Ezekiel's prophetic ministry began in 586 BC, when Jerusalem was destroyed and continued for another 15 years, probably until 570 BC. He was a descendant of a priestly family which guaranteed him a place in the Temple as a priest. But that was interrupted by the Babylonian invasion. However, the invasion was not enough to thwart God's plan in Ezekiel's life. It was in the midst of pain, destruction, slavery, anguish and death that the Lord raised him up as a prophetic voice in his generation, even today.