Ezekiel 46-48

In chapter 46 the description of the service to the Lord continues.

In chapter 47 we see the living water than flows from the temple towards the east, which starts out very shallow, but gets deeper and deeper as the distance from the temple increases. It will be a river of pure water that brings healing, even to the Dead Sea, where it flows to from Jerusalem. This river will be home to multitudes of fish that will be caught. On each side of the river will be trees, which bear good fruit year-round, and the leaves of those trees will be used for a healing medicine. This river and the tree of life is similarly described in Revelation 22:1-21.

In chapter 48 the land of Israel is reapportioned to the tribes in equal slices from north to south, with Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Judah being allotted lands to the north of the temple district. The temple district will be the possession of the Levites and priests. South of the temple district will be the slices of land allotted to Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad. There will be twelve gates to the New Jerusalem, with each of the gates being named for the tribes of Isael, which is also seen in Revelation 21:12. The name of that city from that time forward will be “JAHWEH THERE”

Ezekiel 43-45

In chapter 43 the glory of the Lord enters into His temple through the eastern gate, and highlights the alter of sacrifice in the holy place. He describes the cleansing of the alter and temple, where He will dwell among His people forever more. It is a difficulty for commentators to explain the purpose of the sin offerings, given that this occurs in the kingdom age, however some teach that these are not for atonement or forgiveness, but rather for remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice, someone like the we remember His body and blood when we celebrate the Lord’s table.

In chapter 44 the Lord describes the ministry of the priests in the future temple, and their requirements for remaining sanctified for His service.

In chapter 45 the Lord ordains that a district of land within Israel will be set aside specifically for the temple, and for the Levites and priests who will serve the Lord there. Later in Ezekiel, in the last chapter we will see the remainder of this new division of the land, where each tribe will receive equal portions of land in strips that run east to west, and are stacked from north to south. This distribution is substantially different than the allotments made to the tribes by Joshua.

Ezekiel 40-42

The final nine chapters in the book of Ezekiel describe a vision given to the prophet, where God transports him to Jerusalem in Israel, and he is given a measuring stick to measure all kinds of different aspects of the temple and the city. This was clearly the measurements of the temple in the future, since the city and the temple had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. All of this is generally thought to showed things in the Jerusalem and Temple of the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, however most bible commentators consider these chapters to be among the most difficult to interpret in all of the Bible, and in some cases they do not even try.

In these three chapters Ezekiel measures the confines of the temple, which was divided into three major sections, with the Holy place center-most, surrounded by an inner court that measured around 150 feet square on each side, and an outer court and wall that measured around 750 feet square on each side.

Ezekiel 32:1-33:20 | Daniel 3

The Lord speaks through Ezekiel against the king of Egypt in the year following the capture of Zedekiah, and during the time when the last ones in Israel had fled to Egypt (against God’s commands). Nebuchadnezzar will come against Pharaoh, and not only Egypt will fall, but many other nations will also be destroyed, as the Lord prophesied through Ezekiel. God also speaks to Ezekiel, reiterating His responsibility to speak the word of God, as He did in chapter 3.

In Daniel chapter 2, God had given Nebuchadnezzar a dream, which Daniel interpreted, where the king of Babylon was represented as the golden head of a statue, with arms and chest of silver, torso of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay. However, here in chapter 3 Nebuchadnezzar sees himself as much grander that what he saw in the previous chapter, and he sets up a huge statue of himself, made of gold, and standing some 90 feet tall. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow down to this statue, and are thrown into the burning furnace, but Jesus appears with them in the fire, and they are not harmed. Nebuchadnezzar is greatly impressed by God’s protection of them, and they continue to prosper as his administrators following this event. They demonstrate great faith in God, and are willing to accept the consequences of their decision (not to bow), regardless of whether God will save them or not.

Ezekiel 37-39

Ezekiel is given a vision of a vast number of dry bones, and commanded to prophesy over them to be brought back to life, and that new life be breathed into them from God. This vision, and the subsequent prophecy in chapter 37 all speak of what God will do in Israel in the last days, when He will establish His sanctuary in Jerusalem, where Jesus will rule on David’s throne, and the people will live in peace forever more.

In chapters 38-39 the Lord speaks of a day in the future when many nations of the world will descend on Israel to destroy it, which will be led by Gog and Magog (Russia), and include many of the nations of the Middle East. This may be a description of the battle of Armageddon, when the Lord will take up the battle in defense of His people, and all who came against them will be killed. The descriptions in chapter 39 following that battle is very much like the aftermath of a nuclear explosion, or of biological warfare, where the land will need to be cleansed, and it will take the better part of a year for all of the dead to be identified and buried.

