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In chapters 8-11 of Ezekiel, we find the presence of the Lord leaving the temple. This was symbolic of what was about to happen to the people as their protection was removed and they were carried off into exile. Here, the opposite is taking place. His presence is returning. Compare the description of God’s return here with passages from Revelation…
and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east. And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.
Ezekiel 43:2 NASB
And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.
Revelation 14:2 NASB
And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
Revelation 21:23 NASB
In Chapter 41, I hinted that the prophecies toward the end of Ezekiel had not yet been fulfilled. Specifically, the measurements of the temple were not ever followed once Israel returned to their land. But here in Chapter 43, God reveals why those details were spoken.
“As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the plan. 11 “If they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the house, its structure, its exits, its entrances, all its designs, all its statutes, and all its laws. And write it in their sight, so that they may observe its whole design and all its statutes and do them.
Ezekiel 43:10-11 NASB
God’s plan for Israel was repentance and holiness. The new temple was a reminder of all they had lost through their continual sinful behavior. However, God promises an absolute end to the sinful behavior of Israel.
He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry and by the corpses of their kings when they die,
Ezekiel 43:7 NASB
So, to make sense of all of this, many scholars have leaned toward a literal understanding of this unfulfilled prophecy which could possibly be describing the millennial kingdom after the Second Coming of Christ. The temple itself would be the millennial temple in which God would once again gather Israel to worship Him without sin. However, this theory is not without its problems. Another possible scenario is a symbolic application that illustrates how important God’s presence is for our holiness. Without the Holy Spirit filling our temple, we will never have the capacity to produce spiritual fruit and turn from sin once and for all.