If you don't
have a One Year Bible or prefer something online, this link will take you to
the day's reading, http://oneyearbibleonline.com/daily-oyb/. This
site allows you to select from several languages and several English
translations.
NOVEMBER 20
Remember to take a look at the "Millennial Temple" at the end
of this document.
Ezekiel 40:28-41:26
If
you're like me, you don't have as many observations as you do questions from
all of this detail.
First,
if the temple was already built, why did the angel measure everything with
Ezekiel? There is some importance in Ezekiel seeing him measure everything
firsthand. I'm sure the angel was "online" with God and could have
just said how long, tall and thick everything was. The audience of Ezekiel's
prophecy was to have been impressed too. Also, as Ezekiel is taken on this tour
and verbally related it (before writing it down), it may have been a "you
had to be there" kind of experience, where it was so well communicated
orally that it was actually like being there. To alter an idiom, the hearers
may have been "spirit-bound."
Second,
in the measurements there is repetition. Verse 28 says the south gate was the
same size as the other gates, but even here, the angel measured it first. You
find eight steps a lot. There is apparently an order and symmetry about
everything. It might be worth looking at the diagram of the Millennial Temple
and making arrows as you read to trace Ezekiel's journey.
Third,
why all the mention of sacrifices?
The
sacrifices of Israel were never for the forgiveness of sins (only Christ's
sacrifice could do that), but for a faith-inspired obedience looking for the
future fulfillment of forgiven sin. For
it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Heb.
10:4). For the church today, we have the Lord's Supper as a remembrance and
memorial of what Jesus did. We are not Israel and so the Levitical sacrifices
were not for us. Jesus did say that the celebration of the Lord's Supper was
just until His return. Apparently in the Millennium, which will have a very
Jewish focus to it, and in which, Israel will fulfill its service before the
Lord, sacrifices will be a memorial remembrance of what Christ did on the
cross. The sacrifices belong to the Jews and this will be a way for them to
celebrate and remember His sacrifice.
As
for the need of a memorial to remember Christ's death, even though Jesus is
there, remember that once the Tribulation is over and Jesus is sitting on the
throne, people will begin to see Him as any other political figure. Pictures of
Him will look like a man. The Millennium will be 1000 years. After twenty years
people will forget what happened and a new generation will grow up, only
hearing about the Tribulation and Christ's coming. There will still be sin in
each person, and each person will have to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God who died to save them. One of the purposes of the Millennium will be
to prove to mankind that our real problem is sin, not Satan. Satan will be
bound for those thousand years, but rebellion toward "that guy on the
throne" will grow. Therefore, in Jerusalem all nations will be told to
come to visit and to take part in the memorial commemorating the sacrificial
death of the Lamb of God. Apparently toward the end of the Millennium, some
nations/people will refuse. See Zechariah 14:16-17.
Ezekiel
40:28-49
Vs.
28-31 From the south gate of the outer court, the angel led Ezekiel across the
outer court to the south gate of the inner court. This gate was a mirror image
of the south gate of the outer court, that is, identical but exactly the
opposite. If you look at the diagram of the Millennial Temple you can see this.
To get into the temple you had to go up eight steps. I have a feeling that with
the Lord present, there will be little concern for handicapped friendly
structures.
Vs.
32-34 Now in the inner court, Ezekiel is led from the south gate to the east
gate.
Vs.
35-37 This is now the north gate. If you're looking at the diagram of the
temple, you can see that Ezekiel and his guide have made a semi-circle around
the altar.
Vs.
38-43 If I understand this properly, the vestibule of the gates to the inner
court is the large opening on the inside of the gate, like a foyer or entryway,
as you enter from the outer court. This is where the sacrifices would be killed
and prepared for sacrifice. Again, this sacrifice will only be in memorial. It
is funny to think that people will need any memorial, but even though they will
have Jesus there, they still have to believe that He died for them and rose
again. Once people see Jesus, as time goes on for 1000 years, I'm sure because
of sin, people will treat Jesus as common place. The memorial sacrifices are to
help people remember that it took a death and blood to purchase their
redemption. Still, when Satan is released after 1000 years, he will find
rebellious hearts all over the planet. See Revelation 20:7-9.
Vs.
44-47 These are chambers for priests to make themselves ready. I doubt they'll
have Coke machines and candy bar machines in there, but who knows.
Vs.
48-49 Now Ezekiel is standing before the steps leading into the temple proper.
Ezekiel 41
See the diagram of the "The
Millennial Temple Proper" at the end of this document.
Vs.
1-4 So what happens here is that the angel takes Ezekiel into the temple proper.
Ezekiel was led into the temple from the steps on the lower end of the diagram.
The angel led Ezekiel through the entry or nave. Since Ezekiel was a priest, he
could go into the large long room, the outer sanctuary; but only the angel
could go into the inner room, the Most Holy Place. The doorways get
progressively narrower.
Vs.
5-11 These are three levels of side rooms for storage. I can't visualize this,
especially how to get to those rooms.
V.
12 This huge building/room is mentioned, but it is never said what goes on in
there. Is it a spare room or will someone live in it?
Vs.
13-26 In the temple, in the room before the Most Holy Place, there was a lot of
carving of palm trees and cherubim. The only piece of furniture is a wooden
table. Interestingly, it is not covered with gold like the furniture in the
tabernacle was. In the tabernacle and temple, in the Holy Place before the Most
Holy Place, there was a lampstand, the table of the bread of the Presence and
the altar of incense. All of these were made with or covered with gold. Some
might suggest that this is the altar of incense, but that isn't said to be its
purpose. It is simply the wooden table
that is before the Lord. Maybe it's the first table Jesus made as a
carpenter.
