Daniel 7: the meek shall inherit the earth

Daniel 7 is very related to Daniel 2 where we learn about a sequence of human kingdoms until arrives the kingdom of God. It is very interesting the passage that points to the "son of man":

13-14
“I saw a human form, a son of man,
    arriving in a whirl of clouds.
He came to The Old One
    and was presented to him.
He was given power to rule—all the glory of royalty.
    Everyone—race, color, and creed—had to serve him.
His rule would be forever, never ending.
    His kingly rule would never be replaced.

Jesus calls himself the "son of man" many and many times when talking to his disciples; not only that, but he points to this passage in Daniel 7 when being judged by the chief priest. Therefore, it is very clear that Jesus thought of himself as receiving the power to rule, the glory of royalty and being served by everyone in a kingdom that never ends.
Daniel 7 proceeds explaining his vision, but the "son of man" is not explained. The closest that we have is:

26-27 “‘But when the court comes to order, the horn will be stripped of its power and totally destroyed. Then the royal rule and the authority and the glory of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the people of the High God. Their royal rule will last forever. All other rulers will serve and obey them.’

All other rulers will obey the people of the High God.
In Daniel 7 we learn that the people of the High God is persecuted before receiving authority:

23-25 ... The ten horns are ten kings, one after another, that will come from this kingdom. But then another king will arrive. He will be different from the earlier kings. He will begin by toppling three kings. Then he will blaspheme the High God, persecute the followers of the High God, and try to get rid of sacred worship and moral practice. God’s holy people will be persecuted by him for a time, two times, half a time.

Daniel 7 doesn't say that the son of man will suffer before receiving authority, but certainly, he is clear that this will happen to the people of the High God.

Daniel 6: humans want to be praised

Daniel must have lived a long time. Now we are in the Medo-Persian empire, under the reign of Darius. As Daniel is righteous and wise, he was placed in a very important position in this empire, which caused a lot of envy among the satraps. Why? Because it is natural for human beings to seek their own honor and glory, but Daniel was in a place of much more honor and glory. They wanted to accuse Daniel of some injustice or some foolishness, but they couldn't. So, instead of looking for some weakness in Daniel, they found a way in the weakness of King Darius.
They convinced King Darius that everyone should pray to him for 30 days as if he were a god. He wanted praise and glory, so he made such a foolish decree, and in doing so, he made Daniel guilty when he prayed to the Lord as he was accustomed to.
Daniel was punished by being thrown to the lions, but the Lord delivered him.
Dario says:

25-27 King Darius published this proclamation to every race, color, and creed on earth:
    Peace to you! Abundant peace!
        I decree that Daniel’s God shall be worshiped and feared
    in all parts of my kingdom.
        He is the living God, world without end. His kingdom
    never falls.
        His rule continues eternally.
        He is a savior and rescuer.
        He performs astonishing miracles in heaven and on earth.
        He saved Daniel from the power of the lions.

Humans want to be praised, but true satisfaction is praising the Lord because the Lord is the one who saves and rescues us.

Daniel 5: who is in charge?

 The Jews could doubt that the Lord of Heavens is in charge, after all, the temple was not only destroyed but sacred objects were taken to Babylon. The son of Nabonidus (perhaps grandson of Nebuchadnezzar), now king, is using these sacred objects to toast whatever gods exist. He is committing blasphemy. The Lord shows him who is in charge.

5-7 At that very moment, the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the lamp-illumined, whitewashed wall of the palace. When the king saw the disembodied hand writing away, he went white as a ghost, scared out of his wits. His legs went limp and his knees knocked. He yelled out for the enchanters, the fortunetellers, and the diviners to come. He told these Babylonian magi, “Anyone who can read this writing on the wall and tell me what it means will be famous and rich—purple robe, the great gold chain—and be third-in-command in the kingdom.”

No one could read it, thus, Daniel was called. He rebuked the king:

22-23 “You are his son and have known all this (that his father had to behave as an animal until recognize that the Lord reigns), yet you’re as arrogant as he ever was. Look at you, setting yourself up in competition against the Master of heaven! You had the sacred chalices from his Temple brought into your drunken party so that you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines, could drink from them. You used the sacred chalices to toast your gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone—blind, deaf, and imbecile gods. But you treat with contempt the living God who holds your entire life from birth to death in his hand.

