Ezekiel 48:35 (NASBStr)
The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘ The Lord is there. ’”
God ends Ezekiel's prophecy to Israel and us with a description of the final Jerusalem. Or, perhaps a spiritual Jerusalem. Or, perhaps a spiritual description of the Church, as though it were a city. I am inclined to believe it is a real Jerusalem, reserved for the future. Whatever the case, Ezekiel gives exact measurements and understanding of what it looks like and how it will serve as a place for God's presence. The final verse in the final chapter and the final words of that verse summarize the entire intent of the book: To describe that the Glory of the place is that, "The Lord is there." Take away all the confusion of what he is describing and the cloud of details of what he is describing and leave only this phrase and you will have all you need: The Lord is there!!! When we are looking for a church (both structural and spiritual) we should ask ourselves only one thing: Not if the building is nice or the aesthetics are appealing, but if, "The Lord is there?" When we enter the home of someone who claims to be a believer, we may get caught up in the width, breadth and height of it, but we shouldn't. The only thing that matters is, "The Lord is there!" When we are looking for entertainment we may consider the cinemintogrophy, choreographic, athletic, musical and/or flavor of the place. But, in reality, the only measurement we should have for attending or participating is this: "The Lord is there!" Let us remember that the entire plan of God is to connect His people with Him. When we substitute our worship of Him with the worship of things He has created we lose the real meaning and purpose of life. God has given us Himself. We must not replace that with the things we have created.
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