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One-sentence summary: Ezekiel sees another vision of the glory of the Lord, the Lord promises swift judgment, and He also promises to preserve a remnant- giving them one heart and a new spirit.
The Lord calls out in a loud voice, "Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand." Suddenly, six men come from the direction of the upper gate that faces north, with battle axes in their hands. One is clothed in linen and has a writers's ink horn at his side. They go in and stand beside the bronze altar. The glory of the Lord goes up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the Lord calls to the man in linen and tells him to go through the midst of Jerusalem and put a mark on the heads of the foreheads of those who weep for the abominations done in it. He tells the others to go into the city and kill the old and the young, men, women, and children. However, He tells them not to kill those with the mark. He tells them to begin with the sanctuary, and they begin with the elders in the temple. He also tells them to defile the temple by putting the dead bodies in the temple. Ezekiel is left alone and falls on his face and cries out to the Lord. He asks if He will destroy the remnant of Israel in pouring out His fury. The Lord says their iniquity is exceedingly great, and the land full of bloodshed and perversity, and the people say the Lord has forsaken the land and does not see, so He says He will recompense their deeds on their own heads and not have pity on them. The man in linen reports back, saying he has done as commanded.
Ezekiel looks and sees in the skies above the cherubim something like a sapphire stone, like a throne. The Lord speaks to the man in linen and tells him to go among the wheels under the cherubim and fill his hands with coals of fire and scatter them over the city. The cherubim are on the south side of the temple when the man goes in, and the cloud fills the inner court; the glory of the Lord goes up from the cherubim and pauses over the threshold of the temple, and the house is filled with the cloud. The court is full of the brightness of the Lord's glory, and the sound of the wings of the cherubim can be heard, "like the sound of Almighty God when He speaks." The cherubim have man's hands under their wings, and there are four wheels under them. Their whole bodies, every part- and the wheels- are full of eyes all around. He describes the faces of the cherubim (the creatures he had seen) again. One face is like a cherub, another is like a man, the third is like a lion, and the fourth is like an eagle, on each of them. The cherubim are lifted up, and the glory of the Lord departs from the threshold of the temple and stands over them. They lift their wings and mount up from the earth. When they go out, the wheels are beside them, and they stand at the east gate of the Lord's house with the Lord's glory above them. Ezekiel calls them living creatures and also cherubim.
The Spirit lifts Ezekiel and brings him to the east gate of the Lord's house. There, there are 25 men, with princes are among them. The Lord tells him that these are the men who "devise iniquity and give wicked counsel." He tells him to prophesy against them. The Spirit falls upon him, and the Lord tells him to speak. He is to say that the Lord knows their thoughts, and that they are guilty of bloodshed. They have feared the sword, and the Lord will bring a sword upon them and bring them out of the city and deliver them into the hands of strangers. They will fall by the sword, and then they will know that He is the Lord. They have lived according to the ways of the Gentiles, He says. As he is prophesying, one of the princes dies, and Ezekiel falls on his face and cries out to the Lord, again asking Him if He will make a complete end of Israel. The Lord answers and says that his own countrymen have departed from Him, and He tells him to tell them that although He has cast them off and scattered them, He will be a "little sanctuary" for them in the countries where they have gone. He will gather them again and give them the land of Israel. Then, they will go and take away the abominable detestable things. The Lord promises to give them "one heart." He says, "I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh that they may walk in My statutes... and they shall be My people, and I will be their God." However, those who love idols will be punished. The cherubim lift their wings, and the glory of the Lord is high above them. It goes from the midst of the city and stands on the mountain to the east. The Spirit takes him Ezekiel in a vision and takes him to Chaldea, to those in captivity, and he speaks to them of all the things the Lord has shown him.
The word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel again, saying that he lives in a rebellious house, with people who "have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear." He tells him to prepare his belongings for captivity and go into captivity by day in their sight. He says maybe the people will consider all this, even though they are a rebellious house. He tells him to "prepare for captivity" and then at evening to dig through the wall and carry his belongings out on his shoulders at twilight, also covering his face so he cannot see the ground. The Lord says He has made him a sign to the house of Israel. He does this, and in the morning, the word of the Lord comes to him, saying that He knows the people have asked him, "What are you doing?" He tells him to reply that his burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all of Israel and to tell them he is a sign, and that as he has done, so will be done with them; they will be carried away to captivity, and their prince will carry his belongings at twilight. He will dig through the wall and cover his face. The Lord will spread a net over him, and he will be caught in his snare. He will be brought to Babylon, and his helpers will be scattered. Then, they will know that He is the Lord, when He scatters them among the nations. However, a few will be spared from the sword, famine, and pestilence, to declare their abominations among the Gentiles wherever they go, and they will know He is the Lord. The word of the Lord tells Ezekiel to eat and drink with trembling and anxiety and to say to the people that they will also do this. The Lord says the land will become desolate because of the violence they have done, and they will know He is the Lord. The Lord asks about their proverb that says, "The days are prolonged, and every vision fails." The Lord says He will lay this proverb to rest and tells Ezekiel to tell them that the days are at hand of the fulfillment of every vision. There will be no more false visions. "For I am the Lord. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass. It will no more be postponed." The Lord says that He both says and performs the word. He says that the people are saying that the prophesies are for times far off, but tells Ezekiel to say that none of the words will be postponed any more; the word the Lord speaks will be done.
Thoughts/discussion questions:
It's wild when you think about it- that the Lord promised to Ezekiel what He fulfilled in Christ thousands of years later (and ago) and is still doing today!