Godchaser Podcast
Join Evan Evans on The God Chaser Podcast, a weekly exploration of faith, spirituality, and personal growth centered on Jesus Christ. Evan, a devoted believer and captivating host guides listeners through engaging conversations and thought-provoking discussions that deepen their understanding of Christ and His teachings.
We delve into topics such as Christ's teachings, the power of prayer, the role of the Holy Spirit, and the importance of community in spiritual growth. The God Chaser Podcast aims to inspire and challenge listeners, equipping them with the tools and insights needed to live a more fulfilling, Christ-centered life.
Whether you're a seasoned believer or just beginning your faith journey, The God Chaser Podcast with Evan Evans supports and nourishes your spiritual growth. Subscribe to Apple Podcasts and join us each week as we chase after the heart of Jesus, embracing the transformative power of His love and grace.
Godchaser Podcast
Finding Christ in Ezekiel's Visions
Join Evan Evans in this enlightening episode as we navigate the fascinating visions of Ezekiel and uncover how they reveal the heart of Jesus Christ. Discover the profound connections between Ezekiel's prophecies and Christ's life, from the enthronement in the heavens to the moving imagery of dry bones coming to life. We dive deep into the rich symbolism found in these passages, portraying Jesus as both the Good Shepherd and the source of living water. Witness how Ezekiel’s messages transcend time, addressing our spiritual dryness and longing for restoration in today's world. As we explore the themes of renewal and community through these prophetic insights, we reaffirm the hope found in Christ's transformative work—his assurance to each of us that we are never too far gone for revival. Prepare to be inspired as we guide you through an impactful journey, encouraging you to see Jesus in every story of the Bible. Engage with us as we share these life-changing revelations! Don't forget to subscribe and share your thoughts with us!
Keep chasing after God
Welcome to the God Chaser podcast, where we pursue the heart of God and explore the depths of His wisdom. I'm your host, evan Evans. Last week, we explored Jeremiah's message of a new covenant written on hearts. Today, we're diving into Ezekiel's extraordinary visions that reveal Christ in ways many readers often miss. Throughout this series, we've seen how Jesus appears in every part of the Bible. As Jesus himself said, these are the very scriptures that testify about me John 5 39. This isn't reading something into the text that isn't there. It's discovering what God intended all along.
Speaker 1:In today's episode, we'll explore how Ezekiel's throne vision reveals Christ's glory, why the vision of dry bones points to Jesus's resurrection power, what the Good Shepherd prophecy tells us about Jesus's ministry. How the river from the temple foreshadows Christ's living water. Why the title Son of man connects Ezekiel directly to Jesus. Whether you're feeling in exile like Ezekiel, seeing only dry bones in your circumstances, or thirsting for living water, this prophet's visions speak directly to your situation. We'll discover how every vision, every prophecy and every symbolic action points to Jesus Christ and His work in our lives. The God Chaser podcast is committed to helping you see Jesus on every page of Scripture, growing deeper in your faith and understanding God's heart more fully. Whether you're new to the Bible or have walked with God for years, you'll discover fresh insights into how all of Scripture points to Christ. This is Evan Evans and you're listening to episode 15, finding Jesus in Ezekiel's Visions from Throne Room to Dry Bone.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the God Chaser podcast, the ultimate destination for those yearning to cultivate a passionate, intimate relationship with God. Join your host, Evan Evans, as he explores the depths of scripture, shares inspiring testimonies and provides practical guidance to help you become a true God chaser, Discover the transformative power of pursuing God's presence and be inspired to reignite your spiritual journey. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts and get ready to embark on an adventure that will change your life forever. Welcome to the God Chaser podcast. Let the chase begin.
Speaker 1:Last week we explored Jeremiah's message of a new covenant written on hearts. We saw how his tears and transformation pointed to Christ. Today we're diving deep into Ezekiel's visions. As we continue our series on finding Jesus throughout Scripture, we need to remember the foundation for our approach. Jesus himself declared these are the very Scriptures that testify about me John 5, verse 39. Peter later explained that the prophets searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 1 Peter, chapter 1, verses 10 to 11. This means our search for Christ in Ezekiel isn't imposing something foreign on the text. We're discovering what God intended all along.
