QT 9/29/2023 Ezek 46:1-3, Remembering that God is Lord, not me

Ezekiel 46:1–3 (ESV) —

1 “Thus says the Lord God: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened. 2 The prince shall enter by the vestibule of the gate from outside, and shall take his stand by the post of the gate. The priests shall offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening. 3 The people of the land shall bow down at the entrance of that gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the new moons.

 

NOTE: Each of these new regulations seem arbitrary and a return to the past, but they are not. As Cooper observes:

 

"Every aspect of worship is to be a celebration of the redemptive work that God has done in Jesus the Messiah. In the Old Testament believers looked forward to the coming Messiah. In the church age believers serve the resurrected Messiah. In the millennial kingdom Israel will observe the elements of their covenant in celebration of the salvation of Messiah in retrospect of his work." [Cooper, L. E. (1994). Ezekiel (Vol. 17, p. 403). Broadman & Holman Publishers.]

 

Later in 46:16-18, there are rules concerning the giving and owning of property. Again the rules are designed to protect worship. As Cooper correctly observes:

 

"Materialism is always a barrier to effective worship. The regulations concerning property and ownership were designed to discourage covetousness and encourage recognition of God’s ownership of all things."

 

I think part of the issue is that there will be individuals with resurrected bodies and individuals with fallen bodies (those who survive the tribulation period). As such, these rules are for the good of those with material bodies. Of course, after 1000 years, these rules will not be perceived as such, and those with fallen bodies will revolt against God's rule one last time.

 

PONDER:

1. If I struggle with rules now or giving my life to God now, how can I judge this future generation? If not for the grace of God go I.

 

PRAYER: Father, protect me from the enemy's trap. I always want to place your word above the dictates of the world. Help me to seen when I am slipping.

QT 9/28/2023 Ezek 45:21-25, Remember to celebrate the key events

Ezekiel 45:21–25 (ESV) —

21 “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall celebrate the Feast of the Passover, and for seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten. 22 On that day the prince shall provide for himself and all the people of the land a young bull for a sin offering. 23 And on the seven days of the festival he shall provide as a burnt offering to the Lord seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish, on each of the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering. 24 And he shall provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a hin of oil to each ephah. 25 In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month and for the seven days of the feast, he shall make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and for the oil.

 

NOTE: Only two (three if you untie Passover from Unleavened bread) feasts are celebrated in the Millennium. The Passover feast (one day) which was part of the 7-day Unleavened bread feast, and the 7-day feast of tabernacles (which will probably coincide with events after Jesus' return to earth at the end of the tribulation period). Cooper writes concerning these two sacrifices, first the Passover:

 

This celebration will doubtless commemorate Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and the importance of living sin-free in view of that sacrifice.

 

And the Feast of Tabernacles:

 

In the Millennium it will undoubtedly be a celebration of God’s faithfulness in bringing the Israelites securely and permanently into the Promised Land, which the feast of Tabernacles anticipated.

 

Reminders and celebrations are important in God's economy, especially when we attach significance and value to the date. A birthdate might not be the best example, but a marriage anniversary is, especially when the couple have sought God and sought to raise godly children (even if not as successful as they would have hoped).

 

PONDER:

1. What are the things I celebrate or should celebrate?
2. What value do I need to attach to some celebrations

 

PRAYER: Father, celebrations are good. Reminders are good. Ebenezers are good things. Maybe July 5th will be a good date for me -- the day I started my new career in ministry (retirement from work and freedom to serve).

QT 9/27/2023 Ezek 44:28-31, Using these end days wisely

Ezekiel 44:28–31 (ESV) —

28 “This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession. 29 They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs. 30 And the first of all the firstfruits of all kinds, and every offering of all kinds from all your offerings, shall belong to the priests. You shall also give to the priests the first of your dough, that a blessing may rest on your house. 31 The priests shall not eat of anything, whether bird or beast, that has died of itself or is torn by wild animals.

 

NOTE: It seems as if some OT commands will be reinstated. Things that applied to the High Priest or to Nazarites will now apply to all priests. In 44:23, God states the reason for some of the regulations that apply to the priests.

