Ezekiel’s Temple and Its Place in History

By
John W. Schmitt

 

The year is 597 B.C.E. The place is somewhere in the desert northeast of Israel. A large army of Babylonian soldiers is slowly making its way across the wasteland. With them are hundreds of men, women and children. These poor folk are being herded along like cattle driven to a round-up. Most say nothing, some are crying, still others fight defiantly. All are experiencing a myriad of emotions – none of them good.

 

The soldiers, on the other hand, are jubilant. They are proud of their accomplishment. They have just conquered the nation of Judah. Years before, the mighty Assyrians had tried to do the same. They had failed because God had intervened. Today, it was different. Judah was defeated and one more pawn had fallen to the imperialistic Babylonians.

 

Why had God allowed this to happen? What would the future hold now? Had God forsaken Israel? Had He backed out on all of His promises? What about the promised Messiah? Would He still come? Many in that vast desert were undoubtedly thinking these very questions. One man in particular, a priest taken captive in 597 B.C.E., mulled over these thoughts again and again as he reflected on the Jewish captivity. His name was Ezekiel. God would use Ezekiel to answer many of these very questions.

 

The answers to most of these questions are based on an event which took place centuries before. It is recorded in the scriptures in 2 Chronicles 7:19-22. King Solomon had just completed the building of Israel’s first Temple; it was the day of dedication. That night God appeared to Solomon and gave him a promise. The promise had one prerequisite: the people of Israel must remain true to Yahweh.

 

“But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you
and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from
my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated
for my name. I will make it a by-word and an object of ridicule among all
peoples. And though this Temple is now so imposing, all who pass by will be
appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this
Temple?’ People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God
of their fathers, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods,
worshipping and serving them – that is why He brought all this disaster on
them.’”

 

These words doubtless came to Ezekiel. Israel had not followed Yahweh. Baal and Ashtoreth had been worshiped without anyone blinking an eye. Judah’s kings had even led in the worship. God’s chosen people had surely forsaken the decrees and commands. God was now following through on the promise He had made. He was making His house a ridicule for all to see. The nation that had proved to the world that God was true and real was now divested of her honor, and all because of sin. This realization must have burned into Ezekiel’s mind as he saw a godless nation being used by God, to discipline His people.

 

But what about the other promises of God? God had promised that a son of David would bring peace on earth, that Messiah would come. Were those promises annulled? For the moment, Ezekiel had no answer. In a few years, God would give understanding to this young priest. For today, however, it was enough to ask the question and search God’s Word for the answers.

 

The years seemed to pass ever so slowly. To Ezekiel they were probably painful and agonizing times. At the time he was taken captive to Babylon, he had been ready to embark on his career. Now that he was in Babylon, he would have been established as a priest in God’s Temple in Jerusalem. As things were, he was a lonely captive in a strange land.

 

Then, to Ezekiel’s amazement, God called him to be His prophet to the exiles. Ezekiel’s message was two-fold: tell the people the reason for the exile, and give them assurance that God would restore His people to their land. God wanted Ezekiel to tell the people that part of the restoration would be seeing the Temple flourish again.

 

The visions Ezekiel saw regarding the new land were startling. Almost six chapters in the book of Ezekiel are devoted to an explicit description of the Temple. His eyes must have flooded with tears of joy as he saw before him the beloved altar of sacrifice and the beautiful Temple building with its two golden pillars before the Holy Place and Holy of Holies. However, most amazing to him: some historically essential elements of temple worship were missing.

 

In addition, the structure itself was different; the walls were much lower; the inner and outer courts were strikingly different. The most astonishing change, however, was the major change made to the furnishings.

 

The whole interior was altered. There was no Candlestick, no Table of Shewbread, no Golden Altar, no Veil, and no Ark of the Covenant with its Mercy Seat. In their place was a wooden table before a door into the Holy of Holies. This table of wood is very surprising. It is evident that the information surprised Ezekiel, for he twice mentions it in his writings. He must have also wondered a great deal about the meaning of these missing items since he was a priest and trained to be knowledgeable on all aspects of the Temple and its worship.

