Ezekiel

Theme: Judgment Now, Promised Kingdom Later; Key Verses: Ezekiel 36:24-26; Ezekiel 36:33-35

Ezekiel

Judgment Now, Promised Kingdom Later

Sunday, February, 2006

 

Theme 

• Now God judges Israel; later, He will establish her promised kingdom

Key Verses

• Ezekiel 36:24-26 and Ezekiel 36:33-35
  • Ezekiel 36:24 “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. 25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
  • Ezekiel 36:33 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. 34 “The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. 35 “They will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’

 History Overview

• General
  • The history is the same as for Jeremiah and Lamentation.
  • Judah has rebelled against the Lord and against Nebuchadnezzar.
  • Nebuchadnezzar defeated Jerusalem (Jehoiakim) in 605 BC. At that time he took Daniel and his friends and other hostages to Babylon.
  • In 597 BC, because of Judah’s rebellion (Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin) Nebechadnezzar took 10,000 more hostages, including Jehoiachin, Ezekiel to Babylon.
  • Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and burned the temple in the summer of 586 BC.
• Chronology of the kings
  • Josiah 640-609 BC. Reforming king. Killed by Pharoah Necho.
  • Jehoahaz 3 months in 609 BC. Pharoah Neco replaced him. Died in Egypt.
  • Jehoiakim (Eliakim) 609-598 BC. Destroyed Jeremiah’s prophecy; rebelled.
  • Jehoiachin December 598-March 597 BC. Taken captive to Babylon with Ezekiel and 10,000.
  • Zedekiah (Mattaniah) 597-586 BC. Revolted; City and temple destroyed; Taken to Riblah; Sons killed; he was blinded and taken to Babylon.
  • Gedaliah 2 months in 586 BC. Assassinated by Ishmael.
• Dated prophecies
  • 1:2. July-August 593 BC, Vision
  • 8:1. August-September 592 BC, Abominations
  • 20:1. July-August 591 BC, Panorama
  • 24:1. December-January 589-588 BC, Cooking Pot
  • 29:1. December-January 588-587 BC, Egypt
  • 26:1. 587 BC, Tyre, Sidon
  • 30:20. March-April 587 BC, Egypt’s defeat
  • 31:1. May-June 587 BC, Egypt, like Assyria, falls
  • 33:21. December-January 586-585 BC, Restoration
  • 32:1. February-March 585 BC. Lament for Pharoah
  • 32:17. February-March 585 BC. Egypt also falls
  • 40:1. March-April 573 BC. Restored Theocracy
  • 29:17. March-April 571 BC. Nebuchadnezzar is God’s instrument against Egypt.

Author

• The book names Ezekiel as the author in 1:1-3 with chapters 2 and 3,  and 24:15-27 (especially 24:15, 16, 24, 25).
• The author writes in the first person singular (I, me, my) very frequently (1:4, 15, 24; 2:1, 2, 9, 10; 3:2, 3, 12; 6:1) and the author is also called the son of man in many of these contexts (2:1; 3:1, 6:1-2; 7:1-2, and others.
• The language and unity of thought supports one author.
• Ezekiel was a priest who was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC because of the rebellion of Jehoichin. This was the 8th year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign.
• He was probably born in 627 BC (Ezekiel 1:1) and was about the same age as Daniel, who was in Babylon at this time (Ezekiel 3:11).
• He began receiving visions from the Lord in 593 BC (Ezekiel 1:1-3). This ministry continued until at least 571 BC (Ezekiel 29:17).
• Ezekiel was married. His wife died in Babylon as a sign to Ezekiel and the Jews (Ezekiel 24:16-18).
• Daniel, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah were his contemporaries.
• In general, Ezekiel gives messages of warning and judgment in chapters 1-32 and then messages about restoration in 33-48. Note in association with this that God’s glory leaves Solomon’s temple in 9-11 and then returns to the millennial temple in chapter 43.

Overview Outline

• Preparation of Ezekiel, 1-3
• Judgment of Judah, 4-24
• Judgment of Nations, 25-32
• Prophesies of Future Kingdom, 33-39
• Future Kingdom temple, priesthood, sacrifices, and land, 40-48

Chapter Titles 1

• Chapter 1.Vision: Living Creatures
• Chapter 2-3.Preparation of Ezekiel
• Chapter 4.Brick, Side
• Chapter 5.Razor, Hair
• Chapter 6.Idolatry Judged
• Chapter 7.Sword, Famine, Plague
• Chapter 8.Abominations in Temple
• Chapter 9.Executioners
• Chapter 10.Vision: Glory Moving
• Chapter 11.Vision: Glory Departs
• Chapter 12.Baggage, Bread, Proverb
• Chapter 13.Foolish Prophets
• Chapter 14.Self-Responsibility
• Chapter 15.Vine Wood
• Chapter 16.Prostitute Queen
• Chapter 17.Eagles, Cedar
• Chapter 18.Repentance Desired
• Chapter 19.Lamentation on Kings
• Chapter 20.Panorama
• Chapter 21.Yahweh’s Sword
• Chapter 22.Blood, Dross
• Chapter 23.Two Sisters
• Chapter 24.Cooking Pot
• Chapter 25.Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia
• Chapter 26-28.Tyre, Sidon
• Chapter 29-32. Egypt
• Chapter 33.Watchman Dwellers
• Chapter 34.Shepherds
• Chapter 35.Mt. Seir
• Chapter 36.Restoration, Regeneration
• Chapter 37.Bones, Sticks
• Chapter 38-39.Gog invasion
• Chapter 40-42.Temple Detail
• Chapter 43.Vision: Glory Returns
• Chapter 44.Zadok Priesthood
• Chapter 45.Priestly Land, Offerings
• Chapter 46.Offerings
• Chapter 47-48.Land Divided