SACRIFICES IN EZEKIEL'S TEMPLE Burnt offerings, Meat (Meal) offerings, Peace offerings, Sin offerings, Drink offerings and Trespass offerings all continue in Ezekiel's temple on a daily basis and during the remaining festivals. These are literal sacrifices. The common interpretation is that these are performed as memorials or remembrances. The reason this is taught is because the literal sacrifices does not fit into standard Christian theology, which teaches that Jesus (Yeshua) took all sacrifices away. The scriptures are very clear however about what things are done as memorials and remembrances. The following scripture verses show what are done as memorials:
The word "memorial" does not appear at all in the book of Ezekiel. The word "remembrance" does appear in the book of Ezekiel but not in the last nine chapters which describe Ezekiel's temple. Since it is Ezekiel that sets the standard (through this vision from G-d) as to what is to be done and how it is to be done, anything that says anything different is to be rejected. Ezekiel tells us why these sacrifices are to be performed:
Here it is made very plain that these sacrifices are to be performed to make reconciliation. They are not performed as memorials or remembrances. What is not understood by most people is that there are apparently two levels of atonement: a higher Atonement of Salvation (the Yom Kippur sacrifice that Yeshua fulfilled on Pesakh), and a lower atonement of Reconciliation which will not be fulfilled until after His Millennial reign. You may read in Hebrews 10:3 the following verse: "But in those sacrifices there
is a remembrance again made of sins every year." The context in which this is
written is the Yom Kippur sacrifice. This will be addressed in
detail in our upcoming Hebrews study. Daily Offerings In Exodus 29:38-42 and Numbers 28:3-10 it says that two lambs of a year old are to be offered as sacrifices every day; one in the morning and one in the evening. Curiously, in Ezekiel's temple only ONE lamb is to be offered every day; in the morning (Ezekiel 46:13-15). Perhaps the "other lamb" (Yeshua) is there with them every day in place of this one lamb? Half Shekel Tax This was given as a support for the temple and as a ransom (or redemption price) for the souls of those twenty years and older, particularly those who would go to war. For both reasons this will no longer be necessary in the Millennium. Nazarite Vow (Numbers 6:1-21) During the time a Nazarite has his vow he is to abstain from:
When the days of his separation are fulfilled he is to:
The apostle Paul (Shaul, pronounced Shah-ool) undertook two such vows:
"Having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow" describes a Nazarite vow. The difficulty here is that he shaved his head in Cenchrea, not at the temple. However, the Mishnah (a Jewish commentary on the Torah) says in Nazir 2:5 that a fellow Nazarite may take the hair of another Nazarite to Jerusalem and offer it in his stead. Whether this is what happened here or not is uncertain. In Acts 21:20-28 it is said that there was a report that Shaul was teaching the Jews living amongst the Gentiles to forsake Moshe and the Torah. Knowing this report to be false the Messianic Jews in Jerusalem told Shaul to take with him four men who had taken a Nazarite vow and to pay their expenses so they could fulfill their vows. At this point he could have disavowed having anything to do with Torah by refusing to do as they asked. But, he didn't. He paid their expenses willingly in order to prove that the report had been false. Apparently, however, Shaul did not take a vow for himself but just paid their expenses
which is no small matter for four men. Unfortunately, this process was interrupted
when the other Jews rioted after recognizing him and having heard the same false
report. |
