HIStory from Egypt to Eternity.
Revealing God’s Golden Thread of Reconciliation.
OUTLINE:
1-4 ACCOUNT CLOSED
5-9 EGYPT
10-17 WILDERNESS
18-26 CHILDREN
27-29 FATHERS
30-32 YOU
33-44 RECONCILED
Repeated phrases:
My name’s sake. 4 times. Ezekiel 20:9, 14,
22, 44.
I raised My hand in an oath. 7 times. Ezekiel
20:5, 6, 15, 23, 28, 42.
I am the Lord. 9 times. Ezekiel 20:5, 7,
12, 19, 20, 26, 38, 42, 44.
It came to pass in the seventh year, in the
fifth month, on the tenth day of the month,
What does that mean?
Why is that there?
Whenever God points at the clock in Scripture, we
should pause and say, “Thank You.” Because He did it to offer us, undeniable
proofs of the accuracy and authenticity of the Bible. He knew that one day,
like finding hidden treasure, archeologists would dig up artifacts and say,
“Hey, this confirms exactly what the Bible said!”
This is a real date in HIStory, 2,617 years ago,
August 14th, 591 BC.
What we’re reading is Truth. It really happened, and some
of what we’ll read will really happen.
The Bible is over 25% prophetic; meaning it predicts
what will happen. About 80% (4 out of 5) of all Bible prophecy has already
been fulfilled.
Leaving no doubt the remaining 20% will be fulfilled
just as written.
Bible prophecy is simply HIStory written
in advance.
ACCOUNT CLOSED 1-4
1...that certain
of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before
me. (Ezekiel).
You might know these folks. They’re the ones that only
show up when they want something, need something, have an inquiry. They showed
up in chapter 8 and then again in chapter 14.
2 Then the
word of the Lord came to me, saying, 3 “Son of
man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the
Lord God: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,”
says the Lord God, “I will not be inquired of by you.”’
This is basically the same answer God gave them the
last time they showed up wanting to make an inquiry. (Ez. 14:1-2).
ACCOUNT CLOSED!
Yeah, but I have a prob—I need help with—I have a
question my account is froze my password doesn’t work my debit card keep
getting declined????
I I I my my my—you you you need to help me me me.
God tells Ezekiel to tell them, their account is
closed.
4 Will you judge them, son of
man, will you judge them? Then make known to
them the abominations of their fathers. (ancestors).
Literally the original text reads not as a question
but a command.
Judge son
of man, judge, (make them) know
(the) abominations (of their) fathers.
Warning after warning they ignored.
Abomination after abomination they continued, until
their cup of iniquity overflowed, their sin account was overdrawn.
To prove it God, through Ezekiel, gives them a HIStory
lesson of their abominations; an accounting of their overdrafts of iniquity.
EGYPT 5-9
5 “Say to
them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day when I chose Israel and
raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and
made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand
in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am the Lord your
God.’ 6 On that day I raised My hand in an oath
to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I
had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the
glory of all lands.
7 Then I said
to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are
before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt.
I am the Lord your God.’
8 But they rebelled
against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast
away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake
the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will pour out My fury
on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’
Even though God just threatened to pour out His
fury on them, the big picture reveals His extraordinary love.
He chose them, made an oath to them, to deliver them
from bondage to freedom.
Then, He expected them to leave the sins
of the past and obey Him.
God does not accept victimhood mentality.
He did not say, “Well, they came from a dysfunctional
environment, so they can’t help but be irresponsible, despise authority, and
act lawlessly.
Nonsense!
God demands righteous living, no matter the circumstance,
regardless of emotion.
And
He leads by example:
9 But I
acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles
among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring
them out of the land of Egypt.
Now, it’s not obvious at first but this is an amazing
insight into intercession.
God’s fury
and anger wanted to turn Israel to dust...
But Moses interceded. Exodus 32:7-14.
Moses was on the mountain with God.
Israel was at the bottom with golden calf.
God, about to pour His fury and anger, said to Moses, “let
Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume
them. And I will make of you a great nation.” Exodus 32:10.
But Moses interceded asking the Lord, what will become
of Your great name if You deliver Your people only to kill them? And what about
Your promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; to multiply them as the stars of
heaven, and give them all this land, forever? Exodus 32:11-13.
So, the Lord relented. Exodus 32:14.
