Ezekiel’s Temple & the New Jerusalem

Ezekiel Temple New Jerusalem

Wednesday 05/10/23 

Series: Thru the Bible

Message: Ezekiel’s Temple & the New Jerusalem

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Ezekiel’s Temple & the New Jerusalem

We are wrapping up Ezekiel tonight in chapters 46-48.

These chapters deal with the remaining rules and statutes regarding the temple revealed to Ezekiel and the services associated with it.

As we progress and especially as the final chapter closes out, I believe you will see how a very strong case could be made for the vision here given to Ezekiel and that revealed to John in the book of Revelation.

Ezekiel 46:1-24,“(1) This is what the Lord GOD says: 

The gate of the inner court that faces east must be closed during the six days of work, but it will be opened on the Sabbath day and opened on the day of the New Moon.  

(2)  The prince should enter from the outside by way of the gate’s portico and stand at the doorpost of the gate while the priests sacrifice his burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He will bow in worship at the threshold of the gate and then depart, but the gate must not be closed until evening.”  

Here is the problem with ‘the prince’ referring to Jesus, however, even though Jesus is part of the Godhead, He is also now and forever a human and as such it is appropriate for Him to worship the Father.

“(3)  The people of the land will also bow in worship before the LORD at the entrance of that gate on the Sabbaths and New Moons.  

(4)  “The burnt offering that the prince presents to the LORD on the Sabbath day is to be six unblemished lambs and an unblemished ram.  (5)  The grain offering will be half a bushel with the ram, and the grain offering with the lambs will be whatever he wants to give, as well as a gallon of oil for every half bushel.  

(6)  On the day of the New Moon, the burnt offering is to be a young, unblemished bull, as well as six lambs and a ram without blemish.  (7)  He will provide a grain offering of half a bushel with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he can afford with the lambs, together with a gallon of oil for every half bushel.  

(8)  When the prince enters, he must go in by way of the gate’s portico and go out the same way.  

(9)  “When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed times, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship must go out by way of the south gate, and whoever enters by way of the south gate must go out by way of the north gate. No one must return through the gate by which he entered, but must go out by the opposite gate.  

(10)  When the people enter, the prince will enter with them, and when they leave, he will leave.  

(11)  At the festivals and appointed times, the grain offering will be half a bushel with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he wants to give with the lambs, along with a gallon of oil for every half bushel.  

(12)  “When the prince makes a freewill offering, whether a burnt offering or a fellowship offering as a freewill offering to the LORD, the gate that faces east must be opened for him. He is to offer his burnt offering or fellowship offering just as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he will go out, and the gate must be closed after he leaves.  

(13)  “You must offer an unblemished year-old male lamb as a daily burnt offering to the LORD; you will offer it every morning.  (14)  You must also prepare a grain offering every morning along with it: three quarts, with one-third of a gallon of oil to moisten the fine flour–a grain offering to the LORD. This is a permanent statute to be observed regularly.  

(15)  They will offer the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil every morning as a regular burnt offering.  

(16)  “This is what the Lord GOD says: If the prince gives a gift to each of his sons as their inheritance, it will belong to his sons. It will become their property by inheritance.  (17)  But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will belong to that servant until the year of freedom, when it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs only to his sons; it is theirs.  

(18)  The prince must not take any of the people’s inheritance, evicting them from their property. He is to provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people will be displaced from his own property.”  

(19)  Then he brought me through the entrance that was at the side of the gate, into the priests’ holy chambers, which faced north. I saw a place there at the far western end.  (20)  He said to me, 

“This is the place where the priests will boil the restitution offering and the sin offering, and where they will bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them into the outer court and transmit holiness to the people.”  

(21)  Next he brought me into the outer court and led me past its four corners. There was a separate court in each of its corners.  (22)  In the four corners of the outer court there were enclosed courts, 70 feet long by 52 and a half feet wide. All four corner areas had the same dimensions.  (23)  There was a stone wall around the inside of them, around the four of them, with ovens built at the base of the walls on all sides.  (24)  He said to me: “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple will cook the people’s sacrifices.”

Ezekiel 47:1-23,“(1) Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. 

The water was coming down from under the south side of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.  (2)  Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; there the water was trickling from the south side.  

(3)  As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my ankles.  

