Category: Ezekiel-BibleTrekToday
King of Pride!
Scripture reading for August 23rd: Ezekiel 24-28
Satan inhabited the body of a serpent in the Garden of Eden and enticed Eve to eat the forbidden fruit in rebellion to God’s command. God told the serpent that the Seed of woman would crush his head and he would bruise the Seed’s heel. (Genesis 3:1-6, 14-15) Job underwent a difficult trial as a result of Satan’s accusations of him before God. Satan was given permission to test Job by first taking his possessions and children and then taking Job’s health. In 1st Chronicles 21:1, Satan stood up against Israel and enticed King David to number the people and take pride in how many fighting men he had. In Zechariah 3:1-2, Satan stood before the Lord and accused Joshua, the high priest. The only other direct reference to Satan in the Old Testament is found in Psalm 109:6 where the KJV has “Satan” as the accuser.
There are two other passages that commentators think refer to Satan. One is found in Isaiah 14 and the other is in Ezekiel 28:11-19. Ezekiel wrote concerning the king of Tyre. This lament describes this ‘king’ as being the model of perfection and full of wisdom and beauty. He was in Eden, the Garden of God and covered with many precious stones. This king was anointed by God to be a guardian cherub on the holy mountain of God. There he walked among the fiery stones and was blameless from the day he was created. Then wickedness was found in him and he was filled with violence and sinned. God cast him out of heaven and down to earth.
This description seems to fit Satan and not just a man or earthly king. If it is Satan, we learn that he was created by God and was beautiful and wise. His beauty caused a selfish pride that got him evicted from Heaven and thrown down to earth. You might say Satan is the king of Pride and of all the proud of the earth. All mankind has fallen under his spell through Adam and Eve’s temptation and disobedience in the Garden of Eden. But God has provided one who has crushed his head, Jesus Christ. The end of time will see Satan cast into the Lake of Fire to endure fiery torment that lasts forever! (Revelation 20:10) Check your own heart for pride today and look to the humble Savior for grace!
Confronting Sin!
Scripture reading for August 22nd: Ezekiel 20-23
Confronting sin in lost people was the job of the prophet and preacher. They faithfully declared what God had spoken plainly to those whose souls were in danger of His eternal wrath. That wrath is happening continually and it is also an eternal thing that will happen to all who die in their sins on the day of judgment. (Romans 1:18-19) (Romans 2:5) God loves each lost person enough to confront him before He judges him. In fact, He has stated that He will not send His wrath without revealing his plan to the prophets. (Amos 3:7) This is part of God’s great mercy that seeks to draw people to repentance.
Ezekiel was told to confront the people of Jerusalem with all of their sins. (Ezekiel 22:1) Sacrificing their children in the fire to the false idols was bringing God’s wrath! Ezekiel pointed out mistreatment of fathers and mothers by children and mistreatment of the alien and orphan as reasons for the coming destruction. The people had despised the holy things and desecrated the Sabbath as a day of worship and rest. (Ezekiel 22:7-8) Adultery, incest, and lewd sexual conduct were hastening the day of wrath! Excessive interest was being charged and people were extorting money from the weak and powerless.
God also confronted the priests who were doing violence to God’s law. They were calling evil, good and good, evil. They did not help people to discern between what was holy and profane. They whitewashed their evil deeds by giving the people false visions and lying divinations. They claimed the the Lord had spoken when He had said nothing of the sort! (Ezekiel 22:26-28) God looked for one man to stand in the gap on behalf of the land so He would not have to destroy it, but found none! (Ezekiel 22:30-31)
In these last days, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to stand in the gap for all lost men and women! God confronted sin on the cross by laying all sin on Jesus Christ, who was the offering for our sins! He now gives all people opportunity to repent and be delivered. His love through the Gospel of Christ brings conviction and salvation to those who will humbly receive it. If you have received God’s grace through Christ, stand in the gap for someone who is in need of His grace! The rewards are eternal!
The Glory departs!
Scripture reading for August 18th: Ezekiel 7-11
“In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign Lord came upon me there. I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal. He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem. . .” Ezekiel 8:1-3
Ezekiel had a “hair-raising” experience with a glowing angel. He was taken about 800 miles away to the north entrance of the temple. He was told to dig through the wall where he saw a doorway. As he entered, he saw many “wicked and detestable” things that had provoked God to jealousy and wrath. The seventy elders of Israel were worshiping idols right in the temple! (Ezekiel 8:9-12)
Ezekiel was also shown a group of women who were worshiping Tammuz, a fertility goddess and a group of men worshiping the sun. These leaders believed God had forsaken them and did not see what they were doing. Next Ezekiel saw the glory of God go up from above the cherubim and move to the threshold of the temple. (Ezekiel 9:3-7) The Lord instructed an angel with a writing kit to go through the city and mark all who grieved over the sins of the temple and city. Then all others were to be killed without pity!
