Graphics of Ezekiel
Ezekiel's Time
| Jeremiah becomes a prophet to Judah | Daniel taken captive to Babylon | Ezekiel taken captive to Babylon | Ezekiel becomes a prophet to exiles | Judah falls; Jerusalem destroyed | Ezekiel's ministry ends | Babylon overthrown by
Cyrus | First exiles return to Judah | | 627 B.C. | 605 | 597 | 593 | 586 | 571 | 539 | 538 |
Vital statistics
| Purpose: | To announce God's judgment on Israel and other nations and to foretell the eventual salvation of God's people | | Author: | Ezekiel son of Buzi, a Zadokite priest | | Original audience: | The Jews in captivity in Babylonia | | Date written: | Approximately 571 B.C. | | Setting: | Ezekiel was a younger contemporary of Jeremiah. Whit Jeremiah ministered to the people still in Judah, Ezekiel prophesied to those already exiled in Babylonia after the defeat of Jehoiachin. He was taken there in 597 B.C | | Key verses: | "For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. You filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart" (36:24-26) | | Key people: | Ezekiel, Israel's leaders, Ezekiel's wife, Nebuchadnezzar, "the prince" | | Key places: | Jerusalem, Babylon, and Egypt |
The Rulers and Prophets of Ezekiel's Time
| 660 | 650 | 640 | 630 | 620 | 610 | 600 | 590 | 580 | 570 | 560 | 550 | 540 | 530 | 520 | 510 | 500 | 490 | Kings of Babylon | | Neo-Babylonian Empire | | | | | | | | | 605 Nebuchadnezzar 562 | 560-556 Neriglissar | | | | | | | | | | | 562-560Evil-Merodach | | 556 Labashi Marduk | | | | | | | | | | | 556-539 Nabonidus | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 553-539 Belshazzar | | | Judah's Las Kings (Southern Kingdom) | | | | | Jehoiachin (Coniah/Jeconiah) 3 months | | | | | | | | | Jehoiakim 609-597 | Zedekiah 597-586 | | | | Zerubbabel 538 | | | | | | | | | | 605 70-year Jewish Captivity 536 3 Stages of captivity | 538 Decree of Cyrus | | | | 536 Temple started | | | | 605 Daniel and friends | | | | | 534 Temple stopped | | | | | 597 Ezekiel and ten thousand captives | | 520 Temple resumed | | | | | | 586 Destruction of Jerusalem | | 516 Temple finished | Ezekiel and His Contemporary Prophets (Southern Kingdom) | 627 Jeremiah 574 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 593 EZEKIEL 559 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 605 Daniel 536 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 660 | 650 | 640 | 630 | 620 | 610 | 600 | 590 | 580 | 570 | 560 | 550 | 540 | 530 | 520 | 510 | 500 | 490 |
Ezekiel’s One-Man Dramas
During the years of his prophetic ministry, Ezekiel acted out numerous symbolic role plays to communicate his message.
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Drama |
Significance |
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Laid siege to a clay tablet (4:1–3) |
Symbolized the impending siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. |
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Lay on his side for 390 days and on his right side for 40 days (4:4–8) |
Represented the number of years that the two nations of the divided kingdom would undergo God’s judgment. |
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Ate bread cooked over unclean fuel (4:9–16) |
Symbolized the dispersion of the Jews among the Gentiles, as well as the famine conditions that would prevail during the siege of Jerusalem. |
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Shaved his head, weighed the hair, and disposed of it in various ways (5:1–4) |
Symbolized the various things that would happen to the inhabitants of Jerusalem (5:11–12). |
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Dug a tunnel and prepared for flight (12:1–16) |
Represented the breach of the walls of Jerusalem, the capture of King Zedekiah, and the exile of the survivors to Babylon. |
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Ate and drank with trembling (12:1–16) |
Signified the dread that would fall on the land of Judah. |
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Sighed loudly (21:6–7) |
Signified news of the Lord’s impending judgment. |
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Erected a signpost at a fork in a road (21:18–24) |
Indicated the two paths that Nebuchadnezzar’s army would take—one to Jerusalem and the other to Ammon. |
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Refrained from mourning the death of his wife (24:15–24) |
Represented the silent grief that the exiles would feel after the fall of Jerusalem. |
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Joined two sticks together (37:15–28) |
Symbolized the rejoining of the Jews in a reunited kingdom under God’s leadership. |
Word in life study Bible . 1997, c1996 (electronic ed.) (Ez 4.1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
The Parables of Ezekiel
A parable is a truth wrapped in a memorable story or word picture. It could be fictions, dramatized, or the result of a vision. Jesus gave much of His teaching through parables (See “The Parables of Jesus Christ” at Luke 8:4). So did several of the Old Testament prophets, including Ezekiel.
