CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Ezekiel 43
Chapter 43 of 48
Chapter Overview
What happens in Ezekiel 43
The glory of God returns to the new temple through the east gate, the same gate through which it departed in chapter 10. God declares this will be his eternal dwelling place. The chapter also gives instructions for the altar and its consecration.
Scripture
Ezekiel 43
God's Glory Returns to the Temple
Study note
This is the climax of Ezekiel's temple vision. The glory of God, which had departed from the old temple in chapters 10-11, now returned from the east. The sound was like rushing water, and the earth shone with God's glory. It looked exactly like the visions Ezekiel had seen by the Chebar River and when God came to destroy the city. The glory filled the temple, and God declared this would be the place of his throne forever. Israel would never again defile his holy name.
1 The man led me to the gate that faces east. Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:
2 There I watched as the glory of Israel's God came sweeping in from the east. His voice thundered like the roar of a mighty river, and the whole land blazed with his radiant glory. And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
3 This vision was identical to what I had seen when God came to destroy the city and to what I had witnessed at the Chebar River. I instantly fell face-down on the ground. And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.
4 The glory of the Lord streamed into the temple through the east-facing gate. And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
5 The Spirit lifted me up and carried me into the inner courtyard. There I saw the Lord's glory completely fill the temple. So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.
6 While the man stood next to me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
7 The voice said, "Son of man, this is where my throne will stand and where I will rest my feet. I will live here among the Israelites forever. Never again will the people of Israel or their kings pollute my holy name -- not through their unfaithfulness or through the corpses of their kings when they die." And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.
8 "When they placed their doorstep right next to my doorstep and their doorpost right beside my doorpost, with only a wall between us, they polluted my holy name with their disgusting practices. So I consumed them in my anger." In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger.
9 "Now let them get rid of their unfaithfulness and remove the dead bodies of their kings from my presence. Then I will live among them forever." Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.
10 "Son of man, describe this temple to the people of Israel so they will be ashamed of their sins. Let them carefully study the blueprint." Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
11 "If they are ashamed of everything they have done, show them the full plan of the temple. Show them its layout, exits, and entrances, every detail, all its rules, and all its laws. Write it all down where they can see it. Then they can follow the whole design and all its rules." And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.
12 "Here is the fundamental law of the temple: the entire area on top of the mountain, all the way around, is most holy. That is the law of the temple." This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.
The Altar and Its Consecration
Study note
The guide measured the altar, which was built in levels like a stepped pyramid. God gave detailed instructions for consecrating the altar over a seven-day period. On the first day, a young bull was to be offered as a sin offering. For seven days, a goat for a sin offering and a bull and ram without defect would be offered each day. After these seven days, the priests could begin offering regular burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar, and God would accept them.
13 "Here are the altar measurements using the long cubit of about twenty-one inches. The gutter around the base is about twenty-one inches deep and twenty-one inches wide. A rim about nine inches wide goes around its edge." And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar.
14 "From the gutter at ground level to the lower ledge, the altar rises about three and a half feet. The lower ledge extends out about twenty-one inches. From the lower ledge to the upper ledge, the altar rises about seven feet. The upper ledge also extends out about twenty-one inches." And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower settle shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit.
15 "The altar hearth, where the fire burns, rises another seven feet. Four horns project upward from its corners." So the altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns.
16 "The altar hearth is a square, about twenty-one feet on each side." And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof.
17 "The upper ledge is also square, about twenty-four and a half feet on each side. A rim about ten and a half inches wide borders it, with a gutter about twenty-one inches wide around it. The altar steps face east." And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east.
18 He told me this. "Son of man, the Lord God says: Here are the rules for the altar. Use them on the day it is first used. Burn offerings on it. Splash blood on it." And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.
19 "Give a young bull as a sin offering to the Levitical priests who come from Zadok's family. They are the ones allowed to come near and serve me, says the Lord God." And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord GOD, a young bullock for a sin offering.
20 "Take some of the bull's blood and apply it to the four horns of the altar, to the four corners of the upper ledge, and all around the rim. This will purify the altar and prepare it for service." And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about: thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it.
21 "Take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the chosen area outside the temple grounds." Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary.
22 "On the second day, offer a male goat with no defects as a sin offering. Purify the altar just as you did with the bull." And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock.
23 "When the cleaning ceremony is done, offer a young bull with no flaws and a ram from the flock with no flaws." When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.
24 "Present them before the Lord. The priests will sprinkle salt on them and offer them as a burnt offering to the Lord." And thou shalt offer them before the LORD, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the LORD.
25 "Each day for seven days, provide a male goat as a sin offering. Also provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defects." Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish.
26 "For seven days the priests will purify the altar and consecrate it. That is how they will dedicate it for use." Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves.
27 "Once those seven days are complete, beginning on the eighth day and continuing from then on, the priests will offer your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, says the Lord God." And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord GOD.
Key Themes
Themes in Ezekiel 43
God's glory returnsRestoration after departureHoliness of the templeAtonement and consecration
Prophetic Connections
How this chapter points to Christ
Ezekiel 1-5 Revelation 21:3
John's vision of God dwelling with his people echoes the glory of God returning to fill the temple in Ezekiel, pointing to the ultimate fulfillment when God will dwell among humanity forever.
Apply This Today
Living Ezekiel 43
The return of God's glory to the temple is one of the most hopeful moments in Ezekiel. What was lost is restored. God's presence, which departed because of sin, comes back when holiness is established. This assures us that no matter how far God's presence may seem, repentance and faithfulness can open the door for Him to return.
Go Deeper
Study Ezekiel in Covenant Path
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