How does Ezekiel 43:25 connect to Christ's ultimate sacrifice in the New Testament? The Verse in Focus “ ‘For seven days you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, each without blemish.’ ” (Ezekiel 43:25) Key Observations from Ezekiel 43:25 • Seven consecutive days of offerings—complete consecration • A male goat each day—sin offering to remove guilt • A young bull and a ram—additional animals of strength and submission • Every animal “without blemish”—absolute purity required Foreshadowing Christ in the Details • Unblemished sacrifice ➔ Jesus is “a lamb unblemished and spotless” (1 Peter 1:19). • Sin offering ➔ “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:21). • Blood of goats, bulls, rams ➔ “Not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the Most Holy Place once for all” (Hebrews 9:12). • Seven-day span ➔ Symbol of completeness; Christ’s single sacrifice achieves perfect, complete atonement (Hebrews 10:14). New Testament Fulfillment: Christ’s Once-for-All Sacrifice • Repetition in Ezekiel highlights mankind’s continual need; Hebrews 7:27 contrasts this with Christ, who “does not need to offer sacrifices day after day… He did this once for all when He offered Himself.” • The altar in Ezekiel is purified for future worship; Christ’s cross becomes the altar that sanctifies believers (Hebrews 13:10–12). • Animal substitutes point ahead to the better substitute—“the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The Completeness of Seven Days • Seven represents fullness in Scripture (Genesis 2:2-3). • The week-long consecration anticipates the perfect, finished work declared by Jesus: “It is finished” (John 19:30). • After seven comes the eighth-day new beginning—mirrored in Christ’s resurrection “on the first day of the week” (Luke 24:1), launching new-covenant life. Living in the Light of the Fulfillment • Confidence: No further sacrifice is needed; Christ’s blood fully cleanses (Hebrews 10:18). • Worship: The consecrated altar of Ezekiel calls believers to approach God through the greater altar of Calvary with grateful hearts (Hebrews 4:16). • Holiness: “Without blemish” now describes the church Christ presents to Himself (Ephesians 5:27); believers pursue purity empowered by the once-for-all sacrifice. |
    |