Today's Scripture Reading (October 13, 2026): Ezekiel 43
At the beginning of the
nation of Israel, Moses was given a set of laws. The law was much more than a
list of ten "Thou Shalt Nots." It was also more than just a long list
of often culturally specific cultic rules. It contained the instructions for a
place of worship: a tent called the tabernacle. The instructions for this
tabernacle were very specific. It set out rules not only for the tent, but also
for how it was to be laid out and the furniture that was to exist inside the
tabernacle. When Israel finished building the tabernacle, the Bible says the "glory
of the Lord" entered it. "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the
glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter
the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the
Lord filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34-35). For the rest of the time
in the desert, whenever Israel stopped, God's cloud descended, and God's glory filled
the tabernacle.
Fast forward to the
building of the first temple. I am not convinced God ever wanted the temple built,
but once it was finished, God accepted it as the sacrifice of his people. Once
again, the glory of God fills the temple. "When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the
temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their
service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple"
(1 Kings 8:10-11).
However, Israel
rebelled, and the nation eventually fell. The northern Kingdom was the first to
go, taken into captivity by the Assyrians. But the southern Kingdom went next,
and its people were carried into captivity by the Babylonians; the city of
Jerusalem was destroyed, and the temple that the glory of God had once
inhabited was totally leveled. Now, there was no glory, no temple, and no
Jerusalem. Everything that made Israel special was gone.
As Ezekiel dreams of a
new Temple, he also dreams of the glory of God entering the temple; that this
temple too would be accepted by God. The glory of God would enter from the
east, possibly with the rising of the morning sun. In Ezekiel's dream of this
temple, a huge part of it was that God's glory would dwell there once again.
The next Temple to be
built was not the one that Ezekiel dreamt of, but a second, lesser temple. But
when it is completed, one thing is missing: there is no story of God's glory
filling the temple, at least not for a while.
When the glory of God
returns to the second temple, it returns as an eight-day-old baby. Jesus is
born, and on the eighth day, according to the Law of Moses, the baby Jesus is
taken to the temple for dedication. A priest named Simeon lifted the boy in his
arms and declared in him the glory of God; the glory of the second temple. "Sovereign
Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my
eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all
nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people
Israel" (Luke 2:29-32). The glory had finally returned.
So,
if we imagine the glory of the third temple, the one that Ezekiel dreamed of,
it follows that the glory of that temple has to be the returning of Christ.
Ezekiel speaks of the glory of God that comes through the eastern gate, and
hundreds of years later Matthew would tell of witnesses to the glory of God
that comes in the form of Magi from the east, and eventually of the glory of
God in the second coming of Christ, once again in the east. "For as lightning that comes from the east is
visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man"
(Matthew 24:27). The glory of God will return, and this time His glory will
return to stay.
Tomorrow's
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 44
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