The visible head of this visionary city government was the “chieftain.” His assigned territory was quite large, consisting of the land on each side of the 25,000-cubit-square land “contribution.” This strip, 25,000 cubits wide, stretched all the way to the Mediterranean Sea on the west of the “contribution” and to the Jordan River and the Dead Sea on the east.​—Ezek. 47:18, 20.

It is noteworthy that in Ezekiel’s vision the city did not contain the temple, though the temple was close by in the special “contribution” of land. The priests and Levites did not dwell or work in this city. Therefore, in the fulfillment of the vision under Messiah’s thousand-year reign, the visionary city would not picture the heavenly city, New Jerusalem, made up of Christ’s congregation of spiritual Israelites, his Bride. (Rev. 20:3, 4, 6; 21:1, 2, 9-21) For they are priests, “a royal priesthood,” their names being enrolled in the heavens. (1 Pet. 2:9; Heb. 12:23) Accordingly, the “city” pictures, not the heavenly government of Jesus Christ and his 144,000 associate kings and priests, but, instead, an earthly, visible seat of administration over the affairs of redeemed mankind.

The “chieftain” in the vision is therefore not a symbolic figure of Jesus Christ. The chieftain served in the “profane” section, not at the temple, whereas Jesus Christ is the great High Priest, serving in the heavenly area of Jehovah’s spiritual temple. (Heb. 3:1; 8:1) True, Jehovah called the Messiah “a chieftain” in an earlier chapter of Ezekiel’s prophecy. But there God speaks of that chieftain as “my servant David,” whereas no such reference is made to the chieftain in this vision of the “city.” David was the king of Israel from whose line the Messiah came, as regards his fleshly descent. (Ezek. 34:24; 37:25; Acts 2:29-36) Jesus Christ is, as the foretold Messiah, the heavenly King as well as High Priest.

Whom, then, does the “chieftain” in the temple vision symbolically portray? Just as the term “servant” often had a collective meaning, as where Jehovah called the nation of Israel his “servant,” so the “chieftain” takes on a collective meaning. It stands for those whom the heavenly Messiah Jesus appoints as his visible representatives in the “new earth,” under the direction of the “new heaven.”​—Isa. 43:10; Rev. 21:1, 2.

The psalmist wrote prophetically addressing the King Jesus Christ and referring to his earthly children: “In place of your [earthly] forefathers there will come to be your sons, whom you will appoint as princes in all the earth.” (Ps. 45:16) Christ will see to it that these and others, having become his “sons” by reason of getting life through him, will, as righteous “princes” in the earth, justly administer the affairs of mankind and will keep them in security, for this is guaranteed in Isaiah chapter 32 in these grand words:

“Look! A king will reign for righteousness itself; and as respects princes, they will rule as princes for justice itself. And each one must prove to be like a hiding place from the wind and a place of concealment from the rainstorm, like streams of water in a waterless country, like the shadow of a heavy crag in an exhausted land.

“And in the wilderness justice will certainly reside, and in the orchard righteousness itself will dwell. And the work of the true righteousness must become peace; and the service of the true righteousness, quietness and security to time indefinite. And my people must dwell in a peaceful abiding place and in residences of full confidence and in undisturbed resting-places.”​—Isa. 32:1, 2, 16-18.

Jehovah did this for his people in a small-scale way when he restored them from exile in Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem and its temple. How much more he will do this for the people of all the earth during Christ’s thousand-year reign! Then Christ’s words to his apostles will come true, that they will sit with him “judging the twelve tribes of Israel,” that is, all redeemed mankind, through the righteous visible princely representatives on earth.​—Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:29, 30.

NAME OF THE CITY SIGNIFICANT

Volunteers from all parts of the earth and from all the ranks of ransomed mankind will then come in to cooperate actively with the “chieftain” class. This will be at the “city,” which stands for the visible official seat of the “chieftain” class for administering the affairs of all mankind. Ezekiel’s vision depicted three gates in each of the city’s four walls, open to all twelve tribes of Israel. (Ezek. 48:30-34) The city-like administration will perfectly reflect the heavenly New Jerusalem, which has twelve gates inscribed with the names of the “twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.” (Rev. 21:12) So the approachableness and loving care of Christ and his underpriesthood will also be shown by the ‘princely’ administration on earth. There will be free and open access for all who wish to receive help on a vital matter.

Ezekiel’s prophecy closes giving the name of this city: “Round about [the city’s perimeter] there will be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day on will be Jehovah Himself Is There.” (Ezek. 48:35)

[Diagram/​Map on page 426]

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HOLY CONTRIBUTION and the TWELVE TRIBES

ENTERING INTO HAMATH

DAN

ASHER

NAPHTALI

Sea of Galilee

MANASSEH

EPHRAIM

REUBEN

JUDAH

Jordan River

THE CHIEFTAIN

Holy Contribution

En-eglaim

BENJAMIN

En-gedi

SIMEON

Salt Sea

ISSACHAR

ZEBULUN

Tamar

GAD

Meribath-kadesh

T.V. of Egypt

SCALE OF MILES

0​——​5​——​10​——​20​——​30