The Glory of the Lord

The temple of God in Jerusalem was destroyed by the kingdom of Babylon when it conquered Judah. It was rebuilt after the Jewish exile ended, but the new temple was smaller and less grand than the former. Herod the Great ordered a massive renovation of the temple, which began in about 20 B.C., and construction continued until about A.D. 64. However, the temple was once again destroyed, this time by the Romans, in A.D. 70.

The Bible says that the visible presence of God, sometimes called the Shekhinah glory, was manifest above the portable sanctuary the Israelites had during their wanderings in the desert and in the early days of the nation of Israel; that presence also dwelled at the temple built by Solomon. The prophet Ezekiel sees this presence depart from the temple in a vision he has prior to the destruction by Babylon.

The Bible does not record the presence of God returning to the temple even after it is rebuilt. Though Jesus came into Herod’s temple during His ministry, there is no record of a pillar of cloud or fire resting on any temple after the days of Babylon.

Yet Ezekiel has another vision of a rebuilt temple that runs through most of the latter part of his book. In chapter 43, he sees the “glory of the God of Israel” return to this temple. That there is no biblical or historical evidence of this happening demonstrates that the temple Ezekiel saw in vision never became a reality.

However, the Bible does promise that the presence of God will again dwell with His people. In the New Jerusalem, the city of heaven, God’s people will dwell with God Himself forever. Though Ezekiel’s vision never became a reality on Earth, it acts as a prophecy of the heavenly kingdom to come.

Key Bible Texts

And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. (Revelation 21:22 KJV)