Tradition says John the apostle (Mark 3:14-19) was the author of both Revelation and the Gospel of John, but that is not certain. A Vision of The Glory of the Lord - and Ezekiel's Call (chapters 1 - 3) Words can barely encapsulate the vision Ezekiel saw. 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. 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. (38:1112). 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. He received oracles from God and passed them on to . Episode 6 | Visions of Ezekiel Lion and Lamb Ministries 63.1K subscribers Subscribe 489 10K views 1 month ago Join Monte as he looks at the visions given to the #prophet #Ezekiel. God uses metaphor throughout chapter 16 to describe Israels wickedness as a whoring bride, but these sinful acts are not metaphors. Livable, A Tale of Trees: How Arboreal Theology Pervades the Bible. 1:5 ), but with bronze legs and hooved feet ( Ezek. The Last Major Vision of Ezekiel: 40-48. But the heavens open to welcome Ezekiel, the son of man (Ezek. This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. That is why He created human beings to begin with, God is a relational God. In the Old Testament, God chose very specific people to give His message to Israel. If He does choose, it is based on goodness, The description of the Book of Revelation as the strangest book of the New Testament could be the reason for the general neglect that is afforded it today. The book of Ezekiel opens up with a vision that is quite startling in itself. Ezekiel's First Vision Whirlwind firestorm, four creatures, four wheels, a firmament, a man on a throne. This is a reminder to the Israelites. f) The Discharge (32:6) 32:6 "I will also make the land drink the discharge of your blood As far as . They have a human form (Ezek. In this vision the Lord is as a teacher and instructs Ezekiel. Do the Palestinians Descend from the Philistines? Ezekiel goes through many different types of idolatry and images that the Israelites use to take the place of Father God. His most recent book is a commentary on 1 & 2 Chronicles (Brazos Press, 2019). In Ezekiel, you see that God uses every part of Himself to draw His people back to Him, almost in an underlying message to say, Please come back to Me, I just love you so much and I miss you. 10.Visions of the divine glory over the cherubim. 2:1, 3, 8; 3:1, 3, 4, 10; etc.). 48:2). Much of the verse is written in the style of a vision, detailing message to the people of Judea. "The vision of dry bones," explains how God's people would miraculously come together and be re-gathered to their homeland from among the nations of the world where . Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices! (Ezekiel 14:6). In this film, created for Practical Matters by independent documentary filmmaker Sonia Narang, an Indian Jewish visual artist works with a group of high school students at the SAR Academy, a modern Orthodox day school in New York City. Ezekiel's Vision of God. [31] To take just two well-known passages, the famous Gog and Magog prophecy in Revelation 20:8 refers back to Ezekiel 3839,[32] and in Revelation 2122, as in the closing visions of Ezekiel, the prophet is transported to a high mountain where a heavenly messenger measures the symmetrical new Jerusalem, complete with high walls and twelve gates, the dwelling-place of God where His people will enjoy a state of perfect well-being. When Moses finished the tabernacle, the cloud moved from the mountain to the Most Holy Place, resting above the wings of the cherubim on the ark (Ex. This is the heart of the vision. Ezekiel, was a great man of God and very faithful to Him. But the Lord would open their graves and bring them back to the land. This captivity would be followed by a prophesied second captivity in 586 BC when Nebuchadnezzar fully destroyed Solomons Temple and besieged Jerusalem. [25] The process of purification begins, God prepares to leave, and a priest lights the sacrificial fire to the city. In the Old Testament, the heavens typically open so Yahweh can rain his blessings on Israel (Deut. Hes both commissioned prophet and commissioning glory, both Son of Man and the fiery One who sits on Yahwehs throne in the midst of the living creatures. Ezekiel 40:2. As the cloud approaches, he sees whats insideliving beings, later identified as cherubim (Ezek. 41. 1:5), but with bronze legs and hooved feet (Ezek. His Spirit would infuse the nation, and it would once again life. Gog will think that Israel is living in relative peace and abundance, making her an easy target. Throughout the text, therefore, there are nuggets of information dropped as to what to look for to determine when that will happen so people can prepare accordingly. Jeremiah. initiative, where were encouraging Christians and churches to read together through Gods Word in a year. [34], The Visionary Ezekiel Temple plan drawn by the 19th-century French architect and Bible scholar Charles Chipiez, The Vision of The Valley of The Dry Bones by Gustave Dor, 1866, Ezekiel's Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones by Maerten de Vos, c. 1600, Ezekiel's Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones by Quentin Metsys the Younger, c. 1589, Second Temple and rabbinic Judaism (c. 515 BCE500 CE), Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 1937. pp811-894, Rape in the Hebrew Bible Ezekiel 16 and 23, "How many verses are in the book of Ezekiel? 