Ezekiel's Temple

Written by: Jonathan Hyon
Jerusalem Through the Ages
12.10.19
Professor Lenzi

Ezekiel's Temple is the unbuilt temple structure that the prophet Ezekiel sees in a vision given to him from God. In his vision, God tells the Israelites how angry he was at them for forsaking His law and worshipping other gods. Through Ezekiel, He tells them that they will be exiled from their homeland, and they will be in exile for many years. However, God tells them that after many years, He will restore them to the city of Jerusalem, and tells them of the rebuilding of the Third Temple. Although many believers thought that it was going to be Jesus who was going to be the one to build this futuristic temple, once he died without building any temple, many people wondered about the meaning of Ezekiel's vision.

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Ezekiel the Prophet

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Ezekiel, or Yeḥezqel in Hebrew, was a prophet around the time when the Israelites were exiled from Jerusalem by the Babylonians. His ministry mostly took place in the first 30 years of the 6th century. Under King Nebuchadnezzar II, despite attempting to rebel and fight back, the Israelites were conquered by the Babylonians in 598 and 587 BCE, and many Jews that lived within the city walls were deported to Babylonia. Before the Babylonians came, it was speculated that he was a member of the Temple staff. While in exile, Ezekiel prophesied about many things. Some of his notable prophecies, however, were about the fall of Jerusalem, and the Third Temple. Carrying the message from God, he said he was against the Judeans and the Israelities, rebuking them of their sins against God. According the Biblical book of Ezekiel, in chapter 5:8, "Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you are more turbulent than the nations that are all around you, and have not walked in my statutes or obeyed my rules" and that "Behold, I, even I, am against you. And I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations." After reprimanding the Israelites and the Judeans for their sin, Ezekiel presents them a message of hope and a future of restoration. In Ezekiel 39:25, Ezekiel tells them that “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel". Ezekiel then has a vision of the temple being restored in a glorious fashion that was to be a symbol of God's grace and love for the exiled civilians.

Ezekiel's Vision of the Temple

Due to the nature of the vision and the fact that this temple has not been replicated yet, there is no archeological evidence about the physical remnants of the temple, but the biblical account of Ezekiel paints a clear picture of what the temple really looked like. In his vision, Ezekiel was given a tour of this temple and it was detailed by the tour guide with excruciating detail. In Ezekiel chapter 40-46, Ezekiel is shown around the temple, where he describes all the sights that he sees.

The temple that is described is something that has never been seen before. The wall along perimeter of the temple measures at around 10.5 feet thick and rises to 10.5 feet high. The East, North, and South gate are all adorned with many decorations and windows, all measuring at around 38 feet wide by 75 feet long. Within the courts of the temple are multiple tables situated inside to prepare and offer sacrifices. In the inner temple, there is a inner and outer sanctuary, the inner sanctuary referred to as the Holy of Holies where only the head priest was originally only allowed to enter one day a year. Ezekiel sees that the gate is closed, and is informed that the gate will open only for the Prince who will eat and dine inside with the Father. He mentions and sees the glory of God leaving the temple, but later describes the glory and presence of God coming back in through the East gate. Another beautiful sight that he sees is a river flowing outside of the Eastern door down the steps, extending for many miles out.

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According to Ezekiel, there were many steps and regulations that followers had to strictly follow in order to enter the temple to worship. Because the Eastern gate was reserved for the Prince, everyone who wanted to enter would have to enter through the North or South gate, but they were not allowed to exit through the opposite gate as they were not allowed to exit from the way that they came in. God also instructed Ezekiel that because the Israelites once let those who were unclean into his temple gates, only those who are "uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh" were not allowed into the temple.

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There were many aspects to Ezekiel's temple that set it apart from any and all temples built around this time. One of the biggest issues with this temple building was that it was around 864 square feet and was supposed to be situated right in the center of the Temple Mount. There were many other features that set it apart from the temples that were currently built. One unique feature that this temple held was that that there was no wall that excluded the Gentiles. While the current temples allowed Gentiles to reside in the outer walls, in Ezekiel's temple, they were allowed to freely roam around to wherever they wished. There were also many things that were not included in Ezekiel's temple that were integral parts of the Second Temple. During that time, the Gentiles were considered "unclean", and the inner court was reserved for those who were "God's chosen people", or the Israelites. There was no golden alter of incense, and no Ark of the Covenant. The significance of not having the Ark of the Covenant in the temple was because the Presence of God is no residing inside the building, not being limited to any physical boundaries. Ezekiel describes the presence and glory of God filling up the inside the temple. This is different than the Ark of the Covenant, which supposedly limited the power of God into a box. Some other details that may not be as significant is that the altar of sacrifice is located on the Eastern side of the temple, where other temples had their sacrificial alters were located on the North side. Ezekiel also describes a river floating out of the temple down the steps. The water is seen to start off very shallow, growing deeper and deeper until it becomes swimmable.

Interpretations

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There are many opinions and interpretations of what Ezekiel envisioned. Two interpretations, however, stand out above the others. Some historians and scholars thought that Ezekiel was talking about a physical manifestation, and that there were one day going to be a group of people that will build this foretold Temple, and that was going to be the day that the Messiah was going to return. However, this hypothesis was quickly dismissed due to the fact that with the available space left on the Temple Mount itself. Many speculate, however, that the temple would be instead floating in the sky. Another very popular opinion on Ezekiel's temple was that it was in fact not just a temple; rather, it was the temple garden of Eden, and that when the Messiah returns, the "garden" will once again be open for humans to live in. People speculate this because there is a river coming out of the "temple", which would be impossible without a body of water inside the temple. This led people to believe that the "temple" is actually a body of water within the garden of Eden. Another similarity is seen in the Book of Genesis of the Christian bible. The Presence of God was described as "walking back and forth" in the garden, and it just so happens that the Hebrew word used in this passage for moving back and forth is used in a similar way about the Presence of God moving inside the tabernacle. Another indicator that the temple that Ezekiel sees could be referring to the Garden of Eden is the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark, carrying the law of the Israelites, resides in the center of the temple, similarly as to how the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which leads to wisdom, is also conveniently centered in the middle of the garden.

Bibliography

  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Ezekiel.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 Nov. 2009, www.britannica.com/biography/Ezekiel-Hebrew-prophet.
  • “BibleGateway.” Ezekiel 5:8 ESV - - Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%2B5%3A8&version=ESV.
  • "BibleGateway." Ezekiel 39:25 ESV - - Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel+39%3A25&version=ESV
  • Ervin, Matthew. “The Millennial Temple: Her Design and Dimensions – Part 2.” APPLE EYE, 8 Mar. 2016, appleeye.org/2015/09/02/the-millennial-temple-her-design-and-dimensions-part-2/.
  • Dolphin, Lambert. “The Temple of Ezekiel.” Ezekiel's Temple, 13 July 2004, www.templemount.org/ezektmp.html.
  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Ezekiel.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 Nov. 2009, www.britannica.com/biography/Ezekiel-Hebrew-prophet.
  • Ragusa, Daniel. “Summarizing the Biblical-Theological Case for Eden Being a Temple-Garden.” Reformed Forum, 30 July 2016, reformedforum.org/summarizing-biblical-theological-case-eden-temple-garden/#_ftn6.
  • Gregg, Steve. “Making Sense of Ezekiel's Temple Vision.” Christian Research Institute, 1 June 2012, www.equip.org/article/making-sense-ezekiels-temple-vision/.
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