Tomb of Ezekiel in Iraq

The prophet Ezekiel prophesied to the Jewish exiles in Babylon (modern day Iraq) from 593-586 BC. Situated between the towns of Hillah and Najaf, 130 kms south of Baghdad, there is a tomb called the tomb of Dhu'l-Kifl which is considered to be the tomb of Ezekiel. Dhu'l-Kifl is considered by many to be a Quranic rendering of the name of Ezekiel.



Earlier, a large group of Jews used to visit this tomb during the Passover. According to ArchNet,

The site was originally a place of Jewish pilgrimage as it housed the tomb of the prophet Ezekiel. The Iraqi authorities assert that in 1316 the Ilkhanid Sultan Uljaitu acquired the rights of guardianship over the tomb from the Jewish community. Consequently, the shrine was re-named according to the Islamic nomenclature for the same prophet. Sultan Uljaitu added to the structure by building a mosque and a minaret. As well he restored the shrine implementing some alterations made clear by comparing its present state with pre-Ilkhanid travelers' descriptions. The site remained a Muslim pilgrimage place until the beginning of the nineteenth century when Menahim Ibn Danyal, a wealthy Jew, successfully converted it back to a Jewish site and restored it. The minaret remained as the only witness to its tenure as an Islamic site.

The Muslims regard Dhu'l-Kifl as a prophet. The Quran mentions:

And (remember) Ismail and Idris and Dhul-Kifl, all were from among those who observe patience.[Qur'an 21:85–86]
And remember Ismail and Al-Yasa and Dhul-Kifl, and they were all from the best.[Qur'an 38:48]

In 2009, there were reports that the Iraqi government had launched a project to renovate the Shrine (See Jerusalem Post of 1 May, 2009). However, it was later reported that there were no intentions to convert the tomb into a mosque (See Jerusalem Post of 14 May, 2009).

Studies in Ezekiel: God's Watchman (3:16-18)

Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, "You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. (Ezekiel 3:16-18)

God appoints Ezekiel as a watchman for the house of Israel (3:17).

The Nature of His Position is:

1. Sacred. He is appointed by God. “I have made you a watchman” (v.17).

2. Specific. It relates to the people of Israel. “for the house of Israel” (v.17).

3. Serious. It concerns life or death. His faithfulness in watchfulness and warning will mean life or death to the ones he’s called to minister. “I will hold you accountable for his blood” (v.18).

4. Solitary. He can’t depend on anyone or anyone’s compliance or support. He is called alone and must be a witness alone. “but you will have saved yourself” (v.19).

The Duties of Ezekiel as God’s Watchman for Israel are:

1. Watchfulness – Hearing God and being aware of thing around – “Hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.” (v.17)

2. Warning the Sinner. (v.18-21).

The Warning Must be:

a. Clear and Loud – “speak out” (v.18).

b. Conversion-Oriented – “to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life.” (v.18).

c. Cogent – It should be persuasive - “to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life.” (v.18).

d. Concerned – It is moved by passion for souls – “to save his life” (v.18).

© Domenic Marbaniang, Feb, 2010.

Studies in Ezekiel: Eat This Scroll (Ezekiel 3)

"Moreover He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and He cause me to eat that scroll." (Eze. 3:1,2).

By this the Lord qualified Ezekiel for the prophetic ministry.

1. Apprehension: The servant of God must fully apprehend the meaning of the message he preaches. If he's not clear about the message, then neither can he communicate it to others. The Lord tells Ezekiel to feed his belly and fill his stomach with the scroll (v.3). It's only after Ezekiel has eaten it and known its taste to be as sweet as honey, that he's able to stand boldly and proclaim what he knows about what God means to say.

2. Assimilation: The word became internal to the servant. The word and the servant became one. Only when the word is mixed with faith will the result be divine perspective and divine fulfillment (Heb. 4:1,2). Therefore, God commands Ezekiel his prophet saying, "Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears" (Eze.3:10). Similarly, Jesus said to His disciples, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7). This assimilation of God's word occurs when we take God at His word without any circumvention.

3. Articulation: Ezekiel's clear, straightforward, and fearless proclamation of God's word is possible only because the word now defines the mission and expression of who he is. He is God's servant and God's prophet and the totality of his existence is defined in the relentless and front-line articulation of the divine message. The articulation needs to be
(a) Verbal (v.4). It consists of words.
(b) Personal (v5). It concerns people as persons.
(c) Public (v5). It concerns a message that is religious, but social and political as well.
(d) Relentless (v6). The proclamation will not be affected in either intensity or verity despite the indifference or hostility of the audience.
(e) Testimonial (v7). The proclamation is a call to repentance, but is not oriented to it. It is merely a testimony of divine Truth.
(f) Powerful (v8). The testimony is stronger than the strength of worldly wisdom, vice, and violence. It looks in the eyes because it is pure.
(g) Fearless (v9). The proclamation is bold, courageous, and advancing. It doesn't stop anywhere nor can be limited byour  any bonds or chains.