Ezekiel 33:21-36:38

Ezekiel prophesies against the shepherds of Israel, who had used and abused the people to their own gain. The Lord says He will remove them as shepherds of His people, and in their place He will take over the responsibility of leading His sheep. This prophecy in Ezekiel 34 is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, Who said “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11-15).

In chapter 35 the Lord again speaks judgement against Mount Seir, which is speaking of Edom, and the nation of Esau’s descendants.

In chapter 36 God says that (at that time) the nation of Israel was suffering His judgement for all of their unfaithful worship of false gods, and running after ungodly nations around them. But, the Lord says that there will come a day when His judgement upon them is complete, and the those who remain will be restored to the land, and He will bless them in the land from that time forward. His people will also be given new hearts to love and serve Him. All of this has yet to be fulfilled, but the Lord says He will do all of this for the sake of His own Name, and not because of anything Israel has done, or because they are somehow unique or special in themselves. God will do these things because of His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to bring honor to His own Name.

Jeremiah 40:7-44:30 | 2 Kings 25:23-26

After the destruction of Jerusalem, and the enslavement of the vast majority of Jews, Nebuchadnezzar appointed a good man as governor in Judah, to rule over the small remnant of poor Israelites who were not taken captive to Babylon. However, an Ammonite murdered the new governor, and the remainder of the Jews in the land went to Jeremiah, asking for guidance from the Lord. God told them to stay in the land and submit to Nebuchadnezzar, and all would go well with them. However, God also told them NOT to go down to Egypt, as they would all die by sword or famine if they did. Naturally, what did they do? They decided to go to Egypt, and God told them through Jeremiah that they had all sealed their own doom.

Lamentations 4-5 | Obadiah

The book of Lamentations was largely written in the form of a Hebrew poem, with the first four chapters written an an acrostic, with each stanza (or verse) beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This is seen in chapters 1, 2, and 4, with twenty-two verses each, and the practice is repeated 3 times in chapter 3, with the first three verses starting with Aleph, etc…

We don’t know much about Obadiah, and there are different theories as to when he wrote this small book. The main thrust of the book is a warning against the Edomites (descendants of Esau), telling them not to rejoice over the desolation of Judah and Jerusalem. God is telling them through the prophet that Judah and Jerusalem will be restored in the future, and they will ultimately possess the land of Esau. Because of this warning, this book is placed alongside of Lamentations, where it seems to fit with the recent destruction of Jerusalem.

2 Kings 25:22 | Jeremiah 39:11-40:6 | Lamentations 1-3

Just as the Lord had prophesied, Nebuchadnezzar came again and took Zedekiah back to Babylon in chains, along with most of the people in the land. They tore down the walls of Jerusalem and pillaged the temple of the Lord. Jeremiah was treated very kindly by the commander of Nebuchadnezzar’s army, and according to the king’s instruction was set free and given his own choice of whether to go to Babylon as an honored guest, or remain in Israel. He chose to remain in Israel. Besides Jeremiah, the Lord also sends word to an Ethiopian eunich, who had been instrumental in saving Jeremiah’s life (Jeremiah 38:6-12), telling him that he would be protected from the harsh treatment of the Babylonians.

The book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah in a sense of anguish following the desolation of Jerusalem, where destruction abounded in every direction, and the streets were empty of people. This book is why he is called the weeping prophet.

Jeremiah 37:3-39:10, 52:5-30 | 2 Kings 25:2-21 | 2 Chronicles 36:17-21

These passages describe the final years of Zedekiah’s reign as king of Judah. During this time Jeremiah continued to speak the word of the Lord, advising Zedekiah to surrender to the Chaldeans and Nebuchadnezzar, saying that the city would be saved, and things would go well if he did. Zedekiah refuses to do so, and Jeremiah is imprisoned until Jerusalem is overrun and defeated. As predicted by both Jeremiah and Isaiah, Zedekiah is captured, his sons are killed before his eyes, he is then blinded, and carried away to Babylon in chains, where he will die in prison. The chief priest, and all of his evil priests are gathered up and executed, and all of the furnishings and treasures of the temple are taken away to Babylon. Almost all of the survivors in Judah are taken as slaves to Babylon, with only a few of the poorest people left as caretakers of the vineyards and lands.

Ezekiel 26-28

In these three chapters the Lord speaks through the prophet against the city of Tyre, and in this there are multiple fulfillings of God’s plans to judge them. The city of Tyre was located on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel, in the region now within Lebanon. The city of Tyre was the economic hub of the Phoenician empire, which was sea-based, and the center of international trade on the Mediterranean sea for the better part of 1,000 years.

