Welcome to Bible Fiber, where we explore the textures and shades of the biblical tapestry through the Twelve Minor Prophets, two reformers, and one exile. I’m Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization dedicated to sharing the story of Israel’s people, both ancient and modern. I’m also the author of the Bible Fiber book, a 52-week study of the Twelve Minor Prophets, available on Amazon.
This week we are studying Ezekiel 44. The chapter is a continuation of Ezekiel’s vision for the restoration of genuine worship in a future temple. Since God’s presence will fully inhabit the coming sanctuary, Ezekiel gives detailed instructions for who may and may not enter the temple. Anyone ministering in God’s presence must be morally and ritually clean. The new rules and regulations are meant to keep out any potential defilement and avoid the same mistakes of the past. Ultimately, the chapter’s big theme is the strict, sacred order of worship in this new temple, showing God’s absolute demand for holiness from everyone who comes near Him and His holy place.
East Gate
The chapter opens with an angelic guide leading Ezekiel to the East Gate, but the guide explains this gate is permanently shut. In earlier visions, Ezekiel had witnessed God’s glory leaving the temple through this very gate because of Israel’s disobedience (Ezekiel 10:18-19, 11:23). In Ezekiel’s new vision of restoration, the closed gate represented Yahweh’s promise never to abandon Jerusalem again.
If you’ve visited Jerusalem, you’ve likely ascended the Mount of Olives. It offers the best perch for viewing the Temple Mount and its surroundings. The Kidron Valley, dotted with tombs, separates the Mount of Olives from the Old City walls. From this lookout, the East Gate, also known today as the Golden Gate, is easily visible.
The current East Gate structure does not date to the Second Temple period, despite claims made by some tour guides. The Romans destroyed the earlier gate in 70 CE. Today’s gate dates to the Byzantine period (6th or 7th century CE); it was later modified during the early Islamic period. The gate was presumably open during the Christian era. After the Ottomans conquered Jerusalem in the 16th century CE, Suleiman the Magnificent bricked up the gate. The East Gate has remained sealed shut ever since Suleiman’s decree. Even though the Jewish control the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel has never reopened the gate.
All four Gospel accounts describe Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey coming from the direction of the Mount of Olives. At the moment, he was consciously fulfilling a messianic prophecy in Zechariah “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9). The specific gate Jesus passed through was the earlier East Gate. Now the structure lies beneath the current ground level.
The gate’s modern closure holds both practical and religious significance. Defensively, it helped fortify the city against potential invaders. Religiously, it ties directly into Jewish tradition, which anticipates the Messiah entering Jerusalem through this very gate. Some believe Suleiman sealed the gate to prevent the Messiah’s arrival. To ensure their continued control, Muslims also established a cemetery directly in front of the gate. They predicted that Jewish Messiah, being a descendant of the priestly caste, would not pass through a burial ground because it would defile him.
The prince
The next point of reference in the angel’s tour is a prince eating a sacrificial meal inside the gate’s chambers. Even the prince was limited in his access to the holy precincts (44:3). This may have been Ezekiel’s way of reinforcing the point he made in the last chapter that the royal household, Israel’s leadership, should be careful not to trespass onto the sacred precincts of the temple (43:9). In the past, they blurred the lines between temple and royal palace. The new leadership, represented by the prince, would respect the separation.
The unnamed prince is a mysterious character in the vision. Therefore, there is plenty of debate about his identity. The temptation is to see the prince as a Messiah figure. However, in the next section, the prince reappears, and he is holding a sin offering for both him and the people. Since Jesus was the sinless Son of God, he cannot be associated with the prince (45:22). However, we will discuss the prince more in Chapter 45, where he plays a bigger role.
Non-Israelites in the Temple courts
Ezekiel, guided by an angel, is led to the north gate of the temple where he witnesses the glory of the Lord filling the sanctuary. God then delivers a stern warning to Ezekiel to convey to his audience. For centuries, the Israelites had habitually violated their special covenant with God (Ezekiel 44:7). Among the behaviors God found abhorrent was their practice of allowing non-Israelites into the temple courts.
It is not entirely clear what specific historical situation Ezekiel was referencing or which foreign nation might have made itself comfortable in the Jewish temple. The Mosaic Law did not explicitly forbid outsiders from entering the outer courtyard. Still, there were restrictions concerning who could enter other, more sacred, parts of the Temple complex. The narrative in 1 Kings suggests that the royal house might have even entrusted the temple’s guard duty to non-Israelites (2 Kings 11:18-19).
Ezekiel’s prophecy indicates that in the future temple, God would impose much stricter access regulations. By the Second Temple period, temple authorities indeed took prohibitions against non-Israelites seriously and implemented reforms. We know from both the New Testament and the writings of Josephus that non-Israelites visiting Jerusalem were limited to a designated area in the outer court (Acts 21:28). This historical reality was further confirmed in 1871 when archaeologists discovered a stone sign from the Second Temple period. This inscription, written in Greek, explicitly prohibited Gentiles from entering the inner courtyard of the Temple, warning that any foreigner who did so would be solely responsible for their own death.
Ironically, even today in modern Israel, the responsibility of guarding the Temple Mount is delegated to non-Israelites. The Druze community, a distinct religious minority in Israel, maintains a long-standing tradition of loyalty to the state and serves in various security roles. Because the Temple Mount, being one of the most contested religious sites globally, it needs a careful and neutral approach. If Israel were to deploy Jewish police officers atop the Temple Mount, it could be perceived as biased and potentially escalate the already highly charged environment. To mitigate such tensions, Israel uses Druze officers to police the Temple Mount. This assignment also provides reassurance to the rabbinate that Jewish officers will not inadvertently trespass into the Holy of Holies.
