Lessons From Ezekiel – Lesson 10
God had Ezekiel do an object lesson about what was going to happen to the leaders of Jerusalem.
They were going to have to cover their heads and try to sneak out by digging thru the wall. So Ezekiel gathered his stuff and dug thru a wall while people were watching, it took him all night and in the morning he carried his stuff thru and then God gave him the message that went with the object lesson.
I think after all the object lessons that God had Ezekiel do and all the messages God gave him and the visions, I think some people were starting to consider that Ezekiel is the real deal. He is God’s man.
However, they are still rebellious and still in denial of what is about to happen to Jerusalem.
In any group of any size there will be many different mind sets. Some no doubt are still in total denial and have no respect to what Ezekiel is saying. Others it seems are starting to consider what Ezekiel is saying.
But are saying things like what Ezekiel is saying is true but it is for a long time off. The people in captivity with Ezekiel cannot all be lumped into one group that are all 100 percent believing the same thing.
So after the digging thru the wall object lesson we find God dealing with the issue of those who say yes but it is for a time far off.
Ezek 12:25 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.
Ezek 12:26 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezek 12:27 Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.
Ezek 12:28 Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD.
The message to those who are saying it is a far off is, it is coming and it is coming quick.
Why are they having such a hard time believing God’s message thru Ezekiel about what is going to happen to Jerusalem? I think like so many things it is a combination of things.
- Pride in Jerusalem and their heritage. They only want to hear what fits the narrative that they like.
- They are in rebellion to God. They have hard hearts.
- The first two lead to number 3. You look for something to put your belief in that lines up with what you want. You look for and listen to and believe those who tell you what you want to hear.
I am talking about false teachers. False prophets. This is always been a problem. Since the beginning there has always been those who want to believe anything other than what God says and since the beginning there has always been those who will accommodate and will tell people what they want to hear.
I believe the Bible teaches that this will be worse right before Jesus comes back, but make no mistake this has always been a problem. We see a lot of evidence that it was a problem while the N.T. was being written. Galatians for example and the book of Jude and you even see it in John’s letters. And it was a big problem in Ezekiel’s day.
So now that Ezekiel has addressed those who say that it will not happen now. He will now deal with the issue of the false prophets who say something different than what God says.
Does God care about it? Is God watching it? Are the false prophets getting a free pass on it?
What does God think about it? In the end what will become of it?
We see all these questions answered here.
This is a huge issue in our world today. We have those that teach handling snakes or teach speaking in gibberish, to those teaching God chooses who goes to hell and they have no free choice, to those teaching baptism saves that water actually washes away your sin.
There are those today who falsely teach works are required to be saved to those who teach you can lose your salvation. Both of those appeal to man’s pride.
We had someone mail us back their spiel on dispensations. While it is true that God gave man revelation a little at a time. It is true that David did not know what Jesus’ name was and it is true that David was only responsible to respond to what was revealed at that time.
So there is an embryonic truth to dispensations. But what they miss is man was always saved by faith. If man responded to what was revealed in faith, then he was saved. But they take that truth and twist it and add to it and end up with a complicated system that lets them choose to obey some truths and conveniently ignore other truths.
The Bible will teach some timeless truth but because it was taught in the time of David then they can conveniently say it does not apply to us who are in another dispensation. Never mind that the New Testament also teaches it.
False teachers who take dispensations to places that God never intended do it in different ways. They are not all the same.
The issue of false teachers today is huge. I did not even scratch the surface. So this is a real issue in our day. What is God’s viewpoint on it.
Ezek 13:1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Ezek 13:2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;
Ezek 13:3 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
What does God think about the false teachers? He calls them foolish. What they are saying is not coming from God. God has shown them nothing. They are speaking from their own hearts. Some because their hearts love the attention and accolades of the people. Others prophecy what their hearts want to be true and lie about it coming from God.
They can have different motivations for teaching lies but God calls them all the same. They are all fools.
Ezek 13:4 O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.
Foxes belong in forests and other places where there is vegetation. There are even some types of Foxes who live in the artic regions. Foxes do not belong in deserts. They are not where they are supposed to be or doing what they should be doing. The context here and the next verse in particular show that is the point being made here.
Ezek 13:5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.
The false prophets are not doing what a prophet should be doing. Standing in the gap. Be a hedge of protection for the people. Truth is a hedge of protection. Guiding and encouraging people to truly follow God is a hedge.
Warning against error is a hedge. Those things protect.
And a prophet is supposed to stand in the battle. He is to fight for the Lord. Fight and stand for truth and against error. They are not to spread error. They are not in any way doing what they should or where they should be.
Instead look at what God says they are doing.
Ezek 13:6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.
Ezek 13:7 Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?
Vanity and lying. That is what God calls it.
