Ezekiel 45-48

Thursday Evening Bible Study

December 1, 2005

Introduction

This last section of Ezekiel, starting back in chapter 36, has all been focused on the future – the re-assembling of the nation of Israel back in the land, the invasion of Gog and Magog, the description of the Millennial Temple and the laws concerning the priests.

Keep in mind that Ezekiel’s background is that of a priest, so he is going to be quite interested in all the things concerning the priests.

Ezekiel 45

:1-5 Holy Temple ground set aside

Ezekiel describes the dimensions of a plot of land that is supposed to be set aside for the Temple and the priests who work in the Temple. It is considered the Lord’s property. The entire plot is 8 1/3 miles long and 6 2/3 miles wide.

Most Holy Place.

:6-8 The Prince’s property

Next to God’s plot of land will be a portion of land set aside as a common area for the nation, and within that land will be two portions of land that will be allocated for “The Prince”. The size of this plot of land is 8 1/3 miles long and 1 2/3 miles wide.

We’ll see how these all fit into the new dimensions of the future Israel when we get to chapter 48.

Israel.

:9-12 Just weights

:9 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Enough, O princes of Israel! Remove violence and plundering, execute justice and righteousness, and stop dispossessing My people," says the Lord GOD.

:10 "You shall have honest scales, an honest ephah, and an honest bath….

Ezekiel records the weights and measurements that the people are to use – the bath, ephah, homer, shekel, gerah, and mina.

The ephah was a measure of dry capacity while a bath was a measure of liquid. Each was to be 1/10 of a homer. A homer was … a ball hit over the fence … J … actually it was thought to be the amount that a donkey would carry (the word “homer” and “donkey” are very similar in Hebrew, this was also equivalent to 50 gallons or 6 bushels …).

It was not uncommon for merchants to have varying weights when they did business. If they were selling you something, they’d pull out the lighter set of weights so you would get less for your money. If they were buying something off of you, they’d pull out the heavier weights so they would be able to purchase more for their money.

Lesson

Fair treatment

God wants His people to treat others fairly.

God wants us to use “just weights”

(Prov 11:1 NKJV) Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight.

God wants us to treat others with impartiality.

Lesson

Your future affects your present

The argument goes like this: Because God will provide a huge area of land for the princes, they should stop trying to take advantage of people.

Your concept of the future should affect the way you act in the present.

If you are definitely going to be extremely wealthy in the future, then why should you be resorting to things like deception and unfair business practices to “get ahead”?

This can also be a motivation when we get discouraged and want to quit life.

(2 Cor 4:16-18 NKJV) Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. {17} For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, {18} while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

(2 Cor 5:1 NKJV) For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

We can keep going, even if we live in miserable circumstances, because we have a wonderful future. This present life isn’t all there is.

:13-17 Offerings

The people will bring a certain amount of flour, oil, and lambs to the prince each year. These offerings would be used by the prince to make some of the offerings and sacrifices to the Lord at the Temple on behalf of the people. The prince will also give out of his own pocket for some of the offerings as well.

How can there be offerings when Jesus has fulfilled all sacrifice?

The Bible tells us that Jesus was the single sacrifice that took care of our sin:

(Heb 10:14 NKJV) For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

We understand this to mean that there are no longer any sacrifices necessary because Jesus has paid for everything with His one sacrifice. (Heb. 10:26)

So how could there be sacrifice in the Millennium when Jesus has paid for our sins?

I believe these sacrifices are memorial sacrifices, meant to remind the people of what has been done by Jesus on the cross.

There is a precedent for this:

Before Moses brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, there had to be one last thing done – the sacrifice of the Passover. Each family was to take a lamb, kill it, take the blood and paint it on the doorposts of their houses, then roast and eat the lamb. That night, the angel of death was going to go throughout the land and kill all the firstborn children. Only those houses with lamb’s blood on the doorposts would be spared.

But that wasn’t the only time a lamb would be killed for this event. God gave this instruction:

(Exo 12:24 NKJV) "And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever.

Even though the actual benefit of the lamb’s blood occurred on the first Passover, the sacrifice was to be repeated year after year as a way of reminding the Jews of how God had delivered them.

I believe these Millennial sacrifices will work in the same way – there is no actual sacrificial “value” in them. But they will remind those performing the sacrifices of what Jesus did to pay for their sins.

It was important for the Jews to not forget what happened at the Passover. It is important for the world to not forget what happened at the Cross.

Israel

Israel.

Israel."

:18-25 Keeping the feasts

:18 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without blemish and cleanse the sanctuary.

:19 "The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the gate of the inner court.

