 Ezekiel 1 - 48 Questions and Answers |
| Q. When was Ezekiel's first vision written down? | A. Ezekiel 1:1 = July 31, 593 B.C; before the fall of Jerusalem. |
| Q. Where was Ezekiel living at the time? | A. Ezekiel 1:1 = In Babylon with the Judean exiles. |
| Q. Was Ezekiel a priest? | A. Ezekiel 1:3 = Yes. |
| Q. What was Ezekiel's mission? | A. Ezekiel 3:7-9 = To read a scroll to Israel in captivity -- even though they wouldn't listen. He also had prophecies for all the other kingdoms of the world. |
| Q. What words were on the scroll? | A. Ezekiel 2:10 = Funeral songs, other words of sorrow and pronouncements of doom. |
| Q. How would he be able to survive Israel's reaction to the words on the scroll? | A. Ezekiel 3:9 = God would give him the strength to. |
| Q. Before he read it, what did God have Ezekiel do? |
A. Ezekiel 3:10 = Let the words of the scroll sink deep into his heart; listening to them carefully. Note: You can study the mechanics of God's Word and never get an understanding of it. Ask God to reveal Himself in His Word. Learn it before you share it. When it is part of you and you actually live it, you will be doing your part as God's spokesman -- wholeheartedly. |
| Q. What happened next? | A. Ezekiel 3:12 = The Holy Spirit lifted Ezekiel up and took him away. |
| Q. Did Ezekiel go into hismission enthusiastically? | A. Ezekiel 3:14 = No. He was filled with bitterness and turmoil at the beginning of his mission. |
| Q. What got him through? | A. Ezekiel 3:14 = The Lord's hold on him was strong. |
| Q. What does sin do to a person? | A. Ezekiel 7:13 = Sin twists a person's very life. |
| Q. What does the love of money do? | A. Ezekiel 7:20 = It makes one stumble into sin. |
| Q. What does punishment ultimately teach? | A. Ezekiel 7:27 = That God is God and His Word is everything. |
| Q. What exactly was up in the Temple at this time? | A. Ezekiel 8:8-12 = There was a secret room where devil worship was going on. |
| Q. Why? | A. Ezekiel 8:12 = 1) The priests had declared that God had left the land. |
| Q. What else was happening at the Temple? |
A. Ezekiel 8:5 = 2) They put an idol at the entrance to the gate of the altar. 3) Women worshipped the idol, Tammuz, at the North Gate 4) In the inner courtyard, men worshiped the sun. |
| Q. What sets God's people apart from merely religious people? | A. Ezekiel 11:18-20 = God gives His people new hearts so they want to follow Him. |
| Q. Why didn't these people receive Ezekiel's words of warning? | A. Ezekiel 12:2 = Because they didn't want them. |
| Q. Why? | A. Ezekiel 12:2 = Because they were rebellious. |
| Q. What other sins ran wild in Jerusalem? |
A. Ezekiel 13:3 = 5) False prophets claimed the opposite of Ezekiel's prophecies would come true 6) False women prophets tied magic charms on wrists and furnished magic veils, lied about everything happening, knowing how vulnerable Israel was, and for the sake of making a buck. 7) They discouraged the righteous with their lies; promising the wicked life and practicing magic. |
| Q. What is Abraham's birth race? | A. Ezekiel 16:3 = Canaanite. His father was an Amorite and his mother was a Hittite. |
| Q. How bad was Israel's idolatry and adultery , even by the time the Philistines beat them in battle? | A. Ezekiel 16:27 = Even the Philistines were shocked at Israel's lewd conduct; the Israelites were so addicted, they paid their lovers to come to them. |
| Q. What were Sodom's major sins? | A. Ezekiel 16:49 = Pride, laziness and gluttony,while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. |
| Q. Wil Sodom be restored? | A. Ezekiel 16:53 = Yes, along with Samaria and Jerusalem. |
| Q. What are Sodom and Samaria to Jerusalem? | A. Ezekiel 16:55 = Sisters. |
| Q. Will that relatinship change? | A. Ezekiel 16:61 = Yes. Sodom and Samaria will one day be Jerusalem's daughters. |
| Q. How does one respond to God's forgiveness? |
A. Ezekiel 16:63 = 1) One remembers his sins 2) Unable to utter a word 3) Shamed. |
| Q. Do godly parents have evil children? | A. Ezekiel 18:10 = Yes. |
