Tag Archives: Ezekiel

Revelation Friday: Ezekiel 8-10 Ezekiel’s First Temple Vision

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Did you read the ground rules? Any bible passages can be read by moving your mouse over the passage (I am using ESV). Ok lets get started…. (if you don’t have time to read all of it now, see the note below*)

Leading up to this chapter the Lord revealed to Ezekiel what was going to happen to Jerusalem. Now as we begin Ezekiel 8 God gives Ezekiel a vision of the people’s wickedness led to God’s  judgment upon Jerusalem. Even though God does not have to justify any action he takes, he is explaining to Ezekiel (who is a Priest) what is happening.

Ezekiel was taken by the Spirit to the Temple in Jerusalem. He was taken to the entrance and was told to look through a hole in the wall, then to dig a hole and there appeared a door. He was told to go in and see what abominations they were doing.
temple_ezekiel

Chapter 8

Remember Ezekiel was a Priest and he is looking into the temple.

1. He saw all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and detestable animals.

2. In front of them stood 70 elders of the house of Israel. Each had a censer in their hand and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.

3. In front of them also stood Jaazaniah, son of Shaphan. He allowed these abominations to occur because he believed God no longer watched them and that God had forsaken the Earth.  The elders were told they could worship in their own rooms in the dark along with their own idols. (What if you caught your Pastor or Priest worshiping idols within your own church???)

4. Ezekiel was then brought to the north gate of the Lord’s house.

    a. He saw women weeping for Tammuz (a Sumerian shepherd who married the goddess Ishtar. When he died, fertility ceased on Earth. Since he was a vegetation deity, the women of Judah were weeping for him in order to restore fertility by brining him back from the dead.)

5. The Spirit then brought Ezekiel to the inner court of the Temple.

At the door of the Temple, between the porch and the altar were 25 men with their back towards the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east and were worshiping the sun god of the east.

These were people IN GOD’S HOUSE worshiping idols. Like I said what if you showed up on Sunday and suddenly you saw people worshiping idols, or the sun god, or the god of fertility. How do you think this made God feel?

God was furious with these people for their Idolatry in His House.

Chapter 9

God is furious and demands all idolaters to be killed. Do you remember, what was the ONE THING that led to Jerusalem’s destruction?

THEY DID NOT FEAR GOD

God summoned Angel warriors  to draw near with deadly weapons. Suddenly 6 men came from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each with a battle-ax in their hand. One man among them was clothed in linen and had a writer’s Ink Horn at his side.

The man (Angel warrior) with the Ink Horn was told to go through the midst of the city and put a mark on anyone who sighs or cries over all the abominations that are being done within it. (Here is God’s mercy in the midst of his rage. Basically he is saving anyone who has shown remorse to the atrocity being done in His Temple.)

The other men were told to go about the city and kill anyone who did not have this mark. They began with the 70 elders and then went throughout the city.

What would you do if you were Ezekiel at this point? Ezekiel is a priest and now he is witnessing the slaying of 70 elders.

Ezekiel fell on his face and cried out to God. Begging God to save a remnant of the elders. God said He will not spare them for their sins. As Ezekiel was on his face the man with the Ink Horn appeared and said that he had done as commanded (there were a few spared, 0nes the Angel warrior marked with his Ink Horn before hand—the remnant).

Besides witnessing Jerusalem’s failure to fear God, there is something else we as Christians need to pay close attention to.

GOD JUDGES HIS OWN FIRST! (Ezekiel 9:6)

If you are sinning and you are leading others astray, you will be the first to reap God’s judgment.   Study and know God’s word, test everything according to scriptures–even, especially, with this study.

Chapter 10

The Glory of God departs from the defiled temple.  In Ezekiel’s vision he sees the glory of God in a chariot throne with wheels containing burning coals.  One of the Angel warriors (possibly the same one with the Ink Horn) was instructed to take fire from the coals in the chariot and scatter them over the city of Jerusalem.

The Glory of God departs from the defiled temple.

Here in these chapters Cherubim are described:

  1. They have power, wisdom, and influence but are subject to God and Christ.
  2. Four faces, bodies, hands, wings and wheels. (the four faces were the same as in Chapter 1, except the ox was now the face of a Cherub).
  3. They stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord’s house and the glory of God was above them.
  4. The cherubim, made a dreadful sound with their wings. Matthew Henry’s commentary describes it as, “strings of musical instruments, made a curious melody; bees, and other winged insects, make a noise with their wings.”

