All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.
This week’s meditation is not based on what we read as a congregation last week. Rather it is about what we are going to read this week. This seems wise to me since Ezekiel 40-48 is a passage that causes no small amount of confusion. In these chapters, Ezekiel discloses details about a temple. What temple? Therein lies the confusion. Opinions vary.
Some believe this is a prophecy about the temple as it was supposed to be rebuilt when the Jews returned from their Babylonian captivity. The temple described was not built and has never been built. Proponents of this view say this was God’s ideal, but because of disobedience, Israel failed to realize that ideal. If that were true, then it cannot be considered a prophecy, even though it is written as a prophecy, describing something that was to be.
Others teach that this is a description of a physical temple that is yet to be built, either by the Jews before Christ returns, or that it is a physical temple that will be built for use during a one thousand year period before the Great White Throne of Judgment. First of all, the physical dimensions of the temple do not even add up to make its physical construction a reality. Additionally, any temple built after Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection from the dead would be nothing short of blasphemy since according to Hebrews 10:12, Christ’s death was the final, never-to-be-repeated sacrifice. Yet the description in Ezekiel appears to have God’s approval. And for those who fancy a physical temple with sacrifices after Christ returns to remind us what Christ has done, what reminder could we possibly need beyond having Jesus present with us bearing the scars of the cross?
A third view is that this is not a description of a physical temple but of a spiritual temple. After all, haven’t we learned that vast amounts of Ezekiel are written in highly symbolic language? And according to the New Testament, haven’t we learned that the temple of God is His people, the Church of Jesus Christ (Eph.2:19-22; 1 Pet. 2:4-10)? And what does Revelation 21:22 say about a temple in heaven? There is no need for one because “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.”
How does Ezekiel 48:35 end Ezekiel’s prophecies? By telling us that God is there with His people, a perfect parallel with Revelation 21:22.
As you read Ezekiel 40-48 this week, (and I pray you will read it!) do not get bogged down in the details of the measurements. Instead see that they convey God’s perfect plan to save all His people, make us all into a grand and glorious temple, and most of all, that God will ever dwell in the temple of His Church.
