Dwelling Place Series 1.7-The Temple of Ezekiel "Absolute Holiness for 'The Lord is There'"

"I am their inheritance. You shall give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession (Ezekiel 44:28)."

Have you ever played a game because you wanted to win a prize? When I was in the arcade or bowling alley, I used to commonly play the “Skill Crane” machine. That’s the game where you try to pick up the toy by dropping the mechanical claw over it at the right time. I don’t know how much money I wasted trying to get prizes that I rarely won, and even when I did win it the prize was never that great!

The final dwelling place in our series on the 7 Dwelling Places of God is the Temple of Ezekiel, and one of the remarkable aspects of this temple is the tremendous prize of the faithful servants there. The Temple of Ezekiel is a literal, futuristic temple that will be built during the 1000 year millennial rule of Christ. The temple will be built in Jerusalem, where Christ will reign over all the nations. We know that the temple is to be built in the future, for no temple has ever existed according to the pattern that the prophet Ezekiel described.

This temple will be a place of absolute holiness. The name of the area surrounding the temple will be Jehovah Shammah, which means “The Lord is there.” God’s presence will saturate this temple; His glory will saturate the place in unprecedented ways. And if we want to be a part of this glory, the law is that we must be holy. A river of life will also flow out of this temple, giving life to the city of Jerusalem. This river represents the Holy Spirit, who should also flow out of us as a spiritual river bringing life and salvation.

The ministers in the Holy Place of this temple will be the spiritual sons of Zadok. Who were the sons of Zadok? They were the faithful priests in the time of Ezekiel. When the other Levites went astray and helped the people in their worship of idols, the sons of Zadok stayed faithful. Thus, if we are going to be spiritual sons of Zadok, we must stay faithful to God and never compromise. We must never lower our standards or compromise our holiness in order to draw a crowd and attract people. If we compromise, we will lose our inheritance.

God had mercy on the unfaithful Levites and allowed them to have a job in the outer court of the temple, serving the people. Thus, the inheritance of the unfaithful servants was ministry to people. What was the inheritance of the sons of Zadok? Their inheritance was not a ministry, a building, or a piece of land; their inheritance was God Himself. The spiritual sons of Zadok are those who “win Christ (Philippians 3:8)” and enjoy the most intimate fellowship with Him for all of eternity. So as we conclude this series on the 7 Dwelling Places of God, let’s be inspired to drop any hint of compromise in our own life and to set our eyes on Christ. He is the One we are after, He is the One we should long for, He is the only One who will satisfy. We can dwell in Him and He in us, both now and forever.

Dwelling Place Series 1.6-"The Church" Lively Stones with a Living Lord

“I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).”

Stained glass windows. A tall steeple. A picture of the cross at the front. What images do you get in your mind when you think of church? There is nothing wrong with most of these things, but they are not primarily that with which we should associate the Church. The Church is not a building or an external being, rather, it is the living Body of Christ, His representative on earth.

The sixth dwelling place in our study of the Dwelling Places of God is the Church. It is the dwelling place of the current age of history (the Church Age); today, God dwells not in a building made by human hands but in the individual members of His worldwide Church. And if you are a believer in Christ, you are part of the universal Church and are called to be His dwelling place.

In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul describes the Church by using 3 “B’s”. The Church belongs to Christ, and it is His Building, His Body, and His Bride.

1) His Building (Ephesians 2:19-22).

We are God’s building, called to be “living stones” making a spiritual house. As living stones, we must allow God to polish and shape us into the image He has in mind for us. Just as a man walks into a building and rests, so God desires to rest inside of you.

2) His Body (Ephesians 1:22,23).

How often are you inside your body? Does your brain go places that your body isn’t taking it? No, we are inside of our body all the time! If we are healthy, our head controls the body and dictates what it does. Likewise, Christ is our Head and we should be submitted to His lordship. If we are not listening to our Head, we have a spiritual sickness and must cry out to God for repentance and restoration. Christ is in now in heaven-we are His hands and feet extended to the world. Let’s be a faithful representation of Him.

3) His Bride (Ephesians 5:25-27,31,32).

A man dwells with his bride every day. No one knows a man better and lives closer to him than his wife! This is the kind of relationship God wants to have with us; open, transparent, and holy. As His Bride, we should seek to be clothed in pure, white spiritual garments, free from sin and corruption. God is calling us to be His special possession-are we willing to obey?

Let’s be faithful so that we will eternally be part of Christ’s Building, Body, and Bride!