Ezekiel was a priest when he was taken captive to Babylon, along with King Jehoiachin and thousands of Jews, about eleven years before the final destruction of Jerusalem.
By the Kebar River, far from the temple and the promised land, he received an overwhelming vision of the glory of God: winged creatures, wheels full of eyes, and a throne that shone like fire.
God called him to be a watchman for his people, responsible for warning Israel of the judgment approaching because of idolatry and injustice.
For years, Ezekiel announced that Jerusalem would fall, even as many exiles still hoped for a swift deliverance. He used dramatic acts and powerful symbols to make the message impossible to ignore.
The book records the slow, painful departure of the glory of the Lord from the temple, a sign that God would no longer dwell in a place given over to idolatry.
After news of the fall of Jerusalem reaches the exiles, the tone of the prophecy changes. Ezekiel begins to proclaim hope: dry bones that come back to life, a new heart in place of a heart of stone, a shepherd who will finally care well for the flock.
The book ends with a detailed vision of a future, perfect temple, to which the glory of God returns and where he comes to dwell with his people forever.
From beginning to end, Ezekiel shows that God takes sin seriously, but never gives up on restoring those who turn back to him.
It is worth entering into these visions and seeing how the holiness and grace of God walk side by side.