April 5, 2025

The stages of a child’s growth are much like our growth in the things of God. Your parents help you through each stage, guiding you along the way. You start out defenseless, relying on them for your food and care. You then get teeth, begin to crawl, and then walk. You are a little more sturdy and starting to do a few things independently. At no time were you without the help of your parent or someone else experienced in life. This example represents the way we grow in the knowledge of the Holy. The Lord is our guide. He never leaves us alone but slowly takes us into the living water, first into the shallow, where it’s only ankle deep. Then He takes us a little deeper, so the water is knee-deep. It’s not as easy to walk, but you’re in a little deeper. Then He takes you into the water past your waist. He measures again and then takes you in over your head where the water is so high that it’s not passable, and you must swim. Then He leads you out. He’s with you every step of the way. Growing in the knowledge of the Holy doesn’t happen all at once. Be patient with yourself, it’s a process. You’re growing, and eventually, you will swim in the living water flowing from the temple! 

Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. Ezekiel 47:3-5

April 4, 2025

If the last several chapters of Ezekiel describe the heavenly or new Jerusalem temple, we can expect to continue to worship God at the leading of Jesus our Prince. One interesting thing was that the amount of meat offerings increased over what was required during Moses’ time, which led me to believe that the number of people saved was quite a lot. Why would sacrifices be needed when Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice? This may be too simplified, but my guess is that God still likes the smell of meat cooking, and it’s a way to prepare a feast for all the people so we can enjoy one another’s company. The Father will still be the Father, and we will continue to worship Him, but Jesus will lead us, and it will be pure worship, and we will understand what pleases Him rather than guessing and hoping we are doing it right. Another interesting thing that differs from the rules of Moses’ time is that if you go in one gate, you have to exit through the opposite gate, which is a long way from where you came in. The point of this may be so you have time to contemplate your time of worship before going home and think about how much you love the Lord. All this is speculation because I don’t actually know what God meant by these rules, but I don’t think it’s wrong to daydream about what our relationship with God looks like in the future; what I do know is that it will be holy, and will show our gratefulness for our salvation in Jesus. Whatsoever is lovely, we should think about those things.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8

But when the people of the land shall come before the LORD in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over against it. Ezekiel 46:9

April 3, 2025

On April 1, I made a post saying “Happy New Year” not realizing that March 30 was the beginning of the new year according to Jewish tradition of watching for the new moon. Sincerely, spring is the true beginning of the year, but as a way to confuse and control the people, the enemy, the master of confusion, tossed the truth out the door. Biblically, that was a cleaning day where all the levin, like yeast and baking powder, were to be cleared out of the house in preparation for Passover. Passover is set to begin on April 12, also the beginning of the season of the Resurrection of Jesus. Easter is the name of a holiday to celebrate Ishtar, the fertility goddess. Why are we still calling it that? Why are we celebrating with eggs and the prolific procreator bunnies? It is shameful to mix the two. It is a blind spot that the enemy has created to make fun of us so we disparage Jesus. It is high time we stopped the nonsense and stopped teaching it to our children. 

Interestingly, Ezekiel 45, the next chapter of my study, mentions the Passover. I can’t make this up; God’s plan is always on time! 

In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. Ezekiel 45:21

April 2, 2025

God was particular on how the priest should conduct business, especially in the temple. He was even concerned with how they dressed and the specific fabric used; He wanted them to stay cool, so He told them to dress in linen so they wouldn’t sweat, and they were to change clothes before ministering to the people. Did you know that Adam and Eve didn’t sweat until after the fall? Sweating was a part of the curse. The priests were not to grow their hair long because it was feminine, but they were also not to shave it off but were to keep it short. They were not allowed to marry a widow unless she was the widow of a priest. God had His reasons for the many rules for His priests; He is holy and expects reverence and conformity when ministering to Him. Thankfully, as priests in the kingdom, we are sanctified by Jesus, and that is enough to minister to God. Jesus is the holy one; we are hidden in him, so God also recognizes us as holy. It is such a privilege to have Jesus as our Savior. Make sure you tell him how grateful you are for your salvation. 

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 1 Peter 2:9

And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. Ezekiel 44:17

April 1, 2025

Ezekiel sets a beautiful scene in the description of the vision God gave him. God allowed him to see His glory fill the temple. What a privilege it must have been to witness such magnificence. One of the points made by The Matthew Henry Commentary was that Ezekiel didn’t describe God’s presence as a cloud, so this could mean his vision was that of the temple in the millennial kingdom or that of the temple in heaven because it is unveiled. 

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Do your best to manage here on earth and spend your time building your relationship with God, obeying his command to tell others about Jesus, and praise and worship Him. Our time here is short compared to eternity, but we can learn of God’s goodness by immersing ourselves in the scriptures and relishing the words He has given us for our comfort and to build our knowledge of Him. Many are dying without ever knowing Jesus; don’t be a gatekeeper; tell others what you know so they too might be saved.

And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house. Ezekiel 43:4-5

March 31, 2025

In Ezekiel’s description of the Temple as God gave him and accompanied by the angel, he describes many private chambers. 

Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building. For they were in three stories, but had not pillars as the pillars of the courts: therefore the building was straitened more than the lowest and the middlemost from the ground. Ezekiel 42:5-6

What were those chambers for? It’s possible that they were for the private worship of God. We have congregational worship, but we are also expected to worship God in secret.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6

In this verse, Jesus explains that we need to reach out to God secretly where only He sees us. He brought this up because many wanted others to see their devotion to God; Jesus saw what they were doing and knew it had nothing to do with their devotion to God but was a way to increase themselves in front of other people. Somehow they thought it made them look holy. When you worship in public, do you draw attention to yourself? Is your display about Jesus or is it about you? Do you stand on the front row and carry on so others see you or do you keep your worship reverent and solemn before God? Worship is to raise up God, not you. Assess your actions, determine if they are for God or for yourself, and make the appropriate corrections.

March 30, 2025

The angel gives Ezekiel the interior details of the temple and the separate building adjacent to the temple. Ezekiel was a priest, but being in captivity kept him from being able to participate in the duties that he had probably prepared his entire life to do. Though I’m purely speculating, maybe God gave him this vision, attended by an angel, so that he could see and understand the inner workings of the temple. Look at how intimate God is with him, especially since He shared the most holy details of His special place. Though Ezekiel may have been more committed to God than most of us, he was still just a human like you and me, and God thought it fitting to give him an image of His holy temple. He honored him and loved him enough to give him a glimpse into a missing part of his life. Isn’t that precious? We can always count on God to make up for something we may be missing. I’ve prayed for God to fill in the gaps in my understanding of the scriptures, and little by little, the Holy Spirit is guiding me in that direction. God truly loves us beyond our capacity to understand. Pray for the things you feel you are missing or lack comprehension, and wait patiently for His reply. Like Ezekiel, He will show you or give you understanding because He loves you. Worship Him with all your heart and praise His holy name. We are unworthy of Him, but He calls us worthy. 

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. Ezekiel 41:4