Author: Mark Shipowick

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2022-05-30

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13:

Ezekiel's temple, described in the last nine chapters of the book, has been a mystery to Jews and Christians for over two and a half millennia. The vision was given during the captivity of the Jews in Babylon. At this time the walls of Jerusalem were broken and the city lay in ruins. Solomon's magnificent temple was rubble and ash and the nation's future was dark. But God had not forgotten Israel and in their distress he sent a vision of hope to his people and indeed to us. Ezekiel's temple, an allegory, foretells and illustrates the restoration of the kingdom to all of God's people, Jew and gentile alike. In the second chapter of Daniel, that kingdom is depicted at the close of human history as a rock, cut out without hands, that breaks in pieces all former and existing kingdoms, then fills the world, reestablishing the dominion of righteousness lost by Adam. Ezekiel's temple, its structure and its services, are a revelation of how that is accomplished under the outpouring of the Spirit. The purpose of the latter rain is to ripen the harvest, sealing the covenant in us and fitting us as citizens of this kingdom. Dan 10:13, 21; 11:22, 12:1. In the tenth chapter of Revelation, John, a symbol of God's end-time people, who has just recovered from eating a bitter little book, is given his final commission: He is told to "rise and prophesy again". To assist him, he's given a rod or staff. Rev 10:11, 11:1. Like the powerful staff in the hand of Moses, this rod has power to measure the temple of God. Ezekiel's temple vision describes in detail this measuring, cleansing process. Although modern Christians and Jews have not co-operated with God in fulfilling their commission, the scriptures indicate that at the end there will be a remnant who will. When God's people obey their commission to "prophesy again" and publish the word the Lord will empower and unify them in the truth. "The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it." Psa 68:11. This global, grass roots movement of the word is also depicted in Revelation 14 as a three-fold message given powerfully by angel messengers. In the pages that follow the relationship between Ezekiel's temple and these powerful messages will be explored. This book is written for the public. The author of the book, Mark Shipowick, is a Seventh-day Adventist. For non-Adventist readers, one unique feature of the book is its references to the dreams and visions of Ellen White1 who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is regarded by many Adventists as having had the gift of prophecy. He asks readers to approach these references with an open mind. The modern prophetic gift is never a substitute for scripture but, if it is genuine, it is always complimentary, a lesser light pointing to the greater light of the Word. One final note: This edition was written with Jewish readers in mind. I ask my Jewish friends to reserve judgment until they've read enough of the book to see my reverence for the Torah. In the book, I argue from scripture that Ezekiel's temple is 1) the temple of the prince of the covenant, and is 2) situated on Mt. Zion and not on the Temple Mount. I ask them to look candidly at the evidence and consider the implications: As the temple of Zion, Ezekiel's temple sheds a flood of light on the law and the ancient sanctuary ritual, illuminating their deep spiritual and practical meaning. Before dismissing that claim out of hand, I request, even implore, my Jewish audience to read Chapter 7 on Mt. Zion vs. The Temple Mount and Appendix F, on the Mosaic code, before reading the rest of the book. Shabbat Shalom. Mark Shipowick 5-30-2022