Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks
Through His Servants the Prophets

Volume II: Restoration & Redemption

Lesson 5 Ezekiel’s Vision of a New Temple
the Book of Ezekiel 36:22–28
the Book of Ezekiel 37:1–14
the Book of Ezekiel 38:1–9
the Book of Ezekiel 39:21–27
the Book of Ezekiel 40:1–5
the Book of Ezekiel 42:15
the Book of Ezekiel 42:20
the Book of Ezekiel 43:1–8
the Book of Ezekiel 44:1–16
the Book of Ezekiel 47:1–12

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
next lesson: Obadiah’s Oracles Against Edom

This online supplemental material coordinates with the lesson on pages 37–44 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

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“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
—the Book of Isaiah 55:10–11 (RSVCE)**

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welcome to Volume II of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume II of this Turning to God’s Word two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption contains 23 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 28-lesson Volume I: A Kingdom Divided also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

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open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the Book of Lamentations 1:1, the Book of Lamentations 1:17–21, the Book of Lamentations 2:1–2, the Book of Lamentations 2:6, the Book of Lamentations 2:14, the Book of Lamentations 3:19–33, the Book of Lamentations 4:12–13, the Book of Lamentations 4:19–22, the Book of Lamentations 5:1–7, and the Book of Lamentations 5:15–22
Lesson 4 The People Who Remain in Judah Lament Their Tragic Situation looks at the dirges that make up the Book of Lamentations. Although this Old Testament book focuses on mourning what the people have lost, it also functions as prophecy addressed to those who were abandoned after the fall of Jerusalem in 587–586 B.C. In these passionate expressions of sorrow, the inhabitants who remained behind during the Babylonian Exile blame the defeat of Judah on false prophets and sinful priests. Despite the difficulty of their situation, the author of the Book of Lamentations finds reason to hope in deliverance from the LORD. While the biblical author has complete faith that God can turn things around for the descendants of Jacob, he’s by no means certain that God intends to step in.

map notes—Judaism gets its start in Babylon
Prior to the fall of the southern kingdom of Judah in 587–586 B.C., lawful sacrifices at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem were the most visible sign of religious observance of the covenant. After destruction of the Temple, the descendants of Jacob held in captivity in Babylon turned to the law of Moses written in the books of the Torah, which they’d taken with them into Exile. By sending Ezekiel as a prophet to these people banished from their homeland, the LORD demonstrates that neither the law nor God are bound by geography. It’s during the Babylonian Exile that the law-based religion of Judaism begins to gain traction with the descendants of Jacob, who start to see the necessity of holding up their end of God’s covenant. Click on the map (right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 43 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. 

where is the Arabah?
In the Book of Ezekiel 47:8, the prophet’s guide describes the flow of water from the new Temple in Ezekiel’s vision: “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the stagnant waters of the sea, the water will become fresh.” The Arabah can be differentiated from the region known as the Negeb or Negev, which also is located near the Dead Sea, only farther south. The word Arabah comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to crisscross” or “to traverse,” and the name Negeb or Negev comes from a Hebrew word meaning “dry.” A map showing the locations of both the Arabah and the Negeb can be found on page 10 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, and also on the online study page for Lesson 1 How the Divided Kingdom Came to an End. Our online glossary contains entries for every proper noun included in the biblical text for every lesson in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption—and this includes the proper names of locations as well as of people.

God enforces the terms of his covenant (01:09:06)
In the video overview for Lesson 5, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses an unusual event described in this section of the Book of Ezekiel in which God enforces the underlying terms of his covenant with his people. While the reward of the covenant is much greater than the cost, there nevertheless is a cost—something the Israelites have been quick to ignore. What do you see as that cost for Ezekiel’s audience? As much as God loves and cares about his people, he cares about all people. When the descendants of Jacob fail to keep their end of the covenant, they’re also unable to help others to establish a right relationship with God. Consider ways in which this Old Testament idea might be relevant for present-day Christians.

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. You can follow along as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 5, “Ezekiel’s Vision of a New Temple,” on pages 37–44 in the study book.

a study leader comments about the video
A study leader digging into Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption shared her thoughts about the video that accompanies this lesson. We’re reprinting her words here in the hope that others might be encouraged to watch Matthew’s free videos related to this and to our other Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies.

comment: I watched the video for Lesson 5, and what stood out for me was our need to build the proper walls to set ourselves apart and keep things holy—to keep out the things and people that need to be left out, and to dedicate and consecrate our lives so God can take up residence and give us his life. I liked learning about the difference between salt water, associated with death, and fresh water, which gives life. Matthew’s comment at the end acknowledging that the Book of Ezekiel is challenging and complicated was comforting.

presbyters—you could look it up in our archives
The Book of Ezekiel 1:3 clearly identifies the prophet as a priest. The importance of Ezekiel’s priestly background becomes more apparent in the fortieth through forty-eighth chapters, in which the prophet is preoccupied with liturgical concerns. In Lost in Translation, an online column that can help readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps looks at the Greek root of the word “presbyters,” which has become synonymous as a term for Catholic priests. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about ministry as a punishment?
In the present-day Church, ministry as a service to others often is viewed as a privilege, so reading the prophet’s words in which he describes such ministry as a punishment for sin can sometimes catch Christians by surprise. The Book of Ezekiel 44:10-11 records God’s word spoken through his prophet Ezekiel: “But the Levites who went far from me, going astray from me after their idols when Israel went astray, shall bear their punishment. They shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the Temple, and serving in the Temple; they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall attend on the people, to serve them.”

