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865. Bible Study: Ezekiel 40 (The Third Temple) · Faith by annm2705

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Chapter 40 from the book of Ezekiel this one with will not
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have a lot of my commentary in it but the I will read from the
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study Bible because I think the scripture kind of explains
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itself. So let's get started.
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Dear Lord please be with us and open our eyes and ears to hear
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what you have to say through Ezekiel about the the new
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temple. We ask this in Jesus name.
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So this is talking about the temple area restored in the 25th
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year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the
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10th of the month, in the 14th year after the fall of the city.
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On that very day the hand of the Lord was on me, and he took me
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there in visions of God. He took me to the land of Israel
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and set me on a very high mountain on whose South side
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were some buildings that look like a city.
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He took me there and I saw a man whose appearance was like
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bronze. He was standing in the gateway
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with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.
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The man said to me, Son of man, look carefully and listen
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closely and pay attention to everything I'm going to show you
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for that is why you have been brought here.
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So when Ezekiel gets this vision, he is told during this
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vision, pay attention to all of this.
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And there's good reason for that because if you don't know this
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already, there is a group, an organization over in Israel
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called the Temple Institute. They actually have blueprints
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for this temple and they actually have the articles that
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will go inside the temple. They've been accumulating these
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for I don't know how many years now.
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So everything is ready to go for this third temple to someday be
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built. The architectural plans and
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everything. And when I first read this and
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was trying to understand I, you know, because this was, oh gosh,
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what 570 something BC. And so I was wondering, OK, is
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this vision about the second temple and or is it, you know,
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it wasn't or is the first temple?
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I was, I was just like trying to figure out what Ezekiel was
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talking about. And so I compared the sizes and
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the measurements and the information that are given in
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the Bible about the different temples.
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Because there was a first temple and a second temple.
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And this is describing 1/3 temple and its size does not
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match up with the first or the second temple.
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So this is 1/3 temple. So when people say there's not
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going to be a third temple or we don't need it, whether or not we
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think we need it, God has planned for it and God's word
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will remain. There will be a third temple.
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When that happens, we don't know.
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We'll have to wait and see. But that's the significance of
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this, like I guess because God gave Ezekiel such detailed
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measurements of everything that so that it could be built and
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every single word that God has given will happen.
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So this chapter begins the third temple.
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OK, in visions, God, in visions of God, He took me to the land
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of Israel and set me on a very high mountain on whose South
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side were some buildings that looked like a city.
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He took me there and I saw a man whose appearance was like
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bronze. He was standing in the gateway
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with a linen cord and measuring and a measuring rod in his hand.
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The man said to me, Son, a man, look carefully and listen
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closely and pay attention to everything I'm going to show
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you, for that is why you have been brought here.
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Tell the people of Israel everything you see.
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The Eastgate to the outer court. I saw a wall completely
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surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring rod
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in the man's hand was 6 cubits long, each of which was a cubit
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and a hand. Breadth he measured the wall it
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was 1 measuring rod thick and one rod high.
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Now before I get into the detail, I'm reading from an NIV
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translation and in Amir's book Exploring Ezekiel he gives a
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great solution for this. I have a study Bible which does
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translate these measurements for me so I can see what they are in
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terminology that I understand. Like feet.
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You know, how many feet is all of this, But if you want to not
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have to go back and forth and figure out, well, what does this
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mean? What does a cubit mean?
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And it does get confusing. If you like Amir suggested, go
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to the NLT, the new living translation of the Bible.
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A lot of people don't like that. But here's the good thing about
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it is that it gives you those translations in readable format.
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So you can read through the new Living Translation and see what
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these measurements are that are familiar to us, and then you can
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get an idea or an understanding of the grandeur of this huge
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temple that Ezekiel seeing. But I'm just going to forsake of
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time. Read through what it says here
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in the NIV. And then I think I'll read
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Amir's from Amir's book because he has a lot of good commentary
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about that and also the Study Bible.
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So let's keep going. Then he went to the Eastgate.
