In these final nine chapters, God gives Ezekiel a dramatic vision, in which Ezekiel is transported on a spiritual guided tour – picture a “virtual tour” in today’s technology with the special glasses. But trust me; this was far more spectacular to Ezekiel than any video game can be to us today!
There are 260 verses in this passage, and in one sense, every verse could be classified as unity with God. It contains astonishing detail, describing to the exiles in Babylon God’s ideal temple. The thought was to replace Solomon’s temple that was destroyed by God in great anger. We recall, of course, because of Israel’s utter temptation, disobedience, and disunity in worshiping idols inside the temple and totally profaning the house of God.
But in another sense, there is a second perspective, tipped off by: 1) the use of past tense verbs describing what Ezekiel “saw” on his spiritual guided tour; and 2) the appearance of what we may call 128 “commands” driven by imperative verbs. These are nearly half of the entire passage.
Yet in the context of our “If My People” theme, are all these references to unity with God and commands applicable in any way to our hypothesis relating to a disunited church of Jesus or America? This passage has challenged me like no other.
Thankfully, my trusty commentary comes to the rescue, suggesting that a vision of God is certainly experienced in unity with God, but it does not provide commands for unity with God. This passage is a vision of God for a symbolic, ideal temple for the Jews sometime in the future. And its “commands” are for encouragement of the exiles – things they shall do one day to not profane his sanctuary:
“So this ideal temple is made in the absence of the outward temple to serve … the same purpose of symbolical instruction as the old literal temple did by forms and acts. As in the beginning God promised to be a “sanctuary” (Ezekiel 11:16) to the [exiles], so now at the close [of Ezekiel] is promised a complete restoration … under Messiah in its noblest ideal (compare Jeremiah 31:38–40). In Rev 21:22 ‘no temple’ is seen…”[1] (italics and brackets mine).
Follow this closely:
”…Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone” (Ezekiel 11:16, ESV).
God is the sanctuary, not a building, no matter how ornate!
“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb…nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:22, 27).
The temple described so symbolically in Ezekiel is the Lord Jesus Christ and no other! Until he returns, his Holy Spirit abides within each of us who believe. The temple is the Trinity!
“And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory” (Ezekiel 43:2).
This is all we really need to know amid this forest of visions, unity with God, and commands, whether vision or reality.
We shall see the Lord and the Lamb as long as we unblock the flow of the Spirit with sincere repentance..
[1] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 614). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
There are 260 verses in this passage, and in one sense, every verse could be classified as unity with God. It contains astonishing detail, describing to the exiles in Babylon God’s ideal temple. The thought was to replace Solomon’s temple that was destroyed by God in great anger. We recall, of course, because of Israel’s utter temptation, disobedience, and disunity in worshiping idols inside the temple and totally profaning the house of God.
But in another sense, there is a second perspective, tipped off by: 1) the use of past tense verbs describing what Ezekiel “saw” on his spiritual guided tour; and 2) the appearance of what we may call 128 “commands” driven by imperative verbs. These are nearly half of the entire passage.
Yet in the context of our “If My People” theme, are all these references to unity with God and commands applicable in any way to our hypothesis relating to a disunited church of Jesus or America? This passage has challenged me like no other.
Thankfully, my trusty commentary comes to the rescue, suggesting that a vision of God is certainly experienced in unity with God, but it does not provide commands for unity with God. This passage is a vision of God for a symbolic, ideal temple for the Jews sometime in the future. And its “commands” are for encouragement of the exiles – things they shall do one day to not profane his sanctuary:
“So this ideal temple is made in the absence of the outward temple to serve … the same purpose of symbolical instruction as the old literal temple did by forms and acts. As in the beginning God promised to be a “sanctuary” (Ezekiel 11:16) to the [exiles], so now at the close [of Ezekiel] is promised a complete restoration … under Messiah in its noblest ideal (compare Jeremiah 31:38–40). In Rev 21:22 ‘no temple’ is seen…”[1] (italics and brackets mine).
Follow this closely:
”…Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone” (Ezekiel 11:16, ESV).
God is the sanctuary, not a building, no matter how ornate!
“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb…nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:22, 27).
The temple described so symbolically in Ezekiel is the Lord Jesus Christ and no other! Until he returns, his Holy Spirit abides within each of us who believe. The temple is the Trinity!
“And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory” (Ezekiel 43:2).
This is all we really need to know amid this forest of visions, unity with God, and commands, whether vision or reality.
We shall see the Lord and the Lamb as long as we unblock the flow of the Spirit with sincere repentance..
[1] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 614). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
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