Ezekiel
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Ezekiel Chapter 44
After the Messiah enters into this gate, it is shut. This is for Him to enter into. I had a Jewish lady once ask me how Jesus Christ was going to enter into the eastern gate when it is closed and sealed off. At the time I didn't know what she was talking of. However, God can open anything if that gate is now sealed. I didn't think it even existed yet but is yet to be build again. When the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, not one stone was left upon another. Many think it will be rebuilt during the tribulation period or just before it. The antichrist defiles the temple so that one will probably be destroyed by an earthquake. A new and final temple is built after the 2nd coming of Christ which will serve as the headquarters of the Lord until the great white throne judgment and final war. After that, when God comes to dwell with men, there will be no longer any need of a temple. I refer to Revelation chapter 21 and 22 which describes the New Heaven and New Earth and God dwelling with His creation. Actually that is what God intended from all time but sin separated us from God and Jesus had to come to reconcile the creation back to God by becoming the final sacrifice for the sin of mankind before God could live among us. That is why there is no salvation and reconciliation to God unless sin is cleansed by the blood of Jesus and we are willing to turn from our sin.
We see here the purpose for showing Ezekiel all these things. It is not so he could go around bragging that he alone was shown all these things and that he was to be the big chief and control the flock from now on because God chose him above all others. It was so that he could see the glory of God and see how unholy and defiled his people had become. Once we are in the holy presence of God, we will know how unworthy and weak we are in comparison. We need a savior to cleanse us of sin and reunite us back to God our creator. Ezekiel was shown all these things so that he could realize his great responsibility to warn the house of Israel of their sin. In today's world, it is the responsibility of pastors, teachers and messengers of the Holy Spirit to warn as well as preach the good news. We are to preach faithfully the way of salvation by warning against sin and how that sin is separating us from God. To be right with God, we must repent of sin and trust in Christ to cleanse us from that sin.
In the old testament they had to do everything according to the law that was given to them. To bring sacrifices they had to go God's way and could not have people that were not appointed as priests and anointed to be priest doing the sacrifices and offerings. They had to remember how holy God was and that there was only one way to be cleansed from sin. This was a picture of the one to come even Jesus Christ. To defile it in that day would be to allow just anyone to do the sacrifices that did not come with a heart that hated their sin and desired righteousness and was not consecrated and set apart for the service of the sanctuary. Israel began to take lightly the laws
and ordinances and did not observe them like Moses did. It had to be
done exactly as the pattern God gave to Moses showing us how holy
God is and that there is only one way of salvation. This was all
leading up to Jesus Christ. To take this lightly would cause them
not to recognize the Messiah when He did come. They had to observe
and do all things as the law said until that perfect sacrifice
came. Both the Old and New Testaments teach that salvation is accomplished by repenting of sin. When they came to bring an offering is was to acknowledge that they needed a savior from sin. It was not with the attitude that they are making an offering so that they are safe and could then go out and commit sin again without fear. That does not bring true salvation. If they were truly sorry enough of their sin to bring a sacrifice, then they would not desire to go back and sin again. If we are sorry for our sins when we come to Christ we will receive power to overcome sin and not return to it. If we come to Christ just to escape hell and do not intend to turn away from sin, we probably would not even be born again or what we call "saved."
Those that minister in the sanctuary had to be right with God and walking in righteousness themselves before they can bring the people into the right place with God. That is the same today. We can't preach the gospel and do the works of Christ unless we first partake of Christ ourselves. We have to know Him first. If we have people preaching in our pulpits and teaching our Sunday School classes that do not know the Lord and have not be born again by His spirit, how can they lead anyone else to the Lord and bring them into the way of salvation. I grieve over what took place during the Middle Ages. People were performing the mass, giving the sacraments and doing all the rituals that they thought would save them from hell when many of them just had what we call religion and didn't really know God. Now, how do I know that? The bible teaches us that we shall know them by their fruits. Burning people to the stake, drowning them in water and torturing them when they disagree with the leadership is not one of the fruits of the spirit.
The ones ministering in the sanctuary of God were leading the people into idolatry and sin instead of leading them into true worship and a life of righteousness. A true preacher today will lead people
into holy living as well as lead them to Christ. We have many today
that are covering up the simple gospel of Jesus Christ with a lot of
junk that hides the true gospel. While no true believer should ever want to deny anyone their civil rights and no true Christian should ever be doing anything immoral like abortion and sexual immorality, and we do need to speak out against those things, they have their place, but we have to be careful that we are not covering up the gospel of Jesus which is the only thing that is able to deliver us from the above mentioned sins and also give us power over the above mentioned sins. If we obeyed the commandment of Jesus to love one another as He loves us, we would never have anything to do with racism. If we obeyed the words of Jesus in John chapter 15 and was abiding in Christ, we would not be doing the sins that bring disease, confusion and end up hurting innocent children along the way. The love of God brings purity not compromise. God makes commandments for our good. He knows that to disobey those commandments harms us. I wish we could legislate away sin but if the heart is not changed, we could be keeping all the laws of the land and die lost without God because we have not been born again by the spirit of God. The church needs to emphasize the power of the gospel that will change lives. That doesn't mean that we don't run for office and stand for moral issues but our trust must be in the power of the gospel to change the inner person not try to force issues of the heart by church membership or just receiving a religion. Abortion is an exception because it is murder. We must have laws that protect the innocent. God's word teaches that.
Unfaithful ministers will eventually be removed. We are to be messengers of the truth, not blind leading the blind.
True ministers of God will be rewarded and blessed by God.
We can easily see how serious serving the Lord and doing everything God's way was then. They had to know the difference between the unclean and the clean and between the holy and profane. It is still the same. Jesus did fulfill the sacrificial requirements of the law and we no longer need priests but we still need faithful messengers and pastors that will show the difference between the unclean and the clean, the holy and the profane. We can't sugar coat the gospel with all smooth ear tickling words and never warn against the sin that as invaded and defiled the church of today just like it invaded Israel in the days of Ezekiel. That is why Israel went into Babylonian captivity. It was because of their idolatry and sin that separated them from God's hand of protection. If God is not protecting us, Satan has more power to do evil.
God was the inheritance of the Old Testament priesthood. They were not given land inheritances like the rest of the tribes. They were given the duty of ministering in the spiritual things. That is actually why tithing was instituted. It was God's way of teaching the other tribes that owned land to support those that did not have their own inheritance because they were to be scattered in cities among the other tribes for the service of the Lord. They did not own their on land so they were to be supported by the tribes that did. Serving the Lord was their inheritance. The feasts and Sabbaths were to be kept up until the perfect sacrifice was to come. As the Old Testament pointed to the perfect one to come, some believe during the reign of Christ these things will be observed again as a memorial until God Himself joins His creation in the New Heaven and Earth. There will be no need of a temple there.
When Christ became our high priest, all His faithful believers become priests. We do not need earthly priests now but we do need ministers of the gospel and teachers according to the instructions given by Christ, by Paul and the other apostles. Like the Levites who had no earthly inheritance but had God as their inheritance, because of Christ, all of us have access to the Father and God is also our inheritance. God has so much for us that anything on
this earth can't even be compared to the deep things of the Holy Spirit. We just
need to keep seeking His face
and calling upon His name. He is there for us. What love what
perfect love is found in our God for eternity.
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