Prayer: Lord, grant your laborers the clarity of your vision, the strength of your soul, the passion of your heart, and the boldness of your Spirit to live out and preach the truth that you've given us to assimilate, apprehend, and articulate. The Lord's Name be blessed forever. Amen!

Studies in Ezekiel: Call and Commission (Chs 2-3)

Chapter 1 ends with "the likeness of the appearance of a man" in fire, rainbow, and great brightness, and Ezekiel recounts "This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face..." (1:28). This was the manifestation of the God of Israel in the vision of Jesus Christ, 500 years before His birth in Bethlehem.

The ministry of a certainty belongs to Christ who is the Son over His own house (Heb.3:5). It was He whom Moses obeyed when he forsook Pharaoh's palace (Heb.11:26), and He who was the Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of Fire, the Angel of the LORD to lead the Israelites in the wilderness (1Cor.10:1-4). The Messiah was before Abraham (Jn.8:58). Christ now calls Ezekiel and commissions him to the prophetical ministry that would reveal the transition from the old into the new, the fading of the Old Covenant into the New Covenant. It doesn't mean a cessation of Israel as a people of God, but a revelation of God's purposes for them in a glorious Temple of which Christ Himself is the High Priest. It marks the plan for the tearing of the veil and the revelation of God's Holy Presence through the covenant of Jesus Christ. Ezekiel, perhaps, had been contemplating on his 30th year that he should have been in the temple at Jerusalem, but God now reveals that he is appointed to be a prophet of renewal. God's glory now comes from the north (not from the east) directly to Babylon where Ezekiel, the heavens open up on earth to a man called to be a priest. He is now called to be a prophet of the Most High, to reveal mysteries that are too hard for words, that would need symbols, imageries, and parables. Ezekiel the priest is called and commissioned by God in exile.

Thought: Do you think you are in an exile like situation where ministry is an impossibility? You do not need to worry about place, time, or situations. God is not limited by them. His Glory fills the universe. Do you think that you have not been qualified enough? God doesn't call people after they have qualified themselves. In fact, He only uses people whom He first calls and qualifies. We only need to believe and obey. Do you believe in Christ? Are you willing to do whatever He says? The only way to be God's servant is by giving up all rights, absolutely all of them, in perfect submission to His Lordship. It is then that His fire and His light envelops your heart and passion to be a watchman of Israel.

Studies in Ezekiel: Wings and Wheels (Chap. 1)

God speaks in Ezekiel through four different ways:

1. Visions - They reveal God's glory in relation to His people (the 4 living creatures, the Temple). They usually answer the question, "What is the truth of God?"
2. Symbols - Ezekiel is to signify certain happenings through his very life (e.g. the mimic siege, the razor, the death of his wife). They usually answer the question, "How is it going to happen?"
3. Parables and Allegories - They illustrate the story of God's relation with His people and demonstrate the reason why He chastises them (the boiling pot, the vine). They usually answer the question, "Why is it going to happen?"
4. Plain speech - They are explanations, commands, and promises that God gives to Ezekiel and to His people.

Promises - Ezekiel contains a number of divine promises including the promise of a new covenant and the future regathering of Israel.

Chapter 1 demonstrates how God's servants, the cherubim, are connected to God's will in perfect unison that they only go where the Spirit wants to go. The wheels demonstrate God's sovereign ruling over creation and the winged cherubim symbolize the perfection of His executed will.

Ezekiel is accosted by God by the river Chebar in Babylon by direct visions of God. He sees the heavens open and sees the Might of God's Glory amidst the holy cherubim in chapter 1. The scene displays the fact that God's glory is not limited to the Temple. The Tabernacle of old and the Temple of Jerusalem were only shadows of the real, which is Christ. The faces of the cherubim, viz. man, lion, ox, and eagle were on the standards of each of the four companies of Israel that encamped around the Tabernacle in the wilderness (Num. 2:2). Each face prophetically symbolized the 4-fold nature of Christ and the living creatures or cherubim as well as those ensigns, thus carried the mark of God's glory as revealed in Jesus Christ:

• Man (north) - Humanity of Jesus Christ
• Lion (right, east of Tabernacle) - Royalty of Jesus Christ
• Ox (left, west of Tabernacle) - Servanthood of Jesus Christ
• Eagle (south) - Divinity of Jesus Christ

The revelation of God in Ezekiel 1 is, therefore, the revelation of Christ (Eze.1:26).

