Ezekiel 43:1–27 The Glory of the Lord Fills the Temple

[Study Aired January 13, 2025]

INTRODUCTION

Today’s study is about the Lord coming with His glory to fill His temple. As we already know, our bodies are the temple of the Lord and therefore today’s review shows us how the Lord comes to take residence in our hearts and minds.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

1Co 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

If we are to understand today’s study, then we need to know what the glory of the Lord means. The first time the glory of the Lord appeared in the Bible was in Exodus chapter 16, when the people of Israel thought that Moses and Aaron had brought them into the wilderness to kill them because of the lack of food and water. They forgot about the Lord’s mighty deliverance from their captivity in Egypt and therefore grumbled against Moses and Aaron who represent the Lord’s elect. It is against this background that the Lord appeared to the people of Israel in the cloud as follows:

Exo 16:10  And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
Exo 16:11  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

We know from the word of the Lord that the cloud represents the Lord’s elect.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

We can therefore say that the glory of the Lord appears in His elect.

Exo 40:34  Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Exo 24:16  And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

The fact that the cloud covered mount Sinai for six days is to show us that the cloud represent the Lord’s elect since the number six is the number of man. What we also need to understand is that anytime there is the glory of the Lord in the cloud, there is the speaking of the Lord. This glory of the Lord is therefore being able to hear the voice of the true shepherd or our Lord Jesus Christ from the midst of the fire.

Deu 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

From the midst of the fire signifies that seeing the glory of the Lord also means being judged. At the end of the day, this is what the glory of the Lord does to us, His elect:

1Sa 2:8  He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.

The glory of the Lord is therefore His works in us His elect, first, and later, in another age, the rest of all humanity.

Psa 104:31  The glory of the LORD shall endure forever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.

Isa 4:5  And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

Hab 2:14  For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

The works of the Lord is preparing His temple, which is our bodies for Him to dwell in. The study for today which deals with the glory of the Lord filling the temple is therefore about the works of the Lord in making His elect’s hearts and minds habitable for Him to dwell in.

In the Book of Isaiah, the Lord filling His temple is preparing the way of the Lord in the wilderness. It is also the same as making straight in the desert a highway for our God. The way in the wilderness and the highway in the desert are His judgement as He comes with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to us in our spiritual poverty (wilderness or desert). This way in the wilderness or a highway in the desert that the Lord prepares in our hearts and minds for Him to live in, is what the glory of the Lord is about. The glory is therefore His works of preparing us for a place to live in.

Isa 40:3  The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isa 40:4  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
Isa 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

2Th 2:14  Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today’s study is therefore about how the Lord comes to take residence in our hearts and minds. Specifically, it is about the glory of the Lord as He comes to fill His temple, the measurement of the altar and the offerings.

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

The Glory of the Lord Fills the Temple

Eze 43:1  Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: 
Eze 43:2  And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. 
Eze 43:3  And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. 
Eze 43:4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. 

Verses 1 and 2 show us that the glory of the Lord came from the way of the east. The east is where the sun rises in our lives. This implies the beginning of our walk with the Lord as the sun represents the Lord Jesus Christ. Our walk with the Lord starts with our lives in Babylon or the physical churches of this world before the Lord comes with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to drag us to Himself. It is instructive to note that the first time the word “east” is used in the Bible, it has to do with the river that flows east towards Assyria (Babylon) with the river becoming the Euphrates. The next use of the word “east” has to do with the judgement we must go through because of our sins in order to assess the tree of life which represents Christ.

Gen 2:14  And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

As indicated in the introduction portion of this study, the glory of the Lord is His work towards making us His habitation. It is while we are in Babylon that the Lord comes to us with His words and His judgement to cause the rising of the sun, or Christ, in our lives. The Lord’s coming with His brightness is His illumination of His words so that we can unmistakenly hear His voice as the noise of many waters. That is when our earthen vessels shines with His glory (verse 2).

In verse 3, we are reminded that the appearance of this vision is similar to the one Ezekiel had when the Lord came to destroy the city, when he had the vision by the river Chebar. This is to let us know that the vision of the glory of the Lord coming from the way of the east is for the Lord to destroy, in this case, our old man or flesh through His judgement. This destruction also includes the false doctrines, symbolized by the river Chebar, which we believed in when we were in Babylon.

Again, we are prompted to know in verse 4 that the glory of the Lord coming into the house is by way of the east. That is to say that the Lord’s work of coming to dwell in us entails the judgement of our flesh.

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

Eze 43:5  So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house. 
Eze 43:6  And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. 
Eze 43:7  And he said unto me, Son of man, 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, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places. 

The glory of the Lord filling the house in verse 5 is to show us the end result of the works of the Lord in our lives, which is, Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

When the temple was built by king Solomon and was dedicated, the temple was filled with a cloud as the glory of the Lord occupied the building. As a result, the priests could not minister.

