Monday, August 19, 2024

Ezekiel 46: the Prince in the temple

We read:

1-3 “‘Message from God, the Master: The gate of the inside courtyard on the east is to be shut on the six working days, but open on the Sabbath. It is also to be open on the New Moon. The prince will enter through the entrance area of the gate complex and stand at the gateposts as the priests present his burnt offerings and peace offerings while he worships there on the porch. He will then leave, but the gate won’t be shut until evening. On Sabbaths and New Moons, the people are to worship before God at the outside entrance to that gate complex.

The chapter goes on:

4-5 “‘The prince supplies for God the burnt offering for the Sabbath—six unblemished lambs and an unblemished ram. The grain offering to go with the ram is about five and a half gallons plus a gallon of oil, and a handful of grain for each lamb.
6-7 “‘At the New Moon he is to supply a bull calf, six lambs, and a ram, all without blemish. He will also supply five and a half gallons of grain offering and a gallon of oil for both ram and bull, and a handful of grain offering for each lamb.

When Ezekiel was written, Babylon was the center of the earth, Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed; so we are reading about future events in a new Israel, in a new Jerusalem, in a new temple. Thus, I asked to perplexity: was Ezekiel 46 fulfilled? I got:

No, Ezekiel 46 does not appear to have been fulfilled at any point in history so far. The details described in this chapter point to a future millennial temple and worship practices that have not yet come to pass.
Key Reasons Why Ezekiel 46 is Unfulfilled

  •     The temple described is much larger and grander than any temple that has existed in Jerusalem, including Herod's temple in Jesus' time
  • Animal sacrifices are reinstituted in a way that has not happened since the destruction of the second temple in 70 AD
  • The prince mentioned is a human leader who makes offerings for himself and the people, indicating this is not referring to the Messiah Jesus Christ who is sinless
  • The land is divided and allotted to the tribes of Israel in a way that has not occurred in history
  • The river flowing from the temple that brings life wherever it goes is a future event that has not happened yet


What are the lessons to be taken?

Bible.cc puts on this way:

"Ezekiel 46 serves as a testament to God's meticulous care for order in worship, leadership, and social justice. It reinforces the concept of fair stewardship and underscores the principle that leadership should be characterized by service, humility, and justice, not by power and oppression".

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