Blood on the doorposts of the Temple. Sounds familiar …

:20 "And so you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who has sinned unintentionally or in ignorance. Thus you shall make atonement for the temple.

:21 "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall observe the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.

This Passover Feast is such a key thing to the people of Israel. It was what delivered them from their bondage of slavery in the land of Egypt. But it was also a picture of the coming Messiah. And when Jesus came, John the Baptist said,

(John 1:29 NKJV) "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

When Jesus died, He fulfilled the picture of the Passover sacrifice, dying on the Passover and being the One whose blood covered our sins, freeing us from the slavery of sin.

And now even throughout time, the Jews and the whole world will be reminded of how God had seen their need, made a plan, and took care of their sin through Jesus.

:22 "And on that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering.

Who is the “prince”?

Ezekiel has already written:

(Ezek 34:23-24 NKJV) "I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them; My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. {24} "And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

There are three choices of who this might be:

1. Some have suggested that it is Jesus – He is the ultimate “Son of David”, a descendant of David who is worthy to rule over Israel. Some have suggested that these “sacrifices” would disqualify Jesus since He would never need to present a sin offering for Himself.

2. Some have suggested that it is David. Jeremiah wrote,

(Jer 30:9 NKJV) But they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them.

Could this be a reference to David being raised from the dead?

But if it is a resurrected David, I’m not sure he would need to present a sin offering either since he would be in is perfect, resurrected body.

3. A third suggestion is that it is a future descendant of David, a man who will rule on the throne of David in his earthly body.

The kings of Israel are often referred to as “David”, or “son of David”.

In verse 25, God also mentions that the people will celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

Ezekiel 46

:1-3 Entering into worship

:1 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened.

:2 "The prince shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway from the outside, and stand by the gatepost. The priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings. He shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening.

:3 "Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before the LORD on the Sabbaths and the New Moons.

East gate – Keep in mind there are two gates on the east, an outer gate leading to the outer courtyard, and an inner gate leading to the inner courtyard.

The outer gate was closed after God’s glory had re-entered the city and the Temple – but this is not that gate. This is the gate to the inner court.

See slide of Temple layout

This inner eastern gate is only opened on Sabbath days and New Moons. The rest of the week the northern and southern gates were to be used.

:4-7 Feasts and offerings

God lays out what some of the sacrifices will be on certain occasions, like the Sabbath, the New Moon, etc.

:8-11 Traffic flow in the Temple

:8 "When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.

The prince shall go out the way he came in.

:9 "But when the people of the land come before the LORD on the appointed feast days, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate; and whoever enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. He shall not return by way of the gate through which he came, but shall go out through the opposite gate.

The eastern gate to the outside is closed – it was closed after the glory of the Lord entered through it (Eze. 43:2: 44:2)

There is no western gate to the outside.

The only way the people can enter into the Temple from the outside is through the northern or southern gates.

Whichever gate the people come in by, they are to leave by the opposite gate.

:10 "The prince shall then be in their midst. When they go in, he shall go in; and when they go out, he shall go out.

The people stay with the prince. The prince stays with the people. He is apparently present during the entire worship time.

Godly leadership: A leader stays with the people. A leader worships with the people.

:11-15 More offerings

When the prince makes freewill offerings – the east gate is opened for him on these special occasions. Regulations regarding daily morning offerings.

:16-18 Princely gifts and inheritance

:16 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "If the prince gives a gift of some of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance.

:17 "But if he gives a gift of some of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of liberty, after which it shall return to the prince. But his inheritance shall belong to his sons; it shall become theirs.

A prince can give a gift to someone who is not from his family, but when the fifty year jubilee (the year of liberty) occurs, the land reverts back to the prince’s family.

(Lev 25:13 NKJV) 'In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession.

:18 "Moreover the prince shall not take any of the people's inheritance by evicting them from their property; he shall provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people may be scattered from his property."' "

Lesson

Contentment

God’s desire is that we learn to be content with what we have and not become jealous of what others have.

Ahab and Jezebel

Ahab was one of the wicked kings of the northern kingdom of Israel. He lived in Samaria, but had property in Jezreel as well. His neighbor in Jezreel, Naboth, had a vineyard next door to Ahab (1Ki. 21). He began to wish he could buy his neighbor’s property to use it for a vegetable garden, but Naboth wouldn’t sell. He felt his land needed to stay within the family. Ahab was very, very depressed when he couldn’t buy Naboth’s field. When Ahab’s wife Jezebel found out about this, she cooked up a plot to have Naboth accused of blasphemy and had Naboth put to death. Ahab was then free to take over Naboth’s field. But God gave a word to the prophet Elijah and warned Ahab about his greed:

(1 Ki 21:19 NKJV) …'Thus says the LORD: "In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours."' "

God does not like this kind of abuse of power. Be careful about using your position or your authority to hurt others and benefit yourself.

