Visions of the Kingdom: Week 3

Ezekiel 3:1-15: The Prophet's Preparation

• 3:1 "Son of man" - Descendent of Adam. Ezekiel, Daniel, and Jesus are called "Son of Man".
• 3:3 Psalm 19:10
• 3:6 "peoples of unfamiliar speech ... surely they would listen" - this is one function of a missionary. People are more ready to listen to someone different from them. It could be Liberian Acapello in traditional attire singing and preaching the Gospel in Northern Virginia. It could be strange white British missionaries in the Congo, or a freshly regurgitate Jonah in Nineveh.
• 3:8 "I will make your face hard" - when God calls you to a mission, He gives you the power to carry it out. "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.” Acts 1:8
• 3:7-9 "hard headed and hard hearted" - God reminds their children of this when they return Zechariah 7:12
• 3:14 "took me away" - our "ancient astronaut" friends of course think this is a ride in the flying saucer. But there are several references to taking away in Scripture: Enoch is taken Genesis 5:24, Elijah is taken II Kings 2:11, Phillip is taken Acts 8:39, Christians are taken at the rapture Matthew 24:40.