[HOME] [INDEX OF ARTICLES ] [ COPYRIGHT INFORMATION ] [ ABOUT US ] [CONTACT ]



          THE PROBLEM OF MESSIANIC JUDAISM

          APPENDIX: PART 1

           

           

          EZEKIEL’S TEMPLE VISION AND THE RECONSTRUCTIONIST DILEMMA101

           

           

          This appendix addresses in more detail the problematic issues of reconstructionist interpretation of Ezekiel’s temple vision.102 Reconstructionists use the vision’s millennial aspects to import forward to that time the Old Covenant-style sacrificial system Ezekiel witnesses relative to the temple.

           

          On the surface, this appears as the obvious way to interpret the vision (the teaching of Hebrews notwithstanding).  But when studied out in light of the changeabilities surrounding and incorporated into the vision, the “obvious” meaning proves to be unsupportable, while other factors prove it to be the wrong meaning.  

           

          We start by reviewing the vision relative to the truths of the Cosmologic Temple Array presented in the main treatise, giving special attention to Ezekiel’s perspective. (It is important to read point 7 in the treatise before reading this appendix.) From there, we’ll examine the specific problems borne out from that greater light.

           

           

          Ezekiel’s Vision in (Through-) Perspective

           

          Ezekiel’s vision is a dual layered cross-age vision of reality pertaining to God’s temple. We have called this the Cosmological Temple Array. It is comprised of timeless heavenly reality superimposed on (layered over) temporal earthly reality. (“Heavenly” does not mean “without substance”, but glorified substance not yet visible, employable or applicable in the earthly realm.) At the same time, the vision speaks partly to a future age and partly to Ezekiel’s immediate (historic) time.

           

          All together, the vision projects a dynamic relationship between the earthly and heavenly elements along which is strung a development of manifestation from natural to glorified (heavenly) reality on earth. A cross-sectional diagram of it might look like this:

          [Note: Conspicuously absent from Ezekiel’s vision is the central dimension of the Incarnational Temple, described previously as part of the Array. That dimension lies squarely at the center of this diagram between the earthly and Heavenly dimensions, and between Ezekiel’s time and the Millennial Age. But it is not included because Ezekiel did not see it. That he did not see it proves critical to correctly interpreting his vision.]

           

           

           

           

          While the above diagram presents a good side view of the vision’s components, Ezekiel does not receive the vision from this perspective. Ezekiel’s view is from a position behind the line of developing manifestation that looks up through the superimposed layers across time—using what we are calling “Through-perspective:”

           

           

          From Ezekiel’s angle (and the Lord’s on the other end looking down), the heavenly and earthly layers and their time frames of manifestation are nearly indistinguishable. (For instance, when speaking of “My temple,” the Lord speaks of His heavenly temple and Israel’s copy of it as if they were the same temple. See 43:7-8; 44:6-9). 

           

          &&&&&&&&&&

           

          To understand the vision, we must differentiate the earthly and heavenly elements and perceive the developmental dynamic between them from earthly toward glorified manifestation. God’s plan and process is one of forward transformational movement from split earthly / heavenly reality toward a finally recreated and wedded “heaven on earth.” This motion begins in the earthly, occurs across time and is marked by dispensations. It is a given of scripture. And it accords with the proposition of developing manifestation from Natural to Eternal Israel in these treatises.

           

          The challenge of Ezekiel’s vision is to interpret its meaning with respect to this cosmologic interplay and development, as well as to factor in the Incarnational Temple—something that reconstructionist Messianism nevertheless fails to do to its own hurt.

           

           

          A Microcosm of Scripture’s Cosmic Transformation Story

           

          Using a different frame of reference, Ezekiel’s vision is a microcosm of the vaster surrounding Scripture portrayal of cosmic transformation inside which it is found. A single incomplete “mini vision” within the body of the greater scriptural presentation, the vision can only be correctly interpreted by the greater scriptural body (—a body which includes a temple dimension unseen by Ezekiel) The greater body cannot be interpreted by the single vision within it (—which can only lead to dismissing the validity of the Incarnational Temple as pure Judaism does).

           

          Also, because God’s revelation is progressive, we must recognize that what He reveals later in the cosmologic development becomes the standard for interpreting what He reveals earlier.

           

          All of this means that, for a sound understanding of Ezekiel, we must accommodate Ezekiel to the overarching, later developed truths of covenantal transfer regarding the unseen Incarnational Temple as taught by Yeshua Himself and the apostles, as well as to John’s Revelation.103  We may not conform the macro apostolic truth of covenantal transfer to Ezekiel’s earlier micro-vision.

           

          Regenerative perception interprets Ezekiel inside the larger cosmologic development borne out of Scripture’s entirety. And it interprets Ezekiel by the further more developed revelation of the apostles, all of which supersedes Ezekiel’s revelation in the revelational continuum.

           

          Messianic reconstructionism however uses Ezekiel’s vision to “rein in” the cosmologic development furthered by the apostles. It interprets the Whole by Ezekiel’s small incomplete part, and the later more developed by the earlier less developed. To do this, Messianism must resort to tortured interpretations of the apostles to “fit” its undifferentiated view of Ezekiel.

           

          &&&&&&&&&&

           

          By failing to respect the cosmologic development by which it justifies its own existence past Judaism, and by a tunnel focused attempt to interpret the whole by the part, Messianism’s platform for interpreting Ezekiel (and all the prophets) is ultimately self-destructive to its own belief structure—as we will proceed to show.

           

          In point 7 of the main treatise, we described the central fatal flaw to the Messianic interpretation of Ezekiel due to that Ezekiel did not see the Incarnational Temple, the only “temple” Yeshua personally said He was to build. But Messianic interpretation suffers from numerous other problems, even without regard to not accounting for the Incarnational Temple. This appendix will elaborate on those additional problems.

           

           

          NEXT – APPENDIX: PART 2: SIX QUANDARIES



          [BACK TO TREATISE INDEX]

          [RETURN TO A TRANSCENDENTAL PRESENTATION OF ISRAEL]

          [BACK TO TOP]



          [HOME]

           

           

           


          101 I am indebted to the work of Jon Partin of the U.K. for his extremely detailed and insightful exposition of Ezekiel’s temple vision.  Though Jon’s work is written from the amillennialist perspective, it is nonetheless the best work I have seen to date on explaining the actual events of the vision and their connections to the wider Hebrew Mosaic system. His insights form the basis of some of the arguments in this treatise. Jon’s study [was originally sourced] at http://uk.geocities.com/jonpartin/ezekiele.html

            

          102 We will not focus in this appendix on the regenerative solution already presented in the body of the main treatise under point 7.

           

          103 The concept of superseding revelation is taught by Yeshua when He refers to Himself as “a greater than Solomon” is here. He could have as easily said “a greater than Moses is here” or “a greater than Ezekiel is here.” That the revelation of Christ, including the apostolic teaching built on that revelation, is greater than Ezekiel is without question. If it is not, then there is no reason to believe that Yeshua is “greater than Moses” either.