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Ezekiel 43 (ESV)
1 Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. 3 And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal. And I fell on my face. 4 As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, 5 the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
REFLECTION:
Nineteen years ago, Ezekiel saw the glory of God leaving the defiled temple from “the east gate of the house of the Lord” (10:19), and “stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city” (11:23). Now, Ezekiel once again sees that “the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east.” In fact, God has always been with His people and has never been far from the Promised Land. Although the City of Jerusalem has been destroyed, the glory of God has not suffered any loss. Not only is it the same as the vision Ezekiel saw 19 years ago when “He came to destroy the city”, but it was “just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal” twenty years ago. This shows that the visions Ezekiel experienced before and after are consistent, and God’s revelation before and after is also consistent. “The glory of the Lord filled the temple”, just like the scene when Solomon dedicated the temple, and like the scene when Moses’ tabernacle was completed, representing God’s acceptance of the temple and sanctification of it. The glory of God returned to the temple. It swept away the dull atmosphere in the book, echoing the blessings given to the few people who survived, and looking forward to a bright future: God will eventually be with His people, sharing the glory and living among the people forever. Throughout the ages, all true believers have been looking forward to this moment, and the same is true for us today. Even in the darkest time, we should not forget that God has never forsaken us, He has been with us from beginning to end. We should see the glory of God in all things, and we should also look forward to the joy in the eternal glory of our being with God in the future!
PRAYER:
No matter whether you are in peace or difficulty, rich or lacking, ask God to open your spiritual eyes so that you can see the glory of God in all your daily affairs, and ask God to walk with you every day and give you greater faith and hope and enable you to glorify the name of the Lord in all things.