This historical progression, from the ancient Israelite temple practices to the strictures of the Second Temple period and even to the contemporary security arrangements on the Temple Mount, reveals a fascinating irony when viewed through the lens of Ezekiel’s vision. Ezekiel’s fervent call for stricter temple access was not a critique of a historical temple’s layout or a current policy. Instead, he was prophesying about a future temple, one that would embody God’s ideal of holiness and separation. His detailed vision, in essence, described a temple that had not yet existed and, in its complete form. The irony lies in the enduring struggle to define and enforce sacred boundaries—a struggle that plays out across millennia, from the pre-exilic period to modern times, all while Ezekiel’s temple remains a prophetic ideal.
Zadokites
In Ezekiel’s vision (44:15-17), a strict priestly hierarchy emerges for the future temple, reserving the most sacred roles for Zadokites. This prioritization of Aaron’s descendants over other Levites dates to the wilderness period (Numbers 3, 18), where God designated Aaron’s line for the holiest Tabernacle duties, including approaching the altar. All Levites served God, but Aaron’s lineage held a privileged priestly status. They offered sacrifices and conducting rituals in the inner court, while other Levites assisted, guarded, and maintained the Tabernacle.
Among Aaron’s descendants, the Zadokites gained prominence during David and Solomon’s reigns. Zadok, a descendant of Aaron and high priest under David, proved instrumental in supporting David during Absalom’s rebellion. His loyalty cemented his descendants as key religious leaders, displacing the line of Eli. Later, Solomon appointed Zadok as high priest for the First Temple (1 Kings 1-2).
Ezekiel asserts that the Zadokites remained faithful to God even when other Levites strayed (44:10-13). Due to this fidelity, the Zadokites would retain their special status in the future temple, like their role in Solomon’s temple (44:15-16). They were the only ones permitted inner court access. While Levites had more interaction with the populace—overseeing entry, preparing offerings, hearing disputes, and teaching laws—the Zadokites enjoyed more intimate access to God by placing sacrifices on the altar. Ezekiel was likely a Zadokite priest, and some scholars detect bias in his prophecies. He was not the first to make such distinctions. He was reinforcing a pre-existing hierarchy, with Zadokites recognized as Aaron’s true heirs.
Priestly regulations
After outlining temple duties, God presented six specific regulations for priests, stricter than those in Leviticus 21. While serving, priests were to wear white linen (Ezekiel 44:17-19). Vestments were for temple service only; priests changed in designated chambers to prevent accidental consecration. In the temple and tabernacle, holiness could be contagious (Ezekiel 44:19). They also could not have overly long hair or shaved heads. This was probably so they wouldn’t appear like they were mourning (Ezekiel 44:20).
All temple personnel were strictly forbidden from alcohol on duty (Ezekiel 44:21), a rule from Leviticus (10:8-10) to ensure clear judgment for distinguishing holy from common. This prohibition is often linked to the death of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1). Priests were also barred from marrying widows or divorcees (Ezekiel 44:22).
Beyond personal conduct, priests had crucial communal responsibilities. They were to teach God’s laws, specifically differentiating holy from common and clean from unclean (Ezekiel 44:23). This directly addressed the failures of pre-exilic priests, whom Ezekiel accused of profaning sacred things (Ezekiel 22:26). Priests were also to administer justice based on covenant laws and wisdom (Ezekiel 44:24). They were supposed to be community models for upholding statutes, Sabbaths, and feasts.
The chapter concludes by reminding Israel that temple personnel, lacking land, depended entirely on the people’s offerings of grains, first fruits, and sacrifice meats (Ezekiel 44:29). Neglecting these contributions meant the priests would go hungry.
Hebrews
In Ezekiel’s vision of the future temple, he never mentions a High Priest. The omission of a High Priest might seem like a significant oversight. However, as Christians we find the explanation in the New Testament. The Book of Hebrews declares Jesus as our ultimate High Priest. This is central to the gospel. Because of Jesus, we no longer need a human intermediary to approach God. As Hebrews states:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)
In the Tabernacle and Temple systems, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year to atone for the people’s sins. But Jesus’ role as our High Priest grants us continuous, direct access to God. Through Christ’s perfect sacrifice on the cross and his eternal position as High Priest, every believer can now “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16). This means that salvation is freely available. We can come directly to God in prayer, seeking mercy and grace in times of need, not based on our own merit, but because Jesus has opened this once-sealed access for us! This is the power of the gospel—direct reconciliation with a holy God.
While the Levites and Zadokites gained their positions through hereditary rules, Jesus was a priest “in the order of Melchizedek,” making him our eternal priest (Hebrews 7:3). Hebrews clarifies that Jesus’ priesthood is established “not through a legal requirement concerning physical descent but through the power of an indestructible life” (Hebrews 7:16). In Ezekiel’s day, God had to choose between priestly lines based on comparative faithfulness, yet none were perfect due to their human limitations. In contrast, Hebrews declares that Jesus, our priest, “is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
Thank you for listening and please continue to take part in this Bible Reading Challenge. Next week we are reading Ezekiel 45 and 46.
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Shabbat Shalom and Am Israel Chai
