Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 7: The Finished Mystery

by C. T. Russell

Figure 7. Section Through Most Holy Across The Sanctuary

Inner Court.—The inner court will be an enclosure toward the rear or west of the outer court, 200 cubits wide by 300 deep. It types the spirit-born condition of the Great Company (Levites), and is at an elevation of eight steps, symbolizing by one step the change to spirit nature [pg 579] and by seven steps the perfection of that nature—perfect, though not the highest nature. Its wall represents Christ in the Great Company, and the absence of dimensions for the wall represents that “it doth not yet appear” what the spirit nature is like. Both inner and outer courts will be adorned with colonnades of pillars, probably along the inner border of the pavements, typing those on each plane of being who shall be “pillars in the house of Jehovah.”—Ezekiel 40:27, 28, 34, 37, 39-47; 42:2-4; 43:4-5; 44:17-18, 21, 25-27; 46:19-24.

The Temple.—The Temple building (Figure 4) will be toward the rear and reaching to within 50 cubits of the rear of the inner court. It will be on a platform 60 cubits wide by 100 deep. This types the condition of the Little Flock, born from the dead to the nature of God. It will be elevated one reed above the inner court, representing that the Divine nature is the full measure of the Word of God above any other spirit nature, “far above angels, principalities and powers.” Its infinite height above other natures is indicated by the fact that the number of steps up to it is not stated, for it is an immeasurable, infinite elevation. (41:8-11.) The Temple will be entered by a porch, and will contain “the holy” twenty by forty cubits, and the “Most Holy” or “oracle” twenty cubits square, inside measurement. These rooms type the glorious condition of the Christ, Head and Body, of the nature of God. That the person being shown tills did not enter the Most Holy (Ez. 41:3, 4) suggests that it is not given to know yet “what we shall be,” in that condition where “the glory of Jehovah filled the house.”—Ezek. 41:1-2, 43:5.

Pavements and Open Ways.—The outer and inner courts will not be simple inclosures, as was the Tabernacle court, but each will include a bordering space, or pavement, 50 cubits wide, occupied by gates, buildings, and passage ways, typing conditions and activities in the condition typed by the inclosure. That embraced by the outer court will be the “lower pavement.” (40:17-18.) This will contain the east, north and south gates of the outer court, and four corner courts where the Levites will bake and boil the sacrifices of the people. It will also contain 30 chambers, typing that number of conditions or activities among those resurrected and perfected or progressing toward human perfection. Each of the four corner courts upon the lower pavement will be 30 by 40 cubits in size and will be surrounded by a row of structures under which will be the boiling places for the preparation of their sacrifices to be eaten by the people. (Ezek. 46:21-24.) At the center of the east, north and [pg 580] south lower pavements will be the outer gates, like covered corridors or lobbies extending entirely across the 50-cubit pavement to the outer court proper, as shown in Figure 3.

The corresponding 50-cubit pavement of the inner court is not definitely termed a pavement, but the name is inferred from the designation “lower pavement” for the outer court pavement. It will contain the inner court gate, and buildings for certain activities of the priests and the Levites. The inner court 50-cubit pavement leaves an inner space of 100 cubits square—the inner court proper—facing the Temple and with the brazen altar in the middle. This 100-cubit-wide area will extend west about the Temple platform, surrounding it on the north, west and south, with an open space 20 cubits wide, called “the separate place.” On the upper pavement, flanking the Temple north and south, and of the same length—100 cubits—as the Temple, will be two buildings on each side for the priests, called the “priests' chambers.” These buildings will be separated from each other by a 10-cubit walk along the center line of the upper pavement. The outer of each of the two pairs of “priests' chambers” will be 50 cubits long, half the length of the inner buildings. These are located on the upper pavement. At the rear or west end of the upper pavement will be little square courts, similar to the corner courts of the lower pavement, and used by the priests for boiling and baking the sacrifices eaten by the priests.—Ezek. 40:17-18; 41:10-15; 42:1-14; 45:2; 46:19-24.

The lesser elevation of the plane of these pavements, courts and ways, types the lower plane of Spiritual being of the persons, and their activities type things to be done on that plane.

