29. To where must the prophet Ezekiel now be brought, and what are we interested to learn respecting him now?

²⁹ As the celestial chariot, with Jehovah seated upon the sapphire throne above it, stands at the outer eastern entrance of the temple, what instructions are to be given to the prophet Ezekiel? But first he must be brought from his position in the inner court of the temple in order to view what may be seen from the outer eastern gate that looked toward the Mount of Olives. We are interested to learn what he sees and hears there.

Chapter 11

Disappointment in Store for Overconfident Ones

 1. Whom, in vision, did Ezekiel now get to see in the eastern gate of the temple, and what were they saying?

IN HIS next vision, what does Ezekiel see happen? Listen: “And a spirit proceeded to lift me up and bring me to the eastern gate of the house of Jehovah that is facing eastward, and, look! in the entrance of the gate there were twenty-five men, and I got to see in the midst of them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. Then he [Jehovah] said to me: ‘Son of man, these are the men that are scheming hurtfulness and advising bad counsel against this city; that are saying, “Is not the building of houses close at hand? She is the widemouthed cooking pot, and we are the flesh.”’”—Ezekiel 11:1-3.

 2. What do we note about the identity of these twenty-five men, and what political movement were they scheming?

² Apparently these are not the twenty-five men