Podcast

God tells Ezekiel to compare Israel to a child disposed of in a wasteland, who God takes in, raises, and marries before she turns around and becomes a harlot. Israel “plays the field” by worshipping other pagan gods and making child sacrifices.

The lord promises to lead false prophets astray for pretending that they speak with His authority. The last part of this episode is some review and discussion of the previous few lectures, tying it into modern life.

I apologize for the echos in this recording.

The Lord tells Ezekiel to prepare the Israelites for exile, that they may confess their sins to the nations. The exiled Israelites will one day come back and rebuild Israel, and the Lord will replace their hearts of stone and restore Israel to a nation loyal to the Lord.

The Lord shows Ezekiel of a vision where He instructs a man in white linen to mark Israelites loyal to God with a crosslike symbol, and then destroy the rest with cleansing fire for their idolatry.

I apologize for the echo in this recording.

God shows Ezekiel a vision of pervasive idol worship among the Israelites, even among the highest echelons of power. Demand for false prophets is high at this time, though Ezekiel has gained notoriety and people are interested to hear what God tells him to say.

I apologize for the echo in this recording.

We discuss how some of the elements of the Ezekiel’s visions are found elsewhere in the Bible. We also begin to discuss the vision of God on the throne, resplendent in awesome power.

We discuss the living wheels that make up the chariot and throne of God in Ezekiel’s vision.

We discuss the winged creatures in Ezekiel’s vision, tying in their potential signficance to other parts of the Bible.

Download MP3 (12:13; 9 MB)

Ezekiel sees of vision of powerful-looking creatures that hold up a chariot for the Lord. The imagery of these creatures is used for artistic effect in later, recognizable works but must be viewed in their context: as symbols of power and majesty.

We are introduced to Ezekiel. We know he was a young Levitical priest and that he was a Jew in the Babylonian exile. We discuss a bit of the historical context.