?  What group of Levites specifically is singled out by Ezekiel to serve as priests?
?  What have the members of this group done that God considers bestowing upon them this duty?
?  Read the book of Exodus 28:1–3. What specific group of Levites originally were chosen by God to serve as priests? You can learn more about the establishment of the hereditary priesthood in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.
?  How does this new distinction made by the prophet Ezekiel differ?
?  What does this suggest about the service of the priesthood in the present-day Church?
?  What might God hope to accomplish by designating that those Levites who previously chose to worship idols now be required to serve a ministers to the people?

a doctor of the Church interprets the writings of Ezekiel
St. Bonaventure, an Italian Franciscan who lived from 1221 to 1254, was declared a doctor of the Church in 1588. His theology is notable for attempting to integrate faith and reason. St. Bonaventure interpreted the statement about the closed gate in the Book of Ezekiel 44:2–3 as a prophecy of the Incarnation, seeing the gate as the Virgin Mary and the prince as Jesus. Similar imagery is found in a saying by another saint, Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori: “No one can enter heaven unless by Mary, as though through a door.” The theological concept that God gave the Blessed Virgin Mary to humanity to act as our gate into heaven is based on this idea.

biblical vocabulary—vindicate
In the Book of Ezekiel 36:23-24, the prophet announces that the LORD intends to vindicate the holiness of his name. The word vindicate frequently shows up in Old Testament prophecy, and it means “to acquit,” “to clear,” “to absolve,” “to free from blame”, or “to exonerate.” In the passage from the Book of Ezekiel, why does God wish to clear his name? How does God plan to enact this vindication?

Q&A—what’s behind the question about the LORD’s destination?
A participant in this study has asked for clarification regarding Question 6 on page 43 in the study book. That set of questions is based on the Book of Ezekiel 43:1–8. In the video overview for this lesson, author Matthew Phelps discusses practical application of the same biblical text.

Q: The Book of Ezekiel 43:4 records: “the glory of the LORD entered the Temple by the gate facing east.” Question 6 in the study book asks about the significance of the glory of the LORD entering from that direction, and also instructs us if necessary to read Psalm 19:2–7 [Editor’s note: The study book refers to The Abbey Psalms and Canticles* translation, which isn’t available online; our website study pages link to the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE), which is numbered slightly differently as Psalm 19:1-6, translated as “In [the heavens God] has set a tent for the sun; which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and there is nothing hid from its heat.” I thought that the destination of the glory of the LORD is the Temple, and the directional significance is that God comes from the east. God and his throne are returning to the Temple through the door on the east because that’s the direction from which God left when he abandoned the former Temple, something the prophet described in the Book of Ezekiel 10:18.

what Matthew says:  You’re right that the LORD’s destination in this passage from the Book of Ezekiel is the newly built Temple. Underlying all of the prophet’s attention to this new Temple is a pretty big question for Christians to ponder: If this Temple in Ezekiel’s vision is so important, and if God is going to dwell in it forever, where is it now? Psalm 19 compares God to a bridegroom and to the sun, which suggests the ancient understanding of humanity’s absolute dependence on the sun for life. It might emphasize as well that God not only controls the regular appearance of the sun every day but also guarantees that because the sun can be observed in the east each morning, so the LORD can be counted on not to abandon his people. This is a message that probably would have resonated well with Ezekiel’s audience exiled in Babylon.

Christians see a foreshadowing of the Gospel According to John 3:29 in the comparison  there between Jesus and a bridegroom. The bridegroom image suggests that God wants an intimate and personal relationship with his people. You can learn more about that comparison in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.

The First Letter to the Corinthians 6:19 in the New Testament is explicit about how this works for Christians: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God?”

?  Where does this indicate that Paul (the author of the First Letter to the Corinthians) thinks is the most holy place for God to dwell?
?  What kind of take-away application do you get from watching the relevant section of the video overview for the lesson?  

read the Catechism—what is the Holy Spirit?
The fascinating account in the thirty-seventh chapter of the Book of Ezekiel describes the prophet following God’s instructions and calling upon the Holy Spirit to impart life to dry bones. This instance of the LORD handing over divine power of the performative word to a human prophet can be difficult to grasp. It doesn’t help that the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is such a mystery, but paragraph 687 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes an attempt to clarify some details. Paragraphs 687 through 747 comprise an entire section of the Catechism devoted to Church teaching about the Holy Spirit.   

