The Millennial Temple

Ezekiel

The Millennial Temple

August 25th, 1985 @ 8:15 AM

Ezekiel 40-48

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 that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither. In the visions of God brought he me 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. And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate. And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel. And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and an hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed. Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east, and went up the stairs thereof, and measured the threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad; and the other threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad. And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad; and between the little chambers were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed. He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed. Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was inward. And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side. And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. The space 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, and six cubits on that side. He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another: the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door. He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate. And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits. And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and windows were round about inward: and upon each post were palm trees. Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, there were chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers were upon the pavement. And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement. Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred cubits eastward and northward. And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof. And the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof were before them. And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate toward the north, and toward the east; and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits. After that he brought me toward the south, and behold a gate toward the south: and he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures. And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them: and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof. And there was a gate in the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south an hundred cubits. And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures; And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad. And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad. And the arches thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it had eight steps. And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures. And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, were according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad. And the arches thereof were toward the outward court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps. And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it according to these measures; The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. And the posts thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps. And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering. And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering. And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the north gate, were two tables; and on the other side, which was at the porch of the gate, were two tables. Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew their sacrifices. And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt offering, of a cubit and an half long, and a cubit and an half broad, and one cubit high: whereupon also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offering and the sacrifice. And within were hooks, an hand broad, fastened round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering. And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south: one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north. 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 the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, which come near to the LORD to minister unto him. So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar that was before the house. And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side. The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; and he brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side. Afterward he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle. And the breadth of the door was ten cubits; and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits: and the breadth, twenty cubits. Then went he inward, and measured the post of the door, two cubits; and the door, six cubits; and the breadth of the door, seven cubits. So he measured the length thereof, twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and he said unto me, This is the most holy place. After he measured the wall of the house, six cubits; and the breadth of every side chamber, four cubits, round about the house on every side. And the side chambers were three, one over another, and thirty in order; and they entered into the wall which was of the house for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold, but they had not hold in the wall of the house. And there was an enlarging, and a winding about still upward to the side chambers: for the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house was still upward, and so increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst. I saw also the height of the house round about: the foundations of the side chambers were a full reed of six great cubits. The thickness of the wall, which was for the side chamber without, was five cubits: and that which was left was the place of the side chambers that were within. And between the chambers was the wideness of twenty cubits round about the house on every side. And the doors of the side chambers were toward the place that was left, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south: and the breadth of the place that was left was five cubits round about. Now the building that was before the separate place at the end toward the west was seventy cubits broad; and the wall of the building was five cubits thick round about, and the length thereof ninety cubits. So he measured the house, an hundred cubits long; and the separate place, and the building, with the walls thereof, an hundred cubits long; Also the breadth of the face of the house, and of the separate place toward the east, an hundred cubits. And he measured the length of the building over against the separate place which was behind it, and the galleries thereof on the one side and on the other side, an hundred cubits, with the inner temple, and the porches of the court; The door posts, and the narrow windows, and the galleries round about on their three stories, over against the door, cieled with wood round about, and from the ground up to the windows, and the windows were covered; To that above the door, even unto the inner house, and without, and by all the wall round about within and without, by measure. And it was made with cherubims and palm trees, so that a palm tree was between a cherub and a cherub; and every cherub had two faces; So that the face of a man was toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side: it was made through all the house round about. From the ground unto above the door were cherubims and palm trees made, and on the wall of the temple. The posts of the temple were squared, and the face of the sanctuary; the appearance of the one as the appearance of the other. The altar of wood was three cubits high, and the length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood: and he said unto me, This is the table that is before the LORD. And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. And the doors had two leaves apiece, two turning leaves; two leaves for the one door, and two leaves for the other door. And there were made on them, on the doors of the temple, cherubims and palm trees, like as were made upon the walls; and there were thick planks upon the face of the porch without. And there were narrow windows and palm trees on the one side and on the other side, on the sides of the porch, and upon the side chambers of the house, and thick planks. Then he brought me forth into the utter court, the way toward the north: and he brought me into the chamber that was over against the separate place, and which was before the building toward the north. Before the length of an hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits. Over against the twenty cubits which were for the inner court, and over against the pavement which was for the utter court, was gallery against gallery in three stories. And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north. Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building. For they were in three stories, but had not pillars as the pillars of the courts: therefore the building was straitened more than the lowest and the middlemost from the ground. And the wall that was without over against the chambers, toward the utter court on the forepart of the chambers, the length thereof was fifty cubits. For the length of the chambers that were in the utter court was fifty cubits: and, lo, before the temple were an hundred cubits. And from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the utter court. The chambers were in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, over against the separate place, and over against the building. And the way before them was like the appearance of the chambers which were toward the north, as long as they, and as broad as they: and all their goings out were both according to their fashions, and according to their doors. And according to the doors of the chambers that were toward the south was a door in the head of the way, even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one entereth into them. Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy. When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the utter court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are for the people. Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth toward the gate whose prospect is toward the east, and measured it round about. He measured the east side with the measuring reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about. He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about. He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed. He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place. Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house. And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. 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 for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places. In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger. Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever. Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house. And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar. And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower settle shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit. So the altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns. And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof. And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east. And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon. And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord GOD, a young bullock for a sin offering. And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about: thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it. Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary. And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock. When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish. And thou shalt offer them before the LORD, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the LORD. Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish. Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves. And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord GOD. Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same. Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD: and I fell upon my face. And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary. And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations. And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves. Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel. And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity. Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them. Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity. And they shall not come near unto me, to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed. But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein. But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD: They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge. And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat. And when they go forth into the utter court, even into the utter court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall not sanctify the people with their garments. Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads. Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court. Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before. And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths. And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves. And after he is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days. And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, unto the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering, saith the Lord GOD. And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance: and ye shall give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession. They shall eat the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; and every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. And the first of all the firstfruits of all things, and every oblation of all, of every sort of your oblations, shall be the priest's: ye shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thine house. The priests shall not eat of any thing that is dead of itself, or torn, whether it be fowl or beast. Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, ye shall offer an oblation unto the LORD, an holy portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about. Of this there shall be for the sanctuary five hundred in length, with five hundred in breadth, square round about; and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof. And of this measure shalt thou measure the length of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand: and in it shall be the sanctuary and the most holy place. The holy portion of the land shall be for the priests the ministers of the sanctuary, which shall come near to minister unto the LORD: and it shall be a place for their houses, and an holy place for the sanctuary. And the five and twenty thousand of length, and the ten thousand of breadth, shall also the Levites, the ministers of the house, have for themselves, for a possession for twenty chambers. And ye shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand broad, and five and twenty thousand long, over against the oblation of the holy portion: it shall be for the whole house of Israel. And a portion shall be for the prince on the one side and on the other side of the oblation of the holy portion, and of the possession of the city, before the oblation of the holy portion, and before the possession of the city, from the west side westward, and from the east side eastward: and the length shall be over against one of the portions, from the west border unto the east border. In the land shall be his possession in Israel: and my princes shall no more oppress my people; and the rest of the land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord GOD. Ye shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath. The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer. And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh. This is the oblation that ye shall offer; the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of wheat, and ye shall give the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of barley: Concerning the ordinance of oil, the bath of oil, ye shall offer the tenth part of a bath out of the cor, which is an homer of ten baths; for ten baths are an homer: And one lamb out of the flock, out of two hundred, out of the fat pastures of Israel; for a meat offering, and for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make reconciliation for them, saith the Lord GOD. All the people of the land shall give this oblation for the prince in Israel. And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the first month, in the first day of the month, thou shalt take a young bullock without blemish, and cleanse the sanctuary: And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering, and put it upon the posts of the house, and upon the four corners of the settle of the altar, and upon the posts of the gate of the inner court. And so thou shalt do the seventh day of the month for every one that erreth, and for him that is simple: so shall ye reconcile the house. In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. And upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin offering. And seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bullocks and seven rams without blemish daily the seven days; and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering. And he shall prepare a meat offering of an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and an hin of oil for an ephah. In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, shall he do the like in the feast of the seven days, according to the sin offering, according to the burnt offering, and according to the meat offering, and according to the oil. Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened. And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the LORD in the sabbaths and in the new moons. And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the LORD in the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish. And the meat offering shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meat offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah. And in the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram: they shall be without blemish. And he shall prepare a meat offering, an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs according as his hand shall attain unto, and an hin of oil to an ephah. And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof. But when the people of the land shall come before the LORD in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over against it. And the prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go in; and when they go forth, shall go forth. And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meat offering shall be an ephah to a bullock, and an ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as he is able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah. Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt offering or peace offerings voluntarily unto the LORD, one shall then open him the gate that looketh toward the east, and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, as he did on the sabbath day: then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate. Thou shalt daily prepare a burnt offering unto the LORD of a lamb of the first year without blemish: thou shalt prepare it every morning. And thou shalt prepare a meat offering for it every morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of an hin of oil, to temper with the fine flour; a meat offering continually by a perpetual ordinance unto the LORD. Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meat offering, and the oil, every morning for a continual burnt offering. Thus saith the Lord GOD; If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons'; it shall be their possession by inheritance. But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them. Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession. After he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the two sides westward. Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people. Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court. In the four corners of the court there were courts joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four corners were of one measure. And there was a row of building round about in them, round about them four, and it was made with boiling places under the rows round about. Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people. Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions. And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance. And this shall be the border of the land toward the north side, from the great sea, the way of Hethlon, as men go to Zedad; Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazarhatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran. And the border from the sea shall be Hazarenan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side. And the east side ye shall measure from Hauran, and from Damascus, and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. And this is the east side. And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward. The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side. So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD. Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan. And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher. And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali. And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh. And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim. And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben. And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah. And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it. The oblation that ye shall offer unto the LORD shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth. And for them, even for the priests, shall be this holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in length: and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst thereof. It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok; which have kept my charge, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray. And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites. And over against the border of the priests the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand. And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the LORD. And the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city, for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof. And these shall be the measures thereof; the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred. And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty. And the residue in length over against the oblation of the holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward: and it shall be over against the oblation of the holy portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve the city. And they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel. All the oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand: ye shall offer the holy oblation foursquare, with the possession of the city. And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince: and it shall be the holy oblation; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof. Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince's, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince. As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion. And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion. And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion. And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion. And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion. And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea. This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord GOD. And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures. And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.
Print Sermon
Downloadable Media
Share This Sermon
Play Audio

