Printed on: 8/22/2009 Thru the Bible Discussion Notes www.ttb.org Ezekietl
Information and Notes for August 27 - September 30, 2009
Thru the Bible Radiowith Dr. J. Vernon McGee
“The whole Word for the whole world”
Internet address: www.ttb.org
Schedule for Ezekiel: August 27 - September 30, 2009
August / September 2009 / Chapters: 1 - 48 /
August 27 & 28 / Introduction & 1
August 31 - September 1 / 2 & 3
September 1 & 2 / 4 - 6
September 2 & 3 / 7
September 3 & 4 / 8
September 4 - 7 / 9 - 10
September 7 & 8 / 11 - 13
September 9 & 10 / 14 - 17
September 10 & 11 / 18 - 20
September 14 / 21
September 14 & 15 / 22 - 24
September 16 / 25 & 26
September 17 / 27
September 17 & 18 / 28
September 18 / 29 & 30
September 21 / 31 & 32
September 22 / 33
September 23 & 24 / 34 - 37
September 25 - 29 / 38 & 39
September 29 & 30 / 40 - 48
The Book of
Ezekiel
Introduction
Ezekiel was a priest (Ezek. 1:3), but he never served in that office because he was taken captive to Babylon during the reign of Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:10–16), who was the king of Judah who followed Jehoiakim. It was during the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim that the first deportation took place when Daniel was taken captive. Jehoiachin then came to the throne and reigned only three months. In 597 b.c. the second deportation took place, and Ezekiel was taken captive.
Ezekiel was a contemporary of Jeremiah and Daniel. Jeremiah was an old man at this time. He had begun his ministry as a young man during the reign of young King Josiah. He had remained with the remnant in the land and then was taken by them down into Egypt. Therefore his ministry at this time was confined to the remnant in Egypt. Daniel had been taken into the court of the king of Babylon and had become his prime minister. Ezekiel, then, was with the captives who had been brought down to the rivers of Babylon. The captives had been placed by the great canal that came off the River Euphrates, which was several miles from Babylon itself. Ezekiel’s ministry was among those people.
Psalm 137 is the psalm of the remnant in Babylon: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof” (Ps. 137:1–2). But at the same time Ezekiel writes: “The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God” (Ezek. 1:1). What a contrast! While these people had already put their harps on a willow tree and sat down to weep, this man Ezekiel was seeing visions of God!
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel were all prophets, but each had a particular and peculiar ministry to a certain group of people, and apparently they never came into contact with each other. From the record in the Book of Daniel you would not gather that Daniel ever visited his people in Babylon where Ezekiel was; yet he had a great concern for them and he actually defended them. But did Daniel and Jeremiah know each other? Well, we know from his book that Daniel was acquainted with the prophecies of Jeremiah. I have a notion that as a young man in his teens he listened to Jeremiah in Jerusalem. Ezekiel also was a young man when he was taken captive, and he too had probably heard Jeremiah, but had no personal acquaintance with Daniel.
The message of Ezekiel is the most spiritual of all the prophets because he dealt particularly with the Person of God. Someone has said, “Ezekiel is the prophet of the Spirit, as Isaiah is the prophet of the Son, and Jeremiah the prophet of the Father.”
During the first years of the captivity the false prophets were still saying that the people were going to return to Jerusalem and that the city would not be destroyed. The city was not destroyed even at the time of the second deportation. It was not until about 586 b.c., when Nebuchadnezzar came against the city the third time, that he burned and destroyed Jerusalem. Therefore for a period of about ten years, these false prophets were saying that the people would return and the city would not be destroyed. Jeremiah had sent a message to Babylon saying the city would be destroyed, and Ezekiel confirmed his message. He warned the people that they must turn to God before they could return to Jerusalem. When the time came, a very small remnant did turn to God, and they returned to Jerusalem very discouraged.
Ezekiel began his ministry five years after he was taken captive at about the age of thirty. In many ways, he spoke in the darkest days of the nation. He stood at the bottom of a valley in the darkest corner. He had to meet the false hope given by the false prophets and the indifference and despondency begotten in the days of sin and disaster. The people would not listen to his message. Therefore, he resorted to a new method. Instead of speaking in parables, as the Lord Jesus did, he acted out the parables. He actually did some very interesting stunts. We read in Ezekiel 24:24, “Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God.” The people would not listen to his words, so he would act them out, and he attracted a great deal of attention that way.
