#8 - Ezekiel's Temple: Ezekiel's Temple Fulfilled (Part 2) - Ezekiel's Leadership

Some Background on the Temple Debate

   In the mind of those that hold Ezekiel's temple vision to be future, much of this learning began as a simple oversight of what is actually indicated in the text itself and now has become a regurgitation of the same errors that one person has passed on to the next. Some future temple and so-called 'Torah observant' communities suppose that the dimensions don't match any historic temples built in Jerusalem in the past, or that the "prince" mentioned in Ezekiel 40-48 is Jesus Christ at His second coming, or that presence of God did not dwell in the second temple built in Jerusalem (516 BC - 18 BC). These are all common misconceptions and overlooked information that can be easily corrected in the text of Ezekiel's vision. It has not been lost, just not searched for. 

Right Where It Should Be

    When it comes to errors of interpretation within the Bible a story found in 2 Kings 22 helps to re-orient us. Here, we read about Hilkiah the priest finding the supposed lost scroll of the Law right where it should have been, in the temple (the ancient library of the Jews). It was to their astonishment that it was found, and even more to their astonishment when the scroll was read. Josiah the king tears his clothes and acts of repentance quickly ensue. It is as if they knew nothing of following the Lord and His written word up until this point. Still, even more shocking for us today is that they actually had to search for the scroll as if it had been lost forever. Pssst! Check the library, where we keep all the books! 

    This story highlights our scenario of biblical interpretation and sifting this long temple passage regarding Ezekiel's vision. All the clues that are necessary to unlock what we have called a 'mystery prophecy' can be found right where they should be, it the text. To begin uncovering the actual meaning within the context of Ezekiel's own words, I am going to point out the most clear and simple evidence of a past fulfillment of this temple by identifying the role that Ezekiel himself must have had in the initial construction and instruction of this temple monument, thereby demonstrating that Ezekiel's temple was indeed the second temple -- the temple that began reconstruction by the exiles that returned from Babylon in 536 BC.

The Significance of Ezekiel's Role in His Temple Vision

    As a priest, Ezekiel was very familiar with the temple and its practices. Being in his old age, he is appropriately chosen by God to be the example and instruct new up-and-coming younger priests in the customs and ceremony of the temple, much the same way that Moses was to instruct priests many generations earlier (Num. 8:25-26). In a sense, Ezekiel becomes the new law-establishing authority. For our intents and purposes the evidence from Ezekiel's role serves as a timestamp. The details and conversations surrounding his role determines the timing and the fulfillment of his temple prophecy. What you are about to read may shock you if you are already fixed on your position that Ezekiel's temple is in the future but I assure you that the position I take can be found very simply in the passages I present here and simplicity is the first step to interpreting the Bible.

The Future Temple View

    Some authors have commented on the passages that speak of Ezekiel's role and explain them to mean something entirely different than what is found simply within the internal context of Ezekiel's Temple vision (Ezek. 40-48). Archaeologist and author, Dr. Randall Price, advocates that Ezekiel foresaw a temple still future to our current day but seems to be a little confused over the passages that give dates and times. At first, he states "These verses [Ezek. 43:10-11] indicate that those Jews who are alive at the time that Ezekiel's prophesied restoration [from Babylon in 536 BC] is fulfilled are the ones who are to build the Temple. (The Coming Last Days Temple, pg. 521) Yet, just two pages later he makes the contrary statement to the simple rendering of the text, positing, 

"If Ezekiel's prophecies were meant to be fulfilled historically in the Second Temple, then they must be considered a failure. Any attempt to make the Second Temple fulfill these restoration prophecies forces us to either abandon literal interpretation or admit that the Word of God itself has failed." (pg. 523) 

This is inaccurate and creates a contradiction, not only with Scripture, but with his own hermeneutic. Why would Price (and others) believe, at first, that the timing of Ezekiel's temple would be concurrent with the exiles returning from Babylon captivity and then so quickly change course and state that those exiles failed the task and its timing or worse, that possibly, the Word of God has failed? The problem is not with the exiles or with the Word of God, it is with the interpretation of the information. Yet others have only regurgitated this same falsehood.

