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The City the Holy

30th July 2008, hej

 

7) The Purpose of the two Temples

The detail of a physical temple was given to Ezekiel at that time, as the dwelling place of Yahweh on earth had been destroyed by the Babylonians. Ezekiel was shown the future so that Israel could look, with hope, to a time when Yahweh would again dwell with people on earth. The concept or analogy of 'the city the holy' was given soon after the destruction of Herod's temple in CE 70. This vision was a conceptual form that referred to characteristics of the people who make up the body politic, not the physical structure of the city. The detail of the physical structure that these people would rule over was given 600 or so years before to Ezekiel.

The Promise to Ezekiel

When we read Ezekiel's book it is easy to miss a very vital section. It is so astounding an investigation of the Hebrew text was carried out to make sure that the translation was accurate.

The book is a personal communication to Ezekiel

The word of Yahweh came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; (Ezekiel 1:3 WEB)

He is sent to speakto people who will not hear.

Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to nations that are rebellious, which have rebelled against me: ..;and you shall tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh. They, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house), yet shall know that there has been a prophet among them. (Ezekiel 2:3-5 WEB)

It is expressly said that some will not hear, but still they will know he was a prophet. He is then shown a House in a vision.

Son of man, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart on all that I shall show you; for, to the intent that I may show them to you, are you brought here: declare all that you see to the house of Israel. (Eze 40:4 WEB)

Here note that Ezekiel is special. He is addressed directly as “you” and the vision is for him. This is easy to understand. He is in addition, as if an afterthought to declare things he sees to Israel.

Then in chapter 43 Ezekiel is addressed again. Ezekiel is to show those in captivity the Temple and its measurement, or its size, to make them ashamed of their sins. (my translation word for word, please note that this is not easy to read)

teach them and engrave/write in-sight-theirs and guard/keep the-all-forms and the-all-customs and do them.

Ezekiel then is to show them the shape of the Temple, specifically its physical form and circulation pattern and the customs and laws. This is why they must be ashamed. They would never appreciate the laws if they are not obedient to the Mosaic laws. Ezekiel is to teach, or make known, and write them in the sight of those of the captivity. But note the end. Ezekiel, not Israel , is to guard and keep the forms and make, or do, them. This passage is an instruction to Ezekiel, only. Israel is “them” and “theirs”, and Ezekiel is to teach them.

Ezekiel is told of the dimensions and shape of the altar and then he is addressed directly again,

And said to-me son-adam like-this say Adonai Yahweh these ordinances the altar in-day make-they to-the-offering on-it burnt-offering and to-sprinkle on-it blood:
And give unto-the-priests the-Levites which are of-seed Zadok the-approaching unto-me saith Adonai Yahweh to minister-to-me bullock son-bull to-sin-offering.

If we read this a number of times. It makes sense. It says Ezekiel, on the day they make the offering on the altar (the one described to him in the temple),you are to give the sin offering to the sons of Zadok.

Could this command have related to the day he wrote this? After all, Ezekiel is a Priest. No, for there was no altar and no place to make a sacrifice. Ezekiel was in Babylon. It was the twenty fifth year of the exile and the fourteenth after the temple had be destroyed. The Babylonians had all the equipment from the Temple (Belshazzar brings it out much later from storage). Also there seems to have been some sons of Zadok around, for Ezra, who later goes back to Israel, is a descendant of one of them, but the passage does not identify any individuals of them, indicating that the individuals names are not known. This is consistent with Ezekiel's actions being yet to occur in the future and the sons of Zadok being a group made up of all the family through the ages.

Ezekiel is instructed that he is to take the blood and put in on the four horns on the altar. This clarifies that Ezekiel's actions are to take place in the future on the altar he saw in the vision of the Temple. There was no altar at all anywhere when he recorded this. Also Ezekiel is not the High Priest, so he wouldn't sprinkle the blood as described. Not only that, he is to burn the sacrifice in the appointed place of the Temple in the outdoors of the Holy. In the Temple built by Solomon there was no outdoor space of the Holy. In Ezekiel's vision there is an outdoor place in the Holy.

