EZEKIEL, BOOK OF

Ezekiel was a prophet in Babylonian captivity, his ministry lasting more than twenty years. Jeremiah had foretold that the captivity would last seventy years (Jer. 25:11), but false prophets among the captives promised an early return to the homeland. Ezekiel's task was to solemnly warn the Israelites that they must serve the full seventy years. He also condemned certain pagan peoples. Beyond the days of those hardships, however, he looks forward to some of the glories of the Messianic age.