The Coming Millenail Temple

 

Ezekiel Series
The Coming Millennial Temple
Ezekiel 40:1-43:12
 
We are going to study for a few weeks what may be the most difficult section in all of the Bible to understand. It is certainly one of the most difficult, if it is not THE most difficult section in all of the Word of God to really understand and to know what is intended to teach.
 
It is imperative for us, if we are going to understand it, to remind ourselves of the setting. Ezekiel was a prophet of God. He had been trained to be a priest, but God stepped into his life and called him to be a prophet. He was to be a prophet to the captives of the children of Israel who were in the land of Babylon.
 
There seemed to have been two mindsets among the exiles in Babylon. There were those who were living in denial. They saw the contemporary scene. They saw the international scene around them and yet they were just living in denial. They didn't want to face the facts.
 
It's like a lot of people are in America. They look at the things that are taking place and they just kind of live in denial. We are in serious times in America, but some people just go their way as if we are not. To those people who are living in denial, God through
Ezekiel had some strong messages of judgment. You will read through the book of Ezekiel and find that some of the strongest messages about the judgment of God in all the Bible are contained in these prophecies of Ezekiel.
But there was another group of people. There were others who were living in despair. They saw the situation. They were aware of the seriousness of the times in which they lived. It had caused them to be filled with despondency and despair. There is no hope. They had come to a position of hopelessness.
 
Back in Ezekiel 37 we had the vision of the dry bones that came together and became a mighty army. The setting of that vision is given to us in verse 11 where the God says to Israel: these bones of the whole house of Israel, behold Israel says our bones are dried and our hope is lost. There was no hope. It is all over.
 
In the concluding section of the book of Ezekiel God, through Ezekiel, gives these despairing people a message of hope and a bright future for the people of God. That's what the valley of dry bones was all about. Those bones could live again.
 
In this final section God predicts that the Children of Israel would be restored to their homeland. That is taking place in our day. There has been a mass returning on the part of our Jewish friends to the land of Israel, beginning in May 14, 1948.
 
Ezekiel also predicts that there is going to be a spiritual revival among the Jewish people. At the end of the 39th chapter there is a clear-cut prediction made that God is going to pour out His spirit upon the house of Israel and there is gong to be a national spiritual revival among the people.
 
That does not mean that it is going to be salvation enmass. People are not saved as nations, they are saved as individuals.
How is a Jew saved today? A Jew is saved today just like a Gentile is saved today. Romans 10, verse 13 says, "For whosoever." That is whether Jew or whether Gentile. "Shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
 
But at the end of the Tribulation there is going to be a national restoration. In that they are going to see and understand that Jesus indeed was their long awaited messiah and that when He came they put him on a cross. The Bible says that they will see and understand that they crucified their own Messiah. They will weep and turn in bitter remorse and bitter repentance.
 
There is a question that remains in the minds of the Jewish people. Even those who heard these great prophecies of hope undoubtedly the question would arise: what about the temple? Is there going to be a temple again?
 
When you come to Ezekiel 40 and all the way to the end of the book, you have this marvelous, amazing, astonishing vision of a temple that is going to be restored to the people of God.
 
The question is what is this temple? How do you understand this temple? How do you interpret this? What does this mean?
 
There are two main views in terms of how to interpret this temple. And what it represents. There is the symbolical position and there is the literal position. 
 
 
 
Some people interpret this temple symbolically. Some people approach it from a philosophical angle. They say this is an ideal in the mind of God. It's kind of like Plato's universals. Those of you who study philosophy, you may remember that Plato had this concept that in the mind of God there were universals.
 
For instance, if you see a chair, that means that God in his mind had the concept of a chair and all chairs are just basically attempts to replica the universal chair in the mind of God. So some people think this temple is just a revelation of the ideal that is in the mind of God. That just takes it away from any meaning for you and I and there is no practical reality if you view it that way.
 
There are others who say that this temple is to be understood symbolically in that it is a representation of the church. One of the things that people sometimes do which causes them to misunderstand their Bible is that they apply the promises God made to the Jewish people to the church. There is a distinction in Scripture between the Jews and the church.
 
You and I are living in the age of the church. It is the age of grace. It is the age of opportunity where primarily God is extending the salvation invitation to the gentiles. But there is a difference between the church and the Jews.
 
