And the glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. The Spirit then carried me into the inner courtyard, and there I beheld that the house of the Lord was filled with glory. Then I felt fear, and I heard a voice from the temple speaking to me, with a man standing nearby, who asked, "Son of man, do you see the place of My throne and the place of My footstool, where My name shall reside among the people of Israel forever?" (Ezekiel 43:4-7). This passage is part of the account in which the prophet Ezekiel relates his remarkable vision of the temple. To facilitate understanding, let us outline the primary elements of this vision and recapitulate the essence of the words we have just read. The temple of Jerusalem, once devastated by the Babylonians, lay in ruins while the prophet languished in captivity in Babylon. One day, as he declared, "the hand of the Lord was upon him" (Ezek. 40:1), and he was transported in a divine vision to the land of Israel. Upon a mountain, he witnessed the visionary reconstruction of the city and the temple. A figure appeared, measuring each section of the temple. This portion of the vision, in which the prophet was shown the design and future construction of the new temple, was succeeded by another that portrayed its consecration. The prophet was led out through the eastern gate, by which the glory of the Lord also entered. The Spirit then took him again into the temple, and he saw that "the house of the Lord is full of glory." Ultimately, to finalize the vision and elucidate what he had witnessed, a voice emanated from the temple, and the Lord Himself addressed the prophet: "Son of man, have you seen the place of My throne?"
It is apparent that what is occurring in this temple today bears a striking resemblance to Ezekiel's prophetic vision. This similarity may not be coincidental. It is likely that the wise leaders of the Church aimed to impress upon us that the consecration of the temple is indeed a divine act, thereby modeling the ceremony of this consecration after the divine vision of Ezekiel. Instead of measuring the various sections of the temple, we have marked its dimensions with the holy cross, the universal standard for the entire structure of Christ's Church. Following this, as the spirit of mystery led us out of the temple, we proclaimed "the procession of the King of glory" (Ps. 23:7), and the glory of the Lord, the glory of Jesus crucified, akin to the Cherubic chariot, truly entered the temple—not through the gates that overlook the east, but by the gate that leads toward the East. The New Testament Church no longer anticipates a visit from the heights to the East, as the Old Testament Church expected; rather, the Church herself aspires toward the heights of the East, in the footsteps of "Him who ascended into the heaven of heavens to the east" (Psalm 67:34), toward a new and supreme revelation of His glory. Thus, if any person were to possess the eyes of Ezekiel, they would assuredly recognize that "the house of the Lord is full of glory." Therefore, imagine, O beholder of this newly established house of the Lord, that the Lord now fills this space with His divine glory, and you, much like Ezekiel, may find yourself asking: "Son of man, have you seen the place of My throne?"
But why do I say "imagine"? As though we are urging you to envision something nonexistent. We are not compelling you with this question; rather, we seek to clarify: this "voice" emerges "out of the temple," from its innermost core, from its essence. If the rite of consecration is not merely a sequence of empty rituals, but a sacred act driven by the Spirit of the Lord; if the temple of God is not a mere creation of an artisan, but the Spirit of the Lord genuinely breathes in this place, then to you, the presence of God genuinely proclaims: "Son of man, have you seen the place of My throne?"
"What purpose does this question serve?" someone may inquire. My response is that the inquiry posed by God to the Prophet was never intended to be frivolous. Each individual must earnestly and objectively reflect on whether they perceive with their spirit and recognize, as they ought, the presence of God's glory in His temple. No one would contend that such an examination is unnecessary since the glory of God is often imperceptible and unfathomable. While I may not know if this contemplation has crossed anyone's mind, it is evident that many remain unengaged, like gentle spirits slumbering in the temple, neglecting to rouse themselves from their inattentiveness and insensitivity. Perhaps they may awaken through the powerful illumination of this glory, which they believe to be entirely unseen. Witness how visibly it was present in the tabernacle of Moses and in Solomon's temple. "And Moses completed," as recorded in the book of Exodus, "all that was to be done. The cloud covered the tabernacle of the testimony, and the tabernacle was filled with the glory of the Lord. And Moses could not enter the tent of meeting, for the cloud overshadowed it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Ex. 40:33-35). "And the priests carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place in the temple," into the holy of holies, beneath the wings of the cherubim. When the priests departed from the sanctuary, the cloud filled the Lord's temple. The priests could not perform their duties due to the magnitude of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple" (1 Kings 8:6-10-11). Thus, the glory of the Lord inhabited the tabernacle and temple at the time of their consecration, and it continued to dwell there without absence, allowing true worshippers of God to enter these sacred spaces to witness the glory of the Lord and feel His presence, finding no greater joy than to reside in such blessed communion. "In holy places I have appeared before You," declares David to God, "to behold Your power and glory" (Psalms 62:3). In another instance, he articulates: "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple" (Psalm 26:4).
