YHWH Shammah, The LORD is There

Ezekiel 48:30-35

30 "These are the exits of the city. On the north side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits 31 (the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel), the three gates northward: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi; 32 on the east side, four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan; 33 on the south side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun; 34 on the west side, four thousand five hundred cubits with their three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. 35 All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE."

The LORD God is there!  That is the name given to the old city of Jerusalem and which points to the Celestial City to come down from heaven (Revelation 21:2-3) where He will be with we the people of the kingdom and abide with us forever.  The Lord is there with the Lamb!  While Ezekiel named the city YHWH Shammah, he also was given names for the gates to enter that holy place, named after each tribe of Israel as Revelation 21:12-13 describe the gates to come, and which Revelation 21:14 adds the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb as the twelve foundations of the wall of the city.  Not only is the New Jerusalem given entrance by the chosen tribes of His people Israel, but it is also built on the foundation of the gospel brought by the chosen apostles who allowed entrance to all tribe, peoples, and language groups from the nations as promised through Abraham (Revelation 7:4, 9, Romans 11:25, Ephesians 2:15-16) that all God’s chosen may enter in.  The gates were opened by the first group of chosen ones to allow the rest of God’s people who are called and chosen from out of all other nations to come in together as promised through the faith of Abraham who took God at His word for His work by that same trust to believe and receive His work of salvation (John 6:29, Romans 4:3, 11, Galatians 3:8-9, John 1:12).  As it is written in Acts 13:47, “For so the Lord has commanded us: I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.”  Our new city for all His people is truly and more fully named Yahweh Shammah, the LORD is there!  This we eagerly await with anticipation that does not disappoint (Romans 5:5, 8-9).  This is the end of the book of Ezekiel and the end we all look forward to that he pointed towards.