The closer you get to your destination, the more signs you see. More frequent, more specific.
The closer you get to
delivery, the more labor pains, more intense, more frequent.
The signs of the times
work like that.
The Lord works like that.
He did it back in the day, with Ezekiel and friends, and He’s still doing the
same today. For those who have ears to hear and eyes to see.
For multiple chapters and
months we’ve been seeing and hearing Ezekiel give warning, judgement is coming!
But did you notice, in
the last chapter, the Lord actually, named, names. Ezekiel 11:1.
It’s getting more
specific. More intense.
Today as we step into
Ezekiel 12, we see a detailed prophecy pointing specifically to the last days
of the last king of Judah, the weak, rebellious, Zedekiah.
Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 “Son of man, you dwell
in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and
ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.
Based on the repeated
rebellion of the people of Judah, this one statement from the Lord basically tells
Ezekiel:
Son of man your house is
weak, it’s a mess, it’s a wreck. Over and over we’ve warned, but they just won’t
listen.
When we built a replica
of Jerusalem under siege, showing exactly what was going to happen, did they humble
themselves and turn to Me? No! They did not.
When you baked bread over
fire made of dung, did they run from the stench of their sin? No! They wallowed
deeper in the muck and mire.
When with a sword, you
shaved your head and beard, did they turn from their shame to the Lord? No! They
clung tighter to idols made of wood and stone.
They are a rebellious
house!
They know better. They
have eyes, to see My glory every evening and morning. They have ears to hear
how I’ve blessed the nation from sea to shining sea.
Yet they reject Me, turn
from Me. They refuse My Word, My prophets, My people and believe the lies of
false prophets that tickle their ears and tell them all is well, peace and
safety, king Zedekiah will save you, and make you healthy, wealthy and wise.
They are a rebellious
house!
Rebellious house
is mentioned multiple times in the Bible, over a dozen times in Ezekiel and five
times in this chapter alone.
Rebellion is devilish.
1
Samuel 15:23: For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the
word of the Lord, He also has rejected you (Saul)
from being king.
Rebellion is not done in
ignorance but in defiance.
Rebellion is knowing the Way
but turning away.
It’s knowing the Truth
but accepting the lie.
It’s knowing Life
but choosing death.
It willingly rejects the
Way, the Truth, the Life, Jesus Christ.
So,
does God say, “Stand back while I turn this rebellious house to rubble!”
No, He does not.
The Lord repeatedly gives
warnings, when and where and why, judgement will fall.
Amos
3:7
Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret
to His servants the prophets.
So none, be caught
unawares.
So all, have opportunity
to be spared.
2
Peter 3:9
It’s not His will for any to perish, but that all
come to repentance.
Ezekiel
33:11
He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that all turn, from
their wicked ways and live.
That’s the heart of the
God of Israel.
That’s where Israel gets
it from.
Today before Israel drops
a bomb, they drop millions of leaflets, texts and calls, warning, judgement is
falling, at this time, at this place, evacuate.
No other nation does so
much to protect civilians.
 |
| Posted after our service. Was he watching? |
So, God does not tell Ezekiel to watch out while He sends fire from heaven on the rebels.
Instead, once again, He
tells him to give them a sign. But this time, put on a play, a skit, a mime. It
may be that they will consider—and turn from their wicked ways and live.
But they’re pretty
hard-headed, so probably not.
3 “Therefore, son of man, prepare your belongings for captivity,
and go into captivity by day in their sight. You shall go from your place into
captivity to another place in their sight. It may be that they will consider,
though they are a rebellious house. 4 By day you shall bring out your
belongings in their sight, as though going into captivity; and at evening
you shall go, in their sight like those who go into captivity.
Ezekiel (Savannah) packing belongings
NOTE: During our Sunday morning service as we talked this out, we simultaneously walked out what Ezekiel may have done, in their sight. Special thanks to our extraordinarily gifted and talented actors, Savannah and Luke.
By this time folks had grown
accustomed to gathering by Ezekiel’s place to see and hear what the Lord had to
say. Or what peculiar thing the Lord might have him do.
Imagine the discussion
while they watched Ezekiel packing his belongings in their sight.
What’s he doing? What’s
he trying to show us?
I know. He’s reenacting
when we were taken captive and brought here to Babylon.
No that’s not it. It’s a
sign, soon we’ll be packing up too, and going home to Jerusalem. I heard
king Zedekiah was about rise and revolt against Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah will
set us free. We won’t be here long.
But wait. That can’t be
it. Don’t you remember, Jeremiah said the Lord told us to build houses, grow
crops, settle in, have kids, make the most of it because we’re going to be here
awhile—seventy years. (Jer. 29:5-10).
Nonsense. How can you listen to what Jeremiah says? He said we’re to pray for the peace of the place where we’re carried away captive, for in its peace you will have peace (Jeremiah 29:7). Ha! How crazy is that? Can you believe it? Pray for our enemies? Who in the world would ever say anything like that?
JESUS:
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to
those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.
Matthew 5:44
Back to our text.
5 Dig
through the wall in their sight and carry your belongings out through it.
 |
| Ezekiel (Savannah) digging through wall |
6 In their
sight you shall bear them on your shoulders and carry them out at twilight; you
shall cover your face, so that you cannot see the ground, for I have made you a
sign to the house of Israel.”
I have made you a sign.
You are a sign.
Are you pointing to Jesus?
When folks see you, hear you, watch you, do they draw closer to Jesus?
Matthew
5:16
Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good
works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
7 So I did
as I was commanded. I brought out my belongings by day, as though going into
captivity, and at evening I dug through the wall with my hand. I brought them
out at twilight, and I bore them on my shoulder in their sight.
8 And in the
morning the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “Son of man, has
not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you
doing?’
So I did as I was
commanded. Obey right away. Seek first the kingdom
of God. Matthew 6:33.
This is what Jesus is
talking about when He said, I’ve come to give you life (zoe) more
abundantly (John 10:10).
He wants His family so
full of zoe life (the God kind of Life) that folks ask, “What are you up to
now?”
A life where you never
get bored and never run out of things to do.
A life of liberty even in
captivity.
Did you notice he said, “as
though going into captivity”.
As though? Doesn’t
he know, he’s been a captive in Babylon for five years already?
Or maybe he knows these timeless
Truths:
Whom
the Son sets free is free indeed. John 8:36.
Stand
fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be
entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Galatian 5:1.
But
those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not
faint. Isaiah 40:31.
“The
Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach
good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.
Isaiah 61:1.
10 Say to
them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem (king
Zedekiah) and all the house of Israel who are
among them.” ’ 11 Say, ‘I am a sign to you. As I have done, so shall
it be done to them; they shall be carried away into captivity.’ 12
And the prince who is among them shall bear his belongings on his shoulder at twilight
and go out. They shall dig through the wall to carry them out through it. He
shall cover his face, so that he cannot see the ground with his eyes. 13
I will also spread My net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare. I will
bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it,
though he shall die there. 14 I will scatter to every wind all who
are around him to help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword
after them.
"caught in My snare"
2 Kings 25:1-10, and,
Jeremiah 52:7-11, document these events happened just as the Lord had said
through His prophets.
For well over a year, Jerusalem
was surrounded by the Babylonian army. Just as the Lord had said.
The Jews were starving
captives inside their own city. Resulting in some eating their own young.
They dug a hole in the
city wall and king Zedekiah and his men escaped. Just as the Lord had said.
But Nebuchadnezzar’s army
pursued Zedekiah and crew and in the plains of Jericho (15-20 miles away) they
caught them. Just as the Lord had said.
Zedekiah’s army scattered.
Just as the Lord had said.
