A TRAIL OF MESSIANIC ISSUES, CONT.

THE PROBLEM OF MESSIANIC JUDAISM

PART 25

A TRAIL OF MESSIANIC ISSUES, CONT.

7. The Meaning of Ezekiel’s Temple and the Restoration Sacrifices, Cont.

The Case for Regenerative Understanding

Change. Change. Change. That is the operative word within these visions. The above arguments all prove that for the visions of temple system restoration to find any millennial fulfillment, they must undergo an essential transformation in meaning and application. Otherwise, they really argue for the re-establishment of pure non-messianic Judaism—meaning the rejection of Yeshua’s entire incarnational temple system, and the repudiation of Messianism itself.

But if these visions cannot be understood reconstructively, is it possible to explain them in a way that both honors the New Covenant teaching yet still respects the literal nature of the visions?

Ezekiel’s vision is indisputably concrete. It is exactingly measurable. And some of its millennial elements are confirmed by John’s vision—the river out of the east gate, the healing trees on its banks, the walls with the tribal names inscribed on them. And what of the other prophecies describing Jerusalem as a literal place of return for Yeshua—that Yeshua will indeed build the temple, and that sacrifices will be offered?

It is neither satisfying nor reasonable to conclude that these visions of future temple worship were mere allegory, metaphor, vision without substance (i.e., a dream) or that they were simply cancelled. (If what the visions foresaw was merely to be cancelled before coming to pass, there was really no point in them. They never depicted anything real.)

So then, back to the question: Is it possible? Can we find a literal post-New Covenant meaning to these visions? Can we reconcile them with Hebrews without dismissing their concrete essence?

- The Regenerative Solution

The answer is “yes.” There is a way to understand Ezekiel—and all the prophets—respecting a literal future temple and its sacrifices that does not contradict Hebrews. As we have already shown regarding the Law and the feasts, so again, the answer is found only in regenerative understanding.

Regenerative understanding is not allegorical or metaphorical. It does not dismiss the temple visions as non-substantial spiritual “concepts” for the mind. Rather, it is transformational. It sees the fulfillments as real, but not on the plane of natural reality. It sees them as “the substance of things not yet seen.” Regenerative understanding has the power to assign glorified applications to the system of worship the prophets saw—applications yet incomprehensible in their (and our) time—as well as to strip those visions of the carnal conditions connected to their time-bound dimension.

But again, in order to discover the glorified fulfillments, we must understand the three planes of cosmologic reality and their ages of application. These relate directly to the spectral temple dimensions and their dispensations already described.

· Three Planes and Ages of Cosmologic Reality

We must grasp that the restoration prophecies ultimately view a time in earth history when reality manifests differently from any other time before it. Much of what the prophets see makes no sense in the present and past ages because earth has never known the manifestation of reality on the plane that they saw it. With that in mind, let’s briefly survey three distinct planes of cosmologic reality and the ages appointed for their manifestation.

The first plane of reality is the plane of natural pattern. It corresponds to the manufactured temple dimension. On this plane, reality plays out through the medium of carnal visible forms and rituals that typify unseen heavenly reality. In the Lord’s economy, an entire age was devoted to displaying truth on this plane and He instituted a covenant with a specific people based on that reality. This is of course the Old Covenant of the Mosaic Era revealed through the people of Israel.

The second plane of reality is that of unclothed spirituality. It corresponds to the incarnational temple dimension. Here, forms and rituals are mainly done away, replaced by the invisible operation of the Holy Spirit within believers and among the world’s peoples. The heavenly reality previously typified on the first plane is now lived out in the lives of men through their spirits by the Holy Spirit, with only a couple visible forms left in place for physical support.80

For example, the people of God are referred to as the “body of Christ” and the “temple of God.” They are also called “sheep” and “priests and kings” who offer themselves as “living sacrifices” (shedding the life of their souls) as well as offering the “sacrifices of the fruit of their lips.” All of this is literal with respect to the spiritual realm, but none of it is visible on the natural plane. Hence, it is unclothed spirituality.

The second (or “New”) covenant made by Yeshua with all the earth’s peoples (including the Jews) is at the heart of this plane of reality. An age was set aside for the outworking of this inward reality, instituted at the time of Christ’s death, resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit—what we have called above the Mortal New Covenant Era. The kingdom of God in the earth continues to be executed through this plane of reality.

