3. The date of Ezekiel s vision of the temple (Ezekiel 40:1,2)

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1 3. The date of Ezekiel s vision of the temple (Ezekiel 40:1,2) Introduction Ezekiel prophesied in momentous times. The Kingdom of Israel reached its zenith during the reigns of David and Solomon, and since those glorious days it had been in steady decline. The children of Israel forsook the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, choosing rather to serve the gods of the heathen around them. In the days of Rehoboam the kingdom was divided by civil war, and when Ezekiel prophesied some four hundred years after the time of David, the Assyrians had already descended and carried off the inhabitants of the northern kingdom of Israel into captivity. Now the prophet bore witness to the outpouring of the wrath of God upon the southern kingdom of Judah, as Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon carried off the two tribes into captivity. Ezekiel himself was among the captives who were taken to Babylon, and it was through him that God chose to speak to His people in the land of their captivity. In the last recorded set of visions the prophet received, recorded in Ezekiel 40-48, the subject matter is focused on the temple - not the temple that was destroyed by king Nebuchadnezzar in the days of Ezekiel the prophet, but a temple that has yet to be built in Zion, even today. Whilst in the land of their captivity, Ezekiel s temple vision would have given his fellow captives hope that Israel s ultimate restoration would indeed take place. In the grace of God we, who live far distant from the days of Ezekiel, have been called to embrace the hope of Israel 1, and bound up with this hope is the prospect of eternal life through the work of the Saviour 2. The visions of Ezekiel 1 Acts 28:20 2 See Acts 23:6; 26:6,7 27

2 can likewise serve to strengthen our faith, and sharpen our desire for the coming of the Kingdom of God, when God will perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which He has sworn to the fathers from the days of old 3. The date of the vision The temple visions were given to Ezekiel in the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten 4. The whole of Ezekiel s prophecy is punctuated by specific dates 5, and the years relate to Jehoiachin s captivity, as can be seen from the beginning of Ezekiel s prophecy: Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin s captivity, the word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him 6. The city of Jerusalem was smitten in the eleventh year of Jehoiachin s captivity, which also therefore corresponds to the eleventh year of Zedekiah s reign. The historical account says that Nebuchadnezzar began the siege of Jerusalem in Zedekiah s ninth year, and the city was finally broken up in his eleventh year: And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. And the city was broken up 7. Ezekiel learned of the fall of the city in the following year: And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten Micah 7:20 Ezekiel 40:1 See 8:1; 20:1; 24:1; 26:1; 29:1,17; 30:20; 31:1; 32:1,17; 33:21; 40:1 Ezekiel 1:1-3 2 Kings 25:1-4 8 Ezekiel 33:21 28

3 The temple vision was seen by Ezekiel fourteen years after the city was smitten, in the twenty-fifth year of Jehoiachin s captivity. The record is very precise regarding the exact day in which Ezekiel saw the vision: In the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month. For emphasis, Ezekiel continues, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither 9. What is the significance of this particular day? It was the beginning of the year. But in the Jewish calendar, there are two new years, and there are possible significances to both: 1) The religious year begins in the first month Abib, in which case the tenth day of the month corresponds to the feast of the passover: And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house It is the LORD s passover 10. The twenty-fifth year of Jehoiachin s captivity was exactly fifty years since the great passover that was instituted by king Josiah in the eighteenth year of his reign 11: Passover kept in Josiah s 18th year Josiah reigned a further Jehoahaz reigned Jehoiakim reigned Jehoiachin reigned Zedekiah reigned The temple vision received TOTAL 13 years 3 months 11 years 3 months 11 years 14 years later 49 years 6 months It has been suggested that Josiah s passover may have corresponded with a jubile year. Indeed, the Jewish Talmudists hold a tradition that this was so, although there is no definite scriptural evidence to this effect. But if this tradition is correct, then it seems very appropriate that the visions of Ezekiel 9 10 Ezekiel 40:1 Exodus 12:1-3, Chronicles 35:19 29

