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Email: <lelgee@voicenet.com>Copyright © L. L. Griffith, 1971, 1996. ISBN 0-929554-01-9. This document may be reproduced in whole or in part provided that this copyright notice is reproduced on each copy made.
Ezekiel and his guide have been positioned "in the way of the north gate before the house." For some time now Ezekiel has been prostrate upon his face, hearing the legal ordinances which govern the temple, and its laws; and hearing the laws governing the entrances and the exits of the sanctuary.
He has been instructed about the division of the holy offering of the promised land. This offering to the LORD includes the lots for the two divisions of priests, the lot for the city of new Jerusalem and the lot for the new temple, and the lots for the Prince to the east and to the west of the city.
He continues to hear the Voice as his attention is now directed toward the east gatehouse of the Inner Court.
1 Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
The inner east gatehouse therefore shall be closed for the majority of days in most of the months of the year.
2 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.
This is the custom which shall be followed by the Prince on the sabbath days and in the new moon. The procession of the Prince can be seen more readily by referring to Diagram J, The Altar Court. There B represents the way of the inner gatehouses which passes beneath their porches all around. On Diagram G, The Inner North Gatehouse, the position of the Prince as he stands beside the posts of the gatehouse is better seen. Recall that all the gatehouses are identical, and the porch of each inner gatehouse faces the altar's court.
The order of the service appears to be similar to that which was followed by Jehoiada, the high priest, when Joash was made king under his direction at the tender age of seven years.1 When Joash was made king, the king stood "by a pillar according to the custom" which was "at his pillar at the entrance" of the house of the LORD. The king's guard stood "from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple along by the altar and the temple, by the king round about."
Josiah "according to the custom" stood by a pillar to read the newly found book of the Law to all the assembled people. He stood "in his place."2
The text is quite clear. This activity takes place at the inner east gatehouse, not at the temple porch.
3 Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the LORD in the sabbaths and in the new moons.
Traditionally the daily sacrifice was slain at the time of the opening of the temple gate; at the light of the dawn. However in the age to come the temple's doors are always open. With the custom instituted as shown in vv. 1-3, these changes require alteration of the previous customs in the service to the LORD. [See Chapter 3, page 51].
4 And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the LORD in the sabbath day [shall be] six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish.
The appointed feasts of the LORD are sabbath days; holy days, holidays. See Numbers 28:9-10; Leviticus 23. Some changes have been made in the number of the lambs required.
5 And the meat offering [shall be] an ephah for a ram, and the meat offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
6 And in the day of the new moon [it shall be] a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram: they shall be without blemish.
There is a change here also in the numbers. See Numbers 28:11- 15.
7 And he shall prepare a meat offering, an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs according as his hand shall attain unto, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
The measures of meal are different; the measure of oil is now specified. Any differences in the details of the burnt offering and its companion offerings must be regarded as changes in the Law, made for the whole changed economy of the new Israel of God.
The object of these ordinances is as stated in 45:17: "to make reconciliation for the house of Israel." The new ordinances are binding upon the people who are resident in the land; i.e., the non-resident (alien) is obliged to observe the annual feast of Tabernacles, but the weekly observances are waived on his behalf.
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.
The Prince will not mingle with the people. His procession will enter and exit via the way of the east gate porch. (This verse restates a part of verse two for emphasis). An ordinance of similar nature applies to the priests who serve before the LORD.
During the days of the solemn feasts the pedestrian traffic will differ from that of the sabbaths and new moons. Men will bring their offerings to the priests who shall prepare it for them. Some may be required to fulfill vows (during the days before the feast), but on the feast day the majority will soon depart with their portions of the offering to celebrate the holy day with family and friends.
9 But when the people of the land shall come before the LORD in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over against it.
There will be no milling about or blockage of the pathway! It has been suggested that a traffic jam may occur in the Outer Court during the feast times because of the numerous throngs of people who might visit the house of the LORD on Zion during these times. But, not so. (Is the Outer Court used as a wallkway? Is it not, rather, a place for congregation of those who present prayer and petition to the LORD?) So, a law will be in operation governing the entry and exit of the people then. One who enters from the north exits via the south gatehouse; those who come in from the south will exit via the north gatehouse. Any assumption that vast crowds are continually present, or that the priests in charge of watching over the gatehouses are somehow remiss - again - in their charge may be based upon some misunderstanding of the prophets.3 The destruction of all the ungodly and the rebellious from the earth in the day of the LORD will reduce the population somewhat. Look at Diagram R, The Sanctuary of the LORD's House.
