READINGS ON EZEKIEL (9)
[p. 182] READINGS ON EZEKIEL (9)
Ezekiel 40:1 - 16; Ezekiel 41:1 - 4; Ezekiel 42:15 - 20
JT It has been suggested that we look at chapters 40, 41, and 42 at this reading. The detail of these chapters is unusually great, but, in general, the house and its precincts are in view. It will be observed that there are three gates entering the outer court; one from the east, one from the north, and one from the south; and three gates entering the inner court where the house stands, corresponding to those in the outer court. Those in the inner court have eight steps, whereas those in the outer have seven steps. There are a great many details as to the buildings: the house itself, the building before the separate place, which would be on the west side, the use of which is unspecified, and a large number of chambers for the use of the priests. Then in the end of chapter 42, a large area is described, which is five hundred reeds square. This is said to be the “separation between that which was holy and that which was common” Ezekiel 42: 20.
It is needful to fit into our minds the general plan in order to follow the detail. No doubt but few of us have the complete plan in our minds, for it is very complicated, but we can take in the general idea. There are three spheres; the outer and inner courts and then the outer extensive area, which is around the outer and inner spheres, and measures five hundred reeds on each side. It is a spiritual matter, of course. The prophet was taken into the land of Israel and set by Jehovah upon a very high mountain, “and upon it was as the building 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 flax-cord 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 thy [p. 183] heart upon all that I shall show thee; for in order that it might be shown unto thee art thou brought hither. Declare to the house of Israel all that thou seest” (Ezekiel 40: 2 - 4). The last sentence conveys the moral side; what Ezekiel saw was to be declared to the house of Israel. Correspondingly, it has application to ourselves; the truth as seen here is to be known to us. This thought is enlarged upon in chapter 43, where we are told what Ezekiel was to show the house of Israel: “Thou, son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be confounded at their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. And if they be confounded at all that they have done, make known to them the form of the house, and its fashion, and its goings out, and its comings in, and all its forms, and all its statutes, yea, all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof; and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the statutes thereof, and do them” (Ezekiel 43: 10, 11). This is the moral side of the subject, which the Spirit would apply to us; and if there is any self-judgment resulting from what is shown to us, more will be shown. The passage says, “if they be confounded at all that they have done, make known to them the form of the house, and its fashion” Ezekiel 43: 11. So that as we receive the truth of the house of God, and it affects us in a moral sense, more will be shown. That is the principle. God is not ready to entertain our natural minds. Indeed, it is said in an earlier chapter that those who listened to Ezekiel regarded his ministry as though it were just a pleasant song. The ministry must have a moral effect upon us, otherwise there is no profit to us, but if it has this effect, more will be ministered.
ABP Would the word “confounded” (Ezekiel 43: 10), be the realisation of how far short we come of what the details of the house represent? Would not present ministry indicate to us how far short we come of what God’s thought [p. 184] is?
JT It would. The intent of all the ministry the Spirit gives, is to convey the mind of God and the variety of it, as seen in the Scriptures. If there be moral response in self-judgment (for if we are true, we are bound to see that there is a great discrepancy between our moral condition and what is presented as the divine ideal) there will be growth. So that, as we are looking into these chapters, the moral and spiritual features are what the Lord would stress, and if I judge myself as I see the discrepancies, then I shall be helped.
AR Do these chapters set out what God has before Him? Ezekiel is taken up to this mountain and sees a city, and then he is shown the house and its measurements. Is that what God has before Him, and what we come into if there is moral correspondence?
JT Quite so; you are reminded of the mount of transfiguration. The three disciples were taken up, as Ezekiel is here, to a high mountain. Ezekiel saw the house; the three disciples saw more. It is noteworthy that in our chapter, the city is left for the moment; it is there, but the detail of the house is given first; the city comes afterwards.
FHL Does all this follow on chapter 39, where God’s face is towards them, and the pouring out of the Spirit is promised (verse 29)?
JT Exactly; the position is that the enemy is destroyed; there is no adversary or evil occurrent and God is now free to unfold His great thoughts in the sanctuary.
CHH Ezekiel was shown these things. Would that correspond to teaching after prophesying? Would the gift of teaching follow the prophet?
