VANTAGE POINT: EZEKIEL

Transcription

1 CHAPTER 39 Ezekiel 39:1 8 (NKJV) 39 And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; 2 and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. 3 Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. 4 You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. 5 You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD. 6 And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the LORD. 7 So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Surely it is coming, and it shall be done, says the Lord GOD. This is the day of which I have spoken. As we looked at on Sunday, Russia will attack Israel and the Russian army along with the coalition of nations will be destroyed After the battle only 1/6 of the Russian Army will survive Vs. 6 suggests that Russia will be destroyed by a nuclear attack God says I will send fire on Magog and those who live in security in the coastlands which could refer to Syria and Lebanon Vs 8 says surely it is coming, and it shall be done This is something that is inescapable, God is telling us ahead of time that this day will come Vs 9-10 Ezekiel says that they will burn the weapons for 7 years The word used for weapons can also be translated arsenal It s possible that Ezekiel is speaking of a large arsenal of chemical weapons such as Syria s chemical weapon arsenals Incineration is the primary means of destroying chemical weapons So it makes sense that it would take 7 years for Israel to destroy all the chemical weapons in the area Not only will it take 7 years to destroy the weapons, it will take 7 months to bury the dead and after 7 months, they will send a clean up team of rabbi s to collect any human remains in the nation Ezekiel 39:17 20 (NKJV)

2 17 And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field: Assemble yourselves and come; Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal Which I am sacrificing for you, A great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel, That you may eat flesh and drink blood. 18 You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, Drink the blood of the princes of the earth, Of rams and lambs, Of goats and bulls, All of them fatlings of Bashan. 19 You shall eat fat till you are full, And drink blood till you are drunk, At My sacrificial meal Which I am sacrificing for you. 20 You shall be filled at My table With horses and riders, With mighty men And with all the men of war, says the Lord GOD. The birds of the air and the beasts of the field will assist in cleansing the land from any human remains This will be a day of restoration for the nation of Israel Ezekiel 39:21 29 (NKJV) 21 I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. 22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward. 23 The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. 24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them. 25 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name 26 after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid. 27 When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies lands, and I am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations, 28 then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any longer. 29 And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel, says the Lord GOD. Once Russia is defeated, all the nations and Israel will recognize God

3 Today, 65% of all Jews identify themselves as not religious or convinced atheists and only 2 % recognize Jesus as the Son of God Now, although you will see Orthodox Jews walking the streets of Jerusalem and you hear Netanyahu quoting scripture in his speaches, Israel is not a religious nation The people of Israel are not a spiritual people But when God destroys the Russian army, God will pour out His Spirit upon the nation of Israel and the result will be a spiritual revival in Israel Remember, the last time God said He would pour out His Spirit, the Church was born in Acts 2 Chapter 40 begins a whole new division in the Book of Ezekiel In this section God gives the dimensions for the Third Temple Now, someone asked what is the significance of the dimensions of the Third Temple being in the Bible? Why do we need to know this? I have to confess that I really don t understand this section of scripture Probably because it is being written to the Jews, not to the Gentiles We don t worship God in a Temple, but the Jews do even in the Millennial Age, the Jews will worship the Lord in Ezekiel s Temple So this section of scripture is God giving instruction to His people If you remember, God gave David the blueprints for the Temple that Solomon built so we know this is consistent with God s previous acts So first, I want to show you a diagram of temple so that you ll understand what Ezekiel is talking about Ezekiel 40:1 5 (NKJV) 40 In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured, on the very same day the hand of the LORD was upon me; and He took me there. 2 In the visions of God He took me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a city. 3 He took me there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze. He had a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand, and he stood in the gateway. 4 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. 5 Now there was a wall all around the outside of the temple. In the man s hand was a measuring rod six cubits long, each

