Sin and death don’t have the last word. There is hope. Not only do we become new creation in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), but in Jesus Christ, both Jew and Gentile become living stones in the restored Temple (2 Corinthians 3:3, 1 Peter 2:5) where God is there.

Is a future resurrection of the dead part of the teaching of the Book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament? This may seem like an obscure question for Christians living in the twenty-first century. What does a major Israelite prophet from hundreds of years ago have to do with us? When we understand Ezekiel’s vision of resurrection, we not only understand God’s word better, but we have hope for the future because we see that sin and death are not ultimate. But first, let’s establish some ground rules. After establishing what genre we are in, I’ll explain briefly the two kinds of resurrection that we see in Ezekiel chapters 37 and 40–48, and then I’ll briefly apply the text.

What Genre Are We In?

In order to interpret the text of Ezekiel properly, we must ask first, what kind of literature are we reading? The genre of literature can determine if we ought to interpret a text literally or symbolically. If we don’t establish the genre, then it’s as if we are playing a sports game but don’t know what the rules are; do we kick the ball, hit it with a club, or throw it? Chapters 37 and 40–48, which contribute to the teaching on resurrection, must be recognized in the genre of symbolic prophetic visions.

Three features in Ezekiel 40:1-4, characterize this kind of literature. First, note the expression “the hand of the Lord (Yahweh) was upon me.” This phrase is found precisely seven times in Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:3; 3:14; 3:22; 8:1; 33:22; 37:1; 40:1). The first three instances mark the beginning and ending of the first vision in 1–3. The fourth occurrence marks the beginning of the second vision in Ezekiel 8–11. The fifth occurrence marks the end of Ezekiel’s muteness and the fulfillment of all his prophecies concerning the fall of Jerusalem. The sixth instance is at the beginning of the vision of the dry bones. Lastly, the seventh occurrence is at the beginning of the final vision of the restored City/Temple in Ezekiel 40–48. All are key points in the plot structure of Ezekiel.

The second feature that marks Ezekiel 37, 40–48 as symbolic visions is the movement of Ezekiel by the Spirit of God.

• Ezek. 3:12 “the Spirit lifted me up”
• Ezek. 3:14 “the Spirit lifted me up and took me away”
• Ezek. 8:3 “the Spirit lifted me between earth and heaven … and … he took me”
• Ezek. 11:1 “then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me”
• Ezek. 11:24 “the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia in the vision given by the Spirit of God”
• Ezek. 37:01 “he brought me out by the Spirit of Yahweh and set me in … a valley”
• Ezek. 43:05 “he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain”

In Ezekiel 40:1 the text says, “and he brought me there” (i.e., by the Spirit). This, in combination with the instance in Ezekiel 43:5 shows that Ezekiel 40–48 belongs in genre to the same visions we have in Ezekiel 1–3, 8–11, and 37.

The third reason why Ezekiel 37, 40–48 are symbolic visions is in Ezekiel 40:2. It states, “he brought me in visions of God to the land of Israel.” With abstract nouns, the plural in Hebrew often refers to a characteristic or condition.^[1] Moreover, in Ezekiel, ’ĕlōhîm is an appellative or common noun and not a name or proper noun.^[2] So the phrase is best translated “a divine vision.” As Ezekiel scholar Drew N. Grumbles explains, “one better understands the genitive not in terms of content (“I saw God”), but in terms of genre (“I saw a divine vision”).^[3]

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