From Exile to Eternal King: Finding Jesus in Ezekiel
When we hear the name “Ezekiel,” we might imagine wild visions, bizarre symbolic actions, and the mysterious “wheel within a wheel.” But Ezekiel’s message isn’t just strange—it’s stunningly beautiful. What we don’t often see is that Ezekiel had been a priest in Jerusalem during the first Babylonian attack (2 Kings 24). In that first attack, they spared the city but took a first wave of Israelites (mostly political and royal prisoners), hauling them off to exile in Babylon. So, five years later, the book of Ezekiel opens with the namesake, sitting dejected near a river on his 30th birthday, near their refugee camp.
Beneath the smoke and fire, this exiled prophet paints one of the most explicit pictures in the Old Testament of a coming King. One who will bring true restoration, unity, and eternal peace.
One of my teachers would say that in order to understand the warped and perpetual book of Ezekiel fully, you must understand these four things: who Ezekiel is, the covenant storyline from Adam to Israel, the Temple-Centered Worldview of the Biblical story, and how Ezekiel fits into historical and literary context. Without knowing these things, the book can seem unclear or even nonsensical to those who attempt to read it. But when we recognize that there is a rhyme and rhythm to this book, things become clear.
Ezek. 1-11: The commissioning of Ezekiel, sign acts, and God’s departure from the Temple in Jerusalem
Ezekiel 12:24: Forewarnings of Israel’s Pending Judgment
Ezekiel 25-33: Judgment on the Nations and the Ruin of Jerusalem
Ezekiel 34-37: Approaching Hope after the Exile
Ezekiel 38-39: God Overthrows Gog, a king signifying wicked nations
Ezekiel 40-48: Revelation of a Reestablished Temple and Transformed Creation
Let’s sit with him on the riverbank in Babylon and listen closely. You just might hear the footsteps of Jesus echoing in his words.
Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
Ezekiel 1:1
A Priest without a Temple, a Prophet with a Promise
Ezekiel was born into the priesthood, but instead of serving in Jerusalem’s temple, he found himself exiled in Babylon, sitting by the Chebar Canal. In this place of grief and disillusionment, the heavens opened. God’s throne appeared not in Jerusalem, but in Babylon—a powerful symbol that God was not confined to a building or city.
As I looked, behold, a high wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing intermittently and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like gleaming metal in the midst of the fire. Ezekiel 1:4
From the very beginning, Ezekiel’s visions shattered expectations. Immediately, a Behold Moment sneaks out at us. Change was coming. The wind was turning. God was still King, even in exile.
Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. 27 Then I noticed from the appearance of His waist and upward something like gleaming]metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. 28 Like the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking. 1 Then 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 me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me.
Ezekiel 1:26-2:2
And that’s our first glimpse of Jesus: a King who meets us not in palaces, but in broken places. A King who doesn’t abandon us in exile, but comes near. A King who speaks to us.
A Greater Shepherd King
By chapter 34, Ezekiel is done with the shepherds of Israel. The leaders had failed, neglecting the flock to feed themselves instead of the people. But then God speaks:
“I will rescue my flock… I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David,
and he will tend them.” (Ezekiel 34:22-23)
This is not about King David reincarnated—it’s about the Messiah, the true King from David’s line. In the Valley of Dry Bones (chapter 37), we hear it again: One King will rule over them all. He will unite what was divided. He will shepherd what was scattered. He will be with them forever.
Jesus is that King. Born in David’s town, descended from David’s line, He is the Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. Ezekiel’s longing finds its fulfillment in Him.
The Temple and the Return of God’s Glory
One of the most heart-wrenching moments in Ezekiel is when God’s glory departs the temple (Ezek. 10–11). It’s a visual of abandonment. But it doesn’t end there.
At the end of the book (chapters 40–48), Ezekiel sees a renewed temple and a new Eden. From it flows a river of life, and the glory of God returns. (You know this Eden language really excites me!) While some interpret this as a literal future temple, others—like the apostles—saw it as fulfilled in Christ. Jesus referred to Himself as the temple (John 2:19) and Paul calls the Church His Body, the new temple (1 Cor. 3:16).
In Jesus, God’s glory returns, not to a building, but to dwell with us.
A King Who Revives the Dead
Ezekiel 37 is regarded as one of the strangest chapters in the Bible. But when we consider the entire book of Ezekiel, things begin to make more sense.
The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.2 He had me pass among them all around, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and behold, they were very dry. 3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “Lord God, You Yourself know.” 4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘You dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ 5 This is what the Lord God says to these bones: ‘Behold, I am going to make [c]breath enter you so that you may come to life. 6 And I will attach tendons to you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you so that you may come to life; and you will know that I am the Lord.’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a loud noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.8 And I looked, and behold, tendons were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘The Lord God says this: “Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these slain, so that they come to life.”’” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Ezekiel 37:1-10
Back in the valley, bones lie scattered and dry. “Can these bones live?” God asks Ezekiel.
He speaks. And breath enters the bones. They stand, alive again.
This is more than national restoration. It’s a picture of resurrection.
When Jesus came, He didn’t just teach or heal. He breathed life into what was dead. On the cross, He bore our exile. And through His resurrection, He began the ultimate return—from death to life, from despair to hope.
Jesus as King Today
Ezekiel’s vision wasn’t just for ancient Israel. It’s for us.
In our scattered hearts, in our divided churches, in our spiritually dry places, Jesus comes. Not as a king who conquers by violence, but as a shepherd who lays down His life. He unites what was broken, revives what was dead, and restores what was lost.
The sanctuary is no longer a place. It’s a Person. And He has promised to be with us forever (Ezekiel 37:27).
If you feel like you’re in exile—tired, disillusioned, maybe even spiritually dry—Ezekiel has good news.
There is a King. He’s already come. And He’s coming again.
And just like He said to Ezekiel: “I will be your God, and you will be My people.” That’s not just a promise for Israel. That’s a promise for you.
*See also Stacy’s recent post on Ezekiel: The Goodness of God: In the Prophets
