3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

The intermediate state

Since the " appearance " which Ezekiel saw when lifted up by a lock of his head is a symbolical representation of the multitudinous Son of man, his suspension between heaven and earth must be figurative of their relation to the earthly and the heavenly state.

After resurrection they are still in a natural body, awaiting the bestowal of a spiritual body (1 Cor. xv. 44-55). In this state Ezekiel is brought to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north, where is the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

Here " Jerusalem" must be understood in the figurative sense, the mystical Jerusalem, so often used in scripture, and particularly in the beautiful allegory where the Apostle Paul compares Israel in bondage under the covenant of the law from Sinai, and the brethren of Christ under the covenant of promise. In that allegory " Jerusalem " is used in figure to represent both communities, thus :

"Jerusalem which now is ... in bondage with her children. Jerusalem which is exalted is free" (Gal. iv. 25, 26.)

" Jerusalem in bondage" represents Israel after the flesh, in bondage under the law. " Jerusalem which is free " represents Israel after the Spirit, delivered from the law in Christ Jesus (Gal. iv. 22-28 ; Rom. 11. 20).

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.11.

5 Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.

Shewn the image of Jealousy

He is now at the " door " of the inner gate, i.e., before him is the door which gives

entrance into the eternal state, wherein Jesus now is, and who is the door of the sheepfold— so Ezekiel as a man of sign is now standing before Jesus, the judge of the living and the resurrected dead, all of whom are awaiting judgment before they can be manifested as " Jerusalem, the Holy City."

" The elders of Judah sit before him," i.e., the elders of the tribe of Judah, of which Jesus is the head, are there. At the door of the inner gate he sees

" the image of Jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy."

He is commanded to look, and beholds this image of jealousy at the gate of the altar (verse 5), i.e., in proximity to Jesus, who is the altar of His house. Ezekiel is thus addressed :

6 He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel [then and now] committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.

8 Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.

Then he is brought to the door of the The Wall, court, and he beholds a hole in the wall, and

is commanded to dig in the wall. Upon doing this, he beholds a door, and is commanded to go in, and

"behold the wicked abominations that they do here " (verses 7, 8).

Now we have seen in a figurative description of the New Jerusalem that a wall of 144 cubits is the primary of a cubical measure, representing the saints—the adorned, glorified bride of Christ. (Apoc. xix. 7 ; xxi. 9-17).

We have also seen that the " Holy City," new " Jerusalem," represents the same community when glorified, as do the symbols of Ezekiel's prophecy. Further, people individually and collectively are frequently described in Scripture under the term " wall.'' The

following are typical examples :

The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as a high wall in his own conceit. (Prov. XVIII. 11.)

How long will ye imagine mischief against a man ? ye shall be slain all of you : as a bowing wall, a tottering fence(Ps. ixii. 3·)

What shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for ? If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver ; and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar. (Cant. viii. 8, 9.)

Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. (Isa. xxx. 13.)

I will make thee unto these people a fenced brasen wall : and they shall fight against thee. (Jer. xv. 20.)

The unglorified saints as prospective constituents of the New Jerusalem may be taken to be the " wall " into which Ezekiel was commanded to dig and inspect. To use a figure, Ezekiel " dug in this wall," or laboured in it, having found the door, because by faith he was justified in the coming Christ (Rom. iii. 31).

Having become a constituent of the wall, by the Spirit of God, at the resurrection he will be able to see all things in the wall, its every form of evil.

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.11.

9 And He said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations [to'evot hara'ot] that they do here.

Judgment upon the wall

Having seen the sins of Israel portrayed upon the wall, coming judgment is foretold:

Therefore will I also deal in fury; mine eyes shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them. (Verse 18.]

This judgment, as affecting the household of which Ezekiel is a member, is represented in symbol, Ch 9: 1-9,11.

Israel as dross is exemplified in the denunciations of the prophets. Their drossiness is seen in the abominations they practised in burning incense to reptiles and filthy beasts, and idols of every sort; in their women weeping for Tammuz, the Adonis of the Greeks; and in their worshipping the sun between the porch and the altar with their backs toward the temple of Yahweh (Ezek. 8:7, 8).

They are still in the drossy state with the curse of Moses on them. With the exception of circumcision (which, however, was not from Moses, but from Abraham) they do nothing he commanded them to do; and, therefore, disregarding him, they necessarily reject Jesus, of whom he wrote. "Cursed is every one," says Moses, "that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

Israel lives in the perpetual violation of the law, and yet seeks justification by that law, which only thunders the curses of mount Ebal in their ears. "Cursed be he," saith Moses, "that taketh reward to slay an innocent person." This Israel did in paying Judas thirty pieces of silver for the betraying of Jesus, and in their priests taking the price of blood returned to them, and purchasing therewith the Potter's Field.

