"...make known to them the forms (or designs) of the house, its structures, its exits, its entrances, all its designs, all it statutes, and all its laws. And write it in their sight, so that they may observe its whole form and all its statutes, and do them."
Jesus speaks of the forms of God's house:
"Do not let you heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Fathers house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, you may be also."
John 14:1, 2
"I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. '...If anyone loves Me he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make our abode with him.'"
John 14:18, 20, 23
Peter speaks of the form and declares it a spiritual house:
"And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but chosen and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up (or allow yourselves to be build up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
1 Peter 2:4, 5
Paul writes to the early church:
"By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God... For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
If any man is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation... the old things have passed away, behold, new things have come."
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Since you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow-citizens with the holy ones, and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone; in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy sanctuary in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."
Ephesians 2:8-10, 19-22
From Hebrews:
"For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. ...but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are..."
Hebrews 3:4, 6
Review
(Handbook 3, Article 44)
The Structure of the House
"...make known to them the forms of the house, its structures, its exits, its entrances, all its designs, all its statutes, and all its laws. And write it in their sight, so that they may observe its whole form and all its statutes, and do them."
Ezekiel 43:11
The Foundation
"Behold I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly stone for the foundation, well laid. He who believes in it will not be disturbed (Lit. in a hurry). And I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level; then hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters shall overflow the secret place."
Isaiah 28:16, 17
"The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the chief corner stone;
This came about from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes..."
Matthew 21:42
"...from the hands of the mighty God of Jacob, from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel..."
Genesis 48:24
"...and coming to Him as to a Living Stone, you also, as living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood..."
1 Peter 2:5
"And the Lord their God will save them in that day as the flock of His people; for they are as the stones of a crown, sparkling in His land. For what goodness and beauty will be theirs!"
Zechariah 9:16, 17
Measuring the Perfection
A Plumb Line
(Handbook 3, Article 27)
"If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?"
Psalm 11:3
Paul speaking:
"I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow-workers; you are God's cultivated land, God's building.
According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test of what sort each man's work is. If any man's work which he built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.
Do you not know that you are a sanctuary of God; and the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, which you are."
1 Corinthians 3:6-17
Being Known, a House and Kingdom Imperative
"...the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, the Lord knows those who are His..."
2 Timothy 2:19
Gleanings From the Parables
"And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, 'Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?' And He said to them 'Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able, once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, "Lord, open to us!" and He will answer and say to you, "I do not know where you are from."'"
Luke 13:22-25
Chilling Last Word From the Bridegroom
Ten virgins, five prudent, five foolish, were waiting for the bridegroom, expecting to go in with him to the wedding feast. But the bridegroom delayed and they fell asleep. When he appeared suddenly and they were called out to meet him, five of them were short of oil. Not able to beg or borrow, they left to purchase more. When they returned the door to the wedding feast was shut.
"Lord, Lord, open to us," they cried. The bridegroom answered, "Truly, I say to you, I do not know you."
Matthew 25:1-29 (Paraphrased)
What do Jesus' words "I do not know you" mean? Do they state that He does not know of you, or about you? Scripture does not seem to support this.
"And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do."
Hebrews 4:13
"The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men:
From His dwelling place He looks out
On all the inhabitants of the earth,
He who fashions the heart of all of them,
He who understands all their works."
Psalm 33:13-15
"The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven;
His eyelids behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked..."
Psalm 11:4, 5
"I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his deeds."
Jeremiah 17:10
There is a man in the Scriptures that God said "He knew."
"And the Lord said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation... For I have known him...'"
Genesis 18:17
How did God get to know Abraham?
"Now it came about that God tested Abraham..."
Genesis 22:1
What did God learn about Abraham?
"...now I know that you are a fearer of God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
Genesis 22:12
"Thou art the Lord, God, who chose Abraham and brought him out... and gave him the name Abraham. And Thou didst find his heart faithful before Thee."
Nehemiah 9:7
And how did God learn what was in the hearts of His people in the wilderness?
"And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not."
Deuteronomy 8:2
We know what Abraham's test included. What about the people in the wilderness?
"And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.
He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint. In the wilderness He fed you with manna... that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you at your end."
Deuteronomy 8:3, 5, 6, 15, 16
Did Jesus keep the commandments of the Lord to walk in His ways?
"...Truly, truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does, these things the Son does in like manner."
John 5:19
Even Jesus learned obedience through the things that He suffered.
"In the days of His flesh, when He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to Him who was able to save Him out of death, and who was heard because of His piety, although He was a Son He learned obedience from the things which He suffered; and having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation..."
Hebrews 5:7-9
He was humbled by these experiences.
"...I am gentle and humble in heart..."
Matthew 11:29
God found Moses' heart faithful.
"Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are..."
Hebrews 3:5, 6
It seems there are only two categories of people in the world - those God knows and those He does not know!
Again:
"...the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, the Lord knows those who are His..."
2 Timothy 2:19
May we be found among them!
The Wall
Ezekiel's Vision
"And behold, there was a wall on the outside of the house all around, and in the man's hand a measuring rod... and he measured the thickness of the wall (and height)..."
Ezekiel 40:5
"...it had a wall all around... to divide between the holy and the profane."
Ezekiel 42:20
Ezekiel describes the break down (breach in) the wall:
"And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold the glory of the Lord filled the house... And He said to me, 'Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry and by the monuments of their kings in their high places, by setting their threshold by My threshold, and their door posts beside My doorpost, with only the wall between Me and them.'"
Ezekiel 43:7, 8
Scripture tells us how this happened:
"There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives, they have taken treasure and precious thing; they have made many widows in the midst of her. Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. Her princes within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord God,' when the the Lord has not spoken."
Ezekiel 22:25-28
"Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 'Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration (Lit. heart), "Listen to the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God, 'Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing. O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins.'"'"
Ezekiel 13:1-4
A Charge Against the Prophets in Ezekiel's Time
"You have not gone up into the breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord."
Ezekiel 13:5
A Charge in Our Time
"And I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it but I found not one."
Ezekiel 22:30
Now for a Brief Moment
"But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage... to give us a reviving to raise up the house of our God, to restore its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem."
Ezra 9: 8, 9
A Commission
(Handbook 3, Article 4)
"Therefore, says the Lord,
'If you return, then I will restore you --
Before me you will stand;
And if you extract the precious from the worthless,
You will become My spokesman. (Lit: as My mouth)
Then I will make you to this people
A fortified wall of bronze;
And though they fight against you,
They will not prevail over you;
For I am with you to save you
And deliver you,' declares the Lord.
'So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will redeem you from the palm of the violent.'"
Jeremiah 15:19-21
A Look Ahead
"Violence will not be heard again in your land,
Nor devastation and destruction within your borders,
But you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise...
But you will have the Lord for an everlasting light,
And your God for your glory."
Isaiah 60:18, 19
"In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
He sets up walls and ramparts for security.
Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter,
The one that keeps faithfulness."
Isaiah 26:1, 2