Ezekiel Introduction

2.God's holy character demanded justice and judgment, which would bring about the imminent destruction of Jerusalem.

3.The transcendent God was concerned about and would judge the sinfulness of humanity. Earlier, Amos (ca 760 BC) had stressed the social injustices of the nation. Ezekiel took Amos’s view of sin a step further and identified the spiritual root of sin as violation of God’s holy character and commandments.

4.Growing out of Ezekiel’s view of sin was his call for individual responsibility. He presented one of the clearest statements of personal responsibility found in the Bible in his message of 18:1-32.

5.When he had fully developed the idea of accountability and judgment, he balanced it with wonderful messages of hope and restoration, especially in chapters 33–37 and 40–48.

6.The theme that pervades all the other theological perspectives of the book is the prophet’s consciousness of God’s redemptive purposes in light of his nature and man’s great need.

The eschatological (end times) perspective of Ezekiel has been a matter of much discussion. We must look at this perspective in its relationship to other biblical eschatological works, especially Daniel and Zechariah in the Old Testament and Revelation in the New Testament.

Obviously, one’s eschatological position will determine in large measure how one interprets the messages of Ezekiel. The view reflected in these notes follows the dispensational premillennial framework, which views the return of Christ as inaugurating a visible earthly kingdom for a thousand years. This view best complements the exegesis of the text and best correlates with the theology of Ezekiel and his understanding of the kingdom of God.

The message of the book is well organized and proceeds logically. The first section of the book begins with the reality of God’s presence in the midst of days of turmoil in 1:1–3:27 by addressing the theological question, where is God in the midst of life’s storms? Second, Ezekiel addressed the reality of judgment both for Israel and for the nations in 4:1–32:32. Third, Ezekiel revealed the reality of restoration and final defeat of Israel’s enemies in 33:1–39:29. Fourth, the prophet’s final message turned to the redemption and restoration that await all of God’s people in 40:1–48:35.