Introduction to the Book of Ezekiel
Welcome to our Bible study on the Book of Ezekiel. Today, we continue our journey through the prophets of the Old Testament. This will take us nearly to the end, after which we’ll finish with 1 and 2 Maccabees, wrapping up the Old Testament. We’re very close to completing it, which is quite an accomplishment.
If you’d like to listen to studies on the other books starting from Genesis, you can find them on my YouTube channel.
Ezekiel’s Background and Historical Context
Ezekiel was a young man when the events in Jerusalem unfolded. Historically, he came into his own as a prophet during the Jewish exile in Babylon. He grew up in Jerusalem, witnessing as a child the beginnings of destruction and hearing the warnings of other prophets, alongside the comforting words of false prophets.
Think about this: Different prophets were saying different things, much like today with various preachers and pastors. How do you know who truly speaks the word of God?
Testing True Prophets
Biblically, the test of a true prophet was fulfillment of prophecies. Prophets often gave short-term and long-term predictions. If the short-term ones came true, you could trust the long-term ones. Accurately predicting the future qualified someone as a genuine prophet from God, not a self-appointed one.
Regarding the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile, this was a short-term prophecy foretold by Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. The destruction happened in stages: The Babylonians first exiled a large portion of the people without destroying the city. They returned a second time for more damage, and a third time to raze it completely.
When Ezekiel emerges, he’s already with the exiles in Babylon, settled in encampments outside the city where they built small towns. Interestingly, Ezekiel’s settlement was called Tel Aviv—the name later adopted for Israel’s modern capital.
Jerusalem wasn’t yet fully destroyed when Ezekiel settled there, but he prophesied its inevitable fall. Echoing other prophets, he declared the judgment justified: The chosen people had rebelled so deeply against God that only complete destruction could bring them back—like reinstalling a computer’s operating system when it’s irreparably damaged.
Because Ezekiel’s prophecy of the temple’s destruction came true soon after, people had to acknowledge him as a true prophet.
The Structure of the Book: Doom and Hope
The Book of Ezekiel divides into two sections, like many prophetic books. The first is doom and gloom: acknowledging sin and prophesying further destruction. Once the temple—the heart of Jerusalem where God resided—is destroyed, Ezekiel shifts to a message of hope. The necessary judgment has occurred; now, having experienced and accepted it, they can move forward.
This is a challenge in the Christian message: It’s tempting to preach only doom or only hope. I’ve heard preachers say their gift is uplifting people, so they focus solely on that, leaving the rest to others. But that’s what false prophets did—offering comfort without accountability.
The full message of God includes both: We’re sinners in need of judgment, but also recipients of mercy. True prophets in the Bible always conveyed heaviness, darkness, and judgment, followed by hope—but only after judgment. A key spiritual lesson: True healing and progress come only after accepting responsibility and God’s justice. Then God can restore and give even more.
Influences: Noah, Job, and Daniel
Ezekiel frequently referenced three Old Testament figures: Noah, Job, and Daniel (whom he likely knew, as both were in exile). In the book’s first part, he repeats that even if these righteous men were among them, God wouldn’t relent—the people had gone too far.
What connects Noah, Job, and Daniel? All dealt with God’s judgment without losing faith. Noah faced the flood’s destruction; Job lost his family, health, and possessions; Daniel endured the fiery furnace and lions’ den. They represent suffering servants who trusted in a just God.
The Title “Son of Man”
Another unique aspect: Ezekiel is the only Old Testament figure God calls “Son of Man” over 70 times. The only other is Jesus, creating a connection—Ezekiel foreshadows Jesus as the ultimate Redeemer, priest, prophet, and king.
Ezekiel as Priest and His Calling
Ezekiel was a priest unable to serve because the temple was destroyed, and sacrifices couldn’t be offered in a foreign land. Exiled at 25, he was set to begin priestly ministry at 30. Instead, at 30, by a Babylonian river, God calls him as a prophet in a three-chapter vision.
The Vision of God’s Glory
This vision—strange wheels with eyes, angels with human, animal, and divine features, and God’s throne—emphasizes God’s holiness. As a priest, Ezekiel stresses temple, worship, liturgy, and respecting God’s otherness. We must balance familiarity with God and reverence; Ezekiel leans toward awe.
The angels have four faces: man, eagle, ox, and lion—echoed in Revelation and symbolized in the four Gospels. This vision reveals God’s glory and mystery, beyond full comprehension. Both Ezekiel and John in Revelation fell as if dead upon seeing it.
As one writer put it: If we saw God in full glory, we’d die of love; the devil in full awfulness, of fear. God reveals only what we can handle, like Moses’ glowing face that needed veiling, or eyes adjusting slowly to light after darkness. Through holiness and purification, we’re gradually introduced to more.
Ezekiel sees this glory twice: First by the river, receiving his call; second in chapter 8, watching God’s glory leave the temple as the people worship pagan gods inside and out—the ultimate offense, reflecting their ongoing struggle to be like surrounding nations instead of embracing their identity as God’s chosen.
This mirrors human tendencies: Wanting to fit in, like immigrants assimilating at the cost of self-denial. The Jews idolized wealthier pagan nations, rejecting their faith in the one true God.
Pronouncing Judgments Through Dramatic Acts
After the glory departs, Ezekiel pronounces judgments on Israel through dramatic acts—street theater. God instructs him to show, not just tell: Smash a clay model of Jerusalem; lie bound for 390 days, eating food cooked over dung to symbolize punishment. Even his wife’s death comes without permitted grieving, illustrating God’s grief over the people’s sins.
In chapter 20, he lays out legal reasons for judgment: God is a just judge. Then he prophesies judgment on the nations the Jews admired, whose kings claimed divinity—an insult to God.
The Shift to Hope: Hearts of Flesh
From chapter 34 onward, the tone shifts post-Jerusalem’s fall. Ezekiel echoes the prophetic theme: “I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Suffering softens hardened hearts, allowing God’s message to penetrate.
The Valley of Dry Bones
Then comes the famous valley of dry bones in chapter 37: Ezekiel preaches to scattered bones, which reassemble; then to the wind (God’s Spirit), bringing flesh and life. This vision assures: Even when destruction seems total, God can restore life where none seems possible.
Vision of the New Temple
The book ends with a lengthy vision of a new temple. From it flows a stream that deepens into a river, revitalizing the Dead Sea—turning death to life, like recreating Eden through proper worship.
What does this mean long-term? Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”—referring to His body. Through His Passion, death, and Resurrection, God’s glory is no longer confined to a building but embodied in Christ, extended through sacraments like baptism and Eucharist. Worship remains central; we’re a people of communal liturgy, expressing God’s unimaginable glory through rituals and gestures.
Apocalyptic Visions and Fulfillment in Christ
Ezekiel is apocalyptic, like Daniel and Revelation, envisioning end times and fulfillment—a recreated world where even the Dead Sea teems with life. His heavenly visions remind us: God is infinitely more than we comprehend, yet reaches out to be known.
In summary, Ezekiel the priest became a prophet. Jesus fulfills this as ultimate priest, prophet, and king—defeating God’s enemies through obedience, death, and Resurrection, establishing the Church to preach, worship, and draw people to Him.
by: Fr. Kuzma