Speaker 1:Let's start where Ezekiel does in exile In the thirtieth year. In the fourth month, on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles, by the Kibar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. Ezekiel, chapter 1, verses 1 to 2. First notice when this happens. Ezekiel gives us precise timing. The thirtieth year marks when a priest would begin his ministry, yet instead of serving in Jerusalem's temple, ezekiel sits by Babylon's river. This points directly to Jesus, who began his ministry at about 30 years of age. Luke, chapter 3, verse 23. Like Ezekiel, jesus ministered not in comfortable religious settings, but among the exiles, the outcasts, the broken. Now look where this vision happens by the Kabar River, not in the holy temple, not on sacred ground in pagan Babylon. Does this truth grab you? God's greatest revelations often come in our darkest exiles, when Israel felt abandoned, when the temple lay in ruins, when everything familiar was gone. That's precisely when the heavens were opened. This mirrors how Jesus came when Israel was under Roman occupation, when true worship had been corrupted, when hope seemed lost. Are you in exile today? Has life taken you far from where you thought you'd be? Take heart, the heavens can open anywhere.
Speaker 1:Now let's look at what Ezekiel sees. The vision starts with a windstorm, a cloud and fire. Ezekiel, chapter 1, verse 4. These are the same elements present at Mount Sinai when God gave the law. But what comes next is entirely new. Four living creatures appear, each with four faces human, lion, ox and eagle. Ezekiel, chapter 1, verse 10. Church fathers saw in these faces the four gospels Matthew, human face, presents Jesus as Messiah. Mark. Lion shows Jesus as powerful king Luke. Ox portrays Jesus as servant. John. Eagle reveals Jesus as divine son. These creatures reveal Christ from every angle his humanity, royalty, servanthood and deity all at once. Notice, also, each had four wings. And deity all at once. Notice, also, each had four wings. Ezekiel, chapter 1, verse 6. Two covered their bodies in reverence, two were used for service. This pictures how Jesus both honored the Father perfectly and served humanity completely.
Speaker 1:Next come the wheels complex, full of eyes, moving in perfect unity with the Spirit. Ezekiel, chapter 1, verses 15 to 21. Many miss what these wheels truly reveal God's sovereign purposes advancing through human history, every event, every circumstance, every detail, moving according to divine design. The wheels never turned as they moved, they went straight in any of four directions. Ezekiel, chapter 1, verse 17. This pictures God's purposes advancing without deviation, without hesitation, without confusion. Jesus embodied the same unwavering purpose my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. John, chapter 4, verse 34. Are your circumstances spinning out of control? Look again. The wheels move in perfect harmony with heaven's throne. Speaking of the throne, here comes the climax of Ezekiel's vision. Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.
Speaker 1:Ezekiel, chapter 1, verse 26. This is remarkable. The exiles feared God had abandoned his throne. The exiles feared God had abandoned his throne. Yet Ezekiel sees not an empty throne but one occupied by a figure like that of a man. This is Jesus.
Speaker 1:Centuries before Bethlehem, ezekiel sees the God-man ruling from heaven's throne. The description continues. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and from there down he looked like fire and brilliant light surrounded him. Ezekiel 1.27. This precise imagery appears again in Revelation 1.13-16, describing the risen Christ. When Ezekiel sees this glory, he does the only appropriate thing I fell face down. Ezekiel 1.28.
Speaker 1:True encounter with Jesus always undoes us first. It strips away our self-sufficiency, our pride, our illusion of control. But God doesn't leave Ezekiel face down. He commands Son of man, stand up on your feet. Ezekiel, chapter 2, verse 1. Ezekiel couldn't stand on his own. The Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. Ezekiel, chapter 2, verse 2. This title, son of man, appears 93 times in Ezekiel. Jesus adopted this same title, using it 82 times in the Gospels. This isn't coincidence. Jesus was deliberately identifying with Ezekiel's prophetic role.
