Ezekiel 46: 1 - 24
This Land is My Land This Land is your Land
1 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened. 2 The prince shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway from the outside, and stand by the gatepost. The priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings. He shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening. 3 Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before the LORD on the Sabbaths and the New Moons. 4 The burnt offering that the prince offers to the LORD on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish; 5 and the grain offering shall be one ephah for a ram, and the grain offering for the lambs, as much as he wants to give, as well as a hin of oil with every ephah. 6 On the day of the New Moon it shall be a young bull without blemish, six lambs, and a ram; they shall be without blemish. 7 He shall prepare a grain offering of an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah. 8 When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.9 “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. 10 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. 11 At the festivals and the appointed feast days the grain offering shall be an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah. 12 “Now when the prince makes a voluntary burnt offering or voluntary peace offering to the LORD, the gate that faces toward the east shall then be opened for him; and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he did on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he goes out the gate shall be shut. 13 “You shall daily make a burnt offering to the LORD of a lamb of the first year without blemish; you shall prepare it every morning. 14 And you shall prepare a grain offering with it every morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. This grain offering is a perpetual ordinance, to be made regularly to the LORD. 15 Thus they shall prepare the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil, as a regular burnt offering every morning.” 16 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “If the prince gives a gift of some of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. 17 But if he gives a gift of some of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of liberty, after which it shall return to the prince. But his inheritance shall belong to his sons; it shall become theirs. 18 Moreover the prince shall not take any of the people’s inheritance by evicting them from their property; he shall provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people may be scattered from his property.” 19 Now he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests which face toward the north; and there a place was situated at their extreme western end. 20 And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them out into the outer court to sanctify the people.” 21 Then he brought me out into the outer court and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and in fact, in every corner of the court there was another court. 22 In the four corners of the court were enclosed courts, forty cubits long and thirty wide; all four corners were the same size. 23 There was a row of building stones all around in them, all around the four of them; and cooking hearths were made under the rows of stones all around. 24 And he said to me, “These are the kitchens where the ministers of the temple shall boil the sacrifices of the people.”
We continue in our study of all the unique activities regarding the New Temple in the Millennium. We are going to read again some new verses regarding the future Prince. Many biblical scholars are divided on who this Prince is. So, let me just review this point.
We know that our Holy God does not want us to be out in the dark as to understanding His Holy Word, so can we identify this Prince from other scripture passages? Let’s check this out.
First of all we know that this Prince can also enter the Temple from the East Gate. However, The Prince enters through the outer east gateway [the vestibule] Remember, this has been set-aside as a holy spot.
In this area we see another unique privilege. The Prince Is allowed to eat the Holy Sacrifices. The Hebrew word for bread is ‘lehem’. It is similar language for food from the sacrificial offerings
In chapter 45 we read this additional discovery regarding the ‘Prince’. 7 “The prince shall have a section on one side and the other of the holy district and the city’s property; and bordering on the holy district and the city’s property, extending westward on the west side and eastward on the east side, the length shall be side by side with one of the tribal portions, from the west border to the east border.”
In addition chapter 48 also deals with land being apportioned to the Prince, “21 “The rest shall belong to the prince, on one side and on the other of the holy district and of the city’s property, next to the twenty-five thousand cubits of the holy district as far as the eastern border, and westward next to the twenty-five thousand as far as the western border, adjacent to the tribal portions; it shall belong to the prince. It shall be the holy district, and the sanctuary of the temple shall be in the center. 22 Moreover, apart from the possession of the Levites and the possession of the city which are in the midst of what belongs to the prince, the area between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin shall belong to the prince.”
The portion of land allocated to the Prince equal the same amount given to each tribe [each tribe is comprised of thousands of people] Now that’s a good piece of property. . Notice that the area is called ‘Holy’
Another unique description is that this royal Person has priest activities;
You and I both know that our Holy Lord and Savior does not need to prepare a sin offering for Himself. He doesn’t and this verse does not say that He Is preparing a sin offering because of Him having sin. In the book of Hebrews chapter 5 we read, “1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. [Don’t forget that this is the Millennium and our Lord Jesus is a different High Priest – that is – after the order of Melchizedek] 4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.”6 As He also says in another place: “ You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”; 7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” 11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
Now in Hebrews chapter 7 we see our point brought out, “22 by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. 23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who Is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.”
