When God’s glory fills the temple all other ministry ceases. God’s glory filled Solomon’s temple. The glory seen by Ezekiel will fill the earth, not just the temple. May Christ fill our hearts, minds and lives today.
Ezekiel 42: The Temple's Chambers
1 Then he led me out into the outer court, toward the north, and he brought me to the chambers that were opposite the separate yard and opposite the building on the north.
2 The length of the building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty cubits.
3 Facing the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court, and facing the pavement that belonged to the outer court, was gallery against gallery in three stories.
4 And before the chambers was a passage inward, ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long, and their doors were on the north.
5 Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building.
6 For they were in three stories, and they had no pillars like the pillars of the courts. Thus the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and the middle ones.
7 And there was a wall outside parallel to the chambers, toward the outer court, opposite the chambers, fifty cubits long.
8 For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those opposite the nave were a hundred cubits long.
9 Below these chambers was an entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court.
10 In the thickness of the wall of the court, on the south also, opposite the yard and opposite the building, there were chambers
11 with a passage in front of them. They were similar to the chambers on the north, of the same length and breadth, with the same exits and arrangements and doors,
12 as were the entrances of the chambers on the south. There was an entrance at the beginning of the passage, the passage before the corresponding wall on the east as one enters them.
13 Then he said to me, "The north chambers and the south chambers opposite the yard are the holy chambers, where the priests who approach the LORD shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall put the most holy offerings---the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering---for the place is holy.
14 When the priests enter the Holy Place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court without laying there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They shall put on other garments before they go near to that which is for the people."
15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the gate that faced east, and measured the temple area all around.
16 He measured the east side with the measuring reed, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around.
17 He measured the north side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around.
18 He measured the south side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed.
19 Then he turned to the west side and measured, 500 cubits by the measuring reed.
20 He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall around it, 500 cubits long and 500 cubits broad, to make a separation between the holy and the common.
Ezekiel 43: The Glory of the LORD Fills the Temple
1 Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east.
2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.
3 And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal. And I fell on my face.
4 As the glory of the LORD entered the temple by the gate facing 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 While the man was standing beside me, I heard one speaking to me out of the temple,
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 people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies of their kings at their high places,
8 by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them. They have defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger.
9 Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.
10 "As for you, son of man, describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan.
11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out.
12 This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of the mountain all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.
The Altar
13 "These are the measurements of the altar by cubits (the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth): its base shall be one cubit high and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar:
14 from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits, with a breadth of one cubit;
15 and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, four horns.
16 The altar hearth shall be square, twelve cubits long by twelve broad.
17 The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad, with a rim around it half a cubit broad, and its base one cubit all around. The steps of the altar shall face east."
18 And he said to me, "Son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and for throwing blood against it,
19 you shall give to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord GOD, a bull from the herd for a sin offering.
20 And you shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the ledge and upon the rim all around. Thus you shall purify the altar and make atonement for it.
21 You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place belonging to the temple, outside the sacred area.
22 And on the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering; and the altar shall be purified, as it was purified with the bull.
23 When you have finished purifying it, you shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish.
24 You shall present them before the LORD, and the priests shall sprinkle salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the LORD.
25 For seven days you shall provide daily a male goat for a sin offering; also, a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be provided.
26 Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, and so consecrate it.
27 And when they have completed these days, then from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, and I will accept you, declares the Lord GOD."
Things to think about…
1. Is this the Millennial temple or not? Remember Christ is at the head of the Millennial temple and He is the sacrifice that was paid, once for all sins. Does the Millennial temple need to have a place for the offerings and sacrifices, Ezek 42:13? Yet here they are. Could these be as a remembrance much the same way we celebrate the Lord’s Supper? We remember His sacrifice rather than make an offering for sacrifice. That being said this verse still presents some theological challenges, but my personal belief is that they are a reminder of the sacrifice of Christ for sin.
2. Maybe there is a case for putting on ministering robes by the pastor in church, Ezek 42:14. Clothing is certainly something the Lord is concerned with. It shows the inner state of the heart in many ways. We of course have the robes of righteousness in Christ, but if our clothes are a stumbling block to others, we should go and change.
