Ezekiel’s Prophecy of the Temple
By Randall Price
One of the most crucial texts for the futurist interpretation of prophecy concerning Israel is the
vision of the prophet Ezekiel in chapters 40-48. In this text the prophet presents God’s instructions for
the construction of a new Temple to be built as part of the promise of Israel’s divine restoration. The
concern of the exiles, as exemplified by Daniel’s prayer, was for a literal rebuilding of both the city of
Jerusalem and its Temple (Daniel 9:3-19). Ezekiel’s prophecy of the Temple, delivered to these exiles,
should be interpreted in light of this literal concern. Recognizing that the Second Temple constructed by
the Jewish remnant that returned from the Exile (538-515 B.C.) did not implement Ezekiel’s detailed
plan, Futurism, therefore, interprets the literal fulfillment of this prophecy eschatologically with the
erection of a restoration Temple in the earthly Millennial Kingdom. This text is crucial to futurism
because if literal interpretation fails with respect to this prophecy, then there is no reason to insist on a
literal interpretation of any Old Testament prophecy, including messianic prophecy, which is an
inseparable part of the restoration prophecies.
Despite this caution, the symbolic interpretation of this portion of Ezekiel’s prophecy is the
dominant view advanced by critical scholars and conservative non-futurists (historicists, preterists,
idealists) based on their contention that prophetic visions employ apocalyptic language that uses the
literary device of hyperbole (exaggerated speech) to convey idealistic or symbolic, rather than literal,
concepts. Therefore, non-futurists explain that the reason why the builders of the Second Temple did not
follow Ezekiel’s plans for the Temple was because the Jewish audience understood apocalyptic as
symbolic rather than literal. However, the symbolic school of interpretation is divided on what this
symbolism was intended to...