chief point of this vision is that the glory of the Lord, which Ezekiel had seen departing from the rst Temple, is now seen to return and abide in this Temple 16 For a concluding survey exercise, read the book of Ezekiel more slowly than before, referring to Chart 87 as you read This will help bring together the various items of the book as you make one nal overview of the Bible text V PROMINENT SUBJECTS Some prominent subjects have already been identi ed in this chapter Here are others (2:1—3:27) Like the other prophets, Ezekiel received a vision of God which put him on his face in the dust before his Maker (1:26-28) Compare Isaiah’s vision (Isa 6) and John’s A EZEKIEL’S CALL AND COMMISSION vision (Rev 1:10-18) Observe that in each instance it was the Lord who was seen, and that each vision produced the same humbling effect upon the beholder Compare the three visions and observe the di erent ways in which the Lord manifested Himself To Isaiah, His holiness was emphasized; to Ezekiel, His power, majesty, and government; and to John, His love B THE GLORY AND MAJESTY OF THE LORD The book of Ezekiel underscores the truths about the Lord’s glory and majesty Key verses which re ect these are: 1:16, 286; 2:3; and 3:23 C MESSIANIC PROPHECIES The chief Messianic passages of Ezekiel, as listed by Anton T Pearson in The Wycli e Bible Commentary, are:8 The Lord, the sanctuary 11:16-20 The wonderful cedar sprig 17:22-24 The rightful King 21:26-27 The faithful Shepherd 34:11-31 The great purification 36:25-35 The great resurrection 37:1-14 The great reunion 37:21-28 The overthrow of Gog 38:1-39:29 The life-giving stream 47:1-12 (37:1 48:35) At the commencement of his prophetic ministry, Ezekiel was given a vision of the glorious Lord reigning in heaven The people of Israel had once known the blessings of such a glory shining in their midst, but now the glory had departed because of Israel’s sin It was Ezekiel’s task to announce to his fellow exiles the coming judgment of desolation of the holy city and captivity of its inhabitants When the city fell in 586 B.C., God loosed the prophet’s tongue to speak the new message of restoration to come, for those who would turn to the Lord For fteen years it was his happy privilege to D FUTURE RESURRECTION OF ISRAEL quote the Lord as saying, Now I shall restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house óf Israel Then they will know that I am the LORD their God… I … gathered them again to their own land… And I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel (39:25, 28-29) This bright message did not contradict Ezekiel’s earlier minatory oracles The seventy-year captivity must rst be ful lled, and then there would be a return to the land on the part of a believing remnant of a new generation The Temple would be rebuilt, and the glory of the Lord would come down to Israel again But Ezekiel’s prophecy, like most of the Old Testament consolatory prophecies, referred mainly to a latter-day ... RESURRECTION OF ISRAEL quote the Lord as saying, Now I shall restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house óf Israel Then they will know that I am the LORD their God… I … gathered them... At the commencement of his prophetic ministry, Ezekiel was given a vision of the glorious Lord reigning in heaven The people of Israel had once known the blessings of such a glory shining in their... oracles The seventy-year captivity must rst be ful lled, and then there would be a return to the land on the part of a believing remnant of a new generation The Temple would be rebuilt, and the glory