JT Yes; there is no formal prophesying after chapter 39; it is showing now. We are on the mount with God. There is the instruction as to measurements, for He is the God of measure, and everything must conform to divine measure. He unfolded the details [p. 185] of the tabernacle to Moses; He showed him “the pattern”. Everything was to be done and made according to that pattern. It was one tabernacle. So also David had the pattern of the house by the Spirit (1 Chronicles 28: 12). There was great variety of detail. And now Ezekiel is shown this abiding house, and we are impressed with measure, which relates to so much remarkable detail. The intricacy of it is remarkable and it must be owned that it is difficult to follow in detail, but there is a man here who shows it, which is very encouraging. It is the man who has the measuring-reed: “there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a flax-cord in his hand, and a measuring-reed; and he stood in the gate” (Ezekiel 40: 3). We should pay attention to this man. His appearance, it says, is the appearance of brass; that is how he appears. We have already seen in this book that an appearance is intended to produce an abiding impression. We are formed by impressions received from what is presented to us. As the Lord said to Paul, “For this purpose have I appeared to thee”, Acts 26: 16. This man stands athwart the entrance as it were, he is in the gate, with two measuring instruments. The appearance of brass would remind us that there is no toleration of any fleshly activity, such as Israel had shown. God is now adhering to His own measurements, but still it is a man who is measuring; one who has sympathies, reminding us of all the teaching that has come to us with regard to the house of God. As Paul wrote to Timothy, “that thou mayest know how one ought to conduct oneself in God’s house”, 1 Timothy 3: 15. In this connection it is striking that the Lord says that authority to execute judgment is given to Him because He is Son of man (John 5: 27).
AR Would you say that Solomon stood in this way as seen in 1 Kings 1 and 1 Kings 2? Before he set out to establish his kingdom, there was the appearance of brass in dealing with certain men.
[p. 186] JT That is right; and God appeared to him twice. That is brought up at the time of his failure, 1 Kings 11: 9.
ANW Would not the minuteness and intricacy of the details in our chapter impress us with how particular God is in regard to everything that pertains to His dwelling place?
JT Quite so; you are struck with that, the remarkable detail with which God reminds His people of their sins in the prophets. One has been greatly struck with that of late — the detail you get in the different prophets — the symbols and similes used to bring the truth home to the people of God. And so here, I suppose, the measurements being so extensive and detailed would be to remind us of divine accuracy. We are to be formed by the impressions received, so as to be in His sanctuary in a suitable way.
ANW There is nothing in which man is so rude as in the intrusion of his own ideas in regard to the house of God and His service.
AFM Does the law of the house summarise the general outlook from which to view the house? “This is the law of the house” (Ezekiel 43: 12), and then, “its border round about is most holy”. I wonder whether that implies a rule by which we should walk with God so as to see with Him what He is setting forth — He is “most holy”.
JT Yes: “Upon the top of the mountain all its border round about is most holy” Ezekiel 43: 12.
RWS Is it as our senses are exercised (Hebrews 5: 14), that these things will be shown to us?
JT Yes; and we need to give ourselves to these things. We are often very casual as to divine things. One knows that in oneself. We come to a meeting like this and have no thought of contributing at all. We regard that as a matter for others to do, but if I am to get the gain of an enquiry like this, I ought to look into the matter myself; it is a matter of giving oneself [p. 187] wholly to these things, as Paul said to Timothy; fully following up what is presented (1 Timothy 4: 15, 16; 2 Timothy 3: 10 and note). As you dwell upon something that seems most difficult, it gradually opens up to you, for the Spirit of God is here for that purpose, to guide us into all the truth (John 16: 13). We have to set our minds on these things, so verse 4 of chapter 40 says: “behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thy heart upon all that I shall show thee; for in order that it might be shown unto thee art thou brought hither” Ezekiel 40: 4. It was most important for Ezekiel to pay close attention. He was to declare what he saw to the house of Israel; so that the Lord would impress us with the necessity of paying attention to the Scriptures.
JHE Would there be something akin to that in Acts 19? Paul went through the upper districts to Ephesus; and then the school of Tyrannus and the teaching are introduced.
JT Quite so; the general idea is presented in his going through the upper districts, taking a wide circuit: he went up through Caesarea, saluting the assembly, then coming back by the upper districts to Ephesus, and what he found there led to the extended work in the school of Tyrannus. What an opening up of the mind of God would be there! We must listen to Tyrannus; there must be real learning.
CHH Would the apostle Paul be like the man in appearance of brass, in the details he gives as to the law of the house in 1 Corinthians?
