Chapter 46
Instructions concerning the sacrifices the prince would make on each Sabbath and on the new moons. It tells where he was to enter, what was to be sacrificed, where he was to stand. The gate he entered was to remain open until evening, but was closed the rest of the time. Next, instructions for the people when they come for the appointed feasts. They are to pass straight through - if they come in the north, they exit to the south and vice versa. And the prince enters with them, and leaves with them.
In addition to these "set times", if the prince desires to make a free will peace offering or sin offering, that east gate to the inner area is to be opened for him, and then closed behind him when he leaves. (From this direction, the altar would be right there in front of him as he enters, and the enclosure for the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies beyond it. It would be an impressive sight, I'm sure.
A burnt offering is to be offered every single day, along with a grain offering, which includes wine to moisten it. This burnt offering...I can't remember if the priests eat part of this or if the burnt offering is completely burnt. It would seem to insure that the priests will have some meat and grain each day.
2020-This Prince will have sons, and he will die apparently during the time this temple is in operation because we are given the rules about how and what his sons may inherit and what they may not. It also talks about the year of liberty. So this system will be in place, the honoring of sabbaths will be in place, and we must assume that the fallow years for the land will also be observed. The re-institution of very much of Mosaic law seems to come back. This again seems to point to Christ's death somehow not being applicable - at least until after this temple has served it's purpose - to Israel. They still need to make sin offerings and guilt offerings, observe the feasts and the new moons...It is as if Christ's blood does not apply to them. This seems so blasphemous, but also seems the only explanation for this temple. Those passages in Isaiah and Jeremiah where God divorces Israel are very strong. Perhaps a study of those wold shed light on this idea also. They will return...but a divorced bride could not return, at least not if she knew another man in the mean time. Israel has never fallen head over heels for another suitor. After the captivity in Babylon, she has not worshiped idols nor any other Gods at all. That was done with after the divorce. So maybe that is how we see this. Israel welcomed back as a returning wife, divorced because justice demanded it, not because the love was gone.
20 And he said to me, "This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, in order not to bring them out into the outer court and so transmit holiness to the people." [Eze 46:20 ESV] This is the second time we've seen this admonition. Don't wear the linen garments outside lest you transmit holiness to the people, and now don't bring these offerings out lest they transmit holiness. Why this admonition? Why is holiness to be hoarded by the priests and not shared with the people? Because some of those people are Gentiles, and the age of Gentiles being past and Trib and Great Trib being aimed at earthly justice toward them, we don't want them getting "accidentally blessed"? That doesn't make sense.
Then Ezekiel is shown a place well away from the "public" parts of the Temple, near the priests quarters, where the guilt offering would be boiled, and the grain offering baked. This was holy, and the holiness of it was to remain with the priests and with God, and not be "transmitted" to the people.
2022 - So at this point, I have no opinion or theory as to whom this prince might be, where he came from, or what qualified for his position. An earthly descendant of David besides Jesus? Is it Jesus, and he is referred to as Prince...NO!!! Jesus won't have sons in the Millennial, he would need to be married! No way! So not Jesus. A prince would be a son of David. Some earthly representative to carry out the kingly duties. Someone we don't know. Someone never mentioned elsewhere in scripture.