1:4–3:15 Ezekiel’s inaugural vision should be compared with the call narratives of Moses (Ex. 3), Isaiah (Is. 6), and Jeremiah (Jer. 1). Like Moses, the model prophet (Deut. 18:15, 18), those who followed him would ordinarily begin their prophetic careers by being admitted to the divine presence. In the heavenly council they hear the words of God. The prophets report such experiences not so much as autobiography but because their admission to the divine council was the basis for their claim to prophetic authority. It was a qualification that distinguished the true prophet from the false (1 Kin. 22:19–28; Jer. 23:16–18).