The interpretation showed that his days were over and that he was in fault before the Lord. The king was murdered at the same night. The king was a fool, he did n´t have the fear of the Lord, although he knew about how powerful the Lord is.

Daniel 4: The Lord shows his power to the most powerful man

The Jews are in Babylon. Jerusalem and the temple has fallen. King Nebuchadnezzar and the gods of Babylon seem to have the power, not the God of the Jews, however, the Lord is good, not only to Israel but also to the most powerful man of that age: Nebuchadnezzar. He has a dream and is advised by Daniel:

27 “So, king, take my advice: Make a clean break with your sins and start living for others. Quit your wicked life and look after the needs of the down-and-out. Then you will continue to have a good life.”

28-30 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Just twelve months later, he was walking on the balcony of the royal palace in Babylon and boasted, “Look at this, Babylon the great! And I built it all by myself, a royal palace adequate to display my honor and glory!”

31-32 The words were no sooner out of his mouth than a voice out of heaven spoke, “This is the verdict on you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your kingdom is taken from you. You will be driven out of human company and live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like an ox. The sentence is for seven seasons, enough time to learn that the High God rules human kingdoms and puts whomever he wishes in charge.”

Thus, the Lord humbled the most powerful man of that time. What was the result? Did he resent to be humbled?

36-37 “At the same time that I was given back my mind, I was also given back my majesty and splendor, making my kingdom shine. All the leaders and important people came looking for me. I was reestablished as king in my kingdom and became greater than ever. And that’s why I’m singing—I, Nebuchadnezzar—singing and praising the King of Heaven:
“Everything he does is right,
    and he does it the right way.
He knows how to turn a proud person
    into a humble man or woman.”

He praised the Lord and was glad to be humbled. May the Lord humble me too  and take care of me.

Daniel 3: when it is a sin to apologize

Nebuchadnezzar made a great statue (27 meters high) to be adored, mainly by the leaders of his reign. The friends of Daniel were summoned to adhore the statue, but they refused to do it:

16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn’t serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

The Bible says to submit to the authorities of this world when they are not demanding anything against the Lord.
They refused to even apologize their refusal because in this case, they would sin.
The three friends of Daniel were thrown in the furnace, but the Lord saved them.

Who is to be adored?
Our hearts have a strong inclination to adore false idols (money); however in this case, the false idol was to be adored by intimidation, by a stronger power.
The friends of Daniel knew that this power could kill them, but ultimately, it didn't matter. Their lives were dedicated to the Lord and not to any one who thought to have their lives in hand.

Daniel 2: the kingdom of God will come

What is the kingdom of God? The nearest of such kingdom was focused on the temple in Jerusalem: the place where Heavens and Earth were mixed. The problem is that, now, Babylon rules over Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed. Thus, it seems that the kingdom of God was ended on the earth by the great king of Babylon. The Jews could ask: is Nebuchadnezzar greater than the Lord?
In Daniel 2 the Lord himself makes Nebuchadnezzar to humble himself before Him.
He inserts a dream in the king's mind. The king knows that it is a very special dream and he has to know the revelation, not any revelation. He advised a way: the interpreter should tell the dream and the interpreation.
Daniel prays to the Lord, asking for the revelation. The Lord doesn't show it imediately, but in a dream.
Daniel is marveled by the great Lord that he serves. Certainly, the Lord is above Nebuchadnezzar, but Daniel does 'nt despise him, by contrary, he says to the king:

27-28 Daniel answered the king, “No mere human can solve the king’s mystery, I don’t care who it is—no wise man, enchanter, magician, diviner. But there is a God in heaven who solves mysteries, and he has solved this one. He is letting King Nebuchadnezzar in on what is going to happen in the days ahead.

It is similar to one man saying to the president of US: "there is a God in heaven who solves mysteries".

Daniel describes the dream and its interpretation. The interpretation told about a sequence of human kingdomns, but this sequence will end:

44-45 “But throughout the history of these kingdoms, the God of heaven will be building a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will this kingdom ever fall under the domination of another. In the end it will crush the other kingdoms and finish them off and come through it all standing strong and eternal. It will be like the stone cut from the mountain by the invisible hand that crushed the iron, the bronze, the ceramic, the silver, and the gold.

We highlight: "the God of heaven will be building a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will this kingdom ever fall under the domination of another". Isn't this kingdom being built now, in our churches?