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He climbed its steps and measured the threshold of the
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gate. It was 1 rod deep.
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The alcoves for the guards were one rod long and one rod wide,
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and the projecting walls between the alcoves were five cubits
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thick. And the threshold of the gate
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next to the portico facing the temple was one rod deep.
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Then he measured the portico of the gateway.
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It was 8 cubits deep and its jams were two cubits thick.
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The portico of the gateway faced the temple.
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Inside the Eastgate. There were three alcoves on each
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side. The three had the same
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measurements, and the faces of the projecting walls on each
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side had the same measurements. Then he measured the width of
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the entrance of the gateway. It was 10 cubits and the length
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was 13 cubits. In front of each alcove was a
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wall one cubit high, and the alcoves were six cubits square.
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So now God going through or this vision giving all of these
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dimensions, why do you think he did it?
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He did it so that that people, I mean, it seems obvious to me
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that he did this so people could actually create blueprints and
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actually build this like have the information which the Temple
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Institute has done. OK.
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Then he measured the gateway from the tops of the rear wall
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of one alcove to the top of the opposite one.
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The distance was 25 cubits from one parapet opening to the
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opposite 1. He measured along the faces of
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the projecting walls all around the inside of the gateway. 60
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cubits. The measurement was up to the
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portico facing the courtyard. The distance from the entrance
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of the gateway to the far end of its portico was 50 cubits.
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The alcoves and the projecting walls inside the gateway were
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surmounted by narrow parapet openings all around, as was the
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portico. The openings all around faced
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inward. The faces of the projecting
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walls were decorated with palm trees.
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The outer court. Then he took me into the outer
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court. There I saw some rooms and
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pavement that had been constructed all around the
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court. There were 30 rooms along the
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pavement. It abutted the sides of the
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gateways and was as wide as they were long.
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This was the lower pavement. Then he measured the distance
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from the inside of the lower gateway to the outside of the
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inner inner court. It was 100 cubits on the east
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side as well as on the north, the Northgate.
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Then he measured the length and width of the Northgate leading
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into the outer leading into the outer court.
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It's alcoves 3 on each side, it's projecting walls and it's
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portico had the same measurements as those of the
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first gateway. It was 50 cubits long and 25
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cubits wide. Its openings as portico and it's
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palm tree decorations had the same measurements as those of
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the gate facing east. 7 steps led up to it with its portico
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opposite them. There was a gate to the inner
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court facing the Northgate, just as there was on the east.
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He measured from one gate to the opposite gate.
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It was 100 cubits, the South gate.
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Then he led me to the South side and I saw the South gate.
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He measured its jams and his portico and they had the same
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measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had
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narrow openings all around it like the openings of the others.
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It was 50 cubits long and 25 cubits wide. 7 steps LED up to
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it with a portico opposite them. It had palm tree decorations on
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the faces of the projecting walls on each side.
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The inner court also had a gate facing South and he measured
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from this gate to the outer gate on the South side.
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It was 100 cubits, the gates to the inner court.
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Then he brought me into the inner court through the South
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gate and he measured the South gate.
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It had the same measurement as the others, it's alcoves, it's
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projecting walls, it's portico had the same measurements as the
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others. The gateway and it's portico had
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openings all around. It was 50 cubits long and 25
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cubits wide. The porticoes of the gateways
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around the inner court were 25 cubits wide and five cubits
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deep. It's portico faced the outer
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court. Palm trees decorated jams and
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eight steps LED up to it. Then he brought me to the inner
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court on the east side and he measured the gateway.
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It had the same measurements as the others.
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It's alcoves, it's projecting walls and it's portico had the
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same measurements as the others. The gateway and it's portico had
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openings all around. It was 50 cubits long and 25
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cubits wide. It's portico faced the outer
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court. Palm trees decorated the jams on
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either sides and eight steps LED up to it.
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Then he brought me to the Northgate and measured it.
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It had the same measurements as the others, as did its alcoves,
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it's projecting walls and it's portico.
