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EZEKIEL

Please turn in your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 44, as we continue our study through the Word of God. And keep in mind that chapters 40-48 of Ezekiel are a very difficult portion of Scripture to understand. Many have differing views, but I will share with you what I believe the Lord is saying here. Also, keep in mind that this portion of Scripture deals with an age that is still to come, it speaks of the millennial kingdom or the thousand year reign of Christ on this earth.

In the Talmud, which is a body of Jewish tradition, the Rabbis claim that this portion of Scripture will not be understood or be able to be explained until Elijah comes and explains these things to them. I do agree that this is a difficult portion of Scripture to understand, but they are also dynamic as we shall see. They may be problematic for us, but keep in mind there are many practical lessons we can learn from them. It is as Paul said in Romans, "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." Romans 15:4. So with that in mind, lets dig into these verses this evening and see what the Lord has for us.

EZEKIEL 44

VERSES 1-3

1. If you remember, back in Ezekiel chapter 43 we saw the glory of the Lord return to the temple through the east gate. During Ezekiel’s day he saw the Lord depart from the temple, out the east gate, through the Kidron valley and over the Mount of Olives, but now He is returning through this east gate. The interesting thing about this prophecy is the Turks were aware of it and they sealed the eastern gate, while all the other gates have been opened. They also placed a graveyard in front of the east gate to prevent the Messiah from coming. Now do you think anything is going to stop the Lord! Of course not!

2. Also, we need to keep in mind that this passage is speaking of the millennial temple not the third temple or the one that is to be rebuilt during the tribulation period. Also, all of the temple’s; Solomon’s, the one that was rebuilt when the Jews returned from their Babylonian captivity under the leadership of Zerubbabel and the expansion of this second temple by Herod the Great, and even the tribulation temple or the third temple will all open up with its east gate facing towards the Kidron valley and the Mount of Olives. I don’t believe the topography during the kingdom age will be the same, it will be far different.

VERSE 4

1. When you have an encounter with God this is always the result, worship! Maybe the reason so many people today don’t enjoy worship is because they have not had an encounter with God, that relationship is not rich and deep like it should be! If it is, your encounter with God will produce worship in your life!

VERSES 5-8

1. Ezekiel is to remind them of where they were at, living in rebellion against the Lord. And He is to warn them not to travel down that path again. And as ministers of the truths of God, we are to do the same. We are to warn people of the path they are traveling on, to remind them they are living in rebellion against God, so they may turn and not travel down that same path again.

2. Too often we don’t appreciate what we have until it is taken away. God has given to us an awesome responsibility of letting people know of Jesus, entrusting to us His Word, and may we not take that lightly. May we not give the responsibility to others who don’t know the Lord, don’t have a relationship with Him to tell others about Him, because they will not give the people the truth.

3. Now for the Jews who were returning home from the Babylonian captivity, this point was given to them, to live lives that will be pleasing to the Lord. In Nehemiah 13:1-3 we read "On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God, because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. So it was, when they had heard the Law, that they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel."

VERSE 9

1. The thought here is being sensitive to the things of God, that as you read the Word of God, as you hear the Word of God, the Holy Spirit is able to cut away that hardness of heart by the sword of the Spirit.

2. Also, there must be no confidence in our flesh, that our strength comes from the Lord. Paul said in Philippians 3:3, "For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Now do we put confidence in our flesh from time-to-time? Of course we do - but, if we allow God’s Spirit to reveal those things to us, they can be cut away causing us to depend more on Him and less on our own flesh, our own abilities, which is a dangerous thing to trust in - self or the flesh!

VERSES 10-14

1. Now these Levites, because they caused Israel to sin, led them into idolatry when they were suppose to be the spiritual leaders of the nation, they will have to pay the price for their actions. They will have to bear the burden for what they did, how they led the people. The Lord is telling us that in the kingdom age they will offer sacrifices unto the Lord, minister before the people, but they won’t come near the Lord to serve Him. They will serve the people. Now you may wonder how that can be a punishment when you serve the Lord. It sounds pretty good. Well, if we read on we will see that it truly is a punishment.

VERSES 15-16

1. Zadok was the High priest in the first temple during Solomon’s reign, (I Kings 1:32-35, 2:35). And he was a faithful servant as were his descendants, even when the rest of the Levites went astray, they remained faithful. And now, in the kingdom age they are being rewarded for their service, for their faithfulness.

2. The Lord is gracious and merciful here. You see, standing before the people and serving them is a punishment as opposed to standing before the Lord and serving Him. Their actions should have caused them to be put to death, but again, the Lord is gracious, the Lord is merciful!

