Introduction to the prophet Ezekiel

The 26th book of the Bible, consisting of 48 chapters
God’s second prophet in Babylonia after Daniel

The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, whose name means “God strengthens” or “God makes strong,” is also counted among the so-called “Major” Prophets with its 48 chapters.
But I think it is not only the length of his writings, but also the scope of his prophecies. Not only was Ezekiel unable to carry out his “ministry” in Israel at all, but his messages were not directed solely at Israel, but were “international” in scope, intended for the nations as well.

The fulfillment of his prophecies began almost immediately thereafter, before Ezekiel himself and before the eyes of his contemporaries.
By now, we are already familiar with so many of the prophet’s fulfilled “revelations” from history—and these certainly deserve the title “Major.”

Ezekiel himself is a “Kohen,” one of the descendants of Aaron, who were called to the hereditary priesthood of God through their male lineage.
But in the year 597 B.C., under King Jehoiakim of Judah, also known as Jehoiachin, a second deportation of Jewish captives to the Babylonian Empire took place—just under 10 years after the deportation of Daniel, who had since risen to prominence there under King Nebuchadnezzar II.
The city of Jerusalem itself was spared once again—God is patient; after many fruitless warnings, He gave the people and their rulers one last opportunity to repent.
Among these captives was 25-year-old Ezekiel, who, by human standards, had a secure and prestigious future ahead of him—one for which he had been prepared his entire life.
But now, because of his “abduction,” Ezekiel could never be ordained as a priest, nor could he ever fulfill his calling to serve in Solomon’s Temple …

Five years later, on his 30th birthday, the book and ministry of Ezekiel begin at the Kebar River with God’s “personal” calling of Ezekiel to be HIS prophet.

There is a Chebar in present-day Iran and a Khabur that flows through eastern Turkey and Syria—but Ezekiel himself speaks of the land of the Chaldeans, the homeland of Abraham, the forefather of the people, and that lies in Babylonia in present-day Iraq.
Meanwhile, science—this time archaeology—once again confirms the truth of God’s Word.
Excavated cuneiform tablets from ancient Nippur, about 200 km southeast of Baghdad, mention a river named Kebar. This Kebar is a tributary or canal of the Euphrates. The river mentioned by Ezekiel was part of an ancient irrigation system in the fertile Mesopotamia.
These discovered clay tablets are dated to the middle of the first millennium B.C.—that is, around or shortly after the time of the prophet Ezekiel.

Ezekiel’s descriptions remind us of parallels with Moses’ calling and his experiences on Mount Sinai, which we find in the first books of the Bible and which took place a good 1,000 years earlier.
And at the same time, they remind us of the accounts of the Apostle John in the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

At first glance, Ezekiel’s visions seem confusing. They begin on the banks of the very same river Kebar in the land of the Chaldeans with a vision of God’s “glory” and his calling as a prophet.
The means and methods Ezekiel used to proclaim God’s message can also only be described as extremely “strange” or “unusual”—but I don’t want to give anything away here. 🙂

Outline of the Book of Ezekiel:

I like a division of the prophetic book into 5 parts

Content of the prophet Ezekiel: