He's Ba-a-ack!
- The tour finally comes to an end. Bronze Guy takes Ezekiel to the east gate where he sees the glory of God coming down to re-inhabit the Temple.
- The sound of rushing waters signals God's entrance, as the earth shines with his glory.
- Ezekiel says it was like the vision he had seen before on the river Chebar and when God came to destroy the city.
- Ezekiel falls down on his face, but the spirit lifts him up and brings him into the inner court while the glory of God fills the Temple.
- The voice of God speaks from the Temple, announcing that this is his throne and footstool, where he will reign forever over his people.
- He says the people and their kings won't defile him anymore through idolatry.
- Since they'd set their idols and performed their illicit practices with only a wall between them and God's holy place in the Temple, God needed to go all "Man on Fire" and punish them.
- But things will be different this time.
- God concludes this part of his speech by ordering Ezekiel to give the detailed plans, laws, and ordinances for the Temple to the people (all the info from the previous three chapters, basically). We hope he was taking notes.
Sacrifice: A Primer
- God specifies the dimensions of the altar, the altar hearth, and ledge in cubits. The altar's steps will face east.
- Then he describes how, on the day it is created, the altar will first be used for burnt offerings and dashing blood on it.
- The levitical priests of Zadok will offer God a bull for the sin offering. They'll put blood from the bull on the four corners of the ledge and the four horns of the altar. Then the bull for the sin offering will be burnt in the place appointed, outside the sacred zone.
- On the second day, they're to offer a goat as a sin offering, spreading blood on the altar as they had done with the bull, purifying the altar. After the purification, they're supposed to offer a bull and a ram both without blemish.
- The priests will throw salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering.
- Then, for seven days they need to make a daily goat sacrifice for a sin offering plus a bull and a ram both without blemish again.
- After these seven days of atonement and consecration, the priests will let the people make their sacrifices and offerings to God and it'll be back to Temple business as usual.