Daniel 1: a colision of two cultures

Daniel and his friends were taken to the exile in Babylon in the the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign, thus, they must have been one of the first exiles. They were from an upper class, intelligent and candidates to a leadership position, but first, they had to learn the Babylonian culture that dominated the world, specially Jerusalem.
They were to be treated as kings, so they were given the king food and wine. At first, it seemed a great privilege, but they refused because they did n´t want to be contaminated. They wanted to follow a kosher diet (for instance: don't eat pork). However, they were not as guests of the king, they were there as prisoners. They should obey the rules of Babylon. Would they obey and disrespect the kosher diet?
We read:

8-10 But Daniel determined that he would not defile himself by eating the king’s food or drinking his wine, so he asked the head of the palace staff to exempt him from the royal diet. The head of the palace staff, by God’s grace, liked Daniel, but he warned him, “I’m afraid of what my master the king will do. He is the one who assigned this diet and if he sees that you are not as healthy as the rest, he’ll have my head!”

11-13 But Daniel appealed to a steward who had been assigned by the head of the palace staff to be in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: “Try us out for ten days on a simple diet of vegetables and water. Then compare us with the young men who eat from the royal menu. Make your decision on the basis of what you see.”

Instead of directly confronting Babylon, Daniel was clever to propose a test. What was the objective of the royal food? To make them better? So, why not try another diet that may be even better?
In fact, they were given permission for this diet after the ten days test. Not only that, but they were very succeeded after their three year training getting the highest scores.
We read:

19-20 And so they took their place in the king’s service. Whenever the king consulted them on anything, on books or on life, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom put together.

Ezekiel 48: the division of the land in the new Israel

 in Ezekiel 48 we read about:
. the division of the land among the tribes of Israel, according to the sons of Israel (Joseph takes two tribes: Ephraim and Manasses). Although, the 10 tribes of Israel were taken by Assyria, there is this prophecy that the tribes will be reunited in a future Israel.
. the portion of the priests and levites: they will have a lande bordering Judah, this land is holy.
. the portion of the Prince: the prince will live in the holy land near the temple, priests and levites.
. the city gates: the holy city (new Jerusalem) will have 3 gates at each side, here specified.
Everything in this chapter refers to a new Israel that never happened in history.
As a Christian, I can't understand the importance of the tribes of Israel. Jesus called 12 apostles: one for each tribe, I suppose, but it is very difficult to understand the importance of the land of Israel to me as a gentile or even, how I see the Christ.
This chapter ends with:

“From now on the name of the city will be Yahweh-Shammah: “God-Is-There.”

Jesus is the one who connects me to the Lord, so it is difficult to me to understand the importance of the city, its gates, the place to priests and levites. I think that most Jews don't know their ascendance to the sons of Israel, so I can't see how Ezekiel 48 will be fulfilled in the future.

Ezekiel 47: water and life from the temple

We read about the vision:

1-2 Now he brought me back to the entrance to the Temple. I saw water pouring out from under the Temple porch to the east (the Temple faced east). The water poured from the south side of the Temple, south of the altar. He then took me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the gate complex on the east. The water was gushing from under the south front of the Temple.

This water that pours out from under the Temple will become a great river. This river brings life (food and medicine) to where it flows:

12 “But the river itself, on both banks, will grow fruit trees of all kinds. Their leaves won’t wither, the fruit won’t fail. Every month they’ll bear fresh fruit because the river from the Sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”

Did it happen? No. Will it happen? It combines with:

Revelation 22: 1 Then the angel showed me the river(A) of the water of life,(B) as clear as crystal,(C) flowing(D) from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life,(E) bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.(F) 3 No longer will there be any curse.(G) The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.(H) 4 They will see his face,(I) and his name will be on their foreheads.(J) 5 There will be no more night.(K) They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.(L) And they will reign for ever and ever.(M)

In Revelation, the river flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In various passages of the New Testament we read Jesus as the Temple. We read in Revelation 21 when talking about the new Jerusalem:

22 I did not see a temple(AU) in the city, because the Lord God Almighty(AV) and the Lamb(AW) are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God(AX) gives it light,(AY) and the Lamb(AZ) is its lamp.

Thus, I understand that Revelation 22 and neither Ezekiel 47 was not yet fufilled because there's no new Jerusalem from heaven.

