Ezekiel 43:18 And he said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and for throwing blood against it, 19 you shall give to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord God, a bull from the herd for a sin offering... 26 Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, and so consecrate it. 27 And when they have completed these days, then from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, and I will accept you, declares the Lord God.”
Having promised their return to the land and restoration as His people, God then sends Ezekiel for a detailed tour of the new temple. He takes three whole chapter to describe its greatness and glory, then the process of initiating the priests and the sacrifices. There would be seven days of offerings, and afterward, God pronounced: "I will accept you." These were the words they longed to hear. After years of suffering, exile, and rejection, it would truly be "coming home." Like Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, there is this overwhelming sense of love and hope in God's presence. God still accepts repentant sinners, and has now made the final sacrifice for our acceptance in His Son.
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