This amazing book of Scripture is coming to an end at last!  A commentary note in my Daily Walk Bible stated that the rabbis that wrote the Talmud,  the primary Jewish commentary on the Old Testament Scriptures, stated that Elijah would have to come back and interpret Ezekiel’s writings to give full understanding.  Some of the visions and measurements as well as descriptions of offerings are difficult for American Christians living in the 21st century to understand, too.  We know that God has His reasons for having them recorded and we should continue to pray for deeper understanding through the Holy Spirit.

As we close out Ezekiel, we come to the vision recorded in chapter 47.  Ezekiel was taken by the man with the measuring line to the entrance of the temple facing east.  There he saw a stream of water coming down from the south side from south of the altar.  He then took Ezekiel out the north gate to the outside of the east gate and measured off a thousand cubits (450 meters or 1500 feet).  Ezekiel found the water there to be ankle-deep.  Another thousand cubits and the water was knee-deep and another thousand the water was waist-deep.  A final thousand cubits and the water was so deep that he could not cross it by walking. Along the banks of the river, a great number of trees were growing. (Ezekiel 47:3-7)

Ezekiel was told by the man that the water entered the Dead Sea and there those waters became fresh.  The waters were full of swarms of living creatures and large numbers of fish.  Fishermen stood on the banks and cast their nets harvesting the fish.  Fruit trees grew along the banks and they were always green and yielded fresh fruit each month.  This fruit would be for food and the leaves of these trees would bring healing.(Ezekiel 47:8-12)

Following this vision, there are detailed instructions about how to divide the land among the twelve tribes.  Finally, the city of Jerusalem has 12 gates named after the twelve tribes of Israel.  The final verse states that the name of that city will be “The Lord is There”.  (Ezekiel 48:30-35)

This vision points us to the Apostle John’s vision in the book of Revelation.  John saw an angel with a measuring rod of gold who was measuring the city, it’s gates, and walls.  (Revelation 21:15-21)  The walls were made of precious stones and the gates were made of single pearls.  The street of the city was pure gold!  God’s presence filled the city with light and there was no need of sun or moon because of this glorious light!  There was a river flowing from the throne of God down the middle of the street with trees bearing fruit each month.  (Revelation 22:1-5)  The leaves of these trees were for the healing of the nations!  Best of all, God Himself and the Lamb would be with His people and they would behold His face!  His glory would light their lives and world for ever and ever!

As we close this book, take time to reflect on the river of God and the life it brings.  Do you have this river flowing in you?  The Holy Spirit brings God’s river into us and will enable us to swim in it forever and ever!  Come to Jesus Christ and drink freely of this water of life!  You will be eternally satisfied! (Revelation 22:17)

Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd of His sheep!  I am sure glad that I am one of His sheep! I want for nothing today because of His bountiful provisions in the green pastures and beside the still waters.  I am comforted by his rod and staff protecting and guiding me.  He is leading me and I fear no evil because of His watchful care.  I can rest and enjoy safe pasture!  This is what the day of rest is all about and we can enjoy it today and each day of the coming week in Jesus!

As I think back on this week’s reading in Ezekiel, I think about a passage that I wanted to write about but didn’t.  Ezekiel 34 was a message to the shepherds of Israel who have been mistreating the flocks.  In this passage, God stated that He would remove these shepherds.  Then, in a series of “I Will” promises, He stated how He would shepherd the flock that belonged to Him!  God would search for His lost sheep!  He would rescue them and bring them out of the nations.  He would pasture them on the choice mountain fields of Israel.  He, Himself, would tend to their wounds and bind them up.  He was going to place over them ‘one shepherd’, from the house of David, who would truly care for them and He would live among them forever!