The departing of the Glory of God departed in four stages

  1. Over the threshold (Ezekiel 10:4)
  2. Over the cherubim ( Ezekiel 10:18)
  3. To the East gate (Ezekiel 10:19)
  4. And finally to the Mount of Olives (Ezekiel 11:23) to the east of the city.

While studying this, one question I asked is why in four stages? Why didn’t God just leave? One thing you are going to see repeatedly throughout Ezekiel, Daniel, & Revelation is that God gives people every opportunity to repent.  It is almost painful to watch how many opportunities God gives non-believers in hope they turn towards God. So they are without excuse (Romans 1:20, John 15:22)  His love is so great, we can not comprehend it.


Please join me in the BlogFrog community for some discussion questions.


Past Posts on Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 1-3

Ezekiel 4-7

* In my BlogFrog community I have uploaded a copy of this post along with questions to respond to. This makes it possible to print out this post to read at another time or use it as your devotional. In the BlogFrog community I will try to add some time lines and additional information that you can print out and save. It is my understanding you don’t need to sign-up for the community to be able to print the information out, it is just if you want to leave a comment you need to be signed in (it is free). Feel free to leave comments either here or in the community forum. I look forward to your thoughts.

Revelation Friday: Ezekiel 4-7 Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

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Did you read the ground rules? Any bible passages can be read by moving your mouse over the passage (I am using ESV). Ok lets get started…. (if you don’t have time to read all of it now, see the note below*)


Ezekiel 4-24 covers the Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah. It is broken down as such:

Ch 4-7  Symbolic Actions

Ch 8-11 Ezekiel’s first “temple vision”

Ch 12-14   Idolatry will be punished

Ch 15-23 Parables and Metaphors

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Today I will be touching on Ezekiel 4-7
(I really try not to make these long each Friday, but sometimes it is hard. That is why I give you the option of being able to print it out in my BlogFrog Community, it may be easier to read that way).

Even though Ezekiel is far away from Jerusalem in Babylon, he is given prophetic warnings to those who are still residing in Israel about the coming invasion. At the time, there were false prophets telling the people there would be peace, but God tells the people that disaster is coming.  Sounds like the world today telling us we are working towards peace, but as Christians the book of Revelation tells us it is going to get worse before it gets better. Who do you believe?

Ezekiel was instructed to take a clay tablet with the city of Jerusalem drawn on it and camp around about it (Ezekiel 4:2). Ezekiel then took an iron pan to symbolize a wall between him and the city. This was God’s warning through Ezekiel that the Chaldeans would seal off Jerusalem. Do you think anyone was listening to Ezekiel? Ezekiel 2:4 tells us he was speaking to impudent and stubborn people.

Sin of Israel: (these sins are important to remember because later you will be asking, why is God so angry.  Below is WHY.)

And he (God) shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin (1 Kings 14:16). Jeroboam caused the ten tribes to rebel against the authority of the house of David when Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, came to reign.

Simply put: they lacked the fear of God!

Ezekiel 22:3-11

“You shall say, Thus says the Lord God: A city that sheds blood in her midst, so that her time may come, and that makes idols to defile herself! 4 You have become guilty by the blood that you have shed, and defiled by the idols that you have made, and you have brought your days near, the appointed time of your years has come. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all the countries.  Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you; your name is defiled; you are full of tumult.”

They lacked the Fear of God.

“Behold the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you. You have despised my holy things and profaned my Sabbaths. There are men in you who slander to shed blood, and people in you who eat on the mountains; they commit lewdness in your midst.  In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity.  One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter.  In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take interest and profit and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; but me you have forgotten, declares the Lord God.

I don’t know about you, but I get a shiver of fear while reading the sins Jerusalem committed and God’s punishment. Some (if not all of the sins) are prevalent today.

God then instructed Ezekiel to lay on his left size for 390 days~appox. 13 months (we are not told how long each day he had to do this). Then lay on his right side for 40 days. Left side symbolized the days of judgment Jerusalem would have against them and the right side symbolized their time in captivity. (Ezekiel 4:4-6)( In the BlogFrog community I break down this important calculation).

Symbol of Ezekiel’s sharp sword (Ezekiel 5):

God orders Ezekiel to shave the hairs off his head and his beard, then to distribute them into three parts.  God is using Ezekiel’s hair to symbolize how Israel will be defeated.  Also shaving the head was a sign of mourning.

  • 1/3 of his hair was to be burned inside the city when the siege is fulfilled
  • 1/3 of his hair was smitten with the knife
  • 1/3 of his hair was to be scattered in the wind and God would draw out a sword against them.
  • A few strands were to be bound and then cast into fire.

