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Scripture Reading: Ezek. 1:1-3; Num. 4:2-3; 1 Chron. 23:3a; Luke 3:23a; Ezek. 40:17; 41:6; 46:22; Num. 8:24; Gen. 11:6, 31
In this message we will continue to consider Ezekiel 1:1-3, three verses which are the introduction to this book. We have seen the date of the visions, and now we will go on to see the place of the visions, the person who saw the visions, and the conditions for seeing the visions.
The second point in the introduction is the place where Ezekiel saw the visions. Verse 3 tells us that the visions came to Ezekiel when he was “in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar.”
The place — the land of the Chaldeans — was not a good place, for Chaldea was the place where Babel began. The name Babel in Hebrew is the equivalent of Babylon in Greek. Thus, we may say that Chaldea was actually Babylon and that Babylon was Babel, the place where Satan collected the fallen people to rebel against God. The very place where Ezekiel saw the visions was the place where Satan instigated the greatest rebellion against God among the fallen people. That was also the place out of which God had called Abraham that He might have a chosen people (Gen. 11:6, 31). Unfortunately, at Ezekiel’s time most of God’s chosen people had been carried back to that place. Their captivity was their fall. They had fallen into the very place out of which their forefather Abraham had been called by God.
I would ask you to consider the situation of today’s Christians. Are most Christians in the land of Canaan or in the land of the Chaldeans? Surely the majority of Christians are not in the good land but in a place of degradation. For this reason the book of Ezekiel exactly fits the situation of Christians today.
When Ezekiel saw the visions, he was by a river. He says in verse 1, “I was among the captives by the river of Chebar.” The river of Chebar signifies the power of the enemy to damage God’s people (cf. Isa. 8:7-8). Chebar means “strong,” “many,” “powerful.” This river, the river of Babylon, indicates that Babylon was strong and powerful, and thus it signifies the power of Babylon in being against God’s people. Today the “river of Chebar” is the satanic tide of the age that carries people away from God to Babylon.
There are two rivers in the book of Ezekiel: the river Chebar in chapter one and the river flowing out of the temple in chapter forty-seven. The river Chebar carries the people of God away from God, but the river flowing out of the temple brings people into God’s life. We need to realize that these two rivers are still on earth today. One river is the trend, the course, the tide, of this world. This is the river of Babylon, the river in the fallen world, which carries people away from God. We praise the Lord that there is another river and that everything lives wherever this river comes.
Two rivers are flowing today. One river is of this world; the other river is of the holy land. One river carries people away from God; the other river brings people back to God in life. One river destroys the building of God; the other river builds up God’s dwelling place.
By which river are you — the river Chebar or the river that flows out of the dwelling place of God? You may say that you are by the river of living water which comes out of the dwelling place of God, but you still may have something of the course of this age, of the trend of today’s world. If you are still in the trend of today’s world, you are not by the river of living water but by the river of Chebar, and you are not in the holy land but in the land of the Chaldeans.
When the heavens were opened to Ezekiel, he was by the river of Chebar, but he was not in this river. Many of the people of Israel had been killed by the Babylonian army; others had died because of famine, disease, and wild animals. Nevertheless, the situation was not totally hopeless, for God still left some “dry land” by the river which had carried His people away. By giving them this “dry land,” God enabled them to stay alive and to be preserved. This indicates that God’s grace remained with Ezekiel, with King Jehoiachin, and with many others who had been carried away into captivity. If they had not been by the banks of the river Chebar but instead had been in the river, they all would have perished. Because of God’s grace they could still live by the river in the land of captivity. Although they could not live in Canaan and thus could not enjoy the abundance of grace in Christ, they could still enjoy some mercy in the land of captivity.
The visions recorded in the book of Ezekiel are urgently needed by today’s Christians and by today’s church. The more I contact the Lord and fellowship with Him and the more I observe today’s situation, the more I realize that the visions of Ezekiel are messages from God for the present age. The visions God gave to Ezekiel were for a people who were in captivity by the river Chebar. Today most of God’s children are also in the land of captivity. Instead of remaining in Christ as the good land of Canaan, they have fallen into captivity in Babylon, where they do not live in Christ properly and continually and where they do not enjoy the riches of Christ. This is the overall condition of Christians today. For this reason, I believe that the visions in the book of Ezekiel meet the need of God’s people today.
The next point to consider is the person — Ezekiel — who saw the visions.
In verse 1 Ezekiel tells us that he “was among the captives by the river of Chebar.” As a captive in the land of captivity, Ezekiel was tested and surely must have felt perplexed, distressed, and depressed. This also may be our experience today. Sometimes when we come together with the brothers and sisters, we sense that we are in the land of captivity and we feel distressed and depressed.