Key: The history of Israel and the history of the world consummates in Jesus Christ (Rom.10:4; Eph.1:10;2:16; Col.2:10).

"The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev.19:10).

Important notes about chapter 1:

"out of the north" (v 4) - The north symbolically designates the dwelling place of God (Job 37:22; Ps. 48:2; Isa.14:13; 41:25).

"a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself" (v 4) - This is how the Lord appeared in His glory to the Israelites in the wilderness. It demonstrates His presence, purity, and power (Exo. 24:16,17).

"they went wherever the Spirit wanted to go"  (v 12) - This reflects the experience of the Israelites in the wilderness. Whenever the Shekinah glory of God (Pillar of cloud or Pillar of fire) lifted up from the Tabernacle and moved the priests had to dismantle the Tabernacle, according to the guidelines, and follow the Lord (Exo. 40:36-38). As the cherubim were bound to the ark of the covenant in the Temple, so are they bound to God's will and action in reality. 

"a wheel in the middle of a wheel" (v 16) - The contrast between the ark of the covenant and this vision is clear. The ark had to be born on the shoulders of the priests, but the heavenly reality of which the earthly is only a copy moved on intersecting wheels according to the direction of the Spirit of God. There was no need of dismantling the Tabernacle when the cloud lifted. This is the divine chariot of God that surpasses the glory and might of all the kings of the earth. God's movement on the earth are marked by omnipresence (He fills the earth, "so high"), omniscience (He sees all things "full of eyes"), and omnipotence (v 18).

Mark this: God's call to His servants comes only after a self-revelation of Himself (Exo.3; Isa.6; Lk.5:1-11). Have you known God yet?

Studies in Ezekiel: Introduction

The book of Ezekiel was written by a priest-prophet named Ezekiel (meaning "God will strengthen") in around 593-571 B.C., when those messages were given. The book has 48 chapters and contains a number of visions and prophecies regarding the then and future Israel.

About the Author

Ezekiel was born in 623 B.C. in a priestly family of Jerusalem. His father's name was Buzi (1:2). When he was 25 years old, he was taken away into the exile in Babylon by the army of king Nebuchadnezzar who invaded Jerusalem in 597 B.C. Five years later, in 593 B.C., Ezekiel got his first vision of God when he was 30 years old, the age when a priest was supposed to enter temple ministry (1:1-3). Beginning from then, he prophesied for the next 30 years, his last message dates as on April 28, 573 B.C. (Zondervan Archaelogical Bible). Ezekiel typifies the style of prophetical life in which the prophesy is symbolized by a lifestyle of the prophet which acts as object lessons to the audience.

Date

The book was written between 593-573 B.C.

Place

The messages were given to the exiles in Babylon.

Message

The book contains series of messages that deal with God's judgment of and later, restoration of Israel.

Plan

The messages can be divided into three periods:

1. Pre-siege Messages (593-586 B.C.) - Chapters 1-24

2. Messages during the Siege (586 B.C.) - Chapters 25-32

3. Post-siege Messages (586-573 B.C.) - Chapters 33-48

The first part deals with prophecies related to God's judgment of Israel and the transition into the "times of the gentiles" when the three great world empires, according to Daniel's prophecy, would arise and rule over Israel.

The second part is a set of prophecies of condemnation on those nations that oppressed Israel.

The third part speaks of the glorious plan of God regarding the restoration of Israel.

Ezekiel and Revelation in Comparison

• The first vision of Ezekiel is similar to that of John in Revelation 4. Both have a vision of the glory of the Lord and of 4 living creatures. However, John's vision is of things in heaven, while Ezekiel's is of things on earth.
• John's vision has mainly to do with events related to the Church under Roman rule (the 4th kingdom prophesied by Daniel - a kingdom which is revived in the last days) while Ezekiel is speaking of Israel, especially before and after the destruction of Jerusalem.
• Both Ezekiel and John have a vision of God's future and glorious temple (Eze.40-46; Rev.21,22).

Understanding Ezekiel

It is understood that Jewish Rabbis prohibited a person from reading the book of Ezekiel until he was 30 years old. Perhaps, it has to do something with the fact that Ezekiel himself was 30 when the visions came to him; but, more because the book is filled with so much of abstruse imagery (Jerome). However, since "all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in all righteousness" we understand that the prophetical message of Ezekiel is meant for our edification to make us wise unto salvation.