    • Ezekiel 5: 7-9

    Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you are more turbulent than the nations that are all around you (meaning the Gentiles), and have not walked in my statutes or obeyed my rules, and have not even acted according to the rules of the nations that are all around you, therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, even I, am against you. And I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.  And because of all your abominations I will do with you what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again.

    God will go to great lengths to make His people understand that He, and He alone, is God.

    God’s Judgment (what the distribution of Ezekiel’s hairs represented):

  • 1/3 will die by plague and famine
  • 1/3 would die by the sword
  • 1/3 would be scattered (a remnant)
  • God would make her an object of horror to the nations
  • God would destroy her with famine, wild beasts, plague and bloodshed.



    • Chapter 6 is the Destruction Against the Mountains of Israel

    In this chapter (now let this sink in, this is important) this describes the lengths to which God will go to make His people understand that He, and He alone, is God. Yahweh also gives us a truth,  He has been hurt. God has been hurt by the adulterous, idolatrous hearts of His people. Ezekiel 6:9

    Even today we wound God when we seek other idols. God reminds us in a powerful way, we may seek advice, we may go to counsel BUT it is God who will answer us.  We have become a society today that makes our idols look pretty.  We study Ezekiel and the judgment upon Israel, but look at our society today….is there much difference?  This should strike fear into those who lack the fear of God and should comfort those who fear God.  Those who fear God know God is a God of justice and that he will not allow evil deeds to go unpunished.

    Chapter 7:  The Coming of God’s Judgment

    God tells Israel he will not spare them of the coming judgment.  The entire land will be judged.  There will be famine and pestilence (Ezekiel 7:15), those outside the city will die by the sword (Ezekiel 7:15), the remnant will flee to the mountains mourn (Ezekiel 7:16), money and possessions will mean nothing (Ezekiel 7:17-22).  God will give the land to the worst of the Gentiles (Ezekiel 7:24).  There will be great mourning (Ezekiel 7:25-27).

    It is so easy to point our fingers at the sins of Israel, reading through Ezekiel 22:3-11 should be a wake up call.  In the gospel according to Lori (meaning my opinion) we are becoming more and more a nation that does not fear God.  The sad thing is I am mainly talking about Christians here.

    Do you fear God more than you fear stepping out of your comfort zone?

    Do you fear God enough to realize everything is His (your finances, your children, your spouse )?

    Do you fear God more than you fear being persecuted?

    I am speaking to myself here today.  I know what the “Christian answer” is but God does not want someone that speaks Christianese, he is after obedient hearts.  He knows we are sinners and we will fail, that is why he sent his son to die on the cross for our sins.  Don’t allow Satan to trap you in your sin, forgiveness is offered to you today.  All you need to do is ask.

    See you next Friday.  For some additional thoughts, see the BlogFrog Community for some discussion questions.

    * In my BlogFrog community I have uploaded a copy of this post along with questions to respond to. This makes it possible to print out this post to read at another time or use it as your devotional. In the BlogFrog community I will try to add some time lines and additional information that you can print out and save. It is my understanding you don’t need to sign-up for the community to be able to print the information out, it is just if you want to leave a comment you need to be signed in (it is free). Feel free to leave comments either here or in the community forum. I look forward to your thoughts.

    Friday’s Revelation: Ezekiel 1-3

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    Did you read the ground rules? Any bible passages can be read by moving your mouse over the passage (I am using ESV). Ok lets get started…. (if you don’t have time to read all of it now, see the note below*)

    What is the purpose of the book of Ezekiel? I am glad you asked.. The whole book covers a 22 year period, 6 years before Jerusalem’s destructions and 16 years after.

      A. “They shall know that I am God” appears 62 times in the book
      B. To dispel any hope among the Israelites that the captivity might be short
      C. To prove God’s case against Israel, showing the Israelites why they were in captivity.
      D. To cause the people to repent of their sins
      E. To give hope

    Main Outline:

      Ezekiel prepared as a prophet: he was a priest that was called to be a prophet (Ch. 1-3).
      Ezekiel predicts Judgment on Kingdom of Judah (Ch. 4-24)
      Ezekiel predicts Judgment on Gentile Nations. (Ch. 25-32)
      Ezekiel prophecies blessings on the nation of Israel (Ch. 33-48).