1:1). The four plagues Chapter 5 Chapter 6:1-8 4. 1) Brother Lee's Fellowship with Walter Martin . (2016, Dec 30). [23] In Ezekiel the phrase describes God mounted on His throne-chariot as he departs from the Temple in chapters 111 and returns to what Marvin Sweeney describes as a portrayal of "the establishment of the new temple in Zion as YHWH returns to the temple, which then serves as the center for a new creation with the tribes of Israel arrayed around it" in chapters 4048. When Israel camped in the wilderness, the 12 tribes were divided into four groups, with three turned toward each of the four cardinal directions (Num. (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. Explore how the human body functions as one unit in Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations. Because of this traditional connection between Ezekiels vision of the chariot in chapter 1 and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai (which is celebrated on Shavuot/ Pentecost) Ezekiel 1:128 is read as the Haftarah (Prophetic) portion on this holy holiday. Did you know that we have over 70,000 essays on 3,000 topics in our (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1951), 105, James D. Newsome and Jr, The Hebrew Prophets (Atlanta, GA: Westminster John Knox Press, 1986), 126, Robert B. Chisholm and Jr, Handbook On the Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Academic, 2002), 270, Andrew W. Blackwood Jr. and Ezekiel-Prophecy of Hope (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Book House,1965), 224-225, John B. Taylor, Ezekiel (tyndale Old Testament Commentaries), 1ST ed. How to Handle a Difficult Small-Group Member, 5 Surprising Books to Help Navigate the Gender Debates, Wednesday Addams and the Return of Black-and-White Morality. A Flemish enamel depicting Ezekiel 9, a vision in which those who grieved Israels sin had their foreheads marked in order to save them from Divine punishment for sins. he who is sent by the God of all grace to the convert sinners must be influenced by the Holy Ghost; otherwise he can neither be saved himself, nor become the instrument of salvation to others. 7:24. As one writer wrote, taking such steps allows God to unearth the dry bones in our lives, to revive our hearts and to breathe new life into our souls. Ezekiel unashamedly spoke the truth to Israel about their sin, their captivity and how the people could be redeemed from it. The Bible itself is arguably the best selling and most read book of all time, yet its well known to be quite challenging to read through and understand. Notably, Ezekiel blames the Babylonian exile not on the people's failure to keep the Law, but on their worship of gods other than Yahweh and their injustice: these, says Ezekiel in chapters 811, are the reasons God's Shekhinah left his city and his people. Ezekiel, was a great man of God and very faithful to Him. Ezekiel sees the glory Moses and Solomon saw, but Ezekiel doesnt sees it on Sinai, at Shiloh, or in Jerusalem. This supernatural encounter with the heavenly realm began a new school of thought called merkabah (chariot mysticism). The book being opened Chapters 2-3 . The prophet gift was in his dreams and then he reveal them as it were given to him. The Jewish People are certainly coming back to the Land of Israel and settling there as God promised through many prophets, including Ezekiel. Ezekiel has the broad three-fold structure found in a number of the prophetic books: oracles of woe against the prophet's own people, followed by oracles against Israel's neighbours, ending in prophecies of hope and salvation: The book opens with a vision of YHWH (.mw-parser-output .script-hebrew,.mw-parser-output .script-Hebr{font-family:"SBL Hebrew","SBL BibLit","Taamey Ashkenaz","Taamey Frank CLM","Frank Ruehl CLM","Ezra SIL","Ezra SIL SR","Keter Aram Tsova","Taamey David CLM","Keter YG","Shofar","David CLM","Hadasim CLM","Simple CLM","Nachlieli",Cardo,Alef,"Noto Serif Hebrew","Noto Sans Hebrew","David Libre",David,"Times New Roman",Gisha,Arial,FreeSerif,FreeSans}). Wood engraving, published in 1886. ezekiel stock illustrations. 24:16). Let us help you get a good grade on your paper. As a priest, Ezekiel praises the Zadokites over the Levites (lower level temple functionaries), whom he largely blames for the destruction and exile. It does not matter how awful we are, how many times we walk away thinking that we can do a better job at running our life than He can, how many times we break His heart, it is His desire to be with us, even if that means us leaving Him a hundred times, His love will draw us back a hundred and one times. Ezekiel was a prophet to the exiles who were living in captivity in Babylo. The messages he received from God were intense and different than other prophets of Israel. Ezekiel 43:12. That means the eagle face must be facing back to the north, toward the Lords throne at the pole of the sphere of heaven (cf. Please Follow us on Twitter and receive Breaking News, Bible Teachings and Feature Articles from the Holy Land. The very place where Ezekiel saw the visions was the place where Satan instigated the greatest rebellion against God among the fallen people. 2 On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, 3 the word of the . The famous phrase wheels within wheels is tantalizingly vague. He is specifically mentioned by Ben Sirah (a writer of the Hellenistic period who listed the "great sages" of Israel) and 4 Maccabees (1st century CE). Can these bones live? asks God. However, as mentioned above, he was a faithful servant. (Chabad). Ezekiel describes his vision as an elaborate and complex image that symbolizes the majesty of Yahweh and proclaims Yahweh's sovereignty over all the nations of the earth. The Spaceships of Ezekiel (1974) is a book by Josef F. Blumrich (March 17, 1913 - February 10, 2002) about a spaceship that was supposedly observed by the prophet Ezekiel, written while the author was chief of NASA's systems layout branch of the program development office at the Marshall Space Flight Center. By comparing the sound of the wings to the sound of Shaddai, Ezekiel makes use of a divine appellation that is generally associated with the ancestral age (e.g., Genesis 17:1; Exodus 6:3; and passim in the archaizing book of Job). [16] While the book exhibits considerable unity and probably reflects much of the historic Ezekiel, it is the product of a long and complex history and does not necessarily preserve the very words of the prophet. cite it. Occasion: Ezekiel is writing from Babylon for the people exiled . But, God did not do this for embarrassment, He did this to remind the people of Israel that He was still going to be their God and that He still desperately wanted to be loved and served by them. [1], Ezekiel is referenced more in the Book of Revelation than in any other New Testament writing. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people. (37:2627). Whatever happens, we must be devoted to the word of God. His appearance was the same as it had been before by the river Chebar (yet another link which this closing vision has with Ezekiels earlier work) and it prompted the same response of awe and adoration. 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. Ezekiel describes these creatures (Ezekiel 1:5-14). Ghisi's engraving illustrates Ezekiel's vision of the Apocalypse. The haftarah for the first day of Shavuot is of the most hallowed portions of the Bible. 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). Views 561. Behold, the glory of the LORD stood there: Once again, Ezekiel had a vision similar to that which he experienced in Ezekiel 1. i. Prophet (Luke 4:24; 7:16; 24:19), but hes more than a prophet. View cart for details. Judgment concerning the idolatrous Israelites (Ezekiel 6, 3-7), published 1886 Judgment of the Lord concerning the idolatrous Israelites (Ezekiel 6, 3-7). He isolates the oracles and speeches behind the present text, and traces Ezekiel's interaction with a mass of mythological, legendary and literary material as he developed his insights into Yahweh's purposes during the period of destruction and exile. Ezekiel 2:1-7 (ESV) Sometimes God calls us into a difficult situation. Its later influence has included the development of mystical and apocalyptic traditions in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity. 46). 3. When Ezekiel sees the vision, he falls like a dead man (Ezek. This last section has extreme detail of the temple and how it should be built. The Lord explains the meaning of he vision in verses 11-14. Of course, Bibles For Israel does not condone such travelling. That is not the way to get to know God, and one does not need a spiritual chariot to meet with God. It was nineteen years since Ezekiel had seen the vision of the glory of the Lord leaving His temple (10:18-22; 11: 22-24). 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. Are these. 78:23; Mal. Known as Mirkevet Yechezkel, "the Chariot of Ezekiel ," the reading speaks of the revelation to Ezekiel in which he saw the entire gamut of divine beings in what he describes as a "chariot.". Throughout the book of Ezekiel, he writes of the symbolic actions the Lord asks of him. 1:6 ). Those slain under the altar Chapter.6 Chapter 6:9-11 5. Even from a distance, he sees something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire (Ezek. 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). God is so serious about making people aware of this that He held Ezekiel personally responsible for making sure the People understood the consequences of iniquity in their own lives. 1:12 ), and we know which direction. But Yahwehs glory also appears as a four-cornered sanctuary, as the four-faced nation of Israel, as a four-man royal entourage. With Ezekiel, God did not force Israel to listen, He gave the option and they had to choose. The parallels among these different structures are suggestive. [33] Apart from Revelation, however, where Ezekiel is a major source, there is very little allusion to the prophet in the New Testament; the reasons for this are unclear, but it cannot be assumed that every Christian or Hellenistic Jewish community in the 1st century would have had a complete set of (Hebrew) scripture scrolls, and in any case Ezekiel was under suspicion of encouraging dangerous mystical speculation, as well as being sometimes obscure, incoherent, and pornographic. Peter J. Leithart is president of the Theopolis Institute in Birmingham, Alabama. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds. Where is Israel in this process of resurrection? This is a reminder that God does pursue those whom He loves, but He also wants His people to come to Him out of freedom. And centuries later, the heavens split open again as another prophet, another Son of Man, is commissioned at the age of 30 to see visions of God (Luke 3:21-24; cf. 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