"Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looks toward the east: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face. And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house" .Ezk:43:1-5
The Prophet Ezekiel ,in vision , beheld, and saw the Temple of God,
beginning in the 40th chapter of his prophetic book.
the Prophet Ezekiel describes
the layout and design of what has been called by some Biblical Scholars as the "Millennium Temple". It is believed by some, that just prior to the return of our
Lord Jesus Christ the Jewish people will construct a Temple on the historic
site of Salomon 's Temple at Jerusalem and it is to this Temple that some
believe our Lord will come and fill with His glory. There may be some
credibility to that view, but it is not the only view regarding Ezekiel's
vision.
Ezekiel Chapters 40 to 46 describe the lay-out of the Temple complex and some the courts and the uses of the different chambers in the Temple and the sacerdotal
function of the Levites and Priest and furnishings. Also, is described is the
"Holy District" and the "Prince and the Feast".
"You son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house, and the fashion of it, and the goings out there, and the comings in there, and all the forms of it, and all the ordinances , and all the forms , and all the laws : and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form of it, and all the ordinances , and do them. This is the law of the house; On the top of the mountain the whole area of it round about will be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house."
The vision was given that there might be a change of heart and mind within the people of Israel and if that change came, then even more revelation would be forth coming to them.
What Did It Mean?
What did all this say
to the Prophet Ezekiel? How did those who prophesied for the Lord understand
their relationship with God? To the Holy Prophets, they saw the sin, unfaithfulness
and neglect of Israel toward the Covenant which the Lord God had made with
their fore Fathers.
In Ezekiel:47: 1-2 the Prophet Ezekiel is shown, as he stands at the door, a flow of water which issued from the threshold and the south side of the Alter and went forth to bring healing wheresoever it flowed.
The Water Flows
"Afterward he brought me again to the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without to the utter gate by the way that looks eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side"
This stream of water grows ever deeper as Ezekiel wades into it.
"And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over." (3-5)
The man, or an angel who is accompanying Ezekiel asked the Prophet.
"Son of man, have you seen this?" (6b)
Ezekiel’s Angelic guide takes him back to the bank of the river and tells Ezekiel the direction which this flowing stream from the Temple of God goes unto, healing the salt sea (Dead Sea) and brings life to the parched land.
"And he led me, and brought me back to the bank of the
river.When I returned, behold, on the bank of the river were very many trees on
the one side and on the other. And he said unto me, These waters issue out
toward the east district, and go down into the plain, and go into the sea; when
they are brought forth into the sea, the waters thereof will be
healed. And it will come to pass that every living thing which moves,
wherever the double river will come, shall live. And there will be a very great
multitude of fish; for these waters will come there, and the waters of the sea
will be healed; and everything will live where the river comes. And it will
come to pass, that fishermen will stand upon it; from En-gedi even unto
En-eglaim will be a place to spread forth nets: their fish will be according to
their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. But its marshes and
its pools will not be healed; they will be given up to salt.And by the river,
upon its bank, on the one side and on the other, shall grow all trees for food,
whose leaf shall not fade, nor their fruit fail: it shall bring forth new fruit
every month, for its waters issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof
will be for food, and the leaf thereof for medicine." (6c-11)
For Us in Jesus
Is this vision for the future only as some believe? What about for we
Christians now, today? How can we see in this vision of the Temple as
something more than just a "prophetic event" that
is waiting for the people of Israel?
When we read the Bible
through who Jesus is, and not just through the "view of
events", we can see that Ezekiel’s Temple speaks to us
regarding our Lord and Savior Jesus.
Understand what the
Temple represented to the Prophet(s) it was the center of Israel's relationship
with God.
In the Temple vision Ezekiel
sees that relationship as it he understood it should be, in its ideal expression,
the way all the prophets of God hoped and would want it to be.
But what about for us Christians,
what is the ideal expression of the intended relationship that we are given
with the Creator God? That relationship is modeled for us and is made available
for us in Christ. Thru Jesus we are included in that relationship.
When we view the Word of God
through who Jesus is this allows for a deeper and greater meaning for all time,
not divided into the past or future.
When we read the Holy Word
of God through who Jesus is. We then see, our Lord standing forth as the central
theme of all the Word. Jesus himself tells us that he is the very subject of
all the Bible.
"You study the Scriptures
diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the
very Scriptures that testify about me," Jhn:5:39-40
"Jesus said to them, “How
foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did
not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And
beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said
in all the Scriptures concerning himself” Lk:24:25-27
The Glorified Temple
When read in this way, what
we can see is the Glorified Temple of our Lord's raised humanity.