God’s Divine Justice says, smoke ‘em, turn them to
dust. The wages of sin is death. Rom. 6:23a.
God’s heart look for a Way to extend mercy. The
Gift of God is Eternal Life. Rom. 6:23b.
James
2:13b
...mercy triumphs over judgement.
Moses interceded. He stood in the gap between God’s
wrath and the people.
Ezekiel
22:30
So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in
the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I
found no one.
Our text in Ezekiel tells us God did not
pour out His fury and anger for His name’s sake. However, behind the scenes we
see the change was in response to intercession. Which of course is a type
and shadow of Christ, who ever lives to make intercession for us. Hebrews 7:25.
God loves to help us, work with us, and through us,
but expects us to do our part, to know His will and pray it into existence.
Now, how in the world did Moses have the courage and
desire to stand in front of God’s fury and say, “STOP!”
This is key to the effectual fervent power of
intercession. It’s a simple principle from the man after God’s own heart, King
David.
Psalm
37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of
your heart.
David was delighted when they said let us go to the
house of the Lord. Psalm 122:1.
Moses delighted in the Lord, spoke with Him as a
friend, longed to know His way, see His glory, and prayed they’d never leave
His Presence. Exodus 33:11-15.
If you delight in the Lord (do things the
Lord delights in), the Lord will give you the desires He wants you to desire.
It’s a beautiful and powerful and joyful way to live.
You pursue your heart’s desire, and the Lord helps you achieve them because He
directed the desire.
You pray your desires with effective fervency and
faith, because God planted the desire and will fulfill it. James 5:16-18.
WILDERNESS 10-17
10 “Therefore
I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 And
I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a
man does, he shall live by them.’ 12 Moreover I also gave
them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that
they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies
them.
13 Yet the house of Israel rebelled
against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes;
they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall
live by them’; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would
pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them. 14 But
I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the
Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. 15 So I
also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not
bring them into the land which I had given them, ‘flowing with
milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands, 16 because
they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My
Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. 17 Nevertheless
My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the
wilderness.
Sanctifies,
sets apart for the Lord.
Sabbath, a day of rest,
set apart for the Lord. A beautiful sign of trust and obedience.
Manna. Exodus 16:14-31. Each day they’d gather their
daily bread, (manna). If they gathered more than they needed and tried to keep
it overnight, it bred worms and stank.
Except on Friday, they gathered enough for two days,
to cover the next day, Sabbath. That day, the manna did not go bad but would
last through the Sabbath.
God’s beautiful sign of protection and provision
between Him and His people, even in the wilderness.
If only they would trust and obey...
Which they wouldn’t.
They rebelled, once again.
So, again, God said I will pour out My fury on them
in the wilderness, to consume them.
But then, like before, God contained His fury for His
name’s sake among the gentiles. Six times in this chapter gentiles
are mentioned. This is not just a HIStory lesson of Israel’s iniquity, but a lesson
in God’s love for all humanity.
But make no mistake, His Divine Justice is not
ignored.
He raised His hand in an oath saying justice would be
served on the guilty, they would die in the wilderness; all but Joshua and
Caleb, who remained faithful.
His mercy was extended to the children. They would
enter the Promise Land flowing with milk and honey.
CHILDREN 18-26
18 “But I said
to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your
fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their
idols. 19 I am the Lord your
God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; 20 hallow
My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know
that I am the Lord your God.’
21 “Notwithstanding, the
children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were
not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he
shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour
out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. 22 Nevertheless
I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be
profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them
out. 23 Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the
wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse
them throughout the countries, 24 because they had not
executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned
My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.
25 “Therefore I
also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments
by which they could not live; 26 and I pronounced
them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their
firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them
desolate and that they might know that I am the Lord.” ’
God told the children in the wilderness, (then and
now) to follow His ways, not the ways of their worldly fathers.
Jesus says in, Matthew 10:34-36, Do not think that
I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a
sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man
against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s
enemies will be those of his own household.
Dear Saint, our family is those who do the will of our
Father. Matthew 12:50.
Follow God. Even if it goes against your fathers, your
families, your traditions, your religion, your political party. Follow God.
That’s what God told the children in the wilderness to
do, but they rebelled.
Then, as before, God said He would pour out His fury
and fulfill His anger.
But, yet again, mercy triumphed over judgement and He
held back His hand, for the sake of His name in the sight of the gentiles.