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And it had openings all around. It was 50 cubits long and 25
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cubits wide. It's portico face the outer
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court. Palm trees decorated the jams on
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either side and eight steps LED up to it the rooms for preparing
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sacrifices. Yes, there will be sacrifices
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and we don't really know why, but God has a plan for this.
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So verse 38, A room with a doorway was by the portico in
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each of the inner gateways where the burnt offerings were washed.
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In the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side on
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which the burnt offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings
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were slaughtered. By the outside wall of the
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portico of the gateway, near the steps at the entrance of the
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north gateway were two tables, and on the other side of the
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steps were two tables. So there were 4 tables on one
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side of the gateway and 4:00 on the other, 8 tables in all, on
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which the sacrifices were slaughtered.
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There were also 4 tables of dressed stone for the burnt
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offerings, each a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half
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wide and a cubit high. On them were placed the utensils
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for slaughtering the burnt offerings and the other
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sacrifices and double pronged hooks, each a hand breath long,
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were attached to the wall. All around the tables were for
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the flesh of the offerings, the rooms for the priest outside the
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inner gate. Within the inner court were two
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rooms, one at the Northgate and facing South and another at the
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at the side of the South gate and facing north.
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He said to me, the room facing S is for the priest who guard the
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temple, and the room facing north is for the priest who
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guard the altar. These are the sons of Zadok who
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were the only Levites who may draw near to the Lord to
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minister before him. That's important.
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So the Levites were the only ones who were permitted to carry
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the Ark of the Covenant. And this is saying these are the
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sons of Zadok. Zadok was a priest who are the
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only Levites who may draw near to the Lord to minister before
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him. Now God makes the rules.
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I don't, you know, know why, but maybe if we study this more, if
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I knew more, I could explain that, but right now I can't.
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Then he measured the court. It was square, 100 cubits long
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and 100 cubits wide and the altar was in front of the
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temple. The new temple.
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He brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the jams
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of the portico. There were five cubits wide on
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either side. The width of the entrance was 14
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cubits and it's projecting walls were There were three cubits
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wide on either side. The portico was 20 cubits wide
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and 12 cubits from front to back.
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It was reached by a flight of stairs, and there were pillars
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on each side of the jams. So that's the end of chapter 40.
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So I'm going to stop there and just read through the questions
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and answers of the Study Bible, and then we'll read a little bit
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of Amir's book too. So why is the city nameless?
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We can't be sure. Some suggest no name was
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necessary because the description left no doubt that
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the city was Jerusalem. Others think it may be simply a
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matter of style, perhaps implying that mentioning the
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name of Jerusalem would only add to the despair of the Exiles.
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This is in the first. I don't know why it says I'll
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read that again. Just so it's clear what this
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question is saying. In the 25th year of our exile,
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at the beginning of the year, on the 10th of the month, in the
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14th year after the fall of the city, and on the very day the
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hand of the Lord was on me and took me there.
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Yeah. I when it says the city, yeah.
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I think everybody would probably know the fall of the city they
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just got. They were just exiled from
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Jerusalem. So if it was talking about the
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fall of the city, I think that's there wouldn't be really any
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question about where it was. So anyway, who was this man
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whose appearance was like bronze?
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Some think this man was an Angel similar to the one who
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interpreted Zechariah's visions in Zechariah chapter 1 and 2,
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and the one who interpreted the Apostle John's vision in
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Revelation 17. Others think it's better to see
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him as the Angel of the Lord, since later he is called the
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Lord in Ezekiel 40 chapter 44. The Angel of the Lord appears
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throughout the Old Testament and is sometimes called the Lord
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himself in Genesis 16 verses 7 through 13.
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So why measure a vision? Even though this was a vision,
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The details of the temple are significant.
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Visions do seem otherworldly, but it is good to remember that
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most visions within prophetic literature have to do with very
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earthly and material things or people.
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Why provide such detail about the various parts of the temple?