Ezekiel saw the Lord order another angel to take burning coals from between the wheels beneath the cherubim and scatter them over the city. Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and moved to the east gate of the Temple and stopped there. (Ezekiel 10:18-19) God was moving out and judgment was being scattered over the city. (Ezekiel 11:13)
The last vision of God’s glory was when the cherubim escorted the glory of God to the Mt. of Olives on the East of the city. God slowly withdrew His glory from an idolatrous people who would not listen or repent! (Ezekiel 11:22-24) Check out your heart today and invite the God of Glory to fill you with His presence and light!
A Vision of God’s Glory!
Scripture reading for August 19th: Ezekiel 1-6
Ezekiel had just turned 30 years of age and he was a priest. He had been taken into captivity and was in Babylon with a group of exiles which included Daniel and his friends. As they met by the Kebar River, God opened the heavens and gave Ezekiel a vision that changed his life and gave him direction. He was called by God to go to his people and give them God’s word. He was warned by the Lord that God’s people were rebellious, obstinate and stubborn. (Ezekiel 2:1-4)
The vision began with a windstorm coming from the north with a towering thundercloud and flashing lightning. As it got closer, Ezekiel could see four living creatures. (Ezekiel 1:4-9) These creatures had the form of a man but they had four faces and feet like a calf and four wings with hands underneath. They glowed like bronze and the faces were that of an eagle, ox, lion and man. There was a wheel that sparkled and had another intersecting wheel. These wheels were full of eyes on the rim and enabled the creatures to move in all directions as the Spirit moved them. When these creatures with the wheels moved, there was a sound like that of roaring waters, like the voice of God.
As Ezekiel looked he noticed a glowing throne of sapphire and on the throne was a figure like that of a man. He was glowing with fire and brilliant light surrounded Him. This light looked like a rainbow and glowed with radiance! (Ezekiel 1:26-28) This figure had the “likeness of the Glory of God”! When Ezekiel saw him, he fell to the ground in awe, overcome by the likeness of God’s glory!
Now God has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to show mankind the Glory of God. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) The gift of the Holy Spirit enables us to have the Glory of God revealed to us. We are being transformed by the Spirit with ever increasing glory! (2nd Corinthians 3:18) When Jesus Christ appears, we will be instantly transformed into a glorious body, like His glorious body! (1st Thessalonians 4:16-18) We now carry the “likeness of the Glory of God”! Think about that and rejoice!
Flee from Babylon!
Scripture reading for August 17th: Jeremiah 46-52
“Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. It is time for the Lord’s vengeance; He will pay her what she deserves. Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad. Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her.” Jeremiah 51:6-8a
Jeremiah ends his book with the story of God’s dealing with Babylon because of her treatment of the people of God. Babylon was to be destroyed suddenly and the Medes and Persians would carry out God’s purposes! (Jeremiah 51:11, 20) Jeremiah had earlier told the people that the captivity would last 70 years! (Jeremiah 25:11-12)
God called His people to flee from Babylon. Although they would live there for 7o years, they must be ready to return to the promised land. Babylon’s fall would come suddenly. In Jeremiah 51:36-40, he told how God would dry up the springs of Babylon. The officials of Babylon would be aroused and drunk at a feast. The Babylonian officials were drinking from the golden goblets from God’s House in Jerusalem when the handwriting appeared on the wall. (Daniel 5) As Daniel was called to interpret he likely remembered Jeremiah’s prophetic word! God’s judgment fell before morning as the Medes damned up the river and came in under the wall, taking the city from within!
This prophecy about the destruction of Babylon was to be read aloud to the captives in Babylon by Seraiah, an aid to King Zedekiah. After reading, he was to tie a rock on it and throw it into the Euphrates River. It was to sink to the bottom as a symbol of how Babylon would sink at the appointed time! (Jeremiah 51:59-64) For a real rush of adrenaline, turn to Revelation 18 and read the whole chapter in light of Jeremiah’s prophecy.
“Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. . . .Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her; death, mourning, and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” ” Revelation 18:4-5,8
The River from the Temple!