In warning people about false teachers who claim that you can get rich by going to their churches, Paul writes …

(1 Tim 6:5-8 NKJV) useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. {6} Now godliness with contentment is great gain. {7} For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. {8} And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

If you’re looking for something valuable in life, there is great value in learning to live a godly life and learning to be content with what you have.

Paul wrote,

(Phil 4:10-13 NLT) How grateful I am, and how I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but for a while you didn't have the chance to help me. {11} Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. {12} I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. {13} For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.

Being content in your circumstances isn’t an easy thing to do. It seems that Paul is saying that it requires that we “learn” how to do it. And it is something that we can’t do apart from Jesus’ help – He gives me the strength to be content.

:19-24 Priestly kitchens

Priests were given a portion of some of the sacrifices, and they were to cook and eat those portions within the Temple grounds. So Ezekiel describes how he sees quite a few areas within the Temple grounds that are set aside for the priests to do their cooking.

Ezekiel 47

:1-12 Healing Waters and Special Trees

:1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar.

Ezekiel is still being escorted around by a “man”, by an angel.

water – we might think that there must be a plumbing leak or something. Water is precious in the land of Israel. It’s what brings life.

toward the east – water is flowing east, that same direction that the ancient men had turned their back on God to worship the sun, that same direction that the glory of God had left Jerusalem, that same direction where the glory returned. Now healing, cleansing water flows toward the east.

Ezekiel isn’t the only one who has talked about this river flowing from God:

Joel wrote before the days of Ezekiel:

(Joel 3:18 NKJV) And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD And water the Valley of Acacias.

The prophet Zechariah talks about a river that begins to flow after an earthquake splits the mountains:

(Zec 14:8 NKJV) And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.

The Psalmist uses similar language that seems to talk about things that will definitely be present in the days of the Millennium:

(Psa 46 NKJV) God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. {2} Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; {3} Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah {4} There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. {5} God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. {6} The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. {7} The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah {8} Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has made desolations in the earth. {9} He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. {10} Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! {11} The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

:2 He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.

:3 And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles.

The angel takes Ezekiel 1,000 cubits (1750 feet) from the Temple and asks Ezekiel to walk into the water. The water is up to Ezekiel’s ankles.

:4 Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist.

What’s happening with this river of water? The water is getting deeper and deeper the further it goes from the Temple.

:5 Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed.

:6 He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.

It sounds as if Ezekiel must have been swimming. The angel brings Ezekiel back to the bank of the river.

:7 When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other.

In the ancient Middle East, this is where the trees would grow, by a river. Trees need water. Unless you learn to irrigate, trees need to be beside a river or a source of water.

:8 Then he said to me: "This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed.

the sea – the sea to the east of Jerusalem is the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea is the lowest body of water on the earth. Its surface is 1340 feet below sea level. Water flows into the Dead Sea mostly from the Jordan River, but the water evaporates quicker than it flows in. One of the results of this is that the Dead Sea has a high concentration of minerals in the water. Water samples taken at a depth of 1,000 feet have 27 percent solids, the main one being salt. The water is seven times more salty than the ocean. Except for a few microbes, there are no animals or fish that live in the Dead Sea. It’s dead.

See slide of the Dead Sea

But when this water from God’s throne hits the Dead Sea, it brings life.

:9 "And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.

:10 "It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many.

as the fish of the Great Sea – the Mediterranean – perhaps the Dead Sea will still be filled with salt water, but the salt content will be more like that of the regular ocean.

:11 "But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt.

I find it interesting to see on the map how the southern, more shallow portion of the Dead Sea seems to have been blocked off. The salt won’t disappear, it will just be at the southern, shallow areas.

:12 "Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine."

bear fruit every month – in nature, fruit is always seasonal … But not these trees. Because they are planted next to the river of God, they will bear fruit every month.

fruit will be for food – people are fed.

leaves for medicine – people are healed.

Lesson

Life from the throne

This is not just a symbolic passage, it is a description of what will actually happen after Jesus returns.

But there are some principles here that can encourage us in our lives.

Dead things can come to life when touched by the river of God.

Fruitfulness comes from the river of God.

People are fed and healed from the fruit of the river of God.

But most important:

The healing rivers come from the throne of God.

