Ezekiel & Revelation: Intriguing Parallels
Both texts were written in advance of Jerusalem's Destruction (586 BC & 70 AD)
“The influence of the Book of Ezekiel on the last book of the Christian Bible is indisputable... The 4th edition of the USB Greek NT, for example, lists no less than 84 allusions and verbal parallels to Ezekiel in the Apocalypse, spread across every chapter except 12-13.”
— Ian Boxall, The Revelation of Saint John
In my last article, I argued for a pre-70 date for the book of Revelation. Another argument in favor of this view relates to the parallels that exist between the words of John’s vision and the prophecy of Ezekiel. In the first chapter of his prophecy, Ezekiel describes four living creatures with the likeness of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle. John records a nearly identical vision in Rev 4:6-8. In Ezekiel chapter 2, the prophet was given a scroll filled with lamentations and woe, with writing on both sides which corresponds to Rev 5:1. Both Ezekiel and John were also instructed to eat the scroll (compare Ez. 3:1-4 with Rev. 10:8-11). A close study of Ezekiel’s prophecy and the Book of Revelation reveals countless parallels of this kind.
So, why is this significant? Ezekiel saw his vision while he was in exile sometime around 593 BC, less than a decade before Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC. Therefore, if it can be established that John’s Apocalypse is in some ways patterned on the book of Ezekiel, perhaps it should be interpreted accordingly (i.e., as God’s final prophetic warning before Jerusalem was destroyed, this time by the Romans.1 This appears to make sense of the language we find in the final chapter of Revelation, particularly when John was told, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book,2 for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy” (Rev 22:10). The events John describes are so near, in fact, that there no longer appears to be any time for repentance. Therefore, this cannot be a description of “the church age,” etc.
If you would like to study the parallels between Ezekiel and Revelation, I’ve created a 3-page comparison chart for paid subscribers (available behind a paywall at the bottom of this page). I’ll also send this PDF to you for a gift of any size in support of The Humble Skeptic. Click here for more info.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
Articles
A Pre-70 Date for Revelation? Shane Rosenthal
Who is Babylon the Great? Deciphering the Clues of Revelation (1)
Babylon the Great, Continued, Deciphering the Clues of Revelation (2)
Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?, Deciphering the Clues of Revelation (3)
The Beast of Revelation 17, Deciphering the Clues of Revelation (4)
Nero’s Death & Rome’s Civil War, Deciphering the Clues of Revelation (5)
The Implications of 70 AD, Shane Rosenthal
Books & Episodes
The Revelation of Saint John, Ian Boxall
The Last Days According to Jesus, R.C. Sproul
End Times Bible Prophecy: It’s Not What They Told You, Brian Godawa
Before Jerusalem Fell, & The Divorce of Israel, Kenneth Gentry, Jr.
Decoding The Prophecies of Daniel, Humble Skeptic #68
Babylon, Humble Skeptic #66