Lessons From Ezekiel – Lesson 7
We left off with the Elders that were in captivity with Ezekiel coming to sit down and talk to Ezekiel. What they came for is not recorded because God showed up and interrupted things by taking Ezekiel into a vision.
God takes Ezekiel in this vision to Jerusalem and shows Ezekiel the abominations that was going on in His house, even the hidden evil things that were done in the place where God was supposed to be worshipped.
And it was really bad. And not just one or two horrible things but a lot of them. God was showing Ezekiel the justification for the judgment and why now is finally the time for it.
We are still in this vision in chapter 9.
What God is going to show Ezekiel next is very important. The question of what about true believers in times of judgment. America has been pushing God and pushing God and pushing God. In some ways we as a nation are under some judgment of God right now.
But at this point it is more like, God taking His hands off and letting us destroy ourselves. Someday a God sent destroying judgment may come. But the truth laid out here in Ezekiel holds in either type of judgment. So this truth applies to us today.
What about the saved people?
Eze 9:1 He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
Remember we are still in a vision here. The men referred to are angels.
Eze 9:2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.
Eze 9:3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;
Eze 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
The Lord tells this angel to go place a mark on the foreheads of all those who sigh and cry because of all the abominations that are done all around them.
Even as bad and as evil as the society in Jerusalem had gotten, there were still those who still loved the Lord. They were true believers and Loved God and God’s ways. What they saw going on made them cry. (by the way there are true believers in America that also cry when they see what is going on). God had people back then that were heartbroken over how God was treated.
God of course knows each and every one of them. God is all knowing, however angels are not. Notice that there are other angels there that all have a slaughter weapon in his hand. The Lord has one angel mark the foreheads of all those that are true believers so that all the angels will not hurt them.
God is holding off on the destroying judgment until all of His are marked. Preparation is made for each of them to save them from destruction personally. O’ they will lose goods and houses and stuff, but they themselves will be protected.
This is not the only place we see this in the Bible. Noah was protected and this protection was prepared for before the judgment came. Noah’s home and vineyard was destroyed but Noah was protected from the destroying judgment.
Even backslidden Lot was taken out of Sodom before the destroying judgment came. This is the way that God works.
This is a set pattern. Every time this happened God did the same thing. The Bible says by two or three witnesses is a matter established. God working this way is clearly established in God’s Word. This is one of the reasons that we know that the Rapture will happen before the destroying judgment of the tribulation comes.
So in this vision Ezekiel is shown that one angel goes and marks the true believers and then Ezekiel hears what is told to the other angels with the weapons.
Eze 9:5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
Eze 9:6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
Eze 9:7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.
Seeing all this in this vision would have been very disturbing. It is enough that Ezekiel cries.
Eze 9:8 And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?
Eze 9:9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.
Eze 9:10 And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.
Eze 9:11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.
The angel that was told to mark the believers comes back and says he has finished. Remember this is a vision, God is showing Ezekiel what is going to shortly happen. Jerusalem is going to be destroyed but each and every one of the true believers are known to God and will not be destroyed.
In chapter 10 Ezekiel sees the same angelic Cherubims that he saw in his first vision. They are created creatures that do God’s bidding. We are not going to go over all of that again. Look at Chapter 11.
Eze 11:1 Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD’S house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
Eze 11:2 Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city:
Ezekiel is now shown the current political leadership in Jerusalem and God shows them how they are no good. First God showed Ezekiel the evil spiritual leadership and now he gets a look at the wicked political leadership.
Eze 11:3 Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.
These wicked leaders are actively teaching against what God says. Jeremiah says it is coming and the leaders say it is not and they even say let us build houses. They are encouraging people to put their money against God’s Word. There is zero thought in them that God might be right. Wicked leaders. All they know is that God is wrong. That is their position.
It is pretty crazy to spend money and build a new house that God says He is going to destroy soon. Leaders dead set against God will do crazy stuff. We see that today, big time. They even put tampon machines in men’s bathrooms in Junior High and High Schools today.
Eze 11:4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.
God tells Ezekiel to preach against these political leaders. And this is still in this vision. So in this vision Ezekiel does what the Lord says and preaches against them.
Eze 11:5 And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.
Eze 11:6 Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.
Eze 11:7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.
Eze 11:8 Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD.
There is reaping what you sow in like manner. That is something you see over and over and over again in the Bible. What you sow comes back upon in like manner.
Eze 11:9 And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.
Eze 11:10 Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Eze 11:11 This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel:
Eze 11:12 And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.
Eze 11:13 And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?
In the vision the leader dies while Ezekiel is preaching. This is a vision, the leader does not die right that moment. He will die, this is a vision of what is about to happen.
Eze 11:14 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Now comes the final section of this long vison. And the message here turns to a message of hope. Yes the judgment is coming but God is not going to totally forsake them as a people group.
Eze 11:15 Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is this land given in possession.
Eze 11:16 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.
Eze 11:17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
A promise that some of their people will survive and will be protected and will get the land back. It will be some of their grandchildren.
Eze 11:18 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.
Eze 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
A tender heart to the things of God.
Eze 11:20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
We saw this happen during all those years of the revival in Nehemiah’s day. That was a partial fulfillment of this promise. The ultimate fulfillment of this will be during the tribulation when all Israel will be saved.
Eze 11:21 But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.
There it is again. God’s universal law of reaping what your sow. Of having your choices come back upon you in like manner. I will recompense their way upon their own heads. That is pretty clear. That is the way it works.
Eze 11:22 Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
Eze 11:23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.
Eze 11:24 Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.
This is the end of the vision.
Eze 11:25 Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had shewed me.
And now Ezekiel speaks to them all the things that the Lord had shewed me. There is a difference between hearing and hearing. There is hearing as in listening to the words. And then there is hearing as in believing and responding correctly.
They are now at least ready to hear the words that Ezekiel has to say. They are at least now willing to spend the time and effort to at least hear the words.
It was time to judge both the wicked spiritual things going on and it was time to judge the wicked leadership going on. The people on the whole were still in denial of this.
But there were some who still believed and cared and cried about what was going on. Every one of those is marked by God and will be protected thru it all and will come out of Jerusalem. And many of their grandchildren will get the land back.
There are times that God must bring judgment, however, His own are cared for. They will lose stuff also, but they are not destroyed.
And we see that God is always working ahead, even in times of judgment. God is looking forward to the revival in Nehemiah’s day and the revivals that are even further out. Even in Judgment the offer of mercy and hope is still there and available.
God has Ezekiel give the people already in captivity all of God’s word. Both the assurance that judgment is about to fall on Jerusalem as well as the hope that God keeps a remnant and they will be protected from destruction and the hope of the return in years to come.