We have folk who use this very same method today. We have placard carriers, flagpole sitters, and walkathons. People do these things to attract attention and gain publicity. This, too, was Ezekiel’s method. One time he walked into a house, locked himself in, and then started digging himself out. When he came out, he came out in the middle of the street! Here in Pasadena, California, it is nothing new to be digging in the middle of the street, for the city workers keep digging up the streets all the time. But in Ezekiel’s time, when a man came up out of the middle of the street one day, people naturally gathered around and said, “What’s the big idea?” Ezekiel had a message for them, and he gave it to them (see Ezek. 12:8–16).
Ezekiel is the prophet of the glory of the Lord. There were three prophets of Israel who spoke when they were out of the land. They are Ezekiel, Daniel, and John (who wrote from the island of Patmos). All three of these men wrote what is called an apocalypse. They all used highly symbolic language; yet they saw the brightest light and held the highest hope of all the prophets. Ezekiel saw the Shekinah glory of the Lord leave Solomon’s temple, but he also saw the return of the glory of the Lord which was projected into the future and will come to pass during the kingdom age, or the Millennium.
The meaning of Ezekiel is seen in this coming of the glory during the kingdom age. Ezekiel looked beyond the sufferings of Christ to the glory that should follow. As Peter said of the prophets, they saw the sufferings and they saw the glory that would follow (1 Pet. 1:11). I think Ezekiel saw it better than any of the other prophets.
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Outline
I. Glory of the Lord; Commission of the Prophets, Chapters 1–7
A. Display of the Glory, Chapter 1
B. Prophet’s Call and Endowment with Power for the Office, Chapter 2
C. Prophet’s Preparation; Office as Watchman, Chapter 3
D. Judgment of Jerusalem, Chapter 4
E. Sign of Prophet Shaving Hair, Chapter 5
F. Sword to Fall Upon Jerusalem; Remnant to be Saved, Chapter 6
G. Prophecy of Final Destruction of Jerusalem, Chapter 7
II. Glory of the Lord; Complete Captivity of Jerusalem and Israel; Departure of the Glory, Chapters 8–24
A. Vision of the Glory; Temple Defilement by Idolatry Explains its Destruction, Chapter 8
B. Shekinah Glory Prepares to Leave Temple, Chapter 9
C. Shekinah Glory Fills Holy Place; Leaves the Temple, Chapter 10
D. Prophecy Against Rulers of Jerusalem, Chapter 11
E. Ezekiel Enacts Destruction of Jerusalem, Chapter 12
F. Prophecy Against Pseudo Prophets and Prophetesses, Chapter 13
G. Prophecy Against Idolatry of Elders; Certain Destruction of Jerusalem, Chapter 14
H. Vision of the Vine, Chapter 15
I. Jerusalem Likened to Abandoned Baby Adopted by God, Chapter 16
J. Riddle of Two Eagles, Chapter 17
K. Wages of Sin is Death, Chapter 18
L. Elegy of Jehovah over Princes of Israel, Chapter 19
M. Review of Sins of Nation; Future Judgment and Restoration, Chapter 20
N. King of Babylon to Remove Last King of Davidic Line Until Messiah Comes, Chapter 21
O. Review of Abominations of Jerusalem, Chapter 22
P. Parable of Two Sisters (Samaria and Jerusalem), Chapter 23
Q. Parable of Boiling Pot, Chapter 24
III. Glory of the Lord; Judgment of Nations, Chapters 25–32
A. Against Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia, Chapter 25
B. Against Tyre, Chapters 26–28
C. Against Egypt, Chapters 29–32
IV. Glory of the Lord and the Coming Kingdom, Chapters 33–48
A. Recommission of the Prophet, Chapters 33–34
B. Restoration of Israel, Chapters 35–36
C. Resurrection of Israel, Chapter 37
D. Repudiation of Gog and Magog, Chapters 38–39
E. Rebuilt Temple, Chapters 40–42
F. Return of the Glory of the Lord, Chapters 43–48
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Ezekiel 1
1Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
2In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,
3The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
4And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
5Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
6And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
7And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.
8And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
9Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
10As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.
11Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
12And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.
13As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
14And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
15Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.
16The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
17When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.
18As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.
19And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
20Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
21When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
22And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
23And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.
24And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.
25And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
26And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
27And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
28As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.