Ezekiel - The Historical Setting
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As I pointed out in my previous post the thing I found (and still find) confusing about the scriptures is the manner in which the compilers "Ordered" the various books into "Categories" rather than Chronology.
You have asked specifically about Ezek 41-48. I would point out that you have come very close to dividing a section of the work exactly where most scholars do.
First the roughest division is into three main parts.
1. Ezek Chp 1-24 - The pending doom of Jerusalem ( Spiritually called Sodom )
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Ezekiel is not the only Prophet to use this type of symbolism even Jesus.
Jeremiah 23:14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
Revelation 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
2. Ezek Chp 25-32 - Prophecies against foreign Nations.
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Ezek 25:2 Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;
Ezek 25:3 And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;
This creates an interesting Pattern when we consider that God used wicked nations to Judge Judah and then poured out wrath upon those very nations for attacking His beloved city Jerusalem.
Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
Luke 13:35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
That last line is very key in understanding into the future beyond today and the 2nd Coming of the Lord.
Also if you study what God did when He destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem even more devastatingly in 70 AD .. GOD then also turned and Judged Rome afterward ( Rome Burned )
However Wicked Rome was "resurrected" in the Unholy Roman Church.
Now what I want to point out is that the Full Preterist View is that "all of Ezekiel " was fulfilled at that time. { I do not subscribe to that view but some are trying to convince me :-}
They believe that there is no significance for anything beyond the Rebuilding of the Temple after the "70 Years" of captivity prophesied by Jeremiah concerning the Agricultural Sabbath Breaking of Israel for 490 years. Jeremiah prophesied the exact number of years that the captivity would last according to how many years Israel had forsaken the Sabbatical rest due the Land:
Exodus 23: 10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:
Exodus 23:11 But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
God ordained for the Land to rest from the Jews for all the years they had skipped the Agricultural Sabbath. Even 490 years divided by 7 = 70 years of Captivity for the Jews and "rest" for the land.
Jeremiah 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Interestingly Jeremiah Prophesied the Destruction of Jerusalem 40 years before the Destruction.
Jesus Prophesied the same exactly 40 years before the Destruction.
Look at Jesus talking about forgiveness!
Jesus points to the forgiveness of God toward Israel , more guilty than Sodom and Gomorrah, yet brought back and restored and used those very numbers 70X7.
Monu These are not accidents. God who foreordains everything that happens good or evil leave distinct signatures for His elect to see and understand. Look even at Daniel confessing that very thing.
Daniel 9:2 In the first year of his reign [BV - King Darius ] I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
Even Daniel a great prophet himself learns how long the captivity will last from Jeremiah instead of direct revelation. We are not called to ask God for direct revelation but to seek it from His Holy Word as already revealed.
3. Ezek Chp 33-48 - Post Destruction promises of Revival and Restoration.
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This is the 3rd main section and deals with the rebuilding of the Temple which occurs under Zerubbabel
and the Revival which happens under Ezra. Zerubabbel lead 50 thousand Jews back out of the captivity to Jerusalem?s ruins to rebuild the Temple 70 years after the first group were taken into captivity. Both Daniel and Ezekiel where taken into Babylon under the "surrender" by Zedekiah.
What occurs to Israel was after God broke the Kingdom in two. Israel - Judah ( South ) after Solomon?s death 931 BC Then in 722 when the Assyrians Conquered the World Israel was Conquered but Judah was spared along with the Beloved City - Jerusalem.
However in 608 or 605 BC ( Somewhere in there ) King Zedekiah of Judah "surrendered" to Nebuchadnezzar upon the advice of one of God?s Prophets but I can?t remember who. I know they almost killed Jeremiah for Prophesying against Jerusalem and King Jehoiakim did kill Uziah for the exact same prophecies. It is supposed ( Cannot be proven ) that Isaiah was martyred by Manasseh in 680 BC for the same prophecies.
