Read Ezekiel 43
God’s Glory Returns to the Temple
43 Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, 2 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. 3 The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. 4 The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. 5 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. 7 He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throneand the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings at their death. 8 When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will live among them forever.
10 “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.
12 “This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding area on top of the mountain will be most holy. Such is the law of the temple.
The Great Altar Restored
13 “These are the measurements of the altar in long cubits, that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: Its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span around the edge. And this is the height of the altar: 14 From the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge that goes around the altar it is two cubits high, and the ledge is a cubit wide. From this lower ledge to the upper ledge that goes around the altar it is four cubits high, and that ledge is also a cubit wide. 15 Above that, the altar hearth is four cubits high, and four horns project upward from the hearth. 16 The altar hearth is square, twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide. 17 The upper ledge also is square, fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide. All around the altar is a gutter of one cubit with a rim of half a cubit. The steps of the altar face east.”
18 Then he said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings and splashing blood against the altar when it is built: 19 You are to give a young bull as a sin offering to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who come near to minister before me, declares the Sovereign Lord. 20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the upper ledge and all around the rim, and so purify the altar and make atonement for it. 21 You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.
22 “On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering, and the altar is to be purified as it was purified with the bull.23 When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect. 24 You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.
25 “For seven days you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect. 26 For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it. 27 At the end of these days, from the eighth day on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Go Deeper
The book of Ezekiel began with a vision where God’s glory was revealed as He is sovereign on His throne over all creation (chapter 1). A few chapters later, God’s glory is removed, and His presence departs from the temple and heads east (chapter 10). In this chapter, God’s glory finally returns to the temple back through the east gate with the promise that He would continue dwelling amongst His people.
Ezekiel is led through a vision to show him the layout of the millennial temple and its purpose which was to provide a place for the King of glory. The Lord said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings at their death” (v. 7). This is really great news! God desires to dwell with His people and will do so forever in the future millennial temple.
The temple of God is a theme that plays an essential role in the biblical narrative from Genesis all the way to Revelation. In the beginning, God created the Garden of Eden where His presence dwelt. Eden, because it was the dwelling place of God, became the first true temple. Adam then was the first true priest, because he was the one required to work it and keep it. Adam’s commission as a priest was to expand the presence of God from the garden to the whole earth (Gen 1:28). The temple narrative expands to the tabernacle of Moses (Exodus 40), the Temple of Solomon (1 Kings 6), the Temple of Zerubbabel (Ezra 5), the Temple of Christ’s body (John 2), the Spiritual temple known as the Church filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), the Tribulational temple (Revelation 11), and the millennial temple, which is what we see in these final chapters of Ezekiel. These temples were a symbol pointing to the reality that all of creation is God’s temple and His objective is to expand His presence to the ends of the earth. This will be the reality for all of eternity in the millennial temple.
The Lord gives Ezekiel two clear instructions in this chapter: write down the dimensions of the temple and tell the people about it and write down the laws God gives and instruct the people to obey them. The basic law of the temple was, “All the surrounding area on top of the mountain will be most holy. Such is the law of the temple” (v. 12). God’s patience with His people does not mean He is passive towards their sin. Just because the Lord returned to the temple, doesn’t mean the people could continue in their wickedness and idolatry.
He called them to consecrate themselves and be holy. 1 Peter 5:15-16 says, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.” God is a holy God and people cannot just flippantly enter into His presence. The only way we can be in the presence of a holy God is through Christ’s sacrifice for us. His payment made a way for us to dwell in a relationship with God forever.
Questions
- What is something that stands out to you in this text?
- Why is it significant that God’s glory returns to the temple?
- The law of the temple was holiness. What is something you need to remove from your life that is hindering your intimacy with God?
Keep Digging
What is the significance of Ezekiel’s temple? Click here to learn more about it!
2 thoughts on “Ezekiel 43”
Thoughts on Ezekiel 43:
•God’s ways are infinitely higher than our ways, beyond true human understanding.
•We are driven to humility by his vast greatness.
•Our sin defiles and separates us from holy God.
•His perfection and holiness exposes our sin and separates us from him.
•Only by the perfect sacrifice of Christ are we purified and accepted as righteous.
•The last place we should ever want to be is separated from God.
•God stands ready to forgive those who come to him in faith.
BUT GOD!!!! God gives us commandments that are ways to be in fellowship with Him. He also gives us freedom of will to make the choice. The obedience is hopefully done out of love. Truly that is what it all boils down to is do we really, really love God? If you put something else above God (like ourselves) then that is where we falter. Yes, there is the human nature and sin, BUT GOD gave us His nature if we truly want it. Psalm 112:1 Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands. My/our obedience brings blessings to me and others. Psalm 112:9 They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor. All the goodness of God is available but we won’t or can’t experience it if we are living in sin. Without God’s Holy Spirit filling our temples we will not have the capacity to produce spiritual fruit . This earth is not our home, WOOHOO!! and we should have such a great longing to be with God for all eternity. We have a job here and now for our days but we should be striving to let others know about our eternity. The gospel of Christ, as we speak it, should be such a reminder for us to also walk in mindset of living for eternity with great repentance continually. God is letting us know/see through Ezekiel’s eyes some of our future. Glory, glory, glory to worship Him, to stand in AWE of God is to be afraid of being without Him!!!
God thank You for showing me today and everyday more of You. Thank You for comprehension of all the ways to fully be with You in obedience and why it is my choice. God I desire to choose You every second of everyday. Thank You for helping me turn from my sin by renewing my mind to You. Thank You for a greater desire constantly to be in Your presence through Your Holy Spirit. I am excited about all eternity which I know begins now, each day that I am here is also part of my eternity. Thank You for me being wise with my minutes in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!
Psalm 112