Dispensationalists all argue that Ezekiel's temple vision will be fulfilled in the supposed future millennial kingdom. But the abundance of internal evidence in the book strongly militates against this. For example, the book explicitly states that Ezekiel himself would offer a sacrifice in the temple. This puts the fulfillment of Ezekiel's visions in Ezekiel's generation.
43:18-20,
And He said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God: ‘These are the ordinances for the altar on the day when it is made, for sacrificing burnt offerings on it, and for sprinkling blood on it. 19 You shall give a young bull for a sin offering to the priests, the Levites, who are of the seed of Zadok, who approach Me to minister to Me,’ says the Lord God. 20 ‘You shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim around it; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it.
Please note that God spoke to Ezekiel and said that "you" are to provide a bull and "you" are to apply its blood on the altar and "you" shall cleanse it and make atonement. Now a poster here told me last month that the "you" here is generic. But if the "you" is generic, then we would expect it to be plural. But it is not plural. According to the Analytical Key to the Old Testament the "you" is singular in each instance.
This means that Ezekiel's himself was to offer the bull and that the vision would have its fulfillment in Ezekiel's own time.
This also argues against Dispensationalism's theory that the sacrifices are for a "memorial." It CLEARLY says that Ezekiel was to "make atonement." Moreover, God said that Ezekiel would be accepted as a consequence.
verse 27,
"and I will accept you, says the Lord God."
Ezekiel wouldn't need to offer a bull for acceptance in the millennium for he would have been resurrected sinless.
43:18-20,
And He said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God: ‘These are the ordinances for the altar on the day when it is made, for sacrificing burnt offerings on it, and for sprinkling blood on it. 19 You shall give a young bull for a sin offering to the priests, the Levites, who are of the seed of Zadok, who approach Me to minister to Me,’ says the Lord God. 20 ‘You shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim around it; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it.
Please note that God spoke to Ezekiel and said that "you" are to provide a bull and "you" are to apply its blood on the altar and "you" shall cleanse it and make atonement. Now a poster here told me last month that the "you" here is generic. But if the "you" is generic, then we would expect it to be plural. But it is not plural. According to the Analytical Key to the Old Testament the "you" is singular in each instance.
This means that Ezekiel's himself was to offer the bull and that the vision would have its fulfillment in Ezekiel's own time.
This also argues against Dispensationalism's theory that the sacrifices are for a "memorial." It CLEARLY says that Ezekiel was to "make atonement." Moreover, God said that Ezekiel would be accepted as a consequence.
verse 27,
"and I will accept you, says the Lord God."
Ezekiel wouldn't need to offer a bull for acceptance in the millennium for he would have been resurrected sinless.