Show References:
ON OFF

THE MILLENNIAL TEMPLE

Dr. W. A. Criswell

Ezekiel 40-48

8-25-85    8:15 a.m.

 

And no less, bless the wonderful and multitudinous people who are listening to this hour on radio.  This is the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas.  And in our preaching through the Book of Ezekiel, we have come to the last chapters.  The message is entitled The Millennial Temple, and it is based upon Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48, Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48 [Ezekiel 40:1-48:35].  I will just read the introduction of the vision.  If we had hours we would look at all of it.  He pinpoints the exact moment:

 

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—

after Jerusalem was destroyed—

in the selfsame day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought me, thither. 

In the visions of God, brought He me into the land of Israel. 

[Ezekiel 40:1-2]

 

Now he is in Babylon; he is a slave, captive there [Ezekiel 40:1].  And in the vision God brought him into the land of Israel and set him “upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south” [Ezekiel 40:2], then follows these nine chapters of description of the millennial temple [Ezekiel 40:3-48:35].  Now, all of the commentators that you will read—I hardly know an exception—and all of the expositors and all of the interpreters will spiritualize these chapters that follow after.  There’s no such thing, they say, as a possibility of this temple that Ezekiel describes as being literal. 

Now you have been listening to me preach for forty-one years.  And I am a biblical literalist.  I just believe the Bible as it is, and follow its words as they say.  And you’re not expecting me to stand up here now after forty-one years, and say, “I believe that this is a spiritual ideal; that it is not a literal temple, nor was it ever expected to be.”  You’re not thinking of my coming here to the Bible, now after forty-one years, and saying, “We’re going to look upon this as a spiritualized ideal.”  No we’re not! 

Every syllable and every sentence and every indication of this millennial temple that Ezekiel describes, every measurement in it, every detail in it is so exact that you can find books that will take pictures of this millennial temple [Ezekiel 40-48].  They will make sketches of this millennial temple.  And for me to stand here and spiritualize it, allegorize it, idealize it, saying that no such temple will ever be built, it’s just in the vision and imagination of the prophet, for me to do that is unthinkable!  So we’re not going to do it.  We’re going to look upon this temple as someday being actualized, realized.  It is coming to pass.  It is the worship place of the Lord God Jesus Jehovah in the millennial reign of the King of heaven and earth. 

