If passages in the Old Testament prophetic books are sometimes unclear, confusing, and shocking, then Ezekiel 40-48 might sit at the pinnacle of those passages. In this vision, Ezekiel sees a future temple.
Now, in a cursory reading, (or if one has been brought up with dispensational underpinnings), one might see this vision as a future, physical-structural temple which will be built in Israel during a future millenium.
Greg Beale, in "The Temple and the Church's Mission," argues that Ezekiel 40-48 is a vision concerning God's end-times temple, which is descending from heaven, filling the earth, and will be fulfilled in the return of Christ and re-creation of the world into a heavenly temple.
In other words, he argues that this vision is about God's heavenly temple descending to earth. This happened ultimately in Christ's incarnation, in the Church's proclamation of the Gospel and spreading, and in Christ's return to glorify this world.
The following is a summary of his argument that this temple must be spiritual and other-worldly - not structural.
1) The vision takes place from a 'high mountain' (40:1-2), but there are no high mountains in Jerusalem.
2) This high mountain is extraordinary in size, being big enough to contain the whole city. Mountains in such visions exist to picture the idea of heaven descending to earth.
3) The phraseology at the beginning of Ezekiel 40 only occurs in chapters 1 and 8, in which Ezekiel gets visions of the heavenly temple. (These assure Israel that God is still reigning and present, though the earthly temple has been destroyed.)
4) Chapter 11 speaks of the heavenly temple descending to earth.
5) The spiritual temple in chapter 11 descends on a mountain.
6) At the end of chapter 11, the promise of an eschatological temple is the promise of the New Covenant - the presence of Christ with all believers.
7) Ezekiel 37's promised temple is not structural, but spiritual, and pertains to the same period of the end as ch's 40-48. Given similar imagery, it is probable that these are the same temple.
8) The beginning and end of the vision describes the temple as a city (40:2, 48:35).
9) The measurements of Ezekiel's temple are approximately the measurements of the 2nd-temple Jerusalem era city, not temple.
10) The land, not just the temple, received glory (43:2).
11) The trickle of water from the temple becomes a river and heals even the Dead Sea (47).
12) The water is reminiscent of Eden, which was supposed to expand to fill the earth. There is a direct reference to Eden in ch. 31.
13) Ch. 28 tells us that Eden was on the 'holy mountain.'
14) The city being perfectly square points to symbolic vision.
15) The territorial allotments having geographical lines running perfectly straight completely ignores geography, and points to symbolic vision.
16) The only recorded dimensions are horizontal - there are no vertical distances recorded; hence, symbolism.
17) The water that flows from the temple deepens as it moves away from the temple. If there were tributaries feeding into this stream they would pollute the water of life. Thus, this must be symbolic.
18) Revelation 11 interprets the Ezekiel vision as about the Church, and as about how the life of the Church imitates Christ's earthly ministry.
19) Sacrifices in the OT are fulfilled in the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifices of the Church in imitation of Christ. Hebrews prohibits any sort of 'memorial' sacrifices, as even Scofield admitted.
20) Ezekiel uses the word 'kipper' (to make atonement) with regard to the sacrifices in his vision.
21) Jesus, in John 4, is recorded as saying that the Holy Spirit is building a spiritual temple from which living water will flow - seemingly in fulfillment of Ezekiel's vision.
22) Revelation 21 fulfills Ezekiel's vision of an eternal temple.
23) Most of the temple furniture, including the ark (which Jeremiah said would not be in the eschatological temple), is missing.
24) Furniture is missing from all three sections of the temple. If the temple represents the cosmos, then this points to a radical change in the cosmos - not just the temple.
25) In particular, the veil and the ark are missing. This probably is an indicator that God's presence is breaking out into the whole cosmos.
26) We must interpret this symbolic passage in light of what clear, fulfillment passages in the NT say about the temple.
27) The lampstand has become 'trees for healing' (ch. 47)
28) The sea is replaced by a river flowing out to the whole world.
