Ezekiel’s Temple -Sacrifices and meeting in Porches
Jeremiah 33:18
Jer 33:16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior.’
Jer 33:17 For this is what the LORD says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel,
Jer 33:18 nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’”
Sacrifice continually — It is possible that in the beginning of the Millennial age God may restore some of the features of the Jewish Law, even sacrifices, to serve as object lessons. R1732:6 ( In My Rep. 1733 p1)
R-2488-Question.–Do you understand from the prophecy of `Ezk 40:40-46`, that sacrifices of animals will be resumed after the establishment of Christ’s Kingdom and when Israel is again in Palestine?
Answer.–The “better sacrifices” of the Gospel age having taken place beforehand, we think it unlikely that typical sacrifices will be restored. We consider it more probable that antitypical sacrifices are referred to–the broken and contrite hearts of the people, and their consecration to the Lord’s service being thus represented.
However…….., we are to remember that God considered these typical sacrifices of bulls and of goats a good method of presenting important truths to the attention of fleshly Israel, and we can see that if such sacrifices were restored now, they would have much more force and meaning to similar classes than they had before their antitypes had come. We may not, therefore, be sure that the Lord will not adopt some such plan as this of instructing the ignorant masses of mankind, as preparatory to higher lessons– as illustrations of spiritual things.
Eze 43:18 And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.
Eze 43:19 And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord GOD, a young bullock for a sin offering.
Eze 43:20 And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about: thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it.
Eze 43:21 Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary.
Eze 43:22 And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock.
Eze 43:23 When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.
Eze 43:24 And thou shalt offer them before the LORD, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the LORD.
Eze 43:25 Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bullock, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish.
Eze 43:26 Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves.
Eze 43:27 And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord GOD.
Priest sits in Outer East Gate, Porch, to eat in Gods Presence
Eze 44:2 The LORD said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it.
Eze 44:3 The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway (porch) to eat in the presence of the LORD. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.”
Eze 44:3 It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the PORCH of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same. KJ
KJV, YLT, DARBY, NASB, ASV, NET, AM, WEB
This verse is when Ezekiel is being told about the gate.
Prince and Priests, Meet in Inner Court – East Gates enter by the PORCH of the to prepare Burnt Offerings, Peace Offerings, and worship at the THRESHHOLD
VEze 46:2 The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt offering and his fellowship offerings. He is to bow down in worship at the threshold of the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening.
Eze 46:3 On the Sabbaths and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of the LORD at the entrance of that gateway.And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.
Eze 46:8 When the prince enters, he is to go in through the portico of the gateway, and he is to come out the same way.
KJV, YLT, DARBY, NASB, ASV, NET, AM, WEB
Ezek 46:8
And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof.
KJV, YLT, DARBY, NASB, ASV, NET, AM, WEB
Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/words/Porch
Eze 45:15 Also one sheep is to be taken from every flock of two hundred from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These will be used for the grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the people, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Eze 45:16 All the people of the land will be required to give this special offering to the prince in Israel.
Eze 45:17 It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths—at all the appointed festivals of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the Israelites.
EZEKIEL 40-42
Review
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. This evening, I have prepared a handout in order to avoid reading about five thousand words! You see, as Ezekiel’s book draws to a close with these final nine chapters, there is lengthy description of the appearance and measurement of something which is better suited, I believe, to a blueprint rather than a verbal description.
40:1-2 He Brought Me There
The date is Apr. 28, 573BC. Ezekiel has been in Babylon for 25 years, and Jerusalem has been in ruins for 14 years. The Jews will not be returning from the Babylonian Captivity for several more decades, but God brings Ezekiel back to Israel in a vision.
God placed Ezekiel on a mountain, and on that mountain was something that had been built – something so huge, it looked like an entire city.
40:3-4 A Man Like Bronze
God brought Ezekiel to that structure, and there Ezekiel encountered a man. But this was no ordinary man. He looked like he could have been made of copper! We can probably assume that he was an angel.
He was holding a string and a rod, which are basically the equivalent of a tape measure and a yardstick (although this one was about ten feet long). He tells Ezekiel to pay attention to what he sees and hears, because his job will be to describe it all to the Jews when he returns from the vision.
40:5 The Temple
It is in this verse that we first discover the structure Ezekiel was looking at was the temple. But this is not like any temple Ezekiel had ever seen or heard of.
Up to this point in history, there had been only the tabernacle, which was a portable tent, and the temple which Solomon built.