And these false teachers are numerous. As far as we know from the Bible they are in the majority big time. The Bible tells us of Jeremiah and Ezekiel who were standing in the gap. That is only two. There were others following God. But as far as prophets, Jeremiah and Ezekiel and there could have been another prophet or two.
Not every servant of God that spoke truly for Him is recorded in the Bible.
But even if there was, you have a minuscule amount teaching truth and a multitude of false prophets. And this went on for decades. So is God watching? And are they getting away with it?
Ezek 13:8 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD.
O’ He sees it. Yes He is God and sees everything. But I am talking about seeing as in taking note of it, keeping accounts on it. Paying close attention and one day executing judgment.
Ezek 13:9 And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
The false prophets are going to no longer be in the assembly of His people. A way of saying that they will not be going with His own who are leaving Jerusalem. That means that they will perish in the taking and destruction of Jerusalem.
The reason this will happen is then laid out.
Ezek 13:10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:
Yes the hard hearts of the people wanted to believe, their rebellious heart chose to believe the lies. And each hard hearted one who believed are held accountable for their own choice.
And yet God is also holding the liars accountable for seduction of lies. I think their judgment will be worse because it affected others. If a person rejects God’s message then their eternity is ruined. But a false teacher who leads many astray ruins the eternity of all of their followers.
The false teacher has more to answer for.
An illustration is then given. They lies they spread and what they built on those lies is likened to a wall that is poorly built. And God then says what he is going to do to that wall.
Ezek 13:13 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.
Ezek 13:14 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Ezek 13:15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;
The wall is an illustration of what the false teachers build. And here clearly God says my wrath upon the wall. God has wrath for false teaching.
Just like God let these false teachers teach for a long time, He lets the false teachers of today teach lies for a long time.
Just like then, God is watching and keeping account of all false teachers today.
Just like then, God will hold those who chose to believe the lies accountable and He will also hold the false teachers who seduce with their lies accountable.
God let the feeble “wall” of false teaching stand for a time in Ezekiel’s day. And we see the same thing today. A false teacher’s wall of lies will stand for a while. The false teaching in Ezekiel’s day God let stand for years and years.
Some walls of false teaching like Mary worship has been allowed for centuries.
Just because a teaching has been around for 5, 6, 15, years or more does not mean that it is true. The length of a lie has no bearing on if it is true or not.
One day, in God’s timing He will knock down that feeble wall of lies. Thru the centuries you can see many cults that claimed at least part of the Bible have had their walls torn down. Many of them have come to nothing and are gone.
When the apostles were in prison for preaching Jesus, Gamaliel mentioned a couple of them as examples that only lasted a few years.
Others God lets go for a long time. But in the end all will be dealt with. All of them will fall.
One day the false teaching in Israel that Jesus is not the messiah will be knocked down. One day all Israel will be saved. We understand that day will be in the tribulation.
One day the teaching of Mary Worship will also be knocked down. In the very end when we get to eternity all that will remain is God’s truth.
How long a wall of false teaching is allowed to stand is up to the Lord. He has reasons for His perfect timing. All of it will be taken care of and judged before Eternity is ushered in.
And God is having Ezekiel tell them that the time for the wall of false teaching about there being peace is at hand.
Ezek 13:15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;
Ezek 13:16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.
We see here that people were seduced by false teachers into believing a false teaching instead of believing the teaching of God.
But is false teaching the only thing that seduces people away from believing what God says. Other things can also seduce people away from serving God.
That is what is dealt with next.
Ezek 13:17 Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,
Ezek 13:18 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?
Ezek 13:19 And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?
Ezek 13:20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.
Ezek 13:21 Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Ezek 13:22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:
Ezek 13:23 Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD
There were women who were on the hunt for souls. To take them away from the Lord. They used pillows and kerchiefs and they promised people life.
Some of the old false religions of that land that they did not drive out when they moved in. Those religions were wicked. Some of that nasty stuff somehow integrated religion and sex out of wedlock. They had temple prostitutes.
It does not matter if it is a false prophet who is lying about speaking in the name of the Lord or if it is some other kind of seduction. God is watching all of it. He is keeping track of all of it and in the end all they do is really in vain.
Vain is empty. It will come to nothing in the end.
False teaching is a horrible thing. We should call it out. We should stand against it. We should stay away from it.
We need to hold to the truth that is revealed in God’s precious word.
This precious Word of God always needs to be our final authority on what we believe and nothing else. Popularity does not matter, how huge the group is does not enter into it. How great it sounds or how good it makes us feel. None of those are the yard stick.
It is only God’s Word that matters.
We also need to have faith and trust and confidence in the fact that God does care about it, that He is watching it, and He is keeping account of it all.
And that in the end He will hold all involved in it accountable.
Our place is to trust His Word and listen to Him and try to please our Lord with what we believe and what we do.