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In the New Testament the temple always refers to the body of believers; whether that is how to understand the temple Ezekiel measured or not I don't yet know.
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Why would God give specific measurements if they were not meant literally? We also have a literal temple mentioned in Revelation. Perhaps you are forcing your theology into the Bible where it doesn't fit. The Bible in various places teaches an endtimes temple.
How does an Pope defile God's temple of believers? He can't - that is a spiritual temple that only the Holy Spirit can dwell in.
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Isn't this a common pattern for prophecy? More than one fulfillment, and both don't have to be physical fulfillments.
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There is no such things as a fulfillment of prophecy that is not literal (how could you ever know if it was fulfilled then or not? You couldn't - beyond guesswork or making something mean whatever you wanted it to). Even prophetic types are still fulfilled literally. Eg. Jesus being the Lamb of God that would take away our sins - He was still literally sacrificed for our sins.
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What is the Biblical basis for placing this temple in the "millennium" and if it is to be built by the Lord or His people why couldn't it be figurative of His people? As I say, I don't have a certain answer to this: ALL I know is that a literal temple after Christ has come would be blasphemy.
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I have a real hard time listening to people denying something in the Bible and then stating it would be blasphemy if such and such were true. The cultists do that with an eternal Hell and the suffering of the wicked. Some Calvinists do that with some of their teachings about predestination. Before you start making claims that something is blasphemy, you better make sure you study out the Bible and know clearly what it says. Ezekiel quite clearly indicates it will be a literal, physical temple that God gives dimensions for, refers to the servants of, the (memorial) sacrifices in it, its location, etc. In the same chapters also describes a literal dividing of the land of Israel - doesn't make sense to have so many literal things referred to, and then spend about 5 or 6 chapters describing the dimensions of the temple, etc. if He didn't mean them to be taken literally as well.
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I don't know the answer to that. All I know is what I've been saying, that after Christ has died for our sins it is no longer needed.
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There will still be animal sacrifices in the Millenium, according to Ezekiel - we can't base our theology on "it shouldn't be." That is why above I used the word "memorial" in reference to these sacrifices, as I think that has to be the purpose for them. Either way, Ezekiel makes it very clear that it will be God's temple, where sacrifices are made by His people, offered by His priests, and where His glory dwells.
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I don't know why the temple is being so literally measured in Ezekiel and in Revelation, but given its function as a type of Christ I suppose this measuring also has a symbolic meaning although I don't know what that is.
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The same purpose is in view - literal dimensions picturing things about Christ. Symbols have the same meaning, regardless of where they are used in the Bible. What the temple/tabernacle symbols pictured in Exodus and Chronicles, they still picture in Ezekiel - however, it will still be a literal temple.