Solomon’s temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians fourteen years before.. And so Ezekiel was being shown a temple that had not yet been built. As a matter of fact, it is a temple which to this day has never been built.
The descriptions that follow do not match the temple which was built after the return from Babylon, nor do the match the remodeling of that temple by Herod. Biblically, we know that there are still two temples left to be built on this earth before it is destroyed. We call them the Tribulation Temple and the Millennial Temple.
The Tribulation Temple is the one which will be constructed in our the near future, and will be defiled by the antichrist. Jesus said that the antichrist will stand in the holy place (Matt. 24:15) where he should not be (Mark 13:14). Paul told the Thessalonians that he…
2Th. 2:4 …exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
This is what will happen to the next temple to be built. But when Jesus returns, there will be yet another temple – one He will build Himself. Zechariah wrote,
Zech. 6:12-13 …Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD. Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the LORD, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne…”
The MIllennial Temple will be built by Jesus. This was understood even by the early church. Remember that during the counsel of Jerusalem, when the church was discussing the validity of Paul preaching to the Gentiles, James quoted that the prophets had foretold that there would be Gentiles who were called by God’s name (Acts 15:17). And God said that after that time (the church age),
Acts 15:16-18 “AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,’ SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO.”
So God Himself will build this temple.
(40:6-37) Measurements
In these verses, Ezekiel documents the measurements given to him by the angel.
40:38-46 Sacrifices In The Millennium?
As you’re reading along in this section of Scripture, something should really jump out at you: there is a chamber where they rinse the burnt offering, and tables where they slaughter the offerings! On these tables is the flesh of the offering! And there is an altar where these sacrifices are made by Levite priests!
This sure doesn’t sound right, does it? After all, Jesus appeared in order to take away sins (1John 3:5), and…
Heb. 10:4 …it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Are there really going to be sacrifices in the Millennium? Yes, and Ezekiel is not the only prophet to tell us this. The Lord told Jeremiah,
Jer. 33:15-18 ‘In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called: the LORD is our righteousness.’ For thus says the LORD, ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to prepare sacrifices continually.’
God told Zechariah that because many things will be holy to the Lord, people will be able to boil their sacrifices in their own cooking pots (Zech. 14:20-21).
And to Isaiah, God said,
Is. 56:6-7 “Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath and holds fast My covenant; Even those I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
And so it is firmly established in Scripture that there will be sacrifices made in the Millennium. But why? There have been many suggestions. I believe that we don’t know the full answer to that question. But let me give you the part that I do understand.
In Moses’ day, God established feasts and sacrifices that pointed ahead to Jesus Christ. Passover spoke of His death, Firstfruits spoke of His resurrection, etc. And all of the sacrifices and services pointed to Him. Everything from the burnt offering (Lev. 1) and the sin offering (Lev. 4) to the ceremony for the leper on the day of his cleansing (Lev. 14).
Now that Passover has been fulfilled, we celebrate the day by looking back and remembering. Now that the resurrection has been accomplished, we look back and remember. Jesus even gave us Communion as a remembrance of these things.
My belief is that the various sacrifices such as the burnt offering and the sin offering will be taking place in the Millennium for the same purpose: to look back at the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I think that there will be a dynamic of which we are not aware, just as communion and baptism are far deeper than simple rituals. But I believe we will have to wait until then to fully understand the Millennial sacrificial system.
Oh, and one more thing which I should probably point out: The animals being sacrificed don’t seem to mind it at all. In Isaiah 60 we read,
Is. 60:7 “All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you, the rams of Nebaioth will minister to you; They will go up with acceptance on My altar, and I shall glorify My glorious house.”
“With acceptance” is a Hebrew word (raw-TSONE) that means means “with delight and pleasure.”
(40:47-42:12) More Measurements
A large portion of the next chapters continue with more measurements of the various parts of the temple.
42:13-14 The Priests’ Food And Clothing
Another intriguing thing to me Simon Peter called the Millennium “the time of the restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21). I have always interpreted this as meaning that everything would go back to the way it was in the garden of Eden. Certainly, we see long life spans in the Millennium (Isa. 65:20) and the animals not being aggressive towards mankind any longer (Isa. 11:6-9). But one thing I don’t see as returning to the days of Adam and Eve is the strict vegetarian diet they had. Remember, God had told them,
Gen. 1:30 “…to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food..”
And only after the flood was mankind told,
Gen. 9:3 “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.”
