How often do all of us feel like we are just about there; like we have one or two more things to have or fix in our lives and we will be good to go? It seems every time we then achieve those things we find just a few more things we need to have or fix in our lives, and then we will be good to go. The cycle is vicious. Maybe that is because we are never meant to be finished. Maybe those things to work on are meant to drive you to the next thing, and the next thing, but that the end result isn’t ever intended for you to be finished. Does that scare you? Excite you? Maybe that doesn’t apply to how you feel at all. It most certainly applies to me. That is why a recent Sunday morning bible reading inspired me to dive deeper into something that I normally would have probably gotten bored with or skipped over.

Ezekiel 40-48, eight chapters of a book of the bible, are devoted to plotting out the dimensions of an enormous temple and surrounding area. This scripture sounds a lot like verses 5-9 all the way through these eight chapters:

Ezekiel 40 New Living Translation (NLT)

The New Temple Area

On April 28,[a] during the twenty-fifth year of our captivity—fourteen years after the fall of Jerusalem—the Lord took hold of me. 2 In a vision from God he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. From there I could see toward the south what appeared to be a city. 3 As he brought me nearer, I saw a man whose face shone like bronze standing beside a gateway entrance. He was holding in his hand a linen measuring cord and a measuring rod.

4 He said to me, “Son of man, watch and listen. Pay close attention to everything I show you. You have been brought here so I can show you many things. Then you will return to the people of Israel and tell them everything you have seen.”

The East Gateway

5 I could see a wall completely surrounding the Temple area. The man took a measuring rod that was 10 1⁄2 feet[b] long and measured the wall, and the wall was 10 1⁄2 feet[c] thick and 10 1⁄2 feet high.

6 Then he went over to the eastern gateway. He climbed the steps and measured the threshold of the gateway; it was 10 1⁄2 feet front to back.[d] 7 There were guard alcoves on each side built into the gateway passage. Each of these alcoves was 10 1⁄2 feet square, with a distance between them of 8 3⁄4 feet[e] along the passage wall. The gateway’s inner threshold, which led to the entry room at the inner end of the gateway passage, was 10 1⁄2 feet front to back. 8 He also measured the entry room of the gateway.[f] 9 It was 14 feet[g] across, with supporting columns 3 1⁄2 feet[h] thick. This entry room was at the inner end of the gateway structure, facing toward the Temple.

Measurements of this and that go on for eight chapters, describing the outer courtyard, north gateway, south gateway, rooms for sacrifices, rooms for priests, temple kitchens, boundaries for the entire thing, etc. I hate to admit that anything in the bible is painful to read, but this would normally have been one of those painful reads for me. For some reason though I was completely and totally sucked in – almost challenged to imagine what this vision could have looked like and figure out how to build it myself. By the way, I can’t draw a straight line against a ruler, let alone build anything.

After reading this and watching a few YouTube renditions of what this could look like, it struck me as quite fascinating that this place has never been built. I have been simmering on this one for a while, and I am still just in awe. Let’s remember right now that Ezekiel is in the Old Testament, not the New Testament. This incredible place that is described came, with all its dimensions and specifics, in a vision, which is under the overall heading of “The New Temple Area.” Again, this is a vision that is written out over EIGHT chapters of a book in the bible. Consider how precious bible real estate is. What on earth? Or maybe we should be asking, what in Heaven? In further research I also happened to find out that this vision somewhat correlates with Revelations. WHAT? Definitely more research to do!

I genuinely believe that every word in the bible is true and was placed there with a purpose, even the census stuff about the son of Haggi, the son of Shuni, the son of Ozni, Eri, and so on. There is purpose in that, and enough people believed in its importance to keep writing it in the bible for centuries upon centuries. It has meaning and purpose delegated by our Father in Heaven, or it would not have made it to us today. I happen to work in a corporate office and know a thing or two about stripping out unnecessary language in a document so people can get to what is important. If it wasn’t stripped out by now it is staying, and there is a reason.

Back to this temple though. Do you know what this means? First of all, props the poor guy who had to remember all of these measurements after seeing the vision…he probably was scrambling like a wild man to get it all written down. I can’t even remember if I ate breakfast let alone what it was, and this guy was handed extremely specific instructions, and lots of them, in a vision…not a manual…not a YouTube instructional video…not barely scribbled on a napkin. Obviously this was a long vision and a miracle in itself because this guy remembered it all.

Second and most important, however, was the fact that there is still unfinished business living in our Old Testament. But purposefully unfinished, right? You know what else this proves? That God isn’t done with us yet either.

Sure, God is finished with some things…the Ark of the Covenant was all measured out and decorated according to biblical instruction. That sucker was built quite well and is still thought to be around here on this earth somewhere. Even though God’s Will for the Ark of the Covenant was carried out and completed, that doesn’t mean God is finished, right? And if God, the Creator of the Universe, isn’t finished yet, why are we in such a rush to be done figuring everything out?

Just for one moment today, I would like for you to allow yourself to believe that the person you are right now is as complete as you need to be, and when you need to have more additions created in your life they will be built by then. God has very specific dimensions for everything. Things God has planned for all of us have still not yet been done, but that is because God’s timing is perfect and He knows we aren’t ready yet. In fact, with this temple in Ezekiel, one researcher I was watching stated there is actually no physical way that this temple area could have been built until basically now. Isn’t that interesting? This whole idea sparks so many thoughts and questions. I am inspired to look differently at life today than I did a week ago. If God made instructions for a temple that was never built significant enough to go in the bible how many hundreds of years ago, what level of importance do you think He places on the things that are unfolding in your life? We are all unfinished, but Jesus IS, so we have nothing to worry about.

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