“The altar of wood was three cubits high, and the length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood: and he said unto me, This is the table that is before the LORD” (Ezekiel 41:22).
TEXT — Ezekiel 41:1-26
Message
The city of Dresden in Germany was bombed into ruins during the World War II. In 1945, at the end of the hostilities, it was rubble, in desolation, and deserted. It was a shadow of its booming past. Many lamented that the German metropolis would never regain its glory, given the run-down economy of the German nation at the time. But images of today’s Dresden with its new buildings and restored historical landmarks tell the story of a complete comeback.
About 600 years before the birth of Jesus, Jerusalem and its great temple lay in ruins after hordes of Chaldeans torched the city and exiled about 10,000 Jews to Babylon. As the people mourned, God revealed details of His plans to replace the temple with an ineffable structure, surpassing their imagination. Only Ezekiel was shown the vision of the proposed worship centre. There were such physical features as multi-level wood-panelled gateways, outer and inner courts, and archways, with decorations of cherubim and palm trees carved on the doors and walls. There were descriptive chamber presentations for the dressing of the priests and singers. Finally, there was a place for God. The angel that guided Ezekiel in the vision of the temple said, “This is the table that is before the LORD.”
God gives startling restoration to the people who entrust Him with their lives. He cannot only give back what we lose, but He can also multiply it. The temple vision symbolised the glorious dispensation that followers of Christ would enjoy hereafter. Christ is the Temple in whom we shall dwell eternally. “We have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
Our deprivations here in the world must not push us into sorrow but be seen as a means of preparation for better possessions that would not be subjected to defilement or attacks by the enemy. Our Lord is preparing us roses for our ruins.
Thought for the day
Keeping the rapture in focus gives the believer a better focus.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
