In the book of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher declares that, "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore, the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." ...While this is a faithful saying, the thought promises a fearful end for the works of evil men.
This guide is designed for the reader who is not evil minded and who does not want either to thumb through many pages before he "gets the picture." Almost one third of the pages have an illustration of a text of the prophecy which refers to a specific part of the Lord's sanctuary.
The prophet, Ezekiel, records marvellous visions of the day of God. In this vision, he sees individual pictures of the buildings of the temple's sanctuary on the summit of Zion's hill. On this particular hill the individual pictures are shown to the prophet (and to his readers) in outline form.
This same method of showing 'things' by pictures of the future day of the LORD, as seen here by Ezekiel, is followed by the Holy Spirit in the picturing of events of things yet to come in the day of the LORD's judgment,
[pictorials which are later shown to the apostle John on Patmos].
This guide should banish any mystery that presently surrounds the vision. Here the puzzling parts are brought together, but lack the details of the substance of the whole pattern. These details of the substance must yet be provided by the True Builder who is still to come...
The vision shows the outlines of the holy places of the sanctuary of the "house." The vision shows the arrangement of "the kingdom of heaven" as it will be when established on the earth in the day when God visits His people "yet once."
The vision outlines not only the holy places of Zion, but it also shows the outlined form for the portion of a new Jerusalem. It shows the lots for land set aside for the "prince." It shows the lots for the land set aside for the two orders of priests, the Zadokites and the Levites. It also details the lots set aside for the twelve tribes of Israel when the people are re-ordered in tribes (per Zechariah's prophecy).
The vision also declares where the full extent of the borders of the promised land shall be.
The object of the vision, according to Ezekiel 43:10-12, is to show the house to the people of Israel so "that they may be ashamed of their iniquities." For, the house is required to be a most holy place for all peoples. This fact is to be accepted as Torah by the nation before any reconciliation is effected by the God of Israel.
When this prophecy was delivered to the nation, -- fourteen years after Jerusalem had been made desolate by Nebuchadnezzar's forces in 585 B.C., -- this warning was not heeded. Many today have no deep regard for the things of Israel's God. This was a thing that greatly distressed the apostle Paul in his day, too. He said the Jews are "my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the service and the promises; whose are the fathers and of whom, as concerning the flesh, is the Messiah who is over all God-blessed for the Olam." These things were never removed and are still in effect...
God is turning away from the nations; He is turning back to the nation of Israel. Israel must learn to fear and to obey Him only, and to not fear the threats of the rulers of the surrounding nations or of the world!
Within Israel there will shortly be intense emotional conflict generated by the religious questions of the nations, of the Christians, of Islam and of Judaism. The conflict pivots upon the coming of Elijah and the man who presumes to sit down in the temple, claiming that he, rather, is God.
All men, who like it so or not, will then experience the day of the judgment. God will comfort Zion, and Israel, according to all His past promises. Then He will likewise reward the nations for their respect toward Israel and the Jews, toward the holy places, toward the promised land and toward Him. It will be a dreadful "day..."
The time for the building of the temple will not be of a long duration, but no doubt more than a literal day.
The actual construction of a new temple will take "a little while." The time preceeds the appearance of the "man of sin." In Jerusalem, today, the Temple Institute people are actively preparing for the day of its building.
The prophet Zechariah declares who will supervise the building: "Behold, the man whose name is "the branch": and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD; even he shall build the temple of the LORD: and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne, and he shall be a priest upon His throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."
Therefore, this booklet presents the patterns of the temple-complex, as Ezekiel once saw them. If these outlines are reproduced as faithfully as possible at this point in time, the reader should become familiar with the nature of the work ahead. The coming of Elijah promises some major reforms within Israel before the "day" of the nation's restoration as a kingdom.
Orthodox Christianity definitely will reassess, and restructure as a result, of the new Word from Jerusalem.
God's purpose for man and the earth, and the Jew particularly, is set out in the Holy Bible. The purpose is plainly stated in Numbers 14:21, thus: "But, truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD."
Jeremiah foretold:
"Behold, the days come, siath the LORD, that I will perform
that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the
house of Judah."
"In those days and at that time will I cause the Branch of
righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness
in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved and Jerusalem shall
dwell safely. And this is the name by which she shall be called, The LORD Our
Righteousness. For thus saith the LORD, David shall never lack a man to
sit upon the throne of the house of Israel. Neither shall the priests,
the Levites, lack a man before me to offer burnt offerings and to kindle
meal offerings and to do sacrifice continually," 33:14-18.
This end has not come yet, or Israel today would have both her king and the Levitical priests. "Now" several nations desire the holy places and the land for their own possessions.
The southern border of Israel conforms to Ezekiel's Word of the LORD. This border was secured after 1948 following the Arab-Israeli wars. The northern border is neither secure nor what is required by the prophecy yet. The present eastern border also remains in conflict with the prophecy. These two borders -- today -- are the bones of contention in the disagreement between Israel and the surrounding nations. They present the bases of attack for a third world war in the Middle East.
Jesus taught his disciples about Jerusalem, "When you see the city surrounded by armies,' he said, 'it is time to flee from the city.' It is a wise advice, whatever the time element of its happening!
Zechariah mentions a siege against Judah and against Jerusalem, in 12:2. Jerusalem and Judah are surrounded by "all the peoples round about." The time is prior to a final destruction in battle, at Har-mageddon. Time itself will resolve a number of questions about this application of time.
Israel is also to be trampled by armies passing through her lands prior to the siege by the nations. This is one reason to watch the political activity and the battles which take place in the Middle East. It is unlikely that any power, whether major or not, will hesitate to overrun the land if it means gaining a military advantage and victory over the adversary!
Rabbinical writings differ in some interpretation of this particular vision of the prophet. Ezekiel's vision pictures lack any third dimension. However, the crude drawings on the following pages attempt to show each Scripture text as accurately as possible.
A larger integrated blueprine of the sanctuary of the LORD's house may be composed by drawing all illustrations to one equal scale, and then, laying out the parts and joining them together. Expect the result to be a very large drawing!