4 The Jewish calendar Kislev 9 concerning the Age to come were given in a jubile year, and it would seem reasonable to infer that the future temple service will likewise be inaugurated on the day of the passover of a jubile year. 2) The civil year begins in the seventh month Tishri, in which case the tenth day of the month corresponds to the day of atonement: And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: for on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year 12. If it is true that the year of Josiah s passover was a jubile year, then it is significant that the year of jubile was inaugurated by the blowing of trumpets 12 Leviticus 16:29,30,34 30

5 on the day of atonement: And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land 13. Could this correspond to the selfsame day in which Ezekiel saw the vision of the temple? In which case it may be that the temple ritual in the Age to come will commence with the blowing of trumpets on the day of atonement of a jubile year. The hand of the LORD was upon me Ezekiel begins by saying that the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither 14. This phrase occurs seven times throughout the prophecy of Ezekiel 15, and it appears to indicate that what follows is an account of a vision seen by the prophet. It is as if Ezekiel sees himself taking part in the vision - and so it is in the temple visions - he participates in the temple service. This raises an important question. Much of what Ezekiel saw when the hand of the LORD was upon him was highly symbolic. This is particularly apparent in his visions of the cherubim in chapters 1 and 10. Ezekiel saw cherubic creatures that were obviously not literal, and if we are to correctly understand the visions that he saw, the details must be interpreted 16. Does this mean, therefore, that we are at liberty to conclude that the temple that Ezekiel saw is similarly not to be understood in any literal sense, in which case there may not be a future literal temple in the Age to come? Such a conclusion would be unjustified for a number of reasons: 1) In 8:3, Ezekiel is taken in vision to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north. In the same vision he sees Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, and women women weeping at the door of the gate of the temple 17. In the inner court, he sees men worshipping the sun between the Leviticus 25:8,9 Ezekiel 40:1 Ezekiel 1:3; 3:14,22; 8:1; 33:22; 37:1; 40:1 16 For an exposition of the cherubim see The Cherubim, John Allfree, Bible Study Publications 17 Ezekiel 8:14 31

6 porch and the altar 18. Whilst what Ezekiel saw was a vision, the vision was based upon the literal existence of the city of Jerusalem, its temple, the inner gate that looked toward the north, the porch and the altar. The fact that Ezekiel saw these things in vision did not negate the fact that these objects and places literally existed. So it is with Ezekiel s visions of the temple in the Age to come. The temple itself will be literal enough, but Ezekiel was privileged to see it in vision before it was built. 2) Similarly, Ezekiel in 40:2 says, In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south. The fact that this was a vision does not detract from the fact that the land of Israel literally exists. 3) We have already seen that there is sufficient evidence from other scriptures to allow us to conclude that there will indeed be a temple in the Age to come: And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem 19. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim 20. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory 21. Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem Ezekiel 8:16 Isaiah 2:2,3 Joel 3:18 Isaiah 60:7 22 Zechariah 1:16 32

7 A very high mountain Ezekiel was transported in vision to a very high mountain, from whence he saw the frame of a city 23 on the south 24. The prophetic word indicates elsewhere that the mountain of the LORD s house shall be established in the top of the mountains 25. The original temple site was located on mount Moriah 26, and this mountain will be elevated as a result of dramatic geological changes that are to take place in Israel after the Lord s second coming, according to Zechariah 14:4,10: And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king s winepresses. Geba was in the territory of Benjamin 27, located approximately 6 miles north of Jerusalem. Rimmon was approximately 30 miles south west of the city of Jerusalem, situated on the southern border of Judah 28. The whole extent of land in between these two towns is to be turned as a plain - or RV made like the Arabah. Jerusalem is to be lifted up, such that it will be elevated above the surrounding hills. From his vantage point on this very high mountain, Ezekiel was able, in vision, to survey the land stretched out before him. Towards the south, he saw the temple of the Age to come. But first of all, before the temple is described, we are introduced to Ezekiel s companion, who showed the temple to the prophet. 23 This may refer to the city that Ezekiel was shown in vision in Ezekiel 48:15-22, The city was situated within the holy oblation to the south. See diagram on page Ezekiel 40:2 Isaiah 2:2 Genesis 22:2; 1 Chronicles 21:18; 2 Chronicles 3:1 1 Chronicles 6:60 28 Joshua 15:21,32 33

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