Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47

The book of Ezekiel records the visions and prophecies of Ezekiel, a priest among the Israelites who were carried away to Babylon in about 597 BC. He prophesied there from about 592 to 570 BC. Ezekiel’s ministry overlapped with those of other prophets, each called by the Lord to minister to different audiences: Jeremiah was called to warn the Israelites in Judah prior to the destruction of Jerusalem. Daniel prophesied within the royal courts of Babylon. And Lehi was commanded to leave Jerusalem and lead his family and others to “a promised land in the western hemisphere.”

The book of Ezekiel can be organized into the following sections:

1. Ezekiel 1–3: Ezekiel’s vision of God in His glory and his call to be a watchman for Israel.

2. Ezekiel 4–24: Prophecies against Jerusalem.

3. Ezekiel 25–32: Prophecies against neighboring nations.

4. Ezekiel 33–48: Prophecies of Israel’s restoration after their exile and in the last days, including a vision of a latter-day temple in Jerusalem.

In his symbolic vision, Ezekiel saw four creatures, each with four faces—that of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. He also saw four wheels that moved with the creatures. While some have attempted to explain what these figures represent, the full meaning of Ezekiel’s vision has not been revealed to us by the Lord.

Most significantly, Ezekiel beheld “the glory of the Lord” on His throne. For Ezekiel, this vision likely deepened his understanding of God’s majesty and provided assurance that the Lord could still be with the people, even though they had been exiled to Babylon.

Ezekiel is called “son of man” over 90 times throughout the book. The original Hebrew phrase can also be translated as “son of a human.” The term seems to be emphasizing Ezekiel’s mortality in contrast to the divine, eternal nature of God. “It is not to be confused with the title ‘Son of Man,’ which refers to Christ.”

In Ezekiel’s vision, the Lord gave him a “roll of a book,” or a scroll, and commanded him to eat it. This symbolic act likely represented Ezekiel accepting and internalizing the Lord’s message. The scriptures record similar symbolic experiences involving other ancient prophets.

Ancient watchmen stood on a wall or in a tower so they could see threats coming from afar. The Lord compares His prophets to watchmen numerous times in the Old Testament. This is also true of the Lord’s prophets today. Elder Neil L. Andersen taught, “A prophet is a watchman on the tower, protecting us from spiritual dangers we may not see.”

After calling Ezekiel to be a watchman, the Lord emphasized the prophet’s responsibility to warn the people to turn from their sins. The Lord spoke about the despair and complaints of the exiled Israelites, who felt that their sins were causing them to waste away without hope. The Lord assured them that He takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked” and that those who turned from their wickedness would live. He also explained that past righteousness does not excuse present sin, just as past wickedness will not condemn those who repent.

Commenting on these verses, Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught: “Far from being anxious to condemn, our Heavenly Father and our Savior seek our happiness and plead with us to repent, knowing full well that ‘wickedness never was [and never will be] happiness.’ So Ezekiel and every prophet before and since, speaking the word of God out of a full heart, have warned all who will to turn away from Satan, the enemy of their souls, and ‘choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men’ [2 Nephi 2:27].”

Ezekiel 34 begins with the Lord’s rebuke of the leaders of Israel, whom He compared to shepherds who selfishly “fed themselves, and fed not [His] flock.” The Lord declared that He would deliver the people from these unfaithful shepherds and personally gather and care for His flock. He then promised that He would “set up one shepherd over them, … even my servant David.” This does not refer to King David, who died about four centuries before Ezekiel’s ministry. Rather, it is a reference to Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, who was a descendant of David.

Through Ezekiel, the Lord reminded the people that their wickedness had defiled the promised land and that their exile had caused His name to be profaned among other “heathen” (Gentile) nations. Many of these people saw that the Israelites were scattered and assumed that the Lord had abandoned or failed them. But the Lord promised that when He gathered Israel back to their lands, He would “sanctify [His] great name … among the heathen” and that “the heathen shall know that [He is] the Lord.”

The Lord showed Ezekiel a vision of a valley filled with dry bones, which came to life at His command. He explained that the bones represented the house of Israel in their lost and hopeless state. The bones receiving new life can represent the house of Israel being restored to a new spiritual life. Ezekiel’s vision can also be understood as a prophecy of the Resurrection of the dead.

The Lord used the symbolic act of joining two sticks to represent the future reunification of Israel and Judah into one nation under a single king.

The “sticks” can also represent written records. A latter-day fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy is seen in the coming forth of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. The stick of Judah (the Bible) represents the record preserved primarily by the Jews, many of whom were of the tribe of Judah. The stick of Joseph (the Book of Mormon) represents the record kept by Lehi and his descendants, who were descendants of Joseph, Judah’s brother. The stick of Joseph is also called the stick of Ephraim because Ephraim was one of Joseph’s sons and a dominant tribe among his descendants.

President Russell M. Nelson taught: “Today, Saints living in many nations of the earth gratefully hold the Bible (the stick of Judah) and the Book of Mormon (the stick of Ephraim) bound as one in their hands.”

The Prophet Joseph Smith prophesied, “Judah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the temple, and water come out from under the temple, and the waters of the Dead Sea be healed [see Ezekiel 47:1–9]. It will take some time to rebuild the walls of the city and the temple, etc.; and all this must be done before the Son of Man will make His appearance.”

As a heavenly messenger brought Ezekiel to the door of the temple, the prophet beheld water flowing from underneath it. This water increased gradually as Ezekiel walked through it until it was too deep to be passed over. The water ultimately flowed from Jerusalem down into the Dead Sea, where it brought life and healing.

Teaching about the symbolism of this water, Elder Dale G. Renlund explained:

“Two characteristics of the water are noteworthy. First, though the small stream had no tributaries, it grew into a mighty river, becoming wider and deeper the farther it flowed. Something similar happens with the blessings that flow from the temple as individuals are sealed as families. Meaningful growth occurs going backward and forward through the generations as sealing ordinances weld families together.

“Second, the river renewed everything that it touched. The blessings of the temple likewise have a stunning capacity to heal. Temple blessings can heal hearts and lives and families.”

• Neil L. Andersen, “The Prophet of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 24–27

• D. Todd Christofferson, “The Voice of Warning,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 108–11

• “Watchmen on the Tower,” Ensign, April 2016, 29.

• Russell M. Nelson, “Scriptural Witnesses,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 43–45

• Boyd K. Packer, “Scriptures,” Ensign, Nov. 1982, 51–53

• Dale G. Renlund, “Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 46–49