Chapters 1-3 Ezekiel's vision of Yahweh: Call, Ordination, Mission
Chapters 4-24 Yahweh's judgment on Judah and Jerusalem
Chapters 25-32 Yahweh's Judgment on the Nations
Chapter 33 The Report of the fall of Jerusalem (this is the turning point in Ezekiel)
Chapters 34-37 Hope fo the Restoration of Judah
Chapters 38-39 Gog and Magog
Chapters 40-48 Hope for a new Temple
Ezekiel's Historical Setting
If the "thirtieth year" of Ezekiel 1:1 is Ezekeil's thirtieth year we can date back and discover the events of Ezekiel's life up to the day he speaks of in his book. This puts Ezekiels birth date in 622B.C. In 622B.C. Josiah was in his eighteenth year as the king of Judah and was six years into a nationwide programe of reform. Part of that refrom was the refurbishment of the Temple in Jerusalem and during that project the Book of the Law of the Lord was found (2 Kings 22:8; 2 Chronicles 34:14). You can read about the events that occured during Ezekiel's first thirty years in 2 Kings 22-25 and 2 Chronicles 34-36.
Prophets that receeded and were contemporary to Exekies were Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk and Daniel. Because Ezekeil was of the priestly family and would have spent time in Jerusalem and in the Temple precints, he certainly would have heard Jeremiah if he did not know him personally.
