Ezekiel 41
The Scriptures are full of a variety of passages. Each one has its own style and purpose. All of it is valuable. Not all of it is easily understood. Ezekiel’s vision of a new temple in
So far, we have made our way with Ezekiel and his angelic guide into the temple area. We have moved beyond the wall. We have enjoyed the gates, and the temple courts. Now we must move on, and this is what we want to do. We want to go into the temple itself. This is the place where God meets with His people. The nave is the main section of the temple. What a privilege it is for us to be in the
When Jesus was going to the cross, He told His disciples that the old temple would soon be destroyed. Earlier in His ministry He spoke about His body as the temple, a dwelling place of God. Christ would lay down that body temple in His death, and would then pick it up again in His resurrection. It is an amazing fact that we have been united into this body of Christ. Like those who have the privilege of walking within the vision of Ezekiel’s glory temple, we have been invited by God to consider ourselves as members of Christ’s own body.
In the vision of the temple, we have been drawn up higher and higher toward the Lord. Could we be satisfied with anything less than the
Around the wall of the temple are side chambers in three stories. This is our Father’s house, and true to His Son’s promise, here there are many rooms. Once again, we marvel at the privilege that is ours. As we walk about this place in our hearts and minds, we remember that we have something more than Ezekiel’s vision. We have Christ in us, the hope of glory.
The temple that the prophet is exploring is securely built. It is solid and spacious. It will never go away. It cannot be destroyed by men. The temple that God builds of His New Testament church will never fail. Through faith in Christ, we are partakers of a solid hope.
As wonderful as this angelic tour of our glorious hope is, it does not go far enough. It is important that we look beyond the Old Testament imagery here to see a bigger vision. We get a sense of this in the last book of the Bible. It is wonderful to see John’s apocalyptic vision of a new kingdom with twenty-four elders and some impressive angels, but we soon see that there is a bigger blessing coming. We see myriads of angels and a vast multitude that no man can count. The promise to Abraham so long ago was a very big promise, and all of it will be fulfilled.
It is fitting that Ezekiel’s temple is full of heavenly imagery. It is all beautiful and delightfully spiritual. Here we find a special table before the Lord. We note that it is an altar of wood. There is no mention of it being overlaid with gold. Is this because that altar will never need to contain fire? Is it an indication that no further sacrifice will be needed, since Christ has already been sacrificed, that we might have the most secure assurance of our eternal dwelling with God?
The doors of the
First, Jesus our Savior is the Great Final Temple of God, and we have the amazing blessing of being in Him and with Him forever. We should be walking around the Scriptures continually to explore the beauty of the Lord. He has chosen to be closely associated with us.
Second, the Body of Christ is our eternal home. It will one day be the greatest temple in the Lord both physically and spiritually. Even now we can move beyond the intellectual discipline of examining the doctrines of Christ and His church. We should earnestly seek the fullness of spiritual life even now. This is hard for us to understand, but the man who has been made spiritually alive can now consider it a joy to contemplate the wonders of Christ and His church.
posted by Pastor Magee @ 7:00 AM
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