Verse 3 speaks explicitly of “Ezekiel the priest.” As a priest Ezekiel was one who lived in the presence of God, serving God and being mingled with God. Ezekiel was this kind of person. Although he was in the land of captivity, he still lived in the presence of God and ministered before God. He was by the river Chebar, not in the holy temple, yet as a priest he looked to God, prayed to God, contacted God, fellowshipped with God, and waited for God. Because Ezekiel was such a person and contacted God in such a way, the heavens were opened to him, and he “saw visions of God” (v. 1).
We encourage all the brothers and sisters in the Lord to serve Him as priests. We all need to learn to pray to God, to contact God, to have fellowship with God, and to live before God. If we exercise as priests in this way, the heavens will be opened to us, and we will see God’s visions.
Ezekiel was the son of Buzi. Buzi means “contempt” or “despised.” Ezekiel was a prophet who was very much despised by the people and who was treated with contempt. In his ministry he received no glory. If you are an Ezekiel in the Lord’s recovery today, you should expect to be a despised person. Do not think that you will have any glory. Others will despise you and treat you with contempt.
Ezekiel means “God will strengthen.” It also means “the almighty One is your strength.” The name Ezekiel ends with the suffix el, which means “the mighty One.” On the one hand, he was the son of Buzi, despised by others. On the other hand, he was Ezekiel, strengthened by God, the mighty One. In 3:8-9a the Lord said to Ezekiel, “Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead.” He was despised and treated with contempt, but he was strengthened by God.
For Ezekiel to be the son of Buzi meant that he was a son of shame, a son of abasement. We might think that as a prophet his prophetic ministry would have been glorious. However, when we read the book of Ezekiel, we see that in fulfilling his ministry as a prophet, he was constantly disgraced and put to shame. God appointed Ezekiel to be a sign to the people of Israel, a sign of their being put to shame (12:6, 11; 24:24, 27). God required him to perform certain demonstrations, and in these demonstrations he became a prophet in disgrace. For instance, God told him to lie on his left side three hundred ninety days and on his right side forty days (4:4-6) and to eat bread prepared with cow’s dung (vv. 9-15). God also told him to dig through the wall of the city and carry out his stuff through the wall, and Ezekiel did as he was commanded (12:1-7). Furthermore, one day his wife suddenly died (24:16-18). Ezekiel surely was a son of disgrace.
Those who minister the Lord’s word today will also be sons of disgrace. When God’s people are in captivity, those who rise up to be God’s ministers, serving as His priests and seeing His visions, will have to bear the shame of God’s people. Because God’s captive people are in disgrace, God’s ministers will also be in disgrace as they minister God’s words.
Although Ezekiel was a son of disgrace who suffered shame and disgrace, the almighty God was his strength. Because he was empowered by God, Ezekiel could be strong in the midst of disgrace. As a man strengthened and empowered by God, he could bear all the shame and the disgrace in order to fulfill his ministry as a prophet of God, God’s oracle.
Finally, regarding the introduction in 1:1-3 we need to consider the conditions for seeing the visions.
“The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God” (v. 1b). The opening of the heavens is God’s special visitation. Whenever people on earth are one with God, the heavens will be opened to them. In the land of captivity there was a man, Ezekiel, who was mature and who was one with God, and the heavens were opened to him. Today the principle is the same. We need the heavens to be opened to us, but in order for the heavens to be opened in our experience, we need to be Ezekiels. If we are today’s Ezekiels, we will have an open heaven.
The first time the Bible mentions the heavens being opened was when Jacob was wandering in his attempt to escape his brother Esau. He had a dream, and in that dream the heavens were opened to him (Gen. 28:11-17). This signified that God intended to gain Jacob as His beachhead on earth so that the heavens could be opened to the earth. When the Lord Jesus was baptized, the heavens were opened to declare that there was a man on earth who was one with God in the heavens (Matt. 3:16-17). When Stephen was martyred, the heavens were opened up to him (Acts 7:56). When the Lord Jesus comes back, the heavens will be opened once again. It is a great blessing for God’s children to have the heavens opened to them.
After the earth had been occupied by Satan and the people on earth had been damaged by Satan, God could not come to earth, and the heavens, where God is, could not be opened to the people on earth. This was the situat ion at Ezekiel’s time. The people of Israel had been damaged by Satan and carried away into captivity, and, as a result, the heavens could not be opened to them. However, among those in captivity, there was a priest who was seeking God and contacting Him and who was connected to the heavens. The heavens could therefore be opened to him and even come down to the earth, enabling God’s heavenly things to be seen by people on earth and to be fulfilled among them on earth. This was truly a great matter.
God continues to need a people who can cause His heavens to be opened. Today the earth is still occupied by Satan; the people on earth are still in Satan’s hands; and most of God’s people are still in captivity. Thus, there is an urgent need for some, like Ezekiel, who will seek God, contact God, and be God’s priests ministering before God. If God has such Ezekiels today, the heavens will be opened, the people on earth will be able to see heavenly visions, and the heavenly things will be fulfilled on earth. In these days may we all seek God and contact Him, and may the heavens be opened to us!
