New Jerusalem

King James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Thursday, September 10, 2015
Chapters: Ezekiel 40-42 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-253.html
Message Title: New Jerusalem

Hello My Friend,

When Jesus returns, and the tribulation ends, He is going to establish His kingdom on the very throne where David sat, a remnant of all nations, including Israel will join together, chosen by God Himself, to live forever in a sin free, pain free, glorious kingdom in New Jerusalem. This remnant are none other than those who accepted the Lord Jesus Christ personally as their Saviour. “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” - Revelation 3:12.

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. A pillar; a supporter; that which sustains or upholds, those who know Christ as their Saviour are supported and sustained by His blood. The temple of my God, if you are saved, you are God's temple, He dwells in you through the Holy Spirit. When Christ returns that will be no more because we will see Him face to face in His kingdom. Twenty five years after the Jews were taken captive into Babylon, Ezekiel received a vision from God about a glorious city that was to be built. God sends Ezekiel to a strange looking man who gave measurements of the huge temple to be built there.

“In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south. And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate. And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel. And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and an hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed.” - Ezekiel 40:2-5.

Declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel, the Jews were taught the very same things that we are taught. The temple is symbolic of Christ’s Church, represented in the New Testament under the picture of the first temple built under Solomon. Still today, the Jews reject Christ, even these books which clearly speak of Him, and dream of a third temple to be built by their long awaited Messiah. There is only one Messiah, and that is Jesus Christ, Jew or Gentile, we must believe in and accept Him as our Saviour if we want to be a member of this Temple. “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” - Colossians 2:12-15.

Took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross, in order to stand before God and even be admitted into the gates of New Jerusalem we must be sin free. Since none of us is sin free, and God truly wants us to be apart of His life and new Kingdom, He made a way for that to happen, and that way is Jesus. Jesus died a sinless death, He took every sin of every person to the cross He was nailed to with Him, and only when we believe in and receive Him can we stand before God. After the man showed Ezekiel the two inner courts He took him inside the temple, where the most Holy place would be, this would be where God's presence would dwell and you can see it.

“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. 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. 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. 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. 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.” - Ezekiel 41:1-5.

This is symbolic of the most holy and perfect state of Christ's Church, and nothing shall enter that would defile it. Before Jesus came the animal sacrifices were necessary in order to stand in the presence of God, it was not the sacrifice, but the persons willingness to see Him for forgiveness that cleansed them of their sin. While animal sacrifices was only a temporary solution to remove sin, Christ washes away sin forever, making the believer capable of entering into the holy city. Only those who have applied the blood of Christ upon their soul are permanently washed clean from anything that defiled them and will be allowed to be in the presence of God. “But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” - Hebrews 10:3,4,10.

Ezekiel is now brought back into the outer court to observe the chambers that were in that square, these are described as the priests' chambers, their use, and the dimensions of the holy mount on which the temple stood. “Then he brought me forth into the utter court, the way toward the north: and he brought me into the chamber that was over against the separate place, and which was before the building toward the north. Before the length of an hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits. Over against the twenty cubits which were for the inner court, and over against the pavement which was for the utter court, was gallery against gallery in three stories. And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors toward the north. Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy.” - Ezekiel 42:1-4,13.

The most holy things, the meat (bread), sin, and trespass offering, these are a picture of Christ, who is the most holy thing and has replaced the need for the bread, sin, and trespass offerings. Jesus is the bread of life, He sustains and keeps us safe in this world, He is also the blood that gives us life and sustains our soul for the new world. Since we are of Christ that means we are to be separate from the world. We cannot avoid being in the world, but we can avoid being of the world, and it is the only thing that lets us stand before God holy. Until Jesus returns or God takes us home, we are His temple, therefore we are to live in a way that is pleasing to Him, and not defile His dwelling place. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” - 1 Corinthians 3:16-19.

Today's Prayer: God, How glorious it is to enjoy freedom from sin, thanks to the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus Christ, on my behalf. My life, once enslaved to sin, now enjoys the freedom from what held me captive to Satan’s bondage. Let me keep serving You with love and thanksgiving, looking forward to that blessed day when I get to live with You in heaven and later in new Jerusalem. I love You Lord and pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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