Book of the Prophet Ezekiel
Compiled by WD Kemner January 2024
Introduction to the Book
Author: Prophet Ezekiel
Historical Background see 2 Kings 24-25 and 2 Chronicles 36
The Kings of Israel and Judah (now a divided kingdom) did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes. God attempted to speak to them through the prophets and they did not listen. Kings and people alike ignored the warnings of the prophets.
They were oppressed by nations and ultimately came under the authority of others. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was the first to cease to exist. At the time of Ezekiel over 100 years have passed and the Southern Kingdom of Judah has become even more wicked.
They now come under the authority of the Babylonian Empire. The king of Babylon had to continually put down problems in the land of Judah and Israel. Three separate occasions the Babylonians had to come in to put down rebellion. When they were finished the temple and nation no longer exist.
It is during the second time to Jerusalem that the Babylonians will take captive King Jehoiachin. Ezekiel would be included within that group taken back to Babylon. The Babylonians did not treat their captives as slaves. The people lived as natives and often adopted the culture of the area. This is what the prophets including Ezekiel wrote against.
There were different groups of Jews. The prophet Jeremiah address that in his book in Chapter 24. The group taken almost 11 years earlier had become accustomed to the lifestyle in Babylon and Jeremiah calls them “bad figs” (Jeremiah 24:8-10). Ezekiel attempts to keep the Jews that had arrived with him (referred to as “good figs” in Jeremiah 24:4-7) from becoming part of this new culture they find themselves in and to stay true to the God of Israel.
Ezekiel also tells them of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and also of its future restoration. He talks about the presence of their God being with them and of God’s judgment on the nations.
Both Daniel and Ezekiel were contemporaries in captivity in Babylon.
As with the Book of Daniel. The rules regarding Prophecy remain true throughout all of scripture. Revisit those rules within the collection of these study guides.
Ezekiel can be looked at as consisting of three sections:
Section I – The Call of the Prophet
Section II – Condition of the nation of Judah
Section III – Prophecies and Promises
The prophecies in the Book can divide into four groups:
Chapters 1-24 – A few that deal with the End Times. Largely dealing with the captivity and why God is going to destroy Jerusalem.
Chapters 25-32 – Judgment upon other nations for the part they played in the rebellion of the Jews.
Chapters 33-39 – The nation of Israel in the End Times.
Chapters 40-48 – Temple to be built and distribution of land inheritance that will occur after the return of Christ.