Eze 43:12 | KingComments | STEP | Ezekiel then hears “one”, that is the LORD, speaking to him “from the house” ( ). It indeed is amazing that the LORD speaks to Ezekiel “while a man” – that is the Son of God Whom we know as the Lord Jesus, Who is also the LORD – is standing beside him. That the LORD is going to “speak” to Ezekiel, determines us that He is communicating His plans through His Word. The LORD tells Ezekiel that here, in this place, He has established His “throne” ( ). From this place He rules. It is also the place of “the soles” of His feet, which means that He has a right to it and is asserting that right (cf. ; ; ). It is the place of His rest, in which all may share who are in the realm of peace. This is the place where He will “dwell among the sons of Israel”, His people, “forever”, that is during the realm of peace (cf. ; ). The temple has three aspects. First, the temple is a textbook on the holiness of God. Second, the temple is the dwelling place of God, a holy dwelling place that cannot be defiled again. Third, the temple is a place of worship and gathering. These aspects are also expressed in the church, the spiritual temple in the time in which we live. In the gathering of the church we may experience His presence in holiness and we may worship Him there. For us, this is not bound to a geographical place ( ). The LORD can dwell among His people because His people will no longer defile His holy Name, neither they, nor their kings. It will be finished forever with their harlotry, which is their idolatry, just as it will be finished with the defilement by the corpses of their kings near His house ( ; ). This defilement is a result of their previous idolatry committed in their own houses – “their threshold” and “their doorpost” – by which they set aside and replaced the LORD ( ). Whoever is over the threshold is in the house. In the ‘threshold’ we can see a certain condition that must be met in order to enter. God’s people have made their own conditions, in addition to the condition that God applies, in order to enter His house. For God, it is enough that a person believes in order to belong to His house. People have additionally made membership in a church or agreeing to a man-made confession an additional condition. These man-made thresholds will no longer be there in the realm of peace, nor should they have any place in what is now God’s house. We recognize the placing of their doorpost next to His doorpost in the introduction of human ordinances into the house of God next to the ordinances He has given for His house. We can think, for example, of the introduction of forms of worship that are man-centered. As long as the worship feels good, then God will be satisfied with it as well, they think. We can also see the teaching of commandments of men that render the Word of God powerless as placing one’s own doorpost next to God’s. We see this everywhere where tradition is the measure of serving God and not His Word. The roman catholic church is the epitome of this. What is also widely accepted today is to adapt the liturgy to the taste of the church. Above all, a meeting should be fun. Marketing principles are leading, and not the statutes of God. Thus, one’s own doorpost is placed next to the doorpost of God. The wall around the temple that is supposed to stop the people from approaching God in the temple at their whim is only an outward separation. In their hearts and in their homes they have adhered to idols. Thus they defiled the holy Name of the LORD and He had to consume them in His anger. All that uncleanness has been purged out and is gone forever ( ). He can dwell among them forever. Ezekiel, again addressed as “son of man”, is commanded to describe his fellow citizens “the temple” or “the house” ( ). The point of this is that they will be ashamed because of all their iniquities. They are to measure the design of the house, that is, to be intensely concerned with how the LORD designed it. That reflection will correct their thoughts about His house and bring them into line with how He thinks about it. They will come to know the standard of God’s holiness that is evident in the design and construction of the temple. That reflection will also make it clear to them how much they have defiled the first temple, Solomon’s, and in what ways they have deviated from the precepts given by the LORD. When they see this, they will be ashamed of what they have done to the first temple. If we want to know God’s thoughts about the church as His house, we must look at the house in its first glory or the house in its final, ultimate glory. In the book of Acts we see the house in its first glory. Then everything is still fresh and powerful. God’s Spirit works mightily in the church. Because of the unfaithfulness of the believers, decay soon set in and the church dilapidated. When the Lord Jesus has taken up the church to Himself, she will fulfill God’s purpose. We see this in the book of Revelation. The birth of God’s house, the church ( ), and its completion when the Lord Jesus comes to take up the church ( ), show God’s plan for the church. Between its creation and completion, we see the building of the church on earth as a responsibility entrusted to us ( ). When we compare our work in building the church as a house in which God can dwell with God’s plan, we see how great the difference is. If the difference comes to us properly, we will be ashamed of what we have made of God’s house. In that mind of shame and confession, God’s people are able to receive further announcements about the house of the LORD ( ). The prophet will then show the people a plan of the temple and explain it in more detail. By “the design of the house” we can think of its general appearance, the view of the whole. We can apply that to the worldwide church ( ; ). The church has no national boundaries and no denominations. There is only one church. Local churches should be a miniature representation of that worldwide church (cf. ). “Its structure” refers to the various buildings and chambers. We can apply this to the local churches. The church in Corinth is different from the one in Ephesus and different again from the one in Colossae. But all local churches must act on the teaching that Paul taught “everywhere in every church” ( ; cf. ). “Its exits” and “its entrances” indicate life and liberty (cf. ). The exits are mentioned first, before the entrances (cf. ). In light of the holiness of that place, this seems to emphasize that whoever appears there before the LORD also comes out alive from His presence (cf. ). For those who have been made fit to be in His presence, that place is not awesome (cf. ). He or she goes in confidently and comes out full of joy and strength. The church is a place or organism to which people, having accepted the Lord Jesus in faith, have been added. They have, so to speak, “entered” it and may worship God there ( ). The believer’s life also takes place in the world. They go out – without, of course, leaving the church, for that is not possible – to show there in their daily activities Who God is ( ). They show that they have repented of their sins and idols and now live for Him Who died and rose for them and that they expect Him from heaven ( ). “All its designs” is everything that serves for decoration, as the cherubim and palm trees. “All its statutes, and all its laws” [M.T. repeats “and all its designs” after “statutes”] concerns everything that must be observed during a service in the temple. It should all help to bring “all its designs” more clearly before the attention. In the application to the church, we can think of the meetings where the church gathers to celebrate the Lord’s Supper or to pray ( ). We can also think of the commandment to love one another ( ) and also to maintain the holiness of God’s house ( ). From “all its design” a testimony will go forth into the world. Everything that Ezekiel has seen in the previous chapters, and what he will still see in the following chapters about the arrangement of and the regulations for the service, he is to communicate to his compatriots. Also, he is to write it down in their sight. It is not only meant for them to think about, but also that it will change their minds. Everything that he has said and written down is to be kept in faith and have an effect in their lives, so that their lives may become to the glory of God. The application of the foregoing is not difficult to make. God reveals His thoughts about His house, the church, to those who are humble and with their whole hearts focused on Him. He can make known all the details about the truth of the church to believers who have cleansed themselves of uncleanness and are ashamed that they have been so unfaithful. We need to be deeply impressed again by the holiness of God’s dwelling place. The law for the house of God is: the holiness of the house ( ). God’s house is “on the top of the mountain” ( ). As a result, the entire temple area is “most holy” which emphasizes the separation of the entire area from the entire land around it. The new temple will be open to all nations. Sin and evil will not be tolerated there. Therefore, holiness is also the hallmark of this temple. Likewise, we too are called to be holy in all areas of our lives ( ).