On the second day he is to take a goat to purge the altar. Then he is instructed to

in end your sin-offering offer bullock son-ox complete....

It is clear Ezekiel is making the sin-offerings. In fact he is instructed to do all these things. Why would Ezekiel write it, if he could not do it? He must believe that he could.

When would he be doing it? When the altar he had seen would be built. Yahweh had shown all through his life what he must suffer for revealing the true but often unpopular future to Israel. Now Yahweh was declaring emphatically to Ezekiel that he would do all these things, on a specific day, one day in the future.

That means Ezekiel, who has long been dead, must stand alive in the future on the earth and be able to lay his hand on the son of a bull and to place blood on the horns of the altar. He must be resurrected to do this. This is a personal promise by Yahweh to Ezekiel. Actually it's a command, but in essence a promise. You will do this, therefore you will be alive in the future to do this. Amazing!

The simplest way to read this as is if it is an ordinary communication by one person to another. Yahweh said Ezekiel is to do a number of things on two specific days, the days they consecrate the new altar in the House Ezekiel is shown. As assuredly as other things Ezekiel wrote of have come to pass, he will do in the future what Yahweh has commanded.

Comparing Ezekiel and John

Whereas Ezekiel is a record of vision given to one person to give to those of his nation who would listen, the Revelation to John is not to him personally, rather it is to all the servants of Yahweh.

A revelation of Yeshua Anointed which God gave to him to point out to the bond-servants of himself the things that it behoves to have done with speed. (Diaglott Rev.1:1).

Therefore Revelation is addressed to a group of people Yeshua calls his “bond-servants” and it is about what will happen to this group of people. John is given no personal vision. He is “the fellow servant”. He is one among many equals.

Autos and the City the Holy

The Greek word 'Auto' (αὐτός) means 'self' and it also is translated from the Greek as: herself, himself, yourself, themselves, itself. This is the Diaglot word for word translation of Chapter 21:15-16

The one talking with me, had a measure a reed golden, so that he might measure the city, and the gates of her. And the city four-angled is placed, and the length of her as much as even the breadth....the length and the breadth and the height of her equal is.

The translator used the word 'her' for autos αὐτός as the context indicates the “self” referred to here is female. John is told:

I will show to thee the bride of the lamb the wife (Rev 21:9)

This political entity is personified as a female but it is anthrōpos (ἄνθρωπος), or human. This female is both male and female. The voice from heaven John hears says,

Lo the tabernacle the God with the human (anthrōpos, ἄνθρωπος), and he will tabernacle with themself (auton, αὐτῶν) and they (autoi αὐτοὶ) a people of him (autou, αὑτοῦ) shall be, and himself (autos, αὐτός) the God with themself (auton, αὐτῶν) will be. Diaglott Rev. 21:3

This group of humans in the future will be “himself the Diety with them”. This 'city', or group of humans, exemplifies the meaning of the Hebrew name for Diety, Yahweh Elohim, which means 'He who will be Mighty Ones', or put another way, “God with us”. Yeshua put it like this to his disciples.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:20-21)
References:

Guinness, www.guinnessworldrecords.com.

Le. Corbusier, 1927, Towards a New Architecture. p. 202

Peloubet, F.N. 1952 Treasury Of Biblical Information in The Practical Bible Dictionary and Concordance. Barbour and Co. New Jersey.

www.metu.edu.tr/~lunel/lecture2.doc (properties of crystals)

www.eifiles.cn/ic.htm (biblical measurements)

www.rudi.net/bookshelf/reviews/0520230035r.html (review of Expressionist architecture).

simetric.co.uk, www.simetric.co.uk/si_materials.htm

Sully, Henry. 1929. The temple of Ezekiel's Prophecy.

tourism.gov.ph, www.tourism.gov.ph/discover/trivia.asp.

Wilson, Benjamin, 1942. The emphatic Diaglott, International Bible students association, NY.

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