As we move into the end of Ezekiel, beginning with chapter 40, it’s useful to recall part of Peterson’s introduction:

Whether through denial or despair, the people of God nearly lost their identity as a people of God. But they didn’t. God’s people emerged from that catastrophic century robust and whole. And the reason, in large part, was Ezekiel.

According to Peterson, Ezekiel’s main job was to keep the people encouraged during the exile. And although there was A LOT about sin and judgment, there were also many passages about restoration. And the longest section in Ezekiel comes at the end: chapters 40 – 48, which describe in detail what the new temple will look like and other details about being back in the land. In other words, HOPE.

In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me to the city. In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 40.1 – 4, ESV)

“Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.” Then begins eight chapters of detail, mostly about the rebuilt Temple. HOPE.

Maybe if we saw ourselves in exile, passages in Revelation would give us similar hope. For example,

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…Then came one of the seven angels…and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls… (Revelation 21.1, 9 – 15, ESV)

Sounds like Ezekiel!

• Ezekiel and John were both carried to a high mountain
• Both saw someone with a measuring rod
• I didn’t show the Ezekiel text but both contain descriptions of the gates
• …

Truly, “this world is not my home…”