Now we need to consider the place to see the vision. Ezekiel did not see the vision concerning the building of God in the land of captivity. Rather, he was brought back to the holy land, the land of Israel (Ezek. 40:2). Since this land signifies Christ, to be brought back to the land of Israel is to be brought back to Christ. In addition to being brought back to the land of Israel, Ezekiel was brought to a high mountain, signifying a place of resurrection and ascension. When we come back to Christ, we may sense in our spirit that we are in an elevated place, that is, in the resurrected and ascended Christ. Furthermore, Ezekiel was brought back to Jerusalem. Many of us can testify that while we were in captivity in the denominations, we could not see the vision of the building of the church. But when we came back to the holy land, to the church life, we could see the vision of the building of the church.
In order to see something properly, we need the right position, the right standing, and the right angle. If we are wrong either in position or in standing, we will not be able to see. For example, if we want to see Los Angeles, we must be in the right position and have the right standing. If we want to see God’s building, we need to be on the mountain in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel was not the only person who saw the vision of God’s building. In the book of Revelation the apostle John told us that he was carried away in spirit to a high mountain to see the holy city, New Jerusalem (21:10). The reason that we need to be on a mountain (which signifies resurrection and ascension) is that the building of God is something in the resurrection and ascension of Christ, and we need to be in an elevated position in order to see the vision of God’s building.
Some people have been offended because of my ministering on the building of God. The reason they are offended is that, regarding spiritual matters, they are like little children playing with toys. If you touch their “toys,” they will be offended. If you tell them that they need to grow up in the spiritual life and give up their toys, they may be quite upset. May the Lord be merciful to us so that we may grow up and also go up. We not only need to grow up, but we also need to go up to the highest position with the highest standing and the best angle to see the building of God.
If Ezekiel had remained in Babylon in the captivity, he could not have seen the building. Likewise, if he had been on a plain and not on the mountaintop, he could not have seen the vision of God’s building. Therefore, if we would see this vision, we need to grow up and to go up. This means that we need maturity in life and that we need to be on the high mountain. Then we will be able to see the building of God.
Before Ezekiel saw the vision of the building, he saw the vision of a man. Unlike the man in chapter one, this man did not look like electrum but instead looked like brass (Ezek. 40:3). In chapter one, in the vision of the glory of the Lord, the Lord Jesus on the throne as a man looked like electrum. But in chapter forty He is not on the throne; He is at the gate of the building, measuring. In the Bible to measure means to judge and take possession. When a sister buys some cloth, first she measures it. While she is measuring the cloth, she is judging the quality of the cloth. In her measuring, she judges. Likewise, the measuring in chapter forty is related to judging. Here the Lord Jesus is not on the throne but is at the gate in the appearance of brass to measure and to take possession.
When the Lord comes to measure something, first He judges that thing. In typology brass or copper signifies judgment. When the Lord Jesus was on the cross, He was likened to a bronze serpent (Num. 4:9; John 3:14). In the Old Testament the altar of burnt offering was overlaid with bronze. Both of these examples indicate that bronze (brass) signifies judgment.
Once something has been judged, it is able to stand. After a certain thing has been judged, it can stand any kind of test or examination. It can also withstand further judgment. The Lord Jesus is such a person. He passed God’s judgment, and now He has become a test to others. Because He was able to stand all kinds of tests, examinations, and judgments, He is fully qualified to measure everything, including the building of God. By His judgment He measures what belongs to God’s building.