The Millennial Kingdom's Worship

Introduction

Adoration of the Lord Jesus Christ will undoubtedly mark the restored theocracy of the Millennial Kingdom.

(Isa 12:1-6; 25:1-26:19; 56:7; 61:10-11; 66:23; Jer 33:11, 18, 21-22; Ezek 20:40-41; 40:1-46:24; Zech 6:12-15; 8:20-23; 14:16-21)

Isaiah 66:23 KJV 1900

23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, And from one sabbath to another, Shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.

The Millennial Temple

There is incredible amount of prophecy devoted entirely to this temple. It includes its structure, priesthood, ritual, and ministry. You can find information recorded in

Ezekiel 40:1-46:24.

Now, with any prophecy, there are many different interpretations and views. However, for the sake of time, I am not going to deal with various understandings. Suffice it to say that there are those who think this prophecy simply describes the Jerusalem temple before the Babylonian captivity and those who think it symbolizes the spiritual blessings of the “universal” church of this present age. If you take a literal approach to Bible interpretation, there is only one understanding.

“Ezekiel’s temple is a literal future sanctuary to be constructed in Palestine as outlined during the Millennium.” - “The Temple Vision of Ezekiel” by Merrill F. Unger.

Temple Details

Here are a several details found in Ezekiel’s prophecy.

The Gates and Courts Described (Ezekiel 40:5-47)

The Outer Court

An entire area is enclosed by a wall. (Ezekiel 40:5)

There is an outer courtyard for people to gather within. (Ezekiel 40:6-27)

There are three gates by which one gains entrance to the courtyard with each gate constructed the same. (Ezekiel 40:6-16)

One to the east, the north, and the south. There is no gate to the west.

All the gates are structured 25 by 50 cubits.

The east gate, in particular, is the gate through which the Shekinah glory enters the temple is kept closed.

Each gate has seven steps leading up to them.

Each gate contains six small chambers with three on each side.

There are thirty chambers around the outer court, five on each side of the gates, arranged around the north, east, and south walls.

There is a paved walkway that extends around the north, east, and south sides of the area.

The Inner Court (Ezekiel 40:28-47)

The inner court is exactly 100 cubits long on each side.

The inner court is where the priests minister.

The inner court also has three gates granting access, each directly opposite the gates of the outer court along the same layout on the south, east, and north walls.

The inner courts are accessed by climbing eight steps, meaning that they are elevated above the outer courts.

Adjacent to the north gate are eight tables for preparing sacrifices.

Just outside, the inner and outer courts are chambered for the ministering priests.

In the center of the inner court is an altar offering sacrifices.

The Temple (Ezekiel 40:8-41:4)

The Temple Porch (Ezekiel 40:48-49)

The porch is 20 cubits by 11 cubits.

The porch has two large pillars.

The porch is reached by steps, which elevate it above the inner court.

The porch leads into the “temple,” which is 40 cubits by 20 cubits and is called “the holy place.”

The Inner Part of the Temple

The wall of the temple is three stories high, having thirty chambers for each story.

The temple is surrounded by an area of 20 cubits by 100 cubits called the separate place.

The separate place surrounds the temple except the east side, where the porch is located.

The temple's interior is paneled with wood ornamented with palm trees and cherubim.

Two doors are entering the sanctuary.

The only piece of furniture is a table or altar of wood. (There is no ark, mercy seat, veil, or cherubims above a mercy seat or tables of stone.)

In the area surrounding the temple is a separate building on the enclosure's west side.

There are also areas where the sacrifices are prepared.

At the four corners are places for the sacrifices prepared by the people.

Note the throne within the temple will be the very seat of authority.

Ezekiel 43:7–12 KJV 1900

7 And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places. 8 In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger. 9 Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever. 10 Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. 11 And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. 12 This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.

Note also the description of the altar as detailed in Ezekiel 43:12-18

Ezekiel 43:12–18 KJV 1900

12 This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house. 13 And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar. 14 And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower settle shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit. 15 So the altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns. 16 And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof. 17 And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east. 18 And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord God; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.

The next few chapters go on to...

Recount the offerings that will be made,

the ministry of the priests,

And the entire worship ritual.

The prophecy closes with describing the river that flows out of the sanctuary. This river flows from the temple south through Jerusalem and then divides into the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, furnishing life along its banks.

Temple’s Purpose

Merrill F Unger details five purposes realized in the Millennial Kingdom’s Temple.

It is built to demonstrate God’s holiness.

It is built to proved a dwelling place for God’s Divine glory.

It is built to perpetuate the memorial of sacrifice.

It is built to provide a center for Divine government.

It is built to provide victory over the curse.

Millennial Kingdom Worship

Will the old Levitical form of worship be re-established?

As we enter this section of the study concerning the Millennial Kingdom, let me state that worship during this era will NOT revert to the same type as that under the Law in the Old Testament.

There are many SIMILARITIES to the old Levitical system.

In the Millennial age, there will be worship, in which altars will once again be used and blood sprinkled upon them.

Ezekiel 43:13–17 KJV 1900

13 And these are the measures of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar. 14 And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower settle shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit. 15 So the altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns. 16 And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof. 17 And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east.

Ezekiel 43:18 KJV 1900

18 And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord God; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.

Burnt offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings will occur upon these same altars.

Ezekiel 40:39 KJV 1900

39 And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering.

The sons of Zadok will be reinstituted as the new Levitical order and set aside for a priestly ministry.