Speaker 1:What happens next reveals more about Christ's ministry. God tells Ezekiel Ezekiel, son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. Say to them this is what the sovereign Lord says, and whether they listen or fail to listen for they are a rebellious people they will know that a prophet has been among them. Ezekiel, chapter 2, verses 3 to 5. Jesus came with this same awareness. Jerusalem, jerusalem, you who kill the prophets, and stone those sent to you. Matthew, chapter 23, verse 37. Both knew rejection awaited.
Speaker 1:How does God prepare Ezekiel for this difficult ministry? With a scroll? Then I looked and I saw a hand verses 9 to 10. God then commands this isn't just about receiving a message, it's about internalizing it completely, making it part of your very being. Ezekiel reports. So I ate it and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
Speaker 1:Ezekiel, chapter 3, verse 3. This mirrors Jesus's relationship with God's word. He didn't just speak truth, he embodied it. He was the word made flesh. John, chapter 1, verse 14. Jesus told Satan man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew, chapter 4, verse 4. The scroll contained lament and mourning and woe, yet tasted sweet as honey. This paradox reveals something profound about God's truth. Even difficult messages bring inner satisfaction when received as God's word.
Speaker 1:After eating the scroll, god makes Ezekiel a watchman. Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel, so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. Ezekiel 3, verse 17. A watchman had one job stand on the wall, watch for danger, sound the alarm. If he failed, blood was on his hands. Jesus came as the ultimate watchman. He saw the coming judgment, warned the people wept over their rejection. Jerusalem, jerusalem, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Matthew, chapter 23, verse 37. The parallel continues in what happens next. I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kibar River, and there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days, deeply distressed. Ezekiel, chapter 3, verse 15. Rest, ezekiel, chapter 3, verse 15.
Speaker 1:Ezekiel didn't deliver his message from a distance. He sat with the suffering, shared their pain, felt their grief. This is precisely what Jesus did. He made his dwelling among us. John, chapter 1, verse 14. The word didn't just shout from heaven. He moved into the neighborhood, sat with sinners, touched lepers, wept at graves.
Speaker 1:Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would be a man of suffering and familiar with pain. Isaiah, chapter 53, verse 3. Are you willing to sit with the suffering, to feel their pain, or do you prefer to shout truth from a safe distance? In Ezekiel, chapter 4, god commands something strange Ezekiel must lie on his side for 390 days, then 40 days, bearing Israel and Judah's sins. Symbolically, this pictures what Jesus would do. Jesus would do bearing our sins in his body. 1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 24. The difference Ezekiel's act was symbolic, jesus's was substitutionary. Ezekiel pictured atonement. Jesus accomplished it.
Speaker 1:Now let's move to one of scripture's most powerful visions. Ezekiel, chapter 8 through 11, shows God's glory departing the temple. First, ezekiel sees abominations in the temple idolatry, false worship, corruption in the very house of God. Jesus found the same in his day. My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers. Matthew, chapter 21, verse 13.
Speaker 1:Then comes the heartbreaking moment God's glory begins its slow, reluctant departure. First to the threshold Ezekiel, chapter 9, verse 3. Then to the east gate Ezekiel, chapter 10, verse 19. Then to the east gate Ezekiel, chapter 10, verse 19. Finally, to the Mount of Olives. Ezekiel, chapter 11, verse 23.
Speaker 1:This is the saddest procession in the Old Testament God leaving his dwelling place among his people. But there's hope, god promises. Although I sent them far away among the nations, I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries God provides His presence. This points directly to Jesus, who became God's sanctuary among us when the temple veil tore at His death, access to God's presence opened to all. Now God promises something revolutionary I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them. I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel, chapter 11, verse 19. This is the essence of Christ's work. Not external reformation but internal transformation. Not behavior modification but heart transplantation. Jesus told Nicodemus you must be born again. John, chapter 3, verse 7. Do you have a divided heart, torn between God and world, between spirit and flesh? Christ came to give you an undivided heart.