JT Yes; I think the brass is seen there, Paul is very plain-spoken in dealing with evil. One of the things he mentions first is that there were divisions among the brethren. Now we read of this man with the measuring-reed, in verse 5: “And behold, there was a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man’s hand a measuring-reed of six cubits, each of one cubit and a hand breadth. And he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height,
one reed”. That would be the wall, obviously. It would be about ten feet thick and the same height — one reed. “And he came to the gate which looked toward the east, and went up its steps; and he measured the threshold of the gate, one reed broad; and the other threshold one reed broad. And each chamber was one reed long and one reed broad; and between the chambers were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate, beside the porch of the gate within, was one reed. And he measured the porch of the gate within, one reed” (Ezekiel 40: 6 - 8). I think that one thing to notice particularly is the uniformity of measure which is apparent as you approach the house.
The flax-cord is first mentioned and then the measuring-reed. The flax-cord is pliable; having it, we miss nothing. We do not know how long it was, but the reed is measured; it was six cubits; so that there are two principles of measurement: the reed suggesting what is fixed, and the flax, which is undefined, needing more care in its use, but everything was measured. Paul says to the Corinthians, “according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us, to reach to you also”, 2 Corinthians 10: 13. Most of us are very local, but the flax-cord, I think, would mean a more general measurement, that you stretch out and reach to people in an extended way. The flax-cord would augment the reed; it could be employed in circumstances where the reed would fail.
CHH Would the thought of righteousness enter into the flax?
JT I suppose so; “the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints”, Revelation 19: 8. Sobriety is also implied.
AR Had you anything more in your mind to suggest in regard to uniformity in these measurements?
JT That is the first thing that impresses one — uniformity of measurement — one reed. A brother or sister coming into fellowship is, no doubt, impressed with the uniformity of the brethren; that is, if we are [p. 189] normal, there is uniform measurement. There is also the effect of beholding the glory: “We all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3: 18); there is uniformity among the brethren through the ministry of the Spirit. Paul says also, “Thus I ordain in all the assemblies”, 1 Corinthians 7: 17.
WB-w What is the force of measuring the threshold of the gate? Does that refer to persons coming into fellowship?
JT I think so. It was a long and remarkable gate, and half as broad as it was long. The three outer gates were alike, and the inner gates were nearly like them. The size, or extent, of the gates, is striking — fifty cubits by twenty-five. You go through many things to reach the inner from the outer. In the description of the house and its precincts the idea of gate is impressed upon you. It is not merely a door, or a gate in the ordinary sense: many things enter into each of these gates. You are conscious in going through, that something very great and blessed is to be reached. The extra step in each of the inner gates is specially to be noted.
ANW By ‘uniformity’, do you mean that the brethren, if they are in order, are just as much concerned about administrative matters in the gate as they are in relation to the house, or dwelling place?
JT That is the thought. The same things appear in all the outer gates, and each gate is complete in itself. All is educational as one goes through. Spiritual suggestions are to be observed everywhere. You have no such description of the gates elsewhere, not even in the holy city.
ABP Is there somewhat of a parallel in John’s ministry? Would not his gospel suggest very early that if we are to know anything about the dwelling place of God, as in Christ, we must “come and see”? John 1: 39. And [p. 190] would the abode to which the two disciples went, who followed Jesus, be like one of the “chambers” that are spoken of here, imparting definite inward impressions of Christ?
JT Quite so; the Lord would not take those two disciples into the holiest at once. They say, “Where abidest thou?” He says, “Come and see”; but He did not take them into the holiest, if you understand what I mean. In Ezekiel 41, for instance, we are told in verse 3: “And he went inwards, and measured the post of the entry, two cubits; and the entry, six cubits; and the breadth of the entry, seven cubits. And he measured its length, twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and he said unto me, This is the most holy place” Ezekiel 41: 3,4. That is the holiest of all. Notice, the measurer does not take Ezekiel in there. He took him elsewhere to show what there was, but he did not take him in here. He goes in himself and measures. So that I thought the Lord would not take the two who followed Him very far at the outset. They would not be equal to it. The outer gate before us here had chambers. These chambers were not the holiest. We may have secrecy with the Lord, and yet not come into the holiest.
ABP Would the disciples reach that in John 17?
JT That reaches to the holiest; they are called “men” there. It is men who enter in there. Peter had owned Christ earlier as “the holy one of God” (John 6: 69), and through Him as such they would enter the holiest.