1Ki 8:10  And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
1Ki 8:11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

As we have shown earlier, the glory of the Lord comes in a cloud. The cloud filling the temple is the glory of the Lord filling the temple. The fact that the priests could not minister when the Lord takes residence in our hearts and minds, means that we do no work. That is to say that we rest in Him, or cease from our own strivings, as the Lord does His works in us.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

The man standing beside Ezekiel while he hears someone speaking to Him from inside the temple in verse 6 is our Lord Jesus Christ. It is His voice that comes out of the temple to assure Ezekiel in verse 7 that it is within the temple, or our hearts and minds that His throne is, and the resting place for His feet. The Lord also assured Ezekiel that no longer will the people of Israel and their kings dishonor His holy name by acting like prostitutes, nor will they dishonor it with the dead bodies of their kings.  The people of Israel here represent the Lord’s elect. No longer acting like a harlot means that we shall not be under the sway of the harlot woman who signifies Babylon or the physical churches of this world. The Lord cleansing and establishing His throne in our hearts and minds is the same as we dwelling in the sacred place of the most high and abiding under the shadow of the Almighty.

Psa 91:1  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psa 91:2  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Psa 91:3  Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
Psa 91:4  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Psa 91:5  Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Psa 91:6  Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
Psa 91:7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

In verse 7, we are also told that when the Lord establishes His throne within the people of Israel, they shall not dishonor it with the dead bodies of their kings in their high places. The high places represent the place of worship of their gods. The kings here are the kings of the earth or the leaders of Babylon who had led us astray during our sojourn in Babylon with their false doctrines. When the Lord opens our eyes to see and ears to hear, we come to see these messengers as spiritually dead. Adhering to any doctrine of these false messengers means defiling our temple with the dead bodies or carcasses of these kings.

Rev 17:2  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her (the harlot) fornication.

Rev 16:14  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Eze 43:8  In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger. 
Eze 43:9  Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcasses of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them forever. 
Eze 43:10  Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. 

Putting their doorway by the Lord’s doorway and their doorpost by the Lord’s doorpost such that there is only a wall that separates the Lord from our brothers and sisters in Babylon in verse 8 means that the entry to serving the Lord is similar for Jerusalem which is above and that which is in bondage. The only difference between them is a wall. This wall or difference is that the worship of the Lord leads to bondage for those who serve under Jerusalem which is in bondage, while that of Jerusalem which is above leads to liberty in Christ.

Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Gal 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

As stated in verse 8, the worship which leads to bondage incurs the wrath of the Lord as He comes with His judgement to consume our flesh. We, His elect, start our walk with the Lord incurring the wrath of the Lord and therefore are judged, before we are given the liberty in Christ which serves as a wall separating us from our adulterous way of worship.

Here in verse 9, we are shown that the work of the Lord is to take away our whoredom far from Him and also put away the carcasses of our kings. As we have shown earlier, the carcasses of the kings represent the false doctrines propagated by the false messengers of Christ parading as angels of light. The putting away of these is the requirement for the indwelling of Christ in us.

In verse 10, the Lord told Ezekiel, a symbol of the elect to show the temple to the people of Israel for them to be ashamed of their iniquities. Showing the temple to the Lord’s elect means measuring the temple pattern. It is therefore imperative that we come to see the pattern that was shown Moses on the mount so that we can know how the Lord builds His temple within us.

Exo 25:9  According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

Exo 25:40  And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

Eze 43:11  And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. 
Eze 43:12 This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house. 

Verse 11 is saying that we have to be ashamed of what we have done in terms of our whorish behavior to our husband Christ before we are given to know how the Lord builds His temple within us. According to verse 11, coming to know how the Lord builds His temple within us entails understanding the design of the temple, its arrangements, its exits and entrances – its entire design. It also means knowing about all its rules and regulations. We come to know the rules and regulations of the temple through studying the word of the Lord.

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

In verse 12, we are told that the law of the house is that the whole area on the top of the mountain all around must be holy. This whole area on the top of the mountain all around refers to our hearts and minds which must be cleansed to become holy.

1Pe 1:14  As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
1Pe 1:15  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

The Altar of Sacrifice

Eze 43:13  And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar. 
Eze 43:14  And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower settle shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit. 
Eze 43:15  So the altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns. 
Eze 43:16  And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof. 
Eze 43:17  And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east. 

The altar is where our sacrifices are burnt. Spiritually, the altar represents our hearts and minds which are purified through the Lord’s judgement such that we can offer our bodies as living sacrifice to the Lord.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We are told that the measurements of the altar are in cubits and that the cubit used in the sanctuary is different from the normal cubit used for everyday measurements. The cubits in the sanctuary is the normal cubit plus a handbreadth. The handbreadth is approximately 4 inches. This is to show us that the standard applied by the Lord to His elect, who represent His temple are higher than the standard applied to Babylon and the world. The verses below show us that the Lord’s standards for us are far higher than that of the world including Babylon.

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

The base of the altar was a cubit and a cubit wide. All around the edge of the altar was a rim measuring about one span. The number one signifies unity. Thus, the Lord is enjoining all His elect, to have the mind of Christ.

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

The height of the altar is as follows: from the base on the ground to the lower ledge was two cubits high, and from the lower ledge to the upper ledge was four cubits high and a cubit wide.

The two cubits height from the base on the ground to the lower ledge signifies that the Lord is preparing us to serve as His witnesses.

