Ezekiel: Jesus Is The Son Of Man And The Glorious Lord

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Ezekiel: Jesus Is The Son Of Man And The Glorious Lord

Ezekiel 2:1-5 (ESV)
1  And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.”
2  And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.
3  And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.
4  The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’
5  And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.

Moving to another country is never easy. I’m sure many of us can testify how difficult it was when we came to this country. When I came here in 1995 to discern God’s will, whether or not I will serve as the associate pastor of First Filipino Baptist Church and serve the Lord together Pastor Ulysses Marino, I needed to come ahead of Tess and our kids in order to see if the Lord could use me here as much as He was already using me in the Philippines. 

During my earlier months in New Jersey, I recognize that I needed to make some adjustments if I had to do ministry here. These are some examples: 

1. Language           

Although I could understand and speak English, the challenge was how to pronounce certain words correctly. Since I was teaching Bible studies and was handling the youth group, I wanted to make sure that at least people understood what I was saying. And as you probably have experienced, some young people won’t hesitate to correct your pronunciations. 

2. Driving

Driving here is very different compared to driving in the Philippines, especially during the ’90s. You see, in our country, we didn’t have “Stop” signs. Also, speed limits and traffic lights are just suggestions; they were never implemented seriously. You don’t want to get a ticket in the US because it would affect your car insurance rate. 

3. Dining in Restaurants

The biggest challenge in eating in restaurants was knowing what kind of salad dressing or bread you preferred. Then, they would also ask you how you want your burger or steak to be cooked. In the Philippines, no one asks these questions.

4. Separation from the Family

Since I came here ahead of my wife and kids for about 6 months, this was really the most challenging part. During those times, the only way I could talk to them was through landline calling, and that was so expensive. So, you have to limit your calls. It was so hard, especially because my kids were just young then, about 8,6 and 5 years old. Within those months, there were times that I almost went back to the Philippines.

With all these difficulties we went through immigrating to this country, I believe we can sympathize more with the predicament of the Jewish families who were taken as captives to Babylon during the Old Testament times. If you go back to their history, the Lord used the Babylonian Empire to punish the Southern Kingdom of Judah from 605 – 586 BC. There were three specific waves of deportations from Judah to Babylon:

  • 1st Wave – After the Babylonians defeated Egypt in 605 BC, they proceeded to conquer Judah, and they succeeded. Following their victory, they took the best young people from the country and brought them to Babylon. Included in this 1st batch were Daniel and his friends.

  • 2nd Wave – After they were defeated in 605 BC, Judah became a vassal state of Babylon. However, Judah rebelled against Babylon because Egypt promised to help them. In December of 598 to March 597 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar came and subdued Judah again, taking some families as captives. Ezekiel as a young priest about 25 years old, was a part of this batch.

  • 3rd Wave – Lastly, when King Zedekiah rebelled in 586 BC, Babylon returned and finally destroyed Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah, taking with them the 3rd deportation of God’s people.

So, as we approach our book study this morning, it is crucial to remember that Ezekiel was a prophet raised by the Lord to minister to God’s people in captivity. This truth is worth emphasizing because it shows that God did not forsake His people during their captivity in Babylon. He still provided them a means to hear from Him through His prophet, Ezekiel. 

Last week, when we covered the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations, God gave the nation of Judah sufficient warnings regarding the coming of the Babylonians. Instead of heeding His warnings, they continued to rebel against Him. Now, in the book of Ezekiel, while they were in captivity, God will never fail to warn them and encourage them at the same time. If you notice, God chose a prophet by the name “Ezekiel,” which literally can be translated as “Strengthened of God.” Without a doubt, God wanted to use Ezekiel to convey to His people that He is there with them, strengthening them during their captivity. 

In this study of Ezekiel, we will highlight two significant representations of Jesus Christ – He is the Son of Man and the Glorious Lord. This book includes 48 chapters that can easily be divided into three significant portions: (Outline based on the book by Ed Hindson and Gary Yates, entitled, The Essence of Old Testament: A Survey,)

  1. The Judgment of Judah and Jerusalem (1-24)

  2. The Judgment of the Nations (25-32)

  3. The Future Restoration of Israel (33-48)

More often, the book of Ezekiel became known because of his unique visions of who God is and what He is going to do with His people. Visions like “The Wheel” in chapter 1 and “The Dry Bones” in chapter 37 would be two of the most popular ones. We won’t study them this morning because our focus will be on the two significant representations of Jesus Christ in the book. Let’s discover together the implications of these representations:

I               THE HUMANITY OF THE SAVIOR

When God called Ezekiel in the passage we read earlier (Ezekiel 2:1-10), it is interesting to notice that He called him repeatedly as the “son of man.” This address to the prophet will be used exactly about 93 times within the entire book. 

If you consider the meaning of this phrase as ascribed to Ezekiel, it only puts him in his rightful place as an insignificant or mere human being. In Hebrew, whenever they used the phrase, “Son of,” it literally means “Partaking of the nature of.” In other words, Ezekiel as a “son of man” suggests that he has the nature of a human being.