Speaking of his resurrection
Jesus tells the religious leaders.
"Jesus answered them,
"Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."
They replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you
are going to raise it in three days?"
But the temple he had spoken of
was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he
had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken" Jhn: 2:19-22
Jesus tells us, that his
resurrection, that is, his being glorified occurred at the resurrection. Jesus'
resurrection unleashes for humanity a divine chain of events.
After Jesus' death upon the cross to bring us salvation and all that it entails, his stone dead and lifeless body of our Lord
Jesus lay in the darkness of the tomb. Then, after three days of lifelessness,
the glory of the Lord filled Jesus' body at the moment resurrection.
Jesus
is raised up, the Temple of his humanity is filled with glory as Ezekiel
saw the dark lifeless Temple being filled with glory of the Lord, bring us the relationship that was always meant to be between the Great God and
humanity is now accomplished by Jesus, for each and all who will but
freely receive it.
What we are seeing in Ezekiel's vision is a glimpse of the resurrection
of our Lord Jesus symbolized by the Temple which moments before lay in
darkness, stillness and lifeless, as our Lord body was in the darkness ,
stillness and lifeless in tomb.
Then the man brought me to the
gate facing east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the
east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant
with his glory.The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when hecame to
destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell
facedown The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east.
Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory
of the Lord filled the temple. Ezk: 43:1-5
This is the glorious moment of Jesus' resurrection, the Temple of his
body filled with glory, Jesus is raised from the dead.
We are given a glimpse of
this glorified Temple of the Lord's resurrected humanity in Rev: 1:12-18
"I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me.
And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was
someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with
a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as
white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.His feet were like bronze
glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In
his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp,
double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
When I saw him, I fell at his
feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be
afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now
look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and
Hades."
As the glorified Temple is then shown in vision filled with the glory of
the Lord to the Prophet, Ezekiel now see Israel's, and all humanities' ,
relationship with God as it was always meant to be, this now holy
restored relationship, called the "law of the House" Ezekiel:43:12 , is now in Jesus,
and thru Jesus we are in relationship with God as it had always been intended.
The Waters Flow
And as the water flowed for
the healing of land and sea ,so the Holy Spirit flows now unto each
bringing healing to the parched deserts of our lives and brings forth fruit as
it flows.
"On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified." Jhn: 7:37-39
St. John speaks of the water
flow of the Holy Spirit coming forth after the Temple of Jesus' body is
glorified, this holy water flow of God, the Holy Spirit, brings healing to us
and spiritually and bodily, as the flow in Ezekiel' s' vision healed the sea
and land that brought forth life the abundant fruit from the trees which lined
its banks.
There is now life and
fruitfulness in us as the Holy Spirit transformed us. Galatians:5:22-25
We , who have come to put
our faith in Jesus, that is Christians , are like those fisherman who at the
waters near En Gedi, bringing forth an abundant catch in their nets of many
kinds of fish , that is , we are now fishers of men who ,as the Gospel about
Jesus is preach to the world , people from many lands are drawn in into the
faith of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit flows forth.
"Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En
Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many
kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea". Ezk: 47:10
"And he said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of
men" . Matt:4:19
The Glory Forever
Will there be a temple
constructed at Jerusalem? Maybe, could be, probably, but far above and beyond
the Temple thought to be yet constructed in Jerusalem these words are far more
glorious when read them as applying them to Jesus and all that is found in him, for
all that we see in Ezekiel's vision are only hints at what is in eternity
for any and all who will but freely receive it in our Lord Jesus.
Here we see life eternal
with the Holy Trinity, with Jesus at it's very center, this is the divine
intention of God for us, for any who will but freely receive it.
"I did not see a temple in
the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city
does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it
light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the
kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates
ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the
nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will
anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are
written in the Lamb’s book of life."Rev:21:22-26
"Then the angel showed me
the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of
God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each
side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,
yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing
of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the
Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his
face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night.
They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord
God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever." Rev: 22:1-5
All praise to God as we too
look to that "moment" in eternity, when will
walk in the Holy Temple courts of that relationship where we will behold the
very living Jesus who has come forth from the darkness and lifelessness of the
Tomb and is that Temple filled with the glory of the Lord.
Benediction: May we each and all walk
in the Temple Courts of the relationship with our God all thru Jesus who is
that Temple filled with the glory of the Lord, today, tomorrow and forevermore.
Amen
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Rev.Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma
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