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: Monday, September 06, 2021
Chapters: Ezekiel 31-33
Message: Ignorance Is Not Bliss
Hello My Friend,
The more you read through the Old Testament the more you discover just how much the New Testament comes from the Old. The things that we read in the New regarding everything from Christ’s birth to Judgment Day has already been written in the Old. And to say that the Old Testament does not apply to us today, well, then that would mean that you are fool. God may deal with us differently now in regards to our salvation being permanent through the blood of Christ, but salvation itself has never been about our righteousness or wickedness, it has always been through our faith in the LORD, [John 8:54-58 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.]
I really do not know where God leads me sometimes through the passages, as I was teaching in my Sunday School class yesterday, the world, and quite frankly, many “Christians” are blind to Jesus Himself. He is right there in front of them, yet they cannot see Him because they are spiritually blind. In fact, God is the one who actually blinds them from seeing Him. Why? He sees their heart. Every single continent, I do not care if it is Africa, Egypt, North America, or any one of the seven, they all know that God exists, and has always been. That does not mean that they all worship Him, which is why He even started a nation of people that He would call His own, beginning with Abraham. God had been fighting with Egypt since Abraham had Ishmael, the child he had with the Egyptian woman Hagar under the direction of Sarah, [Genesis 16]. As we continue in the Book of Ezekiel, God continues speaking about the judgment to Egypt, through a cedar tree in Lebanon.
[Ezekiel 31:3,6,13-14 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. 6 All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. 8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. 13 Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches: 14 To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.]
[in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.] God associates man into two distinctions, the children of men, who are the unbelievers, and the children of God, who are the believers. Children of God may or may not be within their very own household, look at Jacob and Esau, they were twins, and yet, God loved Jacob and hated Esau because Esau hated God. God denies no one, any person was free to come to God, they would have been converted under the Law, and then would have been just as one of them, [Exodus 12:48-49 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. 49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.]
A male that was circumcised was distinguished from the rest, it meant that he knew God, or at least, his parents did, but that did not mean that they followed the Law. Ishmael, was also circumcised, and they made up their own law, we know it to be Islam, and they certainly do not follow the Law of God. We must remember that God does not want to see one soul in hell, but the sad fact is, of the billions of people who have come and gone from this planet, there really is only a small remnant who worship Him. God is merciful and loving, but He is also just and jealous, and He will have no other gods before Him, and that includes the god of self. Egypt, in all his pride, refused to accept God, and yet, God still mourns for them.
[Ezekiel 31:15-18 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. 16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. 17 They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen. 18 To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.]
[thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised] Physical appearances never prove our faith, Christ and our obedience to Him is what proves our faith, [Romans 4:8-12 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. 9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: 12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.]
Jew or Gentile, we are all under the same judgment, death and hell upon every soul that sins. Jesus will save and accept anyone who comes to Him from this judgment, but we must believe in and receive Him while we are still alive in the flesh in order for Him to do that. God did not want to see Egypt fall at all, nine months later, God sent Ezekiel back to the Pharaoh and spoke to him again, this time to take up a lamentation for them.
[Ezekiel 32:2,10,15-16 Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers. 10 Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall. 15 When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the LORD. 16 This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament her: the daughters of the nations shall lament her: they shall lament for her, even for Egypt, and for all her multitude, saith the Lord GOD.]
[every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall.] The nation that has terrorized others will eventually be made a terror to itself. God’s ministers should sympathize with the miseries which sinners bring upon themselves, and encourage them to repent. God does not limit salvation to just a certain people, He invites all to come to Him. How is it then that so many nations do not know who Christ is? It is to their own judgment. In fact, God names off every nation and what their judgment would be.
[Ezekiel 32:22,24,26,29-30 Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword: 24 There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit. 26 There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living. 29 There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit. 30 There be the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.]
[and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.] When a nation chooses to worship a man made god over the only living God, they are rejecting Him and will face their own judgment, and ignorance will not save them. No one is without the knowledge of Christ, do not let the world fool you, there are missionaries all over the world preaching the Gospel under some horrendous conditions, even the mention of Christ would get them killed. Nevertheless, we are told to go out there and tell them how they can be saved from the judgment. Those who are saved are actually watchman, Jesus Himself, sends them to peach the Gospel to the lost. We see this, all the way back through the Old Testament as well, and Ezekiel was one of them.
[Ezekiel 33:2-5 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: 3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.]
[and taketh not warning;] Saved, born again Christians are commanded by Jesus Himself to preach the Gospel to the lost, if they accept it with open eyes and ears, then great, but if they reject it, their death is upon them. However, if we do not tell them when their eyes were open to Christ and they died without knowing Him, then their death will be upon us.
[Ezekiel 33:6-9 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. 7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. 8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.]
[but his blood will I require at thine hand.] New or Old Testament, there has always been the same punishment for sin, the pits of hell. Our bodies are not going anywhere right now, when we die in the flesh we either get buried or cremated and turn back into the dust from which we were created, but our soul has one of two destinations, heaven or hell. Every soul is bound for hell, unless it hears the warning of the trumpet telling them that their soul will die in their sin unless they repent of their own righteousness saving them. It does not matter if you know who God is or not, the same rule applies, [Acts 17:30-31 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.]
Jesus Christ Magnified: [Ezekiel 32:15 When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the LORD.]
Today’s Prayer: God, We know that it is not by our own righteousness that are we saved, but by the righteousness of Your Son, who saves our souls from the pit of hell. Jesus, Thank You for making that great sacrifice, and for loving us so much that you gave Your own live, that none who believe in You should perish. Lord, we who are saved, live by faith and not by sight, but often our faith becomes impaired by the things that we see, give us Your power to break through any unbelief, and help us to keep following Your Son, who is the only one who gives us the strengthen to keep believing and see great things happen through our belief. Lead us and guide us to be a witness or you, let us be the keys that sound the trumpet of the Gospel as You work in their heart to hear it. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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