Ezekiel is universally acknowledged as the book written by the great prophet whose name is mentioned in its title. The date of his appearance is indicated to us by the fact that Ezekiel began to prophesy in the fifth year of the captivity of King Jehoiakim (chapter 1:2), that is, in the reign of Zedekiah (592 B.C.), continuing his prophecies until the year 27 at least (chapter 29:17). The year in which he began his prophetic ministry was the 30th of the reign of Nabopolassar and the reformation of Josiah. His influence among the people was significant, as we see from the numerous visits made to him by the elders who came to him to learn what messages he had received from God (chapters 8:1 – 14:1 – 20:1, etc.).
The book can be divided into nine sections, which, for the most part, can be chronologically arranged as follows:
i) Ezekiel's call to the prophetic ministry (chapters 1 to 3:14) in the fifth year of Jehoiakim's captivity, 594 B.C.
ii) Predictions and symbolic representations of Jerusalem's approaching destruction and the people's sufferings, with the promise of preserving a remnant (chapters 3:15 to 7), which was delivered in the year of the prophet's call, being announced.
iii) Visions that the prophet had fourteen months after the preceding ones, in which the temple is shown polluted by the idolatrous cults of Egypt, Phoenicia, and Assyria. Then, the punishment that fell upon Jerusalem's inhabitants and the priests is described, with only a few faithful being spared, by exception. Finally, the promises of happier times and a purer cult shine forth (chapters 8 to 11).
iv) A series of rebukes and warnings against the prevailing sins and errors of the people, and then call the Jews to repentance, and renewing his threats of punishment, declares that their suffering is the consequence of their acts and not only of the sins of their fathers (chapters 12 to 19).
v) Another series of warnings, which appeared a year later, the prophet announced that new divine judgments were approaching, accompanied, however, by the promises of better times through the Lord's mercy (chapters 20 to 23).
vi) Predictions uttered two years and five months later, in the ninth year of King Jehoiakim's captivity, announcing to the expatriate Jews the siege of Jerusalem, which began on that very day of the prophecy (2 Kings 25:1) and assuring them of the complete destruction of the city (chapter 24).
vii) Predictions that the pagan nations neighboring Palestine would be punished by divine judgment (chapters 25 to 32), and these were the ones that had shown special hostility toward Judea: Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt. These prophecies were made at intervals, from the eleventh to the twenty-seventh year of Jehoiakim's captivity.
viii) After the destruction of Jerusalem, exhortations are addressed to the Jews to repent and reform their lives. The restoration of Israel as a flock guided by David, its shepherd, is prophesied. The destruction of their enemies is also predicted, first the country of Edom, and later that of Gog, from the land of Magog, and finally, the triumphs of the kingdom of God on earth are announced (chapters 33 to 39).
ix) Representations of the establishment and prosperity of Christ's kingdom, under the symbolic figures of a new division of the land of Canaan, the rebuilding of the temple, and the reorganization of its services (chapters 40 to 48). The book is written mainly in poetic prose, though many passages of pure poetry are interspersed.
Information about the prophet Ezekiel
The name Ezekiel means: God strengthens. One of the four great prophets who was a priest of the Jews (Ezekiel 1:3). He was the son of a priest named Buzi and was part of the great host of captives that Nebuchadnezzar sent to Babylon with Jehoiakim, the young king of Judah. He and many other of his countrymen went to live in Mesopotamia, near the river Chebar, where he received the divine revelations that his book contains. He began to prophesy in the fifth year of his captivity. For twenty-two years, he continued in his prophecies, boldly condemning idolatry and all the wickedness of his countrymen. His audacity and the vehemence of his words cost him his life.
The Jews, Medes, and Persians alike greatly revered the memory of Ezekiel. He was a contemporary of Jeremiah, and there was an epistolary correspondence between the two prophets. His writings show remarkable vigor, and he was the most suitable person to oppose a people of 'stubborn forehead and hard heart' to whom he had been sent. His life was a complete consecration to the work he wanted to accomplish. He always thought and felt like a prophet; in this respect, he was very different from Jeremiah. That he was a man of great spiritual strength is deduced from the brief account of the death of his wife (Ezekiel 24:15-18). The central point of Ezekiel's predictions is the destruction of Jerusalem. After this event, his chief concern was to address words of consolation to the Jewish exiles, announcing their future deliverance and return to their homeland. He was killed by one of his fellow exiles, who was a man of position among the captives.
Old Testament typology and symbolism related to the gospels, especially in Ezekiel's vision
Ezekiel 1:10 - The vision of the four animals: (The Lion, The Calf, The Man, The Eagle).
i) Gospel according to Matthew: Jesus, the King, the Lion of Judah. It was written to the Jews because they were expecting a king. Jesus is presented as the Son of David (Mt 1:1). It presents the genealogy from Abraham (promise) through David (royal descent) until Jesus is reached. The Magi were looking for where “The King of the Jews” was born (Mt 2:2). It describes the acts of justice of a king towards his people. In chapter 13, He speaks of the things concerning the kingdom (the parables of the kingdom).
ii) Gospel according to Mark: Jesus, the Servant, the Calf (Lamb). It was written to the Romans. It does not present him as a king because they feared that the Jews would take the throne from Rome. It does not present him as the Son of God because they did not believe in God and had other gods. For them, Jesus was an ordinary man. That is why Jesus is presented as a servant, which was different from anything they could have expected. Jesus, as a servant, shows service on behalf of his people. He carried our burdens. The book has no introduction and begins by narrating the service of the Lord. It does not have a genealogy because servants and slaves do not have one.
iii) Gospel according to Luke: Jesus, the Man. It was written to the excellent. To the Greeks. (Luke 1:3). Jesus is presented as the Man who has been from the beginning (Luke 1:2). The purpose was to give full assurance of the truths that are being taught (Luke 1:4; Prov 22:20-21). It is presenting Jesus as a man, bringing the genealogy from Adam (from the beginning: Luke 3:23-38). The Greeks were terribly idolatrous but very studious, and when Jesus was presented to them, they checked the scriptures to see if what they heard was true. Paul calls these the more noble or excellent (Acts 17:11; Prov 16:16). In Ezekiel's vision, it is possible to see Jesus who became man, to fulfill the prophecy of Genesis 3:15. He became man to pay the price of sin in man's place (Rom 8:3-4 and Heb 10:4-10).
iv) Gospel according to John: Jesus, God, the eagle. It is the gospel of love. The central text of the book is John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It reveals the love of the Father through Jesus. It was written to the Gentiles and presents the plan of salvation to all who believe, not just the Jews. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16). It does not present the genealogy because Jesus, the Son of God, has no human genealogy; he is eternal, he is God (Heb 7:1-3). The book aims to show the plan of salvation established from the beginning (John 1:1-4). It presents the Son of God who came to fulfill a covenant with the Father in Eternity. “Here am I, send me” (Isaiah 6:8).