4 being a cubit and a handbreadth; and he measured the width of the wall structure, one rod; and the height, one rod. [SLIDE 1] Now this is a modern rendering of the Third Temple This temple will be built during the Kingdom Age after the return of Jesus Christ This is not the Temple that will be built by decree issued by the antichrist Vs. 5 describes a measuring rod is six cubits long According to the definition, the cubit here is a cubit plus a handbreadth A cubit is the length of an arm from the elbow to the finger tips A handbreath is the distance between your thumb and your fingertip So together it s about 24 in length So a rod of 6 cubits in length is about 12 ft. long [SLIDE 2] Now this basic drawing gives you an idea of the layout of the temple. (Vs. 6-16) The gate that our attention is drawn to is the Eastern Gate It s quite large 20 wide and 100 long As you pass through the gate into the Outer Court, you go up 7 steps When you pass from the Outer Court to the Inner Court you go up 8 steps So you ll notice that as you come to worship the Lord you are always going up into His Presence (Vs ) gives us the measurements for the Outer Court Ezekiel 40:17 19 (NKJV) 17 Then he brought me into the outer court; and there were chambers and a pavement made all around the court; thirty chambers faced the pavement. 18 The pavement was by the side of the gateways, corresponding to the length of the gateways; this was the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the width from the front of the lower gateway to the front of the inner court exterior, one hundred cubits toward the east and the north. You pass through the Eastern Gate into the Outer Court Everyone is allowed into the Outer Court David said, enter His gates with thanksgiving in Your heart and into His courts with praise it is referring to the outer court It is a place of celebration as you are coming into the Presence of God

5 Now, we know this is not the Temple in Revelation because the Temple in Revelation will be built without an outer court according to Revelation 11:22 [SLIDE 3] Here is a picture of what the Temple that the antichrist will decree to be built could look like (Vs ) Describes the Northern and the Southern Gates You can enter the Temple from the North, South and East but not West (Vs ) Describe the gates leading into the Inner Court Only the priests were allowed into the Inner Court In the gates leading into the Inner Court, there were tables set up to kill the animals for the burnt offerings There were also apartments where the singers and priests lived Specifically, the sons of Zadok are mentioned the family who is responsible for caring for the altar Interesting Zadok s name means to make righteous, signifying that we are made righteous through Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb who was slain (Vs ) Describe the size of the Inner Court and Vestibule The Vestibule is the porch area just outside the Holy Place If you remember, Ezekiel had a vision of the 25 men with their backs to the temple of the Lord who were between the Porch and the Altar They were in the Inner Court Chapter 41 describes the Temple building Ezekiel 41:1 4 (NKJV) 41 Then he brought me into the sanctuary and measured the doorposts, six cubits wide on one side and six cubits wide on the other side the width of the tabernacle. 2 The width of the entryway was ten cubits, and the side walls of the entrance were five cubits on this side and five cubits on the other side; and he measured its length, forty cubits, and its width, twenty cubits. 3 Also he went inside and measured the doorposts, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits high; and the width of the entrance, seven cubits. 4 He measured the length, twenty cubits; and the width, twenty cubits, beyond the sanctuary; and he said to me, This is the Most Holy Place.

6 The Holy Place is where the Altar of Incense that burns 24 hours a day 7 days a week representing prayer is located The Shewbread Tables with 12 loaves of bread representing Israel The Shewbread Tables were located in the Holy Place to remind Israel that they were to be a people who lived in the Presence of God The Menorah was located in the Holy Place providing light for the Holy Place and the light was to never burn out signifying the Presence of God (Vs. 5-26) Describes the Temple Building itself [SLIDE 4] It will be a massive building that is 3 stories tall decorated with Cherubim and Palm Trees on the outside of the building (Vs ) says Ezekiel 41:18 19 (NKJV) 18 And it was made with cherubim and palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Each cherub had two faces, 19 so that the face of a man was toward a palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion toward a palm tree on the other side; thus it was made throughout the temple all around. So we see only two of the four faces represented The Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the Son of Man This is how Jesus identifies Himself to Israel in the Old Testament He is the Lion of Judah, the rightful descendant of King David and thus the rightful King of Israel He is also the Son of Man, used 107 times in the Old Testament mostly referring to Jesus appearance in the last days Chapter 42 describes the living quarters for the Priests [SLIDE 5] (Vs. 1-14) describes 4 living quarters for the Priests Ezekiel 42:13 14 (NKJV) 13 Then he said to me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the separating courtyard, are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the LORD shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall lay the most holy offerings the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter them, they shall not go out of the holy chamber into the outer court; but there they shall leave their garments in which they minister, for they are