‏ Ezekiel 43:12

The LORD Among His People

Ezekiel then hears “one”, that is the LORD, speaking to him “from the house” (Eze 43:6). It indeed is amazing that the LORD speaks to Ezekiel “while a man” – that is the Son of God Whom we know as the Lord Jesus, Who is also the LORD – is standing beside him. That the LORD is going to “speak” to Ezekiel, determines us that He is communicating His plans through His Word.

The LORD tells Ezekiel that here, in this place, He has established His “throne” (Eze 43:7). From this place He rules. It is also the place of “the soles” of His feet, which means that He has a right to it and is asserting that right (cf. Isa 66:1; Acts 7:49; Jos 1:3). It is the place of His rest, in which all may share who are in the realm of peace. This is the place where He will “dwell among the sons of Israel”, His people, “forever”, that is during the realm of peace (cf. Exo 29:45-46; Psa 132:13-14).

The temple has three aspects. First, the temple is a textbook on the holiness of God. Second, the temple is the dwelling place of God, a holy dwelling place that cannot be defiled again. Third, the temple is a place of worship and gathering. These aspects are also expressed in the church, the spiritual temple in the time in which we live. In the gathering of the church we may experience His presence in holiness and we may worship Him there. For us, this is not bound to a geographical place (Jn 4:21).

The LORD can dwell among His people because His people will no longer defile His holy Name, neither they, nor their kings. It will be finished forever with their harlotry, which is their idolatry, just as it will be finished with the defilement by the corpses of their kings near His house (Jer 16:18; Zec 13:2). This defilement is a result of their previous idolatry committed in their own houses – “their threshold” and “their doorpost” – by which they set aside and replaced the LORD (Eze 43:8).

Whoever is over the threshold is in the house. In the ‘threshold’ we can see a certain condition that must be met in order to enter. God’s people have made their own conditions, in addition to the condition that God applies, in order to enter His house. For God, it is enough that a person believes in order to belong to His house. People have additionally made membership in a church or agreeing to a man-made confession an additional condition. These man-made thresholds will no longer be there in the realm of peace, nor should they have any place in what is now God’s house.

We recognize the placing of their doorpost next to His doorpost in the introduction of human ordinances into the house of God next to the ordinances He has given for His house. We can think, for example, of the introduction of forms of worship that are man-centered. As long as the worship feels good, then God will be satisfied with it as well, they think.

We can also see the teaching of commandments of men that render the Word of God powerless as placing one’s own doorpost next to God’s. We see this everywhere where tradition is the measure of serving God and not His Word. The roman catholic church is the epitome of this. What is also widely accepted today is to adapt the liturgy to the taste of the church. Above all, a meeting should be fun. Marketing principles are leading, and not the statutes of God. Thus, one’s own doorpost is placed next to the doorpost of God.

