Commentary - Ezekiel 43:1-5

Bird's-eye view

In Ezekiel 43:1-5, we come to a pivotal moment not just in this book, but in the whole canon of Scripture. After the detailed architectural tour of the new temple, the prophet is brought to the climax of the vision: the return of God's own glory. This is the great reversal. Earlier in the book, Ezekiel witnessed the agonizing departure of the glory of Yahweh from the temple because of Israel's rampant idolatry (Ezekiel 10-11). The glory left by way of the east gate. Now, after judgment and the promise of restoration, that same glory returns from the east, re-entering and filling the house. This isn't just about rebuilding a structure; it's about God re-inhabiting His people. The vision is a profound promise of God's faithfulness to His covenant, demonstrating that His ultimate intention is not abandonment but glorious, overwhelming presence.

This passage is a foretaste of the gospel. The glory of God, which once filled a physical building, would ultimately take on flesh and dwell among us in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14). The return of the glory to Ezekiel's temple is a prophetic pointer to the incarnation, and beyond that, to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant temple, the Church. The voice like many waters and the earth shining with His glory are theophanic elements that connect us back to God's raw power in creation and forward to the final vision of Christ's majesty in the book of Revelation.

Outline

Context In Ezekiel

These verses are the heart of the final section of Ezekiel (chapters 40-48). The first 39 chapters deal with the covenant lawsuit God brings against Israel, the subsequent judgment, and prophecies against the nations. But God's judgments are never the final word for His people. The final word is always grace, restoration, and glory. After the vision of the valley of dry bones being brought to life (Ezekiel 37), God provides Ezekiel with this extensive vision of a new temple. This isn't a blueprint for Herod or Zerubbabel. This is a theological blueprint. It's a picture of what God's presence with His people looks like in its perfected state. The departure of the glory in chapters 10 and 11 was the very definition of judgment and exile. Therefore, its return in chapter 43 is the very definition of salvation and homecoming.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 1 Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing toward the east;

The angelic guide, who has been showing Ezekiel the measurements of this new temple, now directs him to a specific and highly significant location. The east gate. This is not incidental geography. The sun rises in the east, a universal symbol of new beginnings, of light overcoming darkness. More importantly, in the logic of Ezekiel's own prophecy, the glory of the Lord had departed from Solomon's temple through this very gate (Ezek. 10:19, 11:23). For the glory to return, it must come back the way it left. This is a direct and intentional reversal of the judgment. God is not sneaking back in; He is making a formal, royal entrance through the main gate. This teaches us that God's restoration is never a half-measure. He confronts the point of our failure and rebellion head-on and redeems it completely.

v. 2 and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east.

The word "behold" signals something startling, something that demands attention. What Ezekiel sees is not an angelic representative or a pillar of cloud, but the "glory of the God of Israel" itself. This is the manifest presence of God, the sheer weight and brilliance of His being. It is coming from the east, confirming the significance of the gate. This is the God who identifies Himself with His covenant people, Israel. Despite their unfaithfulness which caused Him to leave, He is still their God, and He is coming back to them. This is pure, unadulterated grace. The glory does not return because the people have perfected themselves, but because God in His mercy has chosen to return.

And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.

Ezekiel struggles, as all prophets do, to describe the indescribable. He resorts to simile. The voice of God is like the "sound of many waters." Think of the roar of a massive waterfall or the crashing of the ocean during a storm. It is a sound of immense, untamable power. It is not a manageable, quiet deity who is returning. It is the sovereign Lord of all creation. This is the same description John uses for the voice of the glorified Christ in Revelation (Rev. 1:15). The link is not accidental. The glory Ezekiel sees is the glory of the pre-incarnate Christ. And the effect of this glory is that the whole earth "shone with His glory." God's presence is not a private experience. It illuminates everything. When God is present, the world is seen for what it truly is, a theater for His glory.

v. 3 And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the vision which I saw when He came to bring the city to ruin.

Ezekiel confirms for us that this is the same glory he saw before. He explicitly links this vision of restoration with his initial vision of judgment by the river Chebar (Ezekiel 1). This is crucial. The God who comes to save is the very same God who comes to judge. His character is unchanging. His holiness demanded that He depart from a defiled temple, and that same holiness now fills the new temple. We are not to think of a "nice" God of the New Testament and a "mean" God of the Old. He is one God, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders. The fact that the vision of glory is the same in both instances should be a profound comfort. It means the God who judged Jerusalem's sin is the same God who has the power to forgive it and restore His people.

And the visions were like the vision which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face.

The repetition emphasizes the point. This is not a new God, but the same one. And Ezekiel's reaction is the same. He "fell on his face." This is the only proper response for a sinful man in the presence of unshielded divine glory. It is not terror in the sense of expecting destruction, but overwhelming awe. It is the posture of worship, of utter submission and adoration. Isaiah did it (Isa. 6:5). John did it (Rev. 1:17). This is what the fear of the Lord is. It is the creature recognizing the infinite distance between himself and the Creator, and yet being held in that presence by grace. There is no room for pride or self-congratulation here. All glory belongs to God.

v. 4 And the glory of Yahweh came into the house by the way of the gate facing toward the east.

The movement is completed. The glory that was approaching from the east now enters the temple, the "house." Again, the gate is specified. This is a formal, public, and deliberate act. God is taking up residence. He is claiming this house as His own. The symbolism points directly to Christ. Jesus entered Jerusalem from the east, presenting Himself as king. He is the true temple, and He is the door. It is through Him that the glory of God has come to dwell with man permanently.

v. 5 And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of Yahweh filled the house.

Ezekiel is moved from the outer gate to the inner court by the Spirit. This gives him a new vantage point. From here, he can see the result of the glory's entrance. The effect is total. The glory of Yahweh "filled the house." It is not confined to the Holy of Holies, as in the tabernacle and Solomon's temple. It fills the entire structure. This is a picture of a greater, more pervasive presence. This is what happened at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of glory, filled not a building, but the people themselves, the living stones of the new temple (Acts 2:1-4; 1 Pet. 2:5). The promise is not just that God will be with us, but that He will be in us, filling every part of our lives with His glorious presence.

Application

First, we must recognize that the glory of God is not a tame thing. His presence is like the roar of many waters. We must come to worship with reverence and awe, falling on our faces before Him. Our modern worship services can often be far too casual, treating God as a buddy rather than the glorious King He is. This vision corrects our posture.

Second, the return of the glory is a profound promise of hope. God's nature is to dwell with His people. Though our sin may cause a breach in fellowship, His covenant purpose is to restore and re-inhabit. This was true for exiled Israel, and it is true for the believer who has strayed. He is a God who returns. The path of His return is the gospel of His Son, who is the brightness of His glory.

Finally, we are the temple that this glory now fills. The vision of the house being filled with glory is a prophecy of the New Covenant reality. Through the Holy Spirit, the very glory of God dwells in the church corporately and in each believer individually. Our lives, therefore, are to be lived in such a way that the earth around us might shine with His glory. We are not just holding on until we go to heaven. We are the place where heaven and earth meet, right now. The glory of Yahweh has filled the house, and we are that house.