Day 218 Ezekiel 38:1–42:20

He brought me, in visions of God, to the land of Israel, and set me down upon a very high mountain



During the 25th year of exile, God brought Ezekiel to the place of the Holy Temple, eventually restored in Jerusalem. The next many chapters of Ezekiel recount the precise measurements of the outer court, window recesses, placement of cherubim, measurements of the nave, inner sanctuary, altar, etc. I must admit I glossed over some of the descriptions, as they recounted the east side, north side, south side, inner and outer sanctum, and seemingly every window placement. But clearly it is a grand restored Temple, and the descriptors are intended to illustrate just how precise and grand it is.

This section follows a prophecy about another bad ruler and his kingdom, that God will destroy, so the ruler knows that God is Lord. The bad dude is Gog, and I must admit that I thought it was a typo, or maybe a dyslexic combination of the God/dog jokes. But no, Gog was a bad ruler.

I mention all of this to indicate that I was skimming, and reading without much depth. Long descriptions of cubit-measured temples, and ancient rulers I’ve never heard of can do that to me. And again, in the midst of that skimming was this little clause that precedes the walk-through of the new temple. He brought me [from my place of exiled captivity], in visions of God, to the land of Israel…. Isn’t this ancient time teleporting?

I’ve never heard of a more modern-day credible faith-based teleporting experience. Maybe they exist, and I just don’t know. All I’ve heard about are examples that sound like something from Star Trek.

I’ve had experiences where I’m transported, frequently in dreams, and they make no sense. But they definitely seem real at the time.

This morning, I’m thinking about significant brain disorders like schizophrenia. People, like my loved one, experience hallucinations where they are transported to very real places. These visions or experiences happen when they’re awake; they don’t have the luxury of ‘waking up’ from the dream, as I do. Our loved one can talk about experiences and places in very real terms, that didn’t happen, at least given my knowledge of their life history.

I am not suggesting Ezekiel was hallucinating. But if I’m willing to believe his other-worldly experience, why am I so quick to dismiss my loved one’s? Who am I to say that the fantastical experiences didn’t happen? This morning, I’m thinking about the very small difference between holy experiences and hallucinations, and wondering why one is culturally acknowledged as plausible, while the other is not.