| Q. Do evil parents have godly children? | A. Ezekiel 18:14 = Yes. |
| Q. What's the point? | A. Ezekiel 18:20 = I make choices and I alone am responsible and accountable for those choices. |
| Q. Can wicked people change for the better? | A. Ezekiel 18:21 = Yes. If they repent, they are granted full pardon. |
| Q. Does God enjoy seeing wicked people die? | A. Ezekiel 18:23 = No way! He wants them to repent and live. |
| Q. How does one start fresh? |
A. Ezekiel 18:30-32 = 1) Repent. 2) Stop rebellion. 3) Receive a new heart and spirit from God. 4) Live. |
| Q. What are the funeral songs in the scroll for? | A. Ezekiel 19:1 = The princes of Israel. |
| Q.Why didn't God help Israel when they asked Ezekiel to beg for His help? | A. Ezekiel 20:31 = They were still unrepentant. |
| Q. What does God think of folks who worship both idols and God? | A. Ezekiel 20:39 = It's not acceptable! |
| Q. How does God honor His name before sinful people? |
A. Ezekiel 20:44 = By treating them mercifully in spite of their wickedness. Note: This is a good example of how we should behave toward sinners. We don't love the sin, but we love the people in it. |
| Q. Who else did Ezekiel prophesy against? | A. Ezekiel 21:28 = The Ammonites, who were destined to beat Babylon. |
| Q. What were Jerusalem's sins? |
A. Ezekiel 22:6-12 = 1) Every leader was a murderer 2) Fathers and mothers ignored by their children 3) Resident foreigners were forced to pay for protection 4) Orphans and widows were wronged and oppressed 5) Sabbath Day was violated 6) They despised God's holy things 7) People were accusing others falsely and sent them to their deaths 8) They were practicing idol worship 9) They performed lewd activities 10) They were incestual 11) They were adulterers 12) They were hiring murderers 13) They practiced loan racketeering 14) They practiced extortion |
| Q. God kept trying to reason with the the people of Judah. What did He demonstrate next? | A. Ezekiel 24:16-18 = Ezekiel was instructed to marry a woman who God would cause to die, and was given explicit instructions on how to handle her death. There would be no wailing, mourning, consolatory food brought by friends. |
| Q. What did this act represent? | A. Ezekiel 24:22-24 = How the Israelites should behave when their children were slaughtered by sword. |
| Q. What would happen to Ammon after they defeated Babylon? | A. Ezekiel 25:4 = Nomads from the eastern deserts would overrun Ammon. |
| Q. Why? | A. Ezekiel 25:6 = Because Ammon laughed at Jerusalem's destruction. |
| Q. What would happen to Moab? | A. Ezekiel 25:10 = Moab, too, would be overrun by nomads from the eastern deserts. |
| Q. Why? | A. Ezekiel 25:8 = Moab didn't acknowledge Judah's citizens as the people of God. |
| Q. What would happen to Edom? | A. Ezekiel 25:13 = Edom would be a wasteland at the hands of the Israelites. |
| Q. Why? | A. Ezekiel 25:12 = Because the Edomites avenged themselves against Judah. |
| Q. What would happen to Philistia? | A. Ezekiel 25:16 = They'd be wiped out. |
| Q. Why? | A. Ezekiel 25:15 = For Philistia's long-standing contempt for Judah. |
| Q. What was Tyre's sin? |
A. Ezekiel 26:2 = 1) Tyre rejoiced over the fall of Jerusalem 2) They were happy to get rich off of Jerusalem's destruction. |
| Q. Who would destroy Tyre? | A. Ezekiel 26:7 = Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar's rule. |
| Q. Was there a funeral song for Tyre? | A. Ezekiel 26:17-18 = Yes. |
| Q. What happened to Tyre? | A. Ezekiel 26:20 = Tyre was buried beneath the earth, never to be found again. |
| Q. What was Tyre known for? | A. Ezekiel 27:3 = Tyre was a mighty gateway to the sea; the trading center of the world. |
| Q. What was Tyre's sin? |
A. Ezekiel 28:2 = 1) The prince of Tyre thought he was wiser than Daniel 2) He thought he was a god 3) Riches made him proud. |
| Q. Why did judgment fall on Sidon? | A. Ezekiel 28:24 = Sidon poked and tore at Israel like thorns and briers. |
| Q. What will become of Egypt? | A. Ezekiel 29 = Egypt would be destroyed and desolate for 40 years. |