They took king Zedekiah
to king Nebuchadnezzar’s military headquarters at Riblah, on Israel’s northern
border, (Syria, today).
There they pronounced
judgment on Zedekiah, killed his men (that were caught), killed all his sons before
his eyes, then took out his eyes, bound him with bronze fetters, and took
him to Babylon. Where he remained prisoner until the day he died. Just as the
Lord had said.
It all happened exactly
as the Lord had said.
God’s Word is HIStory
told in advance.
God’s Word is the most
relevant, current, accurate, Truth, ever written.
About 27% of the Bible is
prophecy.
8,352 verses out of the
31,102 verses of the Bible, are prophetic.
Out of the 2,500 Bible prophecies,
2,000 have already been fulfilled.
The rest, every single
jot and tittle, will be fulfilled, just as the Lord had said. Matthew 5:18.
15 “Then
they shall know that I am the Lord, when I scatter them among the nations
and disperse them throughout the countries. 16 But I will spare a
few of their men from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence, that
they may declare all their abominations among the Gentiles wherever they go. Then
they shall know that I am the Lord.”
Repeatedly, over 60 times
in Ezekiel the Lord reveals His heart’s desire:
Then
they shall know that I AM the LORD.
One day all will know
that I AM is LORD.
One day all will see that
everything came to pass just as the Lord had said.
Every knee shall bow and
every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Philippians 2:10-11.
The closer we get to our
destination, the more signs we see; more frequent, more specific. The closer we
get to delivery, the more labor pains we feel; more intense, more frequent.
The signs of the times
work like that.
The Lord works like that.
He did it back in
Ezekiel’s day and is doing the same today.
Prophetic Warning Signs and
Next Big Events in HIStory:
RAPTURE.
·
1 Thes. 4:16-17
·
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
·
John 14:3
·
Matthew 24:4-14
7 YEAR TRIBULATION
· Jeremiah 30:7
· Daniel 9:27
· Daniel 12:11
· Revelation 13:5
Ezekiel 38-39 WAR - Russia,
Iran, Sudan, Turkey, Libya.
DAMASCUS DESTROYED - Isaiah 17:1
Consider the names of the
current military operations:
Epic Fury, in
a name describes exactly what the seven-year tribulation will be— the ultimate Epic
Fury. NOTE: It began, 2.28.26. If it ends 4.18.26, that’d be seven weeks, perhaps
prophetically foreshadowing seven years. Not prophesying, just saying we should
have our eyes and ears open to what the Spirit may be saying to the Church. Be
alert. Watch and pray.
Roaring Lion,
in a name describes exactly what Jesus second coming will be like. His first was
meek and mild as a Lamb in a manger. However, at the end of the Tribulation He
returns roaring like a lion. Revelation 19:11-21.
Conclusion:
Did you hear about the
near miss of a missile on the temple mount? What was Iran thinking? What if
they destroyed the Dome of the Rock? Would that set the stage for some charismatic
world leader to rise to power and rebuild the 3rd temple? An event
that will happen at the hands of the antichrist.
The Ezekiel 38-39 war is
taking shape quicker than we may think.
Arab nations turning
against Persia (Iran), pulls Russia with a hook in the jaw to bail out
the bully little brother. (Ezekiel 38:4-5).
He who has ears to hear
let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, thank You for
giving us a multitude of signs so all who are willing are able to find their
way to You. Help us shine as a sign pointing to You. So that of all those You’ve
given us, none will be lost.
Thank You.
We love You, forever.
Amen.
Prayer Requests:
Call or text:
612-554-2522
Email: pray4measap@aol.com
Facebook: Church at WPV
Books: amazon.com/author/dougspurling
Watch online:
Facebook: The Prophet’s Pantomime,
Ezekiel 12:1-16
You Tube: The Prophet’s
Pantomime, Ezekiel 12:1-16
This was feed for you to
read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.
Thank you for sharing.
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