It is very interesting that in Ezekiel 47 we read about the new Israel and the division of the land. We read:

21-23 “Divide up this land among the twelve tribes of Israel. Divide it up as your inheritance, and include in it the resident aliens who have made themselves at home among you and now have children. Treat them as if they were born there, just like yourselves. They also get an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the resident alien lives, there he gets his inheritance. Decree of God, the Master.”

I understand that I will become the resident alien in the new Israel. I will get an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.

Ezekiel 46: the Prince in the temple

We read:

1-3 “‘Message from God, the Master: The gate of the inside courtyard on the east is to be shut on the six working days, but open on the Sabbath. It is also to be open on the New Moon. The prince will enter through the entrance area of the gate complex and stand at the gateposts as the priests present his burnt offerings and peace offerings while he worships there on the porch. He will then leave, but the gate won’t be shut until evening. On Sabbaths and New Moons, the people are to worship before God at the outside entrance to that gate complex.

The chapter goes on:

4-5 “‘The prince supplies for God the burnt offering for the Sabbath—six unblemished lambs and an unblemished ram. The grain offering to go with the ram is about five and a half gallons plus a gallon of oil, and a handful of grain for each lamb.
6-7 “‘At the New Moon he is to supply a bull calf, six lambs, and a ram, all without blemish. He will also supply five and a half gallons of grain offering and a gallon of oil for both ram and bull, and a handful of grain offering for each lamb.

When Ezekiel was written, Babylon was the center of the earth, Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed; so we are reading about future events in a new Israel, in a new Jerusalem, in a new temple. Thus, I asked to perplexity: was Ezekiel 46 fulfilled? I got:

No, Ezekiel 46 does not appear to have been fulfilled at any point in history so far. The details described in this chapter point to a future millennial temple and worship practices that have not yet come to pass.
Key Reasons Why Ezekiel 46 is Unfulfilled

•     The temple described is much larger and grander than any temple that has existed in Jerusalem, including Herod's temple in Jesus' time
• Animal sacrifices are reinstituted in a way that has not happened since the destruction of the second temple in 70 AD
• The prince mentioned is a human leader who makes offerings for himself and the people, indicating this is not referring to the Messiah Jesus Christ who is sinless
• The land is divided and allotted to the tribes of Israel in a way that has not occurred in history
• The river flowing from the temple that brings life wherever it goes is a future event that has not happened yet

What are the lessons to be taken?

Bible.cc puts on this way:

"Ezekiel 46 serves as a testament to God's meticulous care for order in worship, leadership, and social justice. It reinforces the concept of fair stewardship and underscores the principle that leadership should be characterized by service, humility, and justice, not by power and oppression".

Ezekiel 45: prince obligations to the Holy Festivals.

 In chapter 45 we read about the sacred space for God and obligations of the prince when the Jews return to the Promised Land. In the sacred space, there should be the temple and the houses do the priests. We read:

9-12 “This is the Message of God, the Master: ‘I’ve put up with you long enough, princes of Israel! Quit bullying and taking advantage of my people. Do what’s just and right for a change. Use honest scales—honest weights and honest measures. Every pound must have sixteen ounces. Every gallon must measure four quarts. The ounce is the basic measure for both. And your coins must be honest—no wooden nickels!

Here in Brazil, it is very common that the governments use their power to their own benefit; but we that it is a feature of the human being, even of the princes of Israel.

16-17 “‘Everyone in the land must contribute to these special offerings that the prince in Israel will administer. It’s the prince’s job to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings at the Holy Festivals, the New Moons, and the Sabbaths—all the commanded feasts among the people of Israel. Sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings for making atonement for the people of Israel are his responsibility.

The prince should provide the offering in the Holy Festivals, specially the Passover:

22-23 “‘On Passover, the prince supplies a bull as a sin offering for himself and all the people of the country. Each day for each of the seven days of the feast, he will supply seven bulls and seven rams unblemished as a burnt offering to God, and also each day a male goat.

Jesus united two functions. He is king and priest. He offered himself as a sin offering for us.

Ezekiel 44: rules to priests and levites in the new temple

 Ezekiel is in Babylon, the temple is destroyed, however in chapter 44 we read instructions how priests and levites should do their work in the new temple. They sinned when doing their job in the first temple.
They used outsiders (who wasn't circumcised in heart and flesh) to do their job.