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

The height from the lower ledge to the upper ledge being four cubits and one cubit in width means that it is the whole of the Lord’s elect (the significance of the number four) that the Lord is requiring us to have one mind and therefore serve as His witnesses.

The place where the sacrifices were to be burnt shall be four cubits and there were four horns above it. As indicated the four cubits show us that what is being discussed here pertains to the whole of the Lord’s elect. Horns signify strength as shown in the following verse:

1Sa 2:10  The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

The four horns therefore means that the whole of the strength of the Lord’s elect is in our oneness or unity. That is when we can serve as witnesses of Christ.

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

In verse 16, we are told that the altar hearth or fireplace shall be twelve cubits long by twelve cubits wide. This implies that it is a square. The number twelve is the number of Christ. The fireplace represents our judgement and therefore what we are being told is that the judgement of the Lord is to make us like Christ. The fact that the altar fireplace is a square is to let us know that no matter where we are coming from in terms of our background, we must all go through the Lord’s judgement to makes us like Christ. In verse 17, the upper ledge being a square affirms to us that we all go through the same experience to become like Christ.

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

The upper ledge was fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide. The number fourteen means spiritual progression. The judgement we face is all to help us progress spiritually. It is instructive to note that the steps to the altar faced east. This is to let us know that the rising of the sun or the Lord in our lives is through the Lord’s judgement.

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

The Offerings

Eze 43:18  And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon. 
Eze 43:19  And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord GOD, a young bullock for a sin offering. 
Eze 43:20  And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about: thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it. 
Eze 43:21 Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary.
Eze 43:22  And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock. 

These verses deal with the cleansing of the altar. As indicated earlier, the altar is our hearts and minds and so these verses show us what the Lord has done for the cleansing of our hearts and minds. In verse 18, we are informed that the altar is for the offering of burnt offerings and the sprinkling of blood. The burnt offerings signifies the destruction of the flesh through fire, and the sprinkling of blood is the blood of Christ which was shed for our sins. The priests from the seed of Zadok, which symbolize the Lord’s elect, are the only ones permitted to approach the Lord and minister to Him. The young bullock for our sin offering represents our Lord Jesus Christ who was offered for our sins. The bullock being young is in reference to our Lord Jesus Christ who was offered at a very young age for our sins.

Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Heb 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
Heb 10:6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
Heb 10:8  Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Heb 10:9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

2 Corinthians 5:21: For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

In Verse 20, Ezekiel was to take some of the bull’s blood, and put it on the altar’s four horns, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim all the way around the altar. This is to cleanse and purge the altar of sin. The spiritual reality of this verse is shown in the following:

Heb 9:21  Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

In other words, the purification of our hearts and minds is the heavenly things themselves in Hebrew 11:23 and it is there that the Lord is cleansing us with His blood.

The body of the bullock for the sin offering must be burnt outside the sanctuary. This shows us how our Lord died outside the gate of Jerusalem to sanctify us with His blood. As Christ is, so are we. We must also go forth outside the camp of Babylon to suffer or be judged for the destruction of our flesh, for the sake of Christ.

Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
Heb 13:11  For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.
Heb 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Heb 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

Verse 22 tells us of the sacrifice of a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering. Again, the kid of the goats without blemish is our Lord Jesus Christ whose blood cleanses our hearts and minds.

Eze 43:23  When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish. 
Eze 43:24  And thou shalt offer them before the LORD, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the LORD. 
Eze 43:25  Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish. 
Eze 43:26  Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves. 
Eze 43:27  And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord GOD. 

Verses 23 to 26 show us the repetitive nature of the sacrifice as part of the law of Moses. Seven days of these sacrifice means the complete period of our walk in the churches of this world or Babylon, when we were under the law of Moses.

Heb 9:25  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

The eighth day represents new beginnings where we had left behind the law of Moses and are now operating under the law of the spirit of life which sets us free from the law of sin and death (law of Moses). During this period as priests of the Lord, we are to make burnt offerings upon the altar and peace offerings. As stated earlier, the burnt offering results in the destruction of the flesh. However, the peace offering is the only offering in which all three parties partake of the offering; God gets His share, the priest gets his part, and the offerer gets his part to share with “anyone who is clean”. In verse 27, we are informed that it is through the burnt offerings and the peace offerings that we are accepted by the Lord. It is as our flesh proceeds to die through the judgement of the Lord (burnt offering) and we are partaking of the word of the Lord (peace offering) that we are accepted by the Lord.

We thank the Lord for His mercy towards us, to be accepted by the Lord in this age. Amen!!

Ezekiel 41:1–26 The Inner Temple

[Study Aired December 30, 2024]

INTRODUCTION

Today’s study continues with the vision of the temple and how we can access the temple and make our way to the inner court or temple to commune with the Lord. The past two studies focused mainly on the access to the outer court with glimpses of how we can enter the inner temple or court to worship the Lord. To the man who is not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, he only sees the measurement of the temple in cubits as he reads Ezekiel chapter 40. However, to us, His elect, the numbers of the measurement is what the Lord is spiritually revealing to us of how the Lord makes our temple, that is, our bodies, fit for Him to live in. It is therefore imperative that we understand the spiritual significance of numbers as we go through the study today.

