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Ezekiel Chapter 31
- Ezekiel 31:1 And it came to
pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day
of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
- 2 Son of man, speak
unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou
like in thy greatness?
- 3 Behold, the
Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a
shadowing shroud, and of a high stature; and his top was among
the thick boughs.
- 4 The waters made
him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running
round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all
the trees of the field.
- 5 Therefore his
height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his
boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of
the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.
- 6 All the fowls of
heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches
did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and
under his shadow dwelt all great nations.
- 7 Thus was he fair
in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root
was by great waters.
- 8 The cedars in the
garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like
his boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like his branches;
nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his
beauty.
- 9 I have made him
fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of
Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.
The Assyrian was exalted above all and
great, full of might and strength. It would seem as if mighty
empires would last forever and that nothing could possibly defeat
them. They would even get into that thinking themselves.
All and I mean all empires, great and
small that ever existed, fell at one time or another. Countries rise
and fall. The more evil a nation is, determines the swiftness with
which they fall.
The king of Egypt was being warned here
that as the king of Assyria became great but it was brought down, Egypt
also would fall as they did.
Pride goes before a fall is one proverb
that has proven itself to be true in every instance.
In the book of Daniel we read of King
Nebuchadnezzar thinking himself as great and that all Babylon's
greatness was because of him (the king). For seven years he lost his
kingdom and dwelled among the wild beats. It was restored to him
before he died but it goes to show how pride goes before a fall.
One of the Herod kings was sitting on
his throne and the people chanted that he was God. Since Herod must
have accepted their praise because he was struck down immediately. This
account is found in Acts chapter 12.
The latter day antichrist will be
lifted up in pride greater than any before him. He will exalt
himself so high that no one can buy or sell without his mark. All
people under his domain will have to worship his image. Yet this man
also will be brought to nothing.
We can name kingdoms that were once
great and see what become of them. Egypt was an empire once but they
are just a base country now with no power among world leaders.
Empires that were mightly and strong were Egypt,
Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Rome and other empires in the past.
God only allows evil empires to have dominion so long and they must
be broken. I notice that countries that have betrayed or persecuted
Israel or the Jewish people end up being destroyed or becoming base
kingdoms, not as they once were.
Because the Assyrians were wicked, God
raised up Babylon to defeat Assyria. This great Babylon also
defeated Judah and then defeated Egypt later.
We see here a picture of what it would
take for a nation to survive a long time. Fear God and walk in His
ways.
America may have days that are numbered
if they do not wake up and repent for their many sins the greatest
of which is to have cast off God and substituted secular
humanism. I'm not speaking of creating a theocracy for true
conversions to Jesus Christ has to be by His spirit and not by the
use of force. We need though to recognize God our creator and
Jesus as our savior as a nation leaving the choice of whether to
receive Jesus up to the individual.
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Ezekiel 31:12 And strangers, the
terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him:
upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are
fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land;
and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow,
and have left him.
When a leader falls he usually falls
alone. People are too busy trying to save themselves to worry about
the leader.
- Ezekiel 31:13 Upon his ruin
shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of
the field shall be upon his branches:
- 14 To the end that
none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their
height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs,
neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink
water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether
parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with
them that go down to the pit.
- 15 Thus saith the
Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a
mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the
floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused
Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted
for him.
- 16 I made the
nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down
to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees
of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water,
shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.
- 17 They also went
down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword;
and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the
midst of the heathen.
- 18 To whom art thou
thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet
shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the
nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the
uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is
Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
Here it is. The end of evil kingdoms.
We as countries or as individuals are not going to get by with evil.
In the end righteousness will prevail.
Here are a few verses that back that
statement up:
- Psalm 37:1 A Psalm of
David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou
envious against the workers of iniquity.
- 2 For they
shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green
herb.
- 3 Trust in the
LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily
thou shalt be fed.
Another one in the Psalms
- Psalm 37:9 For evildoers
shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall
inherit the earth.
- 10 For yet a
little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt
diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
It may seem dark sometimes and that
evil triumphs but those the believe in the Lord and wait upon Him
with faith, will be those that will one day rule the earth.
- Proverbs 24:19 Fret
not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the
wicked;
- 20 For there
shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked
shall be put out.
The evil will be cut off. Their candle
will go out. The righteous will shine, not the wicked. Wicked are
those that ignore, defy and refuse to obey the word of God or
believe in Jesus that God sent to us to save us from sin.
- Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the
man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth
in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
- 2 But his
delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he
meditate day and night.
- 3 And he shall
be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth
forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
- 4 The ungodly
are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
- 5 Therefore the
ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the
congregation of the righteous.
- 6 For the LORD
knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly
shall perish.
God has a better way for us if we would
only walk in it. We rob ourselves of eternal life and blessings from
God because we are stubborn.
-
Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the
LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,
where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest
for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
God prefers to save, to heal and to bless.
Judgment comes as a last resort to keep evil from continuing.
This is what God has for all who will receive
His Son Jesus Christ.
-Dorna Chambers
Ezekiel Chapter 32
Ezekiel Index
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