In the Acknowledgments of his commentary on Ezekiel, Dr. Fruchtenbaum writes:
"The book of Ezekiel is often overlooked in both churches and synagogues worldwide. In particular, Rabbinic Judaism has wrestled with what some sages have termed 'a system of esoteric thought' that the book is believed to present.
Indeed, Ezekiel opens with a dramatic account of the prophet’s call in 1:1–3:21. As a Levitical priest, Ezekiel’s life trajectory was expected to follow well-defined roles: preparing sacrifices, instructing the Israelites in God’s law, and adjudicating disputes. However, his path was radically altered in 597 B.C. when he was taken into exile in Babylon at the time of the second deportation. It was in this foreign land that Ezekiel received a profound vision from the Lord—a vision he described using the limited vocabulary available to him. His account of four-faced angelic beings, moving on wheels within wheels, has long invited both fascination and speculation. Some Christian commentators have even suggested that Ezekiel witnessed extraterrestrial spacecraft. In Rabbinic tradition, this vision became known as Merkavah and served as the foundation for a branch of early Jewish mysticism that emerged around 100 B.C. and persisted into the Middle Ages.
However, Ezekiel was neither writing science fiction nor offering a guide to mysticism. Rather, he was identifying the figures in his vision as cherubim surrounding the Shechinah glory—the visible manifestation of God’s presence. To miss this crucial point is to forfeit a profound opportunity to gain insight into the divine realm, the very heavens themselves."
Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, "Ariel's Bible Commentary: The Book of Ezekiel," Volume 2 (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2025), p. 389.