As predicted in chapter 26, Nebuchadnezzar came and completely destroyed the city of Tyre on the coast, after more than a decade of siege. However, history tells us that before he destroyed the city, the vast majority of the population had moved to an island about 1/2 mile off the coast, which was largely considered to be impregnable.

In chapter 27 the focus shifts to Tyre in the “midst of the sea”, and it’s future destruction, which was ultimately accomplished by Alexander the Great some 250 years after Nebuchadnezzar. Using the rock remains of the original city of Tyre, Alexander built a causeway all the way out to the island, and then laid siege and destroyed it.

In chapter 28 there is a prophetic shift from the “prince” of Tyre, to the “king” of Tyre, which is clearly speaking of Lucifer as it’s true king, and providing a brief view of his career in heaven before the fall (Ezekiel 28:12-15). Compare this passage with Isaiah 14:12-15.

Ezekiel 25, 29:1-16, 30, 31

The Lord prophesies judgement upon the peoples of Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia. The Lord also declares His judgement upon the nation of Egypt, which was spoken through Ezekiel in the same timeframe that Nebuchadnezzar was laying siege against Jerusalem. Egypt will be humbled, but not completely destroyed, and the Egyptian captives will also be restored to their land, but they will never again be a world power. Egypt, as well as their allied nations of north Africa will all come under the punishing hand of Nebuchadnezzar, and Pharaoh will be conquered and taken captive.

Jeremiah 30, 31, 33

In chapter 30 the Lord speaks of the end times when Israel will experience great tribulation, which is referred to in this section of scripture as the “Times of Jacob’s Trouble”. Even though Israel will experience great trouble, the Lord will protect a remnant, and utterly judge the enemies of Israel and God.

Chapter 31 speaks of a future new covenant, which the writer of Hebrews tells us was fulfilled with the New Covenant of Christ’s blood, when the Lord writes His laws upon the hearts of His people, and they will know Him.

In chapter 33 the Lord promises to restore from captivity the exiles, even though He also ordained their captivity and slavery as punishment for their infidelities against Him. Not only will they be restored in the near term (70 years), but this message also speaks of a future restoration of Israel from the nations, and a day when Jesus will reign as king on David’s throne in Jerusalem.

2 Kings 25:1 | 2 Chronicles 36:13-16 | Jeremiah 39:1, 52:4, 21:1-22:9, 32:1-44 | Ezekiel 24

It was in the ninth year of king Zedekiah’s reign that he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, even though he had taken an oath before God to remain a faithful servant. So, in the winter of that year (around December) Nebuchadnezzar came up from Babylon and laid siege to Jerusalem, which would last for almost 2 years before the city would fall, many people would have died of disease and famine, and even more under the sword of Nebuchadnezzar’s army. God speaks through both Jeremiah and Ezekiel in advance of this destruction, telling everyone that the time of His judgement upon Judah had come, because of all the abominations and sins of both Zedekiah, and all the people.

In the midst of all this, the Lord gives Jeremiah instruction to buy a plot of land, to record the deed, and to have that deed stored away in a waterproof jar, so that in the future years, when his descendants return from Babylon, they will have title to that land, and it will be a testimonial proof to the word of God when they see everything happen exactly as God had spoken.

Ezekiel 21-23

In chapter 21 the Lord instructs Ezekiel to groan and mourn for the coming devastation that will be coming against those who are still in Judah and Jerusalem, as the king (Nebuchadnezzar) will not stand for the rebellion of Zedekiah, and there will be great numbers killed in the siege.

In chapter 22 the Lord recounts the multitude of sins that were being committed in Jerusalem, with much blood shed, immorality, worship of false gods, and injustice against the poor and helpless.  The Lord searched for even one man who would stand in the gap and intercede before Him on behalf of the people, but He found no one, and His wrath will be poured out.

In chapter 23 the Lord tells a parable of two sisters who became harlots, and who lusted after foreign lovers.  The older sister represented the northern kingdom of Israel and Samaria, who lusted after the Assyrians, and the Lord brought the Assyrians against Israel and took them all away.  The younger sister represented Judah and Jerusalem, who lusted after the Chaldeans in Babylon, and thus the Lord was giving her over to the Babylonians, who would treat her like Assyria treated Israel.