In the book of Ezekiel, it is essential to note that this mere human being was given the task to speak on God’s behalf to a rebellious nation who had sinned against God. Verses 3-4 say, “And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’” 

If you carefully examine these words, the responsibility is really overwhelming. Imagine God was sending him to a rebelliousrude (impudent), and stubborn nation. But God impresses to Ezekiel that he was not going to carry his responsibilities out of his power. Notice what God was willing to do in verse 2 – And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.”

The coming of the Holy Spirit to Ezekiel demonstrates God's active presence in him and through him as he carries out his responsibilities as God’s spokesperson. Throughout the book of Ezekiel, the Holy Spirit will be seen ministering to him about 52 times. One other occasion is found in Ezekiel 3:14 (ESV) 

 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the LORD being strong upon me.

This emphasis on the Holy Spirit’s empowerment is critical to every prophetic ministry. The apostle Peter testified in 2 Peter 1:21 that prophets never spoke independently, but they spoke as the Holy Spirit enabled them. 

2 Peter 1:21 (ESV) 

 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 

The phrase “carried along” in this verse provides a picture of a sailboat being propelled forward by the wind. Of course, the same concept was communicated to the early believers when they were commanded to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit before they start fulfilling their mission to the lost world:

Acts 1:8 (ESV) 

 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 

The availability of the Holy Spirit to those who are actively serving the Lord should give us great encouragement today. Like Ezekiel, we are also sent to share Jesus Christ with people, who are as rebellious, rude, and stubborn towards God like the Jews during Ezekiel’s time. Praise God because He already gave us the same Holy Spirit to empower us as we serve Him!

Second, let’s talk about Jesus Christ being referred to as “the Son of Man.” In the New Testament, the title used for Ezekiel is applied to Jesus at least 88 times. One example is Luke 19:10 (ESV):

 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

However, we should establish that every time it is used for Jesus Christ, there is an addition of a definite article “the.” Meaning, there’s only one person who should be referred to as “the Son of Man.” For Jesus Christ, besides the fact that this title highlights His humanity, it also links Him directly to the coming Messiah prophesied in Daniel 7:13-14 (ESV):

 13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 

 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. 

Clearly, when Jesus used this title to Himself, the people familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures, like the teachers of the law, should have immediately recognized that He is the fulfillment of this prophetic passage. Unfortunately, despite the obvious link, people still failed to identify Him. I hope that we won’t commit the same mistake today. We must see Jesus as the Savior we all desperately need and the One who will soon fulfill these prophecies in Daniel 7:13-14.

II             THE HONOR OF THE SOVEREIGN LORD

The second representation of Jesus Christ in Ezekiel is that He is the “Glorious Lord.” To appreciate the significance of this title, we must first understand the basic meaning of God’s glory. In the Old Testament, the word “Glory” is taken from the Hebrew word “Kabod,” which means “weight” or “heaviness.” Consistently, when this word is used for God in the Bible, it speaks of the physical manifestation of His splendor, dignity, or honor. An excellent example of this usage is found in 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 (ESV): 

 1 As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 

 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house. 

 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” 

This passage described the physical manifestation of God’s majestic presence descending on Solomon’s Temple during its dedication. When the Lord showed up during the Temple’s dedication, the message God gave them was that He was dwelling with them through this sacred building. Apparently, it was a visible reminder that He was in their midst at all times. 

However, when God’s people abandoned the Lord and served worthless idols, the Lord decided to remove His glory from Jerusalem and moved it to Mount Olives, where Jesus Christ is set to return. 

Ezekiel 11:22-23 (ESV) 

 22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. 

 23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city.

Clearly, the departure of God’s glory from Jerusalem signaled its doom. But because of God’s unconditional love for His people, He has not totally abandoned them. He offers them hope in the book of Ezekiel by giving them the promise that He will restore His glory among them when Jesus the Messiah returns and establishes His Kingdom. This restoration of the nation will be discussed in two extensive chapters, 36-37. However, because of the time constraints, allow me to jump to the last verses of chapter 37:

Ezekiel 37:24-28 (ESV): 

 24 “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. 

 25 They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. 

 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 

 27 My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

 28 Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”

This passage plainly helps us understand that God will transform the nation of Israel so that Jesus Christ will set His earthly throne from there. Today, when we see what is going on in Israel, with all the conflicts there right now, we probably are wondering if this promise will ever be fulfilled. But let me assure you, in God’s time, Jesus Christ will return and restore His honor in the world and reign as the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s all over the world. 

So, as we close this sermon, I trust that we are not waiting for Him to physically reign before we surrender our lives to Him and make Him our King. Who is Jesus to you? Is He already your Savior that you have asked Him to forgive you of your sins? And is He also your King who is now the Lord that you are honoring in your life? In Christ, I have this hope that one day I will dwell in His Kingdom where there will be no more sicknesses, diseases; no more injustices and racial biases; where all the wrongs will be made right. I look forward to the day when it’s Jesus Christ who is sitting on the throne, would be running the affairs of the world. I know that day will sooner than most of us are expecting. But for now, let’s keep serving Him and doing our best to honor Him!

-Dr. Jeremiah Lepasana

 

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Daniel: Jesus Is The Fourth Man In The Fiery Furnace

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Jeremiah & Lamentation: Jesus Is Our Weeping Prophet