AR He had to wait till chapter 43, did he not? It says, “The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of Jehovah filled the house. And I heard one speaking unto me out of the house; and a man was standing by me” (Ezekiel 43: 5, 6).
JT Well, that, of course, is the inner court, but it is not the holiest, although it is in the direction of it, and the passage may be used to show how the Spirit [p. 191] leads us inwardly as in the assembly. But here Ezekiel is only taken to the inner court. It is clear that Israel does not enter the holiest even in the future.
AR How far does the inner court go?
JT The inner court is eight steps higher than the outer court, and the altar stood there (Ezekiel 40: 47). It was into that court that Ezekiel was brought, but the glory of Jehovah filled the house. He could not see that from the court, and that is what we are dealing with. We have to go from one court into the other. And, as we suggested, when the Lord took the two disciples to where He abode, He would not take them into the holiest. He may have taken them, as it were, into one of these cells in the outer gate, but in John 17 you have the holiest; I mean to say, the Lord is speaking there as a Man to His Father, and the disciples are viewed as men which the Father gave Him, and they are apparently listening to Him.
FNW The Lord says in John 16: 12, “I have yet many things to say to you, but ye cannot bear them now”, and then He refers to the Spirit’s coming.
JT Quite so; we have to learn patiently, and the Lord takes us as far as we can go at any particular time.
CAM Does that not make the assembly’s place very wonderful? As to Israel, if I understand rightly, the veil will be there in the day to come; they will not go right in.
JT It would seem so from what we get here. I think that only those who form the assembly have access into the holiest of all. That is a point that the writer to the Hebrews makes, that we can go inside. The angel does not take Ezekiel in, he goes in and measures it himself.
CAM 2 Chronicles seems to confirm that. The veil is there, according to 2 Chronicles 3:14.
JT Quite so. After Numbers the veil is mentioned only once, that is, in 2 Chronicles 3: 14, until we come [p. 192] to the New Testament. The account of the temple in 2 Chronicles points to the millennium, whereas 1 Kings contemplates the heavenly side, and hence there is no veil.
JTJr Would the object of the apostle in relation to the Corinthians correspond with this? In the first epistle he could hardly contemplate the Corinthians entering into the holiest, so that in 1 Corinthians 2: 7 he says, “But we speak God’s wisdom”, and, in verse 11, “thus also the things of God knows no one except the Spirit of God”. Spiritual things would be understood by the spiritual, the natural mind would be shut out; it cannot know them.
JT He says, “For I did not judge it well to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2: 2). He would not go further. And that confirms what we are saying, that the Spirit of God takes us, according to His wisdom, as far as we should go in view of our state.
Rem The apostle, as was said earlier, passed through the upper coasts and arrived at Ephesus; whereas Apollos was evidently left at Corinth on a lower level of the truth than the apostle was now entering on in continuing his service.
JT That is a good thought, because the position at Corinth needed to be held by a man like Apollos in the absence of Paul; whereas Ephesians involved the building according to the inward and spiritual side of the truth. The outward must be held, and Corinth represents that side. Even if they cannot go the whole way, they are to be held by proper ministry. All the saints are to be held, even though some do not go very far, but if one is spiritual he must not be hindered from going on himself The whole field of truth is open to us.
AR Would the idea of measurement be suggested in the way in which the apostle addressed the saints in each locality to which he wrote? So that Corinth’s [p. 193] measure would be according to his epistles to that assembly, and the same principle would apply at Colosse and Ephesus.
JT Quite so. Every epistle contemplates a certain state in those addressed, and that to Ephesus goes the furthest, because it says, “And has raised us up together, and has made us sit down together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus”, Ephesians 2:6. That is the full elevation purposed for us.
WB-w Would chapter 40 describe the public side of the assembly; whereas chapters 41 and 42 would be more what is private and inward?
JT That is right. It is generally the court and the gates in chapter 40. However, in verse 48 the prophet says: “And he brought me to the porch of the house” Ezekiel 40: 48. He is now in the inner court, into which the porch of the house projects. “The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits, even by the steps whereby they went up to it; and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and one on that side” (Ezekiel 40: 49). That is all of the house that is described in chapter 40. Then chapter 41 opens, “And he brought me to the temple”. Now we are getting further inward. “And he measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, the breadth of the tent” (the meaning of the word “tent” is uncertain here; it may be “porch”). “And the breadth of the entry was ten cubits, and the sides of the entry were five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side; and he measured its length, forty cubits, and the breadth, twenty cubits” (Ezekiel 41: 1, 2). The prophet is brought into the temple viewed as a whole, but not into the holiest. The measurement here is forty cubits, like Solomon’s temple, and the holiest is said to be twenty cubits square; also like Solomon’s save as to height. In the measurements of Solomon’s temple breadth and length and height are given; here it is just the breadth and length; the height of the house is [p. 194] not given. Otherwise it corresponds in dimensions to Solomon’s temple.