To help our understanding of today’s study, we need to know that we start our walk with Christ still under the domain or influence of the devil. This is what the Lord means when he told those who believed in Him that their father is the devil.

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

When we are still controlled by the devil through our flesh, we can only have access to the outer court of the temple. That is why the passageway to the outer court has measurements of mainly six, ten, thirteen and sixty cubits, which all speak of our sins or rebellion which had reached the heavens. These measurements reveal that we naturally rebel against our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our husband, as we come to serve Him as men with all our frailties.

Gen 3:16  Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

It is instructive to note that the woman’s “desire” in Genesis 3:16 in Hebrew is “el” which means “against”. The “shall be” in italics is not in the original manuscript but was added to make the statement understandable. As indicated, initially our desire is against our husband Christ before the Lord comes to us with His judgement to make us willing to obey Him. What we have just said summarizes the study about the temple where we come to the outer court full of sin until the set time that Christ comes to help cleanse our temple where our old man or beast lives, claiming to be God in the sense that we think we make our own decisions. It is in the outer court that we have the multitude who are not given to know the mind of Christ. This multitude represents many people who think they are worshipping the Lord but have not yet been given to know the truth.

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

As stated in the previous study, the story of Zachariah shows us the clear distinction between the outer court worshippers and the inner court or temple worshippers who represent the Lord’s elect and are given to know Christ.

Luk 1:8  And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,
Luk 1:9  According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
Luk 1:10  And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
Luk 1:11  And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
Luk 1:12  And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

Today’s study shows us the way to the inner temple or court where we meet the Lord Jesus Christ. The measurements tell us what needs to be done to enter the inner court or temple to commune with the Lord.

The Measurement of the Passageway to the Inner Temple

Eze 41:1  Afterward he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle. 

We established in the previous studies that the man who was doing the measurements of the temple is our Lord Jesus Christ. He was the one who brought Ezekiel to the holy place in the temple. In the last study, we indicated that the ‘posts’ means ‘pillars’. This is because, according to Strong’s Dictionary, the post means ‘strong support of the covered walkway’. In Ezekiel 40:49, we are told that there were pillars by the posts on each side. This is to let us know that the posts are the pillars which supports the walkway. The pillars, or posts supporting the walkway, represent the Lord’s elect as shown in the following:

Gal 2:9  When they saw the grace which was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who had the name of being pillars, gave to me and Barnabas their right hands as friends so that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision;

Our walk with Christ is supported by what every joint supplies. Without this support, we cannot get to the holy of holies to commune with the Lord. The measurement of the posts were six cubits wide on one side and six cubits wide on another side. This is to highlight the fact that it is mere men that the Lord is raising up to commune with in the holy place. Those privileged to be in the holy place are the priests of the Lord and they represent the Lord’s elect.

Eze 41:2  And the breadth of the door was ten cubits; and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits: and the breadth, twenty cubits. 

The entrance to the holy place was ten cubits wide and the sidewalls of the entrance were five cubits on either side. The number ten signifies the fulness of the flesh and the number five means grace through faith. What this implies is that those who are privileged to enter the holy place of the temple are those whose recognize that they were the worse sinners but by the grace of the Lord through faith, they have been made the priests of God. This grace involves the chastening or the judgement of our old man or flesh to make us learn righteousness as we are given the faith to endure to the end.

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

The Lord measured the length of the holy place and it was forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. The number forty denotes trials in our lives as He gives us an evil experience to humble us. This evil experience is His judgement of our flesh to makes us learn obedience.

Gen 7:4  For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.  

Ecc 1:13  And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all which is done under the heavens. It is a sad task (evil experience) God has given to the sons of men to be humbled by it. (MKJV)

The breadth of the holy place was measured as twenty cubits. The number twenty signifies our readiness to go to war against our flesh. The length and breadth of the holy place is therefore teaching us that through the judgement of the Lord, we are made ready to go to war against our flesh.

Num 1:3  From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.

Num 1:20  And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

Eze 41:3  Then went he inward, and measured the post of the door, two cubits; and the door, six cubits; and the breadth of the door, seven cubits. 

As we have indicated, the post is the pillar and it refers to us, His elect. The measurement of two cubits implies our role as witnesses of Christ in this life. Remember that the number two means witness.

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

The entrance to the holy place was measured as six cubits in height and seven cubits wide. As we are aware, the number six is the number of man. It shows man as being incomplete as we were created on the sixth day. Being incomplete means we were marred in the hand of our Maker. The number seven signifies completeness. The fact that the width of the entrance was seven cubits suggests that it is as we enter the holy place to commune with the Lord that we are made complete. The ‘complete’ here means that we are being made into another vessel fit for the Lord’s purpose.

Jer 18:3  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Eze 41:4  So he measured the length thereof, twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and he said unto me, This is the most holy place. 

The room representing the most holy place had a length of twenty cubits and a breadth of twenty cubits. This implies that the room is a square. As indicated, the number twenty refers to those who are able to war against the flesh. They are the ones who have access to the most holy place. The fact that it is a square is to remind us that those who have access to the most holy place all have the same experience. That means we all started our walk with Christ with the devil as our father before Christ comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to makes us ready to war against our flesh. The spirit of His mouth refers to the fire of His words which is the judgement of the Lord, and His brightness is His illumination of His words so that we can understand the mysteries of the kingdom.