3. How does that apply to us? Think about it this way. God wants us to minister to Him more than He wants us to minister to the people. Now some of you may be shocked by that, but it is true. How do we do that? Hebrews 13:15 tells us "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." You see, the most important part of any ministry is sitting at the Lord’s feet and worshiping Him! Remember the story of Mary and Martha? Martha was very busy working while Mary sat at the Lord’s feet. And Martha became angry at Mary because she wasn’t doing anything, she wasn’t helping out. And Jesus said to her "...‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’" Luke 10:41-42.

You see, worship brings pleasure to God. He desires us to worship Him. Psalm 22:3 says, "But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel." God inhabits the praises of His people! That means if we worship Him, we are made aware of Him, His presence fills us and overwhelms us. But, keep in mind it is the sacrifice of praise! What is stopping you from worshiping God? Too busy? Have to get up to early? Have to stay up to late? We need to be like the son’s of Zadok where we stand before God and serve Him daily!

4. Now one more point on worship before we move on. The Hebrew word for worship is SHACHAH and it means to bow down to, to pay homage to. And in the New Testament the Greek word for worship is PROSKUNEO which means to turn towards and kiss. That is what the Lord desires of us. He is looking for that kind of relationship. In John 4:23 we are told that very thing when Jesus said "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." God is looking for us to worship Him in spirit and in truth!

And the great thing about that is as you worship the Lord it is out of that worship that ministry flows. We see that in Acts 13:1-3, "Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away." You see, you first minister unto the Lord and then for the Lord! You can’t give what you don’t have. First worship Him and then see what He will do through you!

VERSES 17-18

1. When we minister unto the Lord it is to be cool, easy, refreshing, no sweat! Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Too often we think of perspiration as a sign of holiness, spiritual superiority, but it isn’t. Where there is sweat, when you have to work so hard that you are overwhelmed, that is not a sign of inspiration but perspiration!

2. We are even to have cool heads, an even temper, as indicated by the linen turbans. Someone who blows up all the time, has to argue all the time, is not spiritual, but carnal. It is as Paul warned Timothy in I Timothy 6:3-5, "If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself." It isn’t worth dealing with people like that. They argue for the sake of arguing and that is not of the Lord!

VERSE 19

1. Again, you might be thinking, what in the world does that have to do with me? Peter tells us "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." I Peter 2:9-10. So it does have application for us, we are a kingdom of priests Peter tells us. And the idea here is when they went before the people they were not to wear holy garments. Why? Because it draws attention to them. They are to come before the people in humility, not better than anyone else. Today people wear various religious garments and it draws attention to them and it feeds the flesh. Don’t parade around in your holy garments, do like the Levites did, put on your Levi’s!

VERSE 20

1. Now this is not some kind of doctrine on hair length. But I do think it speaks of moderation. If your church is made up of biker dudes with leather jackets and chains, don’t come in on a Sunday dressed in a 3 piece suite, it will blow them away. And the same is true on the reverse side.

VERSE 21

1. If you want to be a leader, or just serve the Lord, you are not to drink while you are serving Him. Don’t use things that will cloud your mind and make you insensitive to the things of God. In fact, in Proverbs 31:4-5 we are told, "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; Lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted." To me, I have no desire to drink alcohol, and you can read in I Timothy 3:3, as a shepherd, I am instructed not to drink. And the idea for us all, is to be wise!

VERSE 22

1. Now what in the world is that all about? I just think it is speaking of a purity within the bonds of marriage. In fact, in I Peter 3:7 we are told that our prayers can be hindered if we don’t honor our wives and care for them!

VERSE 23

1. This is so important because of the days we are living in. We are to teach people what is right and what is wrong, but if we stop there we have not fulfilled the task that God has before us. We are not only to teach people those things, but we are also to help them to discern for themselves. You see, we are not just to teach them what to think, but how to think! Discernment in the church today is lacking at an alarming rate. People don’t know what is right and what is wrong and they can’t discern for themselves because they have not been taught how to discern. You learn by searching the Scriptures and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. I hope I stimulate you to search the Scriptures, that you would seek the Lord in difficult matters, because if you do, I have fulfilled my task and you are growing.

VERSE 24

1. Today, in many churches, they minister according to the latest therapies, philosophies, worldly ideas, and God is saying that should not be. When we minister it must be according to the Word of God. I am not interested in what other people have to say, but what God has to say. Do you really think all that psychotherapy works? If you had some kind of neurosis, a study showed that if you went in for therapy you would have a 65% chance of getting better. Not bad until you realize that if you had no therapy you would have a 70% chance of getting better! They screwed up 5% of the people in therapy! God’s Word is sufficient to meet our spiritual needs, to heal our mind. It is as Paul said in Colossians 2:8-10, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power."