What, then, became of the glory of the tabernacle and temple at the closing of that age? Did the Divine presence manifest more conspicuously in the sanctuary of the Old Covenant than in the Church of Christ? Such cannot be the case! For the entire "law" of Moses, as explained by the Apostle, only cast a "shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things" (Hebrews 10:1) of heavenly and divine matters; thus, within the Old Testament sanctuary, the open light of God's glory was not perceived, only the shadow of that light in the form of a "cloud." "But we," states the Apostle, "have been constituted ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor. 3:6). From this, he further affirms that the glory of the New Covenant priesthood far surpasses the glory of the Old Covenant: "If the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadily look at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which was fading away, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit be more glorious?" (2 Cor. 3:7-8). Ultimately, he adds that we can not only observe the glory of the Lord, but we can also partake of it and gradually be transformed into His likeness: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).
Therefore, do not succumb to the blindness of evil that dares to convince you that you cannot see the sun in the sky, and that all are blind before it; for while it is true that even the clearest eye may fail to behold it, such blindness arises not from a lack of light but from an overwhelming abundance of illumination. Do not believe the deceitful mind, which, blind to the contemplation of God's glory and seeking to evade the embarrassment of admitting its own blindness, asserts that faith can see nothing more than what is apparent in the Church. Do not trust the slothful flesh, which, resisting the need to dispel its sensual slumber, comforts itself with the notion that those walking in the Spirit are no more awake than it is. A mystery lies within the unseen glory of God in the temple for the eye of faith; a vivid sense of God's presence exists within for the discerning spirit. Thus, Christian, if you yearn for a state of faith, if you cherish the assurance that you tread the path of the Spirit, then steadfastly subject yourself to this Divine examination: do you see the glory of God? Do you perceive the presence of God in His temple? "Have you seen the place of My throne?"
I also observe another escape some may seek to avoid this rigorous examination. They might ask, can we require everyone to have a vision akin to that shown to the Prophet? Oh, if this dim cave, which they intend to erect on Tabor, were a true sanctuary of humility and not merely a veil for the flesh heavy with slumber amidst the light of Tabor! Just as Peter proposed to establish tabernacles on Tabor for himself and his disciples, and for the Transfigured Savior Himself—but not for Moses and Elijah, who were, after all, present "in glory," "not knowing what he said" (Luke 9:31-33)—so too do they err who desire to dwell upon the mountain of the Lord, "in the village of the glory" (Ps. 25:8) of God, and erect a dark mound of ignorance, believing that it is "good for them to be" (Lk. 9:33).
Why think that, in the midday light of Christianity, it is permissible to shy away from the vision of God's glory, which even in Old Testament times, the patriarchs and prophets longed to witness, "and they saw, and rejoiced" (John 8:56)? The visitation of the East from on high, the incarnation of the Son of God, revealed to the world more than what the prophets had glimpsed; as He Himself states to the Apostles: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it" (Luke 10:23-24). The cloud that "took Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9) did not obscure anything from their faith or ours. What blessedness marked the eyes of the Apostles, for even after Christ's ascension, they remained marked by His glorious promises: "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20), "where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst" (Matthew 18:20). Thus, the Apostle does not reserve the vision of the Lord’s glory for prophets and apostles alone, but for all, albeit true and worthy Christians: "We ... we all with unveiled face behold the glory of the Lord, being transformed into the same image" (2 Cor. 3:18).
Consider, Christian, the common expectation not of prophetic distinction but of the universal quality expected of all genuine Christians when they question, "Do you see the glory of God in the temple? Have you seen the place of My throne?" No refuge, no excuses. Share with us what you behold, and we shall affirm to you: "Blessed are the eyes that see!" (Luke 10:23). Or acknowledge if you cannot see, and then seek "the eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see" (Rev. 3:18); if you neglect this also, be assured that darkness awaits your spiritual blindness.
THEOSIS