Num 1:3  From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.

Num 1:20  And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Eze 41:5  After he measured the wall of the house, six cubits; and the breadth of every side chamber, four cubits, round about the house on every side. 

The wall surrounding the room of the most holy place has six cubits in length and a width of four cubits. The number six refers to man as an incomplete being and the number four means the whole of the matter under discussion. In this case, we are talking about the fact that the whole of the Lord’s elect who have access to the most holy place are all men and women with all kinds of weaknesses. However through the Lord’s judgement of our old man or flesh, we are empowered to war against our flesh to become obedient to Christ. The significance of all this is that the Lord’s elect are those who are waging war against our bodies which represent the temple of the Lord, to bring them under subjection so that Christ will take residence in our hearts and mind.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Eze 41:6  And the side chambers were three, one over another, and thirty in order; and they entered into the wall which was of the house for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold, but they had not hold in the wall of the house. 
Eze 41:7  And there was an enlarging, and a winding about still upward to the side chambers: for the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house was still upward, and so increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst.

A simpler rendition of these verses are as follows:

Eze 41:6  The rooms were arranged on three different stories. There were 30 rooms on each story. These rooms had supports all the way around the temple wall, but these supports were not fastened to the temple wall.
Eze 41:7  The side rooms grew wider all the way around as they went up, story after story. The surrounding structure went from story to story all around the temple. The structure grew wider as it went higher. A stairway went from the first story through the second story to the third story.  (GW)

The rooms or chambers represent us, His elect. This is because the Lord has told us that in His Father’s house are many mansions, signifying the Lord’s elect.

Joh 14:2  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

The fact that the rooms are arranged in three stories or levels is to show us that we grow in spiritual maturity through the Lord’s judgement. We are also told in verse 6 that there were 30 rooms on each floor. The number thirty signifies those who have started to rule over their flesh. Later, in another age, we shall rule the kingdoms of this world.

Gen 41:46  And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

2Sa 5:4  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

Rev 11:15   And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

The three floors with thirty rooms on each level is therefore to make us aware that it is only the Lord’s elect who constitute the temple of the Lord and that as we are being judged, we grow in spiritual maturity from one level to another, and that we are perfected on the third day, or floor. Verse 6 also indicates that we are supported all the way in the building of our temple by the Lord. However, the fact that we are not fastened to the temple wall is to let us know that our support is through Christ alone.

The fact that the side rooms grow wider as they went up from story to story in verse 7 is to remind us of the growth in spiritual maturity as we progress from one level or floor to another. There is a stairway that went from the lowest floor through the middle floor to the third floor. This stairway is Christ and is the same as the ladder that Jacob saw in a dream when he ran away from his brother Esau.

Gen 28:12  And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

Eze 41:8  I saw also the height of the house round about: the foundations of the side chambers were a full reed of six great cubits.
Eze 41:9  The thickness of the wall, which was for the side chamber without, was five cubits: and that which was left was the place of the side chambers that were within.
Eze 41:10  And between the chambers was the wideness of twenty cubits round about the house on every side.
Eze 41:11  And the doors of the side chambers were toward the place that was left, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south: and the breadth of the place that was left was five cubits round about.

In verse 8, there was a raised base all around the temple and this base was the foundation for the side rooms. The length of this foundation was a full reed of six cubits. The number six is the number of man and in this case it is the Lord Jesus, who in His life here on earth as man, laid the foundation for the building of our temple and is the one measuring our temple.

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

The outer wall of the side rooms was five cubits in thickness. This means that it is by grace through faith that we become the temple of the Lord. There was an open space between the side rooms connected to the temple and the other rooms. This open space is about twenty cubits in width. As indicated, the number twenty shows us that it is those who are ready to war against the flesh who serve as a conduit to the making of our hearts and minds as temple of the Lord.

In verse 11, we are told that the doors of the side chambers opened on the free space, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south. The width of this free space was five cubits all around. This free space represent our liberty in Christ. Thus, it is by grace through faith that we have this glorious liberty as the children of God.

Gal 5:1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Gal 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Eze 41:12  Now the building that was before the separate place at the end toward the west was seventy cubits broad; and the wall of the building was five cubits thick round about, and the length thereof ninety cubits. 
Eze 41:13  So he measured the house, an hundred cubits long; and the separate place, and the building, with the walls thereof, an hundred cubits long; 
Eze 41:14  Also the breadth of the face of the house, and of the separate place toward the east, an hundred cubits. 
Eze 41:15  And he measured the length of the building over against the separate place which was behind it, and the galleries thereof on the one side and on the other side, an hundred cubits, with the inner temple, and the porches of the court; 

At the far end of the open area, on the west side of the temple, was a building seventy cubits wide. The number seventy (70=7×10) shows the completeness of the fulness of the flesh. The wall of this building has five cubits in thickness with the length being ninety cubits. As explained earlier, five cubits means that it is grace through faith. The number ninety (90=9×10) is the number of the Lord’s judgement as our sins have reached its fulness. All that these measurements mean is that becoming the dwelling place of the Lord or our father’s mansion involves coming to the place where we realized that we are the worse sinners as our sins had become complete or reached its fulness and that this calls for us to be judged by the Lord. This judgement is the grace that we receive through faith.

