THE FIRST PART: A BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
From Captivity to the Return
Message Five—Ezekiel
Scripture Reading: Ezek. 1:1-26; 14:3-5; 36:25-27; 48:1-23
I. The subject of Ezekiel is God’s appearing to man in glory, His judgment upon both His people and the nations, and His recovery of His chosen people for the building up of a dwelling place as a mutual abode and complete expression for and of Himself—Ezek. 1:4-28; 5:8, 15.
II. The Bible as a whole, and the book of Ezekiel as a miniature of the Bible, reveal that God’s eternal intention is to dispense Himself into His chosen people, making them the same as He is in His life, His nature, and His image but not in His Godhead, that they might be mingled with Him as one entity and be built together in Him to be His eternal habitation, the New Jerusalem—Ezek. 1:1; Gen. 1:26:
A. The Bible shows us clearly that God’s eternal purpose is to dispense Himself into a group of human beings; His intention is to dispense Himself into us that we may have Him as our life, that we may have His nature, and that we may bear His glorious image.
B. The book of Ezekiel shows us the same picture in a condensed way, revealing that God’s intention is to work Himself into us as our life and to mingle Himself with us that we might be built together in Him as life to be His eternal habitation.
III. There are fore sections in the book of Ezekiel; the first section of this book (ch. 1) presents a vision of the appearance of the glory of the Lord; in the second section (chs. 2—32) God comes as the consuming fire to judge His people and the heathen nations; after the judgment God comes in to recover His people by life; the third section (chs. 33—39) is the section of recovery; the fourth section (chs. 40—48), which concerns the holy building of God, comes out of the recovery by life and consummates the book:
A. Ezekiel is a book of visions; the first section of this book presents a vision of the appearance of the glory of the Lord, revealing how God is manifested, how God moves, and how God administrates His government through the four living creatures; through the coordination of the living creatures, God is able to move and administrate:
1. “Now in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth of the month, while I was among the captives by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God”—Ezek. 1:1:
a. The opening of the heavens is God’s special visitation; the people of Israel had been damaged by Satan and carried away into captivity; as a result, the heavens could not be opened to them—Gen. 28:11-17; Mat. 3:16-17; Acts 7:56.
b. There was a priest, Ezekiel, who was seeking God and contacting Him and who was connected to the heavens; the heavens could therefore be opened to him and could even come down to the earth, enabling God’s heavenly things to be seen by people on earth and to be fulfilled among them on earth—Gen. 28:17; Ezek. 1:3; Rev. 1:1, 9.
c. Ezekiel saw visions of God—divine, spiritual, heavenly visions—in his spirit under an opened heaven—Eph. 3:3-5; Rev. 1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10.
2. The One signified by the glowing electrum, the Lamb-God, dwells within us as a priceless treasure for His expression— 2 Cor. 4:7.
3. The four faces of the four living creatures signify the complete and adequate expression of Christ—Ezek. 1:5-6, 10:
a. The four living creatures signify a corporate entity, the corporate Christ—the corporate expression of God; when God gains such a corporate expression, His purpose will be accomplished—1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 3:10-11.
b. The vision in Ezekiel 1 shows us that we need to be corporate and that we need to be in coordination—vv. 4-5, 12.
4. “Upon the likeness of the throne was One in appearance like a man”—v. 26b:
a. The One on the throne looks like a man, yet with Him is the likeness of the glory of Jehovah, indicating that the One sitting on the throne is both God and man; this is Jesus Christ, the God-man, the mingling of God and man—Ezek. 1:28.
b. The One on the throne and the four living creatures both have the appearance of a man, indicating that the four living creatures on earth are the expression of the One on the throne; this is the manifestation of God in humanity—Ezek. 1:5, 26; 1 Tim. 3:15-16.
c. As revealed in the Bible, God’s mysterious intention in His relationship with man is to mingle Himself with man and thereby to become the same as man and make man the same as He is in life, in nature, and in expression but not in the Godhead—John 1:12-14; 1 John 3:2; 2 Pet. 1:4; Rom. 8:29.
B. In the second section of the book of Ezekiel, God comes as the consuming fire to judge His people and the heathen nations—Ezek. 20:6, 6:9; 13:4:
1. At the time of Ezekiel the people of Israel were degraded and unsuitable for God’s purpose; their degraded situation forced God to exercise His judgment upon them.
