Ezekiel 40: Theories of Ezekiel's Temple | Pastor Roger Jimenez, VBC

and amen all right well we're there and ezekiel chapter number 40 and we are back in ezekiel and hopefully we'll be done with ezekiel here soon and we are really towards the end of the book this book has 48 chapters and we are starting chapter 40 and in this in this chapter as we've been going to the book of ezekiel I've kind of been explained to you how the book is divided into different sections and you begin a new vision you begin a new section well here in chapter 48 we are beginning a new vision which takes us through the end of the book chapters 40 through 48 our one vision there one section of this book and this vision deals primarily with a vision the city of Jerusalem and the temple and here's what's interesting about the Book of Ezekiel the book of Ezekiel's been a very interesting book as we've been studying it and learning about it what's interesting is that this passage this this this section we're getting into verses 4 chapters 40 through 48 are probably the most debated and most controversial chapters in the entire Book of Ezekiel there is much debate as to what it is exactly that Ezekiel is seeing in this vision so what we're gonna do and today is kind of an introduction to that we're gonna spend the next several weeks going through these chapters and looking at the major theories in regards to these chapters and specifically to Ezekiel's temple because what Ezekiel is seeing in Jerusalem and what he is describing is a temple and there's a lot of debate about this temple where does this temple fall in the chronology of God's Word and there are four major theories and I'm going to give them to you tonight and I'll tell you upfront we don't agree with any of them or believe in any of them and what we're gonna do over the next several weeks is we're gonna look at each theory and show you from this passage why they don't apply and then at the end not the end of the sermon tonight at the end of the four weeks when we're not the fifth week of this section I'll give you kind of my thoughts in regards to this passage of Scripture and a working theory and regards to Ezekiel 40 and 48 so here's what we're gonna do here's what we do tonight and who's we're gonna do for the next several weeks when we come to these chapters because here's the here's the truth and we're going to go through it but it's hard to preach through these chapters just verse by verse because there's just a lot of description and explanation a lot of measurements a lot of just giving you details about this temple and the area outside of the temple so what we're gonna do tonight and what we'll do for the next several weeks is we're gonna go through three different phases in each one of these chapters I don't know if I'll preach as long as I normally do these chapters or maybe it'll be less maybe more I'm not sure but here's what we're gonna do I'm gonna give you a basic outline for the chapter and then I'm gonna deal with the theories so tonight I'm gonna give you all four theories I'm gonna explain them to you and then starting next week we'll take one theory each week and we'll dismantle those theories and show you why it is that this these chapters those theories don't apply to these chapters and then like I said the fifth week I'll give you my thoughts and my theory and then we'll end by giving you some sort of practical application from this chapter because you know a lot of times people will skip these chapters 40 through 48 and they'll say that this doesn't isn't something that's profitable but the Bible says that all Scripture is profitable the Bible says we can learn from all the Bible and that we can gather from all the Bible so let's begin tonight I'm just gonna go through the chapter and give you a basic outline if you'd like to write some of these things down that would be good we begin this chapter with a tour and if you remember as we've been studying The Book of Ezekiel this is what we see a lot especially when we were in chapters 8 through 11 remember we had that great vision where Ezekiel was caught up and take it because remember he's in Babylon he's in captivity and Ezekiel was taken remember he the Bible says that he was pulled up by his locks of his hair and he was taken to Jerusalem in a vision and he got a tour of the temple I don't know if you remember that when we were in Ezekiel chapter 8 through chapter 11 but we went through that tour of the temple and that was a bad tour that was a negative tour it was a tour of all the evils that were doing and if you remember that tour ended with the glory of the Lord departing from the temple there in Jerusalem here in two-forty we see ezekiel begin a tour of another temple now you're there in ezekiel 40 look everyone notice what the Bible says in the five and twentieth year of our captivity in the beginning of the year in the tenth day of the month in the fourteenth year after the city was smitten in the self-same day so in the same day that Jerusalem was smitten and that and that nebuchadnezzar began to take over the city of Jerusalem the Bible says that the hand of the Lord was upon me and brought me hither so notice we begin this tour and he begins to travel towards the city of Jerusalem notice verse two in the visions of God now remember that's how he started a lot of these visions he saw he talked about the visions of God when he saw the cherubims coming from heaven and the throne of God coming down he says in the visions of God brahimi into the Land of Israel and set me upon a very high mountain by which was as the frame of a city on the south so he's in Babylon and in this vision he is carried and he is set unto this high mountain