Chambers and Galleries for Priests.—In the inner court near the north gate will be a chamber (Fig 3, D) with a door looking toward the south, and one near the east gate with its door looking toward the north. These will be for the Priestly singers, the sweet singers in Israel, the Little Flock, singing to God and to the people concerning the Kingdom blessings. These immortal ones will sing the praises of God for His goodness to those in the spirit phase (north) of the Kingdom, and for the blessings flowing from Christ's ransom altar (east gate) through restitution to those in the earthly (south) phase of the Kingdom.—Ezek. 40:44-46.

On the north and on the south pavements of the inner court flanking the Temple will be the two pairs of parallel priests' chambers (Figures 3 and 5), in each pair the inner [pg 581] building 100 cubits long and the outer 50 cubits. They will be three stories high, the top story narrower than the others and leaving galleries facing each other across the 10-cubit way between them, into which their doors will open one on each side of the way. In these chambers, lighted by narrow windows the priests will lay the most holy things, and eat the most holy things, including the meat, sin and trespass offerings of prince and people in the Millennial Age; humanity having been bought by Christ will make the consecration of themselves and their all to Christ, Head and Body. The Christ (priest) will accept their consecrations (lay them in the priests' chambers) and appropriate them to themselves (eat the offerings). In the sacred conditions represented by the priests' chambers the priests will have their feasts of love, as they rejoice over the consecrated efforts of earth's billions in their progress toward human perfection, and thereafter. When the priests come out to the outer court with the people they will change the holy garments they wore in the priest's chambers and put on other garments. The holy garments type the promises and Word of God as concerns the Divine immortal nature, and the other garments will be the Word and covenant of God as respects things concerning the people and their restitution hopes and blessings.—Ezek. 42:1-14; 44:19, 29-30; 46:19 20.

The Temple will be built with double walls all around, except the porch in front (Figures 3, 4 and 5). This will leave a space within the walls termed the “side chambers,” in three stories reached by winding stairs, and reaching up set quite to the top of the Temple inner wall. Each story will be divided into 30 rooms. The second story rooms will be wider than the first, and the third story wider than the second. This will be accomplished by making the thick walls thinner each story up. The floor beams will rest, not in the walls, but on the recessions of thickness with each story. No function is stated by Ezekiel, but the similar side chambers in Solomon's Temple were utilized for keeping Temple treasures and vessels. In antitype the Temple is the Church, the Christ, Head and Body, and in the chambers of memory of the Divine Christ will be stored up not only the character treasures of oil and incense and of gold and silver and precious stones laid up in Heaven during the Gospel Age, but also the like treasures offered by mankind throughout the Millennial Age. Only the priests will have access to these treasures and the Little Flock will forever guard these most precious offerings. The three stories, each wider, suggest the character treasures laid up by those on the three planes, [pg 582] Human, Spirit, and Divine.—Ezek. 41:5-9; 1 Kings 6:5-10; 2 Chron. 3:9.

The Ezekiel Temple represents God's finished work. The Holy does not type the spirit-begotten condition, but rather the memory of it as a Divinely accomplished work—for the experiences of the spirit-begotten condition will never be lost. The Most Holy types the accomplished Divine nature. No furniture appears in either of these sacred chambers, except in the Holy, an altar of a kind of wood not stated—an altar designated as “This is the table that is before Jehovah.” If it is to be the same as is in Solomon's Temple it will be cedar—type of immortality, the Divine nature. No mention is made of offerings at this altar, for the time of the Christ's sacrifice will be past. The interior of both chambers will be sheathed with wood—presumably cedar, type of immortality—up to the narrow windows at the top of the inner wall of the Temple. The interior decorations of palm trees, alternating with two-faced cherubim, with the faces of a lion and of a man, type that the purpose and concern of God's glorious Temple will be the administration of the affairs of perfect righteous men (palm trees) under the joint auspices of Divine Justice and Love. If the two-leaved doors into the Holy and the Most Holy are to be of the same wood as in Solomon's Temple, they will be of olive, type of the peace of God that passeth understanding for those privileged to enter through the door of Christ.—Ezek. 41:13-25.