And if we want to benefit from the healing waters, then we need to be connected to God’s throne.

(John 7:37-39 NKJV) On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. {38} "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." {39} But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

God has those same healing waters for us – not just to help and heal us, but to flow out and bring healing to those around us.

:13-23 New Borders

Now God will draw the borders of Israel during this Millennial reign of Christ.

:13 Thus says the Lord GOD: "These are the borders by which you shall divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions.

This is normal for Israel, Joseph getting two portions. Jacob treated Joseph as a firstborn son (even though Rueben was the literal firstborn son). The firstborn son normally got a double portion. These two portions are divided up between Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

:14 "You shall inherit it equally with one another; for I raised My hand in an oath to give it to your fathers, and this land shall fall to you as your inheritance.

:15 "This shall be the border of the land on the north …

The borders are laid out from the north, eastward, then the southern border, and the western border being the Mediterranean Sea. With the new borders, all of modern Lebanon and much of modern Syria become absorbed into Israel.

See slide of new borders

In verses 22-23, even those non-Israelis who are living in the land at the time will receive a portion of the land as well.

Damascus

Great Sea

:20 "The west side shall be the Great Sea

Israel.

IsraelIsrael.

Ezekiel 48

:1-29 The land divided among the tribes

:1 "Now these are the names of the tribes…

Look at slides of tribal locations

Ezekiel then lays out the location of the tribes in the land. It sounds as if each tribe is given a strip of land that runs from east to west. From north to south, the layout looks like this:

Dan – Asher – Naphtali – Manasseh – Ephraim – Rueben - Judah

The land for Jerusalem, including land for the sanctuary, the priests, the Levites, a common area for the city of Jerusalem, and land for the prince (vs. 8-22)

Benjamin – Simeon – Issachar – Zebulun - Gad

Judah;

Israel, shall cultivate it.

Great Sea.

Israel

:30-35 Jerusalem’s gates

:30 "These are the exits of the city. On the north side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits

The layout of Jerusalem include four walls with three gates on each wall. Each gate is named for one of the tribes of Israel.

See slide of the city gates

IsraelJudah, and one gate for Levi;

:35 "All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD Is THERE."

The name Jerusalem means “teaching of peace”

But the new name for the city will be “Yahweh-shammah”, or “Yahweh is there”

We have a sense of tasting this as well.

One of the names of Jesus is “Immanuel”, or, “God is with us”.

Jesus said,

(Mat 18:20 NKJV) "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

(Rev 3:20 NKJV) "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Yahweh is here

Introduction

This last section of Ezekiel, starting back in chapter 36, has all been focused on the future – the re-assembling of the nation of Israel back in the land, the invasion of Gog and Magog, the description of the Millennial Temple and the laws concerning the priests.

Keep in mind that Ezekiel’s background is that of a priest, so he is going to be quite interested in all the things concerning the priests.

Ezekiel 45

:1-5 Holy Temple ground set aside

Ezekiel describes the dimensions of a plot of land that is supposed to be set aside for the Temple and the priests who work in the Temple. It is considered the Lord’s property. The entire plot is 8 1/3 miles long and 6 2/3 miles wide.

:1 "Moreover, when you divide the land by lot into inheritance, you shall set apart a district for the LORD, a holy section of the land; its length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits, and the width ten thousand. It shall be holy throughout its territory all around.

:2 "Of this there shall be a square plot for the sanctuary, five hundred by five hundred rods, with fifty cubits around it for an open space.

:3 "So this is the district you shall measure: twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide; in it shall be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.

:4 "It shall be a holy section of the land, belonging to the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to the LORD; it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary.

:5 "An area twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide shall belong to the Levites, the ministers of the temple; they shall have twenty chambers as a possession.

:6-8 The Prince’s property

Next to God’s plot of land will be a portion of land set aside as a common area for the nation, and within that land will be two portions of land that will be allocated for “The Prince”. The size of this plot of land is 8 1/3 miles long and 1 2/3 miles wide.

We’ll see how these all fit into the new dimensions of the future Israel when we get to chapter 48.

:6 "You shall appoint as the property of the city an area five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand long, adjacent to the district of the holy section; it shall belong to the whole house of Israel.

:8 "The land shall be his possession in Israel; and My princes shall no more oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel, according to their tribes."

:9-12 Just weights

:9 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Enough, O princes of Israel! Remove violence and plundering, execute justice and righteousness, and stop dispossessing My people," says the Lord GOD.

:10 "You shall have honest scales, an honest ephah, and an honest bath….

:11 "The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, so that the bath contains one-tenth of a homer, and the ephah one-tenth of a homer; their measure shall be according to the homer.

