Why did God have Ezekiel prophesy the destruction of Israel and Judah? I thought Israel and Judah were already destroyed before the days of Ezekiel because, Ezekiel said in the beginning of his book that he was in the midst of captivity. Where was Ezekiel located (where did he live) during the time he was prophesying?
The northern Kingdom, called Israel, was conquered by the Assyrians around 722BC. Babylon conquered Judah over a 19 period that included three sieges about 130 years later. In the first siege, which took place in 605 BC, Daniel was taken to Babylon along with a number of others from the royal family, to serve as hostages. Ezekiel became a hostage along with 10,000 others who were carried off to Babylon in the 2nd siege, in 597. Finally, in the 3rd siege, 586 BC, the Temple and city were destroyed, all the remaining Jews were taken to Babylon, and the Promised Land was left unoccupied for 70 years. The firsrt 32 chapters of Ezekiel were written before the 3rd siege.