In Ezek 41-43, God showed Ezekiel a vision of the millennial temple that will be built during the earthly reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. To facilitate this study, we are using a free Bible animation of Ezekiel’s temple vision, produced by Biblia Prints and available online at https://bibliaprints.com/free-bible-animations/. There is no audio recording of this lesson.
When the Lord brought Ezekiel to the land of Israel, he saw the frame of the city, v.2. Then he saw a man, v.3, who had a measuring reed in his hand. He told Ezekiel to watch and listen and then declare all that he sees to the house of Israel, v.4.
The man started by showing Ezekiel a wall on the outside of the house, v.5. The wall is one reed high and one reed wide. The reed is six cubits long by the cubit and a hand breadth.
Next the man showed Ezekiel the east gate and the stairs that lead up to it, v.6-16. He measured the thresholds on both sides of the gate. He also measured the three little chambers on each side of the inside of the gate and the porch of the gate within and the posts thereof. The entire gate is 60 cubits high, 25 cubits wide, and 50 cubits deep. It has narrow windows in the chambers and palm trees on the posts.
Then the man brought Ezekiel into the outward court. Along the inside of the wall are 30 chambers built on a lower pavement, v.17-18. The outward court measures 100 cubits from the gate entering the outer court to the gate entering the inner court, v.19.
The north gate and the south gate of the outward court are identical to the east gate of the outward court, v.20-26. They each have seven steps leading up to them.
The north, east, and south gates leading into the inner court are likewise the same as the gates leading into the outer court, v.27-37. However, these gates into the inner court have eight steps rather than seven.
The north gate into the inner court has chambers where they wash the burnt offering, v.38. And in the porch of this gate are two tables on each side where they slay the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. There are also two tables of hewn stone on each side of the entry to this gate. So, there are eight tables in all, where they slay their sacrifices, v.39-43.
Beside the north gate, facing south, are chambers for the singers, v.44. There’s also a chamber facing south for the priests who keep the charge of the house, v.45. Beside the east gate facing north is a chamber for the priests who keep the charge of the altar, v.46.
The inner court measures 100 cubits long by 100 cubits broad. And there is an altar before the house, v.47.
Next the man brought Ezekiel to the porch of the house and measured it. He also measured the posts and the gate. The house is entered by steps and there are pillars on each side of the entry by the posts, v.48-49.
On either side of the door entering the temple are posts. The temple measures 40 cubits long by 20 cubits broad. And from inside the temple there are posts on either side of a door leading into the most holy place, which measures 20 cubits by 20 cubits, Ezek 41:1-4.
The wall of the house measures six cubits and on the outside of the wall are 30 side chambers. They are three stories high, one over the other. The upper chambers are larger than the lower chambers and the upper chambers are accessed by a spiral staircase. There is a wall on the outside of these chambers and doors facing north and south by which they are entered, Ezek 41:5-11.
While it may not be possible to construct the temple, the courts, the gates and the wall by these descriptions, there is sufficient information here to know a couple of things. First, this temple has never been built before. Therefore, the description of this temple is prophetic. Second, when this temple is built, it will be obvious by these descriptions that this prophecy has been literally and precisely fulfilled. Thus, the Bible will, once again, be proven to be absolutely true.
To study the prior lesson, see The Destruction of Gog. To study the next lesson, see More Temple Descriptions.