by which was as the frame of the city on the south so he said he's able to see the city there and he's on this high mountain now what is this mountain keeper place her in Ezekiel 40s our text for tonight go to 2nd chronicles chapter 3 and look at verse 1 if you can find the one in two books in the Old Testament they're all closer together first second Samuel first second Kings for a second Chronicles second chronicles chapter three and look at verse number one second chronicles chapter three and verse number one the Bible says this then solomon began to build the house and i want you to notice that phrase there the house this is referring to the temple that solomon is going to build but the temple was often referred to as the house because it was the house of God is the house of Lord notice then solomon began to build the house of the lord at jerusalem notice where he built the house of the lord at jerusalem it says in mount moriah where the Lord appeared unto David his father in the place that Dave had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite so if you remember when David counted the people and he wasn't supposed to and God gave him options as to what kind of punishment he could receive and he ended up having the punishment where the angel of the Lord was killing the people of Jerusalem and remember David went up he went up to the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite and that was on mount moriah remember he was offered he was given the cattle to sacrifice to God and he said hey I'm not gonna sacrifice from that which cost me nothing and he paid for it and he gave that sacrifice and remember the the Bible says that the angled Lord was stayed there and that the plague ended there and right there on that mountain Mount Moriah is where Solomon built the temple of the Lord and Mount Moriah is a very it's a crucial place not only was it because that's where David stopped the plague but if you remember Moriah was also where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac so this is a mountain in Jerusalem and it's a mountain range or several mountains but this one Mountain Mount Moriah is where the temple was built so when we read in Ezekiel 40 that he was taken to this high mountain it is assumed by most people that he is referring to Mount Moriah it was interesting because during the conference we had a couple that comes to a conference every year every year years probably no brother Lauren and Amy they're from Vancouver British Columbia they just had their baby they named their baby Moriah because they'd heard me preach the sermon about Mount Moriah and they really liked it or something like that so it's kind of it just interesting you know Mount Moriah is mentioned here it's this high mountain go back to Ezekiel 40 and look at verse number 3 so Ezekiel is taken from Babylon and he's brought to this high mountain and we assume it's Mount Moriah where the temple of the Lord is and where he can see the frame of the city and notice not only is he taken easy does he travel to the city of Jerusalem and to where the temple lays the but he also receives a tour guide notice verse 3 and he brought me hither and behold there was a man whose parents was like I want you to notice these words whose appearance was like the appearance of brass now brass is an alloy of copper and zinc it's a metal and the Bible says that he had there was this man but he had the appearance of brass with a line of flax in his hand and a measuring Reed and he stood in the gate so I want you to notice that there's this man that shows up this guy's gonna serve as his tour guide and this man has these tools in his hands that are meant to measure and I noticed one is a line of flax and the light of flax would be like a rope or a string in our modern you know way of thinking we might think of this like a measuring tape where it's kind of like a flexible type of rope that has some sort of way to measure it so he has a line of flax but then in his hand the Bible says but he also has a measuring Reed this would be more like a solid rod you and I would think more of like a ruler or a yardstick so he has these tools to be able to measure width and he stood in the gate now here's what's interesting throughout the Bible we see these kind of angelic or you know a heavenly type of tour guides that show up and it's interesting because they're often described the same here we're told in his eco 40 in verse 3 that there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of brass he said when I looked at him he looks like this metal he looks like this alloy of copper and zinc he looks like this shiny metal is what he looked like now you're there in Ezekiel again that's our text for tonight keep your place there but go up in the Book of Daniel just one book over if you're an easy co the next book over is Daniel Daniel chapter 10 and let me show you a similar man who appears to Daniel when daniel has some sort of like a heavenly hour angelic type being that shows up to him Daniel chapter 10 look in verse 5 just the next book over Daniel chapter 10 in verse 5 notice what the Bible says then I lifted up mine eyes and looked and behold a certain man so this is Daniel and he's looking up he's been fasting and praying and he sees this certain man notice what it says clothing linen whose loins were girded with fine gold oof Oz notice verse six his body was like the barrel now barrel is a mineral that is used as a gemstone so he says his body was like this gemstone he gives us a little more description than his ego does he says and his face as the appearance of lightning so he said his face shone like lightning shines notice and his eyes as lamps of fire so he said you look