· The Age of Spiritual Physicality

But there remains a third plane of reality and an earth age for its manifestation. This is the plane of spiritual physicality. It corresponds to the glorific temple dimension in action upon the incarnational temple as it is revealed in the Millennial Age. In this still coming age, all the currently invisible realities under unclothed spirituality are made visible on the natural plane. They are not types and shadows of what is in heaven. They are the substance of what is in heaven brought down to earth. This substance is not the same as that which marks the natural earth and humanity. It is glorified substance from another plane with different properties of mass and visibility.81

Most importantly for our discussion is to know that when the prophets are reporting to us about the age to come, they are seeing what can only be seen in the dimension of spiritual physicality and can’t appear on earth until the age of spiritual physicality is instituted with Yeshua’s glorified return. What they see is indeed literal. It has substance. It is not “allegorical.” But it is not natural—not of this earth nor of this flesh life (as even they would have interpreted it).

For example, in the natural dimension, John the Immerser calls Yeshua “the Lamb of God.” But Yeshua assumed natural human form like any man. He was seen as a man, and a man only. Today, in the spiritually unclothed dimension, Yeshua is not seen at all, except by spiritual eyes of faith.

But on the plane of spiritual physicality, Yeshua appears not only as a man, but assumes the shape and visage of “the Lamb Who sits on the Throne.” On this plane, He is not just called the Lamb of God. He appears and is seen as the literal Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world, standing forth to take the scroll. (When at the end of this age the kings cry out “hide us from the wrath of the Lamb,” it’s because a Lamb is what they indeed see!) Again, this is literal. It is physical. But it is not natural.

· Regenerative Fulfillment of the Temple and its Sacrifices

If we can understand this, then we can understand Ezekiel’s temple and all the visions of restored sacrifices. The appearance of Ezekiel’s temple on the earth will not involve the constructing of a new building from stone and mortar according to the pattern of Mosaic ordinances.⁸² It will be the revelation of the completed temple of God’s glorified people in conjunction with other glorified substances brought down from heaven related to the glorific temple dimension. At that time, on the Mount Zion of that day, men will indeed literally see the assembly of God’s people in the form of a temple.

A very good illustration of this is what artists call a “photomontage.” A photomontage is a photograph comprised of smaller photos that collectively convey a larger idea or form a larger image. Some photomontages are actually created using hundreds or even thousands of miniature photos of people’s faces which, when viewed at a distance, take on the form and shape of a greater object.

Another good illustration is the comparison between life as it appears at the objective whole level and how it appears at the intensely magnified cellular or atomic level (as seen through a microscope.) At present, we see only at the “cellular” and “atomic” levels what in heaven is visible at the objective whole level, whether it is the temple of God, the body of Christ or the various cosmic national “beasts.” These heavenly corporate constructs have literal substance. They are not allegories. But from our confined microscopic vantage, we can see only individual atoms and cells called “people.”

o The Regenerative Temple

So is it concerning the temple Ezekiel saw and toured! Now, we see only little individual “living stones.” But Ezekiel saw the entire temple, not as people, but as the structural elements the Lord’s people will corporately assume in the glorified manifestation on the Mount Zion of the Millennial Age.⁸³ At that time, the assembly of God’s glorified people will, through properties not now known, take on the visage of the temple. One who functions as a spiritual pillar now in the invisible spiritual temple will in the Millennium indeed appear as “a pillar in the temple of My God.”

Nor should all this seem as far-fetched or fantastic as it may sound! The increasing modern ability to project images through various mediums (such as holographic images) already mirrors in advance the possibility of these types of appearances overlaying physical reality in the glorified realm.

This also makes perfect sense in view of John’s vision of the New Jerusalem which the angel identifies as “the Bride, the Lamb’s wife” (Rev. 21:9). This was not a mirage. John beheld the descent of a literal city described by concrete heavenly materials including gold, pearl and other precious stones. Yet “it” was called the “Lamb’s wife.” Yet we know that God does not marry buildings and inanimate objects! He marries a people. If then God marries only people, but John saw an inanimate object called “the Bride,” it can only mean that the assembly of God’s glorified people has the capacity in regenerative reality to assume the visage of a city.

So it is that, in the Regenerative Age, under the properties of spiritual physicality, God’s indwelling of His glorified people and of His temple mysteriously assume an interchangeable visibility in appearance. And once revealed to the earth, this reality will itself assume development as there will be further change over time between the earth under millennial conditions and the New Earth that is still to come.

o The Regenerative Sacrifices

What then of the millennial sacrifices?