CHH Would chapter 41 correspond to the Philadelphian position? “He that overcomes, him will I make a pillar in the temple of my God”, Revelation 3: 12.
JT Quite so; there are pillars here (Ezekiel 40: 49), as in Solomon’s temple.
JHE You were speaking about going further inward. Paul says in Ephesians 3: 3,4 “according as I have written before briefly, by which, in reading it, ye can understand my intelligence in the mystery of the Christ”. Would that involve further truth which the apostle would have the Ephesians reach?
JT Quite so; it is a comfort to know that somebody knows. That is what he brings out in that passage. He would have them to know of his intelligence in the mystery of the Christ. If somebody knows, why not I? Well, as we have been saying, the gates, as described in chapter 40, are most important, especially for young people; the length is to be noted: fifty cubits. All the outer gates are alike; they all have the same dimensions. It would take considerable time to go through them; and there is much to see before one gets into the outer court. It is intended that we should be impressed with the fact that we are dealing with great things. We cannot take them in all at once. We must take the place of learners; learning “in part”. There are “chambers”, which would indicate places of privacy for prayer or meditation.
FSC Why are there but three gates mentioned? The passage refers to only east, north, and south.
JT There is no gate at the west. There are but three gates entering to the outer court and three entering into the inner court. The west points to the setting sun. It is not the cheerful side of the position. You come in cheerfully; not under the dulling influence of your business, or your domestic affairs. The full thought of entrance is in the east gate; that is, toward the sun-rising.
[p. 195] The suggestion is that you are in the light of Christ; that Christ is shining on you all the time. Later it is stated that “Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it”; that is, by the east gate of the house (Ezekiel 43: 4; Ezekiel 44: 2). As the east gate is the one described, it conveys the general idea. The prince entered by the porch of this gate, also by the corresponding gate to the inner court, and as the God of Israel came in by the east gate it was to be kept shut. The inner gate was also to be “shut the six working-days” (Ezekiel 46: 1), but opened on the sabbath and on the day of the new moon; the people were to worship at the door of it on those days (Ezekiel 46: 3).
JTJr Would you say, then, that we come in according to David? Is David the model for us as entering into the house of God? He went in and sat before the Lord (2 Samuel 7). And then what comes out, especially at the end of his ministry, leads to the service of praise. David seems to give a lead to the whole position.
JT David goes into the house in the light of the message through Nathan. The thought in Scripture is that we enter the assembly in the light of a message. The disciples did, according to John 20. The Psalms say much about the house of God; they speak also of how we are to enter into it: “In the greatness of thy loving-kindness will I enter thy house”, Psalm 5: 7. “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand”, Psalm 84: 10. And again, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise”, Psalm 100: 4.
EEH How would you view the man in John 9 in relation to the gates of which you speak? He develops very rapidly in his apprehension of the Lord.
JT He does; and as coming to know Christ as the Son of God he would come into the light of the house. Chapter 10 leads in that direction. What we are considering now is with a view to bringing before the young people especially, that we come in, in the [p. 196] light of a message, to the greatest light there is for us. We enter into the house of God in the light furnished us for it. The Son sets us free indeed; we are thus in the house in liberty. David entered in the light of sonship, according to 2 Samuel 7, as we have seen.
ABP The man in John 5 missed the sheep gate, but the man of chapter 9 found it in chapter 10.
JT Quite so; but first, the Shepherd found him. Christ was the door to him into salvation, liberty and pasture. I believe the Lord is allowing much sorrow among us, because many do not come in rightly. They do not come in, in light. You wonder sometimes what people have in their minds in seeking to come into fellowship. The idea is to come in in light; the light is furnished to us. “Thou, dost thou believe on the Son of God?” the Lord said to the man. And he said, “I believe, Lord: and he did him homage” (John 9: 38). That man will not cause trouble. He will not leave us; he will go on. He will know that the sheep’s place is fixed. The sheep never perish; they are in the Son’s hand, and also in the Father’s hand.
