Ezekiel's Temple - Not Predictive but Instructional

Some people say Ezekiel's vision of the Temple will literally be fulfilled during a future Millennium or Great Tribulation. That's awkward seeing the Old Covenant with its Levitical priesthood and blood sacrifices has been abolished.

Others say it is symbolic, and was prophetic of the work of God through the Church.

But tonight a third possibility dawned on me: it wasn't written as a prophecy of a certain future event, rather it was written as instructions for Israel returning from captivity. Whether or not Israel obeyed it to the letter is another matter.

The instructions about the Temple are not worded like a prediction; rather, it is written like instructions. Ezekiel saw the pattern in a vision, similar to how Moses was shown a pattern for the tabernacle while in the mountain, and how David was given the pattern for the Temple by the Spirit. Some of it was obviously symbolic, like the part about the river flowing from under the threshold of the Temple. This represented the blessing that Israel was meant to be, if Israel had obeyed God. It also represents the blessing that true Israel - the believing and faithful - succeeded at becoming.

Moses gave instructions to Israel before entering the land. It was necessary therefore that Israel again be given instructions upon re-entering the land after the Babylonian captivity.

A prophet's instructions led Israel into the land; a prophet's instructions would lead them to re-enter the land.

Moses and Ezekiel's instructions alike included instructions about the house of God, the service of the house and the division of the land.

In the first instance, no strangers were given inheritance; but in the second instance they were to. Israel had been softened through their time in captivity.

Israel did seek to follow these instructions through Ezra and Nehemiah. How far the nation co-operated with them and completed the task is another matter. But Ezekiel's vision gave them their blueprint.

God said He would again bring the Jews to the land. They would be purified. He would again require their offerings. They and their rulers would again serve him again without wickedness, potentially. And potentially forever. We now know that only the remnant of the believing and faithful did so to the full extent. But all the prophets predicted that would be the outcome - the remnant, the true Israel, would inherit what was promised, along with believing Gentiles, rather than the nation as a whole.

So in summary, it seemed to me tonight upon reading the Book of Ezekiel, that the passage about the Temple was not written as a sure prediction of a future outcome in Israel but as instructions for the nation returning from captivity.

If you buy a model aeroplane kit, and look at the instruction sheet - the sheet is not a prophetic instruction about the future. It's just an instruction sheet! Similarly, the passage about the Temple is not worded like a prediction of the future, but like an instruction sheet. There are other passages in the Prophets which do include specific prediction. Other parts are instruction, not prediction. Ezekiel's Temple is written about instructionally, not predictively.

Just because something was written by a prophet, does not mean it was all predictive. Moses was a prophet, but most of what he wrote was instructional not predictive. Some passages in Ezekiel were intended to be instructional to Israel not predictive to us.

In conclusion, if this is correct, it means we need not look for a future fulfilment of this passage either literally or symbolically.

But spiritually, the spiritual blessings foreshadowed by it are experienced in fulness and in reality and perpetuated in the true Israel, the true house of God, through the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Millenium

The Old Covenant Prophets spoke of the coming of the Messiah and His Kingdom. When Jesus came, He explained the nature of that Kingdom. And the Apostles explained in what manner the Gospel fulfilled prophecy.

The Millenium is not mentioned by name by the Prophets, nor by the Lord, nor by the Apostles in their Epistles. Whatever is meant by the thousand years (mentioned in the Book of Revelation) therefore must be consistent with what is revealed elsewhere about the Kingdom by the Lord and by the Apostles.

So, exactly what does the rest of the Bible say about the Kingdom? It would be a good exercize to take another look at the manner in which the Lord and the Apostles interpreted Biblical prophecy about the Kingdom - and then make the meaning of the 1,000 years mentioned in the Book of Revelation fit it.

Interpretive Licence Regarding the 'Mark' of the Beast

Do you believe God would cast a person into the lake of fire for merely accepting an implant? in order to be able to buy food for his family? Would that in itself be any worse morally than having one's ears pierced? or having a titanium splint implanted? And yet the Bible says that all who had been marked by the beast were seen to be cast into the lake of fire.

The Bible explains that it was only those who had worshiped the beast and his image who were 'marked' by the beast. Participating in barcoding, credit cards or chips however, are not indicative that a participant has worshiped someone or his image (statue, idol).

Also, the way the text of the Bible is worded doesn't necessarily have to be taken to mean that anyone made a choice to receive or refuse the mark - the text can be taken to mean that it was the beast who chose who to mark and whom not to mark based on the criteria of whether or not the person was known to be a worshiper of the beast or seen to be a worshiper of his idol. Textually, that meaning is a possibility.

This reinforces that the issue surrounding the 'mark' was worship - literally worshiping a person or his idol. I don't see worship as the criteria today upon which any politician is deciding to issue or not issue microchips. So far, at least.

Also, the way the text of the Bible is worded does not necessarily mean that the mark was functional. It was merely a mark. The mark was of the beast's name or number. The text does not say that the mark distinguished each individual. It does not say that the mark was something functional in and of itself as a chip would be. The only thing the mark distinguished between was between those who had worshiped the beast and those who had not. Beyond that there was no distinguishing capability between individuals. Worshipers were allowed to buy and sell - non-worshipers were discriminated against.

The Book of Revelation also talks about God's mark in people's foreheads. Where's this mark on your forehead? Since God's 'mark' is understood to be figurative, why do we insist that the beast's 'mark' must be literal? The 'beast' himself is after all not literally a beast but it speaks figuratively of a man.

All of this shows that a large degree of interpretive licence is required by those who insist that the modern microchip must be the mark of the beast. It isn't written in the Bible in black and white like many have been led to think that it is.

I'm not saying that degree of interpretive licence shouldn't be taken - I'm only wanting those who take such licence to acknowledge that that is what they are doing - and to concede that an alternative interpretive model might therefore be just as credible as theirs.

Is the Microchip the Mark of the Beast?

Since when could a microchip be described as a 'mark'? Last time I checked microchips were always implanted invisibly! (Oxford Dictionary: "mark, ...visible sign, stain, spot, or dent on something..." NB 'visible' sign.)

144,000 from Each Tribe

144,000 from the twelve tribes were sealed (in the Book of Revelation). There were 288 singers in David's tabernacle. 144 is half of 288. Does the figure of 144,000 therefore symbolize that it was only a remnant of Israel that was sealed? And yet 144=12x12. It was therefore a complete number, in its own right. The election according to grace hath obtained it, and the rest were hardened. And so [in this manner?] all Israel shall be saved [i.e., the true Israel amongst the Israelites].