In the Millennium, we see that the priests are eating the sacrifices, as they did long ago in the temple. And apparently, not just the priests. Isaiah prophesied,
Is. 25:6 The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine.
So, I guess I don’t understand the definition of “the restoration of all things” as good as I’d like to.
42:15-20 A Square Mile
Now, the angel takes Ezekiel to the outside of the temple and measures its perimeter. East side is 500 reeds, or about 5,000 feet. Because a mile is 5,280 feet, that means the entire temple will cover almost a square mile!
Right now, there is nowhere in Jerusalem large enough to accommodate this building. That makes some doubtful of the temple’s future reality. But you must remember that Jerusalem’s topography is going to be radically changed between now and the time of the Millennium.
– In Revelation 11, there is an earthquake which destroys a tenth of Jerusalem.
– In Revelation 16, we see a world-wide earthquake that levels mountains and buries islands (Rev. 16:20).
– Then, when Jesus returns at the end of the Great Tribulation,
Zech. 14:4 In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.
The valley that is formed will provide a way of escape for the Jews in Jerusalem that are being attacked by the nations who have gathered against them (Zech. 14:5).
– Then, once the Lord establishes His throne, waters will begin to flow out of Jerusalem (Joel 3:18), towards the east and west. Zechariah tell us this in chapter 14…
Zech. 14:8-11 And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter. And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security.
And so although there is no room right now for a temple that covers a square mile, there certainly will be in that day.
Is. 2:2 Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob”
It will be the mountain of the Lord, and He will dwell with His people on this earth. In our next study, we will get to see – among other things – God’s glory entering into the temple, for the first time since His glory departed back in Ezekiel chapter eleven.
EZEKIEL 43-44
Review
In our previous study, we saw that Ezekiel was taken to Jerusalem in a vision. There, he was shown the Millennial Temple – a mile-square structure that will one day sit high on a mountain which does not yet exist.
43:1-5 The Glory Returns
Early in Ezekiel’s book, he had been taken to Jerusalem in a vision, and was put in the inner court of the temple (Ezek. 8:3). He was shown how wicked the people of Israel had become, with their idolatrous and abominable practices. He was told the the inhabitants of Jerusalem were about to be judged (Ezek. 9). Then Ezekiel saw the glory of God go from the Holy of Holies to the threshold of the temple (Ezek. 9:3), then go to the east gate of the temple (Ezek. 10:19), then go to the Mount of Olives (Ezek. 11:23). The glory of the Lord had departed. The temple was “ichabod,” “no glory.”
But now, Ezekiel is taken by the angel to the east gate, and he sees the glory of God coming towards him. The glory entered the temple’s east gate, and went back into the temple. The glory had returned.
Remember, Ezekiel’s vision is that of the Millennial Temple. This has not yet happened. The glory of God has not inhabited a temple in Jerusalem since it departed Solomon’s temple before the final attack of Babylon. This is something that is yet future.
43:6-7a This Is The Place Of My Throne
The angel was still standing beside Ezekiel, but the voice that Ezekiel heard was that of the Lord, coming from the house. God told him that this was the place of His throne, the place where He would physically and literally dwell among His people on earth.
43:7b-8 They Will Not Again Defile My Holy Name
God also tells Ezekiel that Israel would no longer defile the holy name of God. They will never again turn to idols.
God mentions some of the things that have been so offensive to Him: the corpses of their kings and the neighboring structures. Since this seems to be the first time God has brought this up, it has led to some confusion.
Some have suggested that the kings mentioned are the idols of Israel, a figure of speech that has been used in the Scripture (Amos 5:26), but I personally think that interpretation is a bit of a stretch. The literal and more logical way to read this statement is that the kings of Israel had build their palaces right next to the temple. This was not initially a problem, but God found it offensive when the kings fell into sin, because it was right next door. And the Israelites most likely imitated the neighboring nations by burying their kings in the high places and including the worship of dead kings in their idolatry.
43:10-12 The House Is Holy
When Ezekiel describes to the people of Israel the plans and operation of this temple, they will be confronted with God’s holiness, and His requirements for inhabiting a place. This should cause the Jews to be ashamed of their sin and come to repentance.
(43:13-27) The Altar
These next 15 verses describe the altar – its measurements and requirements.
44:1-3 The East Gate Shall Be Shut
Ezekiel was shown that the gate where the glory of the Lord had entered was now shut. He was told that no one else could use that gate any longer, because that was the gate by which the glory had returned.
