Ezekiel 45-48
Ezekiel 45
1 Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, ye shall offer an oblation unto the LORD, an holy portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about.
This chapter is about offerings that people are to make to the temple. It also pretty much covers taxes they are to pay to the prince.
7 And a portion shall be for the prince on the one side and on the other side of the oblation of the holy portion, and of the possession of the city, before the oblation of the holy portion, and before the possession of the city, from the west side westward, and from the east side eastward: and the length shall be over against one of the portions, from the west border unto the east border.
The prince gets land.
10 Ye shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath.
I wonder if there was a problem with people not having correct measurements. Well, I guess the term "to jew" comes from somewhere. It seems Ezekiel knows that jews would jew each other if they weren't told not to.
17 And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.
The prince is to offer the sacrifices for the people, from the oblations they give to him.
21 In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.
Oddly, this doesn't mention the exodus.
Ezekiel 46
1 Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
More temple talk.
3 Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the LORD in the sabbaths and in the new moons.
Odd that the religion that claimed to worship the real God, has rituals based on the lunar calendar.
9 But when the people of the land shall come before the LORD in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over against it.
You don't get to leave by the gate you came in at.
18 Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.
This is a prohibition against a death tax. See, the democrats are unbiblical. To take away from what was the parents is against God's law.
Ezekiel 47
1 Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
Ezekiel claims that there will be a river that has it's origins in the temple. As it flows in the next verses, it will get deeper, until it empties into the Dead Sea.
8 Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
There's going to be so much water flowing, that it will make the dead sea alive again.
9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.
The dead sea will even have living fish in it.
Next, the borders of Israel are laid out.
Ezekiel 48
1 Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan.
The tribes that will be on the north of the river that runs from the temple are: Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah.
The south tribes will be: Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad.
Remember the Levites will get cities in each tribe.
Thus ends Ezekiel.
So what have we learned?
1. Unless Jews are specifically told to have just measures, they won't have it.
2. God likes a lunar calendar.
3. There will be a river that flows from the top of the temple mount, in fact it will go down both sides of the mount and go to the dead sea and also the Mediterranean Sea. If you believe the Bible (KJV1611) to be true, then this river will be made. Even though there isn't a source of water on top of the hill.
4. The tribes will get their lands back, even though currently there are Levites and ... everyone else.
YIC
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