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1. The Wood of the Vine (Ezek. 15:1–8)
Symbolized the way in which Judah had become useless to the Lord and now served no other purpose than to be burned up in judgment. |
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2. The Foundling (Ezek. 16)
Illustrated the nation’s betrayal of God’s love and compassion. |
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3. The Eagles and the Cedar (Ezek. 17)
Illustrated the foolishness of King Zedekiah, whose rebellion would bring Nebuchadnezzar’s troops to destroy Jerusalem. |
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4. The Fiery Furnace (Ezek. 22:17–22)
Explained the way in which God was going to purify His people through the “heat” of the seige of Jerusalem. |
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5. The Two Harlots (Ezek. 23)
Symbolized the spiritual adultery of Israel and Judah. |
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6. The Cooking Pot (Ezek. 24:1–14)
Symbolized the way in which God was going to “turn up the head” on Jerusalem in order to cleanse it of its impurities. |
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7. The Shipwreck (Ezek. 27)
Illustrated the judgment that was going to fall on Tyre. |
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8. The Irresponsible Shepherds (Ezek. 34)
Signified the worthless leaders of Jerusalem and how God would deal with them. |
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9. The Dry Bones (Ezek. 37)
Symbolized the spiritual renewal of the nation of Israel. |
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Word in life study Bible . 1997, c1996 (electronic ed.) (Ez 15.1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
The Temples of the Bible
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(1) Solomon’s Temple. The construction of this temple by Solomon was a fulfillment of David’s desire to build a “house for the Lord”- a desire which he ws never to realize in his lifetime (2 Sam. 7:1–29). The temple ws built after the death of David and dedicated by his son (1 Kin. 8:1ff). This temple was destroyed by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar at the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B. C. (Jer. 32:28–44). |
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(2) Zerubbabel’s Temple. This is the one under construction during the ministryof the prophet Zechariah. It was completed and dedicated in 516 B.C. (Ezra 6:1–22). It was constructed under the direction of Zerubbabel (Ezra 3:1–8; 4:1–14) who was a descendant of David (1 Chr. 3:19). This temple was desecrated in 169 B.C. by Antichus Epiphanes. |
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(3) Herod’s Temple. Restoration of Zerubbabel’s temple began in 19 B.C. under the administation of Herod the Great. The temple was nearing competion in A.D. 70, after nearly 90 years of renovation and enlargement, when it was destroyed by the Romans. Since this time there had been no temple in Jerusalem. |
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(4) The Present Temple. There is a temple in which the Lord reigns at present. According to 1 Cor. 6:19 and 2 Cor. 6:16–18 the present temple of the Lord is the heart of the believer. There the Lord reigns until the day when the Messiah will return and set up His earthly kingdom and the millenial temple. |
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(5) The Temple of Revelation 11. This temple will be constructed during the Tribulation by the Antichrist. It is mentioned in 2 Thess. 2:4 as the site for the abomination of desolation mentioned by Daniel the prophet (Dan. 9:2) and Jesus (Matt. 24:15). This temple will be destroyed with the kingdom of the Antichrist (see Rev. 17; 18) |
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(6) The Millennial Temple. This is the temple that is described in detail in Ezek. 40:1–42:20. It is this temple that the prophet Zechariah has in view in 6:12, 13. It will be built by the Messiah Himself, who will rule in it as the righteous Priest-King of His own millennial kingdom (6:13). |
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(7) The Eternal Temple of His Presence. This temple is presented in Rev. 21:22. John says there will be no physical temple in the eternal kingdom because “...the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” This temple will be the greatest of all and it will be the focus of the eternal kingdom as it is presented in Rev. 21; 22. |
New Geneva study Bible. 1997, c1995 (electronic ed.) (Ez 48.30). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
The Jewish Calendar Babylonian names (B) for the months are still used today for the Jewish calendar. Canaanite names (C) were used prior to the Babylonian captivity in 586 B.C. Four are mentioned in the Old Testament. Adar-Sheni is an intercalary month used every two o there years or seven times in 19 years. | | 1st month | 2nd month | 3rd month | 4th month | Nisan (B) Abid (C) March-April | Lyyar (B) Ziv (C) April-May | Sivan (B) May-June | Tammuz (B) June-July | | 7th month | 8th month | 9th month | 10th month | | 5thmonth | 6th month | 7th month | 8th month | | Ab (B) July-August | Elul (B) August-September | Tishri (B) Ethanim (C) September-October | Marcheshvab (B) Bul (C) October-November | | 11th month | 12th month | 1st month | 2nd month | | 9th month | 10th month | 11th month | 12th month | | Chislev (B) November-December | Tebeth (B) December-January | Shebat (B) January-February | Adar (B) February-March | | 3rd month | 4th month | 5th month | 6th month | | Sacred calendar appears in black / Civil calendar appears in gray |
The Prophetic Points of History | Prophet's Own Time | Captivity and Restoration | Inter testament Period | Christ's First Coming | Christ's Second Coming | New Heaven New Earth |
EzekielServed as a prophets to the exiles in Babylon from 593-571 B.C.