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Some say that Ezekiel was recalling the details of the
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temple he had known before being taken to captive to Babylon.
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Others say he had a vivid picture of the temple that was
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to be rebuilt once the Exiles returned to Jerusalem.
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Either way, the precise measurements and concrete
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details served to under score that Ezekiel's vision was
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something real. This was not abstract concept.
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His prophecy, whether literal or figuratively or figurative would
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be fulfilled. Well, I just to let you know, I
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have a background, I studied architecture.
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I have a degree in architecture. So this was this is what I did
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when I came to this chapter when I was trying to figure out about
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what temple is he describing. And I started comparing and from
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my background and using the measurements in the
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translations, I have confirmed that this does not match up with
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the first temple or the second temple.
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So you can check it yourself if you don't believe me.
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OK. Do the palm tree decorations
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have any significance? Palm tree carvings have been
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found in various archaeological remains from the Iron Age,
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though we do not know their significance.
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What is significant is that Solomon's temple had palm
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carvings as well. Why were there seven steps in
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some places and eight steps in others?
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This is what I was thinking too. It's not entirely clear. 7 was
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typically used as a symbol of completion or perfection.
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It may be that seven steps were used to remind the people of the
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need for holiness when entering the temple precincts.
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Then to enter the inner court. 8 steps may have been used to
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raise the inner Court One step higher above the outer court, a
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tangible sign that priest climbing the steps were
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approaching the presence of God. Note that the Temple itself was
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reached from the inner court by a flight of stairs, perhaps 10
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steps. Ezekiel 40.
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Some have pointed out that in later times there were 15 steps
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that led from the court of the women to the court of Israel.
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On those steps the Levites would stand and chant the 15 psalms
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that are called the Song of Sense.
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Now this answer question and answer just got confusing
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because it started throwing out all of these number of stairs.
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It says like some have pointed out that in later times there
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were 15 steps 7 + 8 that led from the court.
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It's, this is probably, I mean, I'm, I'm sure because of the way
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the rest of the Bible is written that there is symbolism in this.
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And if we pray about it and study it, we, the symbolism may
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be revealed to us. Right off the top of my head,
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what I think about when I see 7 and I see eight, I think about
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like God's ultimate plan for humanity is, is that humanity
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has 6000 years. The number of man is 6.
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There are 6000 years for mankind to complete in the 7th year or
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the 7th the the 7000 you know from 6000 to 7000 that's the
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reign of Christ when Christ will be here present on earth.
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So Jesus is the Sabbath, the 7th day to God.
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A day is like 1000 years and 1000 years like a day.
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So if humankind has of mankind has up to the year 6000 and then
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at the year 6000, Jesus returns and reigns up until 7000, we
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know from scripture that after that point he turns everything
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back over to the Father and that's eternity.
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So maybe it's the steps of mankind.
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You know, we start out like in the 7th.
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The seven steps represent Jesus and then the 8th it goes to the
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throne of God. It keeps getting higher, closer
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to God, closer to humanity's existence with God present.
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That's what I believe and that's just my interpretation of this.
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So not saying I'm right or wrong, but that's just what came
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to mind. So here's what it says.
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What temple is this? OK, I I haven't read this yet,
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so I'm reading it for the all right now.
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People disagree about the significance of these chapters.
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Some insist that this is a description of Solomon's temple.
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Well, I disagree with that because I did compare it.
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There are, however, a number of important differences between
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this temple and Solomons. Consequently, others suggest
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that these plans, that these are plans for a temple Ezekiel
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intended the Exiles to build when they returned to Jerusalem.
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Still others say that since Ezekiel was a prophet, not an
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architect, these chapters would be interpreted in a symbolic
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manner. Those holding this view see
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these chapters fully fulfilled figuratively in the church or in
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a future messianic age. In the former case, the temple
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predicts the blessings that God has for the church.
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In the latter case, the perfect symmetry of this temple
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expresses symbolically the perfection of God's plan for his
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restored people. And there are still others who
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expect a future literal fulfillment of the prophecy when
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Christ returns to set up his messianic Kingdom.