There are some Scriptures in the Old Testament that area specifically addressed to the Jews, but some people misunderstand and misinterpret those Scriptures and they apply teachings that are given specifically to the Jews to the church. 
So, some people say this is just a picture of the church.
 
The problem with that is when you begin to apply this to the church, what does it mean? Later on, we are going to have vision of stream of water coming out from the threshold of this temple. People say that a picture of the blessings of the gospel pouring out to the world.
 
Then the question becomes how do you apply these other things? How do they fit in? You can get yourself absolutely lost.
 
Others say this is symbolic of the heaven that God reveals. They point out the fact that in the last two chapters of Revelation, you have a description which is very similar to what God gave Ezekiel here.
 
In this 40th chapter, second verse, Ezekiel said that the Lord took him to a very high mountain and showed him a city.
 
When you read Revelation 21, beginning with verse 9 and going right on down through there, John says that the Lord took him to a very high mountain and showed him a city. Because there is a river in Ezekiel and there's a river in John's vision of heaven in Revelation and because there are trees in Ezekiel and there's a tree of life in revelation, some people think this is a picture of heaven.
 
Only one problem with that: In Revelation 21 we are specifically told that in heaven there is no temple.
 
 
 
So to understand this, merely symbolically creates some real difficulties. One of the main difficulties is this:  When you read this 40th chapter you will just find all kinds of details. Minute descriptions and measurements and all of these things.
 
If this is symbolical, why is there such detail given? Why these exact measurements? Why these very graphic descriptions of this temple if it is not real, if it is really not going to exist and it's merely symbolic?
 
Personally, from my view point the symbolic interpretation is inadequate. The other alternative is the literal application. If this is a literal temple that is to be built, then it can be interpreted in one of two ways.
 
There are some who say it is a literal temple but it was intended to be Zerubbabal's temple that was to be built after the exile when the people to whom the people was preaching would go back to Jerusalem. This is the model that was to be used.
 
If that be true, they miserably failed. When you study Ezra and Nehemiah you will find they didn't even begin to approach the design that's laid out for us in these verses of Scripture.
 
That leaves only one other view. That view is that we  
have here a description of a literal temple that is going to be built during the Millennial reign of Christ.
 
You have a picture, a vision of the millennial temple. This gives us a key component of the millennium that is largely missing in the other Scriptures that have to do with the millennium.
For instance, the Bible teaches in Revelation 20 that the millennium is going to be a thousand years in length. That's what the word, millennium, means. The Bible predicts that Jesus Christ is literally going to return to this earth and set up His kingdom during the millennium.
 
The Bible teaches there's going to be peace. No war during this millennium. All of these components are given, but the whole question of how worship is going to be carried out during the millennium is touched upon when you look at Ezekiel 40 through 48 at this vision of the millennial temple.
 
Hang in with me. I'm going somewhere. We'll get there in a little while. I wish all of you would decide to come to discipleship training when we are looking at the battle of Armageddon. It would help all of this to fit together. 
 
You have to study. Some people don't want to think. Some people want to come to church, put their minds in neutral and just idle through the service. Fortunately, you are not that way.
 
Let's give a quick preview of the different temples that are given to us in the Bible. It was not a temple, but the first meeting place that God had for the children of Israel was out in the wilderness. It was a tabernacle. The plan for the tabernacle was given by God to Moses who was a prophet. Then the first permanent structure that was built was Solomon's temple. The plans for Solomon's temple were given to David who was a king. David did not build the temple; his son Solomon was the one who was allowed to build the temple.
 
You have that magnificent description in Kings and Chronicles of the building of Solomon's marvelous temple. So you had the tabernacle, then you had the first permanent building: Solomon's temple.
 
That temple was destroyed in 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar. The children of Israel were carried into captivity which is where Ezekiel is right now.
 
The second temple was Zerubabbel's temple. We are told about that in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Zerubabbel and Ezra the priest and Nehemiah the governor go back and construct Zerubabbel's temple.
 
It was not as elaborate as Solomon's temple was. It was remodeled during the days of Herod the king. It was this second temple, Herod's temple it is called in the New Testament, where Jesus went. It was that temple that Jesus predicted would be destroyed and in AD 70 that is exactly what happened. The Romans came and destroyed that second temple and that's why when you go over there today all you can see is the Temple mount and one wall of Herod's or Zerubabbel's temple. 
 
