Ezekiel's Temple Fulfilled in Christ

The connection between Paul's depiction of the living temple in Ephesians 2 and Ezekiel's visionary temple in Ezekiel 47 is an example of the deep and complex intertextuality within Scripture, particularly how New Testament writers engage with Old Testament images and prophecies. In both passages, themes of God's presence, the people of God, and the expansive, inclusive nature of God's redemptive work are central.

Ephesians 2: The Living Temple

In Ephesians 2:19-22, Paul describes Gentile believers as no longer strangers and aliens but as fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. This imagery progresses to describe the church as a building founded on the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone. In Him, the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. Additionally, the believers are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. This metaphor underscores the transformative work of the Gospel that breaks down barriers between Jews and Gentiles, uniting them into one new man in Christ, and creating a spiritual edifice where God dwells by His Spirit.

Ezekiel 47: The Visionary Temple

Ezekiel's vision in chapter 47, particularly the river flowing from the temple, symbolizes the life-giving presence of God emanating from His holy dwelling place. The waters grow deeper and wider as they flow out, bringing life to wherever they go, even to the Dead Sea, where they turn the salty waters fresh, allowing life to flourish. This vision is rich with eschatological significance, depicting the temple not just as a physical location but as a source of life and healing, with an expansive reach that transforms the landscape.

Connecting the Themes

1. Presence of God: Both texts emphasize the presence of God among His people—Ezekiel through the life-giving river flowing from the temple, and Paul through the Spirit dwelling in the community of believers. This presence signifies God's ongoing relationship with His people and His active role in sustaining and sanctifying them.

2. Expansion and Inclusion: Ezekiel's river brings life to all it touches, symbolizing the spread of God's sanctifying grace to all nations, not just Israel. Similarly, Paul speaks of the inclusion of the Gentiles into the previously Jewish-centric covenant community, illustrating the Gospel's power to transcend cultural and national boundaries, making one new humanity from the two.

3. Theological and Redemptive Reality: Paul's use of temple imagery aligns with Progressive Covenantalism by showing how the realities foreshadowed in the Old Testament—God's dwelling among His people and the temple as a place of meeting between God and man—are fulfilled in Christ and His church. The church as the living temple fulfills the symbolic intent of the Old Testament temple, which is portrayed in its ultimate form in Ezekiel’s vision.

John 2:21 - Jesus' Body, the Temple of God

The connection between the concept of the temple in John 2:21, where Jesus refers to His body as the temple, and the broader biblical theme of the temple as discussed in Ephesians 2 and Ezekiel 47, further enriches our understanding of temple imagery across Scripture. This connection highlights the person and work of Christ as central to the theological and redemptive transformations within the biblical narrative.

In John 2:19-21, Jesus challenges the Jewish leaders by stating, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Gospel writer clarifies that Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body. This statement occurs in the context of Jesus cleansing the physical temple, signaling a profound shift from the physical and geographical locus of God's presence to a personal and relational embodiment in Christ Himself. By identifying His body as the temple, Jesus asserts that He Himself is now the focal point of God's presence, the true meeting place between God and humanity.

Integration with Ephesians 2 and Ezekiel 47

1. The Fulfillment of the Temple in Christ: Jesus declaring His body as the temple is a direct fulfillment of the symbolic role the temple played throughout the Old Testament. It was the central place of God's presence, sacrifice, and atonement. Jesus embodies all these aspects, providing the ultimate sacrifice and serving as the mediator between God and man. In Ephesians 2, Paul expands this by showing that the church, united in Christ, functions collectively as the temple, built upon the foundation of Jesus, the chief cornerstone.

2. The Living Temple and the Indwelling Spirit: Both Ephesians 2 and John 2 highlight a transition from a static, physical structure to a dynamic, living reality. Jesus embodies the temple that is then raised in three days—signifying His resurrection—which in turn lays the foundation for believers to be built into a spiritual house. This ties into Ezekiel 47, where the temple is depicted as a source of life-giving water, symbolizing the Spirit’s outpouring from Jesus to give life to the world.

3. Expansion of Temple Theology: Ezekiel's vision of the temple, with its river bringing life to all it touches, can be seen as prophetic of the way Jesus, through His death and resurrection, brings the life-giving presence of God to all nations. This universal reach of the temple's influence mirrors the global and inclusive nature of the church as described by Paul in Ephesians. The temple is no longer confined to a specific location but is now a people among whom God dwells by His Spirit.

4. Progressive Revelation and Covenantal Fulfillment: The progressive revelation from physical temple to Christ and then to the church illustrates the unfolding plan of redemption. The temple, initially a building in Jerusalem, is redefined by Jesus as His body and further extended to His body of believers. This development encapsulates Progressive Covenantalism's theme of redemptive historical fulfillment, where Jesus fulfills and transcends Old Testament types and shadows.

In conclusion, Jesus' identification of His body as the temple in John 2:21 profoundly integrates with and illuminates temple imagery elsewhere in Scripture. It underscores the continuity and discontinuity within God’s unfolding redemptive plan, showing that Christ’s work on the cross and His resurrection are the climactic fulfillment of the temple’s typological and prophetic significance, with practical and theological implications for the identity and mission of the church as the living temple today.