In Hebrews 9 we see His sacrifice of blood, 23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
You see He did offer up Himself for the sin of the world. There are two things. First He can just present Himself and secondly He can as the Prince authorize Zadok who brings the blood into the new Temple of those sinners who have offered up animal sacrifices as indicated in verse 15 of this chapter in Ezekiel, 15 “But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood,” says the Lord GOD.”
You might say, ‘Okay but I am not sold’ but I want to bring up another reason and that is in chapter 46 that this Prince has sons, “16 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “If the prince gives a gift of some of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. 17 But if he gives a gift of some of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of liberty, after which it shall return to the prince. But his inheritance shall belong to his sons; it shall become theirs. 18 Moreover the prince shall not take any of the people’s inheritance by evicting them from their property; he shall provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people may be scattered from his property.”
‘Aha, got you.’ Let me give my answer by using scripture. Let us look at Romans chapter 8, “1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
How about Galatians 5, “1 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
In my lifetime I have seen some great men and women of God. I think that you can name a few off the top of you head also. We have been taught that when we die and go to be with the Lord that we will face Judgment as the book of Hebrews chapter 9 informs us, 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Our judgment will not be one of punishment but of rewards for what we have done in Christ Jesus’ Name. In 1 Corinthians 3 it talks about this, 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” I mention these facts because I believe that some of the rewards for being such a great servant will be this closeness with our Prince, our Great and Wonderful Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps one of you might be selected to live close to our Lord.
We are going to mention a few more scripture that might cause confusion as to the Prince Messiah, but I am hoping that I can give you not my opinion but what I believe the Scriptures teach us. So, let’s take a look at chapter 46.
1 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened. 2 The prince shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway from the outside, and stand by the gatepost. The priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings. He shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening. 3 Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before the LORD on the Sabbaths and the New Moons. 4 The burnt offering that the prince offers to the LORD on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish; 5 and the grain offering shall be one ephah for a ram, and the grain offering for the lambs, as much as he wants to give, as well as a hin of oil with every ephah. 6 On the day of the New Moon it shall be a young bull without blemish, six lambs, and a ram; they shall be without blemish. 7 He shall prepare a grain offering of an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah.
We read how the Prince will be allowed to enter the East gate that was holy unto Adoni Yahweh. Notice that He Is not doing the sacrifices, ‘The priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings’ A question might arise is this, ‘If the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, Is the Prince, then how come He is worshiping?’ [He shall worship at the threshold of the gate. The Holy Trinity Is a Perfect Unity. They do not get upset if so for instance you pray to the Father 70% of the time; to our Lord Jesus Christ 20% of the time; and to the Holy Spirit 10% of the time. They do not say, ‘Hey, how come you are worshiping Him more than Me.’ Our Lord Jesus said this when he spoke to the woman at the well as we read in the Gospel of John chapter 4, 1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria.5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” Please note our Master’s response to the woman, ‘We worship’. I believe that our Great Prince will help us to worship our Wonderful Father God.
Also please note that the Prince goes out the same East Gate that is holy. He Is the only One Who Is allowed to retrace His steps back out this gate. We will see that everyone else for one thing cannot use the East Gate. If they come in the South Gate they must leave by the North Gate. They cannot retrace their steps.
8 When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.9 “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. 10 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.
Please notice that no one can access the West Gate. The Holy of Holies is situated at the farthest end of the West. In order for proper crowd control anyone who enters from the South must leave by the North and whoever enters by the North must go out the South. It is interesting that in the land divisions you will note that the gates are lined up with the Tribes located in that area. It is an easy route for them to come to the Temple. On leaving and going back home they have to take a wide tour of the entire Temple in order to get back to their original destination.
There are some restaurants that brag that certain celebrities are there on different occasions. So, people go there in hoping to get a glimpse of this star. Can you imagine that you are coming to Jerusalem to see our Lord and Savior and you get to see Him and be around Him. Our Lord loves to mix with His people. We will get to have an audience with Him without being fenced out. No need for autographs. We can see Him and talk with Him.
11 At the festivals and the appointed feast days the grain offering shall be an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah.
In some scriptures this verse reads, ‘as he is able to give’. It makes the ability of the Prince to provide be in doubt. On some occasions he can give more and some less. This is the Millennium when our God has righted everything. This interpretation does not sound right. I believe that based on the amount of people this is how many lambs are determined. The usual measurement is one lamb for ten people. In the book of Exodus chapter 12 we read about how the lamb or goats were selected, 1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.”