(4)  Then he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my knees. 

He measured off another third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my waist.  

(5)  Again he measured off a third of a mile, and it was a river that I could not cross on foot. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed on foot.  

(6)  He asked me, “Do you see this, son of man?” 

Then he led me back to the bank of the river.  (7)  When I had returned, I saw a very large number of trees along both sides of the riverbank.  (8)  He said to me, 

“This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to the Arabah. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water, the water of the sea becomes fresh.  (9)  Every kind of living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows, and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes.  

(10)  Fishermen will stand beside it from Engedi to En-eglaim. These will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.  (11)  Yet its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be left for salt.  

(12)  All kinds of trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fresh fruit because the water comes from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for medicine.”

Could this be referring to the children of God as the New Jerusalem and the water flowing from the throne of God, with the trees of life on either side producing 12 kinds of fruit and whose leaves are for the HEALING OF THE NATIONS?????

Rev 22:1-2,  “(1) Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life – water as clear as crystal – pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb,  (2)  flowing down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations.”  

Ezekiel 47…

“(13)  This is what the Lord GOD says: 

“This is the border you will use to divide the land as an inheritance for the 12 tribes of Israel

Joseph will receive two shares.  (14)  You will inherit it in equal portions, since I swore to give it to your ancestors. So this land will fall to you as an inheritance.  

(15)  “This is to be the border of the land: 

On the north side it will extend from the Mediterranean Sea by way of Hethlon and Lebohamath to Zedad,  (16)  Berothah, and Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), as far as Hazerhatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.  (17)  So the border will run from the sea to Hazarenon at the border of Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern side.  

(18)  On the east side it will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; you will measure from the northern border to the eastern sea. This will be the eastern side.  

(19)  On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribathkadesh, and on to the Brook of Egypt as far as the Mediterranean Sea. This will be the southern side.  

(20)  On the west side the Mediterranean Sea will be the border, from the southern border up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western side.  

(21)  “You are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel.  (22)  You will allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners living among you, who have fathered children among you. You will treat them like native-born Israelites; along with you, they will be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.  (23)  In whatever tribe the foreigner lives, you will assign his inheritance there.” 

This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel 48:1-35,(1) Now these are the names of the tribes: From the northern end, along the road of Hethlon, to Lebohamath as far as Hazarenon, at the northern border of Damascus, alongside Hamath and extending from the eastern side to the sea, will be Dan–one portion.  (2)  Next to the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west, will be Asher–one portion.  

(3)  Next to the territory of Asher, from the east side to the west, will be Naphtali–one portion.  

(4)  Next to the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, will be Manasseh–one portion.  

(5)  Next to the territory of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, will be Ephraim–one portion.  

(6)  Next to the territory of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, will be Reuben–one portion.  

(7)  Next to the territory of Reuben, from the east side to the west, will be Judah–one portion.  

(8)  “Next to the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, will be the portion you donate to the LORD, eight and one-third miles wide, and as long as one of the tribal portions from the east side to the west. The sanctuary will be in the middle of it.  (9)  “The special portion you donate to the LORD will be eight and one-third miles long and three and one-third miles wide.  (10)  This holy donation will be set apart for the priests alone. It will be eight and one-third miles long on the northern side, three and one-third miles wide on the western side, three and one-third miles wide on the eastern side, and eight and one-third miles long on the southern side. The LORD’s sanctuary will be in the middle of it.  (11)  It is for the consecrated priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept My charge and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray.  (12)  It will be a special donation for them out of the holy donation of the land, a most holy place adjacent to the territory of the Levites.  

(13)  “Next to the territory of the priests, the Levites will have an area eight and one-third miles long and three and one-third miles wide. The total length will be eight and one-third miles and the width three and one-third miles.  (14)  They must not sell or exchange any of it, and they must not transfer this choice part of the land, for it is holy to the LORD.  

(15)  “The remaining area, one and two-thirds of a mile wide and eight and one-third miles long, will be for common use by the city, for both residential and open space. The city will be in the middle of it.  

(16)  These are the city’s measurements: one and a half miles on the north side;one and a half miles on the south side;one and a half miles on the east side;and one and a half miles on the west side.  (17)  The city’s open space will extend: 425 feet to the north,425 feet to the south,425 feet to the east,and 425 feet to the west.  