| Q. Why? | A. Ezekiel 29:7 = Egypt refused to come to Israel's aid when Babylon attacked her. |
| Q.Would Egypt ever recover? | A. Ezekiel 29:14 = Not entirely. Egypt would always be small because they didn't aid Israel in their time of need. |
| Q. Is there another reason Egypt would stay small? |
A. Ezekiel 29:16 = Yes. Egypt would remain small so that Israel would never again be tempted to ask for her help. Egypt, in its shattered condition, would be a constant reminder to Israel of how sinful Israel was to trust Egypt in earlier days. Only God can help Israel! Note: Notice that God didn't call to attention Egypt's Israel-enslaving sins of Moses' time, which were 400 years long. Once God punishes, the sin is forgotten. Isn't that cool? |
| Q. What was Nebuchadnezzar up to after he put King Jehoiachin in captivity? | A. Ezekiel 29:18 = Nebuchadnezzar warred against Tyre for God (cf. 29:20). |
| Q. What plunder did Nebuchadnezzar take home? | A. Ezekiel 29:18 = Nebuchadnezzar took no plunder from Tyre. |
| Q. Did God compensate Nebuchadnezzar for the victory at Tyre another way? | A. Ezekiel 29:19 = Yes. God gave Nebuchadnezzar Egypt and all its wealth. |
| Q. What was Egypt's wealth used for? | A. Ezekiel 29:19 = Egypt's wealth was used to pay Nebuchadnezzar's army. |
| Q. When will God's Word finally be respected by all? | A. Ezekiel 29:21 = When the ancient glory of Israel is revived by God Himself. |
| Q. Did Nebuchadnezzar destroy Egypt while Jehoiachin was in captivity? |
A. Ezekiel 30:20 = Yes. Note: Jehoiachin would be in captivity until Evil-merodach came to power in Babylon. |
| Q. What does such terrible defeat teach every nation about God? |
A. Ezekiel 30:19 = 1) There is only one God (cf30:26) 29:6 = Don't deny giving aid to Israel Note: If you treat Israel as your enemy, you are making God your enemy too -- and He will go after you for it! |
| Q. What is the secret to the success of a nation? |
A. Ezekiel 31:14 = When a nation reaches its zenith, it becomes prideful, thinking it is better than the rest. Note: I love my country. The USA is the strongest nation in the world at present, yet with all its flaws, it hasn't silenced the poor, giving aid to poor countries, those experiencing natural disasters, and most important of all, aiding Israel. We expect rich folks to take care of poor folks on a community level, even getting tax writeoffs for doing so. God help us if we ever turn against the poor, who are God's allies; if we turn against Israel, or take God's name out of our everyday vocabulary! We are a nation in trouble for calling morality a farce and letting a very few people speak for the majority. For not exercising woodshed rebuke and letting treasonous folks get out of control. The pendulum swings and we need to pray that God would stabilize us for the sake of His name. God won't hold back forever! |
| Q. Was Egypt warned before disaster hit? | A. Ezekiel 31:2 = Yes. Ezekiel brought Egypt a warning from God, that they would be ruined like Assyria. |
| Q. But Egypt didn't listen, did they? | A. Ezekiel 32:2 = No. |
| Q. Did this judgment against Egypt come in the form of a funeral song? | A. Ezekiel 32:16 = Yes. |
| Q. How did the Israelites take Ezekiel's prophetic warnings? | A. Ezekiel 33:30-32 = The Israelites thought Ezekiel was a joke. |
| Q. How did the Israelites show it? |
A. Ezekiel 33:30-32 = 1) They whispered behind his back 2) They went to listen to him just for fun 3) With no intention of doing what God had said 4) They expressed love with their mouths, but their hearts sought only after money 5) They found Ezekiel entertaining, like listening to a beautiful voice or music on an instrument 6) They wouldn't acknowledge Ezekiel as prophet until disaster hit them. Note: Isn't it strange to think that one can hear God's Word, find it beautiful, but nothing else? Ask God to convict you of sin the Word brings to light and never to take the Bible for granted. God will open up to you His truths, if you ask. |
| Q. What is the neglect of the shepherds of Israel? |