29) As a rule, visions of heavenly temples in Scripture (and extracanonical literature) have no furniture except a throne.
Now, in a cursory reading, (or if one has been brought up with dispensational underpinnings), one might see this vision as a future, physical-structural temple which will be built in Israel during a future millenium.
Greg Beale, in "The Temple and the Church's Mission," argues that Ezekiel 40-48 is a vision concerning God's end-times temple, which is descending from heaven, filling the earth, and will be fulfilled in the return of Christ and re-creation of the world into a heavenly temple.
In other words, he argues that this vision is about God's heavenly temple descending to earth. This happened ultimately in Christ's incarnation, in the Church's proclamation of the Gospel and spreading, and in Christ's return to glorify this world.
The following is a summary of his argument that this temple must be spiritual and other-worldly - not structural.
1) The vision takes place from a 'high mountain' (40:1-2), but there are no high mountains in Jerusalem.
2) This high mountain is extraordinary in size, being big enough to contain the whole city. Mountains in such visions exist to picture the idea of heaven descending to earth.
3) The phraseology at the beginning of Ezekiel 40 only occurs in chapters 1 and 8, in which Ezekiel gets visions of the heavenly temple. (These assure Israel that God is still reigning and present, though the earthly temple has been destroyed.)
4) Chapter 11 speaks of the heavenly temple descending to earth.
5) The spiritual temple in chapter 11 descends on a mountain.
6) At the end of chapter 11, the promise of an eschatological temple is the promise of the New Covenant - the presence of Christ with all believers.
7) Ezekiel 37's promised temple is not structural, but spiritual, and pertains to the same period of the end as ch's 40-48. Given similar imagery, it is probable that these are the same temple.
8) The beginning and end of the vision describes the temple as a city (40:2, 48:35).
9) The measurements of Ezekiel's temple are approximately the measurements of the 2nd-temple Jerusalem era city, not temple.
10) The land, not just the temple, received glory (43:2).
11) The trickle of water from the temple becomes a river and heals even the Dead Sea (47).
12) The water is reminiscent of Eden, which was supposed to expand to fill the earth. There is a direct reference to Eden in ch. 31.
13) Ch. 28 tells us that Eden was on the 'holy mountain.'
14) The city being perfectly square points to symbolic vision.
15) The territorial allotments having geographical lines running perfectly straight completely ignores geography, and points to symbolic vision.
16) The only recorded dimensions are horizontal - there are no vertical distances recorded; hence, symbolism.
17) The water that flows from the temple deepens as it moves away from the temple. If there were tributaries feeding into this stream they would pollute the water of life. Thus, this must be symbolic.
18) Revelation 11 interprets the Ezekiel vision as about the Church, and as about how the life of the Church imitates Christ's earthly ministry.
19) Sacrifices in the OT are fulfilled in the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifices of the Church in imitation of Christ. Hebrews prohibits any sort of 'memorial' sacrifices, as even Scofield admitted.
20) Ezekiel uses the word 'kipper' (to make atonement) with regard to the sacrifices in his vision.
21) Jesus, in John 4, is recorded as saying that the Holy Spirit is building a spiritual temple from which living water will flow - seemingly in fulfillment of Ezekiel's vision.
22) Revelation 21 fulfills Ezekiel's vision of an eternal temple.
23) Most of the temple furniture, including the ark (which Jeremiah said would not be in the eschatological temple), is missing.
24) Furniture is missing from all three sections of the temple. If the temple represents the cosmos, then this points to a radical change in the cosmos - not just the temple.
25) In particular, the veil and the ark are missing. This probably is an indicator that God's presence is breaking out into the whole cosmos.
26) We must interpret this symbolic passage in light of what clear, fulfillment passages in the NT say about the temple.
27) The lampstand has become 'trees for healing' (ch. 47)
28) The sea is replaced by a river flowing out to the whole world.
29) As a rule, visions of heavenly temples in Scripture (and extracanonical literature) have no furniture except a throne.
