Ezekiel 40

Well, but hold on a second.

Ezekiel talks about, and I can't remember what chapter it was, but he talks about something happening at the beginning of the year at Rosh Hashanah.

Yes.

Like there is a verse in Ezekiel that says that.

and i don't know i know what the what you're talking about i would venture uh a guess that it's not talking about the seventh month he's talking about the first month but i'd have to look at the verse before i can clarify that

yeah yeah i mean the

Pardon me? I have the verse.

Okay, let's read it.

They'll say, see, it's there in the Tanakh in Ezekiel chapter 40 verse one, which is why you need an oral law because the Torah, the written Torah didn't tell us that.

Read Ezekiel 40 verse one, Linnell.

So Ezekiel 41, in the 25th year of our exile, the 14th year after the city had fallen.

I mean, the city of

Yes.

That's correct.

Somebody asked about Ezekiel 40 verse 1, Rosh Hashanah.

Isn't that great? That's wonderful.

There's the establishment of the millennial temple, the tabernacle of David.

According to Ezekiel 40 through 48 is the millennial temple destroyed.

We're not quite sure, and we're gonna talk about this towards the end, but we're not quite sure if that temple described in Ezekiel 14 and 48 is the same as the tabernacle of David, which is referenced throughout the scripture.

There's the marriage supper of the lamb in Revelation 19, 9.

If you remember that scene, David, was going up and he stopped at the threshing floor of Ornan to offer sacrifices there.

Now, how did he offer those? There had to be some altar or tabernacle or something he was offering them there for, but he could not get to the tabernacle of Moses because there was a judgment going on in Israel and the angel of the Lord was before him with this sword drawn and he wouldn't let him pass.

And so the tabernacle of David, now is the tabernacle of David, if you read Ezekiel 40 through 48 through at the end of Ezekiel, those last eight or nine chapters, when you read through those, God gives all of these details, dimensions and the layout and everything of the millennial temple.

Now, these verses we just went through, those are it that referenced the tabernacle of David in the entire Bible.

From early on, Israel's prophets promised a dwelling of God on a far greater scale.

Ezekiel 40, 48, chapters 40 through to 48, after the first temple had been destroyed and the people exiled out of the land of Israel, Ezekiel was given an image.

An image of an immense temple, a life-giving river, healed lands and a city named the Lord is there.

This vision is not just looking back on the hope that their previous religious building would be reconstructed.

You see the enemy forces challenge Yahweh's salvific work on his people's behalf from Exodus 14, but also Ezekiel 38.

You see Yahweh appear on this high mountain in Exodus 19, but also Ezekiel 40.

You see Yahweh provided for his residence among his people in Exodus 25 through 40, but also then Ezekiel 40 through 43 talks about Yahweh's provision.

And then Yahweh prescribes the appropriate response to his grace.

He does that in the book of Leviticus in his worship.

And then some people see it both ways.

So...

When those interpretations, when they're looking at it, whether it's literal or metaphorical, a lot of it kind of has to do with what you think actually happens in Ezekiel 40 to 48.

You and I are like little bricks in this ultimate temple, and God's presence is residing within us collectively.

And I think that's what we should be thinking about when we're reading Ezekiel 40-48, because God came to take up residence in this new temple, and that's what happened at Pentecost.

That's what continues to happen as people around the world put their faith in Christ and the Holy Spirit takes up residence in them.

And globally, the church grows and grows, and that temple becomes bigger and bigger as bricks are added, but the Lord is dwelling within us all, all the same.

For you to also understand this clearly, when you also read Ezekiel chapter 40.

Ezekiel 40 spoke about the mountain.

He said the top of the mountain shall be called the most holy.

Isaiah, Ezekiel 40.

I just wanted to just throw a little label on that aspect this morning.

Sorry, I said Isaiah,

Ezekiel.

I made a mistake.

Today we continue with Ezekiel's vision tour of a new temple design, but instead of the whole place being empty, today we get to see it being filled with people and their jobs, and even with Yahweh Himself.

But before we jump in, just a reminder that this section of scripture, Ezekiel 40 through 48, is one of the most challenging for commentators, so take it easy on yourself if you're having a hard time with this.

Even Bible scholars find it difficult.

And take it easy on me if we happen to disagree on any points.

I'm Tara-Leigh Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap.

[upbeat music] Buckle up, we've got three days of descriptions of Ezekiel's temple vision.

But guess what? You've already got one day under your belt.

You're almost halfway through.

We made it through five chapters of blueprints for the first temple back in Exodus, plus 18 more chapters of the descriptions of building and finishing it, so I'm confident we can tackle this too.

But before we spend another minute of these three days in this text, I want to give you a heads-up.

Ezekiel 40 through 48 is one of the most challenging sections of scripture in the whole Bible.

It's not as hard to read as it is to interpret.