The Written Prophecy of Ezekiel
By H. A. (Buster) Dobbs


Quote:
I. Introduction.
A. The man.
1. Ezekiel was the son of Buzi, or whom nothing is known.
2. Ezekiel was a priest.
a. It is implied that he was a descendent of Zadok (40:46;
43:19; 44:15-16; 48:11).
b. Zadok was of the line of Aaron and therefore of the elite
among priests.
c. This may explain why Ezekiel was carried to Babylonian
captivity during the reign of Jehoiachin (early phase of the
captivity).
3. The word of Jehovah came expressly to Ezekiel the priest.
a. He did not depend for his knowledge upon the writings of
others.
b. God often makes his will known through persons of whom
we know little.
c. This helps to put emphasis upon the message and not upon
the messenger.
B. The background.
1. The northern kingdom fell about 100 years before the birth
of Ezekiel.
2. Ezekiel was born in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah
(B.C.625).
3. Josiah died in a battle with Egypt at Megiddo.
4. His second son, Shallum, became king using the name
Jehoahaz. His reign lasted only three months. He was
deposed by Pharoah Necho of Egypt.
5. His brother Eliakim was placed on the throne as a vassal to
the King of Egypt. He ruled under the name of Jehoiakim.
a. Jehoiakim, an evil king, ruled 11 years.
b. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated Jerusalem and took
Jehoiakim captive and robbed the temple of its gold and
silver.
c. Daniel may have been among the captives.
6. Upon the death of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar made
Jehoichin, his son, ruler in Jerusalem.
a. After only 3 months and 10 days Nebuchadnezzar carried
Jehoichin to Babylon.
b. Nebuchadnezzar also took "the goodly vessels of the
house of Jehovah."
c. The Babylonian king also took the leading people of the
land to Babylon. Ezekiel was among the captives.
7. The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle
(brother of Jehoiakim and son of Josiah) king. His throne
name was Zedekiah.
a. After eleven years, Nebuchadnezzar returned to utterly
destroy Jerusalem.
b. The remainder of the people were either carried captive to
Babylon or scattered.
8. Ezekiel began to prophecy in the fifth year of his exile, while
the temple was still standing in Jerusalem.
II. The Book.
A. The call of Ezekiel (1:1 to 3:15).
1. Introduction (1:1-3).
a. Ezekiel saw visions of God (1:1).
b. The word of Jehovah came expressly to Ezekiel (1:3).
c. The hand of Jehovah was upon him (1:3).
2. Vision of the four living creatures (1:4-21).
3. Vision of the throne of God (1:22-28) .
4. The prophet's call (2:1-10).
5. The prophet's commission (3:1-15).
a. Eating of the roll (2:8 to 3:3).
b. Difficult work (3:4-11).
c. The vision of divine glory departs in a flourish (3:12-15).
B. Coming destruction and privation (3:16 to 7:27).
1. Ezekiel the watchman (3:16-21).
2. The prophet not to speak his own words but the words of
God (3:22-27).
3. The siege of Jerusalem pictured (4:1-8) .
4. The terrible suffering of the besieged city (4:9-17).
5. Ezekiel to shave the hair of his head (5:1-4).
a. A third of the hair to be burned (5:2).
b. A third of the hair to be cut with a sword (5:2).
c. A third of the hair to be scattered to the wind (5:2).
d. A few hairs to be kept in Ezekiel's garment, but some of
these to be burned (5:3).
6. Destruction of Jerusalem and punishment of the people
symbolized by Ezekiel's shorn hair and its treatment (5:5-12).
7. The wrath of God will be accomplished and his justice
satisfied (5:13-17).
8. Destruction of Jerusalem is sure because of idolatry (6:1-7).
9. A remnant to be preserved (6:8-10).
10. Jehovah to be vindicated by the punishment of idolatrous
worship (6:11-14).
11. Reiteration of the coming destruction, punishment and
suffering (7:1-27).
C. The sixth year of Ezekiel's captivity (8:1 to 19:14).
1. Heathen obscenities in the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem
(8:1-18) .
2. A vision of the destruction of many and the preservation of a
few (9:1-11).
3. A vision of the glory of God over the cherubim (10:1-22 to
11:25).
a. Evil rulers rebuked (11:1-13).
b. Restoration promised (11:14-21).
c. The vision ends (11:22-25).
4. A prophecy of captivity (12:1-18) .
a. Ezekiel digs under the wall and carries his belongings out by
night (12:1-7).
b. This became a prophecy of what would happen to
Jerusalem (12:8-20).
c. The end to come soon (12:21-28) .
5. False prophets and prophetesses condemned (13:1-23).
6. No hope for Jerusalem to be delivered (14:1-23).
a. The elders of Israel inquire of Ezekiel, but Jehovah will
not deal with them because they are idolaters (14:1-5).
b. Idolaters commanded to repent (14:6-11).
c. The righteousness of the righteous cannot save the
wicked (14:12-21).
d. A remnant shall be left (14:22-23).
7. Jerusalem to be destroyed like a useless vine (15:1-8) .
8. Jerusalem's beginning; Jehovah's kindness to her; her
unfaithfulness (16:1-63).
a. Jerusalem rejected by savage parents, but redeemed and
enriched by Jehovah (16:1-14).
b. Jerusalem became vain and turned first to prostitution and
then to promiscuity (16:15-34).
c. Unfaithfulness deserves punishment (16:33-43).
d. Jerusalem worse than Sodom and Samaria (16:44-52).
e. Still, after punishment, there will be restoration (16:53-
58) .