Ezekiel 43:19 KJV 1900

19 And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the Lord God, a young bullock for a sin offering.

The meal offering is incorporated in the Millennial Worship according to Ezekiel 42:13.

There are prescribed rituals of cleansing for the altar, the Levites who minister, and the sanctuary, according to Ezekiel 43:20-27, 44:25-27, and Ezekiel 45:18.

There will be observances of the new moon and sabbath days according to Ezekiel 46:1.

Morning sacrifices will be offered daily according to Ezekiel 46:13.

Perpetual inheritances will be recognized. (Ezekiel 46:13)

The Passover Feast will be observed.

Ezekiel 45:21–25 KJV 1900

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. 22 And upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin offering. 23 And seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the Lord, seven bullocks and seven rams without blemish daily the seven days; and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering. 24 And he shall prepare a meat offering of an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and an hin of oil for an ephah. 25 In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, shall he do the like in the feast of the seven days, according to the sin offering, according to the burnt offering, and according to the meat offering, and according to the oil.

The Feast of Tabernacles is once again an annual event, according to verse 25.

The year of jubilee is observed according to Ezekiel 46:17.

There is even a similarity in the manner of life, dress, and sustenance of the priestly order according to Ezekiel 44:15-31.

The temple once again becomes the place from which is manifested the glory of Jehovah according to Ezekiel 43:4-5

Ezekiel 43:4–5 KJV 1900

4 And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. 5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.

There are several fundamental DIFFERENCES between the two systems of worship.

There will be changes in the Millennial order.

By this, I mean the physical Temple itself has changed. The dimensions of the Millennial Temple do not match any of the dimensions of Solomon’s Temple, Zerubbabel’s Temple, or even Herod’s Temple during the time of Christ. The physical change of the Temple and its outlying areas is so markedly different that God felt it necessary to give us detailed descriptions of it.

Another significant change relates to the Levitical order. Several passages affirm these changes. (Ezek 40:46; 43:19; 44:15-31) Here is something interesting, but many often miss concerning the Levites. God set aside the whole Levitical order during David’s reign because of their apostasy. In the Millennial Kingdom, the Levites will be restricted to guarding and maintaining the temple. They will be excluded from the priestly ministry except one Levitical family, the children of Zadok.

If you are familiar with him, Zadok fills a prominent place in Israel’s history. You can find most of his story in 1 Samuel and 1 Kings. His story runs parallel with David’s. Zadok was the high priest during the reigns of David and Solomon. When Absalom, David’s son, rebelled against David, Zadok remained faithful to David. Later, when Adonijah, another of David’s sons, tried to usurp the throne from Solomon shortly before David’s death, it was Zadok and Nathan, the prophet, who espoused the cause of Solomon before all of Israel. David instructed Zadok to anoint Solomon, Bathsheba’s son, as King. Thus, for Zadok’s faithfulness not just to David but to God, Zadok’s seed was established to serve in the priestly ministry of the millennial age. Some may argue that Zadok’s genealogy has been lost just all the tribal lines. However, if God can call 12,000 from each tribe of Israel during the Tribulation, I do not think God will have any trouble preserving and identifying the lineage of Zadok.

There will be changes marked by deletion.

We already noted that there is no Ark of the Covenant, Pot of Manna, Aaron’s rod to bud, Tables of the Law, Cheribums over the Mercy Seat along with no Mercy seat, Golden Candlestick, Shewbread, Veil, unapproachable Holy of Holies where on the High Priest may enter, neither is there any High-Priest to offer atonement for sin or make intercession for the people. There is none of this. It all ceases to exist in the Millennial Temple. The priesthood is not confined to the sons of Zadok and only for a particular purpose. There is no evening sacrifice. Even the Altar of Burnt Offering is handled differently and barely named.

What about the mention of the five great offerings? Some remain, and some do not.The Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles are mentioned with an emphasis on the Passover. Ezekiel 45:25

Ezekiel 45:25 KJV 1900

25 In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, shall he do the like in the feast of the seven days, according to the sin offering, according to the burnt offering, and according to the meat offering, and according to the oil.

However, there is no mention of the Feast of Pentecost.

Now, for a further note on this, you may recall that the entire Levitical system of the Old Testament centered around the Day of Atonement. It was then that the High Priest made the sprinkling of the blood of atonement on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. However, in Ezekiel’s description of the Millennial Temple and its worship, there is no mention of the High Priest, the ark and mercy seat, or even the Day of Atonement. They are all omitted.

There are also changes by addition.

For example, one of the more notable changes is the person and ministry of the “prince,” who enjoys both royal and priestly privileges. He will serve as a king-priest in the office of high priest.

Remember that the “prince” is not Christ Himself. Scripture describes him as a man with sons who offered a sin offering for himself.

Ezekiel 45:22 KJV 1900

22 And upon that day shall the prince prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin offering.

Ezekiel 46:2 KJV 1900

2 And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.

Ezekiel 46:6 KJV 1900

6 And in the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram: they shall be without blemish.

As you can see from our review of these verses, the Prince fills a representative position on behalf of the people regarding specific offerings. The people then join in worship when he offers. Thus, it seems that the Prince occupies a representative position for God toward the people as he is privileged to commune with Jehovah.

Consequently, the Millennial Worship will be a new order of worship that replaces the old Levitical order of worship. There are far too many changes, deletions, and additions to the old order for anyone to argue that it will be reinstated.

What, then, is the purpose of sacrifice in the Millennial Kingdom?

These sacrifices will have no relation to expiation.