Since that time, among the Israelites, there has been a movement to build what they call their third temple. There are groups right now in Israel that are totally dedicated to building their third temple. You may, from time to time, see reference in the news. It
appears frequently. The Temple Faithful Movement. Or you may read about the temple institute.
 
There are people that are constructing the utensils and the hardware and the furniture that will go in this third temple that they are proposing.
 
There is a movement right now in Jerusalem among the Israelite people to rebuild that third temple. But what they don't know is this. According to the Scripture the next temple is going to be the tribulation temple.
 
It is the temple to which Jesus referred in Matthew 24, verse 15, when it talked about the abomination of desolation being erected in the temple. It is the temple to which Paul referred in II Thessalonians chapter 4 where it says that the antichrist, as God, will establish himself in the temple and will sit there as God. It will be a tribulation temple.
 
So what they don't realize is that all of their efforts and all of the things they are doing is really going to be to construct a temple that will be used by the antichrist. The tribulation temple.
 
The antichrist is going to make a peace treaty with the Jews. He will solve the middle Eastern crisis.
With all gratitude for the efforts of President Bush and any other person who tries to solve the problems over in the Middle East, the Middle Eastern crisis will only be solved by the antichrist who will achieve a seven-year treaty with the Jewish people.
 
He will allow them to build their temple. In the midst of that seven-year period of time, after 3½ years he will break that covenant. He will move into that temple and set himself up as God in that temple.
 
That's the three temples so far. Solomon's temple.
Zerubabbel's or Herod's temple. The tribulation
temple.
 
 
Now this right here is going to be the final temple: the millennium temple.
 
Let's talk about it a little while. A literal temple.
The first thing I want you to notice is this.
 
In chapters 40-42 you have the-
 
I. The DESCRIPTION of the Temple Structure.
 
This is not easy to read nor is it easy to understand.
But as you begin you will notice that the Lord said to
Ezekiel that there was a man who was going to give him a guided tour.
 
In the 3rd verse of the 40th chapter, this man who looked like brass had a line of flax. That was a long rope and in that long rope every cubit there was a knot tied. It was used for measuring long distances.
 
In addition to that, you will notice in verse 3 he had a measuring reed. That was a shorter measure, used for measuring shorter distances.
 
With those measures in hand, Ezekiel is giving a description of this temple structure. It's unbelievable to read. You can absolutely get lost in details. I have read this humpteen times trying to understand it.
 
Look at chapter 40 and I'm going to point out some things to you and we'll move on quickly. In verse 5 he says, "Behold a wall."
 
There was a wall on the outside. Then down in verse 17 he says, "He brought me into the outward court." There was an outer court.
 
Then in verse 6 he talks about the eastern gate. In verse 20 the gate of the north. The gate outward that looks to the north.
 
In verse 27 you see a gate of the south. Down in verse 32 he talks about the inner court. He talks about chambers that are located all around these which evidently will be where the priests will dress and where worshipers will gather together for worship in this temple.
 
You move on over and in the 40th chapter, 42nd verse it talks about the four tables made out of hewn stone. In the corner of that wall there is a kitchen in every corner with tables in it. Those are the tables that will be used to prepare the sacrifices.
 
Here in this millennial temple there are going to be sacrifices. What does that mean? You will have to tune in two weeks from tonight and I'll tell you. I'm going to keep stringing you along.
 
You go on into the 41st chapter and in the first verse it goes to the temple proper. It starts describing that. Verse 2 describes the breadth of the door. In verse 6 it talks about side chambers. Verse 4 talks about the most holy place. The holy of holies. There
is going to be a holy of holies in that millennial temple.
 
But as you study this passage you will find that holy of holies is empty. There is no mercy seat in it. There is no ark of the covenant in it. It's empty. Why is it empty?
 
 
 
Move on to the 43rd chapter. As you move there, having looked briefly at the description of that temple structure, I am struck by the fact of some things that are not there.
 
For one thing, those walls of separation that are in the other temples are not there. There was a court of the Gentiles. There was a wall. There was a court of the women. There was a wall. There was a court of the men. There was a wall. Those walls are not there anymore.
 
Ephesians 2, verse 14 says that the Lord Jesus Christ broke down the middle walls of petition. There is no court separating the women. Galatians 3, verse 28 says that in Christ there is neither male nor female. They are all one in Christ. That is, all have equal access and all have equal value to God.
 
