The beauty of this temple is with the side chambers. If the side chambers were removed, the temple would be too simple and have no beauty.
Strictly speaking, the temple signifies Christ. Although Christ and the church are the same in nature, the temple refers to Christ Himself, and the side chambers, as the fullness of the temple, signify the church as the fullness of Christ. In Ephesians 1:23 we see that the church, the Body of Christ, is His fullness. If there were no side chambers to the temple, there would be no fullness to the temple. The ninety side chambers in three stories express the fullness of the temple. To remove these chambers would be to strip away the fullness of the temple. Just as the side chambers are the beauty of the temple, so the beauty of Christ is the church, the Body, as His fullness.
In Ezekiel’s account of the holy building of God, he makes frequent use of the number thirty. There are thirty chambers on the pavement, thirty windows in the gates, and thirty sides of the posts in the gates. All these figures indicate that we can only enjoy as much Christ as we have experienced and that we can express only as much Christ as we have enjoyed.
The side chambers typify the church as the fullness of Christ, His expression. The thirty side chambers for expression are based upon the thirty chambers for enjoyment. We cannot express more of Christ than we have enjoyed. We can express Christ only to the extent that we have enjoyed Him. Our enjoyment of Christ eventually becomes the fullness, the expression, of Christ.
The side chambers being in three stories signifies the Triune God in resurrection. We express Christ in the Triune God and in resurrection. When we are in the Triune God—in the Father, in the Son, and in the Spirit—and when we are in resurrection, we express Christ with our enjoyment of Him. When we pass through the cross and enter into resurrection, we are in the Triune God, enjoying the love of the Father, the grace of Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14).
Of the thirty side chambers, twelve are on the north side, twelve are on the south side, and six are on the west side. The thirty side chambers can also be divided into six groups of five. The number six signifies man created on the sixth day, and the number five signifies man as a creature bearing responsibility through receiving God’s grace. We do not bear responsibility in our own strength but through God’s grace. This indicates that the side chambers are the result of having God added to us for bearing responsibility. The side chambers have three levels, with thirty rooms on each level divided into six groups of five. This indicates that we are in resurrection and in the Triune God, that we are dependent upon the grace of God to bear responsibility before God, and that, as a result, we are the fullness, the expression, of the Christ whom we enjoy.
The outer wall of the side chambers is five cubits thick (Ezek. 41:9). The number five here indicates those of us who have received God’s grace and who are bearing responsibility before God. On the one hand, the church is a combination of God and man. On the other hand, the church is also the responsibility of man before God. If the elders, co-workers, and all the saints do not bear any responsibility before God, there will not be the side chambers, that is, the church as the fullness of Christ. But if we bear responsibility together, then there will be the fullness, the expression, of Christ. When we, God-created men who have received God’s grace, bear our responsibility and fulfill our function, then we will have the church as the fullness of Christ.