Wow!  What a vision and word from the Lord!  All His promises are “Yes!” and “Amen!”.  He has already fulfilled this promise to those who have received Jesus Christ as their Good Shepherd.  He’s now about His business of rounding up the lost sheep and bringing them into the fold.  He is binding up their wounds and leading them to the green pastures and still waters!  Take time on this day of rest to thank your Good Shepherd for His wonderful care.  Sit under one of His undershepherds and spend time with His people in worship and adoration, preparing for the glorious fulfilment of these wonderful promises!  Jesus is coming soon!    In Eager Anticipation,  Pastor John

“Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with His glory. The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell face down.  The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east.  The the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” Ezekiel 43:1-5

Ezekiel had been taken with the “hand of the Lord” upon him to the city of Jerusalem. (Ezekiel 40:1) It was not quite the “hair-raising” experience of his first trip!  (Ezekiel 8:3)   This time Ezekiel found a heavenly being with an appearance that glowed like bronze.  This man had a linen cord and measuring rod in his hand and told Ezekiel to pay attention and tell the house of Israel everything he saw.  This ‘man’ proceeded to measure everything in the temple and surrounding area, showing Ezekiel that the temple had been precisely rebuilt and all the furniture and needed rooms for priests and places of cleansing and sacrifice had been restored.

It was after this measuring job that Ezekiel beheld his vision of a returning Glory!  He saw the cloud of glowing glory coming from the east!  The land was radiant with the glowing fire. The Lord was speaking and the sound was like roaring waters!  It was like the earlier vision when the Lord had destroyed the city and Ezekiel fell face down.  He saw the glory of the Lord enter the temple where it had departed, through the east gate!  Suddenly, Ezekiel found himself inside the temple and it was filled with the glory of the Lord!  (Ezekiel 43:3-5)

From inside the temple, a voice spoke to him, giving him wisdom and insight.  “Son of Man, this is the place of My throne and the place for My feet.  This is where I will live among the Israelites forever.” (Ezekiel 43:7)  Ezekiel was told that he was to describe the temple to the Israelites and that as they considered the plan,  if they would be ashamed of all their sins, God would reveal the design of the temple to them!  (Ezekiel 43:10-11)

This beautiful restored temple is currently composed of living stones.  God’s glory fills each stone as they look to Jesus Christ, who baptizes them in His Holy Spirit with a deposit of heavenly glory!  God is truly dwelling in the midst of His people.  They now know Him and His laws are written on their hearts and God has forgiven them their sins and remembers these sins no more.  (Ezekiel 36:24-27) (Jeremiah 31:31-34)  We will behold His glory from within the heavenly city and temple forever and ever!

The most encouraging and comforting thing for any child of God is to be close to His glory!  The glory departing is the deepest of darkness and agony.  Take time today to enjoy the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!

God used words to bring about creation out of nothing.  He tells us that our words also have power.  In fact, they have the power of life or death!  In today’s reading, we have one of the most famous passages from the book of Ezekiel: the vision of the valley of dry bones.  God showed Ezekiel a valley full of very dry human bones.  God asked Ezekiel if he thought that all the scattered and dry human bones could live again.  Ezekiel cautiously answered: “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” (Ezekiel 37:3)  With God, all things are possible and we must make room for every possibility.

The Lord then spoke to Ezekiel: “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!  This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones:  I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.  I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin.  I will put breath in you, and you will come to life.  Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” (Ezekiel 37:4-6)  When Ezekiel obeyed and began to prophesy, there was a noise and rattling sound as the bones came together.  Then the tendons and flesh appeared and finally the skin covered them.   He was told to prophesy to the breath from the four winds to come and enter the slain.  Again as he obeyed and spoke, these newly formed bodies came to life and stood up on their feet.

What was the meaning and purpose of this vision to those people of that day and then for us today?   First, God’s message of hope and restoration was given to the people of that day who were scattered in foreign lands because of their sins and the judgment of God upon them.  God was showing His ability and plan to restore them.  It would not be by their own strength, because dry bones have no power.  It would be according to God’s powerful Word and the power of the Holy Spirit that it would be accomplished.

Second, as we look at this passage today, we can see the fulfilment of God’s promise as it took place in history.  God restored his people to the land and rebuilt the temple.  Jesus Christ, the Messiah, came to that temple and then offered Himself to totally restore all of humanity.  We have resurrection life in us by the Holy Spirit and will one day have a resurrection body when Christ returns.  Life and death are in the power of our tongue!  When we confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ with our mouth and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we are saved!  (Romans 10:9-10)  Confess again your faith and think about how your words bring you into resurrection life!  What an awesome God we serve!

