Ezekiel and the Doctrine and Covenants

One of the Old Testament prophets who made prophecies particularly important for the Restoration was Ezekiel.  We see this in the fact that the Doctrine and Covenants references Ezekiel’s writings several times.  For example, in a prophecy about the tribulations of the last days, the Lord said, “And the great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall be cast down by devouring fire, according as it is spoken by the mouth of Ezekiel the prophet, who spoke of these things, which have not come to pass but surely must, as I live, for abominations shall not reign” (D&C 29:21).  This reference by the Lord gives a stamp of authenticity on the words of Ezekiel and highlights their importance for us.  We find a second reference to Ezekiel in the Doctrine and Covenants when the Lord referred to “the record of the stick of Ephraim” (D&C 27:5).  The last section of the Doctrine and Covenants in the vision of Joseph F. Smith also references Ezekiel and his writings.  President Smith wrote of the “great and mighty ones” that he saw in vision in the spirit world, and included in his list “Moreover, Ezekiel, who was shown in vision the great valley of dry bones, which were to be clothed upon with flesh, to come forth again in the resurrection of the dead, living souls” (D&C 138:38, 43).  This again underscores the importance of Ezekiel as a prophet and the relevance of his words to us today. 

               It appears that these three references to the writings of Ekekiel refer to adjacent chapters towards the end of the book in the Old Testament.  The footnote in D&C 29:21 suggests that the Lord was referring to this passage from Ezekiel 38: “And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.”  This speaks of the great battle with Gog from the land of Magog to take place directly before the Second Coming, also known as the Armageddon.  The Lord was speaking to Gog in this verse—apparently the leader of the numerous armies coming to attack Israel—and the Lord clearly was prophesying the downfall and defeat of the wicked forces.  The verse in the D&C seems to extend the specific reference to cover more generally all of those who are part of the “great and abominable church” (which based on 2 Nephi 6:12 we might define more generally as those that fight against Zion).  Any who fight against the Lord in the last days will, whether literally or figuratively, “be cast down by devouring fire.”     

The other two (more positive) references to Ezekiel in the Doctrine and Covenants both come from chapter 37.  The chapter describes the prophet’s famous vision of the “valley which was full of bones.”  The bringing to life of these dry bones—"the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army”—represented the gathering of the house of Israel as well as the ultimate resurrection of the faithful (Ezekiel 37:1, 10).  Later in the same chapter Ezekiel wrote of the Lord’s prophecy about the bringing together of scriptures in the last days: “Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand” (Ezekiel 37:19).  President Packer spoke of the fulfillment of this prophecy in 1982: “The stick or record of Judah—the Old Testament and the New Testament—and the stick or record of Ephraim—the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ—are now woven together in such a way that as you pore over one you are drawn to the other; as you learn from one you are enlightened by the other. They are indeed one in our hands. Ezekiel’s prophecy now stands fulfilled.”  So while this prophecy has been fulfilled, others from Ezekiel remain to take place as future events unfold before the return of the Savior.  The Doctrine and Covenants confirms the importance of understanding and paying heed to these words of Ezekiel.