In the Restoration Age, within the glorified corporate “temple-assembly” of the immortal saints (which will have the appearance of everything Ezekiel detailed), the earth’s mortal peoples will come to offer themselves as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:2). These sacrifices will be made down to the various facets of life where sin yet lurks and a soul offering must be made, or else as a “drink offering” (II Tim. 4:6). Men will also offer the “fruit of their lips” in sacrifice (Heb. 13:15; ie, regenerative todah) and they will offer the “incense” of their prayers (Rev. 5:8; 8:4).

In our day, these are all described as “spiritual sacrifices.” Because there is no literal visibility attached to them here, to us they are just metaphors. But they are not metaphors. Faith is the substance of things not seen. In heaven this very moment, spiritual sacrifices on earth carry actual properties of visibility as animal and other sacrifices; just as the “Lamb of God” in heaven is indeed seen as a lamb.

But when the Restoration Age is inaugurated and the plane of spiritual physicality is introduced to the earth, when men make their spiritual offerings, they will manifestly appear as priests offering animal sacrifices, grain offerings, drink offerings and smoking incense! For every kind of sacrifice found in the Mosaic system, there will be a corresponding regenerative manifestation associated with the living sacrifices in the spiritual physicality era. The type of soulish or bodily sin over which worshippers come to offer themselves before the Lord in His assembly will determine the type of animal that manifests through their living sacrifice.

That is what men will see in that day when people come to offer their souls and bodies before the Lord in His assembly. And that is what Ezekiel and the prophets saw. In fact, Ezekiel even gives us a hint of this reality in which he directly describes men in the Restoration in terms of sacrificial flocks:

36:37 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "This also I will let the house of Israel ask Me to do for them: I will increase their men like a flock. 38 "Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so will the waste cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'"

Wow! What a regenerative prediction from a restoration prophet. And so we may apply this to the vision Ezekiel saw only four chapters later. The sacrificial meat on the tables Ezekiel beheld (40:43) may be the glorific meat of some Millennial Age believer that gives his total body in consecration to the Lord.⁸⁴ It easily corresponds to the glorific reality John saw of souls shed as blood under the altar in heaven. Truly, what these visionaries saw by way of heavenly encounter will appear on earth in the Millennial Age of spiritual physicality.

o “Better Sacrifices Than These”

The regenerative understanding of future sacrifices ultimately explains and is supported by the mysterious little phrase from Hebrews 9:23 that “the heavenly things themselves [are to be cleansed] with better sacrifices than these.” Hebrews has built the case that Yeshua’s once-for-all sacrifice has cleansed the heavenly temple (9:11-12). His is but one sacrifice. Yet Hebrews also speaks of heavenly things being cleansed with many sacrifices. Since animals can’t cleanse heavenly things now or future, the only sacrifices these can refer to are those of God’s people. In its first heavenly application, it refers to the spiritual incarnational temple as it is being purged even now by our living sacrifices. But in its second heavenly application, it refers to the millennial temple.

We have already proved the millennial temple is of heavenly origin (otherwise Yeshua cannot be its builder.) If then this temple is to be cleansed by multiple better sacrifices, it cannot be Yeshua’s sacrifice, as His is once and for all, and it cannot be animals as theirs is not “better.” It can only then be the sacrifices of God’s people appearing in regeneratively glorific form as animal sacrifices in fulfillment of the restoration visions. Again the beauty of regenerative understanding shines. (On the other hand, how does Messianism explain “better sacrifices?”)

&&&&&&&&&&

It’s unnecessary to try to explain the spiritual physicality behind every detail of the prophetic visions. Nor is it necessary to explain how the dimensions of spiritual physicality and natural life will coexist in the Millennial Age. (We’re just not there yet!) All that’s necessary here is to viably show how spiritual physicality operates relative to the realms of natural pattern and spiritual unclothing. By this we prove how the Book of Hebrews (which announces the end of natural pattern) and the restoration prophecies (which herald the age of spiritual physicality) are in no wise contradictory but wholly reconcilable.

In final reality, the prophets’ visions foretell the physical expression of glorified substance that will clothe the spiritual realities about which the New Covenant apostles teach, but which are only visible now inside the heavenly realm. (All of us really do wear real miters, even if we can’t see them now!)85

And now, as we have more than adequately shown, far from being problematic to regenerative New Covenant belief, the prophecies of restored sacrifices are explainable only thereby. But for those who would try to explain them reconstructively while holding onto Yeshua as the Lamb of God, they prove an absolute nightmare, self-destroying their own belief system. This will continue to be evident as we look at further restoration age issues Messianics raise to advance reconstructionism.

NEXT – PART 26: MEANING OF THE RESTORED LEVITICAL MINISTRY

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