NP In Revelation, the holy city has three gates on each side, but in the temple there are only three gates in all. What difference do you make?
JT This temple is a provisional thing; it represents what is down here, but the heavenly city comes down from God out of heaven, having the glory of God. Its bearing is universal. This temple with which we are dealing, will be on earth in the future, and does not correspond with the heavenly city. Indeed, it is not a city; it is a house. The tabernacle had but one door in it, as did also Solomon’s temple. Here we have two added, so that there is increase, but in the heavenly city we have twelve gates — it is an administrative and universal thought. As to gates here, we must note that they do not furnish immediate entrance to the house; only to the courts; the house itself has but one door or [p. 197] entrance. These gates — six in all — are peculiar to this sanctuary.
AR I was wondering if the apostle in his first epistle to the Corinthians would support what you were saying about coming into the assembly: “For I received from the Lord, that which I also delivered to you” 1 Corinthians 11: 23.
JT Quite so. There are many of these messages bearing on the assembly and they are most important.
FHC Would you say that one coming into fellowship in any local position should have both seen the Lord and heard His voice, and in that sense he becomes a distinct asset to the position?
JT Yes. He has come to stay, as it were. He has come in. The scene presented to us here implies that you go in and in and in. The gates are long, and as entering we can go into one of the chambers in the gate and enjoy things there; but we do not yet reach even the outer court; so that we should be humble and learn from step to step, and thus be prepared for what is within.
Rem Mark, the attendant of Paul and Barnabas, did not go very far before he found that the spiritual way was too hard; whereas Timothy seems to take things up from a more constructive standpoint, fully following up Paul’s ministry.
JT Quite so; so that the dimensions of the gates, although for all of us, are particularly for young christians seeking to be with the brethren. Let each see if he can appreciate this gate before he goes in further; and let him consider the items mentioned. He will be impressed with one thing — the measurement — the uniformity of it; how, normally, the brethren are all alike. There is no contention among them. Paul found there was contention at Corinth, which is the negative of all we see here. They said, “I am of Paul”; “I of Apollos”, but the description of the gates would condemn such conditions. There are living spiritual conditions [p. 198] in these gates for a certain state of soul. If you are more advanced in the things of God, you will want to go further, but there are certain living conditions in the gates.
CN Would you say that the two going to Emmaus came to what you have in mind? That is, they were going from the company, but as they came in contact with the Lord they returned, and they had what corresponds to a message. They would never turn their backs upon the saints again.
JT I am sure they never left after that. I believe they would be strong supporters of the divine position henceforth; in fact, their remarks enter into the idea in the gates, you might say. They were speaking of the Lord having been made known unto them in the breaking of bread.
RWS Was it normal for Jacob to say, “How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven”? Genesis 28: 17.
JT It was very abnormal. There is nothing dreadful about the description of this gate; it leads to the house of God.
RWS I raised that question because of the practical application of what you said about young believers; Jacob sets his face to go away from it.
JT Many young ones are seeking to come in amongst us because others are here; the needful moral process has not therefore been gone through. The gate described here is fifty cubits long; it is still a gate after you have walked fifty cubits, so that the idea of a gate is impressed upon you; there are many things in it; chambers, palm trees, and the like.
AC-r In regard to this long gate: it does not mean that we should be unduly slow in receiving anyone, does it?
JT Strictly speaking, we do not receive anyone. It does say in Romans, “Wherefore receive ye one another, according as the Christ also has received you to the glory of God” (Romans 15: 7). That is personal; but as regards the fellowship, those who wash their robes have a right to enter by the gates (Revelation 22:14).
AC-r We sometimes speak about being doorkeepers, but I do not think a person should ordinarily have to wait seven or eight weeks before he comes into fellowship.
JT You would not deny that the matter should be enquired into carefully, but you probably have in mind the legal element objecting. From the standpoint of John’s gospel, the Jews are always kept out; they are always against Christ. The Jews represent the legal element and are not trustworthy; so that the doors were shut for fear of the Jews. To be afraid of the Jews, that is, people characterised by a hard, legal mind, is a wholesome thing. We should be able to discern in one or two visits to a brother or sister, or in their moving in and out amongst us, if these persons wash their robes. If he is washing his robes, he has a right to enter by the gates into the city, and to partake of the tree of life.
ABP Do you have in mind that the passage through this gate would be like the consolidation of the position in the soul of the entrant?