The Pagan judge pronounced him faultless; and in this declaration convicts the Jewish nation of the crime of "TAKING THE REWARD OF TREACHERY PAID TO EFFECT THE DEATH OF AN INNOCENT PERSON." And the crime being committed, the people shouted the "Amen," saying: "Let his blood be upon us, and upon our children!" These children, or posterity, are with us at this day -- "the dross of silver in the midst of the furnace of affliction, 'left' of Yahweh, and 'melted'."

But, if Israel be the dross of silver, the Gentiles are the dross of brass, iron, lead, and tin. The Gentile dross is no purer than Israel's. Israel boasts in Moses, and pays no regard to what he prescribes; and the Gentiles bepraise Jesus while their eyes are closed and their hearts steeled against his doctrine and commands; so that Jews and Gentiles are all guilty before God -- they only excepted who believe the Gospel of the kingdom and obey it.

Eureka 1.5.10.

11 And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.

The Men of sign

And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up. (Verses 10, 11.)

Just as Ezekiel is a man of sign representing others, so " Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan " with

" seventy men, every man having his censer in his hand" are also men of sign representing reprobate Israel. For this Jaazaniah who ought according to his name to have been one "who hears the Lord," and one " who is attentive to the Lord," is said to be " the son of Shaphan."

Now the name Shaphan signifies rabbit, or wild rat, unclean animals :thus the name fully represents the breaking away from the right way and the uncleanness of Israel.

Moreover, the seventy elders of Israel who saw the God of Israel in the mount (Exod. xxiv. 1-10) did not act according to their privilege, but joined with Aaron in idolatry (ibid. xxxii.). These also figuratively represented the evil elements in the constituents of the wall. Their thick cloud of incense, conceit and self-praise, obscuring the light of heaven from entering their benighted intellects.

This wall contained " women weeping for Tamuz," the Adonis of the Greeks, who was slain for his iniquity, and whose worship was obscene and accompanied by licentious practices.The wall is thus apostrophized :

Hast thou seen, Ο son of man ? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here ? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger; and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. (Verse 17.)

If in these days the same form of violence and the same form of idolatry do not obtain there are other ways equally opposed to divine instruction as illustrated in the words of Jesus :

Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. v. 20.)

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Ibid, verses, 27, 28.)

Thus the desire to do what God the Father has forbidden is a form of idolatry, as, for instance, when one desires to hold a position in life contrary to divine precept (1 Cor. VII. 39 ; 2 Cor. vi. 14).

As to violence, and the definition of murder other than by the sword, this has already been referred to in the parable of the sin-bearer (See Matt. v. 22 ; 1 John in. 15).

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.11

12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, Yahweh seeth us not; Yahweh hath forsaken the earth.

The "chambers of his imagery" are the imaginations of men's heart, which is with the wicked evil continually (Gen. vi. 5 ; Prov. xv. 26 ; Psalm xxxvi. 1 ; Psalmx. 4). They come before God with the stumbling-block of their iniquity which they had set up in their heart, (Ezek. xiv. 3).

This is the image of jealousy standing beside the altar provoking to jealousy, for what can be more provoking than saints who come before the Father through his Altar Son (Heb. xiii. 10-13) with mind and heart filled with their own carnal imaginations instead of presenting sweet incense gathered from the spices garnered in the word of God.

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.11.

13 He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.

14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of Yahweh's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

Weeping for Tammuz

The discovery and transcription of the Babylonian tablets, containing what is known as the Izdubar epic, has made us acquainted with the idolatrous festival referred to by the prophet Ezekiel (8:14).

From these tablets we learn that the word "Tammuz" is a corruption of Dumuzi, the name of the young solar god, and the unfortunate husband of the goddess Ishtar (about this there is a legend that need not be reproduced here).

That the people of Jerusalem should be engaged in this idolatrous worship in the sixth year of Ezekiel's captivity, and while the bulk of the nation was still in possession of the land and temple, proves how deplorably low they had fallen before Yahweh cast them out; and we are able to see the justice of the sentence God pronounced upon them (verses 17, 18). Says He,

"Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here, for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke Me to anger, and lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in fury, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them."

The Christadelphian, Jan 1889