A. Ezekiel 34:2 = 1) Israel's shepherds fed themselves and not their flock. Note: Israel's shepherds were supposed to see that their flocks were fed. Are there folks hungry in your church? In your community? This is not a governmental responsibility! 2) Israel's shepherds ruled the flock with force and cruelty instead of taking care of the weak and sick, and those needing medical attention. 3) Israel's shepherds caused the sheep to scatter as a result. 4) Then Israel's shepherds didn't go out and look for those lost sheep. Note: Good pastors/shepherds come to know their flocks. They know who is missing. As a pastor, do not get insecure as to what the flock may be thinking about you when one or two sheep go missing. Be concerned! Go out and look for your lost sheep! |
| Q. Is there safety within the flock? |
A. Ezekiel 34:5 = Yes. We need the safety of the flock because wild animals are always looking for loners! Note 1: So true! If you must leave your church, visit others before committing to leave, and plant your roots in a new church family so there will be no lapse in attendance. Note 2: Are you in church? If not, let me encourage you to find a church family. I like a church family that prays, feeds the poor; knowing that I am covered in prayer, and knowing that even my pastor prays for me. And the people must love young people. People are no where near perfect, but with the right basic elements, you have a place to minister, do missions and fellowship with other flawed people! Church is where you will mature as a person, as a believer, and as a heavenly child of God. |
| Q. What else do evil shepherds do? |
A. Ezekiel 34:8-10 = 1) They abandon their flocks 2) Take care only of themselves 3) Prey on their sheep. (Yes, that's making it a nightmare to be part of the flock, and oftentimes, the sheep don't know how to cope with the disfunction.) |
| Q. What are the consequences of evil shepherding? |
A. Ezekiel 34:10 = 1) Evil shepherds become the enemies of God. 2) They will be held responsible to whatever happens to those lost sheep in the wild 3) God will take away their right to feed the flock 4) Along with the right to feed themselves. |
| Q. What is a good shepherd like? |
A. Ezekiel 34:11 = 1) He goes out personally to search for lost sheep 2) He finds them 3) He feeds them 4) He provides righ land for them 5) He tends his sheep 6) He brings them peace 7) He binds up the injured 8) He strengthens the weak. |
| Q. Who gets to judge? | A. Ezekiel 34:17 = God does. |
| Q. How does God carry out justice? |
A. Ezekiel 34:18 = God sees our works. God has a problem with folks who have the best of everything, while those around them struggle, eating their dust and the scraps they stomp on. |
| Q. How does an errant sheep act? |
A. Ezekiel 34:20-22 = 1) He is overindulged 2) He bullies other sick and hungry sheep until they are scattered to distant lands 3) He is abusive 4) He destroys the other sheep. |
| Q. How does a godly person live? |
A. Ezekiel 34:25 = 1) In a covenant of peace with God 2) God drives awy danger from his home 3) He is safe in the wildest places 4) His house and household are a blessing to others 5) God sends him showers of blessings, just when they are needed 6) He has plenty of food to eat 7) His business prospers 8) He lives in safety. |
| Q. Did Ezekiel speak out against other nations? | A. Ezekiel 35:1 = Yes. Ezekiel spoke out against Edom. |
| Q. Why? | A. Ezekiel 35:5 = For their continual hatred of Israel. |
| Q. What did Edom do? |
A. Ezekiel 35:5 = They butchered the Israelites when they were helpless, and after God had already punished them. Note: Don't judge poor folks! They've probably already been under God's punishment. |
| Q. Would Edom be restored? | A. Ezekiel 35:9 = No. |
| Q. What else did Edom do? | A. Ezekiel 35:5 = Edom gleefully took God's land as plunder. |
| Q. How did the now-scattered nation of Israel relate their plight to the four corners of the world? | A. Ezekiel 36:20 = Israel continued to dishonor God, even after they were scattered. |
