Introduction to God’s Message for the Jewish Exiles in Babylon

Background of Ezekiel: God spoke through three main during the late 6th century BC. He placed them right where they were needed. (627-575 BC) prophesied among the Jews in Jerusalem -- to convict them of their sins, brace them for the worst (Jerusalem’s destruction) and give them God’s plan on how to survive and even thrive during their 70-year exile. He also gave them a glimpse of much better things to come! (605-536 BC) rose to prominence in the service of king Nebuchadnezzar and thereby exerted much spiritual influence in the palaces of Babylon and later, of Persia. (We’ll talk more about this amazing book in a couple of weeks...) Ezekiel (593-573 BC), one of the captives in Babylon, prophesied to his fellow Jewish exiles – the same Jews who had refused to listen to Jeremiah! Although in exile, they still weren’t convinced that Jeremiah’s prophecies of doom and future restoration would be fulfilled. God’s message through Ezekiel chips away at their false hope of an early end to their exile and of the divine preservation of their city and its temple. Once that false hope was shattered, they would be resigned to their exile, and ready to hear about their future hope – where all things would be made “new” -- a new start, a new heart, a new spirit, a new King, a new temple in a new Jerusalem! If that sounds like gospel to you, that’s because it is!

Who wrote Ezekiel? A Jewish exile named Ezekiel (whose name means “God will strengthen”), a priest and the son of a man named Buzi (1:3). He was 25 or 26 years old when he was taken captive to Babylon in 597 BC in the 2nd siege of Jerusalem. (see note below) Five years later, at age 30, he was called by Yahweh to his prophetic ministry. (1:1)

“DO THE MATH” NOTES: CONQUEST DIVIDED BY THREE: The Jews were attacked by the Babylonians in three waves over a 19 year period. A number of exiles was taken each time. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and were among the 3,023 taken in 605 BC. Ezekiel and king Jehoiachin were among the 832 taken in the 2nd siege and all the treasures of Jerusalem were confiscated at that time. In 586/7 Jerusalem was completely destroyed, including ’s temple, and 745 survivors were led away to Babylon. That makes 4,600 total captives if you’re counting. (Jer 52:28-30) THE ANSWER IS “SEVENTY”: In case you’re wondering how to calculate the 70-year exile (Jer 29:10). It began in 605 and ended in 536 – that adds up to 70. Another way to figure it is from the time the temple was destroyed, 586, to the time it was finished being rebuilt, 516 – also 70 years!!

When was Ezekiel written? Over a 20 year period, 593 – 573 BC. Chapters 1 – 7 are dated 593 BC (1:1-3). Chapters 8 – 19 are dated 592 BC (8:1). Chapters 20 – 23 are dated 591 BC (20:1). Chapters 24 – 25 are dated 588/7 BC (24:1). Chapters 26 – 28 are dated 586 BC (26:1). 29:1 – 30:19 are dated 587 BC (29:1). 30:20-26 is dated 586 BC (30:20). Chapter 31 is dated 586 BC (31:1). 32:1 – 33:20 is dated 585 BC (32:1). 33:21 – 39:29 is dated 585 BC (33:21). Chapters 40-48 are dated 573 BC (40:1) – exactly 14 years from the day Jerusalem was destroyed and its temple demolished!

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Ezekiel’s “purpose statement”: “and you/they shall know that I am the LORD.” This is found 30+ times between 6:7 and 39:28. This book has a purpose – to advance the knowledge of the one, true God! It serves the same holy purpose today.

Does Ezekiel have a message for 21st century man? Definitely. We Christians are like the Jewish exiles, strangers in a land not our own. This is how , , , even viewed himself and it is how we should view ourselves – aliens, not citizens (Phil 3:20; 1 Pet 1:1,17; Heb 11:13-16; 13:14). How, then, are exiles to conduct themselves? We should live here and function here and pray for the welfare of this temporary home, and carry out our Lord’s Will during our exile. We should not set our hearts nor our hopes on it. Remember, we do not belong here. “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through ...”

The literary style of Ezekiel: Ezekiel is the first book of the Bible that is considered “apocalyptic literature”. The word “apocalypse” comes from a compound Greek word meaning to “uncover, disclose, reveal”. As a genre, apocalyptic literature has several tell-tale features. Among them are: 1) More prediction than conviction 2) Universal in scope 3) Eternal time frame 4) Detailed descriptions and glimpses of spiritual, heavenly realities 5) Liberal use of signs, symbols and figurative language 6) Transmitted more through visual means than verbal (Rev 1:1-2,10-12,19) While you can find sections of apocalyptic literature in , , , , , , and even in the Psalms, the only books of the Old Testament that are classified as “apocalyptic literature” are Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah. In the New Testament, a few of Jesus’ teachings have an “apocalyptic” style (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 17 & 21), but only Revelation is purely “apocalyptic”. In fact, the Greek title for the book of revelation is “The Apocalypse”!) It is no coincidence, then, that Revelation draws more words and images from Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah than from all the other Bible books combined!

The prophetic M.O. of Ezekiel: It is evident from :1-3 that God’s transmission of the prophecies to Ezekiel was both visual and verbal. It follows, then, that Ezekiel would communicate God’s message both visually and verbally. He was told to use visual aids (and to become a visual aid!) to get certain points across. This is especially true of the prophecies found in the first 24 chapters.

“From A to Ezekiel” Outline by Rich Howell, 2005, revised in 2015

CALL & COMMISSION OF EZEKIEL (1-3) “The Watchman”

A. Mobile glory! (1:4-28) NOTE: Locating God’s presence? (3:12-15; 3:22-23; 8:1-6; 9:1-11; 10:1-22; 11:22-25; 43:10- 12; 48:35 – see Isaiah 6 & Rev 4) B. “Sweet as honey”! (2:8-3:3) C. The “watchman”! (3:16-21; 33:1-9)

JUDGMENTS AGAINST JUDAH & JERUSALEM (4-24) “Show & Tell”

D. Brick city! (4:1-3) & side dishes! (4:5-16) E. Close shave! (5:1-4) & city center! (5:5-8) F. Secret temple sins! (8:5-18) G. Marked people! (9:3-6) H. “God has left the building!” (10:18-19; 11:22-25) I. Correcting a proverb about “distant prophecies”! (12:21-28) J. Not even , Daniel & could help! (14:14,19) K. Correcting a proverb about “inherited sin” (18:1-4,20-24) L. No pleasure in our demise! (18:32 – Lam 3:31-33) M. Just one man! (22:30) N. Losing “the delight”! (24:15-26)

JUDGMENTS AGAINST ENEMY NATIONS (25-32) “They’ll get theirs”

O. Payback on some bad neighbors! (25:3,6,8,12,15; 28:25-26) P. Devil of a king! (28:11-19)

SPIRITUAL RESTORATION (33-37) “A New Spirit”

Q. Talking the talk! (33:30-33) R. If you want something done right ...! (34:1-16) S. Heart transplant! (36:23-28) T. Second wind! (37:1-14)

FINAL CONFLICT (38-39) “Gog & Magog”

U. Face turned back! (39:21-29 – see Isaiah 59:1-2)

HOME AT LAST! (40-48) “The Lord is there”

V. A vision to see, hear & feel! (40:1-4) W. Glory from the east! (43:1-7; 44:4-5) X. The law of the temple! (43:10-12) Y. The Prince’s job! (45:17) Z. Freshwater! (47:1-9)