The wall around the temple that is supposed to stop the people from approaching God in the temple at their whim is only an outward separation. In their hearts and in their homes they have adhered to idols. Thus they defiled the holy Name of the LORD and He had to consume them in His anger. All that uncleanness has been purged out and is gone forever (Eze 43:9). He can dwell among them forever.

Ezekiel, again addressed as “son of man”, is commanded to describe his fellow citizens “the temple” or “the house” (Eze 43:10). The point of this is that they will be ashamed because of all their iniquities. They are to measure the design of the house, that is, to be intensely concerned with how the LORD designed it.

That reflection will correct their thoughts about His house and bring them into line with how He thinks about it. They will come to know the standard of God’s holiness that is evident in the design and construction of the temple. That reflection will also make it clear to them how much they have defiled the first temple, Solomon’s, and in what ways they have deviated from the precepts given by the LORD. When they see this, they will be ashamed of what they have done to the first temple.

If we want to know God’s thoughts about the church as His house, we must look at the house in its first glory or the house in its final, ultimate glory. In the book of Acts we see the house in its first glory. Then everything is still fresh and powerful. God’s Spirit works mightily in the church. Because of the unfaithfulness of the believers, decay soon set in and the church dilapidated. When the Lord Jesus has taken up the church to Himself, she will fulfill God’s purpose. We see this in the book of Revelation.

The birth of God’s house, the church (Acts 2:1-4), and its completion when the Lord Jesus comes to take up the church (1Thes 4:14-18), show God’s plan for the church. Between its creation and completion, we see the building of the church on earth as a responsibility entrusted to us (1Cor 3:10-15). When we compare our work in building the church as a house in which God can dwell with God’s plan, we see how great the difference is. If the difference comes to us properly, we will be ashamed of what we have made of God’s house.

In that mind of shame and confession, God’s people are able to receive further announcements about the house of the LORD (Eze 43:11). The prophet will then show the people a plan of the temple and explain it in more detail. By “the design of the house” we can think of its general appearance, the view of the whole. We can apply that to the worldwide church (Eph 2:21-22; 1Pet 2:5). The church has no national boundaries and no denominations. There is only one church. Local churches should be a miniature representation of that worldwide church (cf. 1Cor 12:27).

“Its structure” refers to the various buildings and chambers. We can apply this to the local churches. The church in Corinth is different from the one in Ephesus and different again from the one in Colossae. But all local churches must act on the teaching that Paul taught “everywhere in every church” (1Cor 4:17 ; 1Cor 7:17; cf. Rev 2:7 ; 11 ; 17 ; 29 ; Rev 3:6 ; 13 ; 22).

“Its exits” and “its entrances” indicate life and liberty (cf. Jn 10:9). The exits are mentioned first, before the entrances (cf. Psa 121:8). In light of the holiness of that place, this seems to emphasize that whoever appears there before the LORD also comes out alive from His presence (cf. Exo 24:9-11). For those who have been made fit to be in His presence, that place is not awesome (cf. Gen 28:16-17). He or she goes in confidently and comes out full of joy and strength.

The church is a place or organism to which people, having accepted the Lord Jesus in faith, have been added. They have, so to speak, “entered” it and may worship God there (1Pet 2:5). The believer’s life also takes place in the world. They go out – without, of course, leaving the church, for that is not possible – to show there in their daily activities Who God is (1Pet 2:9). They show that they have repented of their sins and idols and now live for Him Who died and rose for them and that they expect Him from heaven (1Thes 1:9-10).

“All its designs” is everything that serves for decoration, as the cherubim and palm trees. “All its statutes, and all its laws” [M.T. repeats “and all its designs” after “statutes”] concerns everything that must be observed during a service in the temple. It should all help to bring “all its designs” more clearly before the attention. In the application to the church, we can think of the meetings where the church gathers to celebrate the Lord’s Supper or to pray (Acts 2:42). We can also think of the commandment to love one another (Jn 13:34-35) and also to maintain the holiness of God’s house (1Cor 5:13b). From “all its design” a testimony will go forth into the world.

Everything that Ezekiel has seen in the previous chapters, and what he will still see in the following chapters about the arrangement of and the regulations for the service, he is to communicate to his compatriots. Also, he is to write it down in their sight. It is not only meant for them to think about, but also that it will change their minds. Everything that he has said and written down is to be kept in faith and have an effect in their lives, so that their lives may become to the glory of God.

The application of the foregoing is not difficult to make. God reveals His thoughts about His house, the church, to those who are humble and with their whole hearts focused on Him. He can make known all the details about the truth of the church to believers who have cleansed themselves of uncleanness and are ashamed that they have been so unfaithful. We need to be deeply impressed again by the holiness of God’s dwelling place.

The law for the house of God is: the holiness of the house (Eze 43:12). God’s house is “on the top of the mountain” (Isa 2:2-3). As a result, the entire temple area is “most holy” which emphasizes the separation of the entire area from the entire land around it. The new temple will be open to all nations. Sin and evil will not be tolerated there. Therefore, holiness is also the hallmark of this temple. Likewise, we too are called to be holy in all areas of our lives (Heb 12:14).