JT There is nothing repellent about the gate. It is so important, that we might look a little at the detailed description that is given. “And he came to the gate which looked toward the east, and went up its steps; and he measured the threshold of the gate, one reed broad; and the other threshold one reed broad. And each chamber was one reed long and one reed broad; and between the chambers were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate, beside the porch of the gate within, was one reed. And he measured the porch of the gate within, one reed. And he measured the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was inward. And the chambers of the gate which was toward the [p. 200] east were three on this side and three on that side: they three were of one measure; and the posts on this side and on that side had one measure. And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. And there was a border before the chambers of one cubit, and a border of one cubit on the other side; and the chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side. And he measured the gate from the roof of one chamber to the roof of the other, a breadth of five and twenty cubits, entry opposite entry. And he made posts, sixty cubits, and by the post was the court of the gate round about” (Ezekiel 40: 6 - 14). The sixty cubits would refer to the height of the posts, so that we come to a point of elevation. That is to impress us; and then it says, “And from the front of the gate of the entrance unto the front of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits” Ezekiel 40: 15. Now, all these items are intended to impress our souls in coming into fellowship, and there is nothing repellent; but there is great uniformity. There is a distance of five cubits from one chamber to the other; the chambers are all alike. You may feel that there is not much to learn there; it is easy to take in these details, but there will be much more intricate things inside.
AR There is the thought of victory. At each post there are palm trees.
JHE Would Acts 3 fit in here? The man who sat at the Beautiful gate went into the temple as having met Peter and John.
JT Yes, he really went in when he took hold of Peter and John, for that represents the idea of fellowship.
Rem “The windows round about were inward”, it says in verse 16, as if our gaze is not to be outward, but inward.
JTJr Is the thought of the gate especially developed in Peter? In Acts 8, Philip let Simon in, but Peter came down from Jerusalem and really put him out, did he [p. 201] not?
JT Yes; I think the idea of the gate would be seen particularly in Peter and John at the Beautiful gate of the temple, where the man had been laid many times; but Peter did not say, Look on this Beautiful gate; he said, “Look on us” Acts 3: 4. He and John represented the moral side — the spiritual house — that God had in mind. We have already remarked that the Lord had added to what was there; the features of the house were all there, only God, in patience, was waiting upon the Jews; but the thing was all there, and when Peter said, “Look on us”, the gates were in evidence.
CHH Would the epistles to Timothy represent the gates in our day?
JT The second epistle, particularly; in a negative sense first, and then the positive side in the pursuit of “righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart”, 2 Timothy 2:22. We are really occupied with the saints; the house of God is the saints, as builded together (see Ephesians 2: 22; 1 Peter 2: 5). Even the gates are represented in the saints. You say, That brother is not so difficult, and another brother is like him, and thus we see uniformity being brought about. It is one reed, one reed, one reed. The new man is suggested. One coming amongst them begins to see the attractiveness of the saints.
RWS The chambers are particularly interesting.
JT They would give opportunity to go in, as to your closet, and pray to your Father in secret. All that is seen is to be confirmed in the soul in secret with God, and that is what the young people need. They are following one another, which is right to a point, but we must get to God individually. Speaking to your Father in secret will bring confirmation.
Rem The sheet let down from heaven was a difficult matter to Peter, but after he apprehended what it meant and worked it out in a practical way with Cornelius, it became intelligible [p. 202] to him.
JT Quite so; he says, “it came even to me” Acts 11: 5.
In chapter 41 we are brought to the temple and its measurements, and there is much to learn; but before going on we should note in chapter 40 that the distance from each of the outer gates, on the north and the south and the east, to the corresponding gates of the inner court, is one hundred cubits. We noted the measurement of fifty cubits in the outer gates, but now there is a space of one hundred cubits from each of these gates to the gates of the inner court, which represents a further journey to be taken. And then the gates of the inner court have eight steps instead of seven as we observed in the outer gates. It is important to see that there is something beyond; we must learn what this eighth step means, for it leads to what is more elevated. The description given is: “he brought me into the inner court by the south gate; and he measured the south gate according to these measures: and its chambers, and its posts, and its projections, according to these measures; and there were windows to it and to its projections round about: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits. And there were projections round about, twenty-five cubits long, and five cubits broad. And its projections were toward the outer court; and there were palm-trees upon its posts: and its ascent was by eight steps” (Ezekiel 40: 28 - 31). This refers to the south gate and its ascent into the inner court. Then verses 32 - 34 similarly describe the east gate, and verses 35 - 37 the north gate. It will be observed that there are eight steps in each of these three gates.
