Nothing is left to chance in God. With His precision, as the master builder, His Kingdom will be exactly as it was suppose to be from the beginning. He is always in control.
In God alone does creation long.
Each year, four cups were served and shared during the Jewish Passover celebration. The third cup, called "the cup of redemption," was shared after the meal to remind the Israelites how God had redeemed them from slavery with His outstretched arm (Exodus 6:6). Jesus indicated this cup would hold a new meaning moving forward, as believers now gather to remember our redemption from sin: "And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, 'Take this, and divide it among yourselves'" (Luke 22:17).
The sharing of the cup then and now is part of our public confession that Jesus is our Savior. When believers participate in the Lord's Supper today, drinking of this cup tells the world we have received the invitation to enter into fellowship with Jesus and will drink with Him ourselves when "the kingdom of God comes" (Luke 22:18). We thank Jesus for accomplishing what we could never do on our own, redeeming us from the curse of the law and establishing a new covenant of grace (Galatians 3:13-14).
The sacrifice of Christ began a new season for all who choose to follow Him. Jesus has invited us to come and enjoy unbroken communion with Him forever. Our hearts are made ready to experience the fullness of His joy when we confess Jesus is our Lord. May we always remember how He poured Himself out to save us from sin, and may we live to honor Him. Sabbath Moments
Ezekiel 41:12
12 The building that faced the separating courtyard at its western end was seventy cubits wide; the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length ninety cubits. Dimensions and Design of the Temple Area. The New King James Version
Measuring the Future Ezekiel could be called one of the most visionary prophets. God showed him spiritual insights that still stir the imagination 25 centuries later. Like other prophets, Ezekiel’s ministry among his people had two distinct phases: condemnation and consolation. The first 32 chapters of Ezekiel catalog the sure and future judgment of God on His own people and seven other nations. Incredibly, although Jerusalem had been defeated and many of her people had been deported, the exiles clung to the vain hope that God would never let His city and temple be destroyed. They missed the point that God’s ultimate commitment was to people—not places or buildings. In order to purify and preserve the people, God allowed the devastation of the Promised Land and the temple itself. Yet God also held responsible those nations that used their temporary domination of Israel as an opportunity to mock the living God. Ezekiel’s early messages focused on the coming of God’s judgment and the urgent need for repentance. The last part of Ezekiel represents a sudden change of tone. With the fall of Jerusalem, God’s terrible judgment had finally come. The weary and disillusioned exiles had lost all hope. But God filled Ezekiel with a new message. Although all immediate evidence pointed to hopelessness and despair, God invited His people to return to Him and to place their confidence in Him. Whatever their temporary setbacks and suffering, God was still in control. His purposes would win out, and His plans were specific. In fact, His plans were so definite they could be measured. Ezekiel received a vision of the dimensions of a new temple (recorded in 40:1–48:35) to demonstrate that fact.
Many efforts have been made to understand the details of Ezekiel’s vision in such a way that the prophecy might be described as fulfilled. However, attempts to do this have failed. Those who eventually returned from exile did not use Ezekiel’s plans to rebuild Jerusalem. It is also difficult to interpret this prophecy as a symbolic description of the church in our age. The most confident statement we can make about the vision and its accompanying instructions is that it is a prophecy yet to be fulfilled. At the same time, we can apply these chapters to the present as examples of God’s planning, precision, and sovereignty. He maintains control of the events of history. When events seem chaotic, God reminds us to rest in His ability to bring order. Ezekiel’s vision of a new temple when the temple in Jerusalem had just been destroyed reassured the exiles: God would create beauty out of ashes. The people in Ezekiel’s day needed that vision of hope, and we still need it today. The NKJV Study Bible.
Ezekiel 41:13 So he measured the temple, one hundred cubits long; and the separating courtyard with the building and its walls was one hundred cubits long;
Ezekiel 41:14 also the width of the eastern face of the temple, including the separating courtyard, was one hundred cubits.
Ezekiel 41:15 He measured the length of the building behind it, facing the separating courtyard, with its galleries on the one side and on the other side, one hundred cubits, as well as the inner temple and the porches of the court,
Ezekiel 42:1 Then he brought me out into the outer court, by the way toward the north; and he brought me into the chamber which was opposite the separating courtyard, and which was opposite the building toward the north.
Ezekiel 42:10 Also there were chambers in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, opposite the separating courtyard and opposite the building.
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