Ezekiel 40 to the end.

[Osage Bluestem]

Can anyone explain what is going on at the end of Ezekiel? Matthew Henry says that Jews don't let people read it until they are 30 years old. Dispensationalists claim that it is a picture of the new temple that will exist in the millenial kingdom and it will include LITERAL animal sacrifices by Levitical priests as a memorial of Christ's sacrifice for Israel. Many study bibles just don't comment a lot on what the prophecies mean.

I have been told by dispensatinalists their view and I would like to know how to refute that because I don't see how that could be right. Jesus said it is finished on the cross, and Paul says in Galatians that we are Israel if we are in Christ. And the levitical priesthood is supposed to be abolished because Christ is reigning now at the right hand of the Father as our intercessor and High Priest and his sacrifice has atoned for our sins. He is our prophet priest and king all at once.

 

[JML]

Dispensationalists claim that it is a picture of the new temple that will exist in the millenial kingdom and it will include LITERAL animal sacrifices by Levitical priests as a memorial of Christ's sacrifice for Israel.

Three words:

Book of Hebrews

 

[Osage Bluestem]

Dispensationalists claim that it is a picture of the new temple that will exist in the millenial kingdom and it will include LITERAL animal sacrifices by Levitical priests as a memorial of Christ's sacrifice for Israel.

Three words:

Book of Hebrews

I just finished Hebrews about two weeks ago! I don't get how it explains the end of Ezekiel. Can you give me a summary?

 

[JML]

I wasn't addressing the whole of your original post, just the section I quoted. There are many things that I don't understand about Ezekiel 40. But I do know that to say it is the will of God for animal sacrifices to be necessary again goes against Biblical teaching as is the return of the Levitical priesthood.

To continue animal sacrifices would be to throw Christ's sacrifice back in His face and proclaim that it is not good enough.

There are several verses I could quote in Hebrews. But here is one section.

Hebrews 9:23-26
23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

 

[Osage Bluestem]

I wasn't addressing the whole of your original post, just the section I quoted. There are many things that I don't understand about Ezekiel 40. But I do know that to say it is the will of God for animal sacrifices to be necessary again goes against Biblical teaching as is the return of the Levitical priesthood.

To continue animal sacrifices would be to throw Christ's sacrifice back in His face and proclaim that it is not good enough.

There are several verses I could quote in Hebrews. But here is one section.

Hebrews 9:23-26
23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

I absolutley agree that taking Ezekiel literally when it says that there will be animal sacrifices in the new temple under a levitical priest is absurd given what we know about Christ. How do we show that this must be figurative or what is it that it figures? That is really my question. I currently tell dispensationalists that there isn't going to be future animal sacrifices at a new temple under levitical priests because Christs work was sufficient and they tell me that I don't believe the bible because it clearly says in Ezekiel that there will be. That's my problem.

 

[CharlieJ]

This is a big hermeneutical issue, and I doubt a 100 word post is going to be that helpful. I would encourage you to get or inter-library loan (cheaper) The Temple and the Church's Mission by G.K. Beale and read it, skipping the portions on extra-biblical Jewish exegesis and ANE culture (those sections are great, but really bog down the text if you're not interested in those points). This book not only gives a comprehensive view of the significance of the temple in Scripture, but it also models how to do biblical theology. Anyone dealing with Dispensationalists a lot should have this on hand.