6-9 “Tell this bunch of rebels, this family Israel, ‘Message of God, the Master: No more of these vile obscenities, Israel, dragging irreverent and unrepentant outsiders, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, into my Sanctuary, feeding them the sacrificial offerings as if it were the food for a neighborhood picnic. With all your vile obscenities, you’ve broken trust with me, the solemn covenant I made with you. You haven’t taken care of my holy things. You’ve hired out the work to foreigners who care nothing for this place, my Sanctuary. No irreverent and unrepentant aliens, uncircumcised in heart or flesh, not even the ones who live among Israelites, are to enter my Sanctuary.’

As the levites followed idols along with Israel instead of doing the holy job in the temple, they will no longer take care of the Lord's holy things. They will have to serve the people.

10-14 “The Levites who walked off and left me, along with everyone else —all Israel— who took up with all the no-god idols, will pay for everything they did wrong. From now on they’ll do only the menial work in the Sanctuary: guard the gates and help out with the Temple chores—and also kill the sacrificial animals for the people and serve them. Because they acted as priests to the no-god idols and made my people Israel stumble and fall, I’ve taken an oath to punish them. Decree of God, the Master. Yes, they’ll pay for what they’ve done. They’re fired from the priesthood. No longer will they come into my presence and take care of my holy things. No more access to The Holy Place! They’ll have to live with what they’ve done, carry the shame of their vile and obscene lives. From now on, their job is to sweep up and run errands. That’s it.

The chapter contains many directions on how the priest should behave in the new temple, such as:

23 “Their job is to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, to show them how to discern between unclean and clean.

24 “When there’s a difference of opinion, the priests will arbitrate. They’ll decide on the basis of my judgments, laws, and statutes. They are in charge of making sure the appointed feasts are honored and my Sabbaths kept holy in the ways I’ve commanded.

Ezekiel 43: vision of the new temple (to be built) filled with the glory of the Lord

Ezekiel is in Babylon, Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed, but Ezekiel has a vision of the new temple. Here, the glory of the Lord fills this new temple.

1-3 The man brought me to the east gate. Oh! The bright Glory of the God of Israel rivered out of the east sounding like the roar of floodwaters, and the earth itself glowed with the bright Glory. It looked just like what I had seen when he came to destroy the city, exactly like what I had seen earlier at the Kebar River. And again I fell, face to the ground.
4-5 The bright Glory of God poured into the Temple through the east gate. The Spirit put me on my feet and led me to the inside courtyard and—oh! the bright Glory of God filled the Temple!

The temple is in fact destroyed, but the Lord persists on creating a place where He lives with the Israelites.


6-9 I heard someone speaking to me from inside the Temple while the man stood beside me. He said, “Son of man, this is the place for my throne, the place I’ll plant my feet. This is the place where I’ll live with the Israelites forever. Neither the people of Israel nor their kings will ever again drag my holy name through the mud with their whoring and the no-god idols their kings set up at all the wayside shrines. When they set up their worship shrines right alongside mine with only a thin wall between them, they dragged my holy name through the mud with their obscene and vile worship. Is it any wonder that I destroyed them in anger? So let them get rid of their whoring ways and the stinking no-god idols introduced by their kings and I’ll move in and live with them forever.

The Lord is Holy. He doesn't share His glory with no-god idols, that is why the first temple was destroyed. We could think that this text refers to the second temple, but here we read: "This is the place where I’ll live with the Israelites forever. Neither the people of Israel nor their kings will ever again drag my holy name through the mud with their whoring and the no-god idols their kings set up at all the wayside shrines.". Was it fulfilled in the second temple, given that it was destroyed? I suppose that it was very shocking for the leaders of Israel to listen Jesus prophesying about the destruction of the second temple.

25-26 “‘For seven days, prepare a goat for a sin offering daily, and also a bull and a ram from the flock, animals without blemish. For seven days the priests are to get the altar ready for its work, purifying it. This is how you dedicate it.
27 “‘After these seven days of dedication, from the eighth day on, the priests will present your burnt offerings and your peace offerings. And I’ll accept you with pleasure, with delight! Decree of God, the Master.’”

The new temple (now only in a vision) should be consecrated to the Lord through sin offerings in order to be purified, to become holy.  
Can I become holy? Only through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Ezekiel 42: the priest's sacred garments

 In Ezekiel 42, Ezekiel has a vision of the chambers in the temple, in particular:

13-14 Then he said to me, “The north and south rooms adjacent to the open area are holy rooms where the priests who come before God eat the holy offerings. There they place the holy offerings—grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. These are set-apart rooms, holy space. After the priests have entered the Sanctuary, they must not return to the outside courtyard and mingle among the people until they change the sacred garments in which they minister and put on their regular clothes.”

The minister should be dressed accordingly before the Lord. It reminds me Matthew 22:11-15. The Bible highlights the difference between the sacred and the common.

Ezekiel 41: artistic decoration in the vision of the temple

In Ezekiel 41, Ezekiel follows the man taking measures of the temple: the sancturay (in the middle?), the west side and the outer side. For instance:

15-18 He measured the length of the house facing the courtyard at the back of the Temple, including the shelters on each side: one hundred seventy-five feet. The main Sanctuary, the inner Sanctuary, and the vestibule facing the courtyard were paneled with wood, and had window frames and door frames in all three sections. From floor to windows the walls were paneled. Above the outside entrance to the inner Sanctuary and on the walls at regular intervals all around the inner Sanctuary and the main Sanctuary, angel-cherubim and palm trees were carved in alternating sequence.

As an engineer, sometimes, I have some difficult to appreciate art. The walls were decorated with  angel-cherubim and palm trees carved on them. Why? A friend of mine thought about the return of man to paradise guarded by angels as he enters in the sanctuary.

Ezekiel 40: the description of the new temple

We read:
1-3 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year on the tenth of the month—it was the fourteenth year after the city fell—God touched me and brought me here. He brought me in divine vision to the land of Israel and set me down on a high mountain. To the south there were buildings that looked like a city. He took me there and I met a man deeply tanned, like bronze. He stood at the entrance holding a linen cord and a measuring stick.

Jerusalem had been destroyed for 14 years. The temple is destroyed too (to my understanding). Ezekiel, in a vision, will follow a man tanned like bronze.

4 The man said to me, “Son of man, look and listen carefully. Pay close attention to everything I’m going to show you. That’s why you’ve been brought here. And then tell Israel everything you see.”

5 First I saw a wall around the outside of the Temple complex. The measuring stick in the man’s hand was about ten feet long. He measured the thickness of the wall: about ten feet. The height was also about ten feet.

We can imagine Ezekiel following the man taking measures of the temple, but, it must be a new temple. They go to the east, north and south in this chapter.

As I have a Christian lens, I really don't understand the reason of so many detais in this chapter. For instance:

38-43 There was a room with a door at the vestibule of the gate complex where the burnt offerings were cleaned. Two tables were placed within the vestibule, one on either side, on which the animals for burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings were slaughtered. Two tables were also placed against both outside walls of the vestibule—four tables inside and four tables outside, eight tables in all for slaughtering the sacrificial animals. The four tables used for the burnt offerings were thirty-one and a half inches square and twenty-one inches high. The tools for slaughtering the sacrificial animals and other sacrifices were kept there. Meat hooks, three inches long, were fastened to the walls. The tables were for the sacrificial animals.

Jesus said that He is the Temple. He said that the great temple of Jerusalem would be destroyed.
Are there a right reading of the description of the temple in Ezekiel vision?
To the Jews, listening to Ezekiel, it was a message of hope, restoration. I believe that the details of the first temple were very important; so the presentation of the new temple follows a lengthy description as in the first temple.
Perhaps, this description is to show that details are important to the Lord. It is part of the organization, of the salvation plan. Even in the New Testament we have details: Jesus was to enter in Jerusalem mounted in a donkey. Perhaps, Ezekiel 40 and the following chapters show that the Lord is control of my salvation, even in little details.

Ezekiel 39: Gog and the coalition against Israel will be destroyed

Israel seems a nation against the world in times of Ezekiel, not so different than today. We question: Is Israel of nowadays represent Israel from the past? Aren't we Christians the eschatological Israel?
Ezekiel 39 and 38 treats about a man called God that gathered many nations against Israel, but the Lord intervened through many ways (earthquake, sword) killing a large army. There will be the flesh of the soldiers and their weapons in great amount:

9-10 “People will come out of the cities of Israel and make a huge bonfire of the weapons of war, piling on shields large and small, bows and arrows, clubs and spears, a fire they’ll keep going for seven years. They won’t need to go into the woods to get fuel for the fire. There’ ll be plenty of weapons to keep it going. They’ll strip those who stripped them. They’ll rob those who robbed them. Decree of God, the Master.