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Some object to this interpretation, saying that to
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reinstitute Old Testament sacrifices seems contrary to the
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New Testament Hebrews 10. Those who look for the literal
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temple in the Messianic Age, however, see its ceremony simply
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as memorials of the Messiah's death, burial, and resurrection.
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So there are a lot of questions obviously about this, and as in
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the past part of the Bible that I've read through that God often
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has both a literal and a symbolic significance of the
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words and the prophecy that he had that has been written.
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We see proof of that from the past books that we read through
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that there are often literal events that happen, but they
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have symbolic meaning and only God could make that happen.
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It's another example of his sovereignty.
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And while we may not see it, just like think about this, the
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Passover and it's symbolism and it's pointing to Jesus, the,
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the, the, you know, the last sacrifice that was needed on the
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cross for all of mankind. Now, when we get into a little
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bit more detail, it's going to talk about the Prince and the
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Lord. And this is really interesting
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and I will talk about, I'll comment on that later.
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But I think Jesus is going to be present.
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I think King David is going to be present.
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And I think this is going to be in the Millennium.
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And I'll give you the evidence when we get to that part of
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Scripture. But it's very fascinating
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because I, I believe it's proof that this is going to this, this
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will come. And this is kind of exciting
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because there's going to be this new temple, like the sacrifices
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part. I don't really know why that
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continues. I don't really know, unless it's
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like a learning process for the Jewish people to put together
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The Who Jesus is and to make the connection that's been present
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all the way back into the early books of the Bible, the Old
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Testament, and the Jewish books, and for them to actually make
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the connection. But I don't know.
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And God does have a plan, though.
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So were these real palm trees? No, like the 200 pomegranates
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Solomon had carved on the cap capitals at each temple pillar.
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First Kings 7 is where you can find that these palm trees were
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carved. Decoration details given later
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show that palm trees were also carved on the upper part of the
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walls all around the inner and outer sanctuary, alternating
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with carved cherubim. Ezekiel 41.
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What were these different offerings?
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Well, the grain sin and guilt, you have to go back to the Old
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Testament. I think it might be in an in
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Leviticus where it gives very specific types of offerings that
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were given four different reasons.
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But one thing that I did notice was that every one of the
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offerings that were made were for unintentional sin, not
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intentional sin, but unintentional accidental sin.
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So it's kind of interesting, but you can go back to Leviticus to
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look that up. OK, so were these the same rules
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given before the exile? And this is referring to verse
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46. Let me read that one.
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And the man and the room facing the north is for the priest who
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guard the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who
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are the only Levites who may draw near to the Lord to
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minister him. So it says yes and no.
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During the time of Solomon, the priest who descended from Zadok
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served in the temple along with the Levites.
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However, for some time before the fall of the temple, the
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descendants of Zadok had no longer served as priest.
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In the new temple, the priestly descendants of Zadok and the
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Levites would be fully restored to temple service.
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That's interesting because again, the Millennium period is
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a time of restoration of the earth, of the cleansing of the
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earth. There's a lot of things that
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happened during that time. The restoration of of people,
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the restoration of long lifespans will happen when Jesus
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returns. A lot of people are looking to
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what they can do to remain young, to extend their life.
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They're looking to worldly ways. However, when Jesus returns,
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that's going to happen because God is good.
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So just hold on. When Jesus returns, this is all
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going to be, you know, the stuff that we're worried about right
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now are concerned about aging or whatever.
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Don't worry about it because it's not going to matter in the
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big picture. So who was Zadok?
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Zadok was a priest during the reigns of David and Solomon.
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God chose Zadok to minister in the temple when Abiathar was
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removed as priest for supporting Adonijah rather than Solomon as
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David's successor, and you can find that in First Kings 1
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verses 7 through 8 and chapter 2 verses 26 through 27.
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So that's the end of my study Bibles, questions and answers.
