Ezekiel 43 Footnotes

43:13-17 This section presents the dimensions of the altar of sacrifice in the restored temple. Ezekiel’s blueprint raises the issue of why sacrifices would be reinstated in the end time, since Christ fulfilled them (Eph 5:2; Heb 9:26; 10:5,8,12,26). The Israelites were called to be the Lord’s “kingdom of priests” (Ex 19:6) and the vehicle for his blessing on all peoples (Gn 12:3), but through the centuries their understanding of this calling became distorted under the pressures of history, especially that of foreign occupation. As a result, Israel never fulfilled its missionary purpose under the “old covenant.” Interpreters who view Ezekiel’s prophecy as a prediction of future, end-time events look ahead to the millennial kingdom when Israel, recognizing Jesus as the Messiah, will reestablish the sacrificial ordinances of their covenant in remembrance of his redemptive work. Other commentators, taking a different approach, see Israel’s calling to be a kingdom of priests fulfilled in the church of Jesus Christ (1Pt 2:9; Rv 5:10). In this view, Ezekiel’s description of the restored temple, altar, and sacrifices points to the priesthood of the new covenant community.