Reading:  Ezekiel 40-41
Posted:  September 16, 2014

\Chapter 40 marks a change in the tone and message of Ezekiel.   It has been 25 years since the people were taken captive.  14 years since the temple was destroyed.   That means there are people in their early 20's who now have young children who have never seen Israel, or have no memory of being there.    The temple that Ezekiel sees in his vision has never been built.   It is enormous by even Roman standards, and they increased the temple 4x the size of Solomon's.

Thinking of temples today,  Israel's history is broken into "temple periods".  The first temple period begins with Solomon and ends with the exile (and destruction of the temple).   The second temple period begins with Ezra, and ends when the Romans destroy the temple in 70 A.D.

The temple that Solomon built was ornate and beautiful, and the instructions came directly from God, down to the last detail.    The first temple period was a time of power and victory for Israel.   It was the time of kings.   Ezra's temple was also very nice, but the Bible tells us that those who saw it, and remembered what Solomon's temple looked like...cried.   It was smaller, and more modest.   Ezra was a scribe, a teacher.   The second temple period has more emphasis on teaching.   The idea of going to a church and learning how to be a follower of God probably comes more from the second temple period than the first.   It's in the second period the emphasis on reading the Word and studying is emphasized. 

Look at the size of the temple in the vision.   In one picture I saw, there is a stream that flows out from the center of the temple.  It begins small and becomes larger.   The thought is that this temple is the one that will be in Jerusalem during the millennial reign of Christ.   For a 1,000 years this temple will set on the temple mount, replacing the "dome of the rock" which is a muslim temple that sits there now.

 The dome of the rock will have to be removed before Ezekiel's temple becomes reality.    (If if is to become reality).    It would seem that Ezekiel's vision was in Jerusalem, not in heaven.  He recognized the surrounding area.

You can Google "Ezekiel's temple" and see many pictures of what the temple may look like.   All the pictures are similar, some have more artistic detail than others.

Here's a closing thought:   it was during a time of great sadness and trial that Ezekiel is given this inspiring glimpse of the future.  Captivity is terrible, and shouldn't ever have to happen..but God is able to work through even our feebleness and shortcoming.   While the people are being punished for going astray, He gives them a glimpse of what is coming some day in the future.   A glorious, victorious day when Jerusalem will once again be exalted above all other cities on earth.  A day when the glory and presence of God will rest upon the earth, and Jerusalem will be His city.   What a great message for those languishing in captivity.

It occurs to me that as we who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, and yet remain here on the earth are "captives" of a sort.   We have been born into captivity, and have never seen or known our true homeland, heaven.    But the day will come when we will go there for the first time, and what a great celebration there will be on that day!   In the meantime, God ministers to us, and through us here on earth.    Who knows how long it will be before we reach heaven,  but whenever it is, it will be "worth it all, when we see Jesus".

Looking forward,

PR