But make no mistake, His Divine Justice was not
ignored.
This time He raised His hand in an oath to scatter them
throughout the nations of the gentiles.
The scattering was long lasting, we still see remnants
of it to this day.
Around 722 BC the Assyrians took the northern tribes captive.
605 BC began the Babylonian captivity.
70 AD the Romans sent them scattering for nearly 2,000
years.
In 1948 we saw God bring an official end to this
prophecy. From that day to this He’s calling them back home to Israel.
DANGER ZONE.
Notice this time God gives them no commands.
Before He told them to get rid of their abominations
and idols. Then, He said, to follow His statutes and judgements and Sabbaths.
Then, He said to follow Him, not your fathers... but this time, He doesn’t give
a command, He simply says, “I gave them up.”
When God stops chasing you, when He stops knocking,
you’re headed toward hell in a hurry.
Whenever it happens to anyone it’s easy to trace.
They resist God long enough until He gives them up,
and they go nuts, with a debased mind and a strong delusion.
Romans
1:28
They did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not
fitting;
2
Thess. 2:11
And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that
they should believe the lie.
They call evil good and good evil and resist all that
is right and just and Holy.
They don’t know if they are male or female, they can’t
say if a man can have a baby, or if a boy may need tampons. They think law and
border are evil. They defend criminals and lock up citizens. They ban Bible
reading in schools while promoting men in high heels and dresses reading about
perverted sex to our children.
That’s just the beginning.
God justifies judging them, scattering
them, making them desolate by condemning the worst of their wickedness: “causing
their firstborn to pass through the fire.” Ez. 20:26.
They burned their children alive, as an offering to a
demon they called molech.
Today they do the same in a different way to the same
demon, but he wears a doctor’s coat and calls himself Planned Parenthood.
God’s chosen people, were
scattered, left desolate, for doing what America has done over seventy million
times and rising by over 3,000 innocent souls a day.
God’s mercy is amazing, but His judgment is not
ignored.
God’s people in America are humbling themselves,
praying, seeking His face, turning from their wicked ways. 2 Chronicles 7:14
promises if we do, then, He will heal our land. Intercessors, standing in the
gap, may be the only reason, America still stands. One day we will be taken out
of the way, and then, all hell will break loose, until the Prince of Peace
returns to rule and reign.
FATHERS 27-29
27 “Therefore,
son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the
Lord God: “In this too your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being
unfaithful to Me. 28 When I brought them into the
land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them,
and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they
offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also
sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then
I said to them, ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ So
its name is called Bamah to this day.” ’
Now the HIStory is hitting closer to home. He’s not
just talking about distant ancestors, but their very fathers.
Notice for the first time, God does not say they
rebelled. Rebels pull against the yoke that is upon them, the authority that is
over them. Now these are completely outsiders, enemies of God. He calls them
blasphemers.
God does not talk about His fury and anger,
He does not raise His hand in an oath.
As Judge He simply states the charges against them.
By this time their conscience is seared, every
imagination of their hearts is only evil continually. Genesis 6:5.
Even in the midst of the Promise Land, with purple
mountain majesties, from sea to shining sea, where God shed His grace on thee, rather
than seeing God’s blessings, all they saw were places to practice sin and
worship evil.
Generation after generation ignored God’s warnings, until
they were too far gone. Destruction of Jerusalem was imminent; Ezekiel and
Daniel and thousands of others were already taken captive. Jeremiah in
Jerusalem was persecuted for speaking Truth.
This picture is not so different from where we sit today
in America. If you are a Christian, please intercede for our country, daily.
Now, the HIStory lesson becomes a personal lecture.
YOU 30-32
30 Therefore
say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Are you
defiling yourselves in the manner of your fathers, and
committing harlotry according to their abominations? 31 For
when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass
through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even
to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of
Israel? As I live,” says the Lord God, “I will not be
inquired of by you. 32 What you have in your mind shall
never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in
other countries, serving wood and stone.’
The Lord returns to His original question. “So,
shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel?”
Then He calls them out for the inquiry they never
made, but He could read the thoughts and intents of their heart.
His answer totally turns the trajectory of the
conversation from judgement to reconciliation.
No, you cannot inquire about being like the other
nations. I created you to be My people.
There is no negotiation regarding your
identity.
