Eze.40:28-49, Behold Jesus, the Center of the Temple (Temple Vision 3)

Ezekiel 40:28-49, Behold Jesus, the Center of the Temple (Temple Vision 3)

 The vision of the new temple in Ezekiel 40-48 was given 25 years after the Babylonian captivity. God had abandoned the temple due to the Israelites' sins(ch.10), but now promises to return, give them a new temple, and restore His kingdom. This gives the desperate exiles of Israel hope for restoration. Although they lack the temple building in their homeland of Jerusalem, they see the true temple because God exists. However, without God, the beautiful temple building is not the true temple. The text shows the inner courtyard of the new temple, its three gates(east gate, north gate, south gate), and the place where sacrifices are prepared. Jesus(?) measures the south gate, east gate, and north gate of the inner courtyard in turn. Each gate is the same size and structure. Near the north gate are the place for preparing sacrifices and rooms for the priests. The passage then shows the porch of the temple gate. We see several images of Jesus.

1. We see Jesus, the center of the temple and worship(John 2:19-21). *See the PPT image.
 This temple blueprint depicts the future temple, but it also shows Jesus Christ, the temple. Jesus came to this earth and said, "The kingdom of God is within you"(Luke17:21). Jesus is the new temple where God dwells and the one who establishes the kingdom of God on earth. Jesus refers to his body as a temple. He shows the restoration of this temple. John 2:19-21: "Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' The Jews then said, 'This [Herod's] temple was under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?' But Jesus was speaking of the temple of his body." He said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). Jesus himself is the true temple where God's presence dwells.
 These words remind us today of our lives as spiritual temples. Through Jesus Christ, we no longer rely on temples of stone. Today, the church, the body of Jesus, and the believers in Jesus, are the temple itself. We ourselves have become the temple of God. 1Cor.3:16, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Like the orderly temple in Ezekiel’s vision, our lives as Jesus’ disciples must be measured precisely by the ruler of God’s Word and move toward holiness.”
 However, the new temple was an empty one. There was no one in it. There were no offerings. The altar was empty. There were only walls, an outer court, an inner court, doors, and rooms. It’s like visiting a new house before moving in and finding it empty. Now, we will bring our belongings into it and fill it. We will place wardrobes, beds, curtains, tables, and chairs in every room.
 The temple Ezekiel saw was also an empty one. There was no glory of God, no priests, no sacrifices. Only an empty building stood. We must fill it with God, with His Word and grace. We must first seek His kingdom and His righteousness. As the temple, we too must free ourselves from our sinful hearts. We must empty ourselves and fill ourselves with God's word and grace. Then, other blessings will follow as a byproduct. We must also empty ourselves of worldly thoughts, habits, and lusts. It is useless to ask for grace and the word without emptying ourselves of the three great enemies of grace: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. May we all cast away all our worldly desires and be filled with God's grace and word.
*What is my temple like today? Have I emptied my heart of worldliness? Have I filled it with God's word and grace? Do I live with Jesus, the temple, as my Lord, my Savior, and my God?

2. Jesus, the Only Gate (28-37, John 10:9)
 Eze.40:28–37 details the various gates(south gate, east gate, north gate) in the inner courtyard of the temple and the measurements of their passageways. All the gates of the temple ultimately lead to the outer courtyard, the inner courtyard, and the sanctuary. This demonstrates that the paths into the temple were prepared in an orderly manner. Jesus said, He is the door to God, and at the same time, He distinguishes holiness. Jesus said, "I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved"(John 10:9). The complex gates and procedures in Ezekiel's vision were ultimately a shadow of the only perfect way to God, through Jesus Christ. The gates of the temple were the passageway to God's presence, and Jesus is now the only way to God. John 14:6: Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." *What does the fact that "Jesus is the only door to God" mean to my life today? Do I have faith that I can approach God only through Jesus, or am I seeking other ways, such as through money, my own power, the world, or people?
*Do I trust, accept, thank, and obey Jesus alone, the only door to salvation and the way to God?

3. It shows Jesus as the perfect burnt offering and sacrifice(38-43).
 40:38-43 mentions the burnt offering washing room, the slaughtering table, and the forks used for slaughtering. This is where the sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins were prepared. The area for preparing the burnt offering, the table for slaughtering the animals, and the forks used for slaughtering them represent the actual scene of sacrifice. "38.In the wall of the (north) gate was a chamber with a door, the chamber for washing the burnt offering. 39.In the vestibule of the gate were two tables on this side and two tables on that side, on which the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering were slaughtered. 40.Outside the north gate, as you go up to the entrance, there were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, in the vestibule of the gate. 41.There were four tables on this side of the gate, and four tables on that side—eight tables in all—on which sacrifices were slaughtered. 42.There were also four tables of hewn stone for burnt offerings, a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit high. The utensils with which the burnt offering and the sacrifice were slaughtered were placed on them. 43.Inside the vestibule were hooks, a handbreadth in length, set all around; and the flesh of the sacrifices was on the tables.”
 The Old Testament altar of burnt offering was where animals were sacrificed each time to cover sins. The center of the new temple is the altar of burnt offering. If you draw a diagonal line across the square design of the temple, the center is the altar of burnt offering. The most central figure in our lives as sinners is Jesus on the altar of burnt offering. This is because Jesus, our burnt offering, atoned for the sins of all people with a single, eternal sacrifice. Heb.10:10,12,14: “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all,” “But Christ, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,” and “By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
 The cross of Jesus is the spiritual altar of burnt offering. Jesus is the burnt offering, the sin offering, for the forgiveness of our sins. With one sacrifice, He became a perfect sacrifice forever. Through Jesus, all of our saints' sins and transgressions are forgiven. Thus, we are reconciled to God. Hallelujah, Amen.
 Restoring this relationship with God is impossible through worship without sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed his own body to become the perfect sacrifice of reconciliation. Let us all remember this and restore our worship with a life of gratitude. Rom.12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God—your spiritual worship.”
*Am I living in worship, prayer, the Word, and grace, thankful for the death of Jesus, the only burnt offering and sacrifice, on the cross?

Prayer: God, who showed me the vision of the temple, I desire to boldly approach You through Jesus, the gate of the temple. Please make my life a holy temple. Father God, I meditate on the vision of the new temple You showed Ezekiel. I envision the glory of Your kingdom, established according to Your holiness and order. I confess that Jesus is the only gate to God, the way of salvation, the truth, and the life. As we pass through the South Gate, East Gate, and North Gate and proceed toward God's presence, we believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the true temple, the only gate that leads us to God. Lord, thank You for allowing us to approach You in the name of Jesus. The open gate means that the kingdom of God has come among us. I believe that the kingdom is greater than any visible building, and that it transcends time and space, working even here and now.
 Passing the altar of burnt offering, we recall the cross of the Lord. We confess that we have received eternal and complete redemption through Jesus' one-time sacrifice, not through sacrifices offered by the blood of animals. May our hearts, cleansed by the blood of the Lord, now become God's temple, allowing us to worship Him in holiness. May God's good, pleasing, and perfect will be fulfilled. Lord, may the order of our lives, like Ezekiel's temple, reflect Your rule, and may our hearts and actions be worthy of Your holiness. Today, we praise the Lord who has enabled us to live in the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. May we become holy temples, dwelling in Your presence and fulfilling Your will. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.