According to the dates given inside the book, Ezekiel's ministry as a prophet was among the exiles in Babylon between 593 and 571 B.C. Nevertheless we find in chapters 4 to 24 a number of reproaches and threats addressed to people living in Jerusalem, apparently before the siege; and following these, in chapters 25 to 32, a series of oracles against 'the nations' which belong to the same period. The remaining chapters 33 to 48 refer to the siege and the Exile, and indeed look forward to the future re-establishment of the nation in Palestine. Despite a certain amount of supplementary material most of the prophecies are stamped with Ezekiel's own style and teaching, and the details of the prophet's biography remain a matter of debate and speculation.

Ezekiel was a priest; he was a prophet of action who made himself 'a sign' to Israel in elaborate symbolic miming. He was also a visionary, as the four long violently imaginative visions in the book show; these have the power of evoking size and depth and the mysteriousness of God's working.

EZEKIEL - (1) Introduction - The Vision of the "Chariot of Yahweh' - The vision of the scroll - The prophet as sentry - Chapter 1 to 3 - (2) Before the Siege of Jerusalem - Ezekiel is struck dumb - The siege of Jerusalem foretold - Against the mountains of Israel - The sins of Israel - The end is near - A vision of the sins of Jerusalem - The punishment - The glory of Yahweh leaves the Temple - The sins of Jerusalem (continued) - The new covenant promised to the exiles - The glory of Yahweh leaves Jerusalem - The mime of the emigrant - Popular proverbs - Against the false prophets - The false prophetesses - Against idolatry - Individual responsibility - The parable of the vine - An allegorical history of Israel - The allegory of the eagle - A lamentation over the rulers of Israel - An account of Israel's infidelities - The sword of Yahweh - The king of Babylon at the crossroads - The punishment of Ammon - The crimes of Jerusalem - An allegorical history of Jerusalem and Samaria - A prophecy of the siege of Jerusalem - The personal ordeals of the prophet - Chapter 3 to 24 - (

3) Oracles Against the Nations - Against the Ammonites, Moab, Edom, Philistines and Tyre - A lamentation over the fall of Tyre - Against the king of Tyre - The fall of the king of Tyre - Against Sidon and Israel delivered from the nations - Against Egypt : the day of Yahweh - The cedar and the crocodile - Egypt goes down to Sheol - Chapter 25 to 32 -

(4) During and After the Siege of Jerusalem - The prophet as sentry - Conversion and perversity - The taking of the city - The ravaging of the country - The results of the preaching - The shepherds of Israel - Against the mountains of Edom - Oracle on the mountains of Israel - The dry bones - Judah and Israel in one kingdom - Against Gog, king of Magog and Conclusion - Chapter 33 to 39 -

(5) The Torah of Ezekiel - The future Temple - The outer wall - The east gate - The outer court - The north court - The south court - The inner court and the south gate -The east gate - The north gate - Subsidiary buildings at the gate and the inner court - The Temple, Ulam, Hekal, Debir - The side cells - The building on the west side - Particulars of the Temple itself - The wooden altar - The doors - Outbuildings of the Temple - Measurements of the court - The return of Yahweh - The altar - The consecration of the altar - The use of the east gate - Rules of admission to the Temple - The Levites - The priests - The divisions of the country. The portion for Yahweh - The portion for the prince - Offerings for worship - The feast of the Passover - The feast of Tabernacles - The sabbath and the New Moon - Miscellaneous regulations - The spring in the Temple -The frontiers of the land - The division of the land - The gates of Jerusalem - Chapter 40 to 48 -

In summary : His teaching is centred on inner conversion: a new heart and a new spirit which will be given by God. By his visions, he stands at the source of the apocalyptic tradition; for his spiritual penetration, he has been called 'the father of Judaism'. A prophecy of judgment during the Babylonian Captivity.

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -