This is an extremely fascinating word that the Lord uses. Its a fitting prelude to a prophetic commission. The visions, and the book, are structured around three themes: (1) Judgment on Israel (chapters 1-24); (2) Judgment on the nations (chapters 25-32); and (3) Future blessings for Israel (chapters 33-48). His most recent book is a commentary on 1 & 2 Chronicles (Brazos Press, 2019). God's Outlet. At the center of the vision is Yahweh himself, appearing as a glorified man to the prophet by the river Chebar. 3:10). The Visions of Ezekiel. Ezekiel appears only briefly in the Dead Sea Scrolls, but his influence there was profound, most notably in the Temple Scroll with its temple plans, and the defence of the Zadokite priesthood in the Damascus Document. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan., The future; a daunting subject that people over generations have fretted about and try to plan against by constructing predictions on what may happen based on what they think they know. Ezekiel purpose were to bring restoration and hope to Gods people., Isaiah 6 is written with a mixture of prose and verse, detailing the calling, or commission, of Isaiah by the Lord God. 3:10). Ezekiel's Vision of God. 20:1: The scene here is from heaven to earth as an angel comes down to earth having the key and a great chain with him; the key refers to access; to open access or to grant access to thus access is granted to this angel to bind Satan., This report supplies an overview of the Book of Revelation prepared by Leoner Suarez a biblical theologian with the purpose to contribute knowledge and understanding of the book of Revelation to the biblical studies program of Kean University. In the Old Testament, God chose very specific people to give His message to Israel. [24] The vision in chapters 1:428 reflects common mythological/Biblical themes and the imagery of the Temple: God appears in a cloud from the north the north being the usual home of God/the gods in ancient mythology and Biblical literature with four living creatures corresponding to the two cherubim above the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant and the two in the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the Temple; the burning coals of fire between the creatures perhaps represents the fire on the sacrificial altar, and the famous "wheel within a wheel" may represent the rings by which the Levites carried the Ark, or the wheels of the cart. And third, you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it. The seal on the Saint's foreheads Need urgent help with your paper? Important Vision #3 Ezekiel 37:1-14. The visions, and the book, are structured around three themes: (1) Judgment on Israel (chapters 124); (2) Judgment on the nations (chapters 2532); and (3) Future blessings for Israel (chapters 3348). God is free to judge, and he is equally free to be gracious. Did you know that we have over 70,000 essays on 3,000 topics in our Therefore, let us lookforward to Yeshuas soon return with ever increasing anticipation and expectation. Ezekiels directional indications may seem extraneous, but they hint at connections with other four-corner arrangements in the Bible. Comparing his vision to Babylonian iconography reveals that Ezekiel saw a divine "throne chariot" of the heavenswidely described in the ancient biblical world. The Last Major Vision of Ezekiel: 40-48. The book of Ezekiel pronounces judgment on both Israel and surrounding nations, but it also provides a vision of the future millennial kingdom that complements and adds to the vision of other Old and New Testament texts. Weve shifted from What if they have fun without me? to What If I commit now and regret it later?, On My Shelf: Life and Books with Peter Leithart, Why Kings Sing: A Biblical Theology of Monarchs and Music, The Ten Commandments Make Life . But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul., are myriads upon myriads, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them as in Sinai in holiness., I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. Not only does the Holy Spirit speak to him, but He actually transports him to different spots. We may be tempted to think that David-plus-three-mighty-men form a human replica of the glory, and then we might recall that Jesus, the son of David, also has his three: Peter, James, and John. There have been many books written and published to survey, explain, and/or bring to light the Old Testament, but none more helpful to me than the review subject of this paper, the work of Dr. Elmer L. Towns, entitled A Journey Through the Old Testament., God choses whomever He wants to give His messages to His people. For an informed reading of Ezekiel 1:1-28, 3:12. He was a humble servant, he stood before his Master ready to do whatever He had for him. 1:6) and four wings ( Ezek. Lesson 6 Ezekiel the Prophet of Visions in the Old Testament Unit 13 The Prophets. This is a reminder to the Israelites. But the heavens open to welcome Ezekiel, the son of man (Ezek. Can an utterly rebellious nation against God be redeemed? But the heavens open to welcome Ezekiel, the son of man (Ezek. A frieze depicting the Prophets Amon, Nahum, Ezekiel, and Daniel. This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. 