Entrance into The Sanctuary

Ezekiel 44:1-9

The East Gate and the Prince

1 Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut. 2 And the LORD said to me, "This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the LORD God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. 3 As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way."

Those Admitted to the Temple

4 Also He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple; so I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD; and I fell on my face. 5 And the LORD said to me, "Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes and hear with your ears, all that I say to you concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD and all its laws. Mark well who may enter the house and all who go out from the sanctuary.

6 "Now say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "O house of Israel, let Us have no more of all your abominations. 7 When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it—My house—and when you offered My food, the fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of all your abominations. 8 And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but you have set others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you." 9 Thus says the Lord GOD: "No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel.

The gate and those who are permitted to enter through it is described for us to look further and gain wisdom.  The east gate which the LORD in His glory entered in through (Ezekiel 43:2, 4) was not to be used by another.  He alone opens and shuts the door to Himself as our temple (Revelation 21:3, 22) to for those He chooses to do so (Luke 13:23-24, Revelation 3:8).  Only the Prince of peace enters that door for us that we may partake of His body as the bread of life before the Lord our God.  When God’s glory filled the heavenly temple of Ezekiel’s vision, he fell on his face in worship and humility before the Almighty.  The house of the LORD is a place of holiness in His presence and that should be true as well in these temples in whom he dwells as Spirit and in our assemblies together of the redeemed.  This is the fear and awe of our Lord which we see here in Ezekiel’s words to describe it to us for our learning.  We are to carefully observe the teachings of our Lord through the apostles as well to do all things to honor me glorify His name among us as His church body.  We see this especially in how to honor and remember Him in the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17, 27, 33-34) according to His word laid out for us in how to honor Him among ourselves.  We are to mark well those who enter and exit our assemblies also in order to avoid corruption and to minister grace in light of glorifying God in Christ by the direction of His Spirit according to His word.  The rebellious ones who refuse to repent from continuing sin are to be admonished to stop their idolatry and immortality as we minister to them in love and grace as we have been forgiven by Him.  We are to keep the New Covenant of grace in the bond of peace while dealing with sin to keep His sanctuary clean in holiness and righteousness by addressing His holy things of the heart and not the old ceremonial ritual laws.  Just as nobody uncircumcised in heart was to enter His sanctuary in the time of Ezekiel, so we are not to have church members who are not testified to God’s changing redemption of a new heart and life in Christ added to the number.  There are many such lessons for us in these accounts of the temple sanctuary of the Old Testament times.  They are types and shadows of the true that are explained when Christ came to give that new heart (Ezekiel 36:26-27, John 3:3, 2 Corinthians 3:3) and understanding (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, 12) for us to be able to live accordingly.  May we then continue to spread the gospel of truth that men and women may be converted, their sins blotted out (Acts 3:19), and that they join in a welcome entrance into the sanctuary of God’s house to worship in spirit and in truth with all holiness in the righteousness of Christ.