687     “‘No one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.’ Now God’s Spirit, who reveals God, makes known to us Christ, his Word, his living Utterance, but the Spirit does not speak of himself. The Spirit who ‘has spoken through the prophets’ makes us hear the Father’s Word, but we do not hear the Spirit himself. We know him only in the movement by which he reveals the Word to us and disposes us to welcome him in faith. The Spirit of truth who ‘unveils’ Christ to us ‘will not speak on his own.^‘ Such properly divine self-effacement explains why ‘the world cannot receive [him], because it neither sees him nor knows him,’ while those who believe in Christ know the Spirit because he dwells with them.”

how is this relevant?
Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption devotes two very different lessons to the writings of the prophet Ezekiel. Scholars often see the Book of Ezekiel in two parts, and the last of his oracles are dated around 571 B.C. The first thirty-nine chapters describe details about the prophet and his life (chapters thirty-three through thirty-seven sometimes are termed the “book of consolation”), and the last nine chapters look at Ezekiel’s interest in liturgy and the priesthood. This second lesson on the Book of Ezekiel is important to our overview of Old Testament prophecy because of the apocalyptic nature of Ezekiel’s vision of the new Temple, many details of which show up in later books of the Bible.

?  The prophet Ezekiel also describes the beginning of the framework of the Christian Church. Read the Book of Ezekiel 37:1–14. Exactly how are the dry bones in this account restored to life?
?  How is Ezekiel directly involved?
?  In what way can Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones coming back to life be understood to foreshadow the present-day Church?
?  What examples of performative speech—words that when spoken bring about the effect that they profess—can be seen at work in the Church today?

ex libris—Ezekiel provides a foundation for Christian prayer
In The Our Father: A New Reading, Gerhard Lohfink points out that the background for the rather archaic idea of hallowing God’s name can be found in the writings of Ezekiel. Lohfink, a professor of New Testament exegesis in Germany, draws attention to the Book of Ezekiel 36:23, which provides the only instance in the Old Testament in which the statement that the divine name will be hallowed has God as the active subject. At ex libris—main bookshelf, you can read an excerpt and learn more about this and other works related to Bible study.

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the following passages from this lesson: the Book of Ezekiel 38:1–9, the Book of Ezekiel 39:21–27, the Book of Ezekiel 40:1–5, the Book of Ezekiel 42:15, the Book of Ezekiel 42:20, the Book of Ezekiel 43:1–8, the Book of Ezekiel 44:1–16, and the Book of Ezekiel 47:1–12.

the Book of Ezekiel 36:1–38—paragraphs 64, 2811
the Book of Ezekiel 36:25–27—paragraph 1287
the Book of Ezekiel 36:25–28—paragraph 715
the Book of Ezekiel 36:26—paragraph 368
the Book of Ezekiel 36:26–27—paragraph 1432
the Book of Ezekiel 37:1–14—paragraph 715
the Book of Ezekiel 37:10—paragraph 703

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

to learn more, read more Scripture
It can help to check out the cross references listed in Scripture, but looking them up is time-consuming. To make that part easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page accompanying this study, and it includes links to each of the cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following links are to readings from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open one of the links and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV readings provide an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the Book of Ezekiel 36:22–28 (NIV)
the Book of Ezekiel 37:1–14 (NIV)
the Book of Ezekiel 38:1–9 (NIV)
the Book of Ezekiel 39:21–27 (NIV)
the Book of Ezekiel 40:1–5 (NIV)
the Book of Ezekiel 42:15 (NIV)
the Book of Ezekiel 42:20 (NIV)
the Book of Ezekiel 43:1–8 (NIV)
the Book of Ezekiel 44:1–16 (NIV)
the Book of Ezekiel 47:1–12 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers you can follow our four easy steps, or you can use the following  prayer based on this lesson’s biblical texts.

Lord God, you make known your holy name to all the nations.
Fulfill your promise to replace our stony hearts
with hearts of flesh and to place your Spirit within us
so that we may walk in your statutes, observe your ordinances,
and dwell with you as your people.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ
and in union with the Holy Spirit. Amen

Lesson 6 Obadiah’s Oracles Against Edom—the Book of Obadiah 1:1–21
Lesson 4 The People Who Remain in Judah Lament Their Tragic Situation—the Book of Lamentations 1:1, the Book of Lamentations 1:17–21, the Book of Lamentations 2:1–2, the Book of Lamentations 2:6, the Book of Lamentations 2:14, the Book of Lamentations 3:19–33, the Book of Lamentations 4:12–13, the Book of Lamentations 4:19–22, the Book of Lamentations 5:1–7, and the Book of Lamentations 5:15–22

you also may like our study of the book of Revelation
The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness, a 23-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, examines ways in which our traditional Christian view of heaven is built on Hebrew apocalyptic visions recorded in the Old Testament. This recently revised study includes maps and additional commentary and takes a close look at the role of the prophets in present-day Christianity. Illustrations by Tami Palladino depict the often-misunderstood images in the book of Revelation. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

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start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. You can find information on this website about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer your questions and address any of your concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

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*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. A handful of more significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSVCE and RSV2CE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.

**The Book of Isaiah 55:10-11 (RSV2CE) reads: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”