The American Wisdom Series

Presents
 Pamphlet 1295a Ezek kc 77

When this flesh age is over and Jesus Christ returns,
the dispensation of grace also ends.

In today's study we will continue to see the various sections of the House of God during the Millennium. There is so much to SEE so let's be about doing it!

THE NORTH OUTER GATE (vs. 20-22)

Ezekiel 40:20
And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof.
The gates of temple will all measure "according to same measure".
[21] 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.

[22] 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.

THE NORTH AND EAST INNER GATES (vs. 23)
Ezekiel 40:23
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.
There are 100 cubits between all the Inner Court Gates and the Outer Court Gates, such as shown below.

THE SOUTH OUTER GATE (vs. 24-26)

Ezekiel 40:24
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.
[25] 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.

[26] 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.

Notice that there are 7 Steps going up from the pavement to the Outer Court. However, there are 8 Steps going up to the Inner Court where only the priests are admitted. If we understand that the priests of God during the Millennium are those of the First Resurrection, those who have already received eternal life, then we can look at the 7 steps to the Outer Court and 8 steps to the Inner Court as being representative of dispensations, the 7th being the Millennium and the 8th being "New Beginnings", i.e. the eternal age when the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven and all that offends is consumed away in the lake of fire.

Meanwhile it will be those of the first resurrection, those who will have received eternal life, who will be the priests in the temple during the Millennium.

Rev. 20:6
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
THE SOUTH INNER GATE (vs. 27)
Ezekiel 40:27
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.
The whole Outer Court is 100 cubits wide.

THE INNER COURT. SOUTH GATE. (vs. 28-31)

Ezekiel 40:28
And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;
Notice the same measurements of the gates, which shows us the conformity of the whole plan "according to these measures". The only difference here is that there are 8 steps leading up to the Inner Court.
[29] 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.

[30] And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.

[31] 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.

In English measurements the gatehouses are about 87 1/2 feet long and 43 3/4 feet wide.

THE INNER COURT. EAST GATE. (vs. 32-34)

Ezekiel 40:32
And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures.
Again, we have the exact same measurements and decorations as the other inner gates.
[33] 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.

[34] 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.

There is much significance in the palm tree decorations upon the posts of the gatehouses. The Palm is a tall tree (Song 7:7,8), straight and upright (Jer. 10:5), and a fruit tree (Joel 1:12). The Palm produces its fruit annually in numerous clusters and great abundance, which constitutes its chief value.

Here is a quote concerning the palm from Davis' Bible Dictionary, Baker Publishing, pg. 567:

"The palm tree in Scripture almost always means the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera), which grows about 60 to 80 feet high, having a single upright stem of uniform thickness through its entire length and marked by the scars of fallen leaves. The stem terminates above in a circle of great feathery leaves, perennially green. It is believed to attain a great age, from a hundred to two hundred years."
Palm leaves were also used as tokens of victory and peace and we find them held by those who went forth to meet the Lord in John 12:12-13 "On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, [13] Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord."

And those overcomers who come out of great tribulation and are part of that First Resurrection will be clothed in white linen (righteousness) with palms in their hands.

Rev. 7:9
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
It is fitting therefore that the fruit bearing, perennially green palm tree decorates the posts of the gates of the House of God.
Psalm 92:12
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
THE INNER COURT. NORTH GATE. (vs. 35-43)
Ezekiel 40:35
And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it according to these measures;
[36] 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.

[37] 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.

[38] And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering.

[39] 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.

The mention here of "sacrificial offerings" during the Millennium will be difficult for some to understand if they think and see this only in terms of flesh. However, remember what the first five verses of this chapter showed us, that we are to gain an "eyes to see", spiritual (7th cubit added) understanding from this "vision" of the temple?

You see, you won't need to have "faith" to believe that Jesus Christ is REAL and that He is the Lord GOD, the Lamb who was slain for the remission of our sins. He will be HERE and EVERY KNEE will have bowed and as the scriptures have so often declared, ALL shall KNOW that He is the Lord GOD. We will also no longer be in corruptible, sinful, flesh bodies.

