King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Sunday, August 29, 2021
Chapters: Ezekiel 9-12
Message: The Mark of Christ in You
Hello My Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today, this passage came to mind, [Matthew 12:43-45 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.]
There is a difference between a saved Christian who backslides sometimes and one who is saved for the moment. I have seen it before my very eyes, a person who I believe only became a believer to keep me interested in him. This is also the reason why Jesus says that we must believe in Him and endure this world with Him until the end. There will come a day when both believing Jews and Gentiles will come together as one nation of Israel, Jesus is going to call our names, even if our bodies are in the grave, and we will all meet up with Him, [John 10:15-17 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. 17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.]
These are what I believe to be the saddest chapters in the entire Bible as we read about the Glory of God descending from the Temple. A mark is something that symbolizes who or what you are, we all have a mark of some kind, that is what makes us unique from one another. There will come a time, and I believe this is already coming into play, that there will be a mark on the foreheads of every person who worships the devil, but God has a mark also on the foreheads of those who worship only Him, that mark is put there by only one person, Jesus Christ. Through Ezekiel, we see an amazing prophesy of God sending Jesus to mark the foreheads of every believer in Jerusalem, just as the Glory of God descends from the mercy seat that is within the Temple.
[Ezekiel 9:2–5,10 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. 3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; 4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. 5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: 10 And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.]
[with a writer’s inkhorn by his side:] The inkhorn was literally a horn filled with ink, whereas they use to dip the pen into the ink before we had pens with ink in them already. Ink is permanent, it cannot be erased, you can cover it with whiteout, but the mark is still there. The person who sighs and cries for the abominations of the earth is the one who hears the good news of the Gospel, admits they are stained with sin, and receives Christ as their Saviour. [and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry] This means both male and female. Christ, not only marks their forehead, He marks their heart, and that sin is no more, it gets erased permanently. And when we stand before God, we stand before Him pure, without spot, [Hebrews 9:24,27-28 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.]
No matter who you are, man, woman, or child, all who fully understand right from wrong, if they do not have the mark of Christ upon them they will be destroyed in the fire. Now, as Ezekiel watches this cloud of light emerge from its throne and up through the house, something else is revealed to him, the creature he saw.
[Ezekiel 10:1-5 Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. 2 And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight. 3 Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’S glory. 5 And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.]
[and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims,] The hot coals that Jesus scattered all over Jerusalem was a foreshadow of the day He would return, and the wrath of God would destroy the city with fire. The first time Jesus came here in the flesh, He was meek and mild, and although He got angry, He let things slide because He only came here to fulfill prophecy. The second time, He will not be, and will be, He remove anyone from His sight that does not have His mark, [2 Peter 3:9-11 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,]
Ezekiel saw first hand the anger of God toward those who reject His Son, He knows we are all sinners, and is merciful, but He will have no mercy on those who reject Him. Now, he watches as people started dying right in front of him after he told them what God had said.
[Ezekiel 11:1-5,8,10 Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD’S house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. 2 Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city: 3 Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh. 4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man. 5 And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them. 8 Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD. 10 Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 13 And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?]
[Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?] As Ezekiel watches this, he gets down on his knees and asks God if He was done with Israel. When God hovered over that mountain, I am sure that it grieved Him dearly, people are so small minded and quite selfish to stop and think that since we are made in His image that He feels the things we feel. Just as we feel deep sorrow over the death of someone we love, God feels this every time a soul gets cast into hell. We must realize that while God is merciful to wait for the very last soul to receive His Son, there does come a time when it will run out. You see, right now, many of the captives are in no hurry to leave Babylon, after all, they feel as though God has left them. God tells Ezekiel to be ready for the destruction, but gives him some hope for those who do believe.
[Ezekiel 11:15-20 Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is this land given in possession. 16 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. 17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 18 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. 19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.]
[And I will give them one heart,] Now, the day will come, when all of God’s people, both believing Jews and Gentiles, will come together and unite as one nation of Israel, we will no longer be distinguished as a believing Jew or Gentile, simply as God’s people, [Romans 9:24-26 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? 25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.]
We must be ready and prepared for the day that Jesus comes for us, for He will return in the blink of an eye, and the last thing we want to be is unprepared. Now, God sends a message to the people to assure them that all these predictions will be accomplished very shortly, and will not be prolonged.
[Ezekiel 12:18-19,22-25 Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness; 19 And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein. 22 Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? 23 Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision. 24 For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel. 25 For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD.]
[it shall be no more prolonged:] Everything comes to pass just as God says, He may take a while with some things, but He always follows through. The day will come when Jesus will return, and judgment of the entire earth will no more be prolonged. And just in case you were wondering if the glory of the LORD still rests in the cloud somewhere upon the earth, the answer is that He does. Well, He dwells in each, saved, born again Christian. And all you have to do to see Him is look for Him within yourself, [John 14:15-18 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.]
Jesus Christ Magnified: [Ezekiel 9:11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Any day, any hour even, You could decide that You have had enough, and will no longer prolong the judgment of the earth. Any second we could hear the trumpets sounding off that Jesus is returning, and all who are His will be raptured out of this place to safety while we await our new dwelling place in His Kingdom. Lord, lead us and guide us, prepare us and make us ready for that day, let us not get deceived by the world or be ashamed to tell the truth to them. Put Your hedge of protection around us as things get worse, and let us be the examples that You need us to be to bring others to Your Son before He returns. I pray this in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://readytofollow.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Missed A Message: http://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I’m Following Jesus Missions: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/welcome/
I’m Following Jesus On Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/readytofollowJesus/
Copyright © 2021 I’m Following Jesus, All rights reserved.