God had made Ezekiel a watchman on the wall of a nation to warn them of coming judgment and disaster because of sin.  Ezekiel must warn the people clearly or he would be responsible for their blood.  (Ezekiel 33:7-9)  After he warned them, they would be responsible.  You might say that Ezekiel was a prophet of individual responsibility.  Each person was to become responsible for the word from God that was delivered to them.  What they did with it determined their destiny.  God did not want any man to perish so He sent Ezekiel to warn them that they might be saved!  (Ezekiel 33:11)

This plan of God was put into effect and Ezekiel warned them faithfully but the people complained that God was unjust in his dealing with them.  (Ezekiel 33:17)  God was accused by the people He warned but it was the people who were guilty of injustice!  I have found this to be true often in counseling others.  What they accuse others of, they are often guilty of themselves.   They were under the bondage of sin and blinded to the truth that could make them free if they only would become broken and repent.

These religious people were proud of their preacher and seemed to want to hear him.  God told Ezekiel that the people were talking about him in their houses.  They were telling each other to come and hear the message of the prophet as if they wanted to hear.  The problem was that they did not want to put any of his message into practice.  Their hearts were greedy for gain and they were selfish and unchanged after hearing.  They viewed his messages as entertainment, such as a beautiful love song or a concert. (Ezekiel 33:30-32)

How are you receiving the word of God today?  Do you read your Bible for entertainment with no heart to put it to practice?  Do you listen to the preacher at church just to get a good feeling?  Do you go to see if the preacher can entertain you each Sunday and get angry if he or she doesn’t quite get the job done?   There is nothing new under the sun!  Ezekiel was received the same way!  However, he could not quit or he would be guilty of their blood!  Think about that when you listen to the word of God next time!

“If you warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.” (Ezekiel 33:9)

“And if I say to the wicked man, ‘you will surely die’; but he then turns away from his sin and does what is just and right–if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely live; he will not die.” (Ezekiel 33:14-15)

One of the bad habits that Israel had developed was a dependence on Egypt for help.  Whenever they got into trouble, they would often seek to go back to Egypt.  After Moses led them out with a mighty deliverance, they talked of stoning him and choosing a new leader who would take them back.  They easily forgot that that was a land of idolatry and slavery for them and that God had called them out of there.  Even after Babylon had conquered the nation of Israel and  left a remnant there in the land of Israel, that group went down to Egypt for protection against the advice of Jeremiah the prophet of the Lord.  (Jeremiah 42:19-22)  (Jeremiah 43:7) In Ezekiel 29 we have a prophesy given to Ezekiel concerning Egypt and Pharaoh.  God warned them that their pride would bring judgment and defeat.  God was bringing a sword against them that would leave the land of Egypt desolate for forty years.  (Ezekiel 29:8-12)  After forty years, God would bring a remnant of Egyptians back and they would be a lowly kingdom.  Israel was to learn not to rely on Egypt any more and that the Lord was sovereign.  (Ezekiel 29:16)

The prophet Ezekiel was to then announce that the day of the Lord was near.  That day was to be a day of clouds and darkness.  It would be a day of doom for the nations that Ezekiel had spoken about.  A sword would arise from Babylon that would bring destruction on Egypt and her surrounding friends.  (Ezekiel 30:1-4)  This “day of the Lord” came to these people during the lifetime of Ezekiel.  His word from the Lord came to pass and Egypt went into captivity; Israel, Cush, and Tyre were destroyed as well.

We often hear the messages of the “day of the Lord” and “the end” and tend to think that they are probably a long way off.  We think that they apply to a distant time when God will return.  We feel that this could possibly be thousands of years away, or at least, not in our lifetime.  I want to encourage you that this day could be today!  We are told to live in readiness for Christ’s return.  (Matthew 22:42-44)  We are told that no one will know the day or hour, but that we should be watchful and prepared.  (Matthew 24:36)  For those who are ready by faith in Jesus Christ, it will be a day of joy and gladness.  For those who experience this day outside of God’s mercy, it will be darkness, trouble and doom.  We don’t know when that day might come, but we do know that it is nearer today than yesterday!

Satan is not mentioned by name often in the Old Testament.  This fallen angel inhabited the body of a serpent in the Garden of Eden and enticed Eve to eat the forbidden fruit in rebellion to God’s express command.  The serpent was told by God that the Seed of woman would crush his head one day and he would bruise the Seed’s heel.  (Genesis 3:1-6, 14-15)  In perhaps the oldest book of the Bible, Job underwent a difficult trial as a result of Satan’s accusations of him before the throne of God.  Satan was given permission to test Job by first taking his possessions and children and then taking Job’s health.  In 1st Chronicles 21:1, Satan stood up against Israel and enticed King David to number the people and take pride in how many fighting men he had.  In Zechariah 3:1-2, Satan stood before the Lord and accused Joshua, the high priest, and was rebuked by the Lord.  The only other direct reference is found in Psalm 109:6 where the KJV has “Satan” as the accuser.

There are two other passages that commentators say refer to Satan because the descriptions go beyond that of an earthly man or king.  One is found in Isaiah 14 and I have already written on that one.  The other is here in Ezekiel 28:11-19 and is a lament composed by Ezekiel concerning the king of Tyre.  This lament describes this ‘king’ as being the model of perfection and full of wisdom and beauty.  He was in Eden, the Garden of God and covered with many precious stones.  This king was anointed by God to be a guardian cherub on the holy mountain of God.  There he walked among the fiery stones and was blameless from the day he was created.  Then wickedness was found in him and he was filled with violence and sinned.  God drove him from the mountain of God in disgrace.  The sin was pride because of his beauty and wisdom.  God threw him down to earth and by his many sins and dishonest trade he desecrated his sanctuaries.  God brought him to a fiery end and reduced him to ashes in the sight of all who watched.

This description seems to fit Satan and not just a man or earthly king.  If it is Satan, we learn that he was created by God to be close to God.  He was beautiful and wise.  His beauty went to a selfish pride that got him evicted from Heaven and thrown down to earth.  There he corrupted many and ended up destroyed by God’s wrath.  You might say Satan is the king of Pride and of all the proud of the earth.  All mankind has fallen under his spell because of Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden.  But God has provided one who has crushed the head of this serpent, Jesus Christ the Lord.  The end of time will see Satan (the Devil) cast into the Lake of Fire to endure his fiery torment that lasts forever!  (Revelation 20:10)  Check out your heart for pride today and allow the cleansing blood of Jesus to wash it away!

Confronting sin in people  is the job of the prophet and preacher.  We who minister the word of the Lord must faithfully declare what God has said and speak plainly to those whose souls are in danger of God’s eternal wrath.  Sin brings the wrath of God.  That wrath is an ongoing thing that is happening continually and it is also an eternal thing that will happen to all who die in their sins on the day of judgment.  (Romans 1:18-19) (Romans 2:5)  God loves each person enough to confront him before He judges him.  In fact, He has stated that He will not send His wrath without revealing his plan to the prophets.  (Amos 3:7)

In today’s reading, Ezekiel is told to confront the people of Jerusalem with all of their detestable practices.  (Ezekiel 22:1)  God declared that the sin of bloodshed was bringing doom on the city.  The people’s sin of sacrificing their children in the fire to the false idols was bringing God’s wrath!  Ezekiel pointed out mistreatment of fathers and mothers by children and mistreatment of the alien and orphan as reasons for the coming destruction.  The people had despised the holy things and desecrated the Sabbath as a day of worship and rest.  (Ezekiel 22:7-8)  Adultery, incest, and lewd sexual conduct were hastening the day of wrath and people needed to be confronted!   Excessive interest was being charged and people were extorting money from the weak and powerless with mafia-like tactics. Sure sounds like the prophet was speaking to our day in America!

God also confronted the priests who were doing violence as well.  This violence was to God’s law.  They were twisting God’s law to call evil, good and then to call good, evil.  They did not help people to discern between what was holy and what God considered profane.  They whitewashed their evil deeds by giving the people false visions and lying divinations.  They claimed the the Lord had spoken when He had said nothing of the sort!  (Ezekiel 22:26-28)  When the ministers of God are messed up and under sin and deception, the people are led further astray by their false teaching and example. God looked for one man to stand in the gap on behalf of the land so He would not have to destroy it, but found none!  (Ezekiel 22:30-31)

Why does God confront people who are in sin?  Does He enjoy seeing them squirm?  Does He want to embarrass them in a church service?  God wants all to know that He is the Lord and that what He has decreed will come to pass.  He is to be honored and obeyed by those who are His people.  When God confronts sin, He gives his people opportunity to repent and be delivered.  His love brings the confrontation to those who will humbly receive it.  Take time today and allow the Lord to speak to your heart.  Listen and repent so that the wrath may be turned away!  If you are right with the Lord, stand in the gap for someone who is lost and in need of His grace!  The rewards are eternal!

