Ezekiel

Author: Ezekiel
Date of Writing: 6th century BC
Type of Book: Prophetic
Theme: Israel's judgment and the first and second coming of Jesus Christ

Ezekiel wrote this book and prophesied during the Babylonian captivity. Though he was a priest, he was taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon as a young man, before he was old enough to serve in the priesthood. He ministered from 593 to 571 BC.

Ezekiel prophesied at the same time as Jeremiah and Daniel. Daniel was taken captive first and he served in the capital city of Babylon. Ezekiel was taken in the second wave of captives and lived 200 miles north of Babylon. Jeremiah was left in Jerusalem, as the city was destroyed in the third Babylonian siege of Jerusalem.

During the time of Ezekiel many false prophets predicted that Jerusalem would not be destroyed and that the captives would soon return to the land. The people held out hope that this captivity would be short-lived, but both Ezekiel and Jeremiah predicted a long captivity and tried to prepare God's people for that future.

Ezekiel was an interesting, colorful character. Rather than just speaking his prophecies he often acted them out, attracting attention to God's messages. Ezekiel pronounced God's judgment, which was a difficult message to deliver; but he also prophesied of God's faithfulness and His ultimate deliverance for Israel. He repeatedly used the phrase, "They shall know that I am the Lord." This was God's message to those who were under His judgment. But God's message always includes a bright future - to bring God's people back to an acknowledgement of Himself.

Ezekiel's prophecies not only depict the judgment that had occurred to Israel, but they also look into the future to the first and second comings of Jesus Christ and the judgments that will accompany those times. Although the prophecies of judgment are clearly pronounced, the character of God comes through loud and clear, and His glory is seen in a profound way.

-from Pastor Chuck Smith: The Word for Today Bible