Morning Light – September 5th, 2017 – Ezekiel 40: The Mysteries of the Fourth Temple

Morning Light – Ezekiel 40
Today: [Ezekiel 40] The Mysteries of the Fourth Temple. In this chapter, the Lord gives Ezekiel the plan for a temple to be built at a future time. This chapter is very enigmatic as to whether this is an actual building to be built, or a type and shadow of things to come relating to the church, or God’s dispensational plan of the ages. To that end we delve into these verses, expecting to receive some understanding of what God is saying to us in the plans of the Fourth Temple, known as Ezekiel’s temple.
Streaming live daily at: http://bit.ly/2luPMYU
[Eze 40:1-49 KJV] 1 In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth [day] of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither. 2 In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which [was] as the frame of a city on the south. 3 And he brought me thither, and, behold, [there was] a man, whose appearance [was] like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate. 4 And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew [them] unto thee [art] thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel. 5 And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man’s hand a measuring reed of six cubits [long] by the cubit and an hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed. 6 Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east, and went up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate, [which was] one reed broad; and the other threshold [of the gate, which was] one reed broad. 7 And [every] little chamber [was] one reed long, and one reed broad; and between the little chambers [were] five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within [was] one reed. 8 He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed. 9 Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate [was] inward. 10 And the little chambers of the gate eastward [were] three on this side, and three on that side; they three [were] of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side. 11 And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; [and] the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. 12 The space also before the little chambers [was] one cubit [on this side], and the space [was] one cubit on that side: and the little chambers [were] six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side. 13 He measured then the gate from the roof of [one] little chamber to the roof of another: the breadth [was] five and twenty cubits, door against door. 14 He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate. 15 And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate [were] fifty cubits. 16 And [there were] narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and windows [were] round about inward: and upon [each] post [were] palm trees.
In this chapter and the next few chapters, a new order and a new temple are described in great detail. In the description of the temple laid out we now know why in the previous chapter such effort was called for to remove every dead body of the forces of Gog, down to the last bone from the land that it might be purified to build on. At the time that Ezekiel receives this vision and its instructions 12 years have passed since his most recent prophecy. The character of his words and what he receives from God changes dramatically at this point. Rather than a raving zealot, Ezekiel is more reserved, receiving these words in a scribal manner, recording them for a generation to come. Ezekiel would have regarded this vision as that of a literal building that would be built in mere decades to come to replace the destroyed temple of Solomon in a rebuilt city of Jerusalem that now lay in ruins.
Ezekiel is brought from the captivity in Babylon in the spirit to Mount Zion that appears extremely high and dominating. This is the mountain of the Lord’s house that symbolizes the kingdom of God and the rule of God that governs over all the earth. A man meets him there who has a shining bronze like appearance. The man is not minutely described but is understood to be the angel of God’s presence. This angel has a measuring rod and a line in his hand. The measurements and measuring instruments used in the book of Ezekiel are not the same as in other books of the bible. For this reason, this cubit is referred to as the “long cubit” or the “royal cubit” respectively, being 7 centimeters longer than the cubits otherwise mentioned in the scriptures.
The mention of measurements and this curious cubit the angel uses give us pause in considering just what this temple represents. The references to measuring and measurement occur 32 times in this chapter. What are we measured by? We are measured by the infallible cubit standard of God’s word. The temple for us whether it is literal or figurative speaks to us enigmatically and with great mystery of the temple that we are in Christ.
[1Co 3:16 KJV] 16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Just as Christ himself regarding himself and speaking of Himself as the temple of God when the disciples took Him on a tour of Herod’s temple.
[Jhn 2:19-21 KJV] 19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
It is important to note that this temple and its plans were not executed in the building of the second temple 70 years after the commencement of the captivity. Neither does the plan for this temple compare even remotely to the temple of Herod in Jesus’ day which was never accepted in the plan of God, being built outside of divine inspiration under the supervision of the half Jew, half Gentile Herod merely to court the favor of the corrupt Jewish religious system at the time. The reality is that the actual description and true dimensions of the land, the building and its environs could not be placed or built in Jerusalem or anywhere near Jerusalem so when we study this temple we discern it as something that may in fact be only figurative, or perhaps built by God for the New Jerusalem coming down, saying something of who God is in us and who we are in God.
17 Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, [there were] chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers [were] upon the pavement. 18 And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates [was] the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred cubits eastward and northward. 20 And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof. 21 And the little chambers thereof [were] three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof [was] fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. 22 And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, [were] after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof [were] before them. 23 And the gate of the inner court [was] over against the gate toward the north, and toward the east; and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits. 24 After that he brought me toward the south, and behold a gate toward the south: and he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures. 25 And [there were] windows in it and in the arches thereof round about, like those windows: the length [was] fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. 26 And [there were] seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof [were] before them: and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof. 27 And [there was] a gate in the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south an hundred cubits. 28 And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures; 29 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and [there were] windows in it and in the arches thereof round about: [it was] fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad. 30 And the arches round about [were] five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad. 31 And the arches thereof [were] toward the utter court; and palm trees [were] upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it [had] eight steps.