2. God’s judgment upon His people was based on three things: the righteousness of God, the holiness of God, and the glory of God—Gen. 3:24; 1 Cor. 1:30:
a. God’s righteousness was versus Israel’s injustice and oppression; during Ezekiel’s time the people used oppression and exercised robbery; on the basis of His righteous throne, God had to exercise His judgment upon all unrighteous and unjust things—Ezek. 22:29; Col. 3:15.
b. God’s holiness is God’s separation and sanctification, and this is versus dross; as God’s elect, God’s chosen people, the church should be pure gold, pure silver, and a pure treasure; however, like the people of Israel at Ezekiel’s time, the church has become dross—Exo. 19:5; Ezek. 22:17-22.
c. God’s judgment upon His people is based first upon His glory; anything that is versus God’s glory will surely provoke His judgment—Ezek. 8:2-4.
3. Chapters twenty-five through thirty-two of Ezekiel speak of seven nations that surrounded the nation of Israel; God executed judgment in four ways: by destroying these nations, by making them desolate, by making them very low, and by delivering them to the nether parts of the earth, that is, to the lower parts of the earth.
4. Whenever the condition among His people or in the world does not match His righteousness, holiness, and glory, God will exercise His judgment for the purpose of recovery.
C. After the judgment God comes in to recover His people by life—Ezek. 33:7, 11; Isa. 62:6-7:
1. In His recovery by life, the first thing the Lord does is to send the watchman to warn His people and cause them to repent, turn, and live—Ezek. 33:7, 11; Isa. 62:6-7; Matt. 3:1-2; Col. 1:28-29; Acts 20:26-27.
2. After the warning of the watchman, Lord Himself came in to be the Shepherd, He not only seeks but also searches—Ezek. 34:11-31; Luke 15:3-10; Matt. 9:36; John 10:11; 21:15-17; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 5:3-4.
3. In chapter thirty-six we see that the Lord recovers His people by life not only outwardly but also inwardly, by giving them a new heart and a new spirit and by putting His Spirit within them.
4. Chapter 37 reveals how God’s Spirit enters into His people in order to enliven them that they may become a corporate Body formed into an army and built up to be God’s dwelling place—vv. 1-14, 26-28.
5. I hope that many will humble themselves before the Lord and pray, “Lord, I confess that I am not only sick and sinful—I admit that I am dead. My heart and my spirit are dead. Lord, I am completely dead and dry. I am like a pile of dead, dry bones. O Lord, I need Your life to come into me. I need You to breathe the breath of life into me so that I may live, that we may become a corporate body, formed into an army, and also built up as God’s dwelling place.”
D. The book of Ezekiel begins with a vision of the appearance of the glory of the Lord and ends with a vision of the holy building of God; this indicates that God’s goal is the building and that the glory of the Lord, the judgment of God, and the recovery of the Lord are all for the holy building of God—Ezek. 40:1-48:35:
1. God’s eternal purpose is to have a building as a mingling of Himself with His chosen people; whatever God does among His people and among the nations on earth is for His building.
2. In Ezekiel 40—48, a section on God’s building, three main things are covered: the holy temple, the holy city, and the holy land: God obtains a holy temple (chs. 40—44) and a holy city in the Holy Land; God dwells in the temple, and He dwells also in the city; In the temple God has fellowship with His people, and in the city God reigns among His people.
3. After the building of the house of God, the Bible speaks of the river of God’s pleasures, the river whose streams gladden the city of God, a fountain coming forth from the house of the Lord, living waters going out from Jerusalem, and the living water flowing out of the house of God—Psa. 36:8b; 46:4; Joe. 3:18; Zech. 14:8; Ezek. 47:1-12:
a. The main factor that caused living water to pour out was the building up of the house—Ezek. 47:1a.
b. The flowing is by the side of the altar, showing that if we want to have the flow, we need the dealing of the cross; if we want to experience the flow of life, we must have a full consecration.
c. For the increase of the flow of life, we need to be measured by the Lord; the work, behavior, and person of God’s people must match the temple of God according to its design, its pattern, its laws, and its statutes—Ezek. 43:10-11.
IV. “If you are in the Lord’s recovery, be in the recovery absolutely, not halfway…The Lord Jesus desires and requires absoluteness…By being absolute we will be in the flow, and the flow will not be a trickle but a river to swim in; Then everything shall live where the river comes” (Life-study of Ezekiel, pp. 311-312).