    Background: After Solomon died then Israel split into two kingdoms (which made them weak and open to attacks-as to why they split that involves more than I can cover here, but think politics):

      1. Northern Kingdom (10 tribes) known as Israel (even today they are called the 10 lost tribes of Israel, because they never came back together)
      2. Southern Kingdom (2 tribes-Judah & Benjamin) known as Judah
    Jerusalem---The-Eastern-Gate

    Jerusalem---The-Eastern-Gate

    First the Northern Kingdom is taken into Assyrian captivity (721 BC).  Then Southern tribe (Judah) was the group taken into Babylonian captivity (605 BC). We will get into the “good figs” and “bad figs in Chapter 11, but know the “good figs” are the ones in Babylonian captivity, the “bad figs” are the ones that remained in Israel. The ones in Babylonian captivity are promised a return from exile (Ezekiel 14:22-23). Zedekiah stayed behind to rule over the remnant as the leader of the “bad figs.” (Jeremiah 24:8-10)

    Both Kingdoms were not doing right in the site of God and both will be punished, but God in his grace told the people if they go into Babylonian captivity as their punishment then they are promised a return from exile.  The ones who remained will be severely punished.

    God uses Ezekiel as a prophet to the exiles and the remaining Jews in Jerusalem, although he never actually went there.

    *****************************************************************
    Ezekiel 1Ezekiel Chapters 1-3

    It is a blessing when God speaks to us, but we are responsible to share the good word he does share. We are not to learn and then tuck it away; we need to speak God’s truth.

    We begin this study with the Israelites in their 5th year of Babylonian captivity (Ezekiel 1:2). God uses prophet Ezekiel to strike terror into the sinners, and bless the ones who fear God.

    FYI: The exiles in Babylonia captivity were not in inhuman conditions.  They were able to build houses and live in them. Plant gardens, marry, and have children.  While in Babylonia they were relatively free and were not considered slaves. (Jeremiah 29: 5-7)

    While in captivity Ezekiel was given a series of visions and was commanded to speak to his fellow captives.  Ezekiel was told to speak whether they listened or not (Ezekiel 2:7).

      Ezekiel 1:4–3:15 Vision of four living creatures (Ezekiel 1:10).
      1. The first had the face of a man. (possibly representing intelligence)
      2. The second had the face of a lion. (possibly representing man as a ruler-strength & boldness)
      3. Third the face of an ox. (possibly representing man in his power-diligence & patience)
      4. The fourth the face of an eagle. (possibly representing man in his nobility-quickness & piercing sight.)


    All four were to represent the Glory of God.

    In Ezekiel 2 we see God reached out and handed Ezekiel a scroll (Ezekiel 2:9-10). Here is where he is officially commissioned to deliver God’s message to the House of Israel (currently in Babylonian captivity). In Matthew Henry’s commentary it says, “Gracious souls can receive those truths of God with delight, which speak terror to the wicked.” The same words can have the opposite effect, depending on the state of your heart.

      What the scroll contained:
      All four were to represent the Glory of God.

      1. “Written words of lament and mourning and woe.”
      2. God warned Ezekiel the people would be unyielding and hardened (Ezekiel 3:8).
      3. God also said Ezekiel would be held responsible if he did not warn the people of Israel.

    God lifted Ezekiel up and took him to the captives near Chebar River, where he sat silent for the next 7 days (Ezekiel 3:15). After God revealed the words of the scroll Ezekiel was so overcome with grief, but also very overwhelmed after seeing the Glory of God.

    Has there ever been a time in your life when God spoke a word over you, or blessed you unexpectedly that all you could do was sit there and try to take it all in?

    Ezekiel was floored, but he also was deeply grieved because he saw the wrath that was going to come upon the nation he loved.

    After the 7 days God told Ezekiel to go out to the valley, where he will speak with him again. God then told Ezekiel that he was going to make him mute until God was ready for him to speak.

    What I like about this text was that it was not Ezekiel’s job to make people listen; each individual is responsible for their own response. God only made Ezekiel responsible to say what God told him to say and when he told him to say it.

    Have a great Friday and remember you are not responsible for other’s reactions, only responsible to share what God has done in your life.

    * In my BlogFrog community I have uploaded a copy of this post along with questions to respond to.  This makes it possible to print out this post to read at another time or use it as your devotional.  In the BlogFrog community I will try to add some time lines and additional information that you can print out and save.  It is my understanding you don’t need to sign-up for the community to be able to print the information out, it is just if you want to leave a comment you need to be signed in (it is free).  Feel free to leave comments either here  or in the community forum.  I look forward to your thoughts.