 

Ezekiel 44:23 (ESV) — They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.

 

Additionally, the Sabbath day (Saturday) will be reinstituted in the Millennium. People will die during the Millennium, but to die before 100 years will seem a curse (Isa 65:20). The offerings will belong to the priests. They will not have an inheritance in the land, but instead will be blessed by God.

 

I wonder if the Priests will be human, and not new creatures (like the redeemed). Our role will be in administration and also in judging, but apparently not in certain functions.

 

PONDER:

1. What am I doing to prepare myself for my role in the Millennium? The best way is to be actively engaged in redeeming the lost and discipling the redeemed.

 

PRAYER: Father, help me to use my days wisely. It is great to have time to do the things I want, but I don't want to misuse these days either. Give me grace and mercy to do what is right and pleasing in your sight.

QT 9/26/2023 Ezek 44:10-14, Finding my place in this new season

 

Ezekiel 44:10–14 (ESV) —

10 But the Levites who went far from me, going astray from me after their idols when Israel went astray, shall bear their punishment. 11 They shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before the people, to minister to them. 12 Because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn concerning them, declares the Lord God, and they shall bear their punishment. 13 They shall not come near to me, to serve me as priest, nor come near any of my holy things and the things that are most holy, but they shall bear their shame and the abominations that they have committed. 14 Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, to do all its service and all that is to be done in it.

 

NOTE: Here are one of the consequences of disobedience, the Levites are restricted in their responsibilities in the millennial temple. They are graciously allowed to oversee and serve in some of the tasks, but not all of the tasks. They failed in life and that failure carries over into the millennial kingdom.

 

They do serve as a reminder of disobedience's results to others, and that is actually important, even if they were not individually directly at fault.

 

Again, who are we to question God's judgment or to decide what is fair or not fair? If we believe we have that right, then we do not understand our own salvation -- we do not truly understand grace, our unrighteousness, God's holiness, and our unworthiness. We don't deserve to stand in the millennial kingdom, but by belief in Jesus, we are overwhelmingly blessed with an eternal and abundant life.

 

PONDER:

1. Life and its fruit has consequences and rewards. Do we recognize that how we live our life is supremely important to our Lord?

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for my salvation. I know I sound like a broken record. These first few months of retirement have seemed like your message in getting repetitive -- how am I going to live for you in this new freedom of time? Help me to use it wisely. Help me to find my ministry. Help me to find my outreach.

QT 9/25/2023 Ezek 43:18-27, Am I still rebelling to his Lordship?

Ezekiel 43:18–27 (ESV) —

18 And he said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and for throwing blood against it, 19 you shall give to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord God, a bull from the herd for a sin offering. 20 And you shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the ledge and upon the rim all around. Thus you shall purify the altar and make atonement for it. 21 You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place belonging to the temple, outside the sacred area. 22 And on the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering; and the altar shall be purified, as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish. 24 You shall present them before the Lord, and the priests shall sprinkle salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. 25 For seven days you shall provide daily a male goat for a sin offering; also, a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be provided. 26 Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, and so consecrate it. 27 And when they have completed these days, then from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, and I will accept you, declares the Lord God.”

 

NOTE: Animal sacrifices are displeasing to us in our culture. But there is a lot of significance in the altar and the sacrifices. And to be honest, since most of the sacrifices (in the OT) were accompanied by eating of the meat, how can we say that it is any different than taking an animal to the butcher. But even if the meat was not "used," that would not change the significance. We don't give something to God that we are really giving to ourselves. Cooper identifies at least seven theological concepts contained within the altar and the sacrifices.

 

1. The altar was regarded as the "table" of Yahweh. The sacrifice was transformed by fire into smoke that rose to heaven. Because it was burned, it became an irrevocable gift.
2. The temple was regarded as God's house, and a house had a hearth, so this was the "hearth" of God. In Exodus, during the night, the pillar of fire was used as a sign of God's presence. There are many other examples of the symbolic and physical use of fire in God's word.
3. Similarly, the altar was a sign of God's presence (the burning bush) and was a sort of theophany.
4. The altar was associated with purity, and consequently holiness. Additionally, mercy and sacrifice went together.

