Understanding Ezekiel’s Prophecies

DEFINITION​—WHAT IS PROPHECY?

In the Bible, the Hebrew verb na·vaʼʹ, rendered “prophesy,” refers primarily to declaring an inspired message, judgment, moral teaching, or command from God. It can also refer to making a divine declaration of something to come. Ezekiel’s prophecies include all those types of divine revelations.​—Ezek. 3:10, 11; 11:4-8; 14:6, 7; 37:9, 10; 38:1-4.

METHODS OF DELIVERY

• 

  VISIONS

• 

  ILLUSTRATIONS

• 

  ENACTMENTS

The book of Ezekiel contains visions, illustrations, parables, and enactments of prophetic messages.

FULFILLMENTS

Prophecies related by Ezekiel sometimes have more than one fulfillment. For example, the prophecies of restoration had a limited fulfillment when God’s people returned to the Promised Land. But as discussed in Chapter 9 of this publication, many of those restoration prophecies have a fulfillment today and will again be fulfilled in the future.

In the past, we have viewed a number of elements in Ezekiel’s prophecies as the basis for a type-antitype fulfillment. This publication, however, refrains from describing any person, object, place, or event as a prophetic type that has a modern antitype unless there is a clear basis in Scripture for doing so.a Rather, it will point to the greater fulfillment of many of Ezekiel’s prophecies. It will also examine the lessons we can learn from Ezekiel’s message, as well as from the people, places, and events mentioned by him.