7. visions of the abominations in Jerusalem. Danielhad already been taken captive into Babylon in about 605 BC during Nebuchadnezzars preliminary siege. It did not matter if the request was too ludicrous, he trusted that whatever the Lord asked of him, it was for a reason. 124 teach that God will be revealed in the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple; chs. . biblica. 1:22), and above the expanse, Ezekiel sees a lapis lazuli throne, occupied by a figure like a man made of fire and metal (Ezek. Are the Jewish People Still the Chosen People. 1:2627). And so, throughout Christianity, individuals have stepped up to the, One day in about the year 95 A.D., a man named John had a vision from heaven. 28:12; Ps. A Vision of The Glory of the Lord - and Ezekiel's Call (chapters 1 - 3) Words can barely encapsulate the vision Ezekiel saw. He chose them for a reason, and He wanted them to know His love like no other. The Old Testament portion of the Bible, notably the most difficult portion of the Bible for most to study and follow, yields 39 books from multiple authors, and spans over 4000 years of crucial world and church history. (2:1-2) We find that the prophet was so penetrated with awe at the sight of the glory of God in the mystical chariot, that he fell upon his face; and, while he was in this posture of adoration, he heard the voice mentioned here. Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rebuked the worlds leaders for this lie in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Oct. 1, 2015: Irans rulers promise to destroy my country, murder my people, and the response from this body the response from nearly every one of the governments represented here has been absolutely nothing utter silence deafening silence.. Gods total sovereignty is also evident in his mobility. Look! 2532 teach that the nations likewise will know God through his judgments; and chs. In chapter 8 Ezekiels vision starts out and talks about false values. These visions can even be applied today in the modern day church and show how much God loves His people despite repetitive sin. He seems to be trying to find words for sights that were almost beyond description. Some of these consist of Ezekiel eating the scroll that God gave him to eat (3:1-3), sleeping on his side symbolizing the sin of the ouse of Israel (4:4) , shaving, burning and scattering his hair (5:1-17) packing his belongings and leaving for exile as a sign to the prince of Jerusalem (12:1-16). In Psalm 68:17 we read that Gods chariots [rekhev] are myriads upon myriads, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them as in Sinai in holiness., Jewish traditions says that these chariots descended with God (on Mount Sinai) 22,000 chariots, each one like the chariot that Ezekiel saw (Midrash Tanhuma Yitro [Buber] 14). (My Jewish Learning). I was by the Kebar River among the people who had been However, as mentioned above, he was a faithful servant. However in the Hebrew Bible, it is seen after 2 Kings, which A.S. Herbert states is a more natural order since this prophet [Isaiah] was deeply involved in the historical events of his day and gave a distinctive interpretation of these events (1973:1). The genre of the book is mainly of a prophetic nature, with a mixture of oracles, prophesies and reports of the situation in Judah; however it does deviate from this, most notably in chapter 13, where it takes the form of a supposed psalm. And nowhere in the Bible are Gods initiative and control expressed more clearly and pervasively than in the book of Ezekiel. In 36:31 Ezekiel shows the turned exiles in bitter repentance as they think upon the past. 7:24. This portion is as a reestablishment of the law and how to live according to the law. Ezekiel 40:2. Those who have followed this school of mysticism since its earliest teachings in AD 100 seek to emulate Ezekiels experience and enter into the physical as well as emotional presence of God. [5], The Book of Ezekiel describes itself as the words of Ezekiel ben-Buzi, a priest living in exile in the city of Babylon between 593 and 571 BCE. The cherubim and wheels and the expanse are only mechanisms to move the enthroned one from place to place. In this vision Ezekiel saw four brilliant, powerful angels in action . It happens again in Ezekiels time. The Vision of Ezekiel by Raphael, 1518. He states that God Himself will put hooks into the jaws of a leader named Gog of a land called Magog (to the far north of Israel), persuading him to invade the Promised Land. Old Testament Overviews. To the right of the man face is the lion face, facing west, and to the left is the bull face, turned east. He is now our gate to Divine Revelation and personal communication with our Father in heaven, Adonai Himself. 