The Lord’s Glory Returns

43 After this, the man brought me back around to the east gateway. ² Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel appeared from the east. The sound of his coming was like the roar of rushing waters, and the whole landscape shone with his glory. ³ This vision was just like the others I had seen, first by the Kebar River and then when he came^[a] to destroy Jerusalem. I fell face down on the ground. ⁴ And the glory of the Lord came into the Temple through the east gateway.

⁵ Then the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner courtyard, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple. ⁶ And I heard someone speaking to me from within the Temple, while the man who had been measuring stood beside me. ⁷ The Lord said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place where I will rest my feet. I will live here forever among the people of Israel. They and their kings will not defile my holy name any longer by their adulterous worship of other gods or by honoring the relics of their kings who have died.^{[b] 8} They put their idol altars right next to mine with only a wall between them and me. They defiled my holy name by such detestable sin, so I consumed them in my anger. ⁹ Now let them stop worshiping other gods and honoring the relics of their kings, and I will live among them forever.

¹⁰ “Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you, so they will be ashamed of all their sins. Let them study its plan, ¹¹ and they will be ashamed^[c] of what they have done. Describe to them all the specifications of the Temple—including its entrances and exits—and everything else about it. Tell them about its decrees and laws. Write down all these specifications and decrees as they watch so they will be sure to remember and follow them. ¹² And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness! The entire top of the mountain where the Temple is built is holy. Yes, this is the basic law of the Temple.

The Altar

¹³ “These are the measurements of the altar^[d]: There is a gutter all around the altar 21 inches deep and 21 inches wide,^[e] with a curb 9 inches^[f] wide around its edge. And this is the height^[g] of the altar: ¹⁴ From the gutter the altar rises 3 1⁄2 feet^[h] to a lower ledge that surrounds the altar and is 21 inches^[i] wide. From the lower ledge the altar rises 7 feet^[j] to the upper ledge that is also 21 inches wide. ¹⁵ The top of the altar, the hearth, rises another 7 feet higher, with a horn rising up from each of the four corners. ¹⁶ The top of the altar is square, measuring 21 feet by 21 feet.^{[k] 17} The upper ledge also forms a square, measuring 24 1⁄2 feet by 24 1⁄2 feet,^[l] with a 21-inch gutter and a 10 1⁄2-inch curb^[m] all around the edge. There are steps going up the east side of the altar.”

¹⁸ Then he said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These will be the regulations for the burning of offerings and the sprinkling of blood when the altar is built. ¹⁹ At that time, the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who minister before me, are to be given a young bull for a sin offering, says the Sovereign Lord. ²⁰ You will take some of its blood and smear it on the four horns of the altar, the four corners of the upper ledge, and the curb that runs around that ledge. This will cleanse and make atonement for the altar. ²¹ Then take the young bull for the sin offering and burn it at the appointed place outside the Temple area.

²² “On the second day, sacrifice as a sin offering a young male goat that has no physical defects. Then cleanse and make atonement for the altar again, just as you did with the young bull. ²³ When you have finished the cleansing ceremony, offer another young bull that has no defects and a perfect ram from the flock. ²⁴ You are to present them to the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and offer them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

²⁵ “Every day for seven days a male goat, a young bull, and a ram from the flock will be sacrificed as a sin offering. None of these animals may have physical defects of any kind. ²⁶ Do this each day for seven days to cleanse and make atonement for the altar, thus setting it apart for holy use. ²⁷ On the eighth day, and on each day afterward, the priests will sacrifice on the altar the burnt offerings and peace offerings of the people. Then I will accept you. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

22 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ² It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,^[a] with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

³ No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. ⁴ And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. ⁵ And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

⁶ Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets,^[b] has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.^[c]”

Jesus Is Coming

⁸ I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. ⁹ But he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!”

¹⁰ Then he instructed me, “Do not seal up the prophetic words in this book, for the time is near. ¹¹ Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile continue to be vile; let the one who is righteous continue to live righteously; let the one who is holy continue to be holy.”

¹⁴ Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. ¹⁵ Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.

¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. ¹⁸ And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. ¹⁹ And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.

²⁰ He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

²¹ May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.^[f]