The west, east and southern sides of this temple are comprised of 12 uniform porticos with one central, higher portico in the midst of them with 6 on each side (13 in all). This speaks of us of Jesus and the 12 apostles. The northern wall behind the holy place and the holy of holies contains 8 porticos. The north speaks to us of judgment and the final, ultimate judgment of God. 8 speaks to us of covenant and of new beginnings, inferring to us then that in Ezekiel’s temple (also known as the Restoration Temple), that judgment will not be seen as an ending of things but a new beginning of creation and humanity for all things are judged in Christ who bore our sins to the cross thus affording us the opportunity by faith to cross over the threshold of God’s judgement into new life under the saving grace and Lordship of Jesus.
The total square footage of this temple is just over 700,000 square feet. This for us speaks of seven 1000 year time frames that are covered in biblical history and in the prophetic timeline from Adam to the commencement of eternity future. The central porticos on each side of the temple each contain a gate that is identical to each of the other gates in description. This again speaks to us of Christ. In our day and in ages past men have believed in regard to spiritual things that it doesn’t matter what you believe, just so you are sincere. The uniformity of the gates tells us that this is not so and cannot be so. Jesus stated emphatically:
[Jhn 14:6 KJV] 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The person who chooses Islam over Christ cannot enter into heaven. The person who chooses Buddism, or Shintoism, or any other faith other than that faith that is rooted and grounded in the supremacy of Christ cannot enter heaven. In Christian culture, likewise performance based religious systems give NO STANDING before God because they are CHRIST-PLUS, and the CROSS-PLUS therefore they are contaminated and impure and afford us know standing before God or entry into heaven. Only in Christ alone, and through the atoning blood that was shed for you and I may one enter into eternity with God and His Son Jesus, every other approach is that of an interloper, a theif and a robber and will be turned away, ashamed and outcast into eternity without God.
32 And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures. 33 And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, [were] according to these measures: and [there were] windows therein and in the arches thereof round about: [it was] fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad. 34 And the arches thereof [were] toward the outward court; and palm trees [were] upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it [had] eight steps. 35 And he brought me to the north gate, and measured [it] according to these measures; 36 The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length [was] fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. 37 And the posts thereof [were] toward the utter court; and palm trees [were] upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it [had] eight steps. 38 And the chambers and the entries thereof [were] by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering. 39 And in the porch of the gate [were] two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering. 40 And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the north gate, [were] two tables; and on the other side, which [was] at the porch of the gate, [were] two tables. 41 Four tables [were] on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew [their sacrifices]. 42 And the four tables [were] of hewn stone for the burnt offering, of a cubit and an half long, and a cubit and an half broad, and one cubit high: whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offering and the sacrifice. 43 And within [were] hooks, an hand broad, fastened round about: and upon the tables [was] the flesh of the offering. 44 And without the inner gate [were] the chambers of the singers in the inner court, which [was] at the side of the north gate; and their prospect [was] toward the south: one at the side of the east gate [having] the prospect toward the north. 45 And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect [is] toward the south, [is] for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house. 46 And the chamber whose prospect [is] toward the north [is] for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these [are] the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, which come near to the LORD to minister unto him. 47 So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar [that was] before the house. 48 And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured [each] post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate [was] three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side. 49 The length of the porch [was] twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; and [he brought me] by the steps whereby they went up to it: and [there were] pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.
Verse 32 and subsequent verses describe for us the inner court. There are in the tabernacle of Moses and in each of the temples commissioned by God’s instruction an outer court, inner court and inmost court that correspond to the 30, 60, and 100 realms that Jesus describes in the gospel of Luke:
[Mat 13:23 KJV] 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
When you enter the temple, thus becoming the temple of God in Christ all come through an identical gate. This is the acceptance of God our judge of whosoever will let him come. Once entered however that are some 30, some 60, some 100 fold Christians. In the outer court is the altar of sin sacrifice. Some never go beyond this. They are outer court Christians. They understand the sin debt they owe and they come to Christ for cleansing but never go beyond that into the service representative of that which is in the inner court. These are those baptized into salvation, with their eternity secure but proceeding no further.
In the inner court, we find that altar of incense, the table of showbread and the golden lampstand. Only the priest could enter here. The only person who could come here was one that was appointed to serve the things of God found there. The altar of incense speaks of prayer and intercession. The table of showbread speaks of the gifts of God, specifically healing for the nations and the demonstration of spirit and of power. The Golden Lampstand speaks of the seven churches and the illumination of the word of God expounded not in the natural light of the outer court but the revelatory light of that which is not strange fire but that which was kindled on the sacrifice whereupon God answered by fire. Here we find the inner court Christian and the realm of the spirit filled, spirit baptized believer. If you have been saved, you are secure in the outer court, but the inner court invitation is extended. If you have accepted the invitation and been baptized in the Holy Ghost with evidence of speaking in other tongues then the lamp of God is trimmed and burning in you and the altar of incense is there where words that cannot be uttered in intelligible speech may be offered up and the table of showbread partaken of. What of the inmost court? Matt. 27:51 tells us that the veil was rent in twain signifying that the path into the Holiest stands open to us, a mystery and experience that we have not yet experienced nor has anyone on the earth now or in the past likely to have done so, but it is there for us beckoning. Jesus is our way in the outer court, our truth in the inner court and our life in the inmost court, clothing us with immortality for eternity ages, without end.