    Cyrus Gordon and Gary Rendsburg add their comments on the supposed failure of Ezekiel's vision. They first state, "Ezekiel mapped out the construction of the Second Temple and the regulations of its priesthood, which was limited to the descendants of Zadok." (Bible & the Ancient Near East pg. 290) Later, though, they conclude this fulfillment as a failure, commenting, 

"Darius, to be sure, upheld his predecessors' policy of permitting the Jews to reestablish their commonwealth with a Temple. Indeed the only tangible result of the Restoration was the completion of the Temple (and a modest one it was!) on the third of Adar 515 BC...External conditions were good. The empire provided the basis for trade and public security. But such blessings were small consolation for a frustrated people, whose dreams of their own Messianic World Order had vanished into thin air." (The Bible & the Ancient Near East pg. 297)

    For those of us who have found trustworthiness within the prophecies of Scripture, what would these statements from Price, Gordon, and Rendsburg conclude for us? It brings into question the sovereignty of God to foresee the future within the context and culture for whom it was written. The result for those living around the time of Ezekiel would have diminished their faith in the God of Israel, not strengthen them like we see in the post-exilic writings (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi). It breaks open a door that calls all other biblical prophets and prophecies into question. Is biblical prophecy any different than heathen prognostication which amounted to no more than mere guesses founded on over-stimulation (Ezek. 13:3) rather than a clear hearing from God? The prophet Isaiah seems to be clear on the subject, when comparing heathen prophets and their gods to that of his own hearing from Yahweh, he delineates a clear difference and promotes the clear sovereignty of God over and above other guesswork, 

"Remember this, and be assured; recall it to mind, you transgressors. Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me. Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure." (Isa. 46:8-10)

Isaiah had in mind not only that the god he served was the only God but that He alone can predict the future. So then, should we not expect the same from Ezekiel with regard to the timing of his temple prophecy, given that we contained some specifics on the timing and fulfillment? I believe we would, Let's take a look at the timing within the context of Ezekiel's own vision.

Key Passage #1 - Ezekiel 43:18-19

    The first passage to present the timing of fulfillment is really the most clear. It almost needs no explanation. Notice this conversation (between God and Ezekiel) right in the middle of this temple vision which identifies a specific time at which an event will occur, "the day the altar is built". Ezekiel 43:18-19 reads,

"And He (i.e. God) said to me (i.e. Ezekiel), 'Son of man, thus says the Lord God, these are the statutes for the altar on the day it is built, to offer burnt offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it. And you (Ezekiel) shall give to the Levitical priests who are from the offspring of Zadok, who draw near to Me to minister to Me,' declares the Lord God, 'a young bull for a sin offering.'"

This conversation between God and Ezekiel could not be more clear! Ezekiel would give a young bull for a sin offering to the Levitical priests to offer on the altar "on the day it is built". It would have been crucial for the generation that was alive at the time of Ezekiel in believing his message. The carryover of Ezekiel's prophecy would be tested based on whether Ezekiel was present at the time of the altar's construction. If he was not present then his prophecy would not have been toted and carried on to this day. He would have been deemed a false prophet and his prophecy would have been struck from the biblical account as would have been the case according to the Law in Deuteronomy 18:21-22,

"And you may say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?' When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not revere him."

We must admit that due to the fact that we now possess this prophecy from Ezekiel that indeed his words were found true and that he was present at the construction and offering of this altar "on the day that it was built." Still, some will say that this must mean that this will occur after the resurrection. This is also ruins the context of a believable prophecy but we will look at another text that proves this post-resurrection idea misleading.

Key Passage #2 - Ezekiel 43:10-11

The second passage which gives us the context of the fulfillment of Ezekiel's vision presents itself in stages. First, it points out that there is a condition to the fulfillment and then, secondly, Ezekiel would "write it (i.e. blueprint of the temple) in their sight", and lastly, once the condition is met and Ezekiel writes out the temple design, we are told that the audience to whom Ezekiel spoke, would be the selfsame generation to build what they saw Ezekiel "write in their sight". This second passage in Ezekiel's vision gives us a very clear indication of the time that this temple was to be built and also eliminates the unfounded theory that this is an event that comes after the resurrection. It comes to us in Ezekiel 43:10-11, it states,

"As for you, son of man, declare the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the plan. And if they are shamed of all that they have done, then make known to them the design of the house, its structure, its exits, its entrances, all its designs, all its statutes, and all its laws. And write it in their sight, so that they may observe its whole design and all its statutes, and do them."

