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: Saturday, September 04, 2021
Chapters: Ezekiel 25-27
Message: One Moment
Hello My Friend,
I tell you what, sometimes life is overwhelmingly sad, even when God is so good to you. Feeling sad while reading through these prophecy books and of all the judgments upon Israel and the nations that turned their backs on Him can be very depressing. Top that with feelings of failing God, your family, your relationship, and your bosses on every level, you cannot help, but grieve over what it so come to this world when Jesus returns. While we who are saved having nothing to worry about, praise God, we will be safe from the judgment, that still does not keep us from feeling sorrow over those who refuse to turn to Christ or even worse, live so gallivant that they lose sight of what their salvation is all about. Today’s chapters remind me of a parable Jesus spoke.
[Matthew 25:1-2,6-12 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.]
We only have one moment to receive Christ as our Saviour, tomorrow, or even a minute from now, is not promised, if we have not accepted Christ as our Saviour before our dying breath or Christ returns, the door will be shut and we will not escape the judgment that is to come to the entire world. Remember how God judges His house first? Well, the judgment has been set on His house, and now comes the judgment upon the rest of the world. Keep in mind that while our judgment is temporary, theirs is eternal. First, God begins with the Ammonites, they rejoiced to see Israel’s fall, and for that reason, they will fall.
[Ezekiel 25:3,6-7 And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity; 6 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel; 7 Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.]
[therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee,] There is no escape from judgment, apart from Jesus Christ. Even death itself will not save you, in fact, when Jesus returns and judges the world, it will be so bad that people will be desiring death, but there will be no escape, [Revelation 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.]
And now comes the judgment of Moab and Seir, they had taken back land that was give to the tribe of Ruben, and were guilty of comparing Israel to heathens. For that reason, they will lose their land, but they will not be destroyed like the Ammonites, [Ezekiel 25:8-11 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen; 9 Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Bethjeshimoth, Baalmeon, and Kiriathaim, 10 Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. 11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD.]
[I will open the side of Moab from the cities,] God will take that part of his country which was best fortified, and give it to the Ammonites, who was actually the brother of Moab. God will deal with His people His way, and while He often uses their enemy to judge them, they still belong to Him, and therefore, He will defend them for eternity, [Matthew 18:5-6 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. 6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.]
And now we come to Edom (Esau), brother to Jacob (Israel), who despised his birthright and everything that God stood for. God actually has a hatred for Edom for that reason, but made things worse when they took vengeance on Judah. Because they took vengeance in Judah, God will take vengeance on them, and their entire land will become desolate, [Ezekiel 25:12-13 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them; 13 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.]
[and will cut off man and beast from it;] Being desolate is more than an entire nation becoming deserted of all life as we know it, it is actually becoming deserted from God as well. Remember, none of these nations are oblivious to who God is, they actually grew up knowing who He is, their father’s and mother’s worshiped God, and taught them His Law. What they did was rebel against God, and attack His people, and for that reason, He will get vengeance upon them all, [2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:]
Now, we come to the judgment of Tyre, God really did not despise Tyre as they never were enemies with Israel in fact, the next three chapters are devoted to Tyre. What they did to anger God was take advantage of the situation to prosper from it. They were men of business, they looked upon Jerusalem not as an enemy, but as a rival. Hiram, king of Tyre, was a good friend to David and Solomon, but Tyre promised herself that the fall of Jerusalem would be an advantage to their economy.
[Ezekiel 26:2-3,5,7,12 Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste: 3 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. 5 It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations. 7 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people. 12 And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.]
[And they shall make a spoil of thy riches,] Do you see what is going to happen to all these fools prospering off of this pandemic? Every single penny, every single possession, will be taken from them, and actually destroyed. God will not approve of anyone trying to prosper off of the misfortunes of His people, He will take away every single thing that they received. Tyre was no enemy to Israel, but they too will become desolate because they got rich from Judah’s fall. In fact, that nation will never be found again.
[Ezekiel 26:18-21 Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure. 19 For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee; 20 When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living; 21 I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord GOD.]
[yet shalt thou never be found again,] Nebuchadnezzar, did in fact, attack Tyre for, and for thirteen years, he literally destroyed the city, which was on the mainland. Then Tyre was rebuilt on an island nearly half a mile from the mainland, but two centuries later, Alexander the Great attacked the capital city of Tyre. Since Alexander had no ships, his force used stones, timber, and dirt from the ruins of the first city to build a causeway 200 feet wide to reach the island. Tyre never regained independence and was never again a prominent nation. This time God tells Ezekiel not to tell them of more judgment, but to actually take up a lamentation for them.
[Ezekiel 27:2-4,25,27,34-36 Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus; 3 And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty. 4 Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. 25 The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas. 27 Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin. 34 In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall. 35 All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their countenance. 36 The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more.]
[and never shalt be any more.] Do you see how God’s judgments are just? He gets them right where it will hurt them the most. God will not be mocked, He will judge His people, but His way, not man’s, but He will also defend His people until the very end. Remember, the Israel God is referring to is not only believing Jews, it is believing Jews and Gentiles, [Romans 2:9-13 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 11 For there is no respect of persons with God. 12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; 13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.]
Jesus Christ Magnified: [Ezekiel 25:17 And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.]
Today’s Prayer: God, You love us so much, You want to see us prosper and give us everything we want and need, all You ask in return is that we trust You in the decisions You make. Lord, with all the rivals of the world and struggles we face, life can be so depressing. Lord, Lead us and guide us, give us Your power to keep You first, and to first and far most, acknowledge You in all that You bless us with, even the judgments and sorrows, so we no do forget that Your hand is in everything. We can trust that all things will work for good and Your glory, and that one day, we will grieve no more. I ask these things 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.