Speaker 1:In Ezekiel, chapter 16, we find another powerful picture of Christ. God describes finding Israel as an abandoned baby, unwashed and unwanted. I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood and as you lay there in your blood, I said to you live. Ezekiel, chapter 16, verse 6. He then washes her clothes, her adorns her as a bride, but she turns to prostitution, worshiping Other Gods. Despite this betrayal, god promises I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Ezekiel 16, verse 60. This pictures exactly what Jesus has done Found us in our helpless state, cleansed us from sin's defilement, clothed us with righteousness, made us His bride, despite our unfaithfulness. Jesus established this everlasting covenant through his blood.
Speaker 1:Hebrews, chapter 13, verse 20. In Ezekiel, chapter 17, god speaks through a riddle about two eagles and a vine. The first eagle plants a seed that grows into a vine, but the vine turns to the second eagle for help. God promises to take a tender sprig from the highest cedar and plant it on Israel's mountain. This obscure parable actually reveals Christ. The tender sprig represents the Messiah from David's line, who would become a noble cedar under which birds of every kind will nest. Ezekiel, chapter 17, verse 23. Jesus used this exact imagery in his parables. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches. Matthew, chapter 13, verses 31 to 32.
Speaker 1:Now we come to Ezekiel, chapter 34, one of scripture's clearest pictures of Christ as the good shepherd. First, god condemns Israel's false shepherds, leaders who fed themselves instead of the flock. They didn't strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind the injured or seek the lost. Then comes the promise I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered, on a day of clouds and darkness. Ezekiel, chapter 34, 34, verses 11 to 12. God vows to do what human shepherds failed to do. Jesus claimed this role explicitly I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Speaker 1:John, chapter 10, verse 11. He fulfilled every aspect of Ezekiel's prophecy seeking the lost Luke, chapter 19, verse 10,. Binding the injured. Luke, chapter 4, verse 18, bringing back the strays. Matthew, chapter 18, verses 12 to 14,. Strengthening the weak. Matthew, chapter 11, verse 28,. But God's prophecy continues with another layer I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them and be their shepherd.
Speaker 1:Ezekiel, chapter 34, verse 23. This isn't saying literal David would return. It's pointing to Messiah from David's line. Jesus is this Davidic shepherd. He united Israel and Judah, jews and Gentiles, into one flock. John, chapter 10, verse 16.
Speaker 1:Now let's move to Ezekiel, chapter 36. Perhaps the clearest picture of the new birth Jesus would bring. I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees. Ezekiel, chapter 36, verses 25 to 27.
Speaker 1:This prophecy reveals the complete work of Christ Cleansing from sin's defilement, new heart, transformation, spirit indwelling, power for obedience. Jesus referenced this passage when he told Nicodemus about being born of water and the Spirit. John, chapter 3, verse 5. Paul later wrote If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone. If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone. The new is here. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. Are you trying to follow God with a heart of stone? Are you attempting obedience without inner transformation?
Speaker 1:This leads us to Ezekiel, chapter 37, the valley of dry bones. The hand of the Lord was on me and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley. It was full of bones. Ezekiel, chapter 37, verse 1. These weren't fresh corpses, just dry, scattered bones, as dead as dead gets Son of man. Can these bones live, god asks? Ezekiel, chapter 37, verse 3. This question echoes through the centuries. Can dead marriages live again? Can wayward children return? Can broken dreams be restored? Ezekiel wisely answers sovereign Lord, you alone know.
Speaker 1:God commands him to prophesy to the bones. As he speaks, something extraordinary happens. There was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Ezekiel, chapter 37, verses 7 to 8.
Speaker 1:This picture is exactly how Jesus resurrects dead souls. He speaks to what has no life. He connects what's disconnected, he restores what's decayed, he brings wholeness where there's only fragments. But notice, even after the bones connect and flesh forms, there was no breath in them. Structure without spirit is still dead, form without power is still so. God commands again man and say to it this is what the sovereign Lord says come breath from the four winds and breathe into these slain that they may live.
