Monday, May 29, 2017

JESUS is Present (Ez.40-46)

After Ezekiel's vision of the future temple of Jerusalem that will be built in the Millennium, the vision/prophecy continues with Jesus second coming...

(Ezekiel 43:1-10)  Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing toward the east; and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east. And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the vision which I saw when He came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face. And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate facing toward the east. And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.
Then I heard one speaking to me from the house, while man was standing beside me. He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever.  And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry and by the corpses of their kings when they die, by setting their threshold by My threshold and their door post beside My door post, with only the wall between Me and them. And they have defiled My holy name by their abominations which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger. Now let them put away their harlotry and the corpses of their kings far from Me; and I will dwell among them forever.
10 “As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the plan.

For Israel to have their Abrahamic covenant fulfilled, they have to be in perfect obedience.  In order to be in "perfect obedience", they need Jesus.  For the nation's obedience, they will require Jesus sitting on the throne as their King.  Meanwhile Jesus has already provided personal salvation for those who believe - because the first time Jesus came to earth in flesh, Jesus gave Himself as the final and eternal sacrifice for sins, therefore there is now no more need for animal sacrifices;  but perhaps in the Millennium, there will be "sacrifices" made - not to cover sins - but to celebrate and remember Jesus' work on the cross.  The vision also includes the division of land among the 12 tribes of Israel and ends with the fact that...

(Ezekiel 48:35)  The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘The Lord is there.’”

Meanwhile for us, when we make Jesus OUR Savior and King, the "nation" we belong to is God's family - the Church...

(Colossians 3:15-17)  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

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