will be set apart for the priests alone. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the northern side, 10,000 cubits wide on the western side, 10,000 cubits wide on the eastern side, and 25,000 cubits long on the southern side. Yahveh’s sanctuary will be in the middle of it.

the priest’s land

The priest gets a portion of the land as well. That makes sense in God’s plan because the sanctuary in the middle of this land is to be glorified by the land that surrounds it.

Our lives are to glorify God as well. I am not talking about our “religious” lives, but all our lives. Like the priests, everything we do should glorify God.

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treat them as native-born

Posted on February 18, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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treat them like native-born

Ezekiel 47:21-23 (JDV)

Ezekiel 47:21 “You are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel.
Ezekiel 47:22 You will allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens residing among you, who have fathered children among you. You will treat them as native-born Israelites; along with you, they will be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
Ezekiel 47:23 In whatever tribe the alien resides, you will assign his inheritance there.” This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.

treat them like native-born

Resident aliens in this land will not be treated as slaves or second-class citizens. They will be allotted an inheritance within the land of the tribe they have been born into.

God does not endorse a caste system. He treats people fairly and is not a respecter of persons.

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a plan for each side

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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a plan for each side

Ezekiel 47:18-20 (JDV)

Ezekiel 47:18 On the east side it will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; you will measure from the northern border to the eastern sea. This will be the eastern side.
Ezekiel 47:19 On the south side it will run from Tamar to the Waters of Meribath-kadesh, and on to the Brook of Egypt as far as the Mediterranean Sea. This will be the southern side.
Ezekiel 47:20 On the west side the Mediterranean Sea will be the border, from the southern border up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western side.

a plan for each side

The borders will detail the proportions of the land, and each side will be significant. Our God has a purpose in the history of the world for all these details. If we do not know why he has a plan for the land in the future, it is enough for us to acknowledge that he does have a plan.

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land matters

Posted on February 16, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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land matters

Ezekiel 47:15-17 (JDV)

Ezekiel 47:15 This is to be the border of the land: On the north side it will extend from the Mediterranean Sea by way of Hethlon and Lebo-hamath to Zedad,
Ezekiel 47:16 Berothah, and Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.
Ezekiel 47:17 So the border will run from the sea to Hazar-enon at the border of Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern side.

land matters

The land will be apportioned because land matters to our God. He created the land to bring him glory, and he will decide who works the land, and who is responsible for its protection and cultivation.

Our God is not a God of spirit and mind only. Land matters to him because all creation matters to him. He plans to restore the land, not discard it.

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a promise to be fulfilled

Posted on February 15, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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a promise to be fulfilled

Ezekiel 47:13-14 (JDV)

Ezekiel 47:13 This is what the Lord Yahveh says: “This is the border you will use to divide the land as an inheritance for the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph will receive two shares.
Ezekiel 47:14 You will inherit it in equal portions since I swore to give it to your ancestors. So this land will fall to you as an inheritance.

a promise to be fulfilled

God’s promise will be fulfilled to his people. It does not matter who claims the land now. When it is time for God’s promise to be fulfilled, it will go to the twelve tribes of Israel.

God’s promise to us of a permanent inheritance of resurrection life will also be fulfilled when the time is right. When we hear that trumpet sound, we’re going to get up out of the ground. Ain’t no grave going to keep our body down.

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from foul to fresh

Posted on February 14, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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from foul to fresh

Ezekiel 47:6b-12 (JDV)

Then he led me back to the bank of the river.
Ezekiel 47:7 When I had returned, I noticed a very large number of trees along both sides of the riverbank.
Ezekiel 47:8 He said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to the Arabah. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water, the water of the sea becomes fresh.
Ezekiel 47:9 Every kind of living throat that swarms will live wherever the river flows, and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes.
Ezekiel 47:10 Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim. These will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.
Ezekiel 47:11 Yet its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be left for salt.
Ezekiel 47:12 All kinds of trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fresh fruit because the water comes from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for medicine.”

from foul to fresh

The river brings life from the dead — even the Dead Sea will become fresh, and fish of many different kinds will be found there.

What kind of impact are you making on the world around you. Do the foul waters become fresh that you flow by? Our Master wants us to make an influence wherever we go.

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the farther, the deeper

Posted on February 13, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the farther, the deeper

Ezekiel 47:3-6a (JDV)

Ezekiel 47:3 As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my ankles.
Ezekiel 47:4 Then he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my knees. He measured off another third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my waist.
Ezekiel 47:5 Again he measured off a third of a mile, and it was a river that I could not cross on foot. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed on foot.
Ezekiel 47:6 He asked me, “Do you see this, son of Adam?”

the farther, the deeper

As the water spread, it became deeper. That is how the Holy Spirit within us works. He changes us, but the transformation becomes even more miraculous when we move out into the world. The farther we go, the deeper the change. Welcome to the amazing world of witness.

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water from the temple

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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water from the temple

Ezekiel 47:1-2 (JDV)

Ezekiel 47:1 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the house and I noticed water flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side of the threshold of the house, south of the altar.
Ezekiel 47:2 Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; I noticed the water was trickling from the south side.

water from the temple

Water trickles out of the temple, but as it flows, it gets deeper. That water brings life and health to all it touches, salts the earth, and produces much fish, and abundant fruit. Every image of this vision is used by New Testament authors to describe the destiny that awaits the righteous. The fact that the water comes from the temple implies that all of these new earth realities flow from the presence of God. The sea represents the nations, the target of the flow. Jesus said that water will flow from the heart of believers (John 7:38). Life, abundance, and healing begin today. Its full realization will be at the coming of Christ.

LORD, may your life, love, and healing flow through us, to the nations.

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four kitchens

Posted on February 11, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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four kitchens

Ezekiel 46:21-24 (JDV)

Ezekiel 46:21 Next he brought me into the outer court and led me past its four corners. I noticed a separate court in each of its corners.
Ezekiel 46:22 In the four corners of the outer court there were enclosed courts, forty cubits long by thirty cubits wide. All four corner areas had the same dimensions.
Ezekiel 46:23 There was a stone wall around the inside of them, around the four of them, with ovens built at the base of the walls on all sides.
Ezekiel 46:24 He said to me: “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the house will cook the people’s sacrifices.”

four kitchens

Four corner kitchens in the outer court seem to hint at an expansion of the term “people” — to include those of all the nations. It fits the attitude our Savior reflected in his teachings, that the temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations, and that the gospel should be preached to all nations.

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