Ministry Excerpts:
A MINIATURE OF THE ENTIRE BIBLE
The book of Ezekiel occupies a very important position among the books of the Bible. If we know what the Bible reveals, we can see that Ezekiel is a miniature of the entire Bible. What is revealed in Ezekiel is a condensed form of the whole revelation in the Bible. In this sense Ezekiel is a miniature of the Scriptures as a whole. (Life-Study of Ezekiel, msg. 1)
LIFE, NATURE, IMAGE, AND BUILDING
In the first three chapters of Genesis, we see that God created man and placed him before the tree of life. The tree of life signifies God Himself as life to us in the form of food. Due to the fall of man, the tree of life was encompassed and concealed by cherubim, and “a flaming sword which turned every way” kept “the way of the tree of life” (Gen. 3:24). From Genesis 3 onward we see both God’s judgment and God’s care, mercy, and salvation. On the one hand, God’s flaming sword executes His judgment, burning away whatever is contrary to Himself. On the other hand, through His grace God has redeemed a people for Himself. Through the redemption of Christ the way to the tree of life has been opened again to man. Now man, under and through Christ’s redemption, has free access to the tree of life and may take the tree of life as his food. This is why in John 6 the Lord Jesus told us that He came as the bread of life and that we should take Him as our food. He said, “He who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me” (v. 57b). If we take Him as our food, we will have His life and nature, and eventually, we will bear His image. By having His life, nature, and image we will be built up together. He prayed for this building in John 17:21 when He prayed, “That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us.” To be one in such a way means that we need to be built up together. If we go from John’s Gospel to John’s Revelation, we can see that in Revelation 21 and 22 all the redeemed ones have been built together into one city. In this city we are all one, not just one in doctrine nor even just one in vision but one in building. From this we see that we need to be built up one with another in life. Then God will have a city, the New Jerusalem. This is the picture portrayed in the Scriptures.
When we come to the book of Ezekiel, we see the same picture. In the first chapter are the cherubim of flaming fire with God in their midst. Other chapters show us how God comes to be our life (chs. 11, 33, 34, 36, 37, 47). Eventually, chapter forty-eight reveals that we who have God’s life will be built up together into the holy city, Jerusalem. Once again we see that the book of Ezekiel is a miniature of the Bible.
We need to be deeply impressed with the fact that the Bible as a whole and the book of Ezekiel as a miniature of the Bible reveal that God’s intention is to dispense Himself into us as our life that we may have His divine nature and bear His glorious image. Then by the divine nature with the divine image we will be built together as one eternal dwelling place—the New Jerusalem. This is the central point of the revelation of the Bible and also of the book of Ezekiel. (Life-Study of Ezekiel, msg. 1)
THE FOUR SECTIONS OF EZEKIEL
Ezekiel is a book of visions. The first section of this book (ch. 1) presents a vision of the appearance of the glory of the Lord, revealing how God is manifested, how God moves, and how God administrates His government through the four living creatures. Through the coordination of the living creatures, God is able to move and administrate. In the second section (chs. 2—32) God comes as the consuming fire to judge His people and the heathen nations. After the judgment God comes in to recover His people by life. The third section (chs. 33—39) is the section of recovery. The fourth section (chs. 40—48), which concerns the holy building of God, comes out of the recovery by life and consummates the book. Thus, Ezekiel begins with the appearance of the glory of the Lord and ends with the holy building of God. This indicates that God’s goal is the building. (Life-Study of Ezekiel, msg. 1)
OUR SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES BEING ACCORDING TO
OUR KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
Genesis 1 begins with a word concerning God, and Ezekiel 1 opens with a glorious vision of God. Those who know God can testify that our spiritual experiences are according to our knowledge of God. Likewise, our service and the church affairs also depend on our knowledge of God. The degree of our knowing God will determine both the degree of our spiritual experience and the situation of the church. Spiritually speaking, everything we have depends on God’s being, vision, and manifestation and on our knowing God.
Ezekiel 1:4 covers four main things: the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum. First, a stormy wind came from the north. Second, a great cloud came along with the wind. Third, there was a fire enfolding itself. Fourth, out of the fire there appeared the glowing electrum.
The visions in the book of Ezekiel begin not with man but with God. The visions, which begin from the north, where God is, show us God in His will, plan, intention, work, action, and relationship with man. These visions reveal what God expects man to be in relation to Him. In addition to the four items mentioned above, the visions in chapter one include the four living creatures, the high and dreadful wheels, a sky as clear as crystal, God’s glorious throne, and the man upon the throne. As we consider God’s glorious visions in this chapter, we need to pay careful attention to all these matters. (Life-Study of Ezekiel, msg. 3)
THE SPIRITUAL HISTORY OF EVERY CHRISTIAN
THE WIND, THE CLOUD, THE FIRE AND THE ELECTRUM
The spiritual history of every Christian should involve the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum. When we were saved, we experienced the Lord in these four ways, and we should continue to experience Him in this way. In fact, every time we are graced by the Lord, we have spiritual transactions with Him involving the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum. When you wake up in the morning, you may sense that the wind of the Spirit is blowing upon you and that a cloud is overshadowing you. Then as you spend some time to pray, you may sense that a fire is burning within you to consume your corruption, worldliness, and many other negative things. Eventually, you may sense that within you there is something bright, beautiful, and dignified—the glowing electrum. As a result of this experience, you may live the whole day in the enjoyment of the glowing electrum. However, as you live and walk in this corrupted world, you cannot avoid being defiled and contaminated, so at the end of the day or the next morning you may have a further experience of the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum. Once again the wind blows, the cloud broods, and the fire burns. You confess your sins and deal with your filthiness, and following this you once again enjoy the shining of the electrum within you.
