That's interesting, I've never heard it put together like that before.
So basically, they will be doing temple sacrifices during the millenial reign? Is that what you're saying?
That makes me wonder about the lion and the oxen lying together? If the lion becomes an herbivore is man still an omnivore? Why the need for the sacrifices if we are there and Jesus is reigning as King of Kings?
No, what I'm saying is this, the Lord God gave Ezekiel a grand vision of a restored priesthood, a restored sacrificial system, a rebuilt temple, and a redivision of the land. All this was promised to Israel by God
on the condition, let me repeat this,
on the condition that:
""Thou son of man,
shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and
all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them." -Eze. 43:10-11 (KJV)
These were
"conditional promises" God gave Ezekiel to tell Israel that if they (Israel) would be ashamed of their inquities,
and when Ezekiel presented the form and fashion of the house of the Lord, (temple)
and provided they
kept all the ordinances, laws, and forms, Ezekiel was to write it in their sight, and if they agreed to do as the Lord instructed, the all that was promised, the priesthood through the line of Zadok, the new sacrificial system, the new temple, the redivision of the land, would be given to them.
The last 9 chapters of the book of Ezekiel are "conditional promises."
From Leviticus, chapter 26, we have this:
If you follow my statutes and keep my commandments and observe them faithfully, I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall overtake the vintage, and the vintage shall overtake the sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full, and live securely in your land. And I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and no one shall make you afraid; I will remove dangerous animals from the land and no sword shall go through your land. You shall give chase to your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. Five of you shall give chase to a hundred, and a hundred of you shall give chase to ten thousand; your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. I will look with favor upon you and make you fruitful and multiply you; and I will maintain my covenant with you. You shall eat old grain long stored, and you shall have to clear out the old to make way for the new. I will place my dwelling in your midst, and I shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and I will be your God and you shall be my people.
This is a part of God's contract with the people of Israel. Note that God's promise here is conditional - "if you do what I want, I'll do this for you." Also note that this promise is conditioned on actions only - following the laws given to Moses.
The condition for God to fulfill the promises of Ezekiel 39-48 are found in Eze. 43:10-11.
Another very good reason why I say these are conditional promises is because we are taught about circumcision from Paul:
"Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God." -1 Cor. 7:19
"What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?" -Rom. 3:1
And it is not the circumcision of the foreskin that matters, but the circumcision of the heart that matters to God:
"But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." -Rom. 2:29
But, if you believe that you will be sacrificing during the Millennial reign of Christ, then according to Ezekiel, no
matter who you are, Jew or Gentile, before you can enter the temple to sacrifice,
you will have to submit to being circumcized first:
"And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations. And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.
Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel." -Eze. 44:6-9
`No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into My sanctuary.' Definite!
But St. Paul teaches in
Galatians 5, verse 2:
`If ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.'
Again, in verse 3: `Every man that is circumcised
is a debtor to do the whole law.' Which according to verse 4 makes Christ `of no effect'.
Also, in
Galatans 6, verse 15, we read:
`In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.'
Therefore, if these last nine chapters of
Ezekiel are Millennial, the rite of circumcision will be imperative, though the restoration of circumcision will render Christ ineffective as Saviour.
There are other reasons to reject the line of thinking the we will be sacrificing during the Millennial reign of Christ. But I'll not get into that.
After intense research on this subject, sacrifing during the millennium, I say here, it is my opinion that there will be no sacrificing during this time. Jesus' death on the cross put an end "once for all" (Heb. 10:10) to all sacrifices. Both now, and in the future.
God Bless
Till all are one.
