The Visions of Ezekiel

Book excerpt: Ezekiel is a book of visions. The first section of Ezekiel, which is all of chapter one, presents a vision of the appearance of the glory of the Lord. It reveals how God is manifested, how God moves, and how God administrates His government through the four living creatures. Through their coordination, God is able to move and administrate. In the second section, from chapter two through chapter thirty-two, 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, that of recovery, begins in chapter thirty-three and continues through chapter thirty-nine. The fourth section, concerning the holy building of God, comes out of the recovery by life and consummates the whole book. Thus, Ezekiel begins with the appearance of the glory of the Lord and ends with the holy building of God. This indicates that Gods goal and purpose is the building.