Then he went inside and measured each side pillar of the doorway, two cubits, and the doorway, six cubits high; and the width of the doorway, seven cubits. ⁴ He measured its length, twenty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits, before the nave; and he said to me, “This is the most holy place.” (41:3-4).

The measurements began yesterday, and there is no doubt they are thorough and no doubt, beyond my ability to visualize. I wondered how to see Him increase in a collection of tabulated  numbers. But I was once again reminded that surely His people would be encouraged when they heard the plans for the temple’s reconstruction. For this meant that the LORD God of Israel would again make His dwelling amongst His people, and there would be access again to His Holy Presence.

Ezekiel had been carefully guided into every part of the temple structure to carefully declare every detail he saw with his eyes and heard with his ears.

In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, and on it to the south there was a structure like a city. ³ So He brought me there; and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway. ⁴ The man said to me, “Son of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. Declare to the house of Israel all that you see.” (Ezekiel 40:2-4).

And because Ezekiel was a priest, he had the right to enter the outer tabernacle.

the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi… (Ezekiel 1:3).

But now, at this point, it is only the man with the measuring rod who goes inside the Most Holy Place.

Then he went inside and measured… and he said to me, “This is the most holy place.” (41:3-4).

Only the high priest was allowed to enter His Most Holy Place, and that being only once a year to make atonement for his own sins and the sins of the people.

Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, ⁷ but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance, (Hebrew 9:6-7).

There is debate among scholars as to whether the “man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand,” was an angelic messenger of God Almighty who would be without sin and able to be in His Presence, or the preincarnate Messiah, our Most Holy High Priest, Jesus Christ Who entered His Most Holy Place through His own blood.

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; ¹² and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption, (Hebrew 9:11-12).

And while we will probably never know the answer this side of heaven, either way, it would only be one who was Holy in His sight who could enter into His Most Holy Place.

And with that in mind, as we consider His Most Holy Place, we will also consider our Most Holy High Priest, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Consider His Most Holy Place

• His Most Holy Place, the Place that is Partitioned Off and Set Apart
  • “You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve as a partition for you between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place,” (Exodus 26:33).

• His Most Holy Place, the Place of His Presence
  • “Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat,” (Leviticus 16:2).

• His Most Holy Place, the Place of His Atonement for sin
  • “Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: with a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering,” (Leviticus 16:3).

• His Most Holy Place, the Place of Purity
  • Your eyes are too pure to look on evil,
    and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing… (Habakkuk 1:13)

And when Jesus poured out His perfect blood as a sin offering, the veil separating His Most Holy Place was torn from top to bottom; and access to His Holy Presence in His Most Holy Place was granted through the sacrifice of His Son.

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. ⁵¹ And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split, (Matthew 27:50-51).

• His Most Holy Place, the Place of Propitiation by our Merciful and Faithful High Priest
  • Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people, (Hebrews 2:17).

• His Most Holy Place, the Place of His Sure and Steadfast Hope
  • This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, ²⁰ where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, (Hebrews 6:19-20).

• His Most Holy Place, the Place of His Eternal and Perfect Sacrifice
  • For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; ²⁷ who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. ²⁸ For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever, (Hebrews 7:26-28).

• His Most Holy Place, the Place of His Eternal Cleansing from all Guilt
  • For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, ¹⁴ how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:13-14).

How do we respond to His Most Holy Place?

When we place our faith in the sacrifice made for us by our Most Holy High Priest, the veil of separation is torn down; and by His blood, we are made the righteousness of Christ and thereby made fit to enter His Most Holy Place.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him, (2 Corinthians 5:21).

And as we all know, it is His work alone that makes us His new creation.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come, (2 Corinthians 5:17).

And while He has set us free from the penalty of sin, as it was with the apostle Paul it will be with us. Temptation will be a part of our life until we are taken to be with Jesus forever and eternally set free from the body of this death.

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin,  (Romans 7:24-25).

Until then, our most Holy High Priest invites us to seek Him in His Most Holy Place.

Let us make our way to His Most Holy Place when we are tempted.

For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted, (Hebrews 2:17-18).

Let us make our way to His Most Holy Place with confidence knowing we will receive mercy and grace in our time of need.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need, (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Let us make our way to His Most Holy Place that we would rest in our Most Holy High Priest Who lives to continually make intercession for us.

The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, ²⁴ but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. ²⁵ Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them, (Hebrews 7:23-25).

Let’s Grow Together!