EZEKIEL, was he JEREMIAH’S son or as often found, he is referred to as JOSHUA’S son, but my DATELINE shows that he could only be JEREMIAH’S within the linage of the HIGH PRIEST ZADOK. EZEKIEL, was born in the year 622 BCE and he lived for a very short time, as he died in 570 BCE, only 52 years old.

Let us have a look at the TIME LINE of EZEKIEL. He was born in 622 BCE, and NEBUCHADNEZZAR II, arrived in JERUSALEM in 605 BCE. He ‘takes’ JERUSALEM. EZEKIEL, DANIEL and JEREMIAH are all about 17-years old. KING OF JUDEA, JEHOIAKIM agrees to pay BABYLON tributes. But in the fourth year he decides to not pay tributes any longer and in the seventh year NEBUCHADNEZZAR II, decided to take the ISRAELITES into CAPTIVITY to BABYLON. EZEKIEL, DANIEL, and JEREMIAH are now about 24-Years old. The Captivity is dated as taking place on 26th March, 597 BCE., today (22.03.2023) 2 620 Years ago.

EZEKIEL does not make it back home, he dies in the year 570 BCE at the age of only 52 years, 32-years before they were released from captivity in the year 538 BCE. DANIEL, stays behind and gets to manage the PROVINCES of BABYLON. JEREMIAH, leaves BABYLON, returns to ISRAEL, but due to his ‘style’ of preaching is not accepted and he flees to EGYPT, where he is stoned to death for the same reason.

I am of the opinion that the world during those days was in turmoil as to which religion they had to follow and believe in. It is written that the ‘JEWS’ hated him, but the JEWISH RELIGION was just about being established as it is believed that the TORAH was written during CAPTIVITY in MESOPOTAMIA.

Then there was the religion the MACCABEES who were dying at war to get rid of the HELLENISTIC RELIGION. Also, the ‘religion’ of MOSES was contested by EZEKIEL. As his take of religion was based squarely on the EGYPTIAN RELIGION. I cannot tell you for ‘what’ religion JEREMIAH was stoned to death.

We continue on finding EZEKIEL He was definitely raised within an extremely religious family, as he was the son of JEREMIAH within the lineage of the family of the HIGH PRIEST ZADOK. One of the teachings of EZEKIEL. I like, is that everybody will be responsible for their own actions, good or bad. I also believe that GOD will get to ‘sort’ us out with either ‘punishment’ or ‘blessings’.

It is clear that EZEKIEL, DANIEL, and JEREMIAH were champions for GOD, during the CAPTIVITY. JEREMIAH to heads of state and churches. EZEKIEL, to the people in captivity, as DANIEL was, but he focussed on his career as a MUNICIPAL ‘worker’, a gift he received from GOD and due to his studies with the CHALDEANS whilst in CAPTIVITY. DANIEL born in the year 620 BCE., and he died the year they were released in 538 BCE. But he had left the compound of captivity many years earlier. He was 82-Years old when he died and buried at SUSA. It is written that he did live through the taking of ASSYRIANS by the MEDES of PERSIA.

Something I keep finding is that NEBUCHADNEZZAR II only took ‘chief men of the land of ISRAEL’ into captivity. Could this mean that the BABYLONIANS ‘took’ their money and their homes (despite the fact that it is written, that it was destroyed). Can you imagine what exactly life could have been like for those individuals, losing all and after many years, getting released and they returned to WHAT? We are not told.

EZEKIEL, writes about their DIET, during captivity, water, and bread. This sounds drastic for so many years in captivity, I am sure they planted vegetables and raised cattle, but for sure sheep and goats. This reason was not ‘poor’ or under-developed. They were placed in an area smack in the middle of the two major rivers. It is said that they took coarse and found grains, such as wheat, barley, beans, lentils, and millet and ground them into flour, then made bread. It is said that they were only allowed 390 loaves of breads per day, together with 1.5 litres of water. The bread seems full of protein and ‘starch’ but it had to be nutritious, but my focus is drawn to the 390 loaves per day. Then there is the vision of EZEKIEL, that he had to sleep only on one side of his body for 390 days. This leaves me to think that more than 390 people might have been taken captive. On return over a 59-Years, they had to have doubled or even tripled in numbers. So, the return numbers could have been around 1 000 people, despite the few who died.

Anyway, EZEKIEL is known to be the person who countered the religion of MOSES, which he claimed was based on the EGYPTIAN religion and that it had not to have been incorporated into the religions of ISRAEL.

He was alone and not as lucky as MATTATHIAS, the MACCABEAN who had his entire family support him to get rid of the HELLENISTIC religion in ISRAEL. I do not think that EZEKIEL had much of a chance to change the minds of the people of ISRAEL, as his preaching’s only started during his time in captivity. And unfortunately, he died before getting back to have any influence on any form of religion taking place.

However, his religion was based on his visions and visitations, these are ‘heavy’ for me to digest. During the 500 BCE period, people could have understood the ‘language’ of EZEKIEL, but it is written that it was not.

What could any messages or visions or visitations have referred too. Turmoil or troubled times?, JOB used the ‘whirlwind’ to describe GOD’S presence.

DANIEL, 10:6 speaks of the same things EZEKIEL speaks about ‘his face ‘appears’ of lighting, his eyes like lamps of fire and more,’ for me, I cannot relate to any of these supposed messages from GOD. I can only relate to GOD in the beauty of nature, be it a storm or a summer rain, or the sound of a child’s laughter from it’s belly with such purity, that is when I feel BLESSED to be ALIVE and within GOD’S presence.

Then there are the four creatures. I have those crazy dreams, when I ‘steal’ a few more minutes of light sleep, after waking up to get to work. They often scare me, a punishment for ‘stealing’ sleep, I tell myself.

I believe that GOD speaks to us through our convictions, and all we need to do is focus on removing the daily ‘noise’ from our lives, talking about others and criticising others and trying to show off what we own, etc., and allow GOD ‘space’ to reach our subconscious, and in turn allow us to get to ‘hear’ HIM.

I am not disputing EZEKIEL’S belief in GOD, why he forms part of my BLOGS. I am just wondering, could he have used a different method of relating GOD’S messages to us? I am not sure why GOD tells him that HE was going to ‘take’ his wife away. I cannot understand why though.

A question in my mind. We all know that DANIEL was an eunuch, and as it is said that eunuch’s were employed as high-ranking civil servants, amongst other tasks, because they could not have children, so were not tempted to begin a DYNASTY.

I am not a person to judge others, so I could not accept the writer of the Book of EZEKIEL’S statement in EZEKIEL 4:13. Especially as he had never travelled to BABYLON, prior to being taken captive. BABYLON was a region of ANCIENT ECONOMIC successes, which included TRADE from across the world. Unless he was referring to the religion of the region, if he was I could not find it.

NOTE: I came across a writing which indicates that MANASSEH killed EZEKIEL by sawing him in half, it was not possible as MANASSEH was born in 709 BCE and reigned from 697 BCE to his death in 643 BCE. It was ISAIAH, who was killed by MANASSEH for saying “I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips,” he was sawn in half.