This Article: (7 Pages)
2) Summary chapters 1-14
Ezekiel Called the ‘Son of Man’, His Commission and Responssibility
The book of Ezekiel begins with Ezekiel’s call to speak to the rebellious children of Israel
In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, The word of Yahweh came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Yahweh was there upon him. (Ezekiel 1:2-3 )
Ezekiel saw a vision of “the likeness of the glory of Yahweh”. (Eze 1:28) and told:
Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. ..the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, I heard him that spake unto me... Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. (Ezekiel 2:1-5 , 3: 10-11)
Ezekiel’s name is significant with El meaning (God) will strengthen and with the title “Son of Man” added (ch 2:1). Ezekiel is addressed by this title almost one hundred times and links him to Y’shua, who was given the same title in the gospel records. In this prophecy the theme “they shall know that I am Yahweh”, that is, He will be mighty ones, is repeated at least seventy times. A chosen people would manifest his purpose in the earth. In Ezekiel, Yahweh proclaimed it when predicting punishment on Jerusalem, prophesying judgments on the gentile nations, the restoration of Israel and blessings to come.
Ezekiel’s responsibility as a Watchman
Ezekiel has great responsibility, strict instructions and warnings if he fails in his commission.
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
And also:
When a righteous man turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand…. if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul. (Ezekiel 3:17-21)
Ezekiel has to give a Sign of the Impending Invasion of Jerusalem
He has to act out a visual representation of the seige that is to come upon Jerusalem and to show the years of iniquity of the people.
Son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem: And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about. Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity... Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity... three hundred and ninety days: (Ezekiel 4:-5])
For more detail on Why Ezekiel lay on his side 430 days.
Ezekiel then has to give another sign depicting the result of this invasion
There would be three outcomes from the invasion. Many Jews would be slain, many who flee would be pursued and slain by the sword and a remnant would be dispersed among the nations.
Thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair. Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them. Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts. Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel...This is Jerusalem: (Ezekiel 5:1-5) and
Yahweh declared the judgments would be seen by the surrouding nations.(Ezekiel 5:8-9)
The Sword to come on those that escape
The sins of the nation become clear. Their idols and worship of images is an abomination. However a remnant of Jews would survive and be scattered among the nations. The idolatry that had angered Yahweh Elohim is revealed to Ezekiel.
And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. (Ezekiel 6: 3-4)
Yahweh then speaks of a remnant that would survive and escape the sword in remembrance of the promises made to the Patriarchs, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
A remnant... shall escape the sword among the nations,...They that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed. (Ezekiel 6:8-9)
The Remnant had to learn that “Yahweh was He that Smiteth”
The people had to learn that the Almighty and powerful Creator, Yahweh, had a purpose with his people and mankind, as revealed in his name. He expected obedience and reverence.
Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations…. ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth. ...I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.(Ezekiel 7:8-9, 21-22)
For more on Ezekiel 7 - Go to 21.30 mark on You Tube for start of talk
Ezekiel is shown the Abominations committed and the desecration of the House of Yahweh
Ezekiel sees a vision of elders at the entrance to the House of Yahweh worshipping the image of Jealousy. At the gate women weep for the Mesopotamian god of fertility, and men worship the sun to the east. These are the corrupt elders of priests and people.
Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry...Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations. (Ezekiel 8:5-6 )
And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up. Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, Yahweh seeth us not; Yahweh hath forsaken the earth. (Ezekiel 8:11-12)
Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. ... Hast thou seen this, O son of man?... thou shalt see greater abominations than these. He brought me into the inner court of Yahweh’s house...at the door of the temple of Yahweh, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Yahweh, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. (Ezekiel 8:14-16)
For more on Ezekiel 8 - Go to 5.30 mark on You Tube site
Ezekiel was told that he must not pity those who were to be smitten
Ezekiel is given a vision of a man who places a mark upon the foreheads of the few that sigh and cry for all the abominations in the city. Compare the following quotations in Ezekiel to the reference to the redeemed in Revelation (Rev 14:1) The “Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads”
Ezekiel is shown that some would escape the coming destruction.
He cried also in mine ears... Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. And Yahweh said unto him,... Go through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: (Ezekiel 9:1-5 )
Ezekiel sees a Vision of the Cherubim the sign of Yahweh’s Glory departing from the city
Ezekiel describes the vision of the glory of Yahweh that he sees as he was by the river of Chebar.
And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them. When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them. Then the glory of Yahweh departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. (Ezekiel 16-18,20-21)
Ezekiel then has to pronounce Yahweh’s judgment on the princes
The princes would be slain for their wickedness.
The spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of Yahweh's house,... and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel... Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it. (Ezekiel 11:1-2, 11:7-8)
Those people who survive the seige are given a ray of hope.
A remnant of Jews returned to their land at the end of their 70 year captivity in Babylon with the decree of Cyrus and repaired the Temple.. There would be a remnant of Jews again dispersed world wide after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD70. From the remaining remnant of those Jews, some started returning, at the end of the 19th century, as a result of persecution in Europe and in Russia, to their homeland, which had been left a desolate wasteland.
The prophecy affirms that the promise to Abraham will be fulfilled through a faithful remnant
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come... I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel…. and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: (Ezekiel 11:16-19)
Ezekiel has to demonstate the reality of the escape from Jerusalem from the Babylonians
Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou? Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them. Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity. And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: ...My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon. (Ezekiel 12:9-15)
The punishment of false prophets is given.
And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 13:9)
The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, [13] Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD. For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? [22] Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth .(Ezekiel 14:12-14, 21-22 )
Show All
