| “Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God” (Ezekiel 1:1). |
| Ezekiel is another difficult book in the Bible, and one which Christians sometimes do not bother to read because it is hard to understand. However, like the book of Jeremiah, it has some wonderful things in it. If you are a person who likes dates, you will be interested to know that the book begins in “the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity,” which was about 595 B.C. |
| Ezekiel, unlike many of the other prophets, was taken captive by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar, and was taken to Babylon. The river Chebar that is mentioned was not likely an actual river, but rather a canal made by Nebuchadnezzar, which connected the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Some of the Jews were probably employed in digging this canal, and that is how Ezekiel found himself beside it. But then a wonderful thing happened; the Lord opened the heavens, and Ezekiel was given visions from the Lord. Like Jeremiah, he prophesied against Israel for all the sins they had committed, yet He also speaks of wonderful blessing later, when they will return to the Lord. |
| There are a number of special things that the Lord gave Ezekiel to tell us. For example, in chapter 28, we have a description of the pride of the king of Tyrus in verses 11-19. But this is also an account of the fall of Satan, which must have occurred even before the Garden of Eden was made. |
| Also, in chapters 38 and 39, we have the future of Russia brought before us, and how they will be completely defeated by the Lord when they try to attack Israel in a coming day. We do not find this anywhere else in the Bible. |
| At the end of the book, in chapters 40-48, there is a description of the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem in the millennium. It is pretty complicated, and even the best minds among Christians sometimes have trouble understanding how it will look. But it is very interesting to read. As with the book of Jeremiah, I would encourage you to read Ezekiel, even if you cannot understand it all. You will get something from it, and be helped by reading it. |
