King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Saturday, September 09, 2023
Chapters: EZEKIEL 40-42
Study: Prepared And Awaiting Christ Kingdom
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
I was able to sleep in this morning, I did not need to set the alarm or get up before the roosters in order to spend time with God before I started my day. It was quite refreshing to just wake up when your body has had enough rest, then praise God for all He has blessed you with, including a good cup of coffee. I do not know about you, but I am looking forward to the days when we will not need to sleep at all, our bodies will no longer get tired and worn out, we will never have to suffer any pain again, or even death.
[Revelation 22:2-5 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.]
What a sight! What a joy! What a rest we will receive when we join Christ in the place that He is actually preparing for us right now, [John 14:2-4 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.]
The trees of life are fed by Christ’s pure living waters flowing from the river that comes from the throne of God. This tree itself is an emblem of Christ, and of all the blessings that come with His salvation to our souls. The leaves represent the healing of the nations and will supply everything we will ever need in our everlasting lives. The presence of God in heaven is the health and happiness of His saints. The devil has no power there as he will be long gone. Service there shall be not only freedom, but honor and dominion. There will be no night, no affliction, no sin, and no need to pause service or enjoyment of life for that matter. As we continue in the reading of Ezekiel, twenty-five years into their captivity to Babylon, God, gives him another vision. In fact, he takes him by the hand to Israel where a new temple will be built.
[Ezekiel 40:2-5 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. 4 And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; 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. 5 And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, 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.]
[whose appearance was like the appearance of brass,] This is Jesus, and He wants Ezekiel to see the size of the new temple, which is enormous, and is said to be the size of the entire earth. It is said that these last eight chapters of Ezekiel are by far the most difficult to understand, even Bible scholars pass it up, and the Jews will not even allow anyone to read it until they are thirty years old, even then, they vainly tell them they are to wait for Elias to explain it when he comes. Well, even Jesus mentions this. [Matthew 17:10-13 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.]
[and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee;] To get a better understanding of God’s Word, especially with something so complex, we do need to set our heart upon it, them ask the Holy Spirit to explain what it means. While some things are more complex than others, we must not take away the simplicity of the Gospel, even though we read in this next passage about the inner court in which the sacrifices will be reinstated.
[Ezekiel 40:28,38-42 And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures; 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. 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.]
[and the sin offering and the trespass offering.] These offerings were not a replacement of what Christ did, they were symbolic of His becoming the burnt, sin, and trespass offerings. These symbols being of the Mosaic ordinances are not at all taking the place of what Jesus has done on the cross. They are a reminder that Christ, is our Altar and our Sacrifice, to whom we must look upon with all all our heart, by faith, and are to be looked unto from all four quarters of the earth, [Luke 13:28-29 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. 29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.]
What a day it will be when we also get to see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not to mention Noah, Moses, David, and Samuel, and just imagine the conversations we will have. Would you not want to ask them what they were thinking when they did some of the things they did? Well, let me tell you, none of those things will even be mentioned because we all got there the same way, our faith in the LORD. Ezekiel, is now taken to the chambers where the priests, singers, and ministers will stay while they are in their service.
[Ezekiel 40:44-47 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. 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. 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. 47 So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar that was before the house.]
[which come near to the LORD to minister unto him.] The priesthood, symbolizes the mediation between God and man, the monarchy symbolizes His sovereignty, the people are symbolized as the saints of God, and the location symbolizes their inheritance. These ordinances are intended to symbolize the dwelling place of Jesus among His people. Once we accept Christ as our Saviour we are a part of the priesthood, and therefore, we ought to be ready and eager to serve Him no matter what position He gives us, [1 Peter 2:5-6 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.]
Wow! It is truly amazing what God shows you when you are rested! Before we knew Christ as our Saviour we were confined to the chains that sin held us down to. However, if we have truly and honestly accepted the Gospel of Christ as being our Saviour with all of our heart, then we are a part of the royal priesthood. Now, after the man showed Ezekiel the two inner courts of the temple he took him inside the temple to show him the holy and most holy place. Remember, the most holy place is the innermost room where the God’s presence would actually dwell.
[Ezekiel 41:3-4,12,18-19 Then went he inward, and measured the post of the door, two cubits; and the door, six cubits; and the breadth of the door, seven cubits. 4 So he measured the length thereof, twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and he said unto me, This is the most holy place. 12 Now the building that was before the separate place at the end toward the west was seventy cubits broad; and the wall of the building was five cubits thick round about, and the length thereof ninety cubits. 18 And it was made with cherubims and palm trees, so that a palm tree was between a cherub and a cherub; and every cherub had two faces; 19 So that the face of a man was toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side: it was made through all the house round about.]
[and every cherub had two faces;] This is the same image Ezekiel saw when God spoke to him when He first gave him these visions. The face of the man is symbolic of those who were redeemed by the blood of Christ, and the face of the lion are symbolic of the strength of the Gospel that His minsters have to do their work in defending the Gospel. The closer we get to Christ’s return the more difficult it will be to reach people with the Gospel, it will take the strength of Christ, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and the power of the Father all working within us to see us through.
[1 John 5:4-7,10 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.]
We need to understand that Christ’s saints are going to face a lot of tribulation, the closer to His return the more we are going to face. Old Testament saints were frequently put to death for their faith, or exposed to the persecutions of men, which often resulted in death. Early New Testament saints have been put to death for their faith in Christ and His Gospel. The suffering death of God’s saints is noted through all the ages, but we are more than conquerors through our faith because we will be with Christ always and forever in His Kingdom. Now, the man showed Ezekiel the outer court before the holy place, the holy of hollies, and where the priests would eat.
[Ezekiel 42:1,12,14 Then he brought me forth into the utter court, the way toward the north: and he brought me into the chamber that was over against the separate place, and which was before the building toward the north. 13 Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the utter court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are for the people.]
[there shall they lay the most holy things,] The meat (bread), sin, and trespass offering, which all Christ’s saints lay before Him, are a picture of Christ, who is the most holy thing. Jesus, is the bread of life, He sustains and keeps us safe in this world. He is the atonement for our sin, and the one and only sacrifice needed to redeem our soul once and for all. He is also the blood that gives us life and sustains our soul for the new world, [John 6:35,37-38,40 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.]
Today’s Prayer: God, How glorious it is to enjoy freedom from sin, thanks to the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus Christ, on my behalf. My life, once enslaved to sin, now enjoys the freedom from what held me captive to Satan’s bondage. Lord, Watch over us, protect us, keep us looking for Christ’s return as we prepare for the battle we will face for our faith. We know that we need not fear because You are with us and will see is through for eternity. Let us keep serving You with love and thanksgiving, looking forward to that blessed day when we get to live with You in heaven and later in new Your new Kingdom. I pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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