When you think of the Old Testament prophets, you probably don’t think of them as messengers of “the good news” as we know it in the New Testament. But, the gospel, the good news that God wants a relationship with us and makes a way for that relationship, is communicated throughout the whole Bible.

This graphic shows some of the basics of the gospel that are evident in the book of Ezekiel.

 In chapter 1, Ezekiel shows us that God is holy and glorious and not like anyone or anything on earth or in heaven.

Then, in chapters 2 through 24, Ezekiel shows us that Israel is everything except holy and glorious. Israel is a nation trapped in sin. Israel’s kings, priests, prophets, and people are all sinners. They are sinners who will be held accountable for their actions.

Chapters 25 through 32 are also about sinners (the nations around Israel) who will be held accountable for their actions.

Then the rest of the book is about God’s grace and the blessings that come as a result of His grace. Ezekiel 36:25-27 promise the major change that God will carry out in our lives. The book of Ezekiel doesn’t tell us that Jesus would come as the God-man and die for our sins, but the giving of the Holy Spirit and changes in our lives are made possible by Jesus’ substitutionary death and His resurrection.

In my lecture, I’ll talk more about a very important and sometimes overlooked aspect of the gospel: the doctrine of sin. Not a fun topic, but we must know the problem before we can understand the solution.

And what a blessing to be able to consider sin, from the perspective of already having salvation! Praise God for the work He has done and the gift of eternal life that He has given!

What a glorious future we have with Him, but even now we have abundant life by His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit.