Pure Worship of Jehovah—Restored At Last!
The Bible book of Ezekiel contains many prophecies that focus on the restoration of pure worship. How do these prophecies involve us?
A Letter From the Governing Body
It is our earnest desire that this book will help you to give Jehovah the pure worship that he so richly deserves.
Explanation of Special Features
Teaching boxes and time lines provide additional information that will help deepen your understanding.
CHAPTER 1
‘Na Jehovah Your God You Must Worship’
By instigating a rebellion, Satan not only challenged Jehovah’s right to rule but also launched an attack on pure worship.
CHAPTER 2
‘God Accept’ Their Sacrifice
The pattern set by men of faith reveals that acceptable worship includes four key elements.
SECTION 1
“The Heavens Were Opened”
CHAPTER 3
‘I Start to See Visions About God’
Ezekiel’s first vision left him completely overwhelmed. What he saw is rich in meaning for faithful servants of God today.
CHAPTER 4
Wetin the ‘Cherubs With Four Face’ Represent?
Jehovah gave Ezekiel visual aids that help us to understand realities that we would not otherwise be able to grasp.
CHAPTER 5
‘See the Kind Wicked Things Wey Israel People De do’
Ezekiel observes shocking scenes that reflect the spiritual ruin of the whole nation.
CHAPTER 6
‘Your Time for Destruction Don Come’
Ezekiel’s prophetic enactments foretell the expression of Jehovah’s indignation against Jerusalem.
CHAPTER 7
People ‘Go Know Say I Be Jehovah’
The nations that slandered Jehovah’s name and persecuted or corrupted his people would not escape the consequences of their actions. What lessons can we learn from Israel’s dealings with those nations?
CHAPTER 8
‘I Go Give Them One Shepherd’
God inspires Ezekiel to prophesy about the Messiah, the future Ruler and Shepherd of Jehovah’s people, who will permanently restore pure worship.
CHAPTER 9
‘I Go Give Them One Heart’
Do prophecies given to the faithful Jewish exiles in Babylon have meaning for us?
CHAPTER 10
‘You Go Come Back to Life’
Ezekiel has a vision of a valley full of dry bones that come to life. What does it mean?
CHAPTER 11
‘I Don Choose You as Watchman’
What are the role and responsibilities of this watchman? What warning is he to proclaim?
CHAPTER 13
‘Talk How the temple Dey’
What is the meaning of the temple that Ezekiel saw in a vision?
CHAPTER 14
‘This Na the Law About the Temple’
What lessons might the Jews of Ezekiel’s day have drawn from his temple vision? And what does this vision mean for us today?
CHAPTER 15
‘I Go Stop Your Prostitution’
What can we learn from the descriptions of the prostitutes in Ezekiel and in Revelation?
CHAPTER 16
‘Put Mark for Front of Their Head’
The way that faithful ones in Ezekiel’s day were marked for survival is significant for us.
CHAPTER 18
‘I Go Really Vex’
Gog’s attack provokes Jehovah’s anger, leading God to defend his people.
CHAPTER 19
‘Everything Wey Dey the Place Wey the River Pass Go Get Life’
Why can we say that Ezekiel’s vision of a river flowing from the temple has been fulfilled, is being fulfilled, and will be fulfilled in the future?
CHAPTER 20
‘Divide the Land as Property for the People’
In a vision, God instructs Ezekiel and his fellow exiles to allot the Promised Land to the tribes of Israel.
CHAPTER 21
‘The Name of the City . . . Go Be Jehovah Dey There’
What lessons can we draw from Ezekiel’s vision about the city and its meaningful name?
CHAPTER 22
‘Worship God’
This publication is intended to strengthen our resolve to worship Jehovah God exclusively.
Main Points for Our New Understanding
Why has our understanding of some prophecies in the book of Ezekiel been changed?
TEACHING BOX 1A
What Is Worship?
Exactly how can worship be defined? How is it highlighted in the book of Ezekiel? What does pure worship involve?
TEACHING BOX 1B
An Overview of Ezekiel
The book can be divided into a number of chronological and topical sections.
TEACHING BOX 2A
Understanding Ezekiel’s Prophecies
The book contains visions, illustrations, parables, and enactments. Many of these were divinely inspired messages of things to come.
TEACHING BOX 2B
Ezekiel—His Life and Times
Other prophets were active at the same time as Ezekiel. His life span was punctuated by important events in the history of his people.
TEACHING BOX 3A
The Long Trek to Babylonia
What route would the exiles likely have taken between Judah and Babylon?
TEACHING BOX 4A
“I Was Watching the Living Creatures”
What distinguished the four creatures that Ezekiel saw in a vision from the colossal statues of ancient Assyria and Babylonia?
TEACHING BOX 5A
“Son of Man, Do You See This?”
Ezekiel sees four detestable things in the temple and its courtyard.
TEACHING BOX 6A
“Shave Your Head and Your Beard”
Under divine direction, Ezekiel enacts prophetic dramas indicating what will soon take place in Jerusalem.
TEACHING BOX 7A
The Nations Surrounding Jerusalem
Judah and neighboring lands were the theater of numerous power struggles.
TEACHING BOX 7B
Key Statements in the Book of Ezekiel
Certain characteristic expressions recur dozens of times throughout this prophetic book.
TEACHING BOX 8A
Messianic Prophecy—The Majestic Cedar Tree
What is the meaning of the riddle recorded in Ezekiel chapter 17?
TEACHING BOX 8B
Three Messianic Prophecies
Ezekiel prophesies that the future leader of God’s people would deserve our trust.
TEACHING BOX 9A
Jehovah Keeps His Promises—Ancient Times
God inspires Ezekiel to share five prophecies concerning release and restoration.
TEACHING BOX 9B
Why 1919?
Why do we say that God’s people were freed from bondage to Babylon the Great in 1919?
TEACHING BOX 9C
Jehovah Keeps His Promises—Modern Times
How have some of God’s promises had two fulfillments?
TEACHING BOX 9D
Prophecies of Captivity and Restoration
Prophecies regarding the captivity of the Jews in ancient Babylon and their restoration had a greater fulfillment when the Christian congregation was held captive by Babylon the Great and later restored.
TEACHING BOX 9E
“The Times of Restoration of All Things”
The apostle Peter was inspired to foretell a period that would begin with Christ’s enthronement and would continue to the end of the Millennium.
TEACHING BOX 10A
Pure Worship—Gradually Restored
What developments paved the way for the modern-day preaching work?
TEACHING BOX 10B
“Dry Bones” and “Two Witnesses”—How Do They Relate?
How were these prophecies fulfilled in modern times?
TEACHING BOX 10C
Help to Get Back on Our Feet
At times we can feel overwhelmed and worn out, but we draw strength from the vision of the dry bones that came to life.
TEACHING BOX 11A
Some Exemplary Watchmen
They faced opposition, remained loyal to Jehovah, and announced both warnings and good news.
TEACHING BOX 12A
The Joining of the Two Sticks
Whom did these sticks represent in ancient and modern times?
TEACHING BOX 13A
Different Temples, Different Lessons
How did the temple seen by Ezekiel differ from the one described by the apostle Paul?
TEACHING BOX 14A
Lessons From Ezekiel’s Temple Vision
What lessons drawn from Ezekiel’s temple vision can you apply in your worship?
TEACHING BOX 15A
The Prostitute Sisters
Jehovah’s depiction of Oholah and Oholibah illustrates how he feels about those who misrepresent his holy name and his standards of pure worship.
TEACHING BOX 16B
Sighing and Groaning, Marking, Smashing—When and How?
The vision recorded in Ezekiel chapter 9 can help us to face the end of this system of things with confidence.
TEACHING BOX 18A
Jehovah Warns of the Coming Great Battle
The Bible foretells a climactic battle in which God will destroy all who oppose him.
TEACHING BOX 19A
Rivers of Blessings From Jehovah
Several Bible writers have used the same illustration to picture Jehovah’s blessings.
TEACHING BOX 19B
A Trickle Becomes a Torrent!
What does the stream that flows from God’s sanctuary represent?
TEACHING BOX 20A
The Allotment of the Land
Ezekiel’s vision of territory allotment not only encouraged Jewish exiles in Babylon but also encourages God’s people today.
TEACHING BOX 21A
“The Contribution That You Are to Set Apart”
What five areas made up the land that God sets apart? What purpose do they serve?