17-20 “Son of man, God, the Master, says: Call the birds! Call the wild animals! Call out, ‘Gather and come, gather around my sacrificial meal that I’m preparing for you on the mountains of Israel. You’ll eat meat and drink blood. You’ll eat off the bodies of great heroes and drink the blood of famous princes as if they were so many rams and lambs, goats and bulls, the choicest grain-fed animals of Bashan. At the sacrificial meal I’m fixing for you, you’ll eat fat till you’re stuffed and drink blood till you’re drunk. At the table I set for you, you’ll stuff yourselves with horses and riders, heroes and fighters of every kind.’ Decree of God, the Master.

It is not clear if this prophecy had already happened or not. Anyway, may we think that this will happen with the state of Israel of our time? Is it literal? Would it be applied to we Christians as the people of the Lord? If so, how can this be if Christians are scattered around the world in many nations?

Ezekiel 38: Israel against a coalition headed by God

I suppose that when Ezekiel 38 was written, Jerusalem was destroyed and there was no Israel. Ezekiel prophecies many times that Israel will rise again (ex: Ezekiel 37). Here, besides the formation of the new Israel, we read about a coalition of many nations against Israel:

1-6 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, confront Gog from the country of Magog, head of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him. Say, ‘God, the Master, says: Be warned, Gog. I am against you, head of Meshech and Tubal. I’m going to turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and drag you off with your whole army, your horses and riders in full armor—all those shields and bucklers and swords—fighting men armed to the teeth! Persia and Cush and Put will be in the ranks, also well-armed, as will Gomer and its army and Beth-togarmah out of the north with its army. Many nations will be with you!

The Lord himself will defend Israel against this coalition:

17-22 “‘A Message of God, the Master: Years ago when I spoke through my servants, the prophets of Israel, wasn’t it you I was talking about? Year after year they prophesied that I would bring you against them. And when the day comes, Gog, you will attack that land of Israel. Decree of God, the Master. My raging anger will erupt. Fueled by blazing jealousy, I tell you that then there will be an earthquake that rocks the land of Israel. Fish and birds and wild animals—even ants and beetles!—and every human being will tremble and shake before me. Mountains will disintegrate, terraces will crumble. I’ll order all-out war against you, Gog—Decree of God, the Master—Gog killing Gog on all the mountains of Israel. I’ll deluge Gog with judgment: disease and massacre, torrential rain and hail, volcanic lava pouring down on you and your mobs of troops and people.

Ezekiel 37: the ressurection of Israel and the kingdom of the Christ.

 Ezekiel 37 contains the vision of the Valey of Dry Bones. Ezekiel was taken by the Spirit and has a vision of the Valey of dry bones. The Lord asks:

3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Master God, only you know that.”
4 He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones: ‘Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!’”
7-8 I prophesied just as I’d been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones moved and came together, bone to bone. I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them.
9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, ‘God, the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain bodies. Breathe life!’”
10 So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army.

And then, we have the explanation: the bones are the house of Israel, with no hope. At that time, Babylon had destroyed Jerusalem. The Lord will make Israel live again and lead their people back to their land.
The restoration will be far greater: Israel and Judah will be gathered together praising the Lord, under David as king:

22-23 Never again will they be divided into two nations, two kingdoms. Never again will they pollute their lives with their no-god idols and all those vile obscenities and rebellions. I’ll save them out of all their old sinful haunts. I’ll clean them up. They’ll be my people! I’ll be their God! My servant David will be king over them. They’ll all be under one shepherd.
24-27 “‘They’ll follow my laws and keep my statutes. They’ll live in the same land I gave my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren will live there forever, and my servant David will be their prince forever. I’ll make a covenant of peace with them that will hold everything together, an everlasting covenant. I’ll make them secure and place my holy place of worship at the center of their lives forever. I’ll live right there with them. I’ll be their God! They’ll be my people!
28 “‘The nations will realize that I, God, make Israel holy when my holy place of worship is established at the center of their lives forever.’”

As a Christian, it is clear to me that it is talking about the Messiah Kingdom. Although I am not a Jew, I understand that I belong to this new covenant of peace thanks to Jesus, my Lord.