into his eye and it just looked like fire was burning in his eyes and notice what it says and his arms and his feet like in color to knows what says polished brass and the voice of his words was like the voice of a multitude so he says that his arms and his feet were like polished brass and then when he spoke he said it was like the voice of a multitude meaning that when he spoke it was like many voices speaking all at the same time and I'm not really sure what that means III think they were all saying the same thing but it just sounded like when he opened his voice not like one person was speaking but like several voices speaking the same thing here's what's interesting go to Revelation chapter 1 when John is exiled in the Isle of Patmos and he has the vision of the book of Revelation the Lord Jesus Christ now I'm not saying that the person appears in Daniel or Ezekiel is Jesus I think those are probably just angels or some sort of angelic beings that show up but in Revelation chapter 1 we're told that the Lord Jesus Christ appears to John and the Isle of Patmos and John gives us a description and notice a description that John gives revelation chapter 1 should be fairly easy to find last book in the New Testament first chapter in that book revelation 1 verse 12 this was John speaking he says and I turned to see the voice to speak with me because he just heard a voice saying I am Alpha and Omega the beginning in the ending save the Lord you know he says I'm off and obey at first a lot he says a night urges the voices make with me and being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks and in the midst of the seven candlesticks notice what he says one like unto the Son of man so he knows as Jesus because Jesus is the son of man he's referred to as the Son of Man throughout the Gospels he says one like - the son of man clothed with a garment down to the foot and Girt about the paps with a golden girdle so he's got clothing that goes down to the foot and he's got a belt on is what that means notice it was 14 and his head and his hair were white like wool so he's given us again more descriptions and then both Daniel and Ezekiel did he says in his head in his hairs were white like wool as white as snow notice how this is similar though to Daniel he and his eyes were as a flame of fire remember Daniel said that his eyes as lamps of fire so he said his eyes were as a flame of fire notice this is similar to what Daniel said and what Ezekiel said verse 15 and his feet like unto fine brass as if they burned in a furnace and his voice is the sound of many waters and he had his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword and his countenance was as the sunshine it than his strength now notice in verse 16 it says and yet his right hand seven stars in out of his mouth went a sharp toward and his countenance I excused me that's not what I wanted verse fifteen at the end of verse 15 it says and his voice as the sound of many waters again in Daniel we're told that the voice of his words were like the voice of a multitude here we're told that his voice when he would talk it sounds like many waters you know like and again we're not really sure that means me like waves crashing against each other but there's something about their voices and here's what's interesting and and we look look we look through a glass darkly we don't understand the spiritual world and how that all works but it seems like a pretty consistent appearance and kind of shows you what probably our glorified bodies are going to look like when we're in heaven there probably would be described as brass and we're looking like the appearance of brass maybe having a hair that's white like wool and definitely having eyes that are like fire and this is a description that we are told you know there are these bright bodies these faces that shine like lightning and and and and of course when we start talking about this there's a lot of opinion and we don't really know a lot about what the Bible says I tend to think that this is what the glorified bodies will look like but I also think that these glory bodies have the ability to just kind of look like a normal person of course the Lord Jesus Christ when he was walking on this earth in his glorified body after his resurrection was not walking around with eyes that looked like fire and you know a face that looked like lightning but it's just an interesting idea that as we see these people kind of show up from heaven and they're doing these spiritual visions they're all kind of described the same way they've got the appearance of brass they have eyes that were as a flame of fire there's something about their voices that sound like many voices speaking or like many waters crashing together and it's just kind of an awe and impressive view of our glorified body this what Ezekiel saw he saw this tour guide that came to give him a tour of the temple now go back go back to his ego - up to 40 and I want you to notice that he begins to show him the temple and what we get is a very descriptive view of this temple in verse 5 he describes the wall well look verse 4 and the man said unto me son of man behold with mine eyes and hear with my ears I sent that heart upon all that I shall show thee for - the intent that I might show them unto thee art thou brought hither declare all that thou Sears to the house of Israel in verse 5 and behold a wall on the outside of the house I remember the house is referring to the temple he says there's the house the temple and hasn't become very clear that what Ezekiel is seeing is the temple and he says that there is a wall on the outside roundabout and in the man's hand a measuring Reed remember like a yardstick is what