Ezekiel 46:1-2 – “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘The east gateway of the inner courtyard will be closed during the six workdays each week, but it will be open on Sabbath days and the days of new moon celebrations. The prince will enter the entry room of the gateway from the outside. Then he will stand by the gatepost while the priest offers his burnt offering and peace offering. He will bow down in worship inside the gateway passage and then go back out the way he came. The gateway will not be closed until evening.'”
Since chapter 40, we’ve been reading Ezekiel’s vision of a future time that seems to still be future even for us now. In the book of Revelation the Bible describes the creation of a new heaven and a new earth where God will restore everything. We’ve seen reference to a “prince” in the last few chapters, and it’s highlighted here today so we can examine it more closely.
Scholars seem to agree that the “prince” is not Jesus, as there are references to him making a sin offering for himself and the people. Jesus was without sin, so he would not need to offer a sin sacrifice for himself. You can read more information here. We also know that what we are reading comes before God’s new heaven and new earth, as all sin will be wiped away. There will no longer be a need for sacrifices. Some people believe based on interpretations of biblical prophecies that there will be a period of tribulation or trial prior to Jesus’ return to earth. It’s possible that we are reading a picture of that time period.
Here’s your freedom for today:
God reveals himself through stories and visions.
I find it fascinating and exciting that God shows us parts of himself through stories and visions. Sometimes the stories of the Bible are a literal retelling of facts, and sometimes they are visions of symbolic things that reveal something deeper about God. In this case, Ezekiel’s vision may be largely symbolic. Will there be an actual prince that will rise up during the end times in a Temple building that looks just like the one we’ve been reading about? Some people would say yes. Others would say that there is deeper symbolic meaning in what we read here. There’s no way to know for sure. But it’s interesting to me that God’s process in the future is a lot like his systems of the past — God is in charge with a prince and priests that lead the people in worship of him. There’s an order to it that is vastly different from other gods, religions, and sacrifice rituals. Whatever this passage might mean, it continues to show us that God is unlike anyone or anything we’ve ever known.