 

The remaining allusions are associated with the OT law, and not the millennium. Jesus now is our direct mediation. We can talk to him directly. And his bloods cover all sins, both those committed with knowledge and those unintentional.

 

But I think the real purpose of the temple is a new reminder (like communion and baptism) that brings in the concept of the great tribulation. Men were judged for their failure to believe and the result was a massive shedding of blood upon the earth. The temple sacrifices will remind the physical humans of the cost of rebellion.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I remember who is truly Lord? Or do I live my life as if I am god and master of it? What will it take to change that view?

 

PRAYER: Father, I will enjoy today, but the day is coming when life will be much different. Thank you for the salvation I enjoy. Thank you that I am already a part of the kingdom. I want to be eagerly engaged in whatever your plan is for me.

QT 9/22/2023 Ezek 43:6-9, Preparing for the millennial kingdom

Ezekiel 43:6–9 (ESV) —

6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard one speaking to me out of the temple, 7 and 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 in the midst of the people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies of their kings at their high places, 8 by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them. They have defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

 

NOTE: During the millennial kingdom, Jesus will dwell on earth. God the father's name and presence will once again fill the temple. And no longer will wicked men defile his sanctuary, because they will have new hearts. In the millennial kingdom, God's people will reign in various positions administering God's rule on earth. No longer will sin rule because we will have new bodies that no longer include the stain of sin. We will not be tempted to sin. It will not entice us. We will be like Adam and Eve before Satan tempted them. Life will be like God intended it, not like it has become.

 

PONDER:

1. Even now, the life we live will have an impact on our role in the future. Do we love God? Then our life will show it.

 

PRAYER: Father, in my latter stage of life, I have no excuse for not giving you my time and my life. I do pray for mercy. I do pray that you would us my life for good.

QT 9/21/2023 Ezek 42:15-20, Remembering the work of Jesus in the Millennium

Ezekiel 42:15–20 (ESV) —

15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the gate that faced east, and measured the temple area all around. 16 He measured the east side with the measuring reed, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. 17 He measured the north side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. 18 He measured the south side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. 20 He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall around it, 500 cubits long and 500 cubits broad, to make a separation between the holy and the common.

 

NOTE: Why a temple when Jesus' sacrifice is all-sufficient? Cooper's (1984) commentary on Ezekiel provides great information.

 

First, … this structure will be a reminder of God’s desire to dwell among his people. It was for this reason that the Messiah came and the “Word became flesh and lived [“tabernacled”] for a while among us” (John 1:14).58

 

Second is the use of the number eight.59 There were eight steps leading up to the inner court of the priests in the temple area (40:31, 34, 37). … Eight seems to have symbolized the Messiah. Eight steps showed that Messiah was the way to the inner sanctuary of God (John 14:6). There were eight slaughter tables for preparing sacrifices. These tables were a foreshadowing of the perfect Lamb of sacrifice that God sent for all people in the Messiah, Jesus Christ (John 1:29). The sacrifices of Ezekiel’s temple were done on the eighth day (43:27), the day of new beginning. These were dim but discernible allusions to the Messiah, who would be the “way” and the “sacrifice” (Heb 10:1–18; esp. v. 10).

 

Third were the three levels. The three temple sanctuary levels and the placement of these divisions are dim types of the triune nature of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There were side rooms on each of the three levels, which presumably were areas for individual worship. These side chambers could only be entered through the middle level (41:7). Just so the Messiah, the second Person of the Godhead, is the one through which we gain access to all three (John 14:6).

 

Fourth are the doors. Both the inner and outer courts of the temple area had three doors, and the sanctuary had three inner divisions, each having a doorway (see 40:5–42:20). Jesus used the figure of a door as a self-characterization (John 10:9).