WR Would you say what the tables are? We have eight tables mentioned.
JT There are twelve in all (Ezekiel 40: 38 - 42). They are accessories for the offerings. They are on the north side in the outer court. Instead of the offerer slaying his offering, as in the tabernacle, the Levites did this service (Ezekiel 44:11).
ABP [p. 203] Would you tell us the difference between the seven steps in the first gate and now the eight steps?
JT Well, we are coming nearer to the house. The outer court is like the fellowship; it is more or less public; but when you get in, on to the level of the eighth step, it is more the spiritual side, I think. You are now on spiritual lines and the house is in view.
FHL Solomon’s throne had six steps only. It is interesting to see the seventh and eighth coming to light.
JT Well, I think eight means here that there is a great deal beyond what is public; so that from that point on it is more spiritual and inward. And then there are a great many accessories, and cells and chambers and walks, etc., as to which we could not enter into detail now.
RWS The first measurement was fifty cubits through the gate, and then there is a space of one hundred cubits. What does that space represent?
JT That is the extent of the outer court from the first gate to the gate of the inner court. It represents a further journey or experience that the believer has to go through in reaching the house. 1 Peter 2 speaks of the house as spiritual. He says, “To whom coming”, implying that a journey must be taken.
CHH There is chamber above chamber in the house (Ezekiel 41: 5 - 7). In that connection does the thought of higher and higher come in?
JT Yes; it corresponds to Solomon’s temple — places of enjoyment. “In my Father’s house there are many abodes”, John 14: 2. That is the thought, I think; love is reciprocated in close quarters.
CHH These chambers are on a higher level (Ezekiel 41: 8), so in chapter 42 there are upper cells, as if there is promotion on these lines.
JT Quite so. And then a walk, too, for the priests in view of their offerings; and there are many other details which we should look into [p. 204] individually, as opportunity offers. They bear upon our priestly position.
ABP Would the application of this instruction to us today be like the responsibility in our daily business and home life; then our movements amongst the saints generally through the week; and then our service Godward on the first day of the week?
JT Yes.
AFM We have the expression “toward the north” a good deal; is it to impress us with the greatness of the sufferings of Christ?
JT Well; that is the quarter that denotes discipline and judgment (compare Job 37: 9, 10).
AFM The sacrifices were prepared toward the north.
JT Quite so; judgment is from that quarter here, so that, as we draw near to the house, we are impressed with the sufferings of Christ. And then there is the wide area or “enclosure” outside, of five hundred reeds, which should be observed, in chapter 42. It gives a great deal of scope, but it is still relatively holy; we may say, it is like the place where our houses are. It is not the world; it is between us and the world. “And when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth toward the gate whose front was toward the east, and measured the enclosure round about. He measured the east side with the measuring-reed, five hundred reeds, with the measuring-reed round about. He measured the north side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring-reed round about. He measured the south side, five hundred reeds, with the measuring-reed. He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring-reed. He measured it on the four sides; it had a wall round about, five hundred long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between that which was holy and that which was common” (Ezekiel 42: 15 - 20). So that this is not the outer court properly, although it is a court in a sense; it is not called a court; it is outside the “outer court” — less holy, but still it is holy. So that it gives us a great radius in which to move in our houses and business, in the maintenance of holiness; otherwise in going to the meetings we would be dull and heavy, and thus a hindrance.
ABP Are not the associations of man and wife, parents and children, master and servant in Ephesians, encompassed by a wall like this?
JT Exactly. There is a wide sphere with good scope in it, but you never allow yourself to be drawn into the profane side. Men have their way, and you have yours. Of course, it makes it very difficult in that sense to have to do with people in the world, but this is to enable us to have to do with them and maintain a good conscience; to keep our garments from being spotted by the world.
Ques It says, “whose front was toward the east”. Does that suggest keeping under the influence of Christ’s reign in all our circumstances? “And when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth toward the gate whose front was toward the east, and measured the enclosure round about” (Ezekiel 42: 15).
JT That is the main gate; the first gate mentioned. That is the first impression you get as considering this great matter. We are not to lose sight of that, because the other outer gates are just like it.
CHH Would the new covenant be seen in the east gate, according to Corinthians, where the glory of the Lord is seen?
JT Yes, there is a connection. The glory here, however, involves more. It is God Himself here. His voice is spoken of immediately (Ezekiel 43: 2).