Ezekiel 41 – 48; Ezekiel 29:17-21; Ezekiel 30:1-19

The LORD God departed from the temple built by Solomon because of the idolatrous apostasy of the people. When the people demanded a king (thus rejecting Yahweh as their king), the LORD allowed this, but kept the strict delineation between priests and kings. In fact, several kings got in trouble with God for stepping into the role reserved for the priests. Now, Ezekiel is looking forward to the post-exile reality for the Hebrew people. In his visions he sees the LORD returning to a newly built, new temple…

And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal. And I fell on my face. As the glory of the LORD entered the temple by the gate facing east, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple. While the man was standing beside me, I heard one speaking to me out of the temple, and he said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies of their kings at their high places, by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them. They have defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger. Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

Ezekiel 43:2-9

A couple of quick points to consider. A temple was built on the site of Solomon’s temple by the returning exiles. There is no biblical record of the glory of the LORD entering that structure, nor any indication that the ark of the covenant is ever returned to the Holy of Holies. When Jesus walked the courts of the post-exile temple which had been expanded by Herod, He prophesied of its destruction. This prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70 when the Romans under Titus so thoroughly destroyed it that the stones were all separated from one another to allow the harvesting of the gold that had melted into the cracks when the temple burned. From that day until this, there has been no temple and no Mosaic sacrifice by the priests of Aaron. So, either Ezekiel is wrong or the physical temple built in Jerusalem after the exile is not the temple of which Ezekiel speaks.

The visions Yahweh showed to Ezekiel are familiar enough to resonate with the Hebrews, yet differ on enough crucial points to show this is something new and different. The men of Israel were given distinct and specific inheritances that would remain in their family or be systematically returned to them if they were forced to sell. The Levites (priests of Aaron) received no such inheritance. The kings played no role in conducting worship in the temple. Yet, the Prince in Ezekiel’s visions is given a vast inheritance in the Holy District AND has a role in the temple worship. The “princes” share their inheritances and do not use their wealth or land to oppress one another. It is here that Yahweh will live forever.

Ezekiel is seeing a Priest Prince. Ezekiel is seeing a royal priesthood. Ezekiel is seeing an equally shared inheritance where there is no distinction between male and female, slave and free, rich and poor. Ezekiel is seeing a spiritual temple indwelled by Almighty God.  Ezekiel is seeing God’s vision where all who enter the temple are one … in Christ.

Consider His nature.  Consider His ways.  Strive to love Him more!