Who Is The Prince?
Although no one could go through this gate, the prince will be allowed to sit in this gate. Who is this prince? Many people have confused him with Jesus Christ. After all, we have read twice in Ezekiel,
Ezek. 34:24 “And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken.
Ezek. 37:25 “They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever.
These are clearly statements about the Messiah, Jesus Christ. However, the prince being referred to here are clearly not Jesus. As we get further into this passage, we see that this guy is making a sin offering for himself (Ezek. 45:22), as well as having children (Ezek. 46:16), and being bound by laws that mandate he not steal land from others (Ezek. 46:18).
Jesus, of course, was without sin (2Cor. 5:21; 1Pet. 2:22; 1John 3:5; etc.). He also will not have children to pass His inheritance to, for although people will continue to have children and die, He will exist forever (Ezek. 37:25).
And so we are left to wonder who this prince is. Actually, there will be a number of them (Ezek 45:8). And, if we take into account that the word translated “prince” (naw-SEE) actually means “leader, ” or “ruler,” we realize that this is referring to some “head honcho” kind of guy. He could be the governor of Israel, the mayor of Jerusalem, or some other Jewish leader. He is given some special privileges certainly, but also has a sin nature definitely.
44:4-9 Call To Repentance
The future temple was supposed to be a call to repentance for the Israelites in Ezekiel’s day. It certainly worked on him, who fell on his face in view of the glory of God!
Uncircumcised Foreigners
Now, the Law of God had been specific about who could enter the temple: only Aaron and his sons, the priests:
Num. 3:10 “So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood, but the layman who comes near shall be put to death.”
But the Jews in Ezekiel’s time had not only allowed other Jews inside, but they had actually permitted uncircumcised foreigners to enter the temple. God says that this new temple, with a strict holiness enforced, would not be allowing those who were uncircumcised to enter.
God specifies that He is not just talking about circumcision of the flesh – He is also referring to having circumcised hearts. This is a term that has been used throughout the Scriptures, and refers to a spiritual work (Rom. 2:29) that causes us to love God with all of our heart and soul (Deut. 30:6).
44:10-16 The Levites Who Strayed, Those Who Were Faithful
The Levites who served in the temple in Ezekiel’s day had gone astray into idolatry. But even though they will bear the punishment for their sins, God is not going to cancel the Levitical system of temple servanthood. However, they would not be ministering to the Lord – they would be ministering for the Lord to His people.
There were some who had been faithful – the sons of Zadok. As a reward, they will be blessed with ministering to God.
Notice the difference here: It’s a nice position to minister FOR God, but it’s a better position to minister TO God. Over the years, I have met so many people who have this backwards. They think that being the Bible teacher is the ultimate thing. They think that being the worship leader is the best place to be. But Scripturally speaking, it is a higher calling to be a worshipper than a worship leader. It is better to sit at the feet of God and receive His Word than it is to be the one who has the responsibility of preparing it and giving it out.
The world thinks that being in front of people is the high calling. But in God’s kingdom, it’s better to be in the pew than on the stage.
44:17-19 Garments For The Priests
The priests in the Millennial Kingdom will be given garments that are the opposite of sweatshirts and sweatpants. Their clothing will not make them sweat. The linen garments that they wear to minister to the Lord will make them say, “This job is no sweat.”
Again, though, we see the same point as previously – their garments when they are in the outer court with the people don’t have that benefit. Ministering to the people doesn’t just mean sweat. It often means blood, sweat, and tears.
Some people pursue the public ministry because they like the idea of fame, of being recognized and respected. To tell you the truth, I’d rather be an “nobody” Christian who anonymously ministers to the Lord… because that’s no sweat!
44:20 The Priests’ Hair
The priests were not to have extreme hair – either bald or hippie style. It’s discouraging to me when I see that some pastors exercise their freedom in Christ by having long hair, earrings, or dressing in extreme fashions.
44:21 No Wine
God fired the first priests who had been drinking on duty (Lev. 10:1-2). Then He told Aaron,
Lev. 10:9 “Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die – it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations
In the church today, elders and pastors are not to be near any wine (1Tim. 3:3; Titus 1:7). The same rules will apply to the priests in the Millennium.
(44:22-31) Rules For The Priests
The rest of chapter 44 gives more rules and instructions for the priests in the Millennial Temple.
Overall, what we carry away from these chapters should be a renewed sense of God’s holiness, and a desire to pursue it…
1Pet. 1:16 because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
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