1 John 3:16


"By this we perceive the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."

Thursday 29 July 2010

Ezekiel

Ezekiel was told to measure a temple. The measurements Ezekiel recorded do not match Solomon’s temple, or the temple which was rebuilt after the return of the Jews from captivity, with Ezra and Nehemiah. The measurements also do not match those of the temple that king Herod built which was standing in Jesus’ day.

According to Jesus in John 7 the temple of Ezekiel speaks only of the church. Ezekiel was following Isaiah and speaking of the New Covenant age. In chapter 21 he spoke of the coming Messiah, Shiloh. In chapters 36 and 37 he spoke of the new heart and gift of the Spirit to Israel, who are the people of God called from both the Jews and Gentiles.

The prophecy of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37 spoke of God bringing Israel back from their captivity to Jerusalem, after which the Messiah would come to bring them into the New Covenant. In the days of the Intertestamental period Zadok’s descendants were for a time priests in the rebuilt temple, as prophesied in Ezek 44:15.

“Zadok” also is a reference to Christ’s coming. Zadok earlier served David’s tabernacle at Hebron, which was a type of the New Covenant temple and priesthood of the believer. In David’s tabernacle grace and praise were more in view than the law.

Zadok was a type of Christ, the faithful High Priest spoken of by Samuel (1 Sam 2:35). Ezekiel was looking forward to the New Covenant and the priesthood of Christ. All the prophets spoke of the re-gathering of Israel from their captivity when they would have a form of worship restored in Jerusalem, awaiting true worship in Spirit and in truth through the coming of Messiah (Amos 9:11-15).

This is why in Acts the apostles spoke of the restoration of the tabernacle of David and not of Solomon’s temple, which was never God’s purpose (Acts 15:16). So although Ezekiel’s word of instruction served as a shadow for the Intertestamental period after the return from captivity, it had its fulfilment in Christ and in the New Covenant. It was Christ alone who would provide the real restoration from captivity for Israel.

All Ezekiel’s measurements of the temple have a symbolic purpose in relating to true worship in Spirit and in truth in Messiah’s kingdom. Just as the tabernacle of Moses was a type fulfilled by the work of Christ, so Ezekiel’s temple was a prophetic word relating to the work of Christ, as Jesus said. Ezekiel’s prophecy was to encourage the Jews during the Intertestamental period, but was not fulfilled until Christ came.

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