Now with that basis and with that understanding, why, let’s start.  The heart of the Jewish faith, kind of like the heart of our faith, is in an assembly.  Now this man who says, “I can worship God under any green tree and on any running river bank or creek bank,” now that’s in his idea; that’s not God’s.  You won’t find that in the Bible, never.  In the Old Testament, God’s people gathered in some kind of a sanctuary [Leviticus 8:3; Numbers 11:16; Joshua 18:1; Ezra 10:9]. And in the New Testament we are commanded “Not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together” [Hebrews 10:25].  Even the name of us, ekklēsia, church, means an assembly.  We gather at worship in the name of the Lord.  Our faith, as the Judeo faith, is always social, always.  It’s us.  It is we.  It is God’s people. 

Now this is the will of God for us, I say, from the beginning.  For example, and you don’t need to turn to these passages, I’ll just read them: for example, the Lord said to Moses, when he brought His people out of captivity, He said to him, “Let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.  According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it”  [Exodus 25:8-9].   Now turn the page from this [twenty-five] chapter of the Book of Exodus, and the last verse says, “And you be careful, and you look that you make all of this after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount” [Exodus 25:40].   And that’s recorded, of course, in the Book of Hebrews.  God says, and the pattern of that worship sanctuary is in heaven [Hebrews 8:5]; and God showed it to Moses, and said, “You make this according to the pattern.  And I will dwell in the sanctuary that you create” [Exodus 25:8-9].  

Now when I turn to the temple, I read the same things.  For hundreds of years, God met His people in the tabernacle.   Then He says, and I’m reading now from 1 Chronicles 28: [10], “Thou, Solomon my son,” says David . . . “the Lord hath chosen thee to build a house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.   Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern” [1 Chronicles 28:10-11].  And it’s the same pattern that God showed to Moses [Exodus 25:8-9m 40], the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit.  “All this, said David, the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern”  [1 Chronicles 28:19].  I read all of this to emphasize that God intends for His people to meet Him in a sanctuary.  So, when we come to the days of the tribulation, we find that they are going to meet in a temple.  Isn’t that an amazing thing?  We’re going to have a temple, a temple in the tribulation [Revelation 11:1-2]

Oh, dear me!  Now what?  Because when you go to Jerusalem and you visit that Holy City, you’re not going to find any temple there.  You’re going to find the Mosque of the Dome of the Rock, and you’re going to find to the right of it, just below it, the Mosque Al Aqsa, and they are shrines of Islam.  And next to Mecca and next to Medina, the most sacred shrine of Islam is that mount where the Dome of the Rock, the Mosque of the Dome of the Rock is located. 

Now Islam says that on that rock you will find the footprint of Mohammed when he ascended from there to heaven, and they show you that footprint.  And the Mohammedan says, and on that rock you’ll find the handprint of Gabriel when he held the rock earthbound because the rock wanted to follow Mohammed into heaven.  That is a sacred place for them.  And yet when I read about the tribulation—now remember I’ve said we had a tabernacle in the wilderness [Exodus 40:33-34] and we had a temple under Solomon [1 Kings 6:14], that it was recreated under Zerubbabel and under Herod [Ezra 6:15].  Today there’s a mosque there, the holy shrine of Islam; but when I read the Revelation, I find a temple in the tribulation.  For example, in Revelation 11, “There was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God” [Revelation 11:1].  Man, there’s no temple there for him to measure.  I turn the page in chapter 15: “After that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony was opened” [Revelation 15:5].  There is a temple there on top of the mount and no mosque.  There’s a temple there [Revelation 11:1-2].

Now you have, in the development of today’s history, you have a strange come to pass.  Before the Six Day War was fought in June of 1967, on the twenty-first day of May in 1967, before the war—now you get those days—in May of 1967, before the Six Day War was fought in June of 1967, the Washington Post ran this quarter page advertisement.  Quote:

 

To persons of the Jewish faith all over the world, a project to rebuild the temple of God in Israel is now being started.  With divine guidance and help, the temple will be completed.  It will signal a new era in Judaism.  Jews will be inspired to conduct themselves in such a way that our Maker will see fit to pay us a visit here on earth.  Executive talent, administrators, and workers in all lands are needed.  God will know those desiring to participate. 

