The Bible Series Ezekiel
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As we begin our look at Ezekiel today I felt it was needed to PAUSE and TEACH some things and help CATCH US UP to where we are in things, in history, and the overall layout of the scripture narrative:
… besides over one third of the book deals with our sin and how awful it is and God’s view of it.
… teaching for a moment might feel more refreshing than hell fire and brimstone. (we will get there)
There are 17 prophetic books… that being stated lets look at where we are so far...
Order & Locations of the Prophets
Order & Locations of the Prophets
We need to understand that not all the prophets were to one group or time.
Israel the Northern Kingdom
Amos and Hosea
Warn of coming judgement and Assyria
Before them came Elijah and Elisha
these were not writing prophets
These two had powerful ministries recorded in Kings & Chronicles
Edom or the brother of Jacob “Esau”
God had not forgotten this brother and sends a prophet with His Word to his descendants
Obadiah is this man
Judah the Southern Kingdom
In order we have:
Joel
Isaiah
Micah
Zephaniah
Habakkuk
Jeremiah / Lamentations
Prophets Even to Assyria
God of the Old Testament ha a heart for ALL Mankind
we see Jonah and Nahum
Prophets in Babylon… (and to this empire)
Ezekiel and Daniel
These prophets would declare truths and prophecy impacting all peoples Jews and Gentiles
Prophets after return to Land
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi
There would be a foretelling of the final prophet...
One who would make ready the way for the Messiah (John the Baptist)
Currently we find ourselves in Ezekiel and he is speaking in Babylon taken captive along with the people. Ezekiel will prophesy of things to come… in order to better understand what he writes I felt it necessary to review the timeline of Biblical events for clarification...
Timeline of Biblical Events
Timeline of Biblical Events
As we began our study through the scriptures we went rapidly through…
Creation
Garden of Eden (sin)
Flood (judgment)
Abraham (promise)
Exodus and Law Given
Judges & Kings
Samuel would be the last Judge and first Prophet
Divided Kingdom
Assyria takes Northern Kingdom Israel into Captivity
Babylon takes the Southern Kingdom into captivity
Exiles return to the land
Rebuild Jerusalem and the temple
400 years silence
Messiah arrives… God’s Word in the flesh
Messiah dies “cut off”
This is the atoning work needed
Death, Burial, Resurrection
Christ ascends into Heaven with promise to return
We have the time of the church
We are still in this time
Next we look NOT for His return but His coming for His bride the church
The Rapture (taking UP of His church)
There is 7 Years tribulation
Then Christ returns to sit and rule from David’s Throne in Jerusalem!
This will begin the 1000 year reign of Christ spoken of in this book Ezekiel in vivid detail!
There are 3 Major views of the Millennium…
1) Postmillennialism… the time leading up to the return of Christ. It is not a literal 1000 years but states that the Gospel will triumph and bring in the reign of Christ. (we only see things getting worse though.)
2) Amillennialism… denies that there is any literal Millennium or reign of Christ on earth. The millennial reign of Christ is reduced to a spiritual reign in the hearts of believers. This reign is either over those on earth who put their trust in Him or over those in heaven.
Both the amillennial and postmillennial views must interpret Revelation 20 in a nonliteral sense.
3) Premillennialism… referring to a literal thousand-year reign of Christ following His second coming. As the Second Coming occurs before the Millennium, it is therefore premillennial.
Our church and doctrine holds to the literal interpretation of scripture and holds to this third view. As such we read and discover that in the closing chapters of Ezekiel we see a beautiful description of the temple, Christ reign and Jerusalem depicted in the Millennial Reign of Christ after His return!!!
Overview of Ezekiel
Overview of Ezekiel
We find the call of this man in Ezekiel 3:1-7 .
Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. Then He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. “For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, nor to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. But I have sent you to them who should listen to you; yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel is stubborn and obstinate.
His call comes after he sees a vision from God of God’s Glory… this is while he is in Babylon!!!
Ezekiel is 30 when he is called, would have been a priest but there is no temple
What is the glory of God doing in this heathen gentile empire???
This will be the first of 3 POWERFUL VISIONS
He is instructed by God to demonstrate in graphic imagery and signs
Building a replica of Jerusalem’s siege
Chopping his hair and burning it
Even told to tie himself up lay on his side and eat only bread cooked over human dung for a year
God relents and lets him cook over cow dung instead
Sin is awful, disgusting, yet God relents in His JUST ANGER
The sin and idolatry of the people is described in vivid detail and disgust...
Fornicating with other gods
Sacrificing babies
taking the gifts God has given them and paying their lovers of adultery with these foreign gods
He see another VISION of the glory of God leaving the temple while priest, prophets and people prostitute themselves in the holy place
His glory leaves… BUT it moves east to Babylon
Is God still with His people?
God deals out His Righteous Judgement
We see his detailed judgement to Judah His people
Jerusalem and temple destroyed
DO NOT MOURN… your sin brought this
Wife dies… no mourning!
But then we see God speak to and deal with ALL nations by name!!!
God is NOT unaware
God will repay injustice
God will redeem His people
We see God’s plan for His people and all peoples in Ezekiel 11:19;36:26
“And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
“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.
NEW HEARTS!!!! We have a God who desires to RESTORE us!!!
In Chapters 34-48 we see this restoration...
The Jews will return… there will be One who will sit on David’s throne
The LAST VISION of the dried bones coming to life with flesh…
God takes what is dead and He restores LIFE
there is a vision of the Temple being rebuilt with dimensions, specifications, and vivid detail of what will be when Christ reigns in the Millennium!!!
God’s PROMISE of the Messiah is still their HOPE
Worship, fellowship, rulership will return!!!
I AM YAHWEH
I AM YAHWEH
The sovereignty of God is written all over the pages of this powerful book of Ezekiel! We read in Ezekiel 38:23
“I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord.” ’
In this powerful book of Prophecy we see
309 times “I WILL” … it is God who is working
26 times we read “I HAVE SPOKEN” … His word, His plan, will prevail He does NOT WAIVER!
Over 85 times we read they “SO THEY KNOW” … God desires ALL mankind to see Him, to know Him, to realize who He is and what He is doing!!!
God conveys His Message here in this book and HE wants His people to KNOW!!!
We see this book close with a beautiful description of a massive new city… and look at what it is called… Ezekiel 48:35
“The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘The Lord is there.’ ”
Oh that you and I… because we have a redeemer for our sin, One who Restores… we will be able to dwell where HE IS!!!