CLIMATE OF THE TIMES
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Ezekiel and his people are taken to Babylon as captives. The Jews become foreigners in a strange land ruled by an authoritarian government.
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MAIN MESSAGE
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Because of the people's sins, God allowed the nation of Judah to be destroyed. But there was still hope - God promised to restore the land to those who remained faithful to him.
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IMPORTANCE OF MESSAGE
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God never forgets those who faithfully seek to obey him. hey have a glorious future ahead.
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CONTEMPORARY PROPHETS
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Daniel (605-536 B.C.), Habakkuk (612-589 B.C.), Jeremiah (627-586 B.C.) |
Dates in Ezekiel
| | REFERENCE | YEAR | MONTH | DAY | MODERN RECKONING | EVENT | | 1. | 1:1
1:2
3:16 | 30
5
"At the end of | 4
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seven days" | 5
5 | July 31, 593 B.C. | Inaugural vision | | 2. | 8:1 | 6 | 6 | 5 | Sep. 17, 592 | Transport to Jerusalem | | 3. | 20:1-2 | 7 | 5 | 10 | Aug. 14, 591 | Negative view of Israel's history | | 4. | 24:1 | 9 | 10 | 10 | Jan 15, 588 | Beginning of siege
(2Ki 25:1) | | 5. | 26:1 | 11 | - | 1 | Apr. 23, 587
to Apr. 13, 586 | Oracle against Tyre
(26:1) | | 6. | 29:1 | 10 | 10 | 12 | Jan. 7, 587 | Oracle against Egypt | | 7. | 29:17 | 27 | 1 | 1 | Apr. 26, 571 | Egypt in exchange for Tyre | | 8. | 30:20 | 11 | 1 | 7 | Apr. 29, 587 | Oracle against Pharaoh | | 9. | 31:1 | 11 | 3 | 1 | June 21, 587 | Oracle against Pharaoh | | 10. | 32:1 | 12 | 12 | 1 | Mar 3, 585 | Lament over Pharaoh | | 11. | 32:17 | 12 | - | 15 | Apr. 13, 586
to Apr 1, 585 | Egypt dead | | 12. | 33:21 | 12 | 10 | 5 | Jan. 8, 585 | Arrival of first fugite | | 13. | 40:1
40:1 | 25
"14 years after the | 1
fall of the city" | 10 | Apr. 28, 573 | Vision of the future |
The Blueprint
A. MESSAGES OF DOOM (1:1-24:27)
- Ezekiel's call
- Visions of sin and judgment
- Punishment is certain
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While Jeremiah was prophesying in Jerusalem that the city would soon fall to the Babylonians, Ezekiel was giving the same message to the captives who were already in Babylon. Like those in Jerusalem, the captives stubbornly believed that Jerusalem would not fall and that would soon return to their land. Ezekiel warned them that punishment has certain because of their sins and that God was purifying his people. God will always punish sin, whether we believe it or not.
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B. MESSAGES AGAINST FOREIGN NATIONS (25:1-32:32) |
Ezekiel condemns the sinful actions of seven nations. The people in these nations were saying that God was obviously too weak to defend his people and the city of Jerusalem. But God was allowing his people to be defeated in order to punish them for their sins. These pagan nations, however, would face a similar fate, and then they would know that God is all-powerful. Those who dare to mock God today will also face a terrible fate.
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C. MESSAGES OF HOPE (33:1-48:35)
- Restoring the people of God
- Restoring the worship of God
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After the fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel delivered messages of future restoration and hope for the people. God is holy, but Jerusalem and the Temple had become defiled. The nation had to be cleansed through 70 years of captivity. Ezekiel gives a vivid picture of the unchangeable holiness of God. Wee, too, must gain a vision of the glory of God, a fresh sense of his greatness, as we face the struggles of daily life.
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