 

It is particularly noteworthy that the items Ezekiel left out all reflect the presence of Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world” – the Candlestick. Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life” – the Table of Shewbread. Jesus said, “No man cometh unto the Father but by Me” – the Golden Altar. Jesus said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” – the Mercy Seat. The Bible tells us that when Jesus died on the cross, the Veil was torn from top to bottom – providing all people access to God.

 

Ezekiel wrote down all he saw, very carefully, even giving account for the number of steps at the entrance to buildings. He had been asked by God to write it all down and he didn’t want to make any mistakes. The people must know what God has in store for them. Surely, God wouldn’t give so much information on a subject to a prophet if He did not mean business. This Temple would be built as surely as the sun rises in the morning. He had God’s word on that.

 

Years continued to pass as the Israelites remained in Babylon. Ezekiel’s words were in the hands of the people. God had promised a future restoration, yet, Israel sat in captivity. Some began to feel at home in the new land. Life could be just as pleasant there as anywhere. Others, though, were concerned. How long would God allow Israel to wait? Would the people turn back to God so that His blessing could still flow?

 

Then it happened! As the Persians took Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild the Temple! The people were ecstatic. Plans were made at once to return to Jerusalem. Zerubbabel (Sheshbazzar?) was the man God chose to lead them home. Those who chose to stay in Babylon did what they could to help those returning.

 

Under Zerubbabel’s leadership, the people began the task of rebuilding the Temple, a tremendous undertaking. When the Babylonians destroyed the first Temple, they left nothing standing. Every stone must be put back in its place. One extremely interesting fact stands out in this event. In spite of all the work of rebuilding the Temple, the details of Ezekiel’s vision is never mentioned. Apparently, Zerubbabel never tried to follow them. The Temple was rebuilt on the same site as the previous Temple with the same pattern as the previous Temple.

 

Zerubbabel and Joshua, the high priest, knew the Scriptures very well. They knew of Ezekiel’s writings and what he said about a future temple. Why did they seem to ignore the descriptions given by Ezekiel? Even the prophet Haggai, who makes much in his book about the rebuilding of the temple, says nothing about the fact that the people were not using the plan of Ezekiel. Why did God not move to change their intentions? Why did Ezekiel’s plan go unheeded?

 

The answers to these questions are to be found in Ezekiel 43:7. God makes this statement to Ezekiel:

“Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet.
This is where I will live among the Israelites forever.”

 

With that statement we are given the reason God was willing to let Zerubbabel by-pass Ezekiel’s prophecy. The time of its fulfillment had not yet come. The Temple, described in the book of Ezekiel, was to be for God, in person! This temple would be saved for Messiah when He came to rule as King of Kings. Messiah’s Kingdom was not for Zerubbabel’s age to experience.

 

The Temple Zerubbabel helped to construct remained in existence for hundreds of years. It went through at least four revisions, the most extensive work done by Herod. The Temple was destroyed by Titus in 70C.E. No temple has existed in Jerusalem since that day. Ezekiel’s temple is still to be built in Israel. What stands in its way? For what is God waiting? According to the words of Ezekiel, God is waiting for the coming of the Messiah at which time He will set up God’s kingdom on earth and the age of peace will begin.

 

Why has that day not yet come? We turn to the book of 2 Peter 3: 9 for the answer.

Peter says:

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is
longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance.”

 

Peter tells us that the one big reason Jesus has not returned to set up His Messianic kingdom is to allow time for more to choose the way of righteousness and thus become part of those who will be able to participate in God’s glorious age of peace. The world can look dark and bleak at times, but God does not break promises. He will set up His kingdom on earth. Ezekiel’s Temple will be the place of His throne and the center of His world rulership. This is the glorious hope for the future, and we can be a part of it!