"If they are ashamed" 

    A number of timing indicators can be drawn from just this one passage. First, Ezekiel is told to declare the temple to the house of Israel and they are to then measure the plan, yet, Ezekiel is instructed only to do so based on a condition, "if they (i.e. the house of Israel) are ashamed". The condition is structured in an "if..then" format, "if they are ashamed...then make known...the design of the house". Herein lies our clue. If the recipients had to be "ashamed" before receiving the handwritten design of a future temple, and we now possess this handwritten copy today, then we must conclude that a past generation had already become "ashamed" and therefore received a handwritten copy of the design of this temple from Ezekiel himself. It should also be pointed out that the sins, which Ezekiel specifies as needing to become "ashamed" of, are identified just a few verses early as putting up "high places of their kings" and committing "harlotry" (43:7). These are not sins being committed today, nor should any future generation repent for something their distant ancestors committed (cp. Deut. 24:16, Jer. 31:30). Therefore, it would be unnecessary for Ezekiel to identify these sins unless he was speaking directly to an audience and generation standing right before him. While addressing sins committed in "high places" is something that directly correlated with the outcome for a people being sent into exile in Babylon for their disobedience, which contained idol worship of wood, stone, silver, and gold, this is not even close to the situation presented by the three monotheistic religions that occupy the land of Israel today (i.e. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism). Additionally, there are not 'king's high places' today because Israel is not a monarchy with a line of kings for whom "high places" could be made. The question remains, what need would there be for a people to repent of sins committed over 2,600 years ago if they are clearly not committing those same sins today?! It seems a little absurd. Thomas Coke highlights this in his commentary,

"And surely the vision must relate to those Israelites who were to return in a short time from Babylon, not to those of a future age. It belonged to those who had been idolaters, and practiced their idolatrous worship in God's temple." (Coke's commentary on Ezek. 43:10-11)

One more note that we should understand is that it is Ezekiel alone that is to "declare to the house of Israel" all that he saw (43:10) and that those same people would "measure the plan" (v. 10) and "make/do them" (v. 11). So then, the very act of becoming "ashamed", mentioned in this passage, cannot be meted out in a future scenario near to our time but must have had its original context with those that stood before Ezekiel in Babylon and those that would make their return to Jerusalem just after the exile who began construction on the second Temple in Israel's history around 536 BC and completed it around 516 BC (according to most calculations). Thomas Coke concludes that "if they repented (i.e. became "ashamed"), the pattern of the house was to be shewn to them." (Coke's commentary on Ezek. 43:10-11) This repentance is coupled with the promise to Israel's people that they would return to the land of Israel (Ezek. 20:42-43), an event that took place roughly 35 years after Ezekiel was given this prophetic word.

"Write it in their sight"

    Ezekiel further indicates a time of the construction of this temple in verse 11. Ezekiel, himself, was to "write it (i.e. the temple blueprint) in their sight". Ezekiel, then, must be giving the plan and design of the temple to his contemporaries based on the condition that they had become "ashamed". What Ezekiel is stating is that those same people that would "be ashamed" would also then see Ezekiel's own hand "write" out the design right before their very eyes, another indication that Ezekiel had to be alive at the commencement of the temple he saw in his prophetic vision. Yet, there is more to the context. It is the following statement that presents the timing for the actual construction of this temple, "so that they may observe (i.e. the blueprint)...and do them." It is therefore logical to understand that this selfsame people that would become "ashamed" and see Ezekiel "write it in their sight" would also be the ones to do them, or as the Hebrew could also be rendered, "make them". This is in clear conjunction with the directive to "let them (those at the time of Ezekiel) measure the plan". Also, the Hebrew in Ezekiel 43:11 is the same verbiage used in Exodus 25:8 and 1 Chronicles 28:10 to command Moses and his contemporaries to build the tabernacle and for Solomon and his contemporaries to build the first temple, respectively. Why would it be any different for Ezekiel and his contemporaries when given the same directive? Additionally, Ezekiel is told to "declare to the house of Israel all that he saw" (Ezek. 40:4), something that also necessitates Ezekiel being alive at the giving of these instructions and that Ezekiel's contemporaries are the repentant generation that must do the building. So then, Ezek. 43:10-11 makes it imperative that Ezekiel be alive at the same time as the generation who would then build the temple. It also must be understood that due to the fact that we possess Ezekiel's vision, which he must "write in their sight", that all the events in this passage have taken place in the time of Ezekiel. This eliminates any postulation that suggests this temple is after the resurrection.

Key Passage #3 - Ezekiel 46:12-15

    A third passage that indicates the timing of Ezekiel's temple fulfillment is found in Ezek. 46:12-15. This segment introduces us to three referent groups within its context; (1) one called "the prince", (2) the priests, and (3) Ezekiel. These three are referenced by their respective pronouns: the prince is referred to by the pronouns "him","he" and "his" in verse 12; Ezekiel is referred to by the second person singular pronoun "you" in verses 13-14; and the priests are referred to by the plural pronoun "they" in verse 15. I will highlight this in the text itself in order for it to become evident that Ezekiel himself had to be alive at the installation of the ceremonies within the sacrificial system of this temple yet again. 