we would think and but but this measuring Reed was of six cubits right now in the Bible a cubit what the Bible refers to as a cubit would be the size of space between somebody's elbow and their hand that's what a cubit would be like obviously when you're talking about different sizes of people that cubit would be different on different people you know if you measured from my elbow to my hand it's gonna be a different measurement than if you measured pastor Aaron Thompson's hand right from the elbow to his head so but that's generally what's referred to and and and that's what a cubit was and they just kind of generally became standardized to what you and I would refer to as 18 inches so a cubit is generally seen as about a foot and a half and here we're told that this man had a measuring read of six cubits long but I want you to notice that there's something interesting about this cubit versus what we normally read of in regards to cubits in the Bible and I'm not going to get into it but we're going to talk about it later on in another sermon in Ezekiel but I want you to notice that he had these six cubits long notice what it says by the cubit and in hand Brett so generally in the Bible when you read of a cubit you're reading about 18 inches but here we're told that when you read of a cubit in these chapters he zico 40 through 48 he says you would add a hand breadth which was another way another measurement that you find throughout the Bible and generally when you're talking about a hand breadth you're talking about four inches so here's what he's saying when he was saying when I refer to a cubit on this temple I'm not talking about the regular standard 18-inch cubit they that we usually think about but he said I'm talking about that plus I'd hand breadth or when I refer to a cubit I'm talking about something that's more like 22 inches now here's why you need to know that is that because this temple is significantly bigger than any other temple that is built notice what it says there at the end of verse five so he measured the breath the breath of the ring to the width of the building one read so remember one read we're told and I don't want to we're not gonna go through and give you all the math for all this but but we'll do it a little bit but one read is six cubits now on a regular cubit one read would be about nine feet so he's got like a yardstick but instead of a yardstick that's three feet long he's got a yardstick that's nine feet long and if we take in account the hand Brett yes we're talking about an 11 foot yardstick or a reed that's 11 feet long by art Sanders and the high one week so he says he takes the width and it's just one reed which would be about you know normally nine feet if you're talking on an 18 inch cubit but if you add the hand breadth the four inches they talk about eleven feet and he says and the height is one reed as well notice in verse six he describes the gate then came he unto the gate which look at toward the east and and that East is important there because do you remember when the glory of the Lord departed from the temple it departed out of the east gate and Ezekiel is transferred back into this new temple and he begins at the east gate and went up the stairs thereof and measured the threshold the threshold is the doorway or the frame of the gate which was one reso again six cubits would normally be about nine feet if we're if we're adding a hand breadth to this these measurements probably be more like eleven feet broad meaning wide and the other threshold of the gate which was one Reed brought look at verse 7 and and verse 7 he begins to describe these little chambers these little rooms and every little chamber was one Reed long and one Reed broad and between the little chambers were five cubits so so remember the reed normally nine feet if we're adding the hand breadth it's about eleven feet he says that these little chambers were 11 feet wide and 11 he says that they were 11 feet long and 11 feet broad so we're talking about a room that's 11 feet by 11 feet and between the little chambers was five cubits so those five cubits wouldn't normally be about seven and a half feet if you add the hand breadth we're talking about more like eight foot 14 inches so he's telling us how big the rooms are he telling us how how these rooms are separated about how much they're separated by and the threshold of the gate by the ports of the gate was within one redeliver sake he measured also the porch of the gate within one Reed then measured he the porch of the gate eight cubits all right so again I'd be about 12 feet normally 14 feet and 8 inches if we're adding the 4 inches for a hand breadth and the post there of two cubits that would normally be about three feet if we're adding the hand brass that's probably more like 3 feet and 8 inches and the porch of the gate was inward and the little chambers of the gate eastward were 3 on this side and three on that side the the they three were of one measure and the post had one measure on this side and on that side in verses 11 through 15 he describes the entry of the gate he says and he measured the breadth and the entry of the gate 10 cubits in the length of the gate 13 cubits in the space of also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side and the space was one cubit on that side and the little chambers were six cubits on this side as six cubits on that side and he measured them the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another the breath was five to five and twenty cubits door against door and he made also post of threescore cubits even unto the post of the court round about the gate and from the face of the gate and the entrance into the Facebook