VERSE 25

1. This sounds easy enough - stay away from dead bodies! The idea here is not the physically dead, but the spiritually dead. The only exception is for family. In other words, if you are ministering to sinners to bring them into the family of God, that is okay. You are not to hang out with sinners. They are not to be your closest friends. They will bring you down. Let me ask you this, when you are alone with nothing to do, who do you call, a brother or sister in the Lord or those that are spiritually dead? Be careful!

VERSES 26-27

1. How do you clean yourself after you have been with those that are spiritually dead? Spend time in the Word of God, spend time with the Lord.

VERSE 28

1. A few weeks back, on To Every Man An Answer radio call in show, someone called with this concern. He was wondering if he will be rewarded more in heaven because he has lacked so much in this life, while others have done very well. The answer is right here. The Lord is our inheritance. What more do we really need? As the Lord said to Abraham in Genesis 15:1, "...‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’" The Lord is saying to us that He is our reward, what else do we need?

VERSES 29-30

1. God was going to provide for them as they lived off the sacrifices.

VERSE 31

1. Why would they do that in the first place? Maybe the people were not supporting the priests and they had to go out and get whatever they could. The priests were to be taken care of so they could give back. It is as Paul told Timothy, "...‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer is worthy of his wages.’" I Timothy 5:18. I must say that I am so blessed here. I feel that you support the work and that is a great encouragement to me!

EZEKIEL 45

VERSE 1

1. In the millennial kingdom there is a portion that is to be given to the Lord, a holy portion. So from east to west we have a area of 8.3 miles long and 8.3 miles wide, north to south. It is a square.

VERSES 2-6

1. Here we see this square divided into 3 sections. In the center section, 8.3 miles long and 3.3 miles wide is where the temple is located and where the priests live. Those serving the Lord will always be closest to the Lord.

2. Then above that is another area 8.3 miles long and 3.3 miles wide where the Levites lived. They did not serve the Lord like the priests but helped in the work.

3. On the bottom was an area of 8.3 miles long and 1.75 miles wide, which is like the suburbs, where some of the Jews will live.

VERSES 7-8

1. Here we see the Princes’ portion of land that extends eastward toward the Jordan River and westward towards the Mediterranean Sea. And the Prince, the Lord, will require from His people honesty in leadership, good government. These other princes will assist with the work.

VERSES 9-14

1. The Lord is speaking to the princes, and He is telling them that they are to serve the people with honesty, with justice, they are to have fair work ethics. You see, they are representing the Prince, the Lord!

VERSES 15-17

1. Not only are they giving to the Prince an offering but we also see the Prince doing this. And many have a problem with this. Why would Jesus need to make sacrifices? Why would He need to give offerings? Think about this. Did Jesus need to be baptized? No! Did Jesus need to spend time with the Father to seek direction from Him? No! I believe that what we see here is Jesus identifying with the people, being an example to them. You see, Jesus would never ask us to go or do anything that He Himself has not done or gone through. It is as Paul said in Hebrews 4:15, "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." I still believe this Prince is none other than Jesus!

VERSES 18-20

1. Here we see the cleansing of the temple and the ceremonial cleansing of the people during the millennial kingdom.

VERSES 21-25

1. The Jew’s celebrated 3 main feasts that every Jew that was above 21 and was able to attend, was to go to Jerusalem to celebrate them. They were Passover and Unleavened Bread, which were counted many times as one feast as one ran into the other. Passover occurred in April and it spoke of what Christ has done for us, He was our sacrificial Lamb. Then 50 days later was Pentecost. And then in October was the feast of Tabernacles or Booths, which was a reflection of how God sustained His people during their wilderness wanderings. And we see the feasts of Passover and Tabernacles celebrated in the kingdom age. But, why isn’t the feast of Pentecost mentioned or celebrated in the kingdom age?

The feast of Pentecost was a celebration of the harvest, thanking God for the bountiful harvest that He has given to them. In the New Testament we see the fulfillment with the birth of the church in Acts chapter 2, as the Holy Spirit came upon those in the upper room and as Peter spoke, 3,000 got saved. The harvest has begun. Now with the start of the kingdom age, that harvest is over, the church or the bride of Christ is with the Lord. So in the kingdom age there is no need to celebrate this feast.

2. For us, Christ is our Passover Lamb. It was His sacrifice that has cleansed us from our sins and that is true in the kingdom age also. But, keep in mind that in the kingdom age Satan is bound, and people will be born who have not had a choice between the Lord and Satan. But, at the end of the kingdom age Satan will be loosed for a season and those who have been born in the kingdom age will have a choice to make. But until that time these sacrifices will be offered as a memorial to what Christ has done, looking back at His finished work, and for a ceremonial cleansing. It is as Paul said in I Corinthians 5:7-8, "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." May we not forget that!