It is most doubtful that the LORD has miscalculated the size or design of His sanctuary; or the numbers of rooms needed for accommodations; or the traffic pattern; or of any other provisions to be met.
Certainly the people of the land will be instructed by the priests concerning the ordinances of the gatehouse entrances and exits rules for the holy days. The size of the sanctuary, with its wide Outer Court bordered by the wide "way of the gates" provides ample walk space for all visitors. The "ways" which surround both the Outer Court and the Inner Court are the same width as the main porches of the gatehouses: ten cubits broad, which approximates a distance between 18 to 24 feet, depending upon the base length of the cubit measure. In keeping a pattern of "one-way only" traffic during the solemn feasts neither the Outer Court nor the way will become congested.
10 And the prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go in; and when they go forth, shall go forth.
The prince will enter the congregation, (from the direction of the east gate, as stated above).
If past custom prevails, the Prince will be accompanied by his personal company of the temple guard. See 1 Kings 14:28 and in 2 Chronicles 12:11, which refers to the shields of the 300 men of the king's bodyguard. The shields were carried by the king's guard when the king entered into the house of the LORD. Use of the shields was permitted only to the king's footmen under the command of the captain of the guard who was responsible for the care of the golden shields.
The extraordinary holiness of the coming sanctuary and its laws will effectively order all access to the most holy place on the earth.
Who will ascend the holy hill? Who will live in the presence of the burning fire, except those who are the designated holy ones, "sons of Zadok"? For the liar, the defiled and the abominable man are excluded, (according to Revelation 21:27). ...How then can anyone hope to go up into the sanctuary on Mt. Zion in the midst of the new Jerusalem?
Conditions required of the world will be rightly different in the new age to come. Entry law of the sanctuary is strictly enforced. Judgment will come swiftly upon all evildoers; else why shall ones "go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men who have transgressed against Me," Isaiah 66:23-24?
11 And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meat offering shall be an ephah to a bullock, and an ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as he is able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.
This verse repeats the statement of vv. 4-7, as an explicit requirement for the days of the feasts and the solemnities also. No reason is given, but is probably due to a change of the law. Perhaps the emphasis is that offerings must be accompanied by a minimum amount of the fruits of the laborer's work.
12 Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt offering or peace offerings voluntarily unto the LORD, [one] shall then open him the gate that looketh toward the east, and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, as he did on the sabbath day: then he shall go forth; and after his going forth [one] shall shut the gate.
That both east gatehouses are visited during the offering and worship seems apparent, although the text of vv. 4-5 is not clear on the exact procedure of the Prince's service. It is stated that the Prince "shall sit in" the outer east gatehouse "to eat bread before the LORD: he shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate and shall go out by the way of the same."
The provision of the daily sacrifice was once a point of contention between the parties of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. ...What should be the base of its expense and supply? One party would have it discharged from the general treasury fund, while the other party wished to have it paid from the free-will offerings.6 It is only stated indirectly here in Ezekiel's text as to which of the priests is responsible to make the daily burnt offerings.
13 Thou shalt daily prepare a burnt offering unto the LORD [of] a lamb of the first year without blemish: thou shalt prepare it every morning.
See Numbers 28:3-8, where the Law once required two lambs for the daily offering. Observe that Ezekiel does not mention any provision for a second lamb for an evening offering. Here is a change of the original law.
14 And thou shalt prepare a meat offering for it every morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of an hin of oil, to temper with the fine flour; a meat offering continually by a perpetual ordinance unto the LORD.
The measures of flour and oil also are changed from the original Law. The priest nor any other man may arbitrarily discontinue this daily burnt offering, for it is commanded to be done continually by the direct command of the LORD.
This particular ordinance of the changed Law may refer to the daily offering which the book of Daniel speaks of at 11:31.
- 30 For the ships of Chittim shall come against him, therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant, so shall he do practice/deal, he shall even return, and have an understanding with them that forsake the holy covenant.
