LIFE-STUDY OF EZEKIEL
Message 24
THE RETURN OF THE GLORY OF GOD TO THE HOUSE
WEEK 12 - MONDAY
Scripture Reading: Num. 2:3; Ezek. 43:3; Zech. 1:8; Acts 2:2
Read and pray: “And behold, from the way of the east came the glory of the God of Israel; His voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone because of His glory.” (Ezek. 43:2)
THE GLORY RETURNING FROM THE EAST
Verse 2a says, “And behold, from the way of the east came the glory of the God of Israel.” The glory returned from the east, that is, from the direction of the sunrise. The direction of the sunrise typifies glory (Num. 2:3). The Lord returned from glory. He departed from the east and returned to the west.
Ezekiel 43:2 also says, “His voice was like the sound of many waters.” The Lord returned not only from glory but also with a great sound, for His voice was like the sound of many waters.
This indicates that whenever the glory of the Lord returns to the church, there will be a great sound. When the glory of the Lord departs, we should remain quiet. Quietness indicates that the glory has gone, but the sound is a sign that the glory has returned.
In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, that day was not quiet. “Suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting” (v. 2). Whenever the church is revived, there will be a loud sound and a great noise.
According to Ezekiel 43:2: “And the earth shone because of His glory.” The earth was under the light, the shining of the glory of the Lord. There was no darkness. On the day of Pentecost, the city of Jerusalem was under the shining of such light.
Whenever the church has a revival, the glory of God is expressed, the voice of God is heard, and the glory of God shines. However, without the manifestation of God and the voice of God, there is darkness.
HIS APPEARANCE WAS THE SAME
Ezekiel 43:3 says that the appearance of the Lord was the same when He returned as when He came with the prophet to destroy the city.
This word of comfort reveals how merciful the Lord is. Even when Ezekiel was in captivity, the vision of the Lord was there. The vision of the Lord came not only to the holy land but also to the place of captivity.
In Zechariah 1:8, the Lord was riding on a red horse among the myrtle trees in a valley. At that time, the Lord’s people were in a low place, in the valley, but the Lord was walking among them to bring them out. This indicates that He was with them in captivity. The Lord was still with His people, but not in a normal way.
THE EAST GATE IS
OPEN FOR THE GLORY OF THE LORD
Ezekiel 43:4 says, “The glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate that faces east.” The Lord returned by the east gate. The temple has three gates: one toward the east, one toward the south, and one toward the north.
The gates to the south and the north are for the convenience of the people, but the gate to the east is not only for the convenience of the people but also for the glory of the Lord.
In the church life we need several gates, but the most important is the east gate—the gate that is open to the glory of the Lord. This means that in the church life we need a gate open to the glory of the Lord.
We should not only care for convenience; we should care especially for the glory of the Lord. In the church life the first consideration we should have is for the glory of the Lord. Decisions in the church life should be made mainly according to the glory of the Lord.
Even in making decisions concerning the day and time of the meetings, we should care for the glory of the Lord, not simply for people’s convenience. The church must be open to the glory of the Lord so that His glory may enter.
THE STRONG DESIRE
OF THE LORD FOR HIS HOUSE
The glory of the Lord entered the temple, and “behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple” (v. 5). Eventually, the house and the inner temple were filled with the glory of the Lord.
Here we see that the Lord returned to the earth. Having lost His base on the earth, He returned to the heavens. The Lord’s position on the earth is the building up of His house. For the Lord to return to the earth, He needs a church built up as His base on the earth.
The Lord will not simply return to the earth; the Lord will return to the church. At the time Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord, he also saw a man standing beside him. He saw both the glory of the Lord and the Lord as a man.
The man who was with him said, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever” (v. 7a).
The words “this is the place of My throne” prove that the man who was with Ezekiel was the Lord Himself. According to the grammatical construction, “the place of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell,” does not seem to be a good composition.
It may be that, because His desire and joy were with His house, the Lord neglected the matter of grammar. He was entirely occupied with His house.
The Lord was so happy with His house that He apparently did not care about grammar. After His return to the temple, the Lord was very happy. The house had been restored, and once again He had a place for the soles of His feet. Therefore He said, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet.”
Here we see the Lord’s desire for His house, for the church. The Lord cares for the restoration of the church life. He has desired and waited to return to the church. This is why we have so much joy in the meetings.
We are joyful and happy because the Lord within us is joyful and happy. He is happy because in the church He has a place, a place for His throne, a place for the soles of His feet. For centuries, the Lord did not have on the earth a place for the soles of His feet.
How happy He is that, having been away from the earth for so long, He now has the local churches as the place of His throne and the place of the soles of His feet! It is wonderful that the Lord, the Almighty God, has spoken the word recorded in verse 7: “The place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet.”
If I were Ezekiel, I might have asked, “Since You are the Almighty God, why do You care for such a small place? Why does this place make You so happy?” If Ezekiel had asked this question, the Lord might have answered, “I love this special place on the earth because it is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet.”
The place of the soles of the Lord’s feet is the place of His throne. The throne is the government, the administration, and the kingdom of God; it is the place from which He can administer. The soles of the Lord’s feet are for His move on the earth.
Apart from the temple as the place of His throne and the place of the soles of His feet, the Lord has no base for His administration and move on the earth. Unless the church is built up, the Lord has no ground to carry out His government and move on the earth. Furthermore, the church is the place where the Lord can dwell for His rest and satisfaction.
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