While the issue of canonicity are extremely important, merely discarding a book simply on the ground that one doesn’t understand it ought not be the reason of it’s dismissal. Unless one can demonstrate that the book does not fit the criteria, as in does it conflict with established doctrine or have any obviously heretical material, then we ought to give the benefit of doubt.
After having examined the text, I come to some observations that sem to reinforce the idea that Ezekiel’s Temple is the Third Temple (assuming that what is meant by the Third Temple is the Millenial Temple). From what I understand, and I admit I hadn’t had time to compare measurements, the dimensions of the Ezekiel Temple does not correspond with either Solomon’s or Herod’s Temple, so the assumption is that it refers to a future structure, presumably place on the same site as the formers. Ezekiel does spent quite a bit of time with exacting measurements, as if he fully expected to be built to those instructions.
Ezekiel 40 begins with a vision, where he is taken up high on a mountain facing the city, and greeted by a man (assumed to be an angelic being based of his brazen appearance) with a reed prepared to measure the house or temple area, which seems to parallel the measuring of the city in Revelation. Skipping over the measurement parts and description of the temple structure, we see in Ezekiel 42:13-14 that there will actually be animal sacrifices and other purification rituals to be performed by the priests. From a Christian perspective, this seems like a step backwards from the sacrifice of Christ. But from a Jewish perspective, it would absolutely be expected that God remember His Covenant with Israel and reinstitute the ritual sacrifices in Messianic anticipation. In Ezekiel 43, we have the Shekinah Glory filling the temple, something that hasn’t happened even in Herod’s time, perhaps as far back as Solomon. Notice verse 7:
“And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.”
One gets a sense that the victory of Armegeddon has already taken place. The kings of the earth are laid waste. And the house of Israel shall no more be defiled, by the AntiChrist or otherwise. But notice what it says in verses 9-1:
*“Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.
Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.
And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.” *
Seems to me like the similiar pattern we see in Rev. 21:24 with the repentant nations coming forth.
But the kicker for me, and I was quite delighted reading it for the first time, is found in Ezekiel 47, with the description of a healing river and trees on each side of the river with fruit borne monthly and leaves for medicine (for the healing of the nations no doubt).
Either John plagerized Ezekiel or he saw just what Ezekiel saw. Either way, if we dismiss Ezekiel as canonical, then we might just as well toss out Revelation, which I’m sure some here would agree. 