port the inner gate were 50 cubits and again I'm not gonna go through and give you all the measurements but I want you to notice that is a very descriptive temple and it's very large temple he's giving these descriptions notice in verse 16 he describes the windows Luke verse 16 and there were narrow windows to the little chambers to their post within the gate roundabout and likewise to the arches he says these windows have arches and windows were roundabout inward and upon each post were palm trees so we've got these palm trees that are decorating these these windows and and that goes back to Solomon's Temple Solomon temple had palm trees that were decorating the windows as well verses 17 through 22 you read about the outward Court in verse 23 you read about the gate of the inner court in verses 24 through 31 you read about the south gate and I won't go through and read all that we already read it before the the service the sermon tonight but I want you to notice that he's just going through and he's describing this building for Ezekiel in verses 32 through 34 he describes the inner court towards the east and verses 35 through 37 he describes the north gate and I want you to notice in verse 38 he begins to describe these sacrifices notice verse 38 and the chambers and the entries thereof were by the post of the gate there's what it says where they wash the burnt offering so you need to understand that this temple has sacrifices that are being done in the temple verse day night and in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side and two tables on that side notice to slay thereon to kill these animals the burnt offering and the center offering and the trespass offering skip down to verse 41 for tables were on this side and four tables on that side by the side of the gate eight tables where upon knows what it says they slew their sacrifices notice there was 43 and within we're hooks and hand broad fast and roundabout and upon the tables was notice what it says the flash of the offering so we have animals that are being sacrificed animals that are being put to that and in this temple but no notice not only are the sacrifices mentioned but also the priests and I'm not going to go into all the detail about those sacrifices in the priests I'm I'm actually going to talk about that next week but I want you to notice that it's mentioned in this passage and in these chapters verse 45 and he said unto me this chamber whose prospect is toward the south is for the priests the keepers of the charge of the house and you say what kind of priests are they there's a Levitical priesthood verse 46 and the Chamber's whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests the keepers of the charge of the altar notice these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi which come near to the Lord to minister unto him so I want you to notice that this chapter chapter 40 it's just a description of this temple the rooms the windows decorations where you know where how everything is laid out and what is done in these rooms now here's what genes understand there's a lot of debate and confusion about this temple what is it exactly that Ezekiel is seeing when he sees this vision now what I'd like to do for a few moments is just give you the four theories the four major theories that people have in regards to this temple and I'm not gonna go into it I would take take all night to go through each one and debunk it that's why we're gonna do it over the next four weeks but I want to give you the four theories to just kind of be aware of them so you can understand what's going on here right so the first theory is that this temple that Ezekiel is describing is the temple of the millennial reign and it will happen during the millennial reign of Christ now I'm gonna talk about that next week when we're in chapter 40 but let me just tell you this this is the view of the dispensationalist dispensationalist we'll take these this view that the chapters 40 through 48 are describing a millennial reign temple now here's a problem with that the problem with that like we've read already is that there are Levitical priests and that they are performing sacrifices and here's what the dispensationalists will teach they'll teach that the sacrifices are making a comeback that after you know right now this is their teaching not mine please understand that but they'll say right now we're in the age of great so we're in the dispensation of grace but when we go back to the millennial when we go to the millennial reign the laws coming back the old testament law the old covenant is coming back and they teach that the that those sacrifices are gonna come back and that's how they kind of deal with this passage they'll say this is a future temple and you say well what about the sacrifices and they'll say well the sacrifices are making a comeback now there are those who are non dispensational but they lean towards dispensationalism and they'll they'll say this they'll say yes the sacrifices are making a comeback but the sacrifices are only ceremonial so this is what those say they'll say the sacrifices are ceremonial kind of like we take the Lord's Supper as New Testament believers that's how the sacrifices are gonna be now here's a problem with that the pro you know when people say like well the sacrifices are coming back I'm not a dispensationalist though so I don't believe the sacrifices are coming back or there's anything to those sacrifices they're just ceremonial here's a problem you know what that means because there's a problem with that the problem with that the sacrifices were always ceremonial they could never atone for sin they could never save anybody they were always a shadow