In verse 13, our Lord Jesus measured the temple to be a hundred cubits long; and the yard and the building with its walls, a hundred cubits long. Verse 14 tells us that the eastern side of the temple, including the open area, was also a hundred cubits in width. Again, the Lord also measured the length of the building facing the courtyard on the west side along with its corridors on both sides as indicated in verse 15, and had the same measurement of hundred cubits.

The fact that all these measurements were 100 (100 = 10×10) cubits is affirming that it is those whose sins have reached the heavens and are privileged to obtain the mercy of the Lord, who are the candidates for the building of the temple within them. In verses 13 and 14, the hundred cubits in both length and width means that the temple was a square. That indicates that whatever our background is, we all share the same experience in our relationship with Christ in the building of the temple within us.

Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

The Images of Cherubims and Palm Trees

Eze 41:16  The door posts, and the narrow windows, and the galleries round about on their three stories, over against the door, cieled with wood round about, and from the ground up to the windows, and the windows were covered;
Eze 41:17  To that above the door, even unto the inner house, and without, and by all the wall round about within and without, by measure. 
Eze 41:18  And it was made with cherubims and palm trees, so that a palm tree was between a cherub and a cherub; and every cherub had two faces; 
Eze 41:19  So that the face of a man was toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side: it was made through all the house round about. 
Eze 41:20  From the ground unto above the door were cherubims and palm trees made, and on the wall of the temple. 

Verse 16 shows us that the doorposts, the small windows and the corridors of all three stories were paneled with wood. The walls, from the floor up to the windows, were also paneled with wood. The wood being used for paneling in the temple implies that we must all go through the judgement of the Lord to bring out the beauty of the Lord in us as He comes to reside in our temple or hearts and minds.

Psa 83:14  As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

Pro 26:20  Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

In verse 17 to 20, we see that in the space above the door to the most holy place and on the walls all around it, there were pictures of cherubims and palm trees. Palm trees were positioned between each of the cherubims, and each cherubim had two faces: the face of a man, which was turned toward a palm tree on one side, and the face of a lion, which was turned toward a palm tree on the other side. These images were carved all around the temple. Images of cherubims and palm trees were also carved on the walls from the floor to the space above the door. Both the cherubims and the palm trees represent the Lord’s elect. This is to show us that it is the Lord’s elect who are privileged in this age to become the temple of the Lord.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

The fact that each cherubim had two faces means that we serve as the Lord’s witnesses. This also implies that we are the two witnesses in Revelation 11, whom the Lord has given us power to speak His words. Being clothed in sackcloth signifies that we are mourning as we go through the Lord’s judgement.

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

It is also significant to note that here in verse 19, we see the cherubims having the face of a man and that of a lion. In the beginning of the Book of Ezekiel, we also observe that each of the cherubims or the four living creatures which represent the whole of the Lord’s elect, had four faces, of a lion, ox, man and an eagle.

Eze 1:10  As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

Later in the Book of Revelation, each of the four living creatures has a specific face of either a lion, calf, man, or an eagle.

Rev 4:7  And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

What we need to note is that Ezekiel was shown these cherubims to know the end result of the Lord’s judgement of our old man. In other words, the result of the Lord’s judgement is for us, His elect, to become like Christ. The four faces of the cherubims show us who the Lord was when He was here on earth and is now working in us to become like Him. In the spirit, it does not matter whether each of the cherubims had four faces or one, as we must all bear the four faces of Christ in the final analysis.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

The number four means the whole of the matter under discussion and therefore the four faces show us the whole of Christ while He was here on earth. However, the fact that we are shown only two faces of Christ here in Ezekiel 41:19 is to emphasize our role as witnesses of Christ in the building of the Lord’s temple within us. The face of a lion shows us the Lord as the lion of the tribe of Judah. The Gospel of Matthew describes the Lord as a lion of the tribe of Judah. Like a lion, the Lord did not turn back from all the trials and tribulations that He encountered in this life. He will not rest until He makes our enemies (our flesh) a footstool, that is, defeat our enemies. What He starts, He is able to bring to completion!!

Rev 5:5  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Pro 30:30  the lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any;

The Gospel according to Luke shows us Jesus as a man. That is why at the beginning of the Book of Luke, Luke traced the genealogy of Christ to Adam, the son of God. The Lord Jesus was a man in every way. That is why He represents us as our High Priest since He went through all that we are going through. As a result, we are able to come boldly before Him to receive mercy and grace at our point of need.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

The Holy and the Most Holy Place

Eze 41:21  The posts of the temple were squared, and the face of the sanctuary; the appearance of the one as the appearance of the other. 
Eze 41:22  The altar of wood was three cubits high, and the length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood: and he said unto me, This is the table that is before the LORD. 