This kind of experience is inexhaustible and unending. Day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year, we need to experience the wind, the cloud, the fire, and the electrum. Every time the wind blows, the cloud covers, and the fire burns, we will be enlightened to see that we need to deal with matters about which we had no awareness before. As these negative things are burned away, we experience a further purification and have a deeper enjoyment of the glowing electrum. (Life-Study of Ezekiel, msg. 4)
COORDINATION IN THE DIVINE POWER, STRENGTH, AND SUPPLY
Ezekiel 1:11b says, “Two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.” Here we see that two of their wings are for moving, and this moving is in coordination. By two of their wings they are joined to one another, and in this way they are coordinated. As we have seen, the living creatures use the other two wings to cover themselves.
In themselves the living creatures are separate and are individuals, but with the eagle’s wings they are coordinated as one body. This indicates that the coordination among us Christians is not something of ourselves. What we have in ourselves does not coordinate—it divides. Whatever we are in ourselves, whatever we have in ourselves, and whatever we do in ourselves result not in coordination but in division and separation. However, we have the eagle’s wings, and with the eagle’s wings we can be one and we can be coordinated. (Life-Study of Ezekiel, msg. 7)
GOD’S JUDGMENT AND GOD’S RECOVERY
We need to remember that God’s judgment is based upon His righteousness, His holiness, and His glory. Whenever the condition among His people or in the world does not match His righteousness, holiness, and glory, God will exercise His judgment for the purpose of recovery. God wants to recover His people according to His righteousness, holiness, and glory. As we will see, whereas God’s judgment is by fire, God’s recovery is by life. (Life-Study of Ezekiel, msg. 16)
PUTTING HIS SPIRIT INTO THEIR SPIRIT
Ezekiel 36:27 says, “I will put My Spirit within you” (NASB). Here we see that the Lord said not only that He will give us a new heart and a new spirit but that He will put His Spirit in us, putting His Spirit into our spirit. We should not neglect our spirit, because our spirit is the vessel which contains the divine Spirit. When believers hear the word spirit, they usually think of the Holy Spirit. They seldom consider that they have a human spirit. Yes, we need the Holy Spirit, but we need to realize that the Holy Spirit is in our regenerated human spirit. “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit” (Rom. 8:16). Praise the Lord that we have a new heart and a new spirit and that we have the Holy Spirit within our spirit strengthening us all the time.
This enables us to keep God’s commandments. God’s commandments are according to His nature, and we have the nature of God within us because we have His Spirit within us. Now there is something within us that corresponds to God’s law. God’s Spirit within us contains God’s nature, and God’s nature corresponds to God’s law. Because we have God’s nature within us, it is easy for us to keep His law. Formerly it was difficult for us to love others, but now it is easy to love others and difficult to hate them because we have a new nature, God’s nature, within us. (Life-Study of Ezekiel, msg. 17)
THE GLORY RETURNING BECAUSE THE BUILDING OF
THE TEMPLE WAS COMPLETED
We need to be deeply impressed with the fact that the glory of God returned only after the building of the temple was completed. If we want to dwell in the church and manifest His glory in the church, the church must be complete. If the church today corresponds to all the details of the holy building of God covered in these chapters of Ezekiel and thus is built up in every aspect, God will dwell in the church gloriously. Therefore, in order for the glorious God to dwell in the church, the church must be built up to become the dwelling place of God.
God wants to have the church built up on earth because He desires to have a dwelling place on earth. He, the God of the heavens, wants to live on the earth. The place where He lives, His dwelling place, is the church. Since God dwells in the church, those who want to seek God and contact Him must come to the church. Our main burden in this study of Ezekiel is to see the dwelling place which God desires to have on earth. If we have the grace to be built up in the church, the God of glory will live among us. (Life-Study of Ezekiel, msg. 24)