365 Reflections

Ezekiel closes with the land as it was meant to be. The measurements of each tribal allotment are much more equal and the outlines drawn are very similar to what Moses described in Numbers 34.  Ezekiel 48:1–2 (ESV) “These are the names of the tribes: Beginning at the northern extreme, beside the way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan (which is on the northern border of Damascus over against Hamath), and extending from the east side to the west, Dan, one portion. 2 Adjoining the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west, Asher, one portion. What we see is that not only is the Temple restored, but the land is finally what it was meant to be. Ezekiel ends by teaching us that things only work as they should when God's house is in order and we make room for Him to rule and reign.  In the middle, a holy portion run by the "prince" which most believe is the Priestly system.  Ezekiel 48:21 (ESV) “What remains on both sides of the holy portion and of the prop...

In Ezekiel 47 the prophet is ushered to the outer gate facing east and sees a trickle of water flowing from the south side of the Temple. As he watches, the temple tour guide goes out eastward from the temple measuring the water depth that flowed from that source. Every 1000 cubits the water gets deeper and deeper.  Ezekiel 47:3–6 (ESV) Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. 4 Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. 5 Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. 6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river. It's an amazing picture that as the water gets further from t...

Ezekiel 46 continues with the vision of the Temple. In this passage, we see the order of worship retired to Israel. God is a God of order. He will not tolerate confusion in His worship. He desires people to know Him in truth and righteousness. Chaos and confusion are the language of satan. Ezekiel 46:1–2 (ESV) “Thus says the Lord GOD: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened. 2 The prince shall enter by the vestibule of the gate from outside, and shall take his stand by the post of the gate. The priests shall offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening. We have here a requirement for the "prince" to act in a mediatorial role between the inner temple priestly system and the people. He will take his stand at the gatepost. H...

Ezekiel's tour of the Temple continues in chapter 45 and we come to the new "Holy of Holies".  Ezekiel 45:1–2 (ESV) “When you allot the land as an inheritance, you shall set apart for the LORD a portion of the land as a holy district, 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits broad. It shall be holy throughout its whole extent. 2 Of this a square plot of 500 by 500 cubits shall be for the sanctuary, with fifty cubits for an open space around it. Every Bible passage about the Temple has a common theme. The Lord's people were to set apart a sacred space in three sections where they met with God. Ezekiel has this understanding reiterated to him here in Chapter 45. There is to be a place for the Lord, a holy district. This district was set apart for worship. Within that space was an even holier place. The priests would occupy the space outside of that holy place to act as an intermediary between the people and the Lord.  Ezekiel 45:3–4 (ESV) And from this measured district y...

In Ezekiel 10, the prophet watched as the Lord departed the temple in Jerusalem through the East gate to join His people in exile in Babylon. The narrative now comes full circle as the prophet sees the Lord enter through the East Gate of the new Temple that he has been touring in a vision.  Ezekiel 44:1–3 (ESV) Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east. And it was shut. 2 And the LORD said to me, “This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it. Therefore it shall remain shut. 3 Only the prince may sit in it to eat bread before the LORD. He shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and shall go out by the same way.” That gate which provided exit for the Lord is now shut; it will never be opened again because the Lord will never depart from among His people again. This was promised Ezekiel back in chapter 37.  Ezekiel 37:28 (ESV) Then the nations wil...

Ezekiel sees the Lord as he tours the New Temple.  Ezekiel 43:1–2 (ESV) Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. Having been shown the Temple by guided tour and seeing it in totality, the prophet now experiences the point of all of it. God's glory being made manifest among His people. As the prophet beholds this vision of restoration he is reminded that this God of restoration appears in the same way as He did when He was involved in Israel destruction. Ezekiel 43:3–5 (ESV) And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal. And I fell on my face. 4 As the glory of the LORD entered the temple by the gate facing east, 5 the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glor...

In Chapter 42, Ezekiel continues his guided tour of the New Temple.  Ezekiel 42:1 (ESV)  Then he led me out into the outer court, toward the north, and he brought me to the chambers that were opposite the separate yard and opposite the building on the north. The order of Ezekiel's tour of this New Temple is the exact opposite of the instructions God gives to Moses in Exodus for designing the tabernacle. In Exodus, the design starts from the inside out, beginning with the Ark, the Holy of Holies, and so on. In Ezekiel, the tour given to the prophet begins on the outside and makes its way in.  The first Tabernacle showed who was kept out. The new Temple is focused on bringing people in. The first Tabernacle brought people fear. The New Temple brings people near.  God is setting the stage for a redemption far larger than just the nation of Israel. Through Christ, all nations will have the opportunity to experience the blessing of knowing the Lord intimately.  In ou...

God is the God of order. He does not delight in chaos. He has fashioned the universe to run in symmetry and design that reflect His call to standards and procedures that reflect ingenuity, complexity, and creativity.  In chapter 41, Ezekiel is led around the vision of the New Temple and experiences this theme throughout the revelation.  Ezekiel 41:1–4 (ESV) Then he brought me to the nave and measured the jambs. On each side six cubits was the breadth of the jambs. 2 And the breadth of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sidewalls of the entrance were five cubits on either side. And he measured the length of the nave, forty cubits, and its breadth, twenty cubits. 3 Then he went into the inner room and measured the jambs of the entrance, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits; and the sidewalls on either side of the entrance, seven cubits. 4 And he measured the length of the room, twenty cubits, and its breadth, twenty cubits, across the nave. And he said to me, “This is the...