Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel (2)
Message Twelve
The Return of the Glory of God to the House of God
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
…Son of man, this is 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 forever…– Ezek. 43:7
To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever. Amen.– Eph. 3:21
Word of Appetizer
How will the Glory of God return to the House of God?
The desire of God’s heart is to have a dwelling place with man on earth; the goal of God’s salvation is the building of His dwelling place on earth; Because of the idols in the temple, the glory of God withdrew step by step, leaving first the temple, then the city, and finally the people. The return of God’s glory depends on the building of the house；The Lord desires to come back to the earth, but for His coming back He needs a dwelling place—a place for His throne and for the soles of His feet.
Spiritual Burden
Glory is the expression of God, and building is the corporate expression of the Triune God; thus, the glory of God and the building of God go together, for the church, as God’s building, is the corporate expression of God.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
God is the God of glory and the God of the house.
In Ezekiel 43:1-7 the glory of God returned to the house.
In the Gospel of John we see the glory of God in the building of God.
Ephesians 3 reveals that God is glorified in the church.
An outstanding feature of the New Jerusalem is that it has the glory of God, His expression.
The Experience of Life
According to the riches of His glory, we will be strengthened into the inner man (Eph. 3:16). This glory comes to us with God and, after being worked into us, will return to God with us.
We have been predestinated for this glory and called to this glory; We are being transformed into this glory and will be brought into it.
Practice and Application
The Lord desires to come back to the earth, but for His coming back He needs a dwelling place—a place for His throne and for the soles of His feet; God wants to have the church built up on earth because He desires to have a dwelling place on earth; The first consideration we should have in the church life should be the Lord’s Glory.
The church life today should also have God’s glory, manifesting and expressing Him corporately in this marvelous divine attribute.
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
Acts 7:2 … The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia…
Gen. 35:7 And he built an altar there and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his b brother.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh andtabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality.
God is the God of glory and the God of the house.
The glory of God in the building of God.
I. God is the God of glory and the God of the house:
• The God of glory appeared to Abraham and called him, attracted him, and enabled him to follow God; in the same principle, God calls the New Testament believers by His invisible glory.
• In Genesis 35:7 we have a new divine title—El-bethel, “God of the house of God” .
III.In the Gospel of John we seethe glory of God in the building of God:
• Christ, the incarnated Word, is the tabernacle and the temple filled with glory.
• According to John 17:22, the oneness of the believers is the oneness in the divine glory for the corporate expression of God; in this aspect of oneness the believers enjoy the glory of the Father as the factor of their perfected oneness and thus express God in a corporate, built-up way.
Key Verses (2)
T Ezek. 43:2 And the glory of the God of Israel was there, coming from the way of the east, and His voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth was illuminated with His glory.
T 4-5 And the a glory of Jehovah came into the house through the 1 gate which faced toward the east. And the Spirit a took me up and brought me into the inner court, and just then the glory of Jehovah b filled the 1 house.
T Ezek. 43:7 …Son of man, this is 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 forever…
II. In Ezekiel 43:1-7 the glory of God returned to the house:
•We need to see a vision of the dwelling place that God desires to have on earth and realize that God’s goal is the building.
•The desire of God’s heart is to have a dwelling place with man on earth; the goal of God’s salvation is the building of His dwelling place on earth.
•Because of the idols in the temple, the glory of God withdrew step by step, leaving first the temple, then the city, and finally the people.
• The return of God’s glory depends on the building of the House. The Lord desires to come back to the earth, but for His coming back He needs a dwelling place—a place for His throne and for the soles of His feet.
Key Verses (3)
Eph. 3:16-17 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, that Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith….
21 To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever. Amen.
God is glorified in the church.
The New Jerusalem-the glory of God, the expression of God.
IV.Ephesians 3 reveals that God is glorified in the church：
•Paul prayed that the Father would strengthen the saints according to the riches of His glory, implying that the glory of God can be wrought into the saints.
•In verse 21 Paul says, “To Him be the glory in the church,” implying that the glory of God, which has been wrought into the saints, returns to God.
V. An outstanding feature of the New Jerusalem is that it has the glory of God, His expression:
• We have been predestinated for this glory and called to this Glory.
•The entire New Jerusalem will bear the glory of God, which is God Himself shining out through the city.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 The God of glory called Abraham, and Abraham was attracted and caught by that glory（Acts7:2，1Pet1:3）
（Please explain that God calls the New Testament believers by His invisible glory）
T2 the God of the house of God ,he is no longer simply the God of individuals（Gen35:7）
（Use your experience to explain that we can only experience the God of the house of God in the church life）
D2
T1 the books of Ezekiel and Revelation are not only similar but are also parallel to each other(Ezek48: 35，Rev21:3）
（Please explain that Like Ezekiel Revelation covers in the four matters of vision ,judgment ,recovery, and building）
T2 the church is the place where the Lord can dwell for His rest and satisfaction（Ezek. 43:7，Tim. 3:15）
（why upon his return to the temple, the Lord was very happy ）
D3
T1 God is a jealous God, he will not tolerate idols （Ezek8:3，9:3，10:19，11:23）
（Please explain that Because of the idols in the temple ,the glory of God withdrew step by step）
T2 God can be expressed only in the build church(Ezek40:34）
(Immediately after the tabernacle of God was completed and raised up what two thing happened)
D4
T1 He desires to have a dwelling place on earth （Eph2:21~22）
（Please explain that He, the God of the heavens, wants to live on the earth; the place where He lives, His dwelling place, is the church）
T2 The glory returned from the east—the direction of the sunrise（Ezek. 43:2、4~5）
（Please explain that The glory of God returned only after the building of the temple was completed）
D5
T1 John said，“we beheld His glory”（John1:14）
（Please explain that According to the Gospel of John ,glory is a person）
T2 the Word became flesh is the mingling of God with man and the living out of God in man（John1:14，2:19）
（To witness the individual someone said to you ，“we see the glory of God in you ”）
D6
T1 “To Him be the glory in the church,”（Eph3:21）
（Please explain that implying that the glory of God, which has been wrought into the saints, returns to God）
T2 An outstanding feature of the New Jerusalem is that it has the glory of God（Rev21:2、10~11）
（Please explain that We have been predestinated for this glory and called to this glory）