Page 45 - The Remnant Bride

their punishment doesn’t sound too bad. After all, they were still priests and they were still

allowed to serve at the temple. There is great tragedy in it, however.
The temple itself is nothing without the presence of God. The temple is merely a vessel

that contains a great treasure and the great treasure is the presence and person of God. The
idolatrous priests are being told that their service and access in the temple will be restricted

to the building itself, the true treasure will be withheld from them.
It is much like being given a present of inestimable worth and then being told that you

can only keep the box that the gift came in. This directly correlates to the judgment brought
upon Queen Vashti in the book of Esther. She was a queen, but she was denied access to the

presence of the king. What joy is there in being the bride of the king if you are denied access
to him?

The idolatrous priests are not only forbidden from serving in God’s presence, they are
denied access to the things which are the most holy things of God. Because of the

abominations they have committed, they must bear their shame.
It would be reasonable at this point to ask what, if any, indication there is in scripture

of God making a similar distinction among those who are His children in this present age.

There is a parallel passage in the New Testament to the above scripture from Ezekiel, which
reveals the same truths, bringing them forward into the era of the New Covenant.

Luke 12:42-48

And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master
will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?
Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to

you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says in his

heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both
men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will

come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know, and
will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave

who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall
receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy

of a flogging, will receive but few. And from everyone who has been given much shall
much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the