As stated earlier, the square nature of the doorposts of the temple signifies that we all have the same experience as the Lord prepares our bodies or temple for His habitation. In front of the holy place was something resembling an altar of wood, having three cubits high and two cubits in length. This altar of wood represents our hearts and minds. As indicated earlier, the altar being made of wood implies that we must all go through the judgement of the Lord to bring out the beauty of the Lord in us as He comes to reside in our temple or hearts and minds. We are also the table before the Lord.

Psa 83:14  As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

Pro 26:20  Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

Eze 41:23  And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. 
Eze 41:24  And the doors had two leaves apiece, two turning leaves; two leaves for the one door, and two leaves for the other door. 
Eze 41:25  And there were made on them, on the doors of the temple, cherubims and palm trees, like as were made upon the walls; and there were thick planks upon the face of the porch without. 
Eze 41:26  And there were narrow windows and palm trees on the one side and on the other side, on the sides of the porch, and upon the side chambers of the house, and thick planks.

The holy place and the most holy place had two doors and each of the doors were double doors that swung open. Again, here we are being reminded that our entry into the presence of the Lord to commune with Him is for the purpose of making us His witnesses.

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Images of cherubims and palm trees were carved on the doors of the holy place as well as on the walls. There was a wooden roof hanging over the outer entrance hall. There were small windows and palm trees on both sides of the entrance hall, on the side rooms of the temple, and on the roofs. The cherubims and the palm trees being carved on the doors of the holy place is to signify that it is through the Lord’s elect that we have access to Christ as we are all building our temple upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus as the chief corner stone. Later, in an age to come, we shall also be the gateway for all humanity to be in the presence of the Lord.

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

May the Lord’s name be praised for counting us worthy of being a habitation of God through His Spirit. Amen!!

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – Part 111

The Golden Calf

February 22, 2017

The golden calf is a fairly common and talked about story for many reasons, but some of the more common ones include how the children of Israel turned their back on the Lord so shortly after being freed from Egypt and also how they took what the Lord has given them and then worshipped those things.

While these points are important and accurate and will be discussed within this study, there are additional tidbits of godly wisdom hidden with the overall story of who we are in Christ today.

Our verses for today are found in Exodus 32:1-4 and are the next time we see hands mentioned since our last study’s group of verses.

Exo 32:1  And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
Exo 32:2  And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
Exo 32:3  And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
Exo 32:4  And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

When reading only these verses it is easy to hit our heads and think to ourselves, “what were they thinking!?” However, had we been there in their situation, we would have done the same thing. In truth, we do have this mindset on a regular basis, but it may not be readily apparent what spirit we have that is causing us to think this way.

As we look at these verses, there are some very interesting points which add a lot of detail to what it is we just read.

Remember, it is the Lord’s work, by His Hand alone, that the Israelites are in this situation to begin with.

Exodus 14:31  And Israel saw that great work^H3027 which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

The very first verse of this chapter points us to why the Israelites went astray in their thinking.

Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls.

“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount”, is nothing more than an admission and judgment on themselves out of their own mouths. It is not Moses who delays at all, but it the same voice that shook the mountain and thundered from the top that has Moses where he is.

In other words, they blamed Moses for what the Lord was doing through Moses and how it affected them.

“Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.”

Instead of waiting on the Lord who had done the “first works” by bringing them out of Egypt, they decided to petition the high priest to create a god that did the EXACT THING the One True God had already been doing for them. They didn’t want something different. They wanted it FASTER according to this verse.

“Make us gods which shall go before us” and make it happen right now!

So, what does Aaron do? What does their minister do? He listens to them, and in listening to them he “one ups” them.

Exo 32:2  And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
Exo 32:3  And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

Isn’t it interesting that Aaron tells them to “break off” their golden earrings and the scriptures are recorded to make sure anyone reading this knows emphatically that the gold comes from their ears?

What then is the significance of breaking this gold from their ears? First, let us look at how “break” is used in other parts of scripture.

Exo 32:2  And Aaron^H175 said^H559 unto^H413 them, Break off^H6561 the golden^H2091 earrings,^H5141 which^H834 are in the ears^H241 of your wives,^H802 of your sons,^H1121 and of your daughters,^H1323 and bring^H935 them unto^H413 me.

H6561
pâraq
Total KJV Occurrences: 10
break, 3
Gen_27:40, Exo_32:2, Exo_32:24
brake, 1
Exo_32:3
broken, 1
Eze_19:12
deliver, 1
Lam_5:8
redeemed, 1
Psa_136:24
rending, 1
Psa_7:2
rent, 1
1Ki_19:11
tear, 1
Zec_11:16

Here are a few of the verses listed above:

Gen 27:40  And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

Eze 19:12  But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.

Lam 5:7  Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.
Lam 5:8  Servants have ruled over us: there is none that doth deliver us out of their hand.

Psa 136:24  And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.

What is the significance of this action of removing the gold the Lord had given them from their ears spiritually speaking? Remember, the Lord took the riches of Egypt and gave it to the Israelites when they left Egypt, and it was during the SMITING of Egypt that this happened.

Exo 3:20  And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.
Exo 3:21  And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:
Exo 3:22  But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

Exo 11:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.
Exo 11:2  Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.