3. The temple court is measured as 500 cubits square, Ezek 42:16-20, roughly 250 meters square. This is about the same size as Herod's temple which was destroyed in AD70. But as we shall learn this temple does not describe Herod’s temple – this one is much larger and indeed couldn’t fit on the current temple mount. There was certainly no holiness exhibited in Herod’s temple with Jesus referring to its hierarchy, the Pharisees, as hypocrites. What makes us holy or common? Jesus is our righteousness; He makes us holy. Do you think that unbelievers see Christianity as a set of rules to be followed rather than a Person who is to be followed? It’s up to us to change this perception as Christ’s Ambassadors.
4. The Lord’s glory fills the temple in Ezek 43:1-6. His guide is not the Lord because the Lord speaks to Him while his guide is beside Him. The glory of the Lord creates fear and reverence in Ezekiel. He knows that this is a holy place. This description is like what was experienced by Solomon at the dedication of the first temple, 2Chr 8. Where is the Lord’s presence and glory today? Is this part of your experience as you worship or hear the word of God? May our actions and demeanour reflect our status in Christ. Where 2 or 3 are gathered in His name, there He is.
5. In point 3 of Monday’s ‘points to consider’ we asked, who builds this temple, the Jews or the Lord? The answer is found in Ezek 43:10-12. The Jews, like Moses beforehand were called to build the temple and keep the law. How does this work in the NT era where Christ is the fulfilment of the law and true observance comes through Him and not the OT sacrifices? While I believe this to be the Millennial temple, Jews who acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah are the ones who will build the temple in perfect fulfimment of their identity with Him as their Messiah.
6. Note that the offerings that are given from Ezek 43:18-26 are for the atonement of the temple, vs 20, so it may be consecrated for the Lord’s service vs 26. Christ is the dweller in this temple and the bulls given in sacrifice are given as a sin offering. But how can this be when only Jesus Christ is the only suitable offering for sin. I believe these sacrifices point to His sacrifice on the cross and point to a new generation of people born on the earth who need the remembrance of the cross before them. In the same way Christ’s blood has cleansed us that we may be consecrated for His service to a lost world.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Title was “Dry bones and the one stick” – Reading Ezekiel 37.
1. The ‘dry bones’ passage is very interesting to study. Ezekiel says it refers to Israel being restored. They were restored back to the land after 70 years in captivity in Babylon, but why is this likely not what Ezekiel is speaking about..
2. When Israel went into exile the northern 10 tribes were already taken by the Assyrians 100 years before in 722BC. Babylon takes the 2 southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin in 586BC. Ezekiel speaks of one stick being joined, Joseph and Judah to make one stick. How has this happened, or is it still happening?
3. The Holy Spirit is needed to make someone alive in Christ, either Jew or Gentile. We can be alive like Ezekiel’s bones with flesh on them but still be without the Spirit. What is the role of the church in making this happen. A second question is what is the role of the Gentile church to make Israel embrace the Spirit and acknowledge Jesus (Yeshua) as Saviour?
4. Pray for each other and the outreach of the gospel.
Prayer Points
1. AGM – 6th Nov after the service – next Sunday.
2. Carols service 18th December – Family fun Day afternoon/evening 3pm-7pm.
3. Christmas Day Service 25th Dec – on a Sunday this year – service will start at 9:00am.
4. Pray for the leadership of our country.
5. Pray for the people of Iran and Ukraine.
6. The right choice for a full time Youth and Young Adults Pastor to start Jan 2023 and the finances to support them.
7. Health of Ross Goltz
8. More young families and youth into the church.
9. Ministry leaders within the church.
10. Our One for Israel ministry.
11. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
12. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise God for Graham’s faithful word on Sunday.
2. The faithful service of Ross Goltz for 9 years as CBC’s treasurer!
3. Worship on Sunday – thankyou Paul, Suzy, Zac. Bec on Words and Doug on sound. Thankyou. Suzy and Maddison in café. Thankyou for those who welcomed at the door.
4. All those who faithfully serve in ministries, Worship, Sound/Technical/Kids Church/ Cell Groups/Admin - Bulletins/Finances/Property/Welcoming/Spiritual Leadership/Cafe
5. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Members Meeting – AGM 6th November after the service.
2. Carols service – 18th Dec 3pm to 7pm.
3. Christmas Day service – 9am Dec 25th.
4. Remember to check your duty rosters.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