2 On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, 3 the word of the . 1:28). They performed the tasks to maintain relationships with God and the world., I continued my study in pursuit of the doctoral degree in Biblical Studies by reading the text, Encountering the Old Testament. The messages he received from God were intense and different than other prophets of Israel. To get the full effect of the vision, we need to see that Ezekiel 1 is only the first of a three-chapter sequence, during which Ezekiel is commissioned as a prophet. Four living creatures appear from the whirlwind. There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. (13:1011). Another important lesson, God really, really, REALLY loves His kids. Its later influence has included the development of mystical and apocalyptic traditions in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity. Everything that he said came directly from the Lord. His stern judgments on Israel ultimately reflect his grace. Ezekiel's First Vision Whirlwind firestorm, four creatures, four wheels, a firmament, a man on a throne. Ezekiel was a prophet to the exiles who were living in captivity in Babylo. Jesus is. Ezek. Ezekiel's Vision of God | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org Although the term holy is not used in Ezekiel 1, the entire vision conveys the reality of the Lord's transcendence, His "set-apartness" as the Creator and ruler From a distance, Ezekiel sees what Israel saw, a storm wind and a great cloud flashing with lightning and fire. Above these is a firmament, like the expanse of the sky, and above the sky is Yahwehs throne. you to an academic expert within 3 minutes. In this passage, Ezekiel also finds evidence of the worship of the Babylonian deity Tammus (8:14) and of the sun god (8:16). A storm blows in with a cloud containing God's chariot held up by four living creatures (cherubim). The messages he received from God were intense and different than other prophets of Israel. Near the end of Ezekiels visions, he writes about the establishment of the Messianic reign. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people. (37:2627). 1:5 ), but with bronze legs and hooved feet ( Ezek. Throughout the book of Ezekiel, he writes of the symbolic actions the Lord asks of him. Overall, chs. It doesnt take Ezekiel up to heaven; it brings heaven to earth. The first major vision can be found in Ezekiel 1:4-28. To bookmark your articles to Read Later - please sign in. 40:3435). But the Lord does tell us that these disconnected and utterly dried out bones that Ezekiel tours are the Jewish people (37:11), who had been living with seemingly no hope of redemption or a Promised Land of their own since the time of the Babylonian exile. The prophet Jeremiah, who remained in Jerusalem during that time, tried to warn the Jewish People to repent of their idol worship and wickedness or face destruction and captivity. In an allegorical sense, the vision of the dry bones can be seen as a kind of resurrection of our own lives in which, step by step, we learn to follow Gods guiding hand as we endeavor to right the wrongs that have accumulated in ourlives. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates, to seize spoil and carry off plunder [among] the people who were gathered from the nations., Bibles for Israel and the Messianic Bible Project, egathering and restoration of the Jewish People. (John 10:7), You have received the Ruach of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba! As a "sentinel for the house of Israel" (Ezekiel 3:17), Ezekiel had repeatedly warned of God's pending penalty for Judah's transgressions, including its fondness for idolatry (Ezekiel 5:7-10). The Lord allowed Ezekiel to have visions of which he traveled through, and heard the voice of the Lord. Ezekiel 1 was chosen as the haftarah for the first day of Shavuot, [1] as it picks up on the theme of divine revelation, which is what the festival celebrates. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. Ill even give you instructions of how to build the temple and the laws that I have for you to follow. v. 1 "I saw visions of God" compare Ezekiel to the other captives who said, "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion" ( Psalm 137:1 ). 2:1, 3, 8; 3:1, 3, 4, 10; etc.). 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