Scripture reading for August 31st: Ezekiel 44-48
Ezekiel’s description of the vision given by the man with the measuring line continues to the end of his writing. Today’s portion describes the role of the priests and the operation of the rebuilt temple. God is a God of order and He leaves detailed instructions with Ezekiel for the people who will one day go back to Israel and bring the restoration. However, part of this vision goes beyond a rebuilt temple.
Ezekiel is shown a flow of water coming from the temple that brings amazing things to pass wherever it flows. (Ezekiel 47:1-12) This flow originates under the threshold of the east gate of the temple. The water flowed out away from the temple; the man with the measuring line went a thousand cubits and the water was ankle-deep. After another thousand cubits, the water was knee-deep. Going another thousand cubits, the water was waist-deep. After the fourth thousand cubits, the water was so vast and deep that people could swim in it.
Along the bank of this river were a number of trees. These trees would always be green and fruitful, bearing fruit every month. They would serve as food and their leaves would bring healing. In fact, everywhere that this river from the sanctuary went, abundant life would flourish. Fish would teem in it’s waters and swarms of living creatures would be found near it. Fishermen would come to catch the fish. This was a special river that produced abundant life!
Jesus Christ spoke of a river flowing from the new temple that He would build. “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7:37b-39) The Holy Spirit brings us a river of God’s life that produces life within us. We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to produce God’s life in us. Wherever we go, we are to share that life. We are to be fishers of men by sharing the love and life of God! Allow that river to flow in you today!
The Glory returns!
Scripture reading for August 30th: Ezekiel 40-43
God had taken Ezekiel to Jerusalem in a vision and placed him on a mountain where he could watch. A man or angel, took a measuring rod and began to measure the temple. (Ezekiel 40:1-4) Ezekiel was told to write down what he saw in this vision in order to tell the Israelites what was happening there. Ezekiel was in Babylon with the captives at this time and the captivity had been going for 14 years. He was to share this vision to give hope and encouragement to the captives of God’s promised restoration.
“Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with His glory.” (Ezekiel 43:1-2) After the angelic man had finished measuring the temple and rooms, he brought Ezekiel to the east gate of the temple. He then saw a vision of the glory of God coming back to the temple. He had witnessed the glory leaving at the beginning of his ministry and wrote of that in Ezekiel 10:18-19. As Ezekiel watched, the glory of the Lord entered the east gate of the temple and then the glory of the Lord filled the inner court of the temple. Ezekiel was again overcome and fell facedown! (Ezekiel 43:3-4)
The Lord spoke prophetically to Ezekiel about this event. “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet. This is the place where I will live among the Israelites forever.” (Ezekiel 43:7) The temple in Jerusalem is a place chosen by God for His throne. He has stated that it will be a dwelling place for eternity. These words are true, even though we do not yet see them fulfilled.
Jesus Christ, a son of David came to the rebuilt temple and brought God’s glory back again to Israel. He offered Himself for the sins of the world, including Israel. He rose again from the dead and ascended to heaven on clouds of glory, promising to come again and set up His eternal kingdom in Jerusalem. There He would rule and reign forever! Ezekiel was being shown the ultimate purpose of the temple and he wrote it down to encourage us! Praise the Lord!
Sunday Rest and Reflection:Personal Responsibility!
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ! Jesus is Lord and He desires that all would know Him and receive His Father’s love and gift of eternal life. He has promised eternal life to all who believe in Him. (John 3:16) Because of this wonderful love, we who believe respond by gathering on this first day of the week to celebrate our life in Him. We gather to study and hear the word of God that brings us life and renewal. Please don’t neglect gathering together today in a fellowship of believers!
Reflecting on the past week’s readings, I recalled Ezekiel’s instructions to be a watchman over God’s people. God told him to warn the wicked man and try to dissuade him from his wicked ways. (Ezekiel 33:7-9) If Ezekiel failed to warn the wicked person, God would hold him responsible for that man’s blood. But if Ezekiel warned that man and the man failed to turn, then the man will die for his sin and Ezekiel would be free from responsibility.
Sin brings death. We have the remedy and are called by God to share the Gospel with sinners. If they listen and turn away from sin to Christ, they will be saved. If they fail to listen, persist in sin, and die in it, they will die not once, but twice! They will be separated from God at the Great White Throne judgment of Revelation 20:11-14. If we fail to share with those who are sinners when we know the Gospel and enjoy it’s benefits, we are responsible!
As you gather today with God’s people, pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to be a strong witness to this generation. Take responsibility to repent of your sins as exposed by the preaching of the Word. Take responsibility to share the Gospel with sinners in the coming week! We have such good news; we can joyously share it!
In His Love,
Pastor John