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And I will read a little bit from Amir's book Exploring
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Ezekiel. Like I've said before, it's
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worth worth buying because there's a lot of good insight in
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here. So anyway, I will read his
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commentary because it's kind of funny the way he writes.
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I mean, it's an easy read. So this is measuring the temple
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and it's referring to chapters 40 through 42.
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So we only covered chapter 40, but this will cover subsequent
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chapters. So here's what Amir says, Amir
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Sarfati and his last name is TSARFATI and it's with Doctor
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Rick Yon YOHN and the book is called Exploring Ezekiel.
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You can buy it on Amazon if you would like.
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OK, uh, Amir, is there any chance we can skip the next few
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chapters? It it's all just Ezekiel and a
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guy with a stick measuring a new temple, can't we just say that
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the rebuilt worship center is really big?
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Then move on. Trust me, I understand where you
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are coming from. On the surface, these chapters
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look like a guaranteed snooze fest.
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But remember, God put them in here for a loftier reason than
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simply allowing us to skim through one day's Bible reading
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in record time. Besides, you might find yourself
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a lot more interested than you expect.
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So drop a double caffeine capsule into your Nespresso
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machine and let's get down to business.
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The year was 573 BC, 14 years after Jerusalem fell.
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The prophet was in his 40s and had been a widow for more than a
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decade, and 1/2. His life in the interval was
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somewhat of a mystery. What was his daily routine?
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Was he still prophesying regularly?
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Had he taken up his role as priest?
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Or was he still a lonely hermit who occasionally stepped outside
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to tell people to straighten up their acts?
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Whatever Ezekiel day-to-day look like, God chose an opportune
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time to interrupt it. Suddenly he was taken up and
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carried to a high mountain overlooking Jerusalem.
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The city below him, however, was not the Jerusalem he remembered
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from before he was stolen away. It was also not the series of
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runes he he knew currently inhabited.
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The site spread out in front of Ezekiel was a beautifully
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rebuilt city with a huge temple complex.
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A throat cleared next to him and he turned to see a bronze
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looking man prepared to get to measure the enormous holy site.
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Before the man began his task he gave Ezekiel a charge saying,
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Son of Man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears and fix
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your mind on everything I show you, for you were brought here
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so that I might show them to you.
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Declare to the House of Israel everything you see.
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Watch, listen, learn, pass it on.
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After his 20 plus years of prophesying, that was one series
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of tasks he had down pat. Hey, OK, so then it talks about
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the measuring beginning. I won't read that again.
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Hey, I see the glaze already passing across your eyes, but
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don't. Don't feel bad.
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Nobody else has any idea what a cubit is either.
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Even Old Testament theologians refill their coffee mugs at this
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point and think, oy, this is going to be a grind.
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Measurements and scriptural can be difficult.
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No one knows any more what a hen or an ephah or a talent was.
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When Ezekiel talks about a six cubit long ride, he may be
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talking about something massive or something incredibly small.
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Only a certified master in cubatology would know.
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I'm going to let you in to a mirror's little cheat code for
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cubiting on your phone or computer.
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Do a search for www.biblegateway.com.
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Once they're on the version menu to the right, select New Living
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Translation in parentheses NLT. Then type in a search for
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Ezekiel 40. Voila, suddenly the math is all
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done for you. Now the passage reads and I'll
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give you an example. I could see a wall completely
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surrounding the temple. The man took a measuring rod
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that was 10 1/2 feet long and measured the wall, and the wall
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was 10 1/2 feet thick and 10 1/2 feet 5.
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That's verse 5. If you aren't a fan of biblical
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paraphrases, no problem. Just read from whatever version
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you'd normally use and keep the NLT open for reference.
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It's so much easier to picture a square courtyard with sides of
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175 feet then compared to 100 cubits.
