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Presents
Pamphlet #8040 Ezekiel chapter 40

IF YOU MISS these verses (Ezekiel 40:4-5), the rest of the Book of Ezekiel will be little more than a description of a temple building and a city.

Do you remember in the closing verses of Ezekiel chapter 37 just before we saw the final battle of Hamon-gog in chapters 38 and 39, that God promised the Millennial sanctuary?

Here it is:

Ezekiel 37:26
Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

[27] My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

[28] And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

It is worth remembering that eventually, in the 3rd Earth Age, i.e. throughout eternity, there will be no temple, for the Lord GOD Almighty and the Lamb ARE the temple, even as Christ is that temple now if you have understanding.

Rev. 21:22
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

Here it is:

Rev. 21:27
And 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.

Ezekiel 40:1
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.

[2] 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.

[3] 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.

Daniel 10:5
Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:

[6] His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

[7] And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.

However, before we move on, did you notice that the man of brass appeared with two measuring tools, a line of flax (linen) and a measuring reed, kind of like a tape measure, for longer measurements and a yardstick for shorter ones? Our Father has unique ways of revealing His truth to us even as we have seen the "line" and the "reed" used elsewhere when He wanted to "size things up" for us!

The measuring line:

Zech. 2:1-2
I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. [2] Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.

Rev. 21:15
And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

IF YOU MISS this verse, and the profound spiritual significance of verse 5, the rest of the Book of Ezekiel will be little more than a description of a temple building and a city. 1 Cor. 2:14 " But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

[4... continued] 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
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Now notice the very first thing Ezekiel SEES... behold a WALL round about the Temple.

[5] And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about,...

Notice also in Ezek. 43:7 that there will be no more defiling of God's House, nor idolatrous religious practices, nor worshipping of earthly kings, especially that abominable one! Jesus Christ shall RULE with a rod of iron as it is written in Rev. 12:5 & 19:15.

Here's what they did before:

Right now, during this dispensation of grace, when many do not even believe that God exists, all who WILL can approach Christ and enter the Holy of Holies, but during the Millennium that will not be the case. For everyone SHALL KNOW that He is Lord, for they shall see His Glory, but they must "learn" and "want" of their own free will to follow Him and His ways and not Satan and his ways. They will have NO CHOICE but to learn and follow His ways during the Millennium. (That's where we will see the Zadok and the saints of the 1st Resurrection come in.) After that, Satan will be released for a short season when they can PROVE on their own whether they still want to or not! THEN... the judgment!

Let's complete verse 5.

[verse 5... continued] 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.

1. The hand of God came upon Ezekiel and took him in "visions" to "eretz Israel", the land of Israel, and set him upon the "north side" of the highest mountain where he was looking south.

2. He was then taken to the temple where a celestial being was waiting with measuring tools to be his spiritual instructor and SIZE-UP the temple for his understanding.

3. The angel then told Ezekiel to get his eyes and ears open and discern what he is about to be shown, then teach it to the house of Israel.

4. Then, the first thing Ezekiel was shown was a WALL outside the temple.

5. Ezekiel, now with his eyes open, saw that the measuring reed used by the angel was one seventh larger than usual and the wall was one reed by one reed.

Open your SPIRITUAL EYES and SEE what is to be learned in the rest of this book of EZEKIEL!
The physical descriptions are only used to help you see the spiritual significance of what is being taught.

I REPEAT

The physical descriptions are only used to help you see the spiritual significance of what is being taught.

Ezekiel 40:6
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.

What a privilege it is that our Father allows us to be able to see into the future.

These last nine chapters in Ezekiel, the book written to the appointed watchmen in this final generation, are truly exciting, for amidst the measurements, much delicious "hidden manna" is found which tells us precisely what the Millennium will be like and what the various peoples will be doing during those 1000 years, i.e. both those people who were part of the First Resurrection and those who didn't make it and so must prepare themselves in order to be part of the Second Resurrection or else be sentenced to perish with the son of perdition in the lake of fire.

We must remember as we read these final chapters that the 7th Trump has already sounded and ALL mankind including the good, the bad, and the ugly, have been changed into spiritual, incorruptible bodies,some having received immortality along with the change of body and the rest remaining "liable to die", i.e. retaining the mortal status of their souls (See 1 Cor. 15:50-55).

One of the precious truths we will uncover in chapter 43 is that the very Throne of God along with that beautiful sparkling rainbow prism called the Shekinah Glory which surrounds the Lord GOD, yes,that VERY THRONE that Ezekiel saw and described in chapter one, is going to return in the same manner as it appeared to Ezekiel along the River Chebar and enter into the east gate. Do you remember what that throne was aboard? It was aboard the Chariot of Israel (2 Kings 2:12), the highly polished spectrum metal circular flying vehicle,yes, a flying saucer,bearing the standards of the tribes of Israel, i.e. the Lion, the Ox, the Man, and the Eagle (See Num. 2).

