The prophet Ezekiel was YHWH’s messenger (angel) to the Israelite in captivity in Babylon.
“3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day…. 5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.“ (Ezek. 2:3, 5; KJV)
Ezekiel was sent to be the sign, the emblem and representation of what would transpire against the people (Ezek. 4:3; 12:6, 11; 24:24, 27). He was the messenger of God’s judgment against Judah and Jerusalem for both its destruction, and the return from captivity to rebuild the city and the 2nd temple. God used Ezekiel to act out the prophesies much as an actor in a stage play.
The Revelation of Christ given to John parallels much of Ezekiel, and was the prophesy that fulfilled the 2nd destruction of Judea and Jerusalem, that great city where our Lord was crucified (Rev. 11:8) Revelation was the double fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophesy which was fulfilled in AD 70. (See previous posts for the time texts and time of the Lord’s 2nd coming.)
A comparison of the two books is shown below. This blog would be pages long if this table were to try to contain all of the parallels between the two books, but it does contain the significant events of both the first and second destruction of Jerusalem.
| THE VISION | EZEKIEL | REVELATION |
| 1. The Word Comes | 1:1-4, 28 | 1:9-19 |
| 2. The Appearance of The Lord | 1:4, 27; 8:2 | 1:12-16; 5:6 |
| 2. The Throne Scene | 1:5-27 | 4:1-6 |
| 3. Four Living Creatures (Cherubim) | 1:5-24, Ch. 10 | 4:6-8 |
| 4. The Book (Scroll) Is Opened | 2:9-10 | 5:1-8 |
| 5. Eating The Book | 2:8-10; 3:1-3 | 10:8-11 |
| 6. The Siege of Jerusalem | 4:1-8; Ch. 5, 24 | 9:4-10 |
| 7. The Famine | 4:16-17; 5:12; 6:12 | 6:5-6, 8 |
| 8. The 1/3 Destruction | 5:2-12 | 8:6-12 |
| 9. The Reproach of Israel | 5:5-17 | Ch. 18 |
| 10. The Wrath of The Lord | Ch. 6 – 7 | 6:12-17; 14:7-20 |
| 11. Israel’s Abominations | Ch. 8, 16, 20, 22, 33 | 17:1-7 |
| 12. Sealing of the Saints | 9:2-4, 11 | 7:2-8 |
| 13. Image of Jealousy / Idolatry | 8:3 | 13:14 |
| 14. The Slaughter | 9:5-10; Ch. 21 | Ch. 8 – 9 |
| 15. Coals From The Altar | 10:1-7 | 8:5-10 |
| 16. The Gathering of The Remnant | 11-16-20; 14:22-23; 34:10-16, Ch. 36 | 21:1-7 |
| 17. No More Delay | 12:17-28 | 10:1-7 |
| 18. False Prophets | Ch. 13 | 16:16; 19:20; 20:10 |
| 19. Four Judgments / Horsemen | 14:21 | 6:2-8 |
| 20. Jerusalem’s Fall – The Vine Tree | Ch. 15 | 14:18-20 |
| 21. Jerusalem The Whore / Harlot | 16:22-59, Ch. 23 | 17:3-6; 19:2 |
| 22: Comparison to Sodom | 16:45-56 | 11:8 |
| 23. Treating With Egypt | 17:15-18; Ch. 23 | 11:8 |
| 24. Lamentations | Ch. 19 | Ch. 18 |
| 25. The Destruction of Jerusalem | 22:18-22; 23:46-47; 24:2-14 | 14:6-8; 17:16; 18:10-19; 20:8-9 |
| 26. Downfall of the Nations | Ch. 25-32 | 10:11; 19:11-15 |
| 27. Shepherd Beasts / Land Beast | Ch. 34 | 13:11-15 |
| 28. Resurrection | Ch. 37 | 14:1-5; 20:4-6, 12 |
| 29. Gog of Magog Battles Jerusalem | Ch. 38 | 20:7-9 |
| 30. Judgment of Gog / Sea Beast (Scavengers’ Feast) | Ch. 39 | 19:17-21 |
| 31. Viewing The New Jerusalem | 40:2 | 21:2, 10 |
| 32. Measuring The Temple | Ch. 40 -43 | 11:1-2 |
| 33. The Glory of God in The Temple | Ch. 43 | 21:22-23 |
| 34. The River of Life & Tree of Life | Ch. 47 | 22:1-2 |
| 35. The Four Square Holy City | 48:20 | 21:16 |
| 36. The Lord Is There | 48:35 | 21:22-23; 22:3-5 |
Whereas the restoration of the 2nd city of Jerusalem (city of Salem) from the Babylonian captivity was an earthly city with an earthly tabernacle for the 2nd temple, the new Jerusalem in Revelation is of the new covenant restoration under Christ as the spiritual city of His everlasting kingdom. The New Jerusalem of Revelation is not an earth bound, land based city. Revelation does not depict a 3rd earthly temple.
All of these comparisons deserve discussion, but this series will discuss a few key elements which will help focus the context of both prophesies – which focus was Jerusalem.
