Ezekiel

Ezekiel Chapter 2

• Ezekiel 2:1 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. 
• 2 And the spirit entered into me when he spoke unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spoke unto me. 
• 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. 

Usually when a prophet is called out and given visions, messages and dreams, it is usually because he is being prepared to face rebellious people in the days of Ezeliel which is why God allowed them to be conquered by Babylon. This was no exception. The children of Israel were a rebellious people and stubborn in that day. He was to stand up, indicating that he was at that time probably on his face on the ground in awe. The Lord sent His spirit to enter into Ezekiel, told him to stand up and it was time to get ready to go give out God's warning to a rebellious nation.

This rebellion is typical of a worldly mindset. There are different types of rebellion. One is a rebellion against the established government, one is rebellion against evil and then as in this case, a rebellion against the commandments of God. 

God's commandments are really for our good and for the good of all civilizations. To rebel against His right to lead us into holiness and truth, is to harm ourselves and our society as a whole. 

Let us take the sin of sexual immorality or any type of sexual act that is against what is holy, safe and good for instance. We live in a time when to speak out against these things is to be accused of bigotry and hate mongering. Although there are those that do hate certain groups of people that disagree with their own standards and do desire to harm them, a genuine believer in the power of the gospel will want to speak the truth that will save the lost. To speak out against evil is not hate but a desire to see people repent and turn to God. They can then get delivered from all sin which is destroying our society and our individual souls. They will not make fun of, use cruelty and bash those that live differently but want their souls saved, thier lives changed and they will began to do good instead of evil.

What the world doesn't understand is that if we agree with sexual immorality it is like turning our back on God and His written word. We can't do that without endangering our own souls and our own relationship with a holy God. We have to believe in holiness. Most of us do not want to be mean and cruel but we can't go against what our faith in God teaches us.  

Sin separates us from God. It destroys the body and the soul. Any sexual sin is against nature and all sins against nature will cause physical harm to the body. They generally live shorter lives than those who do not partake in sexual immorality. All sexual immorality is dangerous. When we get away from the goodness of God that created us to live within the bounds that He set for us, we will bring in disease even worse that we had before. We will not get away with anything. We take a big chance with our lives when we live against the moral law of God. 

God doesn't make laws to make us miserable. He makes laws to protect us from being destroyed spiritually as will as untimely early deaths physically. 

Good morally and strong families make strong nations. Divorce is another killer that is destroying our society. It breaks apart families and children are harmed by the effects of it. 

Israel in the days of Ezekiel was typical of those that were rebelling against the very laws of God that were put in place to lovingly protect them. God even made laws to help the land produce better by requiring the seventh year to be a Sabbath rest for the land but they even ignored that law and this also is a reason for the 70 years of captivity. A payback for ignoring God's commandment concerning their land.

Israel began to look at other prosperous nations around them and wanted to be like they were. This is the mistake we all tend to make, getting our eyes off God and copying after those that either do not believe in God or do their own thing claiming to believe in God.

The other nations had religion, many had gods that were carved and made with human hands, they had many fine material possessions, riches and good things at least for a season. Yet those nations didn't live by the same code of laws as Israel. They promised liberty but in reality they were in bondage to sin, sexual disease, murder, rape, and many things that God would eventually have to say, "It is enough" and allow their destruction. 

The great and mighty Babylon was eventually destroyed. All nations that get into sexual immorality, murder of innocent children (abortion is included in this), sexual abuse of children etc are eventually destroyed. 

Right now in the United States it is against the law to molest children. Sexual permissiveness is legal only among consenting adults. But there are those that are working behind the scenes to get the age of consent lower.  As long we keep going the way we are going, we will have legal molestation of children. We already have abortion. (Since I first wrote this article, child sex rings are being discovered in many areas and some continue to work toward it being legal). We will begin to murder the deformed, unwanted, disabled, elderly etc. especially when and if we get government health care. They will have to start killing off the terminally ill and disabled in order to be able to afford it. Adolf Hitler did not start off by killing the Jewish people. He started by killing what he thought was useless eaters that were a burden of the state.

Unless there is a national repentance, we will end up doing the exact same things that were done in the nations of old that sacrificed live infants to idols roasting them alive in the fires of statues built for that purpose. 

We may be a little more refined in that we may use needles and medical equipment for our murders like we do with abortion but it is be murder just the same. We are headed for this. Money is our god and abortion is done now for money. They sell the body parts for research or transplants and the further along the child is in the mother's womb, the more money they can get for their body parts. I even heard and I do hope this is just a rumor, that they will start paying women to carry their babies to term and allow the baby to be sold for organ transplants.  Let's hope we don't get into that but they could be doing it already and the public is not aware of it yet. (Since I first wrote this lesson, they now use unwanted babies for organ transplants). Little by little we are going toward the place where God may have to destroy our country if we don't repent. Time to really start praying for our country in earnest. We will not get by with killing or abusing innocent children.

• Ezekiel 2:4 For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD. 

Ezekiel was going to be sent to those that God knew ahead of time would not hear what He had to say. I believe He does this as a last resort just in case there is at least one who will turn around and walk toward God. If God gives warning first, He is justified in sending judgment.

• Ezekiel 2:5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. 

Before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, I believe He purposely went to Abraham so that Abraham would intercede for his nephew Lot, and God could save all who would believe the warning sent to them. 

In the days of Noah, only 8 people were saved out of millions that had populated the earth. Do we want to follow a majority? Everybody does it so it must be okay? All through the bible we see only a minority is saved. Jesus said that narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it. Don't look to the crowds for guidance. Noah preached for years before God sent the flood to destroy the earth. The people were warned ahead of time.

Today, how many will hear? They love the religions that do not preach against sin, feed the hungry (which all of us should be doing), preach against war etc. but they hate those that preach against sin especially sexual immorality. 

Because Israel wanted to copy after Babylon, Babylon was the nation God allowed to take them into captivity and drive them from their homeland. Every time Israel was driven from their own land, it was because of their rebellion against God even after God sends them prophet after prophet. 

In 70 A.D. the Roman army wiped Israel off the map and they didn't exist until 1948. But lest we brag and boast, remember God destroys utterly those nations that come against Israel. Israel will always exist but nations that come against her will be destroyed. 

Europe was casting out Jews and persecuting them just before the outbreak of the bubonic plague. Israel is still the apply of God's eye. They are still God's people and He still remembers His promise to Abraham. God will judge their sin and save those that repent but He still will keep His promise that He made to Abraham. A remnant of Israel will be saved in the latter days.

• Ezekiel 2:6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. 

All pastors, teachers, prophets and workers for the Lord are never to fear the disapproval of those that reject their message. Ezekiel was not to fear. We have to tell the truth no matter what the world thinks. If just one soul is saved by listening to the truth, it is worth it. If we fear men more than God, our own souls are in jeopardy. 

• Ezekiel 2:7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious. 

The messenger is not to worry about whether his message is accepted or rejected, he is just to obey God and speak God's words. 

This is so different from a messenger who is in the business just to work up crowds and gain acceptance. Some speak exactly what they think the crowd wants to hear to get praise, money, power and applause. 

• Ezekiel 2:8 But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee. 

For a preacher to refuse to preach the truth that God desires for him to speak is to become rebellious just like those that reject God's word.

• Ezekiel 2:9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; 
• 10 And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. 

We see here a book of judgments similar to the book in Revelation that John saw with the seven seals. 

Notice that in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the only way to avoid the judgment of God from being poured out is simply to repent. 

To repent means not just be sorry for sin but to be sorry to the point that one is willing to forsake that sin. It means that we turn around from our own ways and go God's way. God sent a redeemer to save all who would believe in that redeemer. In order to benefit and be cleansed from sin though and be able to inherit eternal life, one has to repent or be willing to turn away from sin and turn to God for salvation. 

This is why some people who accept Christ and claim to believe in Him, do not last and have trouble in the flesh. They do not genuinely repent to the point that they start following Christ and keep His commandments. To really believe in something is to partake of and live what we believe. Not just lip service and outward shows of religion.

If someone claims to be a Republican for instance but votes Democratic and gives to the Democratic party and believes in what the Democrats stand for, then he is not a Republican. 

If someone claims to be a Christian and does not live by the teachings of Christ, does not walk with Christ, talk of Christ or have much to do with Him, he is not a real believer. 

Now we see Ezekiel being prepared to take God's message to a rebellious house of Israel. 

All this is done because of God's love for them. God sends his prophets and preachers out of love. He could just sit back and not warn. If He did that without giving us a chance to repent, we would all die in our sins and lose our eternal souls.

Ezekiel Chapter 3

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