Secular Land for the City.—At the extreme south (earthly) of the holy square will be a 5,000-reed-wide section which will be “secular for the city.” This represents in miniature the perfect human condition of the visible rulers (city) of the earthly phase of the Kingdom and of all those [pg 575] under that Divine government—the whole world of mankind (Israel). The city will be in the middle of this section, a 4,500-reed square, which, with a border or suburb 250 reeds wide all around, reaches across the secular land, symbolizing the dominance of the coming world government over the human race. (Ezek. 45:6, 7; 48:15-20, 35.) So extraordinary and heart-satisfying will be the methods of and the blessings from the Divine government (city) that it will appropriately be called “The Wonder of Jehovah.”—E. 46, 43.
Land for Sanctuary.—In the center of the priests' land will be the land for the Sanctuary, an area 500 cubits, or 750 feet square, surrounded by a 50-cubit, or 75-foot, border or “suburb.” In this square will be the walls, courts and structures of the sanctuary. It will type again in miniature, in detail, the conditions of all classes in the Kingdom from the Christ (priests) down, as regards their religious relationship to one another and to God.—Ezek. 45:2-3.
Land for the Prince.—Both of the ends of the 25,000-reed-wide offering of land, east and west of the central holy square, will be given to “the Prince,” typing the perfect human condition of the Ancient Worthies, or overcomers before the Gospel Age, who shall be “Princes in all the earth.” As the Prince's land will not be inalienable but may be given away by the Prince, so to certain classes it will be given to share in the perfected condition of the Ancient Worthies.—Ezek. 45:7-8; 46:16-18; 48:21-22.
The Classes.—In the Kingdom there will be several distinct classes, according to opportunity and degree of faithfulness in ages preceding establishment of the Kingdom.
The priests will be the glorified Little Flock, faithful unto death, sons of God, the Righteous One (Zadok, righteous), who during the Gospel Age “kept the charge of God's Sanctuary,” by faithfulness to the Word of God at any cost. They will be “of the Divine nature.”—Ezek. 40:44-46; 43:18-27; 44:15-31; 45:4; 48:10-12.
The antitypical Levites (Great Company), will have spirit nature akin to the angelic, because though during the Gospel Age they were also begotten of the Spirit, sons of God (Zadok, righteous), they “went astray from God, after their idols;” they ministered unto the people before their idols and caused the house of Israel (Christendom) to fall into iniquity. They shall bear their iniquity.—Ezek. 44:10-14; 45:5; 48:13-14.
The Ancient Worthies (the Prince), who in the Jewish Age were faithful unto death amid incredible trials of faith (Heb. 11), will during the 1,000 years be of the perfect human nature, and will be on earth the visible leaders [pg 576] and rulers of mankind.—Ezek. 44:1-3; 45:7-17, 21-25; 46:16-18; 48:21-22.
The servants of the city will be of the perfect human nature, and engaged in the multifarious duties of a world wide government. They will be taken from amongst mankind. Some are spoken of as servants and some as sons of the Ancient Worthies.—Ezek. 48:18-19; 46:16-18.
The people of the Kingdom will be first the resurrected Hebrews, making progress during the 1,000 years toward human perfection, but who in previous ages had not been consecrated to God and had been far astray from Him. (Romans 1.)—Ezek. 43:7-9; 44:6-12, 15, 19, 23-30; 45:6-21; 46:1-3, 9-10; 47:13-14; 48:11, 18-19, 23-29.
The “strangers” will be the resurrected billions of humanity, not Jews, who gaining the heart circumcision of a conscience cleansed by the blood of Jesus, shall be as though born to the same conditions as the Hebrews. None of them shall have part in the direct service of God.—Ezek. 44:9; 47:22-23; Zech. 14:20-21; Numbers 31:47; Joel 3:17; Joshua 9:22-27; Rev. 21:27.