King James Bible Study – [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. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Monday, September 02, 2024
Chapters: Ezekiel Chapters 21-22
Message: Holding True To God’s Word
Hello My Friend,
There is a trend going around the movie industry to go back and tell stories of how catastrophic event came to be, with their own twist of course. Well, God, had been doing that since He had His words written in the Bible. However, God’s Word is not some script, it is truth and the events that we read from it can be traced throughout history, that is if they have not destroyed all the history books of old yet, [2 Timothy 3:15-17 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.]
The man of God meaning those whom have accepted Christ as their Saviour by the grace of God alone and are living moral lives through their faith in Him. That is not to say that they do not have any hiccups in their faith, but it is to say that while the just fall and get back up quite often in their lifetime on earth, the unjust do just the opposite. Jesus, said this about the unsaved soul who plays the part of a Christian for a while, [Luke 11:24-26 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him 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.]
There are two things that I will forever keep in my heart that tells me that while we are all accountable for sin whether we are saved or not, the judgments those who are saved will face end when they leave the earth. One; no one who sincerely receives Christ as their Saviour can turn from their faith because they belong to Jesus, [John 10:28-29 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.] And two; once we leave the earth there is no more pain or sorrow, [Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.]
The children of Israel prided themselves on the fact that God called them His people, and still today believe that God will save them because they are Jews. Well, Jesus, said this to the proud fools who thought their salvation came from the fact that they were heirs to Abraham.
[John 8:39-42,44 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.]
Israel, imagined that God would be like He always has been, hear their cries and come running for help after they ran to other gods. Well, this time God was no longer coming to their aid, He knew were their hearts were, and had no intention of turning away from their abominations. This is why they were sent to Babylon, and as we continue in the reading of Ezekiel, God, instructs Ezekiel to turn his face toward Jerusalem, and tell the land of Israel of its fate.
[Ezekiel 21:2-6 Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, 3 And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. 4 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: 5 That all flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more. 6 Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.]
[I am against thee, and…will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.] Jerusalem, was the heart of Israel and Israel was the land God promised to the children of Israel. The children of Israel were guilty of turning their backs on God with the exception of Judah, who God promised to always keep on the throne as long as they were faithful. Well, Judah not only forsook God, they defiled the temple and Jerusalem with their idol worship. God, wanted Jerusalem out of His sight and cut off from both the righteous and wicked. Nevertheless, doing this did not please God one bit, that is why He tells Ezekiel to sigh for them in bitter sorrow and pain over the coming destruction because He was fully determined to carry out His judgment. God, now goes into greater detail about that day.
[Ezekiel 21:9-13 Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished: 10 It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree. 11 And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. 12 Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh. 13 Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord GOD.]
[a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:] [Furbished; Ready for immediate use.] This reminds me of what Jesus said, [Matthew 24:42-44 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.]
[it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree.] [Contemn; To despise; to consider and treat as mean and despicable; to scorn.] Jesus, the very rod of God, is going to return, and when He does He is not going to be the meek and mild man He was when first came here, He is coming with a vengeance, [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:]
[terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people:] This is actually in regards to Zedekiah the wicked prince who rebelled and how he would be the last son of Judah to reign in Jerusalem until Jesus returns, [2 Kings 25:1-2 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. 2 And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.]
This is the scenario of what Ezekiel is doing in front of the crowd in Babylon, from sighing he goes on to crying and howling. Once he gets the attention of the people, he speaks to them about this sword of the Lord that is to be stretched out against Jerusalem and how God is coming with His sword to judge them. Now, God tells him to start clapping in front of them and explains why.
[Ezekiel 21:15-17 I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! it is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter. 16 Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand, or on the left, whithersoever thy face is set. 17 I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest: I the LORD have said it.]
[I will also smite mine hands together,] God Himself, will clap His hands together after Jerusalem is destroyed, symbolizing that His anger toward them was now satisfied, and that He is now at rest, and reconciliation can begin. God’s wrath actually ended and reconciliation began at the cross where His Son died, [Colossians 1:19-22 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:]
Of course, all of this will be carried out by the Babylonians, under the direction of Nebuchadnezzar, but God reveals something that may seem kind of shocking to us, He actually uses false divination to judge His people. God, goes on to reveal how Nebuchadnezzar chose Jerusalem as his target.
