Absolutely fascinating - all the details of Ezekiel's great temple vision.  

We have found floorplans that appear to be very consistent with the biblical dimensions of the Millennial Temple that Ezekiel was allowed to see.  This is after an extensive search because there were so many differences with how people perceive the biblical dimensions. 

There is a verse in today's reading, Ezekiel 40:4 that has special meaning to us (Phil and Patti).

"Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here.  Tell the house of Israel everything you see."

This is the reason we believe God allowed us to visit Israel in 2005 and again in 2011.  We were supposed to pay attention to everything we experienced there so that we could tell others, like you!

The God-ordained Millennial Temple will be built in Jerusalem in the great valley created by the split in the Mount of Olives at Jesus’ return. Over the temple will be a cloud by day and a glow of flaming fire at night. There will be no darkness and no night time. The gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel.

The area immediately surrounding the temple will be a most holy place. The whole Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem will be holy to the Lord, the most holy place on earth. In the Millennial Temple there will be no common things. Jerusalem will become the true worship center of the world. The dimensions of the sacred district of the Millennial Temple are 25,000 by 20,000 sacred cubits or about ten miles by about eight miles.  One of the markers for this dimension is Azel, which is four miles south of Jerusalem. The earthquake splits the mountain four miles to the north and four miles to the south for a total of eight miles.  The circumference of the wall around the temple itself will be seven miles.  The circumference of the sacred district will be about 80 miles. 

At the completion of the Millennial Temple the glory of the Lord will enter the temple through the eastern gate. The gate will be shut.  

The temple will be absent of a few things that were previously found in the temples of Jerusalem. The curtain between the Holy place and the Most Holy place will be absent. There will be no barrier between God and man. The table of showbread will be absent. Jesus takes the place of the showbread because He is the bread of life. The Ark of the Covenant will be absent. However the altar of sacrifice will again be present, not as an actual atonement for sins but as a remembrance of what Jesus has done, lest anyone forget. 

Serving at the temple under Jesus as Lord of Lords will be a select family of priests, from the tribe of Levi who are descendants of the faithful priest Zadok.

I Samuel 2:35
I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always.

Ezekiel 44:15-16
"'But the priests, who are Levites and descendants of Zadok and who faithfully carried out the duties of my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign LORD. They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and perform my service.

These sacrifices and offerings will be done as a memorial or a remembrance much the same as we do communion today. The animals represent the blood sacrifice and a remembrance of what Jesus did for the people. The other offerings will represent gifts of praise, fellowship, unity and joy as offerings to God.

- excerpts from the book THESE LAST DAYS - Second Edition

Another example of the connections from the Old Testament to today.  Ezekiel was given a prophetic vision concerning the glory of the Lord as well as a condemnation for the pagan practices.

Ezekiel 43:4-9
The glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple.  He said: "Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The house of Israel will never again defile my holy name-- neither they nor their kings-- by their prostitution and the lifeless idols of their kings at their high places.  When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger. Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the lifeless idols of their kings, and I will live among them forever.

Lessons for today?  Concerning paganism - people compromise, then rationalize, then justify and finally embrace pagan doctrine as truth.  It starts with an "innocent" compromise.  And yet with all the spiritual prostitution and spiritual adultery, God offered them and He offers us restoration if we would only put away our spiritual unfaithfulness.

Earlier we said that there were so many differences with how people perceive the biblical dimensions of Ezekiel's temple vision. This, we believe, is the reason.  All the dimensions are not given in the biblical account.  And here's why all the dimensions are not given.

Ezekiel 43:10-11
"Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider the plan, and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple-- its arrangement, its exits and entrances-- its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.

God said, "IF...they are ashamed."  Apparently the people were not totally ashamed of their sins, therefore, they did not receive all the dimensions of the temple.

Hmmm...wonder what God may want to reveal to each of us IF...