1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looks toward the east:
Eastern Gate of the Holiest of Holies.
2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and His voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with His glory.
Ezekiel sees God again.
3 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.
God is maintaining a consistent image for Ezekiel so he will always know it is God. This image (a whirlwind with a great cloud, and a fire enfolding itself, brightness in the middle the color of amber, four living creatures that were shaped like a man, each with four faces and four wings, straight feet with calves' hooves, that sparkled like the color of burnished brass, hands under their wings on their four sides, each with four faces. Their wings were joined one to another, and always traveled straight. They had faces like men, lions, oxen and eagles. The wheels were the color of a beryl with rings full of eyes. The sky above the heads of the living creature was like crystal, and above, the throne was like a sapphire with a man the color of amber) comes flying out of the east.
4 And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.
6 And I heard Him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
7 And He said unto me, "Son of man, the place of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and My holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcasses of their kings in their high places."
God will no longer allow His Temple to be defiled.
8 "In their setting of their threshold by My thresholds, and their post by My posts, and the wall between Me and them, they have even defiled My holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in Mine anger."
Because of this defiling, this idolatry, God allowed Babylon to destroy Judah. From now on there will be no more defilement.
9 "Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcasses of their kings, far from Me, and I will dwell in the midst of them forever."
This was fulfilled with Christ. The physical temple had been rebuilt along the lines of this plan and then Christ came and now dwells in the midst of our hearts (the New Temple) forever.
Had the Jews quit sinning they would have remained God’s people. But, unfortunately, they didn’t keep their part of the bargain.
10 "Thou son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
11 "And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them."
Jewish legend says that Herod used these plans for his renovation of the Temple. Judah did repent and tried to serve God after the captivity. God honored them by allowing a new, physical Temple to be built and by sending Jesus to their land.
12 "This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house."
Herod’s Temple filled the entire top of the rock it was built on, the Temple Mount.
13 "And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar."
For the purpose of measuring the alter, an extra 4” were added to the standard cubit (generally 18”), making it 22”.
The altar was 22” square, with a 9” tall gutter around the bottom.
14 "And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower settle shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit."
The altar had two tiers. The first was 44” tall and 22” wide. The second was 7 1/3’ tall.
15 "So the altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns."
The word “altar” that is used here in the KJV comes from two different Hebrew words. The first means Mount of God and the second Lion of God. So this verse should really read;
“The Mount of God shall be 7 1/3 inches tall; and from the Lion of God (place of the devouring of the sacrifices) and upward shall be four horns.”
This was a big altar.
16 "And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof."
22’ square and divided into four parts.
17 "And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east."
The upper ledge was 24” x 24” with an 11” gutter and a 22” curb (assuming we are still using the expanded cubit) all around the edge.
18 And he said unto me, "Son of man, thus says the Lord God; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.
19 "And thou shall give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto Me, to minister unto Me, says the Lord God, a young bullock for a sin offering."
God is reinstituting the sacrifices of the Mosaic Law. This happened after the return to Judah from Babylon.
20 "And thou shall take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about: thus shall thou cleanse and purge it."
When they dedicate the alter they are to anoint it with the blood of the sacrifice, just like we are anointed with the blood of Jesus to take away our sins.
21 "Thou shall take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary."
Though some sacrifices were burned on the altar, the sin offerings were taken to a special place outside the city to burn.
22 "And on the second day thou shall offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock."
Repeat with a goat.
23 "When thou have made an end of cleansing it, thou shall offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.
24 "And thou shall offer them before the Lord, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the Lord.
25 "Seven days shall thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish."
This was to be an eight day ceremony involving eight young bulls, seven goats, and seven rams.
26 "Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves.
27 "And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, says the Lord God."
After the altar was cleansed and dedicated, the twice-daily sacrifices would resume (as commanded by Moses) plus any individual sacrifices the people offered would then be accepted.