How does Ezekiel 43:3 connect to God's promises in the Old Testament? Setting the Scene • Ezekiel has been carried, in the Spirit, to a future temple (Ezekiel 40–48). • In earlier chapters the glory of the LORD had departed from Solomon’s temple because of Judah’s sin (Ezekiel 10:18–19; 11:22–23). • Now the prophet is shown that same glory returning, and he links it to an earlier, unforgettable encounter. The Verse Itself “The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when He came to destroy the city, and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River. And I fell facedown.” Key Old-Testament Promises Echoed 1. Promise of God’s personal presence • Exodus 29:45–46 — “I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.” • Leviticus 26:11–12 — “I will set My tabernacle among you … I will walk among you.” • Ezekiel’s vision shows that this covenant promise was not cancelled by exile; the divine presence will return and remain. 2. Promise of restoration after judgment • Deuteronomy 30:1–5 — after exile, God Himself will gather and restore His people. • Ezekiel 36:24–28 — He will bring them back to the land, cleanse them, and place His Spirit within them. • Ezekiel 43:3 confirms the first part of that package: the LORD comes back to dwell, proving that the promised restoration is underway. 3. Promise of an everlasting throne and sanctuary • 2 Samuel 7:12–16 — God vows a perpetual dynasty to David. • Psalm 132:13–18 — “The LORD has chosen Zion… ‘This is My resting place forever.’” • Ezekiel’s renewed temple signals that the place of God’s throne (Ezekiel 43:7) and David’s royal promises are inseparably linked; the returning glory validates the pledge of a future, righteous King (cf. Ezekiel 37:24–28). 4. Promise of covenant faithfulness despite human failure • Genesis 17:7–8; Jeremiah 31:31–34 — God binds Himself to His people with an “everlasting covenant.” • By appearing again to Ezekiel, the LORD shows that His covenant loyalty (ḥesed) overrides Israel’s unfaithfulness and guarantees a new, Spirit-empowered obedience (Ezekiel 36:27). All Tied Together: How Ezekiel 43:3 Bridges Past and Future • The prophet recognizes the glory from the earlier “Kebar River” visions (Ezekiel 1) and from the moment “He came to destroy the city” (Ezekiel 9–10). That identical glory now moves in redemptively, not judgmentally. • The shift from departure (judgment) to return (restoration) proves that every earlier warning carried an implied promise: once sin was dealt with, God would dwell among His people again. • The eastward approach of the glory (Ezekiel 43:2) recalls Eden (Genesis 2:8), the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34–38), and the dedication of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 8:10–11), showing a consistent pattern: where God is present, holiness, blessing, and life flow outward (cf. Ezekiel 47:1–12). Living in the Light of These Promises • God keeps every word He has spoken; the return of His glory in Ezekiel guarantees the ultimate fulfillment of all Old-Testament promises. • The same Lord who once left because of sin now returns because He has a plan to cleanse His people permanently (fulfilled in Christ’s atonement and culminating in Revelation 21:3). • Therefore, believers can trust that God’s presence, power, and purposes remain unshakable, no matter how bleak present circumstances may appear. |
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