ezekiel 44 through 46

Read Ezekiel 44 through 46 at Bible Gateway.

Hebrew paragraph divisions

Eze 44:1-8 {s} East gateway shut, as the glory of YHVH entered by it/ admonition to maintain YHVH’s sanctity
Eze 44:9-14 {p} Temple duties + ordinances of the Levites who strayed from YHVH with idols
Eze 44:15-31 {p} Temple duties + ordinances for the priests, sons of Zadok, who were faithful to YHVH
Eze 45:1-8 {p} The district holy to YHVH, the district for the city, the district for the prince
Eze 45:9-15 {p} Just weights + measures/ the grain, burnt, and peace offerings
Eze 45:16-17 {s} Ordinance for the prince to provide offerings for the appointed seasons
Eze 45:18-25 {s} Ordinance for the priest + prince: offerings for the appointed seasons
Eze 46:1-5 {s} Ordinance of worship of prince + people on the Sabbath
Eze 46:6-11 {p} Ordinance of worship of prince + people on the New Moon + feast days/ entrances + exits
Eze 46:12-15 {s} The prince’s voluntary offerings/ the daily burnt offering
Eze 46:16 {s} The prince’s gift to his sons from his own inheritance
Eze 46:17-47:12 {p} The prince’s gift to his servants from his own inheritance/ kitchens/ the river of life

The chiastic structure

1a.1) Eze 45:1a, Moreover, when you divide the land by lot into inheritance;
1a.2) Eze 45:1b-8 {p} The division of the districts holy to YHVH + the city + the prince;

1b.1) Eze 45:8-12 {p following 45:8} Princes shall not oppress + dispossess My people/ honest weights + measures;
1b.2) Eze 45:13-15 {p} Honest measures for grain + burnt + peace offerings to make atonement;

1c) Eze 45:16-25 {s+s} The ordinances for worship at the appointed seasons;

1a) Eze 45:16-17 {s} The prince’s provision of offerings at the appointed seasons to make atonement for Israel;
central axis) Eze 45:18-20, On the 1st day of the 1st month, the priests make atonement for the temple;
2a) Eze 45:21-25 {s} The prince’s offerings for the annual feast days;

1d) Eze 46:1-5 {s} East gateway of the inner court shut but on Sabbaths + New Moons/ prince’s + people’s worship;

1e) Eze 46:6-7, The prince’s offering for the day of the New Moon;

central axis) Eze 46:8-10, “When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way. 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 prince shall then be in their midst. When they go in, he shall go in; and when they go out, he shall go out;”

2e) Eze 46:11 {p} The prince’s offering for the appointed feast days;

2d) Eze 46:12, East gateway of the inner court opened for the prince’s voluntary offerings, but then shut;

2c) Eze 46:13-15 {s} The daily ordinances for worship: burnt + grain offerings;

2b.1) Eze 46:16-18 {s following 46:16} Prince’s gifts from his own inheritance, not the people’s inheritance;
2b.2) Eze 46:19-24, Inner court kitchens for the trespass, sin, grain offering/ Outer court kitchens for the peoples’ sacrifices;

out of place element (for this structure):
Eze 47:1-12 {p} The river of life flowing from the temple toward the east

2a.1) Eze 47:13-48:7 {p following 47:23} Borders for division of the land among the 12 tribes by inheritance;
2a.2) Eze 48:8-29 {s} Borders for division of the holy district + city district + prince’s district.

When trying to understand Ezekiel’s vision of the temple, we have to remember that neither Ezekiel nor anyone from Israel was commanded to build it. He was instructed to relay what he had seen to the house of Israel:

And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.” Eze 40:4

For this reason, it could be that his vision of a temple was not meant to be a building in this natural world or in this age of the earth’s history.

We have raised the possibility that perhaps it is for the Millennial Kingdom. We don’t know for sure about that, either. But just as Moses’ tabernacle prophesied of Messiah and taught spiritual truths, in its design, structure, and service, so this temple could also be teaching spiritual truths in its design, structure, and service. It is interesting that an enormous amount of emphasis is placed on entrances and exits – gateways. Why? I don’t know – yet.

Some teachers teach based on this vision, that we will return to animal sacrifices in the Millennial Kingdom. We have to remember that it is speculation, first of all, that this temple is to be built in the Millennial Kingdom. We don’t know.

It is widely taught and believed that there will be a third actual temple building, based on this vision of Ezekiel’s. Could it be that this belief is erroneous for the reasons we have discussed before, but because believers have been deceived about it, the antichrist can take advantage of them for his own ends? Of him, it has been testified, that he will deceive even the elect if possible. We must read the Scripture carefully for ourselves, and be Bereans, examining what we have been told by men to see if it is in fact so.

And, as chaistic structures are one sign of the thumbprint of the Holy Spirit on the Scriptures, I believe the Hebrew Scriptures form a single great chiastic structure, with the instructions given to Moses for the tabernacle on the front end, and this vision of Ezekiel’s temple on the back end. As far as I know, no one has investigated the possibility. But prior to Moses and the original tabernacle blueprints, was Joseph before Pharaoh, placed in his position in order to save his people; and after Ezekiel and the vision of the temple, was Esther before the king of Persia, placed in her position in order to save her people. The history of Israel, forming a chiastic structure.

So all that is to say, Messiah when He comes will definitely and concretely explain these Scriptures to us — but let us not build up a system of beliefs, especially of future events, based on unsure speculations, and so be deceived.