- 31 And arms shall stand on his part and they shall pollute the sanctuary 4720 of strength 4581, and shall take away the daily 8548 [sacrifice], and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
- 32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do practice and do [exploits].
- 33 And they that understand with skill among the people shall make many understand, yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by spoil for [1,260] days.
- 34 Now when they shall fall 3782, they shall be helped with a little help, but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
- 35 And [some] of them of skillfulness 7919 shall fall, to try them and to purge and to make [them] white, [even] to the time of the final end, because [it is] yet for a time appointed.
- Daniel 11:30-35
(The four-digit numbers above are Strong's reference numbers).
Now to address this point, which commentators of recent times - on the book of Daniel - seem to stumble over because of their "continuous history" perspective of his prophecy.
Since the Great Reformation these commentators accept the tradition of the continuous-minded historians - which is their first fault - for some of the older non-continuous historians rightly acknowledge that Daniel's prophecy, believed at face value, speaks of a glorious end for Israel and not of a supersessionistic consignment of the nation of Israel into eternal oblivion in favor of "the Church."
Consequently the modern followers of those supersessionist-minded commentators perceive not that the prophetic text may truly, actually concern "the last days" of Israel's tribulation! They sleep, not watching for the signs of the Master's coming...
The removal of the daily burnt offering - by apostate Jews under an agreement with the invader and coupled with the placement of "the abomination of desolation" - is the sign to be expected for the LORD's coming wrath upon the people, and Israel's final deliverance out of "Jacob's trouble."
The removal of the daily offering is the reason that Jesus Christ cautioned his readers: "Whoever reads, let him understand."
The question is, Understand what? Not who, but what. What but the Word of God; and the signs, and the time of the final end of the domination of the nations over the land promised to Abraham and to his seed, and over Jerusalem and the holy city? Because, before Messiah comes, both the temple and its altar must be built, per Malachi.Compare Habakkuk 2:20 with Revelation 8:1, and with other O.T. references to silence, particularly in Isaiah and Psalms
To this end, ho satanas and the enemies of Israel will make war against the work of God's witnesses. The work of building the temple goes on during the days of Jacob's troubles, as both Daniel 9:27b - (Israel's enemies do not prosper to the end) - and Revelation 11:1- 3 show. The court outside the temple is omitted (in the measuring) because it has been given over to the nations while they "trample" the city of Jerusalem for 42 months.
Has the God of Israel ever recommended image worship? The beastly "king," a vile person, per Daniel 11:21, who during the last days of Israel's commonwealth supports the "false prophet," Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10; as a self-proclaimed God, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, recognizes that he has only a short time to aggrandize himself. Hence he has a great fury and is in haste to destroy all the Jewish people who oppose him wherever they may be found.5 The "forces" that defile "the sanctuary fortress" are responsible for taking away the daily offering, in order to support "the king" who "shall do according to his own will." His desire is to establish the "image of 'the beast'" of Revelation 13:14-17. Therefore the priests of the LORD cannot voluntarily discontinue the daily burnt offering, which is by an ordinance of the Law..
15 Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meat offering, and the oil, every morning [for] a continual burnt offering.
The laws for the gifts and inheritances of the land are now ordained. 16 Thus saith the Lord GOD; If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons'; it [shall be] their possession by inheritance.
The margin's reference will send the reader of the text back to 2 Chronicles 21:3 where the "gift" of wealth and property, and dominion over cities, was given by King Jehoshaphat to his sons. The law here in Ezekiel applies to the future beyond 572 B.C., to the new kingdom, however brief the principle of the "gift" is rooted in the nation's past.
17 But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them.
The estate of the Prince owns title to the whole inheritance of the LORD, although parts may be given for a period of time for the use of any of his servants. God rules in the kingdoms of men and gives the rule to whosoever He chooses, per Daniel; so the principle is made into law during the coming kingdom age.
18 Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; [but] he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.
Dispossession from property occurred prior to Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem about 445 B.C., and he judged the matter accordingly.
Earlier, before the final Babylonian captivity, King Zedekiah was especially blameable for violation of this law. The incident is recorded in Jeremiah 34:15-16. Zedekiah's action brought the anger of the LORD, and judgment upon the princes, the priests and the people who remained in Jerusalem.