Let's jump ahead and read Ezekiel's vision of the glory of God and His throne coming to the temple where the God of Israel will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever.

Ezekiel 43:2
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.

[3] 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.

Ezekiel 43:5
So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.

[7] 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.

It should also be pointed out before we continue with the measurements of the temple and the city that the Great City will lie parallel with "the very great valley" cloven by Jesus Christ through the Mount of Olives and running east and west. Therefore the 'City of the Great King' will be situated in a magnificent elevated position on the north side of this great valley through which the cleansing waters will flow from the House of God. (See appendix 88, pg. 126, in the Companion Bible.) Here is the creation of the very great valley by our LORD:

Zech. 14:4
And 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 very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Zech. 14:8
And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

[9] And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

Is that good news, or what? Aren't these "visions" created in your mind's eye very comforting and strengthening? You know, the prophet Joel said, and Peter repeated him in Acts 2, that the children of the prophets in the last days would SEE, i.e. understand the visions. Do you?

Now back to the measurements of the house of God in Ezekiel chapter 40. Again, the reason that we are given the dimensions and positionings of the temple and the city and their components is so that we can gain a clear PICTURE and understanding of the positions and relationships during the Final Day, the 7th Day, the 7th Dispensation in the salvation plan of God. You see, in understanding the layout of the whole sanctuary including the temple we learn that not everyone will be able to approach Jesus Christ during the Millennium. Only the priests of the Zadok will be able to minister directly unto Him, and we will learn what everyone else will be doing too!Remember, the reason Ezekiel is being shown this vision is so he/we could tell our people what the kingdom of God will be like in the Millennium. If you are a "watchman" then this information is for you to be able to SEE and to PROPHESY, i.e. teach our people the spiritual truths our Lord intends for us to understand by His use of these physical examples and descriptions of a temple.

So the measurements of the different parts and layout of the sanctuary and the temple itself are given to show us what will be happening spiritually during the Millennium.

There is also much significance in the "fine details" of the measurements that are given and those who are knowledgeable concerning Biblical numerics will be able to discern an even deeper level of understanding. For those who are not familiar with the significance of numbers in scripture, but would like to be, we can recommend several good resource materials. First, there is an appendix (#10) in the back of the Companion Bible which will get you started. Should you wish to study deeper, then obtain the book "Number in Scripture, Its Supernatural Design and Spiritual Significance", by E.W. Bullinger, Kregel Publishers, and/or "Biblical Mathematics", by Ed. F. Vallowe, Faith Printing Company, Taylors, SC.

As a final word of introduction, the saying is so true that "a picture is worth a thousand words", and our job in constructing the picture of the Millennial Temple has been made easy by great scholars who have gone before us. To that end it would be helpful to refer to the pictorial diagram of the temple shown earlier in our Ezekiel studies as you read these measurements, the first set of which are of THE HOUSE ITSELF. Also, there is an overall outline of these next few chapters noted in the Companion Bible and is as follows:

40:5-43  The Inclosures.
40:44-46  The Priests' rooms.
40:47  The Court. Its size and shape.
40:48-41:26  The Inner House, or Temple.
42:1-14  The Priests' rooms.
42:15-20  The Outer Place. Its size and shape.

Ezekiel 40:6
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.

Things will be quite different during the Millennium for those who did not make the First Resurrection! The "east gate" will be shut to the walking dead (as in spiritually dead, i.e. having souls which are still mortal) and the law and all the ordinances are going to be laid down and enforced with a rod of iron by Jesus Christ and His Zadok, even "the law of house", which we will cover when get to Ezek. 43:11-12.

There were also chambers or rooms every five cubits (again, see diagram in previous study).

[7] 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.

[8] He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed.

[9] Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was inward.

[10] 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.

[11] And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.

[12] 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.

[13] 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.

[14] He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate.

[15] And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits.

[16] 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.

THE OUTER GATE (vs. 17-19)

Ezekiel 40:17
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.

[18] And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement.

[19] 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.

There's more to measure and SEE in this great House of God, and we will see who the keepers are of "the charge of the house" and who the keepers are of "the charge of the altar". Keepers? That sounds like work!

You didn't think there wasn't work to do in the Kingdom of God, did you?

Now 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.

[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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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;

[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.

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.

[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.

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."

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;

Psalm 92:12
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

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.

When this flesh age is over and Jesus Christ returns, the dispensation of grace also ends. 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 (the unsaved from this age of salvation by grace) were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

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.

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.

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.

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:)

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] And they 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Amazing!

The Millennial Temple "Within the Temple":