Ezekiel 40:10

In these verses we are continuing the tremendous detail that God gave to Ezekiel and thus to the Jewish people about a new temple that would be built in Jerusalem. The fact that God went into such great detail about this future new temple would show to the Israelites that God had not forsaken them, and that God still had a plan for them. The same is true for every believer in Christ. It is one of the benefits of being a child of God. Jesus will never forsake us. His plan for us is based upon His grace towards us. The Bible says in Ezekiel 40:10-39, “And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side.[11] And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.[12] The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side: and the little chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.[13] He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another: the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door.[14] He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate.[15] And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits.[16] And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and windows were round about inward: and upon each post were palm trees.[17] Then brought he me into the outward court, and, lo, there were chambers, and a pavement made for the court round about: thirty chambers were upon the pavement.[18] And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement.[19] Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, an hundred cubits eastward and northward.[20] And the gate of the outward court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof.[21] And the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.[22] And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof were before them.[23] And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate toward the north, and toward the east; and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits.[24] After that he brought me toward the south, and behold a gate toward the south: and he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures.[25] And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.[26] And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them: and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof.[27] And there was a gate in the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south an hundred cubits.[28] And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;[29] And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.[30] And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.[31] And the arches thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof: and the going up to it had eight steps.[32] And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures.[33] And the little chambers thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, were according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round about: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.[34] And the arches thereof were toward the outward court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.[35] And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it according to these measures;[36] The little chambers thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.[37] And the posts thereof were toward the utter court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the going up to it had eight steps.[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.” Verse 39 mentions the most important activity that took place at the temple: sacrifices for sin and for trespasses. But all those animal sacrifices that happened daily at the temple could never take away sin. They were only symbolic that one day God would provide a real sacrifice: His Son Jesus Christ. This is explained in the book of Hebrews very well. It says in Hebrews 9:11-14, “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;[12] Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.[13] For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:[14] How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Continuing with the description of the temple that God had planned for the future for the Jewish people, the Bible says in Ezekiel 40:40-49, “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.[43] And within were hooks, an hand broad, fastened round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.[44] 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.[48] And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.[49] The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; and he brought me by the steps whereby they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.” These verses have a lot to say about the sacrifices that were done at the temple. A sacrifice was the killing of an animal. There were four tables of stone on which to kill them. There were hooks to grab onto the carcasses. Of course, there would have been knives to cut up the meat. What are we talking about from a practical standpoint. We are talking about the work of a slaughterhouse. Have you ever been to a slaughterhouse? Animals are killed one after the other. There is a lot of blood, a lot of dead animals and their carcasses, and a lot of raw meat. The priests and Levites were the butchers. But all those innocent animals and all that blood could never take away sin. That shows how precious was the blood of Christ. Jesus came into the slaughterhouse of this world, and shed His blood so that we could be saved. What an amazing salvation. The reason we no longer have a need for a temple, or sacrifices, or priests is because Jesus finished the work of salvation. We no longer need the symbolism of animal sacrifices nor any of the rituals associated with them is because of Jesus and His great sacrifice.

At the end of these verses there are a couple of interesting comments that can be made about the size and overall structure of the temple. The Bible says in Ezekiel 41:1-26, “Afterward he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle.[2] And the breadth of the door was ten cubits; and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits: and the breadth, twenty cubits.[3] 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.[5] After he measured the wall of the house, six cubits; and the breadth of every side chamber, four cubits, round about the house on every side.[6] And the side chambers were three, one over another, and thirty in order; and they entered into the wall which was of the house for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold, but they had not hold in the wall of the house.[7] And there was an enlarging, and a winding about still upward to the side chambers: for the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house was still upward, and so increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst.[8] I saw also the height of the house round about: the foundations of the side chambers were a full reed of six great cubits.[9] The thickness of the wall, which was for the side chamber without, was five cubits: and that which was left was the place of the side chambers that were within.[10] And between the chambers was the wideness of twenty cubits round about the house on every side.[11] And the doors of the side chambers were toward the place that was left, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south: and the breadth of the place that was left was five cubits round about.[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.[13] So he measured the house, an hundred cubits long; and the separate place, and the building, with the walls thereof, an hundred cubits long;[14] Also the breadth of the face of the house, and of the separate place toward the east, an hundred cubits.[15] And he measured the length of the building over against the separate place which was behind it, and the galleries thereof on the one side and on the other side, an hundred cubits, with the inner temple, and the porches of the court;[16] The door posts, and the narrow windows, and the galleries round about on their three stories, over against the door, cieled with wood round about, and from the ground up to the windows, and the windows were covered;[17] To that above the door, even unto the inner house, and without, and by all the wall round about within and without, by measure.[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.[20] From the ground unto above the door were cherubims and palm trees made, and on the wall of the temple.[21] The posts of the temple were squared, and the face of the sanctuary; the appearance of the one as the appearance of the other.[22] The altar of wood was three cubits high, and the length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood: and he said unto me, This is the table that is before the LORD.[23] And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors.[24] And the doors had two leaves apiece, two turning leaves; two leaves for the one door, and two leaves for the other door.[25] And there were made on them, on the doors of the temple, cherubims and palm trees, like as were made upon the walls; and there were thick planks upon the face of the porch without.[26] And there were narrow windows and palm trees on the one side and on the other side, on the sides of the porch, and upon the side chambers of the house, and thick planks.” Verse 2 says that the temple was forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide: that is sixty feet long and thirty feet wide. And so we see that the temple is a fairly small building compared to today’s standards. That fact tells us that the next temple will be able to be built very quickly, probably in a matter of just a couple of months. Once the Great Tribulation starts with the rapture of the church, there must be a temple in place by the middle of the Tribulation, according to Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24:15 where Jesus refers to Daniel’s prophesy about the defiling of the temple. Daniel also tells us that this event takes place “in the midst of the years,” in other words in the middle of the Tribulation: at the 3 ½ year mark. Of course, the temple mount and site was made up of more than just the temple. The temple had a large court and a wall around all of that. Evidently, because of the craftsmanship, and that way it was adorned with tiling and gold plating in various places, the entire temple area was a great and marvelous and beautiful archeological structure. We can infer from the discussion that Jesus had with His disciples in front of the temple, that it was a wonderfully beautiful place. It says in Matthew 24:1-2, “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to Him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

This temple was a very substantial structure. Verse 12 says that the walls were 5 cubits thick. That is 7 ½ feet. And the great wall surrounding the whole courtyard was even thicker. It was so thick and substantial, that when the Romans thoroughly destroyed the temple in 70AD, they left part of the western wall in place. Today that is called the wailing wall. It was probably too much trouble to completely tear down. Anyway to have walked into that temple area would have greatly impressed anyone with the feeling of stability and permanence. Of course, Jesus knew that it was not permanent. There is one place that is permanent: heaven. If you would like a permanent place in heaven, turn to Jesus before it is too late.

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