Chapter 45
ESV titles this section "The Holy District".
Land is set aside for the temple, for the ministering priests, and for the punished Levites. They will live near the temple. I wonder if some were on each side, such that foreigners could be prevented from entering that Holy section in the middle? Then some land is assigned to the prince. Again, this wouldn't seem to be about Christ, because he isn't going to need physical property on earth.
2022 - What if we interpret "prince" and "princes" here to mean the angels whom God has used to exert his will, the blindness and deafness, the punishments and oppressions of Israel through the Millennia? What if these are angels that are assigned this area. Haven't we seen that they will come back with Christ, and possibly/probably remain on earth with him, serving him on earth as they did in heaven? Won't they need somewhere to reside? Won't they be about as effective as can be imagined as a barrier between those to whom access is prohibited and the new Holy of Holies? Maybe this is how we are to understand this prince, rather than as a human counterpart to Christ the King? Perhaps Michael, now that the beast he has spent eternity fighting is gone, will assume this position?
This verse:
9 "Thus says the Lord GOD: Enough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Cease your evictions of my people, declares the Lord GOD. [Eze 45:9 ESV] There is no way Jesus would need these instructions. There is therefore no way this prince is Jesus. Jesus is not here. This is not the Millennial Kingdom. It was a vision, and the covenant that it required was conditional upon the returning exiles. But they did not learn. They did not repent. Their worship was not true and from their hearts. This never happened, and never will happen.
2022 - See 2022 note above. This order certainly tends toward the interpretation of prince as angel. Whom has God used to scatter the Jews to the nations? Has to be angels!
Well....look at Chapter 46 though. Why would God be using angels as priests? That is what this interpretation requires. Does not seem likely. Whom exactly, though, did God say WOULD be offering the sacrifices? Didn't he specifically exclude the Levites? And the Aaronic is never mentioned is it? Nope...that line falls also. The Sons of Zadok, who are a subset of the Levitical priests, are allowed to come near and offer the sacrifices. Hard to justify putting an angelic priest over them. Totally wrong there, I believe. Further - vs 46:16 says the prince can make a gift of inheritance to his sons. This prince is certainly not an angel. They don't marry, they don't have sons.
Duties are required of this prince also. The people are required to give offerings to this prince, and he will provide offerings for the feasts and observances throughout the year from those offerings.
There has never been anything like this. If this is about the Millennial, John said nothing of it in Revelation, and it requires a complete overhaul of that book to have any understanding of what the Millennial will be.
2024 - Here it is again in this verse:
17 It shall be the prince's duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel. [Eze 45:17 ESV]. This says the sacrifices are for making atonement. This is the Law - the Old, not the New Covenant. The prince...it seems as though prince and priest are combined in one here. But the injunction to put away violence and oppression back in vs 9 says it is not Jesus. He would not need to be told that. Who is this prince to whom offerings are given, and who then, from those offerings, supplies the Temple with sacrifices for atonement.
2024 - Also, in the next chapter, 46:17-18, make it certain that the prince is a man, a human being, a person. Else he would not die.
There is a worthwhile note in MSB for 45:18-25. Turns out only three of the six Levitical Feasts will be celebrated in this temple - Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Booths or Tabernacles. The three that won't be celebrated are Pentecost, Trumpets, and Atonement. Quote "Most likely they are excluded because what they had looked forward to prophetically have been fulfilled and now serve no significant remembrance purpose such as Passover and Booths, or Tabernacles, will continue to provide.
So MSB is trying to make these sacrifices still legitimate despite the finished work of Christ and despite Hebrews saying Jesus sat down at God's right hand. But...that was atonement...
The next note is on 45:18-20, atonement. "The day of atonement is never mentioned, but God institutes a never-before-celebrated festival to start the "new year" with an emphasis on holiness in the temple...It indicates that there will be sin in the kingdom, committed by those who entered alive and their offspring."
45:21-24, "Passover and Unleavened Bread are combined as in the NT and focus on remembering God's deliverance of the nation from Egypt and Christ's death providing deliverance from sin.