1. Ezekiel was called into ministry while in Babylon - “the land of the Chaldeans,” (Ezek. 1:1–3).
2. Ezekiel was unable to speak, except when he spoke the word of the Lord (Ezek. 3:26–27). After receiving the news of Jerusalem’s destruction, Ezekiel’s mouth was “opened,” and he was able to speak freely (Ezek. 33:21–22).
3. The Lord told Ezekiel that even if Noah, Daniel, and Job lived in Judah, they would not be able to deliver anyone by their righteousness, except themselves (Ezek. 14:12–20).
4. God’s shows His compassion in Ezekiel 18:23: “ ‘Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?’ says the Lord GOD, ‘and not that he should turn from his ways and live?’ ”
5. When Israel rejected God’s statues, He “gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live” (Ezek. 20:25).

In Ezekiel, God is glorifying Himself through His glory, so that He might demonstrate His superior goodness in the salvation sinners, the damnation of the wicked, and for the preservation of His people for His eternal glory, and their eternal joy.

The author identifies himself as Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi (Ezek. 1:1–3). He was a contemporary of Jeremiah and Daniel.

Ezekiel prophesied from the 5th year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity (590 B.C.) to the 27th year (570 B.C.). Ezekiel does not record Jehoiachin’s release from prison (561 B.C.), making it likely that his book was completed before this event. 

“And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

“So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.”

Ezekiel 1:26–28

“Again He said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, “O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: ‘Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”’ ”

Ezekiel 37:4–6

1. God always protects His people.
2. There is a future glory that the people of God can look forward to.
3. For a person to be saved, they must be regenerated. Their heart of stone must be torn out and replaced with a heart of flesh.
4. Beware of idolatry and repent of it.

1. The “Son of Man”—Ezekiel
2. David (Ezek. 34:23–24)

1. Prophecies Before the Siege (Ezek. 1–24)
2. Prophecies During the Siege (Ezek. 25–32)
3. Prophecies After the Siege (Ezek. 33–48)