(18)  “The remainder of the length alongside the holy donation will be three and one-third miles to the east and three and one-third miles to the west. It will run alongside the holy donation. Its produce will be food for the workers of the city.  

(19)  The city’s workers from all the tribes of Israel will cultivate it.  (20)  The entire donation will be eight and one-third miles by eight and one-third miles; you are to set apart the holy donation along with the city property as a square area.  

(21)  “The remaining area on both sides of the holy donation and the city property will belong to the prince. He will own the land adjacent to the tribal portions, next to the eight and one-third miles of the donation as far as the eastern border and next to the eight and one-third miles of the donation as far as the western border. The holy donation and the sanctuary of the temple will be in the middle of it.  

(22)  Except for the Levitical property and the city property in the middle of the area belonging to the prince, the area between the territory of Judah and that of Benjamin will belong to the prince.  

(23)  “As for the rest of the tribes: From the east side to the west, will be Benjamin–one portion.  

(24)  Next to the territory of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, will be Simeon–one portion.  

(25)  Next to the territory of Simeon, from the east side to the west, will be Issachar–one portion.  

(26)  Next to the territory of Issachar, from the east side to the west, will be Zebulun–one portion.  

(27)  Next to the territory of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, will be Gad–one portion.  

(28)  Next to the territory of Gad toward the south side, the border will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribathkadesh, to the Brook of Egypt, and out to the Mediterranean Sea.  

(29)  This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to Israel’s tribes, and these will be their portions.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.”

Lots of 12’s…

In the Bible the number 12 is another “perfect number” and it seems to be associated with governmental authority and power.

  • 5 is associated with God’s grace and favor towards mankind.
  • 7 is the number of completeness or finished work.

So taken together or seems to represent the completed work of grace in believers establishing the kingdom of God – His beginning of His eternal and unchallenged reign. 

Further divisions of twelve can be found but I am not as certain about the meaning of those numbers.

But in these verses we are about to cover there are:

  • 12 fruit
  • 12 gates (12 pearls)
  • 12 angels
  • 12 tribes
  • 12 foundations
  • 12 names of the apostles of the lamb

Ezekiel 48…

“(30)  “These are the exits of the city: On the north side, which measures one and a half miles,  (31)  there will be three gates facing north, the gates of the city being named for the tribes of Israel: one, the gate of Reuben; one, the gate of Judah; and one, the gate of Levi.  

(32)  On the east side, which is one and a half miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Joseph; one, the gate of Benjamin; and one, the gate of Dan.  

(33)  On the south side, which measures one and a half miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Simeon; one, the gate of Issachar; and one, the gate of Zebulun.  

(34)  On the west side, which is one and a half miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Gad; one, the gate of Asher; and one, the gate of Naphtali.  (35)  The perimeter of the city will be six miles, and the name of the city from that day on will be: 

Yahweh Is There.”

Rev. 21:9-27, “(9) Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!”  

(10)  So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.  (11)  The city possesses the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper.  

(12)  It has a massive, high wall with twelve gates, with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel are written on the gates.  

(13)  There are: 

  • three gates on the east side
  • three gates on the north side, 
  • three gates on the south side and 
  • three gates on the west side.

(14)  The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.  

(15)  The angel who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall.  (16)  Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He measured the city with the measuring rod at fourteen hundred miles (its length and width and height are equal).  (17)  He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s.  

(18)  The city’s wall is made of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.  

(19)  The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated with every kind of precious stone. 

The first foundation is jasper, 

the second sapphire, 

the third agate, 

the fourth emerald,  (20)  

the fifth onyx, 

the sixth carnelian, 

the seventh chrysolite, 

the eighth beryl, 

the ninth topaz, 

the tenth chrysoprase, 

the eleventh jacinth, and 

the twelfth amethyst.  

(21)  And the twelve gates are twelve pearls – each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! 

The main street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.  (22)  Now I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerful – and the Lamb are its temple.  (23)  The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb.  (24)  The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur into it.  (25)  Its gates will never be closed during the day (and there will be no night there).  (26)  They will bring the grandeur and the wealth of the nations into it,  (27)  but nothing ritually unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Rev. 22:3-5,“(3) And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him,  (4)  and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  (5)  Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.”

Blessings!

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!