The assignment of all lots from the land offered to the LORD enhances the higher position which the Prince and the priests will hold in the dominion of the LORD when His kingdom is restored in the earth. The new Jerusalem will be a preeminent royal city, unexcelled by any historical time.
The changes of the legal ordinances now stated; and their explanation ended, Ezekiel resumes the tour of the site of the sanctuary of the LORD's house with his guide. He had been in the vicinity of the gates at the front of the house. The east side is, recall, the front of the building. From the north gate's way he was brought to the front of the house and shown the gate of the Inner Court on the east. It was shut. After hearing laws governing that east gate, Ezekiel is brought through a side entrance, beside that gate.
19 After he brought me through the entry, which [was] at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there [was] a place on the two sides westward.
Refer to Diagram R, The Sanctuary of the LORD's House, and Letter o, The way of the inner gatehouses. The way meets the holy chambers of the priests at the low wall (at the dividing line between the altar's court and the temple's porch).
There are two rooms on each side of the holy places. Beside these, westward, on the two sides, he sees this "place." The place is the area where kitchen facilities will be located. This "place" is in the most remote area of the inner structures of the high court.
20 Then said he unto me, This [is] the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear [them] not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people.
The touching of sanctified objects by unclean persons, and vice versa, was a matter of the older law of Moses, requiring some refinement. Now this fault is avoided.
The boiling and baking place for the holy things is segregated from any contact with the people. The dimensions of the place are not stated or further explained.
The first temple's sanctuary contained quarters with stoves. It was called the Beth HaMoqed.7 It was built upon arches and contained a large dining hall. This chamber was connected with four other chambers. One of the chambers was a large storage room where fires were continually burning for the use of the priests. Another of the three chambers was the repository for items given as a warrant when a person had paid his due for a drink offering (somewhat like a pawn shop). In another room the shewbread was prepared, and in the other room the lambs selected for the daily offerings were kept.
From these quarters also the priests had access to the bath rooms for their cleansing before the service. These rooms for bathing were on the level below the "house of the hearths." Ezekiel's vision shows a water source springing from beneath the temple's house. It appears that the plan of the sanctuary has been modified is many ways to accommodate the changes of the magnified Law.
From the holy chambers where the two places for the boiling and the baking shall take place, Ezekiel is led out again into the Outer Court.
21 Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court [there was] a court.
Surprise upon surprise! Is there here a notable difference in the pattern of these structures? Refer to Diagram R again, Letter d, onThe Sanctuary of the LORD's House. These four corner courts are apparently formed at the intersection of the ways of the outer gatehouses. Pay attention now, because Ezekiel was surprised at what met his eyes. Notice how the text shows the separation between the things of the Inner Court and the things of the Outer Court.
22 In the four corners of the court [there were] courts joined of forty [cubits] long and thirty broad: these four corners [were] of one measure.
In order to qualify as a court, an open area must be enclosed around its perimeter in some manner. The enclosure is that which defines the extent of the court.
23 And [there was] a row [of building] round about in them, round about them four, and [it was] made with boiling places under the rows round about.
The "row" appears to be a hood or vent system which collects the steam, smoke, and heat away from the boiling place beneath it. Neither dimension nor description of the row is given; only the size of the court joined at the corner is stated. The height of the "row" is not stated either. Courts are always open; they have no roof or covering. The "row" is a structural part with the boiling place beneath it. Each court is adjacent to several chambers on the lower pavement.8
24 Then said he unto me, These [are] the places of them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
The proximity of the Outer Court's corner courts to the 30 chambers that are upon the lower pavement lends support to the idea that some among the 30 chambers are dining rooms where the people eat of their sacrifice and offerings in their worship before the LORD during the appointed feasts of Passover and Tabernacles. The non-resident may have provision made for his meal within the sanctuary of the house.
Chapter 46 concludes the vision of the matters concerning the sanctuary on Mt. Zion. The remaining two chapters of the vision are concerned with the measures of the sub-divisions of the promised holy land.
"Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not desire; Mine ears hast Thou opened. Burnt offerings and sin offerings hast Thou not required. Then said I, 'Lo, I come.' (in the volume of the book written of me), 'I delight to do Thy will, O my God, Yea, Thy law is written within my heart.'"
- Psalm 40:6-8