Ezekiel 18-20

The Lord clears up a myth in Israel, where there was a belief that He judged the son guilty for the sins of the father, and even blessed the wicked son of a righteous father.  The Lord says that He judges the actions of each person, and holds them accountable.  He says that He does not take pleasure in seeing anyone die in sin, and continually looks for the wicked to repent and turn to Him for forgiveness and life.

In chapter 19 Ezekiel is commanded to take up a lament for the king of Israel who sought the protection of Egypt, but who would ultimately be taken to Babylon in chains.

In chapter 20 some elders of Israel go to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord, however the Lord tells Ezekiel that He will not listen to them, and He will not answer them on account of their pervasive wickedness and rebellion against Him.  The Lord recounts the history of Israel, and how there were so many different times when they rejected Him, and they deserved to be completely wiped out, yet each time He withheld His total judgement on account of the Holiness of His own Name.  He says that Israel will remain obstinate towards Him until the last days, when God will completely purge their sin, and they will then realize all that they have done and be ashamed.

Ezekiel 15-17

Please note, this entry was originally scheduled for August 17.

The Lord spoke multiple parables through Ezekiel.  He likens Jerusalem to a worthless and dried up vine in chapter 15.  How she was like a helpless baby in chapter 16 that was abandoned in the fields, but nurtured by the Lord  into adulthood, and then embraced and married to the Lord when she was grown.  Yet, in spite of all that the Lord lavished upon her, she persisted in turning her back to God, and running after false gods, and prostituting herself with foreign idols.  The Lord said that He will judge and punish Judah for all that she has done, but in the end He will remember His covenant with them, and restore them in His own righteousness.

God then likens Israel to cedar sprigs taken by an eagle (Nebuchadnezzar) to a far land, and again calls out the rebellion of Zedekiah, who will rebel against Nebuchadnezzar and seek the help of Egypt, but it will not work, and he will be taken in chains to Babylon.

Yet, the Lord promises that in the last days He will re-plant the sprig of Israel in the land of Israel, and it will become great, so that all the nations of the world acknowledge what He has done.

Ezekiel 12-14

Please note, this entry was originally scheduled for August 16.

In chapter 12 the Lord has Ezekiel perform a visual scene for the exiles in Babylon, showing how the king and those left in Jerusalem were going to be taken captive.  He then prophesies against the king in Jerusalem (Zedekiah), saying that he will be caught while trying to escape, and he will be brought to Babylon to die, but he won’t see it.  In Jeremiah 34:3 Zedekiah was told by Jeremiah that he would see the king of Babylon face to face, and he would be taken to Babylon.  Zedekiah believed that these two prophecies were contradictory, yet both of them proved to be true.  In Jeremiah 39 Zedekiah is captured (attempting to escape), and brought before Nebuchadnezzar (who was in Syria at that time).  Zedekiah met him face to face, and saw his sons killed in front of him, and then Nebuchadnezzar had him blinded and then taken as a prisoner to Babylon.  Both prophecies proved to be true.

In 13 Ezekiel prophesies the Lord’s judgement against women who had set themselves up as false prophets, and who gave false signs of peace and prosperity to the people.

The Lord speaks against those (ch 14) who harbor false idols in their hearts.  Even today this is a problem, where anything (or anyone) that is more important than God in our hearts becomes an idol.  Through Ezekiel the Lord declares judgement upon all such people, and said that He would not withhold His judgement, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were among them, although those 3 alone would be spared.  In spite of this, God said He will preserve a remnant of survivors.

Ezekiel 8-11

Please note, this entry was originally scheduled for August 15.

Ezekiel was living in Babylon during the first captivity, and the Spirit of the Lord takes him in a vision to Jerusalem, and gives him a tour of the temple, and shows him the many ways that the rulers and people there are defiling that place, and following after false gods.  The Lord prophesies judgement upon all who had rejected Him, and sends an angel of judgement to kill many, but all who mourn over the wickedness in Jerusalem were marked and protected.

In Ezekiel 10:18 we’re told that the glory of the Lord departed from the temple, where He had placed His Name.

After all these things the Spirit returned Ezekiel to Babylon, and he told the exiles there all that he had seen and done.

Ezekiel 4-7

Please note, this entry was originally scheduled for August 14.

The Lord tells Ezekiel to prophesy against Jerusalem, providing visual representations of God’s judgement to come against the city, and the people in Judah.  Famine, plague, and destruction in battle are all prophesied against Israel and Judah, and the Lord’s judgement will be upon the nation for the predetermined years of God’s wrath.  All of these will happen exactly as the Lord foretells through Ezekiel, with the promise that there will be a remnant of His people who are dispersed in other lands, that the Lord will preserve and eventually return to the land of Israel.