Not only were the heavens opened to Ezekiel, but the visions came, and something was revealed, unveiled, to him. God said to Ezekiel, “Behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee” (40:4). The heavens were opened for the purpose of allowing Ezekiel to see visions of God. God’s visions are His revelations, which enable us to see divine, spiritual, heavenly things. Those for whom the heavens are not open cannot see God’s heavenly things.
In chapter one God opened the veil in heaven and let Ezekiel see what was behind the veil. Ezekiel saw four living creatures and God’s glorious throne. Because of what he saw, he was burdened to convey these visions to others. What he spoke was not a teaching or something imaginary but a heavenly vision which he had seen in spirit. Every minister of God’s word should convey spiritual, heavenly visions to others. In these messages I am not ministering a theory, a concept, a doctrine, or anything of systematized theology; I am ministering a vision from the open heavens.
All the churches and all the saints need to see heavenly visions. Therefore, what we present to the children of God should not be mere teaching or doctrine or knowledge gained from reading but a vision we have seen in spirit under the open heavens through our contact with God. This will cause God’s people to be recovered from their captivity, and it will lead to the building up of God’s churches. I hope that all the messages delivered among us in the Lord’s recovery will be filled with the visions of God.
God not only gave His visions to Ezekiel — He also gave him His words. Visions are God’s revelations, which cause us to see something. God’s words are His explanations, which cause us to hear something. Because God wanted Ezekiel not only to behold with his eyes but also to hear with his ears (40:4), He gave him words along with His visions. He explained His visions with His words.
The words that came to Ezekiel were not common or ordinary; they were special. The words given to Ezekiel, being special, fresh, and vivid, are different from the words given to Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. In fact, they are different from the words in any other book of the Bible. When we read the book of Ezekiel, we sense that the words in this book are special. The words in Ezekiel are God’s special words, which came in a particular way to a man who was in close contact with God.
Ezekiel 1:3a says, “The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest.” This was not an ordinary word — it was an express word. Today, we also need not an ordinary word but an express word. For such an express word, do not go to the expositions of the Bible, and do not go even to the books of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. You need to have an express word from the Lord. With Ezekiel, the heavens were opened, the visions came, and the word came expressly.
Those who are ministers of God’s words need God to give them not only visions but also special words, fresh words. We need to see God’s heavenly visions, and we need to hear God’s special words. We need the words that will enable us to understand the visions, and we need the words that will enable us to proclaim and explain what we have seen. May God’s words come to us expressly along with God’s visions!
Ezekiel 1:3b goes on to say, “The hand of the Lord was there upon him.” Here we see that the hand of the Lord follows the word of the Lord. The sequence is significant: the open heavens, the visions, the word of God, and the hand of God. God’s hand always follows His speaking. Whatever He says, He does. If what we minister is truly God’s word, God’s hand will follow. However, if you minister many things and nothing happens, this means that you have a babbling mouth, but God’s hand is not working. You need God’s almighty hand to work out what you are speaking.
Today we need the heavens opened; we need the vision coming to us; we need the word of the Lord to come expressly to us; and we need the hand of the Lord to be upon us. If we speak and the divine hand does not follow, then our speaking is a vain babbling, and others should not pay attention to it. However, if what we minister is God’s express word, others should be careful about how they deal with such a word. The one who speaks God’s express word may be an insignificant person, but God’s hand is not an insignificant matter. God will come in to do what He says and to work according to His speaking.
God’s hand upon man is also for leading man and for causing one to take action (cf. 1 Kings 18:46). The visions are for seeing; the words are for hearing; and the hand is for action. The Lord’s hand upon Ezekiel held him, led him, lifted him, and carried him so that he could take action. After the Lord’s hand came upon Ezekiel, everything he did was due to the leading and directing of the Lord’s hand. God’s hand led and directed Ezekiel as a person who spoke for God. His every action was under God’s hand. Wherever he went, whatever he did, and how he acted and behaved were all due to God’s leading and directing hand. Whether he was bound or free, whether he mourned or rejoiced, whether he went or came — everything was under the leading and directing of God’s hand.
Here we see that a man who speaks for God no longer has his own freedom and can no longer do things according to his own convenience. If God’s hand leads him to go to a certain place, he must go there. If God’s hand directs him to do a certain thing, he must do it. His actions are according to the leading of God’s hand and are under the strict directing of God’s hand. Where he goes and what he does are not according to his choice but are under and according to the leading and directing hand of God. This requires the one who speaks for God to pay a considerable price.
Every minister of God’s word needs to fulfill the four conditions for seeing God’s visions. Everyone who speaks God’s words in a normal way must be one to whom the heavens are opened, one who has seen God’s visions, one to whom God’s words have come expressly, and one who has God’s hand upon him.
May we all come to “the thirtieth year,” and may we all be by the river of Chebar, not in the tide of Babylon. May we all have an open heaven, see God’s visions, receive God’s words, and have God’s leading and directing hand upon us. God needs such persons today, and the church also needs them. May we all become such persons to meet God’s need!