Nothing
is described inside the Most Holy Place where the ark of the covenant stood.
The ark has been missing since the days of Hezekiah or Manasseh. Thanks to
Indiana Jones, we know the ark is safely hidden in some undisclosed government
warehouse, probably in Ohio.
We
are not yet done with all of the descriptions, but it is safe to assume that
when the people and leaders got all of this information, they began asking
their own questions and trying to understand the shapes and dimensions of
everything. And to think, this will stand for 1000 years, and then come the new
heavens and new earth.
James 4
Vs.
1-4 We have seen the idea of adultery used before. It signals the idea of
belonging to God, but living by one's own desires and so using His blessings to
live for ourselves. Being faithful means that our devotion should be wholly for
the Lord. If something else takes the place in our hearts that only God should
own, He calls that adultery. We normally face these temptations, but in stress
and hard times, the temptation only grows deeper. We read about church fighting
in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. Paul's comment to them was that they were not behaving
like spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as babes in Christ. I think that
is what was happening here too.
Remember
too that in Hebrews 10:34, it mentions that at one time, in those early days of
faith, those believers were willing to allow their property to be taken. That
was no longer the case with the Hebrews and I'm guessing it was not the
situation here either. They had been mature, but regressed. Hard times, without
a fresh love for Christ ruling our hearts, can make us redefine following
Christ to include a life lived for earth stuff and to exclude carrying a cross.
Also,
Jesus mentioned to His disciples that when they faced persecution, the hardship
would cause many professing believers to … fall
away and betray one another and hate one another (Matt. 24:10). I think
this is what was happening to these believers as they faced persecution.
Vs.
5-10 This makes me think of Paul's reminders to the Christians in 1 Corinthians
3:16 and 6:19, that their body was a temple
of the Holy Spirit. God jealously watches over His own. The rest of this
sounds like Peter talking about our adversary
the devil (1 Peter 5:8) and humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6). Not only did these
apostles know one another and face similar problems in churches, they were all
inspired by the same Author of the Bible.
Vs.
11-12 In those same lessons to His disciples Jesus warned His disciples about
condemning and judging others (Luke 6:37). When our hearts hold on to stuff, and
when we cannot accept that God brings hard circumstances into our lives to show
His love through us, we become angry, bitter and complaining toward others and
toward God too.
Vs.
13-17 As those who were dead and have been given life by the death and resurrection
of our Savior, it ought to be a crime to live for ourselves and not for Him.
This is the intent here. Our lives are not our own and the life we live is to
be lived following the Spirit, not our plans. As Paul said to Timothy in 2
Timothy 2:4, we live under the orders of the
one who enlisted us, and our life's desire should be to satisfy Him. In
this case here, it appears that these are rich people who were living above the
circumstances because of their money. Therefore, they didn't have to be dependent
on God for how they lived or for what they wanted.
To
me it is interesting to see that all of the discipleship teaching of Jesus,
Paul, and James flows together. The look and adornments of our cultures have
changed, but disciples today face the same debilitating temptations to become
neutralized as disciples did back then.
Psalm 118:19-29
Vs.
19-20 You have to admit it is a little coincidental that we're reading so much
about the temple structure, and here we have gates and a stone and an entrance
of a king. The joy and thanksgiving are because of this king, and the way to
enter into God's presence is by giving thanks expressed with joy. This desire
to enter into the presence of the Lord is always found in David. His ultimate
desire was to be with God. Long years of running created this longing in his
heart.
Vs.
21-23 These verses must have applied to David. Saul and his men wanted to get
rid of David, but as often as they tried to reject him, kill him and drive him
off, God kept bringing David back and saving him. Isn't it amazing then that
Jesus and Peter quoted these verses regarding the Jews casting away their
Messiah?
V.
24 The day when that rejected cornerstone
was exalted was a great day.
V.
25 And so where does that success and salvation come from?
V.
26 This is what Jesus said the people would cry out during the Tribulation,
showing their humility in needing Him. Their shouting of this prayer will begin
the process of His return to Jerusalem. It will begin the salvation and success
of the future Israel.
V.
27 God made His face to shine upon us by binding the sacrifice, figuratively
speaking, to the horns of the altar.
The horns of the altar were to be grasped by those pleading for mercy and
forgiveness. How could David have had these thoughts other than the Holy Spirit
inspiring him?
Vs.
28-29 This seems to be the universal praise of the redeemed and those who
follow in the harvest.
What
a great psalm! He'll return in the future and today we have the joy of letting
people know they need to be ready.
Proverbs 28:3-5
These verses continue the theme
of a land full of transgression.
V. 3 In this land, the poor have
no compassion for other poor.
V. 4 The heroes of this land are
like the people praising them, the wicked. But there are still people who keep
the laws and work against this lawlessness.
V. 5 Seeking the Lord is what
keeps the disciples on target, knowing right from wrong when everyone else has
no clue.
In all of this, it shows the
importance of those who know the Lord to be active, reaching out and making disciples,
who make disciples.
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are interested in growing
deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the
growth of a discipleship culture in the church, that is, groups of 3-4
disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to
reach out and make disciples, who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most
universal and important discipleship manual we have and it is the key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here,
or what we are to be doing, or whom we are to be following. My comments are
only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of
God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are
designed to keep us, as disciples, focused on Christ and our role in His
harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be
willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their
growth as disciples, making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
Anyone reading along with us is
welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own
observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition
or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any
point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as
I understand it. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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