 

Always in the Jewish mind is the thought of the temple.  After the Six Day War in 1967—that’s when they pulled that country together and conquered Jerusalem—after the Six Day War in 1967, speculation immediately arose, after the Israeli seized Jerusalem, over the possibility of rebuilding the temple.  And Time magazine devoted a whole page to this possibility.  Now, this is last month.  This is July’s edition of the National Geographic magazine, and their lead article is on that.  I wish I had time to quote from it extensively.  I’ll just quote, say one sentence from the last of it: 

 

But a new unapologetic age stirs as Israeli’s return to the strength of their Jewish past.  In the rough settlements of Judea and Samaria, they dream of their ancient kingdom.  In Jerusalem, some of the priestly clan, the kohanimkohan is the Hebrew word for priest—the kohanim, in Jerusalem, the priestly clan, study the archaic laws of animal sacrifice in preparation for the rebuilding of the temple. 

 

Now, Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Aviner, “We should never forget.”  Now, these are current quotations right now, “We should never forget that the supreme purpose of the ingathering of the exiles and the establishment of our state is the building of the temple.  That’s why God is gathering us together,” he says.  Then I continue: “In Israel today, Jews are learning the temple rituals and studying the manufacture of priestly garments.  In Jerusalem, Yeshiva Ha Kohanim trains young Jews for the priesthood in a fifteen year course that includes animal sacrifices,” because the only place to sacrifice is the temple, and because the only place the temple can be erected is on the mount where the Dome of the Rock is.  All time and history are preparing for that final confrontation that leads to the Third World War and the final tribulation.

In March 1983, dozens of Jews were arrested for trying to blow up the Dome of the Rock.  In January of last year Israeli security thwarted an assault on the mount, including a plot to blow up the mosque.  One of the arrested men sought to steal an F16 plane to blast the mosque off the mount.  The Muslim supreme council warned when that was done, quote, “If the attempted explosions had succeeded, all Arab countries would have immediately launched a jihad, a holy war against Israel,” end quote; which is what some of the Jews want.  If they obliterate the mosque, the Muslims would wage such a vicious jihad that, quote, “The Messiah would come to save His people from destruction.”  Always that thought of the temple. 

And when that confrontation comes—now, it isn’t just I looking at the political situation there that avows that mosque is not going to stay there.  You just put it down.  Now that’s a human judgment, but it isn’t just I that says that; God’s Book says that.  There’s no mosque, the Dome of the Rock, in the Book of the Revelation, in the tribulation.  There’s a temple there [Revelation 11:1-2]

Then beyond that temple, there is one other, and that is the temple of the millennium.  Now, Ezekiel devotes chapters 40 through 48 to the description of this temple [Ezekiel 40:1-48:35], but he’s not alone in that.  I’m reading now from the sixth chapter of the Book of the prophecy of Zechariah, verse 9:

 

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

Take of them of the captivity—

verse 12—

And speak unto them, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the Man whose name is The Branch shall grow up out of His place, and He shall build the temple of the Lord.

Even He shall build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; He shall be a priest upon His throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them.

[Zechariah 6:9-10, 12-13]

 

            This is Ezekiel’s description of the holy temple of our millennial kingdom [Ezekiel 30-48].  Now when I look at that temple, and as I say, it is meticulously in infinite detail—it amazes me!  There are nine chapters describing that temple [Ezekiel 40-48].  Now when I look at that temple, there are two things that immediately bother.  I mean they greatly concern.   The first one is this: in that millennial temple described by Ezekiel and by Zechariah and mentioned by others, in that millennial temple there are animal sacrifices [Ezekiel 43:18-27; Ezekiel 45:17].  Now the thing presses upon us: Jesus in His final atonement, shedding of His blood [Matthew 27:32-50], Jesus forever did away with the necessity for an animal sacrifice.  The whole Book of Hebrews expatiates on that.  That’s what the Book of Hebrews is about, that the Lord Jesus forever did away with animal sacrifices [Hebrews 10:4-14]. 

Now in the millennial kingdom there are animal sacrifices [Ezekiel 43:18-27, 45:17].  What in the earth do you do with that?  Well, I’m just like you right now.  What do you do with that?  In my studying and praying and asking God for blessing, “Lord, Lord, what?” and it confused me no end, because I say, “I’m a literalist, and this is no spiritualized ideal.”  This is an animal sacrifice, a whole system, a whole ritual of animal sacrifices in the millennial kingdom.  And Christ did away with all animal sacrifices.  “Now what, preacher?  You say you’re a literalist?”  All right, I will tell you what came to my heart.   Now, I don’t claim to be omniscient or inspired beyond any other of God’s servants.  I just speak to you out of my heart, as I pray and as I study. 

