Ezekiel: Introduction

Ezekiel was one of the exile prophets of God who was taken into captivity during the second conquest of King Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem. King Nebuchadnezzar had three conquests against Jerusalem, the third leading to Jerusalem's destruction and the displacement of the children of Israel as captives into Babylon, except for a poor remnant that was left behind in the land. The Lord is never without a witness, and men of God were found in each of the three waves of captives taken from Jerusalem. Daniel was taken in King Nebuchadnezzar's first conquest, and spread God's word to the elite of the Babylonian social strata. Ezekiel was taken in the second wave of captives from Jerusalem and he served as God's man to the working class who were exiled to Babylon. In the third and final conquest against Jerusalem, the prophet Jeremiah was given a choice to either go to Babylon, or remain behind. Jeremiah chose to remain in the land of Israel. He served as the Lord's witness to the remnant left behind.

Connecting a few of the prophetic books and passages together provides an integrated view of how well all the Biblical passages fit into a complete, comprehensive view of God's plan for the future. It tells how the Lord Jesus Christ will establish His millennial throne, rule over all the kingdoms, and conquer all His enemies.

The following provides a basic outline of this website:

  • The book of Ezekiel: Provides promises made by our Lord to the children of Israel regarding their return to the land promised to them and establishing Israel again as the head of all nations during the Lord's millennial reign as King of kings
  • The book of Daniel: Provides the historical and prophetic context that establishes the basis for interpreting Biblical texts regarding the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to establish His millennial kingdom
  • The Olivet Discourse: The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke record our Lord's warnings, description of things to come, and the establishment of His kingdom and quotes Daniel
  • The book of Revelation: Given by God the Father to Jesus, who gave it to an angel to deliver to the Apostle John; the book was addressed to the churches. This book is about the Lord Jesus Christ as our kinsman redeemer who will restore the world to the original intent of being under man's dominion with Christ as the head, leading into eternity future

The book of Ezekiel can be divided the following way:

  • Chapters 1-3;, Ezekiel's commission
  • Chapters 4-24; Warnings and judgments upon Jerusalem and the people of Israel
  • Chapters 25-32; Judgments upon the Gentile Nations
  • Chapter 33; Ezekiel as the watchman
  • Chapters 34-48; Prophecies concerning the end times and Israel's role in them

As can be seen above, the purpose for the focus of this website on Ezekiel 34-48 is to review the prophetic passages in his great book as they pertain to the nation of Israel. As important as the exodus is to Israel, their return to the land at the beginning of the Lord's millennial reign will be even greater, even eclipsing the exodus event, Jeremiah 23:7-8. In addition, when the Lord reigns over this world, all nations will rally to him and His place of rest will be glorious, Isaiah 11:10.

The book of Ezekiel is an incredible book, showing the return of Israel to the Lord Jesus Christ in a complete, loving relationship, and ends with "THE LORD IS THERE", as shown in the image above, Ezekiel 48:35. God's words of judgment and encouragement to the captives in Babylon were presented in unique and dramatic ways. The words in this book show that though Israel was displaced out of their promised land by the Babylonians, and later by Titus of the Romans, He has not abandoned the children of Israel. Many passages in the Book of Ezekiel demonstrate how the Lord will fulfill all of the promises that He made to the Children of Israel. Some today choose to believe that the church has replaced Israel in the fulfillment of His promises to Israel. This belief is termed replacement theology. This is an unsatisfactory interpretation of the scriptures in that it assumes that either our actions can cause God to rescind his unconditional promises, He made a mistake, or He changed His mind on the matter of the promises He made to Israel. One must remember that the Lord is sovereign in all of man's activities and in His creation, and He will fulfill all of the promises made to the nation of Israel. In the book of Ezekiel, there is a consistent message Israel's restoration to her land, and becoming central in the future world government with Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords, Malachi 3:6-7.

A few select chapters in the book of Ezekiel are discussed in this web site, beginning with Ezekiel 34 through the end of the book. The first three chapters in the book of Ezekiel deal with Ezekiel's commission as a prophet. Chapters 2-24 pertain to the judgments on the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Chapters 25-32 list God's judgments against the nations, and chapter 33 deal with Ezekiel as the watchman and his specific responsibilities to deliver God's warnings to the people. The remaining chapters, 34-48 are prophecies concerning the end times and the nation of Israel's role in those times. These later chapters are the focus of this site and they provide a wonderful view of Israel's place in the last days, the tribulation period, and in the millennial reign of Christ. God has been bringing the people of Israel back into the land He promised to them through Abraham, Genesis 15:18-20. He is bringing them from around the world. At the beginning of the Lord's millennial reign this mass migration of Jews will be so great an event and a miracle that the prophet Jeremiah wrote that it will surpass the event of God bringing Israel out of Egyptian slavery, Jeremiah 23:7-8. As with the other books and passages covered by this site, time lines are used to help illustrate the occurrence, longevity, and relationship between the events as revealed in the book of Ezekiel with other prophetic passages.