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By the way, this interpretation hack works for most other units
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of measure too. The the survey began at the
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eastern gate, which was significant because that was the
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one used when the glory of the Lord Lord departed from the
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temple. It is likely the gate that Jesus
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entered on on Palm Sunday as He rode in westward from the Mount
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of Olives. The eastern gate is also the
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passage that the glory of the Lord will use when He returns in
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Ezekiel chapter 43. The whole section presents a
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dilemma. Just how deep do we go when it
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comes to the measurements? My philosophy in this book, as
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it was in revealing revelation or discovering Daniel, is to
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familiarize the reader with a part of the Bible that is often
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a black hole to the everyday Christian.
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Therefore, I purposely don't get too far down into the weeds.
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In other words, we get deep, but we don't get commentary deep.
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Because of that, I'm going to let Ezekiel and his companion
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take their measurements and I'll offer some opportunities in this
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book's workbook for you to dig a little bit further down should
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you desire. So there are two reasons given
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to Ezekiel for taking these measurements #1 the shame of
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Israel. When this prophecy came to
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Ezekiel, there was no temple in Jerusalem that but there would
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there would be soon. Sadly, it would be pale in
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comparison to the First Temples glory when the foundations for
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the post exelic temple people had been laid by the returnees.
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All of the younger folk folk cheered for their progress, but
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for the older ones who had seen Solomon structure, it was a time
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of mourning. And that's talked about in the
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book of Ezra chapter 3. Once the words of Ezekiel's
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prophecy were heard, there would be even more shame.
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Not only was there simple second temple going to be overshadowed
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by the 1st, but it would be downright embarrassing when
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compared to the Temple of the Millennium, the one that Ezekiel
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was describing. Ezekiel was to first give the
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people the basic outline of the temple that was to come.
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The result would likely be shame and regret when they compared
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its future grandeur to what stood in front of them.
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But God didn't want to leave them down in the dumps.
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These men were trying to get things right with God.
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Yes, they were paying a heavy price and the diminutive new
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temple was evident. But time would come when a
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massive, majestic new temple would be built with all the
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beauty and intricacies intricacies involved in such a
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place of worship. A city that had a temple like
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that had to be a great city indeed.
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The people would be encouraged by the fact that a time was
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coming when Jerusalem would once again be fully rebuilt and
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respected amongst the nations. Reason #2 The holiness of God.
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The future Temple and its grounds were laid out in such a
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way as to communicate the holiness of the Lord.
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The Temple itself was extremely large, 875 feet by 875 feet.
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Surrounding the temple grounds would be a beautifully tended
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open area of 87.5 feet, stretching out on all sides.
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And there's more. A sacred area will be created
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within which the temple will sit, like a city inside a city.
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This piece of land will be 8 and a third miles long and six and
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2/3 miles wide. The entire area will be holy and
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you can find that in the NLT version chapter 45, verse one.
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This piece of land will also be divided in half by width.
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Here's what it says. Within the larger sacred area,
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measure out a portion of land 8 and a third miles long and three
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and a third miles wide. Within it, the sanctuary of the
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Most Holy Place will be located. This area will be holy set aside
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for priests who minister to the Lord in the sanctuary.
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They will use it for their homes.
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And my temple will be located within it.
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The strip of sacred land next to it, also eight and a third miles
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long and three and a third miles wide, will be a living area for
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the Levites who work at the temple.
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It will be their possession and a place for their towns.
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In 1/2 of the sacred area will sit the temple, surrounded by
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the dwellings of its priest. The other half is full of
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Levites who also work at the temple, carrying out all the
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holy tasks that don't involve actual worship.
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The word holy means to be set apart.
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The enormous temple complex will be a visual for all that God,
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for all that God isn't just another guy living in a single
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story ranch at the end of the cul-de-sac.
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He is the Creator of all things, Almighty of the universe, and
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His house will show it. Not only will the grandeur of
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the building communicate His glory, but the grounds
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themselves will ensure that everyone around the world
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understands His otherness. And that is His commentary.
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Amir's commentary on chapters 40 through 42.
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We just completed chapter 40 from the Bible and the next
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recording. We will move on from there.
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So this wraps up chapter 40 from the Book of Ezekiel.