Speaker 1:Ezekiel, chapter 37, verse 9. When Ezekiel prophesies, breath entered them. They came to life and wind filled believers and brought the church to life. Jesus promised this same life-giving Spirit. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full John chapter 10, verse 10. And have it to the full. John chapter 10, verse 10.
Speaker 1:In Ezekiel, chapter 37, we also find the prophecy of two sticks becoming one, representing the reunion of Israel and Judah. I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land. Ezekiel, chapter 37, verses 21 to 22. This points to Christ's work of uniting Jews and Gentiles into one body, as Paul explains. For he himself is our peace who has made the two groups one.
Speaker 1:In Ezekiel 40-48, we find the prophet's most extensive vision a new temple with river flowing from it. Many focus on the architectural details, missing what this vision truly reveals about Christ. First, the temple's measurements are perfect and symmetrical, picturing Christ's perfect righteousness. Second, god's glory returns from the east, the same direction it departed in chapter 11. This points to Christ's return to restore what was lost. The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east and the glory of the Lord filled the temple, but the most remarkable feature is the river. Feature is the river. The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east.
Speaker 1:Ezekiel, chapter 47, verse 1. As this river flows from the temple, it grows deeper and wider. Trees grow along its banks. The dead sea comes to life. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river.
Speaker 1:Ezekiel 47.12 living water. Jesus promised Whoever believes in me, as scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. John, chapter 7, verse 38. John explained by this he meant the spirit. John, chapter 7, verse 39. This same imagery appears in Revelation, chapter 22, verses 1 to 2,. This same imagery appears in Revelation, chapter 22, verses 1 to 2, describing the river of life flowing from God's throne, with trees whose leaves heal the nations. Jesus is the source of this life-giving river. From his side flowed blood and water. John, chapter 19, verse 34.
Speaker 1:The temple vision concludes with its most significant detail. The city's new name and the name of the city from that time on will be the Lord is there. Ezekiel, chapter 48, verse 35. In Hebrew, this is Yei Chaweh Shammah, god's presence no longer confined to a building, but filling the entire city. This points directly to Christ, whose name is Emmanuel, god with us. Matthew, chapter 1, verse 23. Through Jesus, god's presence isn't limited to a temple made by hands. He dwells in his people. His presence fills his church. The promises come full circle.
Speaker 1:The glory that departed in chapter 11 returns in chapter 43. The God who seemed absent in exile proves he was working all along. What ties all these visions together? Ezekiel saw Jesus as the glory on heaven's throne, the watchman warning his people, the shepherd seeking the lost, the breath resurrecting dry bones, the temple where God meets man, the river bringing life to desert places, the Lord who is there, always present. These aren't separate visions. They're one magnificent portrait of Christ.
Speaker 1:The question is, which Jesus do you need today? Are you in chaos? He sits enthroned above the storm. Are you lost? He's the shepherd seeking you. Are you spiritually dead? He breathes life into dry bones. Are you thirsty? He flows as living water. Are you alone? He is there. Emmanuel, god with us. What Ezekiel saw in vision, we receive in Christ the glory he glimpsed.
Speaker 1:We'll explore the book of Daniel. We'll see how this prophet in exile reveals Jesus as the Ancient of Days, the stone that becomes a mountain and the fourth man in the fire. The stone that becomes a mountain and the fourth man in the fire. We'll discover how Daniel's prophecies give us the most precise timeline of Christ's coming and the clearest picture of his eternal kingdom. This is Evan Evans, reminding you to keep chasing God's heart Until next time. Remember the heavens can open anywhere, even by Babylon's rivers. This has been the God Chaser podcast. Join us next week as we continue finding Jesus in every story of the Bible. This has been the God Chaser podcast. Join us next week as we continue finding Jesus in every story of the Bible. This episode of the God Chaser podcast is proudly sponsored by God Chaser Apparel, the clothing line designed to empower and inspire your spiritual journey.
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Speaker 1:May you not just chase God but find him in the blessings, big and small, that he has in store for you. And there we have it, folks. Another episode of God Chaser wrapped up. We hope you've been blessed by today's discussion and we look forward to diving into more life-transforming topics with you in the future. Stay blessed and keep chasing after God.