 

Fifth were the palm trees. The use of palm trees carved in the woodwork of the sanctuary symbolized peace (40:16, 22, 26, 31; 41:18–20, 25–26) and long life.60 Isaiah revealed that the Messiah would be known as the Prince of peace (Isa 9:6). The people unknowingly acclaimed him to be the King of peace when he entered Jerusalem on the Sunday before his crucifixion (John 12:13; Ps 92:12).

 

Sixth was the altar of sacrifice (41–47), a reminder of the sacrificial work of Messiah (Isa 53:7–10; Heb 10:1–18; John 1:29; see 43:13–27).61

 

Seventh, was the year of release. The language of Ezek 40:1–4 makes a subtle but clear allusion to the year of release or Jubilee Year (Lev 25:8–17). Isaiah made it clear that the Messiah would come and initiate a glorious and eternal year of release (Isa 61:1–4). When Jesus began his first earthly ministry, he did so by announcing the advent of the year of release and by reading Isa 61:1–2, therefore claiming to be the Messiah (Luke 4:18–19).62 These seven examples are representative and serve to illustrate both subtle and overt messianic ideas in the temple of Ezekiel’s vision.

 

58 See discussion of 41:13–26 (esp. v. 26) and n. 48 and the use of ἐσκηνωσεν in John 1:14, which may refer to the tabernacle, a portable worship center with the same floor plan and pattern as the temple.

 

59 Caird, Revelation, 174–75; Deissman, Light from the Ancient East, 278 note; see also 40:28–37 note and 34:23–31 note.

 

60 Garber, “Reconstructing Solomon’s Temple,” BA XIV (1951): 11.

 

61 “Altar,” HBD, 37–40.

 

62 J. D. Pentecost, Things to Come (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970), 452, 489–90.

 

Israel stumbled over the Messiah. Israel misunderstood Jesus' death. Israel did not understand the triune God. Israel did follow the commands concerning the year of Jubilee. This new temple reinforces the purposes of the original temple with corrections to their understanding of the new covenant. It reminds them of their failure to hear God amidst their worship of traditions and the oral law.

 

PONDER:

1. I don't have to wait until the millennium to remember God's work of salvation in history. When was the last time I thanked God for a salvation that I DID NOT deserve?

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you so much for a salvation that I did nothing worthy to receive. Thank you for sending your son to die for me. Thank you for opening my eyes and revealing my sin to me. Thank you for staying by my side all these years on earth. My childhood, and my working years have now passed. I am entering the third stage that I will not call, retirement, but will call my full-time ministry service.

QT 9/20/2023 Ezek 41:25-26, We all yearn for true peace

Ezekiel 41:25–26 (ESV) —

25 And on the doors of the nave were carved cherubim and palm trees, such as were carved on the walls. And there was a canopy of wood in front of the vestibule outside. 26 And there were narrow windows and palm trees on either side, on the sidewalls of the vestibule, the side chambers of the temple, and the canopies.

 

NOTE: I think what intrigues me the most about the Millennial temple is the use of Palm tree images throughout the building. These were used in Solomon's temple as well (1 Kings 6), but seem even more conspicuous in Ezekiel's description. Cooper writes:

 

The meaning of the palm tree and its use in the sanctuary is associated with the covenant of peace expressed in 34:25 and 37:26. Elsewhere in Scripture the palm tree symbolized righteousness (Ps 92:12) and longevity (vv. 18–20).

 

Psalm 92:12 (ESV) — 12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree

and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

 

Even today, our picture of palm trees is the idea of an oasis. The trees are high enough to provide shade but not so high as to obscure the landscape. Similarly, in the first psalm, we have the picture of a righteous man.

 

Psalm 1:3 (ESV) —

3 He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

 

The new temple will exude peace, something few of us truly experience in life today. This is the true rest God promises. We experience a small taste of it as we mature in Christ, but our true rest remains for the time we will experience God's presence.

 

PONDER:

1. We don't really know what heaven will be like, but we get glimpses of peace and righteousness. Life will be as God planned, and not as our sin allowed it to become.

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray that even now I could experience the peace that surpasses understanding. I pray that I would trust in you as the days unfold. I don't know what the future holds, but I want to live for you and not the things of the world.