f. A new covenant for all nations (16:59-63).
9. The parable of two eagles and a vine (17:1-24).
a. The first eagle represents Nebuchadnezzar and the first
carrying away into Babylon of the nobles of the land.
b. The second eagle represents Egypt to whom the
unfaithful Zedekiah turned.
c. Another prophecy of a coming universal kingdom (17:22-
24).
10. The soul that sinneth it shall die; repent and live; O why
will ye die? (18:1-32).
11. Two lamentations (19:1-14).
a. A lamentation for the strong lions of Judah carried in
cages to Babylon (19:1-9).
b. A lamentation over a ruined vine (19:10-14).
D. Seventh year of Ezekiel's captivity (20:1 to 23:48) .
1. The history of Israel reviewed (20:1-29).
2. Judgment and restoration (20:30-44).
3. Prophecy against the south (20:44-49).
4. The unsheathed sword of the Lord to destroy Jerusalem
(21:1-5).
5. The groaning of Ezekiel because of what is soon to happen
in Jerusalem (21:6-7).
6. Babylon is God's sword of destruction against Jerusalem and
Ammon (21:8-32).
7. The sins of Jerusalem described (22:1-12).
8. Punishment is inescapable (22:13-31).
9. The parable of Oholah and Oholibah (23:1-48) .
E. Ninth year of Ezekiel's captivity (24:1-27).
1. The siege of Jerusalem -- a burning pot (24:1-14).
2. Ezekiel's wife dies, but Ezekiel not allowed to mourn
(24:15-18) .
3. The death of the prophet's wife symbolizes the death of
Jerusalem which the exiles were not to mourn (24:19-27).
F. Heathen nations to be judged (25:1 to 32:32).
1. Prophecy against Ammon (25:1-7).
a. Ammon rejoiced at the destruction of Israel and Judah
(25:3).
b. Therefore, Ammon would be destroyed (25:7).
2. Prophecy against Moab (25:8-11).
3. Prophecy against Edom (25:12-14).
4. Prophecy against Philistia (25:15-17).
5. Prophecy against Tyre (26:1 to 28:19).
a. Tyre an invincible island.
b. Tyre destroyed and fishermen spread their nets on the
bare rocks.
6. Prophecy against Sidon (28:20-24).
7. Restoration to the land foretold (28:25-26).
8. Prophecy against Egypt (29:1-16).
9. Babylon to defeat Egypt (29:17 to 32:32)
G. Watchmen and shepherds (33:1 to 34:31).
1. Duty of the watchman (33:1-20).
a. News of the destruction of Jerusalem (33:21-22).
b. Justification for the desolation of Jerusalem (33:23-33).
2. The shepherds of Israel (34:1-31).
a. The good shepherd (34:20-25).
b. Ye are the sheep of my pasture (34:26-31).
3. Edom condemned (35:1-15).
H. Vision of dry bones (36:1 to 37:28) .
1. Israel to be restored (36:1-7).
2. Israel punished for her sins (36:8-21).
3. A cleansing to take place (36:22-31).
4. The coming restoration does not stop the present
punishment (36:22-31).
5. The restoration to be beautiful (36:32-38) .
6. The dry bones revived (37:1-14).
a. The two sticks (Israel and Judah) (37:15-23).
b. Messiah's everlasting kingdom (37:24-28) .
I. Judgment against Gog (38:1 to 39:29).
1. Gog is unknown and may represent all the nations that set
themselves in array against the God of heaven, both in
Ezekiel's day and in all coming generations, including the
final judgment (Rev. 20:8) .
a. Magog is the land of Gog.
b. All lands that oppose Jehovah in all generations, even to
the end of the world, shall be destroyed (38:1-23).
2. Overthrow of Gog (39:1-24).
a. Restoration of Israel (39:25-27).
b. Jehovah to be exalted (39:28-29).
J. Vision of the temple (40:1 to 48:35).
1. Vision of the house of worship (40:1 to 43:27)
a. The man with the measuring rod (40:1-4).
b. The outer court, its gates and chambers (40:1-49).
c. The wall of the temple (40:5).
d. The east gate (40:6-16).
e. The outer court (40:17-19).
f. The north gate (40:20-23).
g. The south gate (40:24-27).
h. The south gate of the inner court (40:28-31).
i. The east gate of the inner court (40:32-34).
j. The north gate of the inner court (40:35-37).
k. The tables for sacrifices (40:38-43).
l. The rooms for the priests (40:44-49).
m. Measurement of the temple (41:1-26).
(1) The priest's chambers and the outer chambers (42:1-
20).
(2) The priest's chambers (42:1-14).
(3) The outer court (42:15-20).
n. The glory of Jehovah fills the house (43:1-12).
o. The altar described (43:13-27).
2. Rituals of worship to be performed in the temple (44:1 to
46:24).
a. Relation of the prince to the temple (44:1-3).
b. Relation of the people, Levites, and priests to the temple
(44:4-16).
c. Duties and rewards of the priests (44:17-31).
d. Priests, princes and people (45:1-17).
e. The maintenance of the priests (45:1-8) .
f. Offerings of the people to the prince for the temple (45:9-
17).
g. Holy days and feasts (45:18 to
h. The first feast described (45:18-20).
i. The passover (45:21-25).
j. Worship offered by the prince (46:1-8) .
k. Worship offered by the people (46:9-15).
l. Instruction for the prince (46:16-18) .
m. The boiling-places for sacrifices (46:19-24).
3. The land or inheritance (47:1 to 48:35).
a. Healing waters from the temple (47:1-12).
b. The borders of the land and manner of division (47:13-
23).
c. Distribution of the land among the tribes (48:1-29).
d. The gates, size, and name of the city (48:30-35).
Shain1611

"SANCTIFY THEM THROUGH THY TRUTH: THY WORD IS TRUTH
(John 17:17)

And Jesus Speaking; " He that rejecteth me, receiveth not my words, hath one that, judgeth him:the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in
( John12:48 KJV)