"12 When the prince provides a freewill offering, a burnt offering, or peace offerings as a freewill offering to the Lord, the gate facing east shall be opened for him [the prince]. And he [the prince] shall provide his [the prince] burnt offering  and his [the prince] peace offerings as he [the prince] does on the sabbath day. Then he [the prince] shall go out, and the gate shall be shut after he [the prince] goes out.  13 And you [Ezekiel] shall provide a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering to the Lord daily; morning by morning you [Ezekiel] shall provide it. 14 Also you [Ezekiel] shall provide a grain offering with it morning by morning, a sixth of an ephah and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour, a grain offering to the Lord continually by a perpetual ordinance. 15 Thus they [the priests] shall provide the lamb, the grain offering and the oil, morning by morning, for a continual burnt offering."

This passage is easily missed and dismissed as having anything to do with the timing of the fulfillment of this long prophecy. Most exhaustive Bible commentators overlook the use of the pronouns altogether but the few that identify these pronouns begin to uncover the mystery from the context. The change of pronouns from "he" to "you" and finally to "they" finds its way into the mind of Peter Pett in his commentary on this verse. He notes, "The change to the second person singular suggests that these were not connected with the prince." John Gill further identifies the use of this second person singular pronoun as Ezekiel. He states, this seems to be said not to the prince, but rather to the prophet (i.e. Ezekiel)." Still, most explicitly, Ger de Koning says "In addition to all the previous offerings to be offered on the various special day or occasions, the daily morning burnt offering must also be offered. This is what Ezekiel is to do." Though many commentators do not take note of the pronoun "you" as referring to Ezekiel and generalize verses 13-15 to only be speaking about the priests, this is contrasted by the use of the plural pronoun "they" in verse 15. The identification of "you" and "they" separates the commands given to an individual, Ezekiel, from that of a group, the priests. 

So then, while seemingly insignificant, this passage from Ezek. 46:12-15 supplies a consistent and foundational context to the exact timing of the fulfillment of Ezekiel's temple prophecy, specifically, that Ezekiel himself must be alive, at very least, at the beginning of this temple's ceremonies and construction.

Conclusion 

This first explanatory blog on the context of Ezekiel's temple centers on the role that Ezekiel must have within the temple's workings and the timing when this prophecy could actually be fulfilled. Through the context of the passages that I have laid down here, we must note that this temple had to be built, at least its initial workings, in Ezekiel's lifetime (Ezek. 43:18-19, 46:12-15) and not at a time following some future resurrection (Ezek. 43:10-11 above). This can be speaking of no other temple than that which was initially constructed in 536 BC by the exiles that returned from Babylonian captivity. This temple only had a foundation and an altar in its initial construction but later was finished around 516 BC (according to the most common dating). While Ezekiel may not have lived to this temple's final construction, his prophecy only indicates that he would have been present at the construction of the altar (536 BC) and at the time when the priests would have first been trained on the ceremonies. 

What is the significance of Ezekiel's Temple?

The groups that speak of a coming future temple do so to the detriment of the gospel and the New Testament. If this temple was to be in our future, then Christ died needlessly and we would still rely on the ceremonies contained within this temple. Religious Jews, today, have misapplied this temple prophecy of Ezekiel and view it as a necessary future fulfillment to atone for sin. Christians see no value in having a temple on earth because their sins are atoned for by the once offered sacrifice of the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. Along side the finishing of a temple is the change of the Law of Moses (Torah) to a new Law in Christ (cp. Heb. 7:12). So-called Torah observant groups should reconsider their stance on the Torah as having strong implications of change, according to the way the Torah is written. Future temple pundits should also consider the historical approach to a supposed future temple with its sacrifices. This may be a stumbling block for many, especially those who consider themselves believers in Jesus and yet seek to establish a religious set of practices like those of modern Jews. It is my experience that more have been led away from Christ with this future temple mindset, than those who have come to true saving faith in Christ Jesus. Finally, since this blueprint was for the historical past, there are no other blueprints for a future temple and therefore all prophecy that indicates temple language can only have been fulfilled in the past while previous temples were standing. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to leave those here and I will get back to you. For additional information on Ezekiel's temple, go to my YouTube channel Temple Truth. Thanks and Shalom out!