What are those animal sacrifices in the millennial kingdom?  This is what I think they are.  In that millennial temple there is no Holy of Holies [Hebrews 9:3].   In that millennial temple there is no ark of the covenant on which you sprinkle the blood [Leviticus 16:14].  In that millennial temple ritual there is no Day of Atonement [Leviticus 16:1-34].  Those are three glaring omissions when you read those nine chapters, 40 to 48 [Ezekiel 40-48].  There’s no veil separating between us and the Lord God in His Holy of Holies.  There’s no Day of Atonement.  There’s no veil separating.  There’s no Holy of Holies, and there’s no ark of the covenant. 

Then why these animal sacrifices?  Well, this is what I think they are.  Every sacrifice in the Bible, every sacrifice is a shared meal, all except the whole burnt offering, which is just one [Leviticus 1:3-17, 6:8-13].  All of the other sacrifices, all of them, every one of those sacrifices, thousands and thousands of those sacrifices being made, they were shared meals [Leviticus 3:1-17; 17:3-4].  That’s what a sacrifice is.  A sacrifice is a shared meal.  The man brings his family.  Elkanah will  bring Hannah and his family [1 Samuel 1:1-3].  It’s a shared meal [Leviticus 3:1-17, 17:3-4].  That’s what a sacrifice is, a shared meal; all except the whole burnt offering [Leviticus 1:3-17, 6:8-13].

Now, in the millennial temple, what’s going to happen is those Israelis—those Jewish people who have accepted the Lord—are going to the house of the Jehovah Messiah Christ, and they’re going to eat together in their loving worship of the Savior; they’re going to eat together in thanksgiving for Him and in love and adoration of what the Messiah Jesus Jehovah has done for them.  That’s what the animal sacrifice is, and that’s what it’s going to mean.  They’re going to gather there in their families, and they’re going to eat together a sacrifice.  They’re going to eat it.  A sacrifice is a shared meal, and they’re going to eat it together in loving thanksgiving and praise to the Lord Jesus. 

That’s what we do when we have the Lord’s Supper [Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26].  We eat this bread: “Thank You, Jesus.”  It’s a Eucharistic service, eucharisteō; it’s a thanksgiving service.  That’s what it is, “Thank You, Jesus, for dying for me” [1 Corinthians 15:3].  And when we drink that cup, “Thank You, Jesus.  Thank You, Jesus, for pouring out the crimson of Your life for me” [Matthew 26:28]

And the Jews are going to do that in their millennial temple.  They’re going to eat together.  They’re going to make a sacrifice; they’re going to eat this sacrifice with bread, and it’s going to be a meal, just as they do now with a Passover [Exodus 12:1-28].   They’re going to eat, and they’re going to eat it in thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus and in love and admiration for the wonderful Savior.  

All right, there’s one other thing that bothers me. Oh dear, when I read it!  Dear Savior, what is this?  The millennial temple is in another world.  The millennial temple is on a high mountain, and the city of Jerusalem is to the south.  And in those nine chapters [Ezekiel 40-48], the twelve tribes have strips from the Mediterranean to the Jordan, this way: they start at the north, go clear down to the south [Ezekiel 48:1-27].  And in the middle of those twelve allotments of Israel, in the middle is a large, large allotment that Ezekiel calls an oblation; an oblation [Ezekiel 48:9-12, 18, 20-21].  And in the middle of that oblation, there is a large area dedicated to the Levites [Ezekiel 48:9-20].  And in the middle there is a large area dedicated to the priests and the sanctuary, the millennial temple [Ezekiel 48:8, 11-12].  And then the third, a large oblation dedicated to the prince who rules over the people [Ezekiel 48:21].  Then is the city of Jerusalem, down there in that third part [Ezekiel 48:15-17]

Well, out of the threshold of that temple on a high mountain up there, there is a river that flows from the threshold of the temple, the river of life, and it flows east [Ezekiel 47:1-9].   But when you look at the country now—the configuration, the topography of the land now—the watershed is west.    The watershed is west up there, but the river flows east, and it’s located on a high mountain up there.  There’s no such thing as that possibility without a miraculous reconfiguration of that land.  “All right, pastor.  What do you think about that?” 