The Lord causes the Egyptians to give their gold to the Israelites because the Israelites asked to borrow the gold, and now they “break” it out of their ears to create their own gods?

This next set of verses may shed some Light on what is being told to us.

Exo 21:1  Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
Exo 21:2  If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
Exo 21:3  If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.
Exo 21:4  If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.
Exo 21:5  And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
Exo 21:6  Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

The earrings of gold which the Israelites used for the golden calf are a type of the love the Israelites had for the Lord and His miraculous deliverance of them out of Egypt.

By breaking them and giving them to Aaron to create other gods to follow, we can see that the Israelites has turned their hearts and minds away from the Lord BUT STILL WANTED the things He alone provided for them from these gods they wanted created for them.

Does this at all sound familiar to your walk with the Lord?

We all create false gods and a false god, another Jesus, in our hearts and minds, sometimes not even known to us, which causes us to claim the name of the Lord but not actually have Him as our Husband.

We are drawn to the Lord with a deadly wound in our lives only to be healed of it, but how quickly we forget the deadly wound we had!

What makes this process so deceiving is that your ministers let you do it, did not protect the flock and even encourage and preach idol worship! This is what Aaron says about and to “the sheep bleating in his ears”.

1Sa 15:13  And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
1Sa 15:14  And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

Here is Aaron’s response to the bleating of the Israelites by Moses delaying coming down from the mount:

Exo 32:3  And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
Exo 32:4  And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Aaron not only forms the molten calf with a graving tool, the people then give all the credit of their deliverance to this golden calf!

What was Aaron’s response? Why, it was to double down!

Exo 32:5  And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.
Exo 32:6  And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

Aaron actually goes on to make an altar for this golden calf and then have the audacity to say, “tomorrow is a feast TO THE LORD”! Wow!

As I think on this, I recall to myself my own mindset throughout my walk with Christ, and I can remember far worse offenses to the Lord that mimic this same exact thought process.

“I will dedicate this to the Lord,” whatever “this” might happen to be at the time “because the Lord will be pleased with it”.

“I’ll kill for God and country.”

“My sins are forgiven, therefore the Lord doesn’t care that I just sinned”.

“If you do this for me Lord, then I will do this for you”.

“It’s only a minor sin”.

“I know you have far greater evils to deal with then what I just did”.

“The Lord and I have an understanding, so He knows why I am the way I am and will not old me accountable for being me”.

On and on it goes, and I am guilty of them all and far more than these. Some of them I can’t even claim to have done in ignorance but fully knowing what I was doing without being ashamed at the time. Chief of sinners I am indeed.

What is important about Aaron’s response is that we all realize that the Lord also caused Aaron to take up the mindset he had that led him to think it was okay to do what he did. He not only listened to the flock when he should have been the one leading the flock during this time, but he then claimed to be dedicating to the Lord this feast they would have.

How then can we avoid falling in this pitfall again?

If we recall what it is that caused us to be brought before the judges to dedicate ourselves to our master, then we will be on the right track once we define things properly.

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

2Jn 1:6  And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

Exo 21:5  And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
Exo 21:6  Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

It is the Love of the Lord that causes us to remember WHY it is we love Him.

If Love is to keep His commandments, what causes us to WANT to keep His commandments? I love how 2 John 1:6 defines keeping His commandments. We WALK AFTER His commandments.

We walk according to His commandments which is what walk “after” means according to the majority of the time “after” is translated.

What could be one heck of a strong reason to love the master who owns you as a slave so much so that you will have your freedom in 7 years, but you REFUSE that freedom? That is one heck of a love!

Could it be that your family is there, and you don’t want to leave them? Why, yes, of course, but not only that. Could it be that your master was so good to you as a slave that he ALLOWED you to have that family, while a slave, in the first place? That probably has a lot to do with it. Taking care of you and your family while under his rulership is not a light matter at all.

For us, we know we are prisoners of Christ and servants to His headship over us, but we also are WILLING SLAVES and servants. Sure, we could seek freedom to DIE outside of His love, but what benefit would that bring?

Sure a servant can be freed from his master in 7 years, but what is freedom if your family is still enslaved?

Phm 1:9  Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

Gal 1:10  For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

We are in good company when we consider other servants to Christ:

Col 4:12  Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

Tit 1:1  Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

Phm 1:25  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Written from Rome to Philemon, by Onesimus a servant.

Jas 1:1  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

2Pe 1:1  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

Jud 1:1  Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

Being servants, we also have a higher calling, which makes perfect sense to those who are in the know of what our purpose is and HOW IT IS that we “keep His commandments”.

Gal 4:5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Gal 4:6  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Gal 4:7  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Being a son NOW, allows us to become the ultimate servants of Christ to the Christ, His body, His church and His bride.

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

Rev 12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 14:13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

We rest from our labors, but OUR WORKS, given VIA THE HANDS OF THE LORD, are what cause us to remember why it is we Love the Lord, because our remembrance of these things causes us to want to share it with the rest of the body of Christ.

We love the brethren, the church, by KEEPING THE FAITH that these things are true.

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1Jn 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Instead of building a golden calf with the gold from our ears, let us continue to show our Love for the Lord by wearing our spiritual golden earrings for all to see.