Poetic and Prophetic Literature of the Old Testament
RELG 301
Module 13 Notes - Obadiah and Ezekiel
Ezekiel's Visions
Ezekiel's visions were sometimes just for Ezekiel (as in his initial call to be a prophet). Sometimes they were part of a prophetic message for the people.
His visions were beyond normal human experience, and so there are no words adequate to describe them.
So Ezekiel often says that what he saw was "like" something (but it wasn't actually that thing).
St. John, trying to describe some of his visions in the Book of Revelation, had a similar experience. Compare Ezekiel's attempt to describe his call (Ezekiel 1:4-28) with John's attempt to describe his glimpse into heaven (Rev.4:1-11).
Sometimes we get caught up in the graphic descriptions, and forget that they were for the purpose of revealing God's glory.
Cherubim, wheels, angels are all created beings existing to serve God, they should not distract us from His call to us.
Timeline
Dates are approximate. The Jewish and Babylonian calendars differed in the date for the start of the year; they are also different from the calendar presently in use. The regnal years of Jewish Kings might, or might not, include a period of co-regency with the previous king. The difference is usually not more than one or two years, except for the date of the Return from Exile
- 612 BC
- Fall of Assyria to the Babylonians
- 609 BC
- Battle of Megiddo between Pharaoh Necho of Egypt and King Josiah of Jerusalem. Josiah was killed. Pharaoh Necho continued to march northwards to attack Babylon
- 605 BC
- Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon began his reign, and reigned until 562 BC
Battle of Carchemish - Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Necho and invaded Judah
First deportation of prisoners from Judah to Babylon. Hostages included Daniel and his friends - 601 BC
- Nebuchadnezzar attacked Egypt but the Egyptians drove him off.
King Jehoiakim of Judah stopped paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar prepared to retaliate - 598 BC
- Death of Jehoiakim of Judah. Accession of his son Jehoiachin (Jeconiah, Coniah) as King of Judah
Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah and besieged Jerusalem for three months - 597 BC
- Second deportation of prisoners from Judah to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin and thousands of Jews, including Ezekiel, as prisoners to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar made Mattaniah, youngest son of Josiah, King of Judah, and changed his name to Zedekiah - 594 BC
- King Zedekiah called the Kings of Ammon, Edom, Moab, Sidon, and Tyre to join him in rebellion against Babylon
- 588 BC
- Zedekiah refused to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar and broke his oath of allegiance. Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah and besieged Jerusalem
- 586 BC
- Fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah was taken as a prisoner to Babylon.
Third deportation of prisoners from Judah to Babylon.
Gedaliah was appointed by the Babylonians as an administrator for Judah.
Jeremiah was allowed to stay in Judah
Obadiah denounced the Edomites for plundering Judah and for betraying Jewish refugees to the Babylonians - 583 BC
- Gedaliah, governor of Judah, was assassinated by a prince of the Jewish royal family, who then fled to the Ammonites
The remnant of Jews in Judah decided to flee to Egypt, and took Jeremiah with them - 562 BC
- Death of Nebuchadnezzer II of Babylon, and accession of his son Evil-Merodach as King of Babylon
Jehoiachin was released from prison in Babylon, but he and his sons were kept in Babylon and did not return to Jerusalem - 560 BC
- Evil-Merodach was deposed and murdered by his brother-in-law Neriglissar, who then claimed the throne of Babylon
- 550 BC - 539 BC
- Reign of Nabonidus of Babylon. Nabonidus gave the Assyrian moon-god "Sin" precedence over "Marduk" the god of Babylon. Eventually the priests of Marduk led a rebellion and welcomed Cyrus the Persian into Babylon
- 539 BC
- Fall of Babylon to the Achaemenid Empire of Persia. Cyrus conquered Babylon, and founded the Persian Empire, with the capital at Susa (Shushan)
- 538-331 BC
- The Persian Empire : From the Persian Gulf in the south to the Caucasus mountains in the north, and from the Mediterranean in the west to India in the east
- 538 BC
- Edict of Cyrus, allowing Babylonian captives to return to their homelands.
Return of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem, under the leadership of Zerubbabel. Many Jews remained in Babylon. - 537 BC
- Possible date for the start of the building of the Second Temple
- 521 BC - 516 BC
- Possible dates for the building of the Second Temple
- 457 BC
- Possible date for the return of Exiles led by Ezra to Jerusalem from Babylonia
- 444 BC
- Possible date for the return of Exiles led by Nehemiah to Jerusalem from Babylon.
Start of the rebuilding of Jerusalem
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