ReformedWretch
Puritan Board Doctor
A defense against the rebuilding of the third temple. These are notes of mine taken from Gentry's "He shall have dominion".. I am sure I will be using them for a long time to come and thought others may be able to as well.
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The rebuilt temple of Ezekiel 40-48
1)This is a VISION, as such there are parts of this vision which simple cannot be taken literally.
a)The site of the temple is on a very high mountain (Ezek. 40:2)
There is NO very high mountain in the area of Jerusalem.
b)The source and flow of the river is incredible!(Ezek 47:1-2)
It becomes a "œmighty river".
c)The function of this river is to make the Dead Sea fresh, and bringing to life all that it touches. (Ezek. 47:6-12)
d)The 12 tribes are provided parallel tracks of land, which would be awkward in real geography. (Ezek 47:13)
2)Trying to say that "œsacrifices" will resume as memorials is just too much!
a)Ezekiel 43
19you shall give to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord GOD, a bull from the herd for a sin offering.
b)Ezekiel 40
39 In the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings were slaughtered.
c)Ezekiel 43
21 You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.
d)Ezekiel 45
15 Also one sheep is to be taken from every flock of two hundred from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These will be used for the grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings [1] to make atonement for the people, declares the Sovereign LORD .
e)Ezekiel 45
17 It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths-at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.
f)Ezekiel 45
20 You are to do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance; so you are to make atonement for the temple.
g)Ezekiel 43
20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the upper ledge and all around the rim, and so purify the altar and make atonement for it.
h)Ezekiel 43
26 For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it.
As can READ here"¦.these are NOT "œmemorial" sacrifices! They make atonement!
THIS is the ONLY memorial we need for sin;
1 Corinthians 11
23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
3)This vision taken literally would Judaize Christianity instead of Christianizing the adherents of Judaism.
a)It would reimpose circumcision and displace baptism.
Ezekiel 44
9 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites.
YET"¦.we have this teaching.
Ephesians 2
11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- 12remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
No, there is no literal rebuilding of a third temple for some 1000-year literal Millennial reign of Christ on Earth.
--------------------------------------------------------
The rebuilt temple of Ezekiel 40-48
1)This is a VISION, as such there are parts of this vision which simple cannot be taken literally.
a)The site of the temple is on a very high mountain (Ezek. 40:2)
There is NO very high mountain in the area of Jerusalem.
b)The source and flow of the river is incredible!(Ezek 47:1-2)
It becomes a "œmighty river".
c)The function of this river is to make the Dead Sea fresh, and bringing to life all that it touches. (Ezek. 47:6-12)
d)The 12 tribes are provided parallel tracks of land, which would be awkward in real geography. (Ezek 47:13)
2)Trying to say that "œsacrifices" will resume as memorials is just too much!
a)Ezekiel 43
19you shall give to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord GOD, a bull from the herd for a sin offering.
b)Ezekiel 40
39 In the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings were slaughtered.
c)Ezekiel 43
21 You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.
d)Ezekiel 45
15 Also one sheep is to be taken from every flock of two hundred from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These will be used for the grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings [1] to make atonement for the people, declares the Sovereign LORD .
e)Ezekiel 45
17 It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths-at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.
f)Ezekiel 45
20 You are to do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance; so you are to make atonement for the temple.
g)Ezekiel 43
20 You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the upper ledge and all around the rim, and so purify the altar and make atonement for it.
h)Ezekiel 43
26 For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it.
As can READ here"¦.these are NOT "œmemorial" sacrifices! They make atonement!
THIS is the ONLY memorial we need for sin;
1 Corinthians 11
23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
3)This vision taken literally would Judaize Christianity instead of Christianizing the adherents of Judaism.
a)It would reimpose circumcision and displace baptism.
Ezekiel 44
9 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites.
YET"¦.we have this teaching.
Ephesians 2
11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- 12remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
No, there is no literal rebuilding of a third temple for some 1000-year literal Millennial reign of Christ on Earth.