1In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me to the city. 2 In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. 3 When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. 4 And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”
5 And behold, there was a wall all around the outside of the temple area, and the length of the measuring reed in the man’s hand was six long cubits, each being a cubit and a handbreadth in length. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed; and the height, one reed. 6 Then he went into the gateway facing east, going up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one reed deep.
REFLECTION:
This vision obtained by Ezekiel in 573 BC explained the dimensions of the temple and then described how it was filled with the glory of God. Since Ezekiel was a priest, he was very familiar with the rituals and furnishings of Solomon’s temple. Ezekiel gave a specific measurement of the temple, the purpose of which is to explain the dwelling place of God in words and images that the people understand. God wants them to see the great glory He has prepared for godly people. Such a temple has never been built before, it is just a vision. The purpose of this vision is to show God’s beautiful plan for the people of God, pointing out that the center of worship is the presence of the Lord and the blessings from God, as well as the order and obligations of worship. Let us not just see the details of the vision without understanding its key point. The key point is: God is in charge of our worship and the timing when the faithful people will return. One day, all those who are loyal to God will share eternal life with God. May this solemn vision strengthen our faith and teach us how to worship and serve God.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to strengthen your faith so that you do not lose hope for future glory in your daily busy life; pray for God to make you understand that worshiping God is not only on Sunday, but is seeing God’s glory every day and live a godly life in everything you experience.
25 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name. 26 They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, 27 when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. 28 Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. 29 And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”
REFLECTION:
The Battle of Gog showed that the rejuvenation of the kingdom of God is not only to let the dry bones have life, but also to “have it abundantly.” Therefore, God not only wants to lead His people out of Egypt for the second time, “I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands” (v27), but also to let them cross the Red Sea a second time and truly enter the Promised Land, so as to “dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid” (v26). This is not only the result of the work of the Good Shepherd, but also the promise and blessing of God. Today, God has poured out the Holy Spirit into every believer, and we have lived securely under the care of Christ the Great Shepherd. However, today’s world is also like Gog, often coming to attack us, and we often feel weak under the attack of the world. We are like Israel “without walls, and having no bars or gates” (38:11). We are often frightened by the environment and fail to see God as our refuge. Therefore, God will personally fight for us, “get glory over Pharaoh and all his host” (Exod 14:4), and to manifest glory to the nations. Only after we experience God in the Battle of Gog, can we truly realize that God is our God. Therefore, faith takes a leap. Since then, we will no longer be provoked by the flesh, and will no longer be affected by the environment or frightened by the enemy, but enter the rest in Christ to “dwell securely in our land with none to make us afraid.” May all of us rely on the Lord to win in the battle!
PRAYER:
Look back before God what you have experienced so far of being protected by God in practical matters or in your spiritual growth, count God’s blessings, and be grateful to God; ask God to give you a more obedient heart, so that you can establish a closer relationship with God, no matter what happens in the future, you will be able to live securely in the arms of God without any fright.
17 “Thus says the Lord God: Are you he of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them? 18 But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, my wrath will be roused in my anger. 19 For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. 21 I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord God. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur. 23 So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
REFLECTION:
Ezekiel revealed in Chapter 37 how God’s people will return to their homeland from all over the world. This chapter reveals that once Israel becomes strong, the northern alliance will attack it, headed by Gog (see Revelation 20:8). Their purpose is to destroy the people of God. The Gog alliance includes regions from the mountains in the southeast of the Black Sea and the southwest of the Caspian Sea to today’s Iran, Ethiopia, Libya, and perhaps Russia. Gog may be the name of a powerful king in the world at that time, or a symbol of evil in the world. Whether it is symbolic or actual, Gog represents the entire military power against God. No matter what the source of the threat of Gog is, God will step in to protect. No matter when and where this battle takes place, Ezekiel’s message is clear: God wants to save His people, and there is no enemy that can stand before God’s supreme power. God will personally take action to bring severe natural disasters to the invaders from the north. Those pagan countries affected by the disaster will eventually fall into chaos and pain. All those who oppose God are finally destroyed. This is not only an actual war that can be seen on earth, but also a spiritual war in heaven that is invisible. Today’s spiritual warfare does not require us to learn how to fight for the Lord, but to learn how to obey God and see God’s mighty salvation. As Exodus 14:13 says, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today.”
PRAYER:
Pray for God to enlighten you and make you understand that even though you are always far away from Him, He has never forsaken you for a moment. God’s grace and power are with you, and you are protected by Him in everything; pray for God to give you faith in everything that will enable you to rely on Him to prevail in spiritual battles.