All right, this is what I think about that.  Our Lord God is a God of infinite miracles.  And when that millennium comes, now you listen to these miracles.  I’m reading from Zechariah 14, “His feet,” our Lord’s feet, when He comes to establish the millennium, verse 4:

 

His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east,

and the Mount of Olives . . . shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west,

and there shall be a great, great valley between them;

and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south . . .

And the Lord will be King over all the earth.

[Zechariah 14:4, 9)

 

Now, when we come to the days of the millennium, it’s going to be different from what it is now.  The Lord God is going to do something here in this earth, and that’s one of them!  That’s just one of them.  He is going to split that Mount of Olives wide open, from east to west, and there’s going to be a great valley, and the people are going to go through that valley to the Lord [Zechariah 14:4].  That’s just one of the things.   And when I turn over here to other passages in the Bible, it says, “When He opened the sixth seal there was an earthquake, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places [Revelation 6:12-13].  Things are going to be catastrophic when Jesus comes again.  It isn’t going to be just something you read incidentally on the thirtieth page of the morning newspaper.  My brother, when Jesus comes, this whole world is going into convolution of one kind or another [Joel 2:30-31; Matthew 24:29-30]

We live in a world like that as it is.  I have followed the Great Rift thousands of miles and looked at it.  Orville [Rogers], I just wonder, have you done that?  The Great Rift starts between the Lebanon  and Anti-Lebanon mountains, and it goes down—now remember where I am up there in Lebanon now—and it goes down, it goes down to the Lake of Galilee.  Then it goes down to the Jordan River.  Then it goes down to the Dead Sea.  Then it goes down to the Red Sea.  Then it goes down through East Africa.  I have flown over that thing; I’ve been in it and walked in it.  It’ll be sometimes, oh, say, ten miles wide and about a mile deep; a rift!  And in that rift you’ll find Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa.  And when it gets down to the bottom of Africa—Mozambique, down in the Mozambique we’re separated from the continent. 

Now God did that with His finger back yonder. That’s where all that comes from.  That’s where Galilee comes from.  That’s where Jordan comes from.  That’s where the Dead Sea comes from.  God did that with His finger back there in these days past [Psalm 8:3].  God is going to do something again when He comes a second time.  He is going to do some marvelous things, some miraculous things!  

And we live in a world of miracle.  My soul, look at the world around you, where did it come from?  It’s a miracle of God [Genesis 1:1-31].  Look at the things that happen in your home.  Doug Brady told me back there, he says, “Pastor, guess what?  We’re going to have a baby at our house.  We’re going to have a baby at our house.  Think of that.  We’re going to have a baby at our house.”  That’s the most miraculous thing I ever looked at in my life, is when they bring me a baby?   God’s hand creates that.  That’s omnipotence! 

Now I’ll tell you another thing.   For a man to be born again is as great a miracle [John 3:3, 7, 14-17].  I remember one time down here—you ought to do it again, Scotty.  At Christmas time we had all of those missions here, and those people gave their testimonies.  I sat there for three solid hours and never ceased crying.  I never heard such things!  A man stands up there, and says, “I was a drunkard, and this godly mission pastor sought me out and found me.  And now I’ve got a good job and got a beautiful home and my darling children.”  Another man stands up and says, “I used to come in every Saturday night and beat up my wife and beat up my children, and they were afraid of me.  Now I’ve been wonderfully saved.  They’ve got a beautiful home.”

I live in a world of miracles!  And for a man to deny it is to be blind to the presence of an omnipotent God; both around us on the outside and the Spirit of God on the inside. 

Sweet people, we’ve got to quit.  We’ve got to sing our song.  And to give your heart to that wonderful Lord, or to put your life in this precious church, or to take Jesus as your Savior, or to answer a call of God, on this first note of the first stanza, you come.  Do it now.  God will bless you forever.  Do it now, while we stand and while we sing. 

MILLENNIAL
TEMPLE

Dr. W. A.
Criswell

Ezekiel
40-48

8-25-85

I.          The
heart of the Hebrew faith

A.  The tabernacle

B.  The temple of Solomon

C.  The tribulation temple

D.  The Jews and that holy
place

      1.  Dome of the Rock

      2.  Temple mount

II.         Ezekiel’s
millennial temple

A.  Sacrifices

B.
Topography

      1.
Changes in all creation before millennial period

      2.
Miracles of the millennium