QT 9/19/2023 Ezekiel 40, A new temple for animal sacrifices

Ezekiel 40:1–4 (ESV) —

1 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me to the city. 2 In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. 3 When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. 4 And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”

 

NOTE: This is a large building that Ezekiel measures and describes. Most people believe it is a temple to be used in the Messianic age. A new covenant would seem to exist if there is a new temple and the use of animal sacrifices. Jesus' death is sufficient for all time and there is no need for another sacrifice, so this building and the animal sacrifices seem to have another use. The best explanation I have heard is that this is similar to communion. The sacrifices remind the people of both the old system and the new system. It is a memorial practice like communion is a memorial of Jesus' death for us. Is it only for Israel or for all people of the age? I don't know. Why is it needed? I don't know.

 

One thing that is obvious, is that in today's culture, animals are placed on the same level as man. God does want us to take care of animals and not be cruel, but animals do not have souls, and this practice seems to be a reminder to a culture that sees animal sacrifice on the level of murder, that animals are not humans. We are not evolved from animals. We are created, and animals were created for a different reason and purpose.

 

Most of the people of earth and most of the animals will die during the tribulation as a result of God's judgment on man for his sins. Maybe this is a reminder of the severe penalty of death for disobedience to a post-tribulation society.

 

PONDER:

1. It is easy to accept cultural norms about animals, but they are not made in the image of God. We need to recognize our special creation. We need to recognize our special command to care for the creation, but not to worship anyone or thing but God.

 

PRAYER: Father, I don't understand how the new temple fits in the millennial kingdom. But, I believe that your purposes are good, holy, and right. I trust you.

QT 9/18/2023 Ezek 39:25-29, People must learn that the rapture of the Church is coming

Ezekiel 39:25–29 (ESV) —

25 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name. 26 They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, 27 when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. 28 Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. 29 And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”

 

NOTE: I believe this verse has been happening in stages for the last 2500 years. They did return to the land. They did give up their sins that caused shame (at least for a time). God's name has received glory. Many have realized God's control over their lives. And God did pour out his Spirit on those who believed. And yet most has not been fulfilled completely: most have not returned; most have not believed and received the Spirit; and few live securely in the land. These remaining parts of the promise will not be fulfilled until the millennial kingdom. They will speed up as we get closer to the tribulation time.

 

The church age (Jew and Gentiles as one) is coming to a close. The church is resembling the church of apostasy, the Laodicean church. Truth and the major doctrinal beliefs are being cast aside by many. People prefer being rich and not needing anything, to needing the Lord. When the church age ends with the rapture, things will progress very quickly. We need people to know our hope in the rapture because it may save some.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I willing to tell others that I believe a day is coming when God will snatch up only those who believe in Jesus to escape the coming wrath?

 

PRAYER: Father, I do not want to shrink back, but I want to be bold in telling my story and my hope. I pray that you would give me strength, boldness, and love for those around me.

QT 9/17/2023 Lev 16:3-4, Community is God's great desire for his people

Leviticus 17:1–4 (ESV) —

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 3 If any one of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, 4 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people.

 

NOTE: The verses are specific to Israel and to those under the law. They discuss a situation where an individual instead of going to the temple to make his sacrifice, the individual does it at home. The command in the law is not applicable to those not under the law (New Covenant believers), but it does contain a principle that is also repeated in the New Testament. Worship is to be a community event. God wants his people to gather together for worship and not to perform the community acts of worship alone. In other words, attending church for worship is to be done together in the body of Christ and is not to be done alone. Under the law, the penalty was quite severe (bloodguilt and cut off from the people), and there is no reason to not believe that the principle is not important in the New Covenant as well.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I realize how important community worship is to God?

 

PRAYER: Father, our culture has individualized so many things, some of which were never intended to be individual acts. The gathering for worship is one of those things. It really is selfishness. Help us to see the importance of relationships and the part we play in encouraging others.

QT 9/15/2023 Ezek 39:11-16, Burying the dead