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HOUSMAIL
HM096
29 September 2002 WILL
EZEKIEL'S TEMPLE EVER BE BUILT? In my childhood and teens, I was force fed the obligatory
"diet" of instruction, based on Christadelphian Henry Sulley's 1887
"The Temple of Ezekiel's Prophecy". People drew charts and posters.
Women embroidered the "isometric view" and hung it on their lounge
room walls! But alas ..... for many years now, I have regarded Sulley's
interpretation as most unsatisfying. Particularly in the light of Revelation 21:22, I am led to wonder
whether there will ever be a literal building in the Age to Come, with literal
animal blood sacrifices, and Old Testament style temple rituals. From a careful reading of Ezekiel 43:6-12, it would appear that the description of the temple contained
in Chapters 40-48 was NOT a prophecy to be fulfilled more than two and a half
thousand years later! Rather, it seems fairly plain that it was an offer made
specifically to Ezekiel's generation. "Describe
to the house of Israel the temple and its appearance and plan, that they may
be ashamed of their iniquities. And if they are ashamed of all that they have
done, portray the temple, its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, and
its whole form; and make known to them all its ordinances and all its laws;
and write it down in their sight, so that they may observe and perform all
its laws and all its ordinances." (Ezekiel 43:10-11) *
Ezekiel was to show
the plans to the Jews of his generation. *
THEY were called to
IMMEDIATE repentance. *
And if THEY
repented, they were to rebuild the temple, in accordance with the
plans Ezekiel was given. Alas
..... the Jews of Ezekiel's generation ignored the call to repentance -- and
the temple they were offered was never built! It was not until many years later, that God allowed a new
generation to return to the land. When the foundation of the SECOND temple
were laid, there were still some leaders and ancient men left who had seen
the FIRST temple. (Ezra 3:12) However, from the description in Ezra 6:3-5, the temple they
built was far inferior to Solomon's, and definitely NOT the one described by
Ezekiel. With the exception of a "remnant few", the great
majority of Ezekiel's generation missed their "day of
salvation"! (2 Corinthians 6:2) It has gone for ever,
and so it would seem, has the opportunity to build that magnificent Temple. Will Ezekiel's temple ever be built? It seems much more likely
that it was one of those conditional promises encompassed by Jeremiah 18:9-10. If it is, that would
mean that Ezekiel's temple is no longer "on offer". Today the same call to repentance is being made by JESUS. It is
a nonnegotiable condition of His Gospel, not only for Jews, but for ALL
NATIONS. (Matthew 28:19) And, accompanying the call to repentance, the plans have been
revealed for another temple -- which like Ezekiel's -- can only be built if
the GOSPEL is obeyed. These plans now replace those of Ezekiel. This THIRD temple is of quite a different sort to Ezekiel's. It
is not built with stones like those used in the construction of the first
two. The "stones" for Jesus' temple are "living stones",
indwelt by the Spirit of God! It is already under construction. The cornerstone and foundation
have been laid. WHY THEN ARE EZEKIEL'S PLANS RECORDED? I confess I don't have all the answers to that. But at least one
reason would be that they stand as a continuing reminder to all future
generations, (including our own) that salvation for Jews and Gentiles alike
-- and a place in the REAL THIRD TEMPLE -- is CONDITIONAL on REPENTANCE. I don't have this completely set in concrete! But for now, it
does seem to offer a satisfying alternative to the "traditional"
suggestion that Ezekiel's temple is still to be built in the Kingdom Age
after Jesus returns. Allon |