The Millennium will be a great time of teaching (not so much of knowledge but of how to "discern") and of discipline (rod of iron) in following the perfect laws of liberty. There will be no dictators, no communist regimes, etc. But it is also documented in these Millennial chapters that the ONLY ONES who can approach directly unto Jesus Christ will be the priests of the Zadok.

Those who do not "make it" in the First of the TWO Resurrections, which means the "raising" to the status of eternal life, are referred to as "the dead" throughout the Millennium. Why? Because they are "spiritually dead", i.e. unsaved, and although they are in their incorruptible spiritual bodies they still possess mortal souls which are liable to die, and they must remain that way until the 1000 years is over and Satan is released for a short season to test them. So the "way" to eternal life at the second resurrection is somewhat different than that of the first, isn't it? That is why they are judged according to their "works" which they do during the Millennium and the short season just after it!  Here is your documentation:

Rev. 20:12
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
This happens at the Great White Throne Judgment following the Millennium at which time there will be only two judgments given out: 1.) Eternal life, or 2.) a trip to the Lake of Fire. Actually the judgment itself will already have been made by the individual himself who will have by his own free will have either chosen to follow Satan and his ways or remained faithful to Christ and His ways.

Those who are part of the First Resurrection will not be subject to the Great White Throne Judgment for they already have eternal life (granted at the 1st resurrection when Christ returned) and so the second death, the death of the soul, has no power over them. They will be the ones with the white robes and with the palms in their hands during the Millennium who will be teaching and helping their loved ones to willing want to follow our Father and His ways.

Rev. 20:6
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
We are reading all about those 1000 years in these last 9 chapters of Ezekiel. Pretty cool, eh?
Ezekiel 40:40
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.

[41] 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.

[42] 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.
[43] And within were hooks, an hand broad, fastened round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.
Dr. Moffat translates the word "hooks" as a "ledge" fastened all around the inside of the porch.

CHAMBERS FOR THE "SINGERS".  (vs. 44)

Ezekiel 40:44
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.
This should be nothing new to those who are familiar with the Levitical priesthood and the temple of Solomon. It is the priests who are the singers.
2 Chron. 5:12
Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)
Notice the white linen and their position in at the east end.

And speaking of "singers", how about those 144,000? They are standing WITH Jesus Christ when He returns and they sing the Song of Moses (Rev. 15:3). They will certainly be singers in the temple!

Rev. 14:1-3
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

[3] Andthey sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

We are now going to SEE that there are two different duties and two different, shall we say, offices of the priesthood.

CHAMBERS for the Priests in charge of the House. (vs. 45)

Ezekiel 40:45
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.
Chapter 44, vs. 10-13 will tell us who it is that these keepers are and we will cover them in more detail when we get there, but here's the basics of what we will find: Ezekiel 44:10-14 "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. [11] 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. [12] 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. [13] 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. [14] 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.

Then there are God's very elect, the priests of Zadok who did NOT go astray nor bow a knee unto Satan.

CHAMBERS for the Priests in charge of the Altar. (vs. 46)

Ezekiel 40:46
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.
Here we see where the Zadok will be located in the Temple, but Ezek. 44:15-16 gives us more details about their duties. Ezek. 44:15-16 "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: [16] They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.

Again, only the priests of the Zadok will be able to approach Jesus Christ during the Millennium. And when Christ gives a directive, they will carry it out without question and without fail!

The ALTAR COURT and the ALTAR that was before the House. (vs. 47)

Ezekiel 40:47
So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar that was before the house.
The section that is now being measured, is the altar and the porch right before the actual temple itself. By the way, it was between the Porch and the Altar that the kenites slew Zacharias, the son Barachias as recorded in Matthew 23:35: " That upon you [kenites, i.e. sons of Cain] may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar."

The PORCH of the HOUSE. (vs. 48-49)

Ezekiel 40:48
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.

[49] 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.

There were also two pillars in Solomon's temple at the porch before the temple.
1 Kings 7:21
And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and he called the name thereof Boaz.
What do these pillars represent? Well, Solomon gave actual names to the pillars in the first temple. "Jachin", the pillar on the right meant "He shall Establish", and "Boaz", the pillar on the left meant "In it is Strength". That about says it all, doesn't it? He who establishes is our strength. Hey, that's what the name EZEK-I-EL means too! "God is my strength".

Amazing!

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

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