Zedekiah , King of Judah, although he escaped destruction by surrendering later did bring on that Destruction by making covenants with Egypt and Assyria to overthrow Nebuchadnezzar.
That is the part that is confusing I think ? Most people think the Captivity started after the destruction.
Seems to make sense. War, then destruction , then captivity, but not !
1. Hezekiah surrendered and made covenants of servitude to Nebuchadnezzar. 608 BC
2. Nebuchadnezzar take some choice citizens ( these where the blessed one but no one thought so ) into captivity.
3. Hezekiah breaks his covenant and plans a revolt with other nations. Ezekiel prophesies against this saying that God will curse him for breaking covenant with the unsaved Babylonian Kingdom.
4. Babylon destroys and carries out the curses from God that Ezekiel prophesied and destroy the temple 588 BC
5. Ezekiel prophesies God?s forgiveness, rebuilding the temple, and later revival. Likely dies before seeing any or it just like Moses never entered into the "promised land".
Ezekiel was taken into Babylon during the second "captivity exile" when he was 25 years old. It is believe that he just as John the Baptist was raised within the Temple as a boy being the son of the High Priest.
Just a John the Baptist he is recognized by the people and then the corrupt priesthood seek out who he may be. He was called of God to be a Priest at the age of 30 already being in captivity. He foretold the destruction of the temple in 588 BC while Judah and Babylon were at "peace" Just like Israel and Rome were at "peace" when Jesus foretold of the destruction in 70 AD. Do you see the Pattern
Monu what occurs after the destruction is the key to the pattern for the future of Israel. Compare these verses.
Jeremiah 31 :35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:
Jeremiah 31 :36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
Compare with:
Romans 11: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
==== This is key to understanding what is going on with Ezekiel = PATTERN ====
You have asked about Chapters 41-48. I apologize if this post is confusing I am not very organized.
Chapters 40-48 are another division under the three main divisions.
Those chapters address The Restored State of Israel also a huge piece of the pattern.
1. The New Temple Chp 40:1 - Chp 43:12
2. Regulations for Worship Chp 43:13 - Chp 46:24
3. Israel again a Land of Blessing Chp 47:1 - Chp 48:35
To understand the "sacrificial ceremonial laws" being instituted by Ezekiel you need to see that it is not yet future. Ezekiel is an Ordained Priest of God and a Prophet. ( Like Jesus ) Ezekiel is not however a king nor did his prophecies deal with government but with church. Daniel was ordained a prophet to be in the King?s house and to foretell the future concerning Governments even that of the King of Kings. They both lived at the same time in the exile but they dealt with completely different Authorities State - Church. Ezekiel does see Jesus as King and speaks about Kings Chp 34 & 37 even as Colleen pointed out.
Ezek 1: 3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
The king you ask about is neither Jesus ( except by pattern or type ) I doubt he is Zerubbabel because the revival does not happen until well after Israel is established in the flesh. In 458 BC Ezra returns to Israel with less than 2000 Jews from the captivity. Nehemiah came after that in 445 BC and rebuilds the city. Malachi brings about much reform under his ministry in 433 BC and rebukes against robbing God and the Sabbaths are re-instituted where all this judgement started. Israel is rebuilt carnally first and spiritually second.
Ezek 37:3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
Ezek 37: 8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
Ezek 37:9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
You see monu what God showed to Ezekiel in this vision was the " Bones " of dead Israel and Jerusalem.
God first put the Flesh back on the bones but they had no "Breath" ( Spirit ) That happened in 536 BC and 1948 AD. The rebuilding of the Temple 536 BC and the return of Israel as a Nation 1948 AD.
God sent such a revival to His people under Ezra that they suffer the worst and most stringent repentance I have ever heard of. It was so powerful that Gods says of that time there was no one left to witness to.
Jeremiah 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Well Later got to go to bed? Hope this helps I?m too tired to read it and see if it makes sense so up she goes.
I need to tell you about Kings and why God ordained for them to be in His creation.
That would help I think. |
