Bible Lessons

From: Messages of God's Love: 1936

Ezekiel 41 and 42

In the vision given to the prophet of the plan of Israel’s Millennial temple, he is taken in chapter 41 to the principal building-, containing the most holy place, set apart for God. This room is to be the same in size as that in Solomon’s temple 20x20 cubits (1 Kings 6: 16-20; 2 Chronicles 3:8⁸And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents. (2 Chronicles 3:8)). In other respects the temple which Solomon erected was very much smaller than that which was revealed to Ezekiel.

The only ornamentation spoken of here consists of cherubim and palm trees—tokens of power and of victory (verse 18-20, 25-26). The faces of a man and a lion which are seen on the cherubim fall short of the display of these representatives of God in judicial power seen in chapter 1, verse 10, and in Revelation 4:7⁷And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. (Revelation 4:7). These four faces are needed to set forth intelligence (man), strength (lion), endurance (ox or calf), and swiftness (eagle).

The temple of the Millennium as seen by Ezekiel, includes no mention of gold, so much displayed in the temple of Solomon. The omission, we cannot doubt, is intentional, and we are not to conclude thereby that gold and other precious adornments will not be there. It would rather seem that the purpose of God is to show that the thousand years of the reign of Christ will not be a period where sin is unknown; all will not be according to the mind of God as it will be in eternity.

While Satan is bound, and peace and plenty are everywhere, why should sin enter? Alas! the heart of man is utterly bad, and the devil will be no sooner loosed at the end of the Millennium than he will gather a countless host of unredeemed men, born during the period, who are willing to do his bidding, and ready, if it were possible to destroy the people of God (Revelation 20:7-9⁷And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, ⁸And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. ⁹And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (Revelation 20:7‑9)).

If earth will not, during the thousand years, be free from defilement, Revelation 21:9-27⁹And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. ¹⁰And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, ¹¹Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; ¹²And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: ¹³On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. ¹⁴And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ¹⁵And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. ¹⁶And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. ¹⁷And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. ¹⁸And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. ¹⁹And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; ²⁰The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. ²¹And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. ²²And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. ²³And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. ²⁴And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. ²⁵And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. ²⁶And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. ²⁷And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Revelation 21:9‑27) reveals a Millennial scene that will answer to the mind of God in every part, —the Church of God, the bride of Christ, presented in the figure of a city related to, but not a part of the earth. All is perfection there, and all of God. What grace it is that has taken up poor sinners who have been constrained in this day of grace to believe His message of salvation, and has provided for them a portion in Christ for eternity!

Chapter 42 Completes the description of the temple of the future day, by showing the many rooms, arranged in lower, middle and upper stories, and finally the wall enclosing the temple grounds. The rooms are for the priests, as verses 13 and 14 explain. Israel will still be at a distance from. God, having access through the priesthood, though redemption will be known.

ML 03/15/1936

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