In the last chapter we saw that all the details related to the gates are very meaningful. We saw that the gates were divided into four sections: the first threshold, a passage, a further threshold, and the porch. Each gate was six cubits high by ten cubits wide. Six is the number of the Lord's perfect humanity by which He fulfilled the requirements of the Ten Commandments. This means that the number six fulfills the number ten. The man Jesus fulfills the Ten Commandments. We also saw that the dimensions of the guardrooms match the dimensions of the cross section of the wall, six cubits by six cubits. This indicates to us that the six guardrooms are Christ Himself. The six guardrooms are God mingled with man. The passage, having the number eight, indicates a new beginning in resurrection. The final section of each gate, the porch, has the numbers two, six, and eight. These numbers indicate that the Lord as a man is fully in resurrection and is qualified to be a proper witness.
The gate was supported by fifteen posts, each having two sides. The total number of sides was thirty, and these thirty sides made a total of sixty cubits. All the numbers in the book of Ezekiel are very meaningful. The numbers three, five, and multiples of five are used extensively. For example, three times five is fifteen. Also, six times five is thirty. This signifies the Triune God in resurrection bearing the full responsibility. When Ezekiel first saw the visions in chapter one, he was thirty years of age. There were thirty posts supporting the structure, there were thirty chambers in the outer court, and there were thirty side chambers surrounding the temple. The number thirty in Ezekiel indicates maturity which is able to bear something and also indicates the enjoyment and expression of Christ.
Furthermore, we saw that the palm trees on the posts indicated victory and everlasting power. Because the columns must bear the weight of the roof and support the whole building, they must be in victory and they must be everlasting. Christ is the column which supports and bears God's building with a victorious and everlasting life. He has won the victory, and He is everlasting! He is evergreen!
We also saw that the gate had thirty windows to let in light and air, and that the windows were covered with lattice as a kind of screen to keep out all the negative things. Thus, light and air were able to enter, but all the negative things were kept out. This is precisely the work of the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit. He brings in the air and the light, and He continually screens and blocks out all the negative things.
The plot plan of the gate indicates what a wonderful Christ we can experience and pass through. One measurement not given is the height of the gate. The height of the wall is given, but the height of the gate is not. The omission of this dimension is very significant. According to Ezekiel, God's intention is with man on earth. God's concept in His building is absolutely different from the natural concept present among the fallen human race when they built the tower of Babel. Genesis 11 shows that man's concept was to build a tower higher and higher until it reached the heavens. This means that man's concept and desire is to go into the heavens. In Ezekiel, however, God's concept is to come down to this earth. God's concept is not to reach higher and higher, but to spread wider and wider. According to the plot plan, the temple compound is 500 cubits square. The height is not great, but the spread is very great. In the record of Ezekiel, the height means very little, but the spread means very much. The wall is only six cubits high, but it is also six cubits broad. This indicates that in God's concept He wants to become a man and come to earth to spread His testimony. The concept at Babel was to go higher and higher into the heavens, but the concept of God's building is that God would come down to earth to man and spread His testimony in a spacious way upon the earth. This is why the record gives us not the height, but the breadth of the gate. The gate is not high, but it is very spacious. It is not in four floors or stories, but it covers four flat sections on the earth. If you looked at the gate, you would not have an impression of height, but of spaciousness.