A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

Ezekiel did not believe Israel’s trials were past in their defeat at the hands of the
Babylonians. There would be other battles-some victorious, some not. Perhaps one of the most
significant battles yet to be fought involving Israel is that described in Ezekiel’s vision of Gog
and Magog (Ezek. 38-39). According to this prophecy, there remains at least one major world
conflict against the Jews yet to be fought involving nations in the regions of Russia, Europe, the
Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, and Israel. Despite every indication that Israel will be greatly
outnumbered in this conflict, God has already promised His people victory in this struggle.
As a priest, one of Ezekiel’s greatest concerns in Babylon must have been the absence of
a temple. But he knew there would someday be a renewal of temple worship. God gave Ezekiel a
vision of a temple larger than any Israel has built to this day. Many conservative Bible scholars
believe this will be the millennial temple and that sacrifices will be offered on a regular basis
during the thousand-year reign of Christ. These sacrifices will not have the Old Testament
significance, but will look back as a memorial of His sacrificial work on the cross. For Ezekiel, it
was comforting to know the Shekinah glory of God he had watched depart from the temple and
city of Jerusalem would someday return in greater glory than it had previously.
PERSPECTIVE
Ezekiel the priest-prophet was carried to Babylon in 597 B. C. and wrote to fellow exiles.
As a watchman he was a prosecuting attorney to convince the nation of her disobedience to
Jehovah and announce her judgment. He explicitly described the destruction of Jerusalem and
the temple. Ezekiel used various means to deliver his message; speaking, acting, visions,
symbolic actions, allegories, parables, and written messages. But God’s people had gone too far.
Ezekiel saw idols in the temple and the departure of the Shekinah glory cloud. The
prophetic seer described Jehovah’s preparation for judgment. Then Jerusalem was destroyed.
Ezekiel prophesied against those nations who plundered Israel when she was helpless.
The final portion of Ezekiel’s book brought hope. He predicted the coming Messiah who
would deliver Israel. He predicted Israel’s return to the land and her spiritual rebirth. He
predicted the rebuilding of the temple, larger and more beautiful than the one just destroyed. He
predicted the land would be reallocated geographically to the twelve tribes. Finally, Ezekiel
described the future city of Jerusalem with its gates and beauty. But his greatest message was
that the city would be known as Jehovah-Shammah: “the Lord is there” (Ezek. 48:35). The
Shekinah glory of God that left the old Jerusalem would reside in the New Jerusalem.
FORTY-EIGHT
DANIEL:
The Years in Babylon
(Daniel)
The fall of Jerusalem was more than a political and religious calamity. It was in the lives
of those transplanted to a foreign culture also a human tragedy. Yet in the midst of this disaster,
there were individuals who demonstrated their faithfulness to God in the most unusual of
circumstances. One of the most influential of those taken away into the Babylonian Captivity
was a prophet and prince of Judah named Daniel. His life is unique in that it spans the entire