Ezekiel

Ezekiel Chapter 35

• Ezekiel 35:1 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
• 2 Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it, 
• 3 And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate. 
• 4 I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. 
• 5 Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end: 

Mt Seir is Edom or the land that was where the descendants of Esau dwelt. Esau was the twin brother of Jacob. God changed Jacob's name to Israel. Israelis are the descendants of Jacob. It's sad to see their descendants hating each other.

Here is a lesson for all nations. Even though God allows Israel to be judged when they sin against Him, He also judges the nations that boast, make fun of, oppress and persecute Israel. 

Judgment comes to Mt Seir because:

1. They hated Israel
2. Shed the blood of Israel
3. They took advantage of them when they were going their the time of calamity from Babylon. 
4. They planned to take over their land
5. They rejoiced in the day of their calamity
6. They mocked at their troubles. 

• Ezekiel 35:6 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: because thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee. 

The law of sowing and reaping and the saying of what goes around comes around has always been in effect. The only thing that could possibly keep it from happening is genuine repentance that causes the heart of soul of man to change his ways and seek God. 

• Ezekiel 35:7 Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth. 
• 8 And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain with the sword. 

Babylon overtook them just like they did Zidon, Moab and Ammon for the exact same reasons. We are not going to get by with oppressing Israel and trying to take their land. I don't care if we are the big mighty United States, we are not going to get by with any wrong doing to Israel. 

God will punish Israel when they sin yes, but woe to the nations that gloat, rejoice and oppress Israel themselves. He will even use evil nations to oppress Israel but will later judge those nations if they over step their bounds. 

• Ezekiel 35:9 I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 

This was literally fulfilled. We do not hear of Edom now but we do still have Egypt which was not judged as severely but did remain only a base weak country. 

• Ezekiel 35:10 Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD was there: 

They had hoped to possess Ephraim and Judah when Babylon had made them too weak to defend themselves. Perhaps they hoped the king of Babylon would grant them those countries if they went against Israel. 

• Ezekiel 35:11 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee. 
• 12 And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume. 

They thought that when Israel was oppressed, they could just go in and take over their land. 

• Ezekiel 35:13 Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them. 

We have those that boast against God and boast against God's people even today, going around saying things that they should not. 

We have those that speak out against those the preach holiness and righteousness. Many cast accusations against what they call Christian fundamentalists and other such things if they dare to preach against sin. Fundamentalist just believe the bible and take it literally as the word of God.

Jesus said: 

• John 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. 

As long as we love the world and agree with them, the world will not hate us. If we stand for the truth and testify of it like Jesus did, we will be hated. 

• 1John 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 

If the world loves us, there is something wrong. If those that love evil, love those the claim to know Christ then something is wrong with our life. It doesn't work that way. Those that love righteousness are hated by those that desire to sin.

• John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 
• 18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 

Beloved, we cannot please the world and please God at the same time. We have to choose one or the other. 

I know I got a little side tracked off the message of Israel here but to return to that, there is a time coming when the world will turn against Israel. In fact they are doing that now as I write.  

I'm warning us now, that if we oppose and oppress Israel especially if we try to make them give up their land for peace, we will be loved by the world but judged by God. 

The acceptance of the world is temporary but the rejection or acceptance by God is for eternity. God gave them that land and only God determines whether they keep it or not. 

• Ezekiel 35:14 Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate. 
• 15 As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD. 

At the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ the nations shall be judged. Those that dealt harshly with His people (born again devout Christians) or Israel, will be judged severely. 

We should avoid going the wide way of the majority. What is accepted by the news media and the general public is usually not acceptable to God. We need to seek to please Him because He alone is the final judge of all the earth. 

I would encourage us all to be safe in Jesus, having our sins under His blood that He willingly shed on our behalf. We need to get our sights on the things that really count not on things that are going to pass away. 

Ezekiel 36

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