Ezekiel 40-43 record Ezekiel’s vision of God’s temple. Ezekiel 43:10 specifically states, “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel.” These chapters furnish the dimensions of the walls, the gates, the chambers, the courts, the steps, the furniture, the hooks, the doorposts, the sanctuary, etc. If the gate of the temple is referring to Mary’s virginity, what are the symbolic interpretations of all the rest the descriptions? We do not believe Ezekiel 44:2 is about the Virgin Mary.
When studying the Bible, a good principle to follow is to find other scriptures on the same topic. If one believes something is a symbol or picture, then interpretation of those symbolic scriptures should not conflict with other concrete Bible verses. 2 Peter 1:20, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation.” This means a person can’t say, “to me this means” and then disregard the rest of the Bible.
Matthew 13:55, 56 specifically declares that Mary did have other children after she gave birth to Jesus. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us?” There are no scriptures which teach that Mary remained a virgin subsequent to Jesus’ birth.
