GLORIOUS SANCTUARY
GLORIOUS SANCTUARY
For Reading:
Ezekiel Chapter 40
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%2040&version=NKJV
And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.
a vision of the future temple of God. The Scripture says, HE (God) stood in the gateway waiting for him to come.
We wonder how Ezekiel
met with God?
In 40:1, Ezekiel was
taken in the spirit to meet with God. This likely meant he was in a trance so
that his spirit could go and meet with God.
Ezekiel did not see God’s
exact face. He only saw a man with a bronze face. Bronze represents brightness.
This tells us Ezekiel can't see God’s face with his naked eyes.
Similarly, Moses
was another prophet for whom God only allowed him to see HIS back, not HIS face.
Exodus 33:21-23
And the Lord said,
“Here is a place by Me, and you (Moses) shall stand on the rock. So it
shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of
the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then
I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face
shall not be seen.”
This passage also
taught about the responsibilities of a seer or visioner who was shown things to
see, whether in a vision or a dream. In verse 4, Ezekiel was told to look with
his eyes (capture), hear with his ears (listen), and fix his mind (concentrate)
on everything God would show him.
And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you;
When God speaks, the seer
or visioner has to focus on the details of what has been shown.
The next time we feel a vision or a dream is from God, journal the
details so we will not forget the significance. This helps us grasp what God is
trying to convey to us and to disclose it to HIS intended audience.
On 05 June 2025, I woke
up with a dream. In the dream, I saw ‘a word’. It was fresh on my mind
the moment I received it. Nevertheless, I failed to journal the dream immediately
after I woke up. I had completely forgotten the word, with one or two letters lingering.
This made me ponder deeply for two days. God convicted me when I was led to
read this passage for my weekly devotion. This reveals how we may have treated God’s
message, revelation, or instructions with irresponsibility and inattention.
THE FUTURE SANCTUARY
God had shown Ezekiel a detailed picture of the definite future sanctuary.
east
V20-27 the Gateways on the north
level, the 3 Gateways
the north gate, were a
Chamber and tables
priests, one near the north
gate. Another near the
south gate.
By studying the temple's measurements and designs recorded by Ezekiel, God is an innovative, meticulous (some measurements are symmetrical: equal, balanced, thorough), orderly (in terms of size, designs, accessibility), and precise (accurate, specific). He is indeed a brilliant Architect!
We do not know when this
new sanctuary will be built, as this vision has not yet come to pass. According
to Feinberg, he said, “This future temple belongs not so much to the eternal
age,” but rather, it describes a temple of the millennial age. (quoted by David
Guzik).
In the eternal age, there will be no temple for our worship, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple (Rev 21:22).
This means the temple will
likely surface during Jesus’ rule in the 1000-year millennial kingdom, after
the tribulation period. It is not referring to the Third Temple which abomination and desecration will be blatantly committed.
As Ezekiah’s vision and
imagery are futuristic, we can anticipate that one day, God will come in glory
to dwell with HIS people and be worshipped in this new sanctuary. It depicts a
new level of intimacy between God and His people.
BURNT OFFERINGS AND
SACRIFICES
If Jesus had already died
as a sacrifice for all men’s sins, how is it that Ezekiel still saw tables for
burnt offerings and sacrifices placed in the new temple?
There were also four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering, one cubit and a half long, one cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high; on these they laid the instruments with which they slaughtered the burnt offering and the sacrifice. Inside were hooks, a handbreadth wide, fastened all around; and the flesh of the sacrifices was on the tables.
To some commenters, these
ceremonies emphasize the memorial and commemorative nature of the finished work of
Jesus on the cross instead of replicating past rituals. This is because Jesus, one person’s
sacrifice, represents all. (For John MacArthur’s explanation)
The sacrificial system
described in Ezekiel cannot be for the forgiveness of sins, for Christ has already accomplished that once and for all. The sacrifices are seen as memorials
of Christ’s death or as rites for the ceremonial cleansing of the temple, but
not as a means to forgive sins. (Got Questions, launched in 2002, not AI: Article Ezekiel-temple )
By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Prayer:
NB:
Above is my weekly devotion. Countercheck for clarity if needed.
Let me know if God speaks to you with insights that benefit me.
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