Move over to chapter 43. Here's the second thing I want to lay out for you. This is where it really gets interesting.
 
II. The MANIFESTATION of the Temple Glory.
 
Something is going to happen in this temple. This thing is going to be built. I don't know how. There is going to be a holy of holies in it, but it will be empty. Then, in the 43rd chapter, Ezekiel sees this magnificent vision of the glory God.
 
Verse 1
 
If you look from the eastern gate you would see the Mount of Olives. Do you remember what happened on the Mount of Olives?
 
Back in the 11th chapter of Ezekiel, Ezekiel had a vision of the glory of the Lord departing. The last time Ezekiel saw the glory, the glory of the Lord was on the Mount of Olives and it left the earth from the Mount of Olives.
 
Now, God gives Ezekiel a vision of a millennial temple and he sees from the eastern gate (verse 2), "And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and his voice was like the noise of many waters: (it appealed to sound) and the earth shined with his glory (it appealed to sight).
 
Verse 4 - 5
 
That's a prediction of (cutting through a whole lot of stuff) the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth. In Acts 1:9, when Jesus departed from the mount of Olives and went up, the two angels in white apparel said, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven, this same Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go away into heaven."
 
They were saying “He's coming back to this very
mountain.” Zechariah 14, verse 4 says that his feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of Olives. He'll come right back to that Mount of Olives. Then, He'll come down that Mount of Olives, go right through that Eastern gate, and walk right into that temple into that holy of holies and the Lord Jesus Christ who is the incarnate glory of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, in all of His splendor, in all of His glory, will manifest Himself in that temple. Jesus Christ will rule and reign as king and priest on this earth.
 
 
Zechariah 6: 12 and 13 say, "And speak unto him saying, thus saith the Lord of host saying, behold the man whose name is the BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord."
 
Verse 13 says, "Even he shall build the temple of the
Lord, and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both." He's going to rule as king on the throne of David. He's going to rule as priest in the holy of holies in the temple.
 
The Bible says that the knowledge of the glory of the
Lord shall fill the earth as the waters fill the sea. The people, during the millennium the nations of the earth will come to that temple and learn some very important truths. The Jews, in this millennial temple, are going to learn some things they never understood.
 
You have the glory coming back.
 
Verse 7 of Ezekiel 43 says, "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." 
 
When He enthrones himself in the temple he just simple says it's where the soles of my feet are going to be.
 
Why is it that this temple and where Christ reigns in that temple is just going to be called the place where the soles of his feet will be?
 
When Solomon dedicated his temple and prayed that marvelous prayer, recognizing that God would manifest Himself in glory in that temple, he understood that God is so great that no one place can contain Him.
 
In Second Chronicles 6, Solomon prayed and said, "Heaven of heavens cannot contain thee." All the temple is just a place where he puts His feet. Our God is a big God. He's a great God. You can't confine
God to a little building or a big building for that matter. The whole universe can't contain our God.
 
III. The INTENTION of the Temple Vision.
 
Why did God give this vision of the temple? Here it
is.
 
Ezekiel 43: 10
 
One of the reasons God gave this vision of the temple is to make the people aware of their own sinfulness that Israel might see their sinfulness in having turned away from the Lord.
 
Verse 11-12
 
He is saying that the purpose of this temple is that we might see our sinfulness and our need of Jesus and might see God' marvelous holiness which caused Him to send Jesus to be our Savior.
 
Go back to chapter 40 and look at verse 4. Here's the second intention or reason why God gave this vision. ". . .Behold with thine eyes." Ezekiel, with your eyes, I want you to see the form of this temple. "Hear with your ears."
Ezekiel, hear the explanation of this temple with your ears. "Set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee." With your heart I want you to meditate and follow the truth of this temple.
 
It is important to see the Word. It is important to hear the Word. But it is even more important to get the Word in your heart. It's possible to get all kinds of facts about the Bible. You can have your head full of Bible facts, but you have to get it into your heart. That's where the life is changed.
 
The final thing he said was this. "For to the intent that I might show them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel." 
 
He is saying, with your eyes I want you to see the form of it. With your ears I want you to hear the explanation of it. With your heart I want you to meditate upon the truth of it. With your mouth I want you to share the message of it.
 
The reasons we study the Bible and the reason we study Bible prophecy is not so we will walk around being real smart. The purpose of it all is to make us witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ. To send us out to tell the story of Jesus to those who have not heard.