7 holy. They shall put on other garments; then they may approach that which is for the people. They will have special clothing to wear, they won t be able to wear their street clothes They will be required to wear clothing that is specially set aside for the purpose of ministering to the Lord That is what holy means it means something that is set aside for a special purpose As God s people we are holy we are set aside to be used by God only Our lives are not our own, we belong to another, we ve been bought with a price and so we are set aside to be used for God s glory (Vs ) God gives Ezekiel the size of the Temple Complex [SLIDE 6] It will be so big that it cannot be located in Jerusalem It dimensions are nearly 1 mile square Ezekiel 40:2 tells us that the Temple will be built on the southern slope of a very high mountain [SLIDE 7] Archaeologists believe it will be located in the West Bank in the Judean Desert Chapter 43 describes the return of the Glory of God Ezekiel 43:1 9 (NKJV) 43 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. 3 It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. 4 And the glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. 5 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 6 Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood beside me. 7 And He said to me, Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places. 8 When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they

8 defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger. 9 Now let them put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever. Earlier Ezekiel saw a vision of the glory of God departing from temple through the East Gate But here, the glory of God returns to the Temple the same way through the East Gate And we read that His voice is like the sound of many waters It s interesting that John described the voice of God the same way in Revelation 1 His voice was like the sound of many waters John is describing Jesus in His glory and here we see Ezekiel describing the glory of God Now, when Jesus ascended He said to His disciples I will return the same way that I left just like the glory of God When Jesus descends on the Mount of Olives, the same place He departed, when His foot touches the ground the Mount of Olives will split in two and it will bring about a great geological change in that area And God will establish His Kingdom in the midst of His people Ezekiel 43:10 12 (NKJV) 10 Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. 11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and perform them. 12 This is the law of the temple: The whole area surrounding the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple. Ezekiel is instructed by God to describe the temple that they may be ashamed of their iniquities Interesting, God doesn t say confront their sin that they may be ashamed But rather describe how the Spirit of God is dwelling in the midst of His people, describe how the whole area is holy unto the Lord, describe how the glory of God has filled the holy of holies

9 When we see that God is in our midst, that the glory of God is present amongst us, that we ve been set apart to glorify God The natural effect is to look at how shameful our actions are apart from God Condemnation never leads to repentance, but the Bible says it s His kindness that leads to repentance When I see His glory, the awesomeness and the realness of His Presence it informs and reforms how I see life (Vs ) Give us the dimensions of the altar (Vs ) The priests are instructed on how to consecrate the altar After the altar is consecrated we read Ezekiel 43:27 (NKJV) 27 When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will accept you, says the Lord GOD. Now the question arises, why would sin offerings be made during the Kingdom Age? We know the Old Testament Sacrifices pointed to the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ whereby Hebrews tells us that Christ suffered once for all That Jesus is the sin offering and the Old Testament sacrifices were just shadows, the reality is Christ Why would temple sacrifices be offered in the New Temple? I would like to suggest an answer Pastor Chuck writes Now, as we look at the Old Testament sacrifices that were made, we realize, number one, that they did not actually put away sins. The Lord said, "And when they make the sacrifice it shall be for a kofar," which Hebrew word is covering. And so the sins will be covered. It doesn't say they would be put away; they would be covered. Now in Hebrews we read that it is impossible that the blood of bulls or goats could put away sin. But all they could do was to speak of the better sacrifice which was to come, that is of Jesus. So the Old Testament sacrifices did not put away sin, but they testified of that sacrifice that would come by which sins would be put away once and for all. I believe that the only explanation that can be given for sacrifices here in the temple in the Kingdom Age is that these sacrifices

10 are memorial sacrifices looking back at what Christ has done. Even as the Old Testament sacrifices looked forward, did not put away sin, but gave anticipation for the sacrifice that would be offered, even now these are offered in memorial as we look back at that sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In the same way that we celebrate communion as a memorial of what Jesus has done for us on the cross I believe the sin offerings that are made in the Kingdom Age will be for the purpose of looking back to the cross and the sacrifice that was made by Jesus Christ So the sin offerings made in the Kingdom age are offered as a memorial I find it interesting that God will continue to deal with His people the same way He always has according to the Covenant He made with them As Gentile believers, God will continue to deal with us the same way He always has according to grace through faith.