OVERVIEW: Measurements of millennial temple (chapter 41); measurements of the temple chambers (chapter 42); God’s glory returns to the temple (chapter 43); the priests. (chapter 44)
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
Chapters 41 and 42 describe the specific measurements of the temple. Note that it is Christ alone, not Ezekiel, who enters the “most holy place” of the temple! (41:3–4) This serves as a great reminder that it was Christ alone who entered the most holy place to make atonement for our sin! (Heb. 9:8, 12; 10:19) The side chambers will be the priest’s quarters in the millennial temple. (41:5–11) This serves as a reminder to us of the priesthood of all believers.
The priesthood of all believers is a very key New Testament doctrine. In the Old Testament, there was only a select group of men who were chosen to offer sacrifices as Levitical priests in accordance with the law. These priests were all prophetic shadows pointing, of course, to our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would by His one sacrifice for sin, bring the need for a Levitical priesthood to an end. But what the New Testament teaches, is that because of Christ’s sacrifice, He has now made all of us who have called upon His name for salvation, part of a new priesthood, commonly referred to as ”the priesthood of all believers.” Peter said of us in 1 Peter 2:9: “But ye are a chosen generation, a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” In Revelation 1:5–6, John said: “… Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and PRIESTS unto God and his Father…” Peter said that we are Christ’s “HOLY PRIESTHOOD, to offer up SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. 2:5) It should be noted that there are at least seven “SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES” referred to in scripture:
- The sacrifice of PRAISE. (Heb. 13:15; Psa. 54:6; Jer. 33:11)
- The sacrifice of THANKSGIVING. (Psa. 107:22; 116:17; Heb. 13:15)
- The sacrifice of DOING GOOD and COMMUNICATING to OTHER’S NEEDS. (Heb. 13:16)
- The sacrifice of our BODY. (Rom. 12:1)
- The sacrifice of a BROKEN SPIRIT. (Psa. 51:17)
- The sacrifice of RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Psa. 4:5; 51:19; Deu. 33:19)
- The sacrifice of FAITH. (Phi. 2:17)
In light of these sacrifices, we would all do well to ask ourselves, “Am I fulfilling my role in bringing glory to God as a New Testament priest?”
The galleries mentioned in Ezekiel 41:15–20 were buildings having decorations described as palm trees and cherubim. Between the palm trees was a cherub with two faces: the face of a man, and the face of a lion. These faces obviously represent both the HUMANITY and KINGSHIP of our Lord Jesus Christ — who was 100% MAN, and at the same time, 100% GOD! The altar of incense is described in Ezekiel 41:21–26. (c.f. Exo. 30:1–3) The incense represents the prayers of God’s people. (Psa. 141:2)
Note that there is no reference to the Ark of the Covenant in the furnishings of the millennial temple. This is a direct fulfillment of Jeremiah 3:16–17: “And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.” Obviously, there will no longer be a need for the Ark as a type of Christ in the temple, for Christ Himself will physically be sitting on the throne of His glory in the temple during the millennium!
Chapter 42 contains specific measurements of the court temple chambers (42:1–12), details concerning the use of the chambers by the priests (42:13–14), and the measurement of the outer wall and entire complex. (42:15–20) The walls in the millennial temple will be approximately one mile on each side, which means that the millennial temple will not fit on the current Mount Moriah (where Solomon’s temple stood). This will require a “modification” of the land. The prophet Zechariah spoke about this change in the topography of the land in Zechariah 14:9–10: “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem…”
Chapter 43 must be understood in the context of Ezekiel’s previous prophecy. Earlier in the book, we saw that God’s glory had departed from the temple. (10:19; 11:23) This chapter speaks of God’s glory returning to a future physical temple. (43:1–5) Praise God for His mercy and grace, and for His passion for the glory of His own name! (Eze. 20:9, 14, 22, 44; 36:23; 39:7, 25) May we also learn from the Book of Ezekiel, that God’s name was always intended to dwell in all of its glory in the temple, and, therefore, God’s/our enemy has always hated it. The record of history is clear about that! There has always been a war for the glory of our God’s name as it has dwelt in the temple. The enemy hated Solomon’s temple — it was ultimately burned by Babylon. The enemy hated Zerubbabel’s/Herod’s temple — it was ultimately burned by Rome. The enemy hated Christ, who was the personification of the temple (Mat. 12:6; Joh. 2:19) — and He was crucified by Rome. God has now made us His temple where He has set His name (1 Cor. 6:19–20) — and so now, the enemy hates us! We are now the target of the enemy on planet earth. Satan seeks to devour us (1 Pet. 5:8) — because he wants to devour the glory that God is worthy of receiving from the temple of our lives. There may even be times when he is successful! However, just as God’s glory will return to the physical temple, God can take lives that the enemy has destroyed and restore them for His glory! Do recognize, however, that unlike the physical temples of the Old Testament, God will never leave us! (Heb. 13:5; Eph. 4:30)
Chapter 44 deals with regulations for the priests who will serve in the millennial temple. Once again, as the priesthood of believers, we find numerous pictures of how we should minister in our priesthood. It should be noted that “the prince” described in Ezekiel 44:3 is permitted to enter through the vestibule, or the porch of the eastern gate — the same gate through which the Messiah has entered! This prince cannot be the Messiah, however, for the simple fact that he offers a sacrifice for his own sin. (45:22; Heb. 4:15) This prince is referred to at least 14 times in chapters 44–47. We cannot be sure as to the identity of this prince. He is most likely a descendant of David. Some students of the scripture believe he may even be David himself! We can only speculate.
Will there be sin in the millennium? This is often a confusing concept for believers. We must remember that at the end of the millennium, there will be yet another sinful rebellion against God. (Rev. 20:7–9) But just who will these rebels be? Be it known, they will certainly not be us! As believers in Christ from the church age, we will carry out our existence in the millennial kingdom having received a glorified body that will be exactly like Christ’s glorified body, which, of course, is a body incapable of committing sin. (Phi. 3:21; 1 Cor. 15:53–54; Col 3:4; Rom. 8:23) Hallelujah! But also know that there will be tribulation saints who will “endure to the end” of the tribulation period (Mat. 24:13); who will also enter into the millennial kingdom in mortal bodies; who will continue to have children and further populate the millennial kingdom. These will be born with a sin nature, and must willingly choose to receive Christ. When Satan is loosed for that little season at the end of the millennium, they will make their choice. Sadly, and might I add, unbelievably (!!!), there will be those who will ultimately choose to reject Christ. Why? For the same reason people reject Christ today. They simply refuse to submit to Christ’s Lordship. (Luke 19:14)
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
As the One who enters the “most Holy place” — Ezekiel 41:3–4 (Heb. 9:8,12)