"On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing" (vs. 12). Now, doesn't this sound familiar? Where else have we heard something like this?
If you have read Revelation 22, you might remember these words: "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations" (vs. 1 and 2).
The similarities between these texts could lead one to speculate that Ezekiel's vision is of a heavenly temple. Perhaps it was never meant to be built on Earth, but is a picture of what awaits us in eternity? That is a possibility, but we have a number of problems remaining, such as Revelation also telling us that there will be no temple in heaven and Ezekiel's description of the ongoing practice of animal sacrifice for sin. It's hard to square these details.
Without trying to solve this problem completely, it is certainly evident that Ezekiel's vision shares elements in common with heaven. A miraculous river that flows through the city. Leaves that are perpetually in season and used for healing. For reasons like this, it's no wonder that many scholars recognize a strong connection between the books of Ezekiel and Revelation.
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