of things to come so those things oh the sacrifices are coming back but there's ceremonies like they've always been ceremonial but that's that's that's a view a view and we'll talk about that view next week I don't ascribe to that view I'll let you know that right now and I'll prove to you from the Bible why we don't ascribe to that but a view of this Ezekiel sample is that it's the Temple of the millennial reign during the reign of Christ and during the reign of Christ the Levitical priesthood and those sacrifices are making a comeback the second major theory of this temple is that this temple chapters 42 to 48 is symbolic it's simply symbolic it's not meant to be taken literally it's not a literal temple it is symbolic and and again I I don't ascribe to that view I don't think this is a Moloch temple I'll show you from the Bible why I don't believe that but I will say this these people who believe that this is simply symbolic you know I think there are hearts in the right place and you know these people they don't believe that the sacrifices are coming back they don't believe that the sacrifices are making a comeback and that the Levitical priesthood is making a comeback but they also don't believe that this temple has already been built or has already happened so they'll say yes it is describing a future temple in in the end times or the millennial reign but it's all symbolic none of it is literal it's just meant to be something that we can kind of just learn lessons from and apply and again I think their hearts in the right place I will say that there are there is symbolism that we can take from these chapters but I don't ascribe to that theory either and when we're in chapter 41 I'll explain to you why the third theory for Ezekiel's vision of the temple is that this is Ezra and Giroux bubble's temple now if you remember Ezekiel is in the captivity right now he is under captivity in Babylon but the captives are going to come back to the land after 70 years Cyrus releases them and takes them back to the land that's where you have your books of Nehemiah Esther that's where you have some of the Minor Prophets that's where Nehemiah goes back and rebuilds a wall that's where Ezra goes back and rebuilds a temple and tore through bevelle helps rebuild the temple and people will look at these chapters chapters 40 through 48 and they'll say well this is Ezra temple this is saruba bulls temple now this is a great way to not have to answer the sacrifice question because if you can put this temple in the Old Testament under the time of Ezra Nehemiah then you say yeah that's why there's a little priest there that's why they're sacrifices there you know it all makes sense here's a problem with that is that and we'll look at it when we're in chapter 42 we'll go into detail and we'll compare the temples and I'll show you why this is not in my opinion Ezra and Giroux goes temple but here's the problem with that if you take the theory that this is Ezra stemple this is a rooibos temple then you also have to admit that Ezra and Zerubbabel failed to bring this temple to pass because this temple this temple does not compare to the temple built by Ezra and Zuba well we'll talk about that when we're in chapter 42 here's the fourth the fourth theory the fourth theory is that this is a temple in the eternal State now what's often referred to the eternal state is a time after the millennial reign so just to give you a real quick rundown of Bible prophecy right now we are just living as New Testament believers we aren't living in the end but we're not necessarily the end times hasn't actually happened you know we're obviously drawing towards that and maybe there's events that already taking place but you know obviously the Antichrist has not been revealed yet and things like that here's what's gonna happen we're gonna go through a time of tribulation where the Antichrist is gonna be revealed and he's gonna persecute Christians and believers after that we're gonna have the rapture the rapture does not happen before the tribulation but after the tribulation and once we are raptured then we're gonna have the wrath of God poured out upon the earth the problem with the pre-tribulation crowd is that they makes the wrath of God and the tribulation as one thing when it you study those things out of Scripture those are not the same thing at all so we'll have the tribulation or time of affliction or persecution of believers we'll have the rapture will have the wrath of God at the end of the wrath of God the Lord Jesus Christ revelation 19 will come down and a white horse to fight the Battle of Armageddon if you remember the last time we're in Ezekiel we talked about the things that lead us into the millennial reign is the Battle of Armageddon and then we've got the judgment seat of Christ once that takes place we'll have a thousand year reign of Christ I'm not gonna reap reach the last sermon I preached on this but he remembers Satan is bound for a thousand years we reign with Christ for a thousand years were rewarded based on the things we did for Christ during our lives at the end the millennial reign Satan is loosed and he goes and deceives the nation's you've got the Battle of Gog and Magog and then you've got the great white throne after the great white throne you have the new heaven and the new earth come down all unbelievers have now been judged and they've been cast into the lake of fire and when the new heaven and new words come down that's what's referred to as the eternal state meaning there are no human beings there because they're in the millennial reign we'll be in our glorified bodies right we'll be in our bodies that look like brass right and that sound like multiple