:12 "The shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, and fifteen shekels shall be your mina.

Ezekiel records the weights and measurements that the people are to use – the bath, ephah, homer, shekel, gerah, and mina.

Lesson

Fair treatment

God wants His people to treat others fairly.

God wants us to use “just weights”

(Prov 11:1 NKJV) Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight.

God wants us to treat others with impartiality.

Lesson

Your future affects your present

The argument goes like this: Because God will provide a huge area of land for the princes, they should stop trying to take advantage of people.

Your concept of the future should affect the way you act in the present.

If you are definitely going to be extremely wealthy in the future, then why should you be resorting to things like deception and unfair business practices to “get ahead”?

This can also be a motivation when we get discouraged and want to quit life.

(2 Cor 5:1 NKJV) For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

:13-17 Offerings

How can there be offerings when Jesus has fulfilled all sacrifice?

The Bible tells us that Jesus was the single sacrifice that took care of our sin:

(Heb 10:14 NKJV) For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

We understand this to mean that there are no longer any sacrifices necessary because Jesus has paid for everything with His one sacrifice. (Heb. 10:26)

So how could there be sacrifice in the Millennium when Jesus has paid for our sins?

I believe these sacrifices are memorial sacrifices, meant to remind the people of what has been done by Jesus on the cross.

There is a precedent for this:

But that wasn’t the only time a lamb would be killed for this event. God gave this instruction:

I believe these Millennial sacrifices will work in the same way – there is no actual sacrificial “value” in them. But they will remind those performing the sacrifices of what Jesus did to pay for their sins.

It was important for the Jews to not forget what happened at the Passover. It is important for the world to not forget what happened at the Cross.

:13 "This is the offering which you shall offer: you shall give one-sixth of an ephah from a homer of wheat, and one-sixth of an ephah from a homer of barley.

:14 "The ordinance concerning oil, the bath of oil, is one-tenth of a bath from a kor. A kor is a homer or ten baths, for ten baths are a homer.

:15 "And one lamb shall be given from a flock of two hundred, from the rich pastures of Israel. These shall be for grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement for them," says the Lord GOD.

:16 "All the people of the land shall give this offering for the prince in Israel.

:18-25 Keeping the feasts

:18 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without blemish and cleanse the sanctuary.

:19 "The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the gate of the inner court.

Blood on the doorposts of the Temple. Sounds familiar …

:20 "And so you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who has sinned unintentionally or in ignorance. Thus you shall make atonement for the temple.

:21 "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall observe the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.

This Passover Feast is such a key thing to the people of Israel. It was what delivered them from their bondage of slavery in the land of Egypt. But it was also a picture of the coming Messiah. And when Jesus came, John the Baptist said,

(John 1:29 NKJV) "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

When Jesus died, He fulfilled the picture of the Passover sacrifice, dying on the Passover and being the One whose blood covered our sins, freeing us from the slavery of sin.

And now even throughout time, the Jews and the whole world will be reminded of how God had seen their need, made a plan, and took care of their sin through Jesus.

:22 "And on that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering.

Who is the “prince”?

Ezekiel has already written:

(Ezek 34:23-24 NKJV) "I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them; My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. {24} "And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

There are three choices of who this might be:

1. Some have suggested that it is Jesus – He is the ultimate “Son of David”, a descendant of David who is worthy to rule over Israel. Some have suggested that these “sacrifices” would disqualify Jesus since He would never need to present a sin offering for Himself.

2. Some have suggested that it is David. Jeremiah wrote,

3. A third suggestion is that it is a future descendant of David, a man who will rule on the throne of David in his earthly body.

In verse 25, God also mentions that the people will celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

:23 "On the seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bulls and seven rams without blemish, daily for seven days, and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering.

:24 "And he shall prepare a grain offering of one ephah for each bull and one ephah for each ram, together with a hin of oil for each ephah.

:25 "In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the feast, he shall do likewise for seven days, according to the sin offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the oil."

Ezekiel 46

:1-3 Entering into worship

:1 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened.

:2 "The prince shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway from the outside, and stand by the gatepost. The priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings. He shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening.

:3 "Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before the LORD on the Sabbaths and the New Moons.

East gate – Keep in mind there are two gates on the east, an outer gate leading to the outer courtyard, and an inner gate leading to the inner courtyard.

The outer gate was closed after God’s glory had re-entered the city and the Temple – but this is not that gate. This is the gate to the inner court.

See slide of Temple layout

Most Holy Place.

Israel.

Israel

Israel.