[Ezekiel 21:20-23 Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced. 21 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver. 22 At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort. 23 And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.]
[to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images,] This was some strange ritual that Nebuchadnezzar used to know his will from his gods. They took some arrows and placed them in a jar, then shook the jar and whatever arrow came out that was the place they chose. To make certain that their choice was correct they inspected the liver of sacrificial animals. In other words, Nebuchadnezzar held up in his right hand the arrow marked “Jerusalem,” to indicate that this was their goal, and inspecting the liver confirmed it. Of course, this was all done by God, and He will use the wicked to wake up the saved, [Romans 9:22-23 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,]
The diviners of the Ammonites made false prophecies of victory, but they would fail and never recover their power, and in time would be wholly forgotten. God’s judgments are inevitable, and both, the righteous (saved) and wicked (unsaved) will be impacted. God, goes on to explain how He will overturn the wicked one.
[Ezekiel 21:25-27,30-32 And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, 26 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. 27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him. 30 Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity. 31 And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. 32 Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the LORD have spoken it.]
[I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created,] The prince of the wicked, Satan himself, has taken over the world, but the day will come when the true Prince, Jesus Christ will overturn his power, and destroy him, and all evil, once and for all, [Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.]
Satan’s day is coming, and while he is in denial of that fact, he is also freaking out right now, which is why we are seeing so much evil taking place. And talk about being sifted as wheat, God goes on to tell Jerusalem what they are guilty of.
[Ezekiel 22:2-4 Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations. 3 Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself. 4 Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.]
[and a mocking to all countries.] Boy, if this is not the state of America right now, my goodness, it is such a mirror to Israel. America is a reproach to our enemies, being mocked like never before, and oppression among Christians growing more rapid by the day, which by the way, we are the strangers of this world as this is not our home, [John 17:14-17 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.]
While Satan is the prince of all evil, he still cannot make us do something no more than God can, and we will be held accountable for all sin. The “City of Bloods”, was the name given to Jerusalem for her sin, the crimes she committed were charged, included murder, idolatry, sacrificing their children, abominable acts of the flesh, dishonoring parents, oppression, extortion, profaning the sabbath. Through Ezekiel, God gives the sentence.
[Ezekiel 22:12-16 In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD. 13 Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee. 14 Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the LORD have spoken it, and will do it. 15 And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee. 16 And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.]
[at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made,] Make money killing babies, cosmetically altering ones gender, creating a virus (which was not America, but they did deny the fact that China did it, and supported them, over American citizens), and they will lose their inheritance. While Satan is the prince of all evil, he still cannot make us do something no more than God can, and we will be held accountable for all sin. The “City of Bloods”, was the name given to Jerusalem for her sin, the crimes she committed were charged, included murder, idolatry, sacrificing their children, abominable acts of the flesh, dishonoring parents, oppression, extortion, profaning the sabbath. God gives the sentence, He was not only going to sift them as wheat, He was going to remove them as dross.
[Ezekiel 22:18-20,30-31 Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. 19 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. 30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. 31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.]
[that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land,] Every nation is subject to the judgment of God, especially one that was His nation and has turned away from them, which is why He was so angry at the state of Jerusalem. We are blessed right now to have God’s protections in many of our states because there are the few and faithful who are willing to stand in the gap and speak on behalf of Christ, but they are becoming few and far between [II Peter 3:10]. God will judge each state until there are no more, and will pour His indignation upon all, including the ones who say they are saved and are not. Jesus is the one who stands in the gap if every true Christian, He actually purges the dross from our own lives as we draw closer to Him.
[Romans 8:34-39 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Ezekiel 21:26-27 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. 27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for the great sacrifice that You made in sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from Judgment Day. It is only by Your mercy that we are not consumed on the spot, and it is only by Your grace that we are not given the punishment we deserve when we believe in and receive Your Son as our Saviour. Lord, As our relationship with You grows, give us Your love, mercy, grace, and strength to remain faithful to You, no matter who or what tries to get between us. Help us to keep our eyes on You and Your Word in our heart so that we can become a reflection of Your Son and bring others to You by our faithfulness. Give us Your power, wisdom, and guidance to fear You, and never let us forget just how much You love us and want only the best for us. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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