12 “Now when the prince makes a voluntary burnt offering or voluntary peace offering to the LORD, the gate that faces toward the east shall then be opened for him; and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he did on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he goes out the gate shall be shut.
There is no need to read into this verse more than what it is saying. If the Prince wants to offer at any time a burnt offering or a peace offering He can do it. When the Prince comes in He Is recognized for His special authority and honor. When He goes out no one can use that path. The gate is shut.
13 “You shall daily make a burnt offering to the LORD of a lamb of the first year without blemish; you shall prepare it every morning. 14 And you shall prepare a grain offering with it every morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. This grain offering is a perpetual ordinance, to be made regularly to the LORD. 15 Thus they shall prepare the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil, as a regular burnt offering every morning.” 16 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
Our Holy Adoni Yahweh points out what He wants daily in the form of sacrifices. Each day the priests are to offer up a sacrifice to the Lord. There will not be any evening sacrifices in the Millennium as compared to the Lord’s original instructions in Numbers chapter 28, 1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time.’3 “And you shall say to them, ‘This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs in their first year without blemish, day by day, as a regular burnt offering. 4 The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, the other lamb you shall offer in the evening, 5 and one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering mixed with one-fourth of a hin of pressed oil. 6 It is a regular burnt offering which was ordained at Mount Sinai for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. 7 And its drink offering shall be one-fourth of a hin for each lamb; in a holy place you shall pour out the drink to the LORD as an offering. 8 The other lamb you shall offer in the evening; as the morning grain offering and its drink offering, you shall offer it as an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.”
As the Lord’s people we cannot be reminded or thank Him enough for His provisions. It is not only right to give Him what He asks, but also to offer Him our all. Remember, it all belongs to Him anyway.
“If the prince gives a gift of some of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. 17 But if he gives a gift of some of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of liberty, after which it shall return to the prince. But his inheritance shall belong to his sons; it shall become theirs. 18 Moreover the prince shall not take any of the people’s inheritance by evicting them from their property; he shall provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people may be scattered from his property.”
Here are four things listed in respect to the Prince;
1. His Inheritance
2. He can give some of His inheritance to His Sons
3. He can give some of His inheritance to His Servants
4. He can not give His sons more than His own inheritance
I have already identified this Prince as being our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What is so startling about Him being assigned a certain portion of land? Our Precious God has spoken first about where His Temple should be. Our Lord Jesus Christ is going to dwell with mankind for one thousand years so He Is given a good piece of premier land. Remember, this land assignment is only for one thousand years, then a new heaven and a new earth will take its place.
I have also indicated that Scripture reveals that we are sons. We have been adopted into His family. Now what is the big deal that in His Loving Grace He picks out some of His inheritance and gives it to some of His special servants? Would you argue if He gave some of His land to Billy Graham, or DL Moody, or Charles Spurgen? I do not think that you would complain if He wanted to do that?
Now, what about servants? There are probably going to be some pretty great servants in the Millennium. Suppose you have been witnessing to your friends and family about getting saved? They called upon the Lord and asked Him to come back again to earth. He returns and allows those alive to live in the Millennium. Do you think they are going to be appreciative? Do you think that they would want to serve the Messiah? It will be an honor to be able to serve Him for any service. Here our Lord again like He does with His sons will be moved to reward some of His servants with some of His land. However, they must give the land back at the year of Jubilee. In that year all property reverts back to its original owner.
Lastly, our Master is telling His Jewish audience that the Messiah will not be like the rotten leaders of the past who took the peoples land. He will only use what has been assigned. All the people can be at peace knowing that they will get their fare share of their inheritance.
19 Now he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests which face toward the north; and there a place was situated at their extreme western end. 20 And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them out into the outer court to sanctify the people.” 21 Then he brought me out into the outer court and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and in fact, in every corner of the court there was another court. 22 In the four corners of the court were enclosed courts, forty cubits long and thirty wide; all four corners were the same size. 23 There was a row of building stones all around in them, all around the four of them; and cooking hearths were made under the rows of stones all around. 24 And he said to me, “These are the kitchens where the ministers of the temple shall boil the sacrifices of the people.”
Ezekiel now picks up the tour exactly where he left off. To bring home the point that this is not just a symbolic heavenly interpretation, the Lord points out to him all the areas where the sacrifices will be prepared. The Temple will be a place of feasting as well as worship.