Another needed day of rest, worship, fellowship and refreshing!  I am ready for a great day of resting in Christ and allowing His peace and presence to come into clearer focus in my life.  Life is busy and I often find myself going from one meeting to another and one appointment to another without a break.  Something is always needing attention or fixing.  On the day of rest, I need fixing by enjoying the glory of His presence!

In reflecting on this past weeks reading in Ezekiel, I am impressed by Ezekiel’s visions of the glory of God.  Ezekiel saw things in heaven around the throne of God’s glory that he had trouble describing in earthly language or word pictures.  How does a finite creature describe an infinite being?  The glory of God was life-changing for Ezekiel.  He was encouraged and motivated to speak God’s message and obey even difficult assignments that would be uncomfortable and even dangerous.

The saddest part of this past week’s reading was the part where God’s glory reluctantly left the Temple and city that God loved.  God tried over and over to make a place for His glory in the midst of His people.  They refused to honor Him and worship Him in Spirit and truth.  He withdrew His glory to show them what darkness was in them.  It was truly a dark time in the history of God’s people.

I am thankful that God’s glory now resides in His church among His people.  He has filled His church with His glory.  The day of Pentecost brought a rushing wind and tongues of fire bringing glory back to His living stones in the New Temple.  We are now being transformed by the glory of God living in our midst personally and corporately.  We have new revelations of that glory daily as we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.  The baptism of the Holy Spirit fills us with power to share His glory with others!  Sunday morning worship explodes with God’s glory descending into the midst of His worshiping church!  Would that we do everything we can to welcome the God of glory today!  We never want to see Him take His glory and depart!  In His Love and Glory,  Pastor John

How many of you are reading this just to find out what was “x-rated” in the Bible?  Ezekiel 16 should contain an “x-rated” warning for graphic and explicit sexual content and violence.  God knows how to use the street language of the day to get the attention of the people.  If you really want the street language in today’s vernacular, you should read this passage in the Message Bible by Eugene Peterson.  I read it to my adult Bible class and many were blushing!

In this chapter God explains how He saw the nation of Israel and how they were given life by Him.  They had been born in sin and were covered with iniquity but God had mercy on them.  God Himself had given the command “Live” and they received life!  (Ezekiel 16:6-7)  They grew up to become His beautiful bride and He clothed them in fine linen clothes and gave them fine jewelry.  They were given ear rings and nose rings and even a crown for their head.  They were to be a bride of royalty!  (Ezekiel 16:10-14)  In fact they became His queen  and their fame spread among the nations!

Then a strange thing happened.  God’s Queen decided to become a prostitute.  God stated that she had become proud and trusted in her beauty and fame!  She went up to the high places and  spread her beautiful garments and offered sexual favors to all who passed by.  She took some of her expensive jewelry and made cheap idols and engaged in prostitution with them!  Sex with an idol can’t be too fulfilling!  (Ezekiel 16:15-18)  She worshiped her idols by offering the food God provided to them in idolatrous worship!  She even offered her sons and daughters to the idols by sacrificing them in the fires!  What a strange and twisted mind this beautiful woman had!

On top of all that, instead of being paid by her lovers, she paid them to come to her!  It was a strange kind of prostitution!  (Ezekiel 16:32-34)  She had paid for favors from the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians and even the Philistines!  All of this behavior was going to bring God’s wrath and the curse of sin upon His people!  (Ezekiel 16:37-40)  She would reap the fruit of her illicit activities by being handed over to her lovers.  Those lovers would strip her and leave  her naked and bare and bring destruction on the land and houses.  God’s hope was to turn His Queen back to Him again.

As we think about this story, we can listen and be warned ourselves.  Many in the church today are compromising their devotion to Christ and His holy word.  They are justifying their illicit sexual idolatry and claiming to belong to Christ.  They throw their children into the fire by using abortion to satisfy their need to be able to choose not to be responsible for an unwanted child from their immorality.  They claim God’s favor and blessing when they are really under His wrath because they have never truly repented. (Romans 1:18-20)  Maybe it’s time for another reading of this x-rated prophetic warning!