Ezekiel 43:8
In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger.
Ezekiel 43:8 describes how Israel set its own threshold beside God's thresholds and its post beside His posts, with only a wall between Him and them, and by the abominations committed there defiled His holy name, so that He consumed them in His anger, referring to Solomon's temple. It belongs to the sanctuary vision of Ezekiel 40-48, part of the wider prophecy of Ezekiel 36-48 given to Israel in Babylonian captivity after the sanctuary had been destroyed, speaking of a greater temple to come. The promised house and God's dwelling among His people forever were conditional upon Israel considering the pattern, becoming ashamed for its iniquities, putting away wrongdoing and returning to God wholly in faith and obedience. Because Israel remained unashamed and disobedient it forfeited the promise, so the sanctuary as described was never built and the glory did not rest upon them, and there was only a feeble, far inferior fulfillment in the smaller temple erected by Zerubbabel and others at the restoration. That sanctuary belonged to the Mosaic dispensation and is never to be built literally after the opening of the Christian dispensation, since a renewal of its animal sacrifices and Levitical priesthood would nullify Christ's once-for-all offering and His unchangeable priesthood after the order of Melchisedek. What was lost for earthly Jerusalem will be realized without the local conditions of the prophet's day in the New City prepared in heaven, in fullest measure at the second coming of Jesus Christ and more gloriously in the earth made new.
Words and Historical Setting
The verse speaks of Solomon's temple, where Israel set its own threshold beside God's thresholds and its own post beside His posts, with a wall standing between Him and them, and by the abominations committed there defiled His holy name, for which He consumed them in His anger. It belongs to the sanctuary vision of Ezekiel 40-48, and to the wider prophecy of Ezekiel 36-48 and 37-48, given to Israel in Babylonian captivity fourteen years after the sanctuary had been destroyed, in 574 B.C. It speaks of a greater temple, but the circumstances by which the building would be carried out are not described, being secondary to the prophecy.
The verse sets forth Israel's past guilt that made shame necessary, and stands within the offer of what God would have done at the return from Babylon if they had yielded: restoration to their own land and to Palestine, a new, greater and more glorious temple and sanctuary, and God's overpowering glory dwelling among them forever in a restored Jerusalem where Jehovah is present. That city would be called Jehovah Is There, with redivision of the land among the twelve tribes, cleansing of the land, and healing of barren land, salt marshes, deserts and impure waters by the water of life giving life to all. Wild beasts would be tamed with safety even for the smallest infant, and there would be blessed worship under God's presence with His blessing, glory and life-giving power as a sign of approval, with Israel as the joy of the whole earth going out from a glorious city to convert the nations.
The same promise included deliverance from the northern enemies of chapters 38-39 by plagues falling upon them, the slaying of Gog and Magog, the burning of weapons for seven years, and a raising as in the resurrection of chapter 37. The last part of Ezekiel 43 describes the dedication of the altar, with set offerings appointed for the first day and for the second day and for a whole week until the altar should be purged and purified, after which the regular burnt offerings and peace offerings described in the law would be offered daily.
Conditional Promise Unfulfilled
The house and sanctuary and city and dwelling among the people were offered only on condition, and the offer was provisional. Israel was to consider the house and its pattern, become ashamed and confounded for iniquities and ways, put away wrongdoing and abominations, forsake sins, repent, return wholly to God with faith and obedience, and yield all to Him. Only if they returned wholeheartedly from captivity and met those conditions would they receive its form and design and have it built in all its blessed fullness, with its worship literally fulfilled for them. God would have blessed them then as He had intended to bless Israel after the exodus.
Because Israel remained unashamed, half-hearted, and disobedient, departed from God's ordinances, and failed to leave Babylon and do its part, it forfeited the promises and disregarded the condition. Therefore the sanctuary described in Ezekiel 40-48 was never built as described, and the pattern was never carried out. The glory of God did not rest upon His children, the resurrection of Ezekiel 37 did not take place, and they never inherited the promised glory of land, city, and temple, including restoration to their own land, a temple rebuilt more glorious than before, slaying of Gog and Magog, cleansing and redivision of the land among the twelve tribes, and going out from a glorious city to convert the nations.
In place of full realization there was only a feeble fulfillment, a diminished shadow, a very small part. It dwindled to the far inferior and smaller temple erected by Zerubbabel, Ezra and others at the restoration, which fell far short of Ezekiel's pattern and only faintly shadowed the promised glory and prosperity. Because Israel would not yield all and dishonored His name, God could not dwell among them in the glorious temple of that pattern, the center of a restored Jerusalem where Jehovah is present to heal barren land, salt marshes and impure waters and to give life to all, with blessed worship under God's presence.
That sanctuary belonged to the Mosaic dispensation when its prescribed rites and institutions were in force, not to a future age. It is never to be built literally in any period after the opening of the Christian dispensation, in the thousand-year reign, on this present earth, or in Jerusalem. A future renewal of its animal sacrifices and Levitical priesthood would nullify Christ's once-for-all offering of His body and blood, return from reality to symbols that pointed forward to Him, make void His sacrifice, and set up beasts as sin-offerings while Christ pleads His own precious blood as sole priest forever after the order of Melchisedek with an unchangeable priesthood. The law of the priesthood changed at His crucifixion and ascension so Levi is no longer priest, and such a literal earthly fulfillment with offerings and sacrifices in place of the heavenly Jerusalem would be less glorious than the present dispensation which already has the glory that excels, and a return to the ordinances of the first covenant which Christ ended by offering His body once for all and sitting down at the right hand of God.
What could not be fulfilled for earthly Jerusalem will be realized without the local conditions of the prophet's day. The prophecy points spiritually to greater things God would accomplish for His people through Christ, to the New City for God's true Israel, to the holy city prepared in heaven to descend to earth since God did not change His purpose. The future glory will come in its fullest measure to the faithful at the second coming of Jesus Christ, when He will punish forever those who would destroy His people, and more gloriously in the earth made new where absolute peace presides over all nature. Then the fires of the last day will consume sin out of the world and melt the earth with fervent heat, with no literal burning of weapons and no cleansing of the land by human hands.