voices or waters rushing but there's still going to be human beings living on the earth during that time but after the great white throne then the new heaven and the earth up here and then we're in the eternal state everyone is either in heaven or in hell there are no human beings and in that eternal state some people will say this is what Ezekiel is looking at when he's looking at this temple in verses 40 and 48 he was looking at a temple that comes down with the new heaven and new earth during the eternal state now let me say this there are some similarities to some of the things that happen during that are described during the new heaven new earth that are also described in these chapters but there is one big major discrepancy that we'll look at when we are in chapter 43 of these of this section of Ezekiel and here's what we'll do after we've gone through spent four weeks this mantle each one of these theories then I will give you my thoughts when we're in chapter 44 I'll give you my thoughts as to what it is that we are seeing here in Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48 now let me just end tonight by giving you one practical application because I was just kind of a lot of talk and a lot of theory and a lot of things and you may not remember that but if you're if you're if you haven't been paying attention or if you're kind of tuned out tune back in for a moment let me give you one thought because it's always good to end with a practical application you're there in Ezekiel 40 look at verse number four don't you notice what Ezekiel is told in verse four as he begins this vision he's about to be given the Word of God that's what he's gonna see the Word of God is going to be revealed to Ezekiel and here's what he's told in regards to dealing with the Word of God he's Iko 40 verse 4 and the man said unto me son of man and notice he tells him four things he says behold with thine eyes he says I'm about to reveal to you the Word of God and I want you to open your eyes and behold with thine eyes and here's number two here with 9 years he said I'm about to reveal to you the Word of God this is going to be written down this is going to be a substantial part of the book that you're gonna write that scripture and he says when we're going through this information when you're watching these things happen when I'm giving you this tour he said I want you to be whole with that eyes I want you to hear with thine ears and nose what he says number three set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee is that I want you to behold with your eyes I want you to hear with your ears I want you to set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee you say why for to the intent that I might show them unto thee art thou brought either he said here's the reason here's the purpose here's why I brought you here here's what I want you to behold with your eyes hear with your ears and set line heart upon all that I show you he says number four notice what he says yeah well look at he says four to the intent that I might show them unto the art thou brought hither and he says this he's wrong to do that number four declare all that thou see is to the house of Israel and you know the the steps that he's given here in regards to dealing with the Word of God these are not unique to Ezekiel in fact you and I have been commanded to do the exact same thing we've been told to do the same thing with the Word of God and let me tell you something your Christian life is based and the success of your Christian life is based on what you do with this book what you do with the Word of God you say well what should I do with the Word of God I think you have to turn to these I'll just read this for you or quote this for you psalm 119 18 says this open now mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law every day when I open up my Bible I try to pray that verse as a prayer and I'll say Lord open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law you know that the success of your Christian life is dependent on whether you open your eyes and behold wondrous things out of God's law and Ezekiel's told he's told hey behold with thine eyes and someone I didn't says he says open now mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law then he's told here where thine ears you not to turn there Romans 10:17 says so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God so look it's not just enough to see it you also have to hear it that's what you're doing tonight you're in the house of God and you've been hearing the Word of God he says look open now mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of the law he says so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God then he says he says here with nine years many he says number three set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee psalm 119:11 it says thy word have I hid in my heart and I might not sin against thee and this is what God says is what God tells us to do with God's work we ought to open our eyes we ought to open our ears and we ought to put it down in our hearts you say well why for what reason that you may declare all that thou see is to the house of Israel this is what Paul said he said in for me that utterance may be given unto me then I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel he says look I'm an ambassador he says for which I am an ambassador there in that I may speak boldly as I ought to speak you say what is it that you and I are supposed to be doing as Christians were supposed to be doing we're supposed to be taking this Bible everyday taking this Bible everyday opening it up and opening our eyes and asking God open now mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law and then we're supposed to be hearing what God tells us from this book whether it's through your personal Bible reading or through listening of preaching and then we're supposed to take those things and put them in our heart and internalize them and take ownership of them he says thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee and then we are to declare those things to people and look here's what you need to understand here's we ain't again this is the Christian life your Christian life the success of your Christian life is determined please understand this it is not determined by what conferences you go to it is not determined by what preaching you listen to it the success of your Christian life will be determined on what you do with this book you say pastor you know I kind of noticed that seems like the attendance is kind of low you know and here's the thing we have people out of town you know the Taylor's out of town honestly it was my idea for them to go home on it that I'm the one who set them out of town so so I'm not I'm not blaming and we and we've got people sick right now literally people throwing up you know what if you're throwing up I'm glad you don't come to church okay alright so I'm not I'm not saying this to mock anyone or hurt anybody I get it we've got people's sake we've got people out of town it's summer I get that but you know what I've noticed over the last four years is that you can't have a big event you know you say pastor were you expecting a small crowd I expect a small crowd every Wednesday after the refugee conference you say why is that because that's what it's always been and I'm not mad at anybody who you I get it people are saying I'm not I'm not saying this to to point anybody out I'm just saying this every year we've had the read operation conference the Wednesday after that operation conference there's a low attendance I get it you know you know why I hate baby showers so much because for some reason my wife can throw an awesome baby shower the 50 women here on a Saturday and then half them won't come back on Sunday I'm not mad at you have you done that I'm just I'm just telling you that's the reality of the world we live in there's only so much people can take I get that you know you have this huge ladies tea and then half of them don't come back understanding we have this huge ladies Christmas party and then have the million we have this that's what you say is that why you don't do activities for men exactly you know and here's all I'm telling you though be careful be careful that you don't become one of these spiritual adrenaline junkies because here's the honest truth and I'm not trying to be mean or ugly and I hope my spirit comes off in the right way but I will tell you this I am just as happy and just as excited to be here on a Wednesday night with a lower crowd as I was on Thursday night with this place packed out you say why because your Christian life is not based on these high peaks and these conferences and these protests and these of a look oh that's great but you know what you should do on Monday after a major conference open up your Bible and read same thing you should do tomorrow same thing you should do Friday same thing you say why because the Christian life the Christian life is not lived off high peaks and low peaks and hype leaks and loping and literally it scares me it scares me people people go on these missions trip and they go to the Philippines and they go to Africa and then they're like so excited we have some people then they come back and they're like honey I want to do Solway people who literally quit soul-winning and I think to myself and you should have just never gone on that missions trip there's some people that probably should not have came to the red-hot preaching conference because your life is not lived you say how do I live my Christian life here's how you live your Christian life you wake up tomorrow morning you open up this book and you say open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law and then you open your ears and you're like God speak to you and then you put that down in your heart and then you declare those things to a lost and dying world and you have fun when things are fun and you just stay faithful when they're not because that's the Christian life that's the Christian life open your eyes open your ears yeah yeah it's Wednesday night he's iike 40 nothing like the readout you know anytime the Bible is opened open your eyes open your ears put it down in your heart and teach it to other declare the words that you learned let's bow our heads and have a word of Prayer how many Father Lord we love you Lord and we thank you for lying us to be able to open up God's Word and study the Bible and what I realized and I hope nobody takes this the wrong way I get it people are sick throwing up I understand and that's not the purpose of me bringing that up though but I do want us to just make sure that we are just consistent we're consistent people that we are consistent when things are fun and that we are consistent when they're not so much fun and that we just walk with you and that we're always opening the Bible reading the Bible understanding the Bible listening to preaching being excited to serve you because this is what life's about this is what the Christian life is about opening our eyes opening our ears putting it down in our hearts and then ministering to others we love you and the matchless name of Christ we pray amen

Channel: Verity Baptist Church

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Id: N72b070E_fc

Length: 45min 48sec (2748 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 24 2019