Glory and Prophecy
Ezekiel 1:1-3 (NKJV) 1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, 3 the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there.
- Understand the timing of this Word that came to Ezekiel.
1.1 Israel has been taken captive to Babylon according to the Word of the Lord.
1.1.1. Not following the Lord always leads to captivity.
1.1.2. It had been 30 years in captivity and the captives were going about making their new life for 70 years in this new Nation.
1.1.3. The glory of Israel’s past with King David, and King Solomon, and the Judges was behind them.
1.1.4. In front of them now was the promise of God to return them to their home land after 70 years.
God never leaves Himself without representation.
Romans 11:….4 (NKJV) “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal
1.2.1. The Lord had positions His servants.
1.2.2. Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Daniel were all contemporaries that lived and ministered in the same time. They may have met each other in Jerusalem before the deportation.
1.2.2.1. Jeremiah was left behind in Jerusalem.
1.2.2.2. Ezekiel was among the captives in Babylon.
1.2.2.3. Daniel was in service in the Court of the King.
1.2.2.4. Ela… Joseph, Nehemiah, Daniel all in service to foreign Kings. God has His ways.
1.3. Ezekiel was a Priest turned Prophet.
3 the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest,
1.3.1. Trained as all Priest were, from childhood, to be a Priest in Jerusalem.
1.3.2. Once taken captive, no longer being in Jerusalem, with no temple to perform the Priestly duties,
1.3.3. Ezekiel’s calling changed from Priest of God to Prophet of God.
- So the vision begins with a Great Cloud and Raging Fire.
Ezekiel 1:4-7 (NKJV) 4 Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. 5 Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. 6 Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze.
2.1 Prophecy can be daunting and overwhelming.
2.1.1. Even the Word of God can seem like a big Book with a whole lot of information.
2.1.2. Thus, we begin our journey into another World, the World of the Word.
2.1.3. A life in the Word.
2.1.4. Master one book above all others.
2.1.5. The more we begin to live and move and have our being in the Word the more we begin to see the thread that weaves it’s way through out the entirety of God’s Word.
2.1.6. Once again in this passage we see God reveal Himself as an All Consuming Fire and naturally a cloud surrounding.
2.2. The Word of God will give clues to the mysteries waiting to be discovered.
2.2.1. Anytime you see what on first read appears to be a contradiction is really just a clue to hidden mysteries.
2.2.2. “The more Scriptures are studies in their larger context, the clearer the divine intent can be perceived.” Dr. Asel
2.2.3. The Word of God is perfect.
2.2.3.1. Preserved for thousands of years.
2.2.3.2. There are many translations that have either purposely, like the NWT, or unintentionally been errored.
2.2.3.3. But the essence and original Hebrew and Greek has been preserved since the inception of the Word.
2.3. Mysteries now revealed
Romans 16:25-27 (NKJV) 25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began 26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— 27 to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
2.3.1. Mysteries now made manifest.
2.3.2. Revealed by Scripture by Scripture and the speaking of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
2.3.3. With the Holy Spirit in our life.
2.3.4. Glorifying the Father by revealing the Word, the Son.
2.3.5. Look for the clues.
- The sacrifice and extreme obedience Ezekiel was going to demonstrate in bringing forth this Word of prophecy.
Ezekiel 4:1-6 (NKJV) 1 “You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem. 2 Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around. 3 Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel. 4 “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. 5 For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year.
3.1 Ezekiel’s life became an object lesson of obedience.
3.1.1. 390 days on his left side
3.1.2. 40 days on his right side.
3.2. Ezekiel’s bread recipe, that some of us are familiar with, was given to Ezekiel to sustain him while he lay on his side for 14 months.
3.3. We would like to hope that only the Ezekiels of the past are required to demonstrate through their lives extreme measures and obedience to the Lord.
3.4. But all prophecy, both in Word and Example, are given to the profit of God’s people.
2 Peter 1:19 (ESV) 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,
3.5. Hungry people seek after all that is contained within Prophecy.
3.6. Those who are longing for another world seek after hearing those who forsook this world.
3.7. There comes a point when wether prophecy or promise shall prolong no longer.
Ezekiel 12:22-24 “Son of man, what is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which says, The days are prolonged, and every vision fails’? Tell them therefore, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will lay this proverb to rest, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.”‘ But say to them, ‘”The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision. For no more shall there be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel.
- Hidden within this strange prophetic vision given to this radical, extreme, obedient, Priest turned Prophet of God are:
4.1 The Triune nature of God
4.2. The unity of the God Head.
4.3. The glorious nature of God
4.4. The resurrected Lord and Savior Christ
4.5. The omniscient absolute attribute of God.
4.6. The moving of the Spirit of God.
4.7. Foreshadowing of the four Gospels written in the New Testament
4.8. And the Day of Pentecost with fire being scattered forth over the city.
The trinity exemplified
Ezekiel 10:1-2 (NKJV) And I looked, and there in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne. 2 Then He spoke to the man clothed with linen, and said, “Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” And he went in as I watched.
5. The Trinity Vision
5.1.1. Sapphire Throne with a Voice proceeding
5.1.2. The Man in linen going in.
5.1.3. The Wheels within wheels.
Luke 3:22 (ESV) and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
5.1.4.To be able to clearly see the trinity and unity of the Godhead we have to keep indulging ourselves into more Scripture.
5.1.5. Remembering the best interpreter of Scripture is Scripture.
5.2. The creatures and the wheels.
Ezekiel 1:15-18 (NKJV) Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 17 When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went. 18 As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them.
Remember this is a vision.
•2.1. The color of the wheels and their workings were beryl.
•2.2. All four had the same likeness.
•2.2.1. The breastplate God instructed Moses to make had four rows, guess what stone was in the fourth row: beryl.
Ephesians 6:14 (NKJV) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
•2.3. They were high an awesome.
•2.4. The omniscient eyes of the Lord
•2.4.1. The wheels had eyes all around them.
Ez 1:18 As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them.
Ezekiel 10:12 (NKJV) And their whole body, with their back, their hands, their wings, and the wheels that the four had, were full of eyes all around.
2 Chron. 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him.
•2.5. When they moved they moved together.
Ezekiel 1:19 When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 20 Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 22 The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads.
5.2.6. The spirit of the creatures was in the wheels.
Remember this is a vision.
The context is this man of God prophesying against Israel as well as given hope for the future.
Some of the subtle clues that we need to pick up on:
Ezekiel Chapter 1 he calls the Cherubim creatures.
Ezekiel 10 he calls them Cherubim.
The first time we see the Cherubim is in the garden guarding the tree of life.
Genesis 3:24 (NKJV) So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
The next time is in Exodus in the building the of Temple, specifically there Mercy Seat.
Exodus 25:18 (NKJV) And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.
God told Moses to build according the the pattern given.
Solomon finished the work building the Lord a house.
1 Kings 6:27-28 (NKJV) 7 Then he set the cherubim inside the inner room; and they stretched out the wings of the cherubim so that the wing of the one touched one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall. And their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. 28 Also he overlaid the cherubim with gold.
The vision translation is reflecting the transitional phases that have taken place and will take place.
From Moses tabernacle built for the pattern shown.
The presence dwelling above the mercy seat and the cheribum.
To the glory of the Lord departing from the temple.
Before the temple couple be destroyed the glory of God had to depart.
To the transition of Jesus earthly ministry
And ending with Jesus heavenly ministry.