| Q. How? |
A. Ezekiel 36:20 = The Israelites told the world that God couldn't protect them. Note: Ugh! When you are being disciplined, be humble about it. The world is watching how you handle it. A lot of times, the world has witnessed your acts of sin and expect the axe to fall. So admit it. What have you got to lose? "May God be found true, and every man be found a liar." The truth is that God loves His own and He punishes every son and daughter who is His. There is such peace in humility! |
| Q. What does God think of slander against Himself? |
A. Ezekiel 36:21 = God is concerned for His reputation. Note 1: Why? Because God wants all natins to know Him! Who wants a weak god? God is only one God of all people. He will protect His name for their sakes. Note 2: Protect your reputation. God's name is at stake through your testimony. |
| Q. Why will God restore Israel? |
A. Ezekiel 36:22-24 = 1) To protect His holy name. 2) As a testimony to the world of His strength and holiness. |
| Q. How will God's people finally choose Him? |
A. Ezekiel 36:25-27 = God will empower people to choose Him. Note: Messing up is us all over. God proved it again and again. Only God empowers us with right desires, right hearts, obedient hearts, new spirits. Only God can properly clean us of our tendency toward continual sin. |
| Q. What negative things does mankind share? |
A. Ezekiel 36:25 = 1) Idol worship (replacing God with trivial pursuits and obsessions 2) Wrong desires 3) A stony heart of sin 4) Disobedience to God 5) Filthy behavior 6) The consequences of sin in punishments from God 7) Mocking by outsiders who witness our shame in punishment 8) Forgetting quickly our sins and the harm we do 9) Shamelessness. |
| Q. Why does God bother with us? | A. Ezekiel 36:36 = So the nations can witness how God loves us all, in spite of ourselves. |
| Q. Are there some things that only God knows? | A. Ezekiel 37:1-3 = Yes. |
| Q. How will God's people ever stop backsliding? |
A. Ezekiel 37:23 = God will save them from it. Note: God saves. From what? From ourselves, from our sinful and destructive ways, which, even knowing the harm we cause ourselves, we keep spending most of our lives pursuing. Our sin natures are very enthusiastic for wrong things. Without salvation, we are destroyed. So God saves. |
| Q. Will Israel be restored as one nation instead of Israel in the north and Judah in the south? | A. Ezekiel 37:22 = Yes. |
| Q. What happens when one practices idol worship or other sins? |
A. Ezekiel 37:23 = He pullutes himself. Note: Garbage in, garbage out. If you eat sin, it will hurt you. |
| Q. What does Ezekiel mean when he declares that David will again be Israel's king? |
A. Ezekiel 37:25 = 1) There is an eternal David -- a prince/servant of God 2) With a new covenant of peace. |
| Q. Will the Temple be rebuilt? | A. Ezekiel 37:26 = Yes -- foreverlasting. |
| Q. Why? | A. Ezekiel 37:28 = So the world will see and know that Israel is special to God. |
| Q. Where does Gog come in? | A. Ezekiel 38:2 = Gog is the king of Magog, who will invade Israel at the end of the Tribulation period. |
| Q. Will God intervene? |
A. Ezekiel 38:16 = Yes. God will cause them to 1) Kill each other 2) Be afflicted with disease 3) Get hit with torrential rain, hailstones, fire and burning sulfur. |
| Q. Who will benefit by hearing of it? | A. Ezekiel 38:23 = All the nations of the world. |
| Q. How will the nations of the world benefit by seeing Gog and his army go down divinely? | A. Ezekiel 38:23 = The world will see it as God intervening. |
| Q. About that everlasting Temple -- what will be different about it? |
A. Ezekiel 43:7 = 1) The Lord will physically sit on a throne in it 2) There will be one law of the Temple -- Absolute holiness 3) It will be built before the Lord comes and rules from its throne in the Millennium Age. |
| Q. Will the Mosaic Law be carried out still? | A. Ezekiel 43:19 = Yes. |
| Q. Howdoes the Book of Ezekiel end? | A. Ezekiel 48:30-35 = With a description of the gates of Jerusalem (in the Millennium age). |