LIFE-STUDY OF EZEKIEL
Message 22
THE TEMPLE AND THE SIDE CHAMBERS
WEEK 11 - SUNDAY
Scripture Reading: Ezek. 41:8, Eph. 1:23
Read and pray: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Cor. 13:13)
The Side Chambers
On the south, west, and north sides of the temple are the side chambers. These side chambers are three stories high, each with thirty side chambers, making a total of ninety side chambers. If we consult the diagram on page 242, we will see that the wall of the temple is in three sections¹.
The first story of the wall is six cubits wide, the second story is five cubits wide, and the third story is four cubits wide. Because these are placed one upon another, a ledge of one cubit is created, and the beam of the side chambers is placed upon this ledge.
The beam of the first story of the side chambers is placed upon the first ledge, and the beam of the second story of the side chambers is placed upon the second ledge. As the side chambers surrounding the temple increase in height, they also increase in width.
The smallest story of the side chambers is four cubits wide, the second story of the side chambers is five cubits wide, and the third story is six cubits wide. However, the width of the temple continues straight upward without any change.
As the side chambers go higher, they also become wider. This indicates that the higher we go with the Lord, the wider and richer we also become in our experience.
As we advance inward, we ascend more and more, and as we go higher, the wider we become. Because the side chambers on the first level are four cubits, they typify us, the creatures, in a general way.
But as we become higher and wider, we, who are the number four, become the number five, having some responsibility. Then, as we go higher and become even wider, we become the number six, the proper man created by God on the sixth day.
This indicates that we will be equal in measure to the Lord Jesus, who is the wall. This reveals that merely being a creature and only having some responsibility are not sufficient; we need to become a proper man who bears the number six.
According to Ezekiel 41:8, around the temple there is an elevation, which is a platform or base, upon which the temple and all the side chambers are built. This elevation is six cubits high, typifying once again the humanity of the Lord Jesus. Thus, the humanity of the Lord Jesus is the foundation, the base, and the wall.
The Side Chambers
Are the Fullness of the Temple
The beauty of this temple lies in the side chambers. If the side chambers were removed, the temple would be very simple and would have no beauty. Strictly speaking, the temple typifies Christ. Although Christ and the church are the same in nature, the temple refers to Christ Himself, and the side chambers, as the fullness of the temple, typify the church as the fullness of Christ.
In Ephesians 1:23, we see that the church, the Body of Christ, is His fullness. If there were no side chambers of the temple, there would be no fullness of the temple. The ninety side chambers in three stories express the fullness of the temple. Removing these chambers would strip away the fullness of the temple. Just as the side chambers are the beauty of the temple, in the same way, the beauty of Christ is the church, the Body, as His fullness.
In Ezekiel’s account of the holy building of God, he makes frequent use of the number thirty. There are thirty chambers on the pavement, thirty windows in the gates, and thirty faces of the pillars in the gateways. All these figures indicate that we can only enjoy the amount of Christ that we have experienced and that we can express only the amount of Christ that we have enjoyed.
The side chambers typify the church as the fullness of Christ, His expression. The thirty side chambers for expression are based on the thirty chambers for enjoyment. We cannot express more of Christ than we have enjoyed. We can express Christ only to the extent that we have enjoyed Him. Our enjoyment of Christ eventually becomes the fullness, the expression, of Christ.
Typifies the Triune God in Resurrection
The fact that the side chambers are three stories high typifies the Triune God in resurrection. We express Christ in the Triune God and in resurrection. When we are in the Triune God — in the Father, in the Son, and in the Spirit — and when we are in resurrection, we express Christ with our enjoyment of Him.
When we pass through the cross and enter into resurrection, we are in the Triune God, enjoying the love of the Father, the grace of Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14). Of the thirty side chambers, twelve are on the north side, twelve are on the south side, and six are on the west side. The thirty side chambers can also be divided into six groups of five.
The number six typifies man created on the sixth day, and the number five typifies man as a creature bearing responsibility by receiving the grace of God. We do not take responsibility by our own strength but by the grace of God. This indicates that the side chambers are the result of God being added to us for the bearing of responsibility.
The side chambers have three levels, with thirty rooms on each level divided into six groups of five. This indicates that we are in resurrection and in the Triune God, that we depend on the grace of God to bear responsibility before God, and that, as a result, we are the fullness, the expression, of the Christ whom we enjoy.
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Unfortunately, we do not have the illustrations for this material.
🌿Enjoy more:
Hymn: “I want to draw close to You”
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