You may see yourself as someone or something other
than how I created you, but that doesn't change who you are in My eyes.
I have not and will not give up on you. Even if you’ve
given up on yourself.
I will not give up on My covenant with you. Even if
you do.
I will remain faithful to you, even if you’re not.
Which brings us from prophecy already fulfilled in our
past, to prophecy to be fulfilled in our future.
RECONCILED 33-44
33 “As I
live,” says the Lord God, “surely with a mighty hand, with an
outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. 34 I
will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where
you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury
poured out.
We saw this largely
fulfilled in 1948, when Jews flocked to Israel with the rebirth of the nation,
and they’re still flocking there in ever increasing numbers.
The persecution of
Israel only helps further fulfill this prophecy. What the devil means for harm,
God uses for good.
God has this prophetic
magnet in the heart of the Jew calling them home.
We’re witnessing
prophecy being fulfilled right before our very eyes.
35 And I will
bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My
case with you face to face. 36 Just as I pleaded My case
with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My
case with you,” says the Lord God.
Isaiah
1:18
Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your
sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like
crimson, they shall be as wool.”
37 “I will
make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of
the covenant;
This is a picture of the
Shepherd, raising His rod, to allow His sheep into His fold. But this Shepherd is
interested in more than just owning a flock of sheep, He is committed to
building a family relationship, a bond of covenant, with His people.
38 I will
purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will
bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter
the land of Israel.
The same Shepherd who
allows the sheep into His fold, also keeps out the rebels, the wolves, the
thieves, the goats.
After the tribulation
there will be a purging process, the Sheep and Goat Judgement. Matt. 25:31-36.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.
The beautiful phrase the Lord loves and repeats over seventy times in
Ezekiel.
39 “As for
you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord God: “Go, serve every one
of you his idols—and hereafter—if you will not obey Me; but profane My
holy name no more with your gifts and your idols.
Serve your idols if
you choose, but don’t come to me with your hypocritical nonsense.
Joshua
24:15. And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves
this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were
on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you
dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
1 Kings
18:21. How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God,
follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.
40 For on My holy mountain, on the
mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord God, “there all the house
of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me;
Romans 11:26, all
Israel will be saved.
there I will accept
them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits
of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things. 41 I
will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the
peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and
I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.
During the Millennial
Reign there will be required feasts in Jerusalem. If they don’t attend, their land
will have no rain.
Feast of Tabernacles,
Zechariah 14:16-17.
Feast of Passover,
Ezekiel 45:21.
42 Then you
shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the
land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an
oath to give to your fathers.
Isaiah
11:6. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with
the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a
little child shall lead them.
43 And there
you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were
defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight
because of all the evils that you have committed
At the end of the tribulation, Jesus will return, the
Jews who are alive will recognize Him as the One they pierced and they will remember
their wickedness and mourn as one mourns over the loss of an only son.
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour on the
house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and
supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn
for Him as one mourns for his only son and grieve for Him as one grieves for a
firstborn.
We will not lose our memory; we will not get amnesia
regarding evil. We will know the Truth with exceptional clarity, and by God’s
grace we will be able to handle it. We will know Jesus died and rose again. We’ll
know He did it for sinners. We’ll know some sinners, probably even some from
our own family, that didn’t make it to heaven.
With a deep understanding we will walk through
eternity with wise and solemn joy, not ignorant bliss.
44 Then you shall know that
I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you for My
name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your
corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord God.’ ”
There it is again for
the ninth time in this chapter, God’s heart’s desire:
“Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”
Do you see the depth
of God’s love for you?
He repeatedly raised
His hand in an oath.
We repeatedly rebelled.
Which warranted His
fury and anger.
But for His name’s
sake, He came in our place and followed all His statutes and judgements and
Sabbaths.
Then He raised both
hands and took His fury and anger in our place.
Reconciling our overdrawn account with His as He said...
Tetelestai!
Translated, “It is
finished” but means, Paid in Full.
Isaiah 59:16
He saw that there was no man,
And wondered that there was no intercessor;
Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him;
And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
2 Corinthians 5: 17-21
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is
a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become
new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to
Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to
Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the
word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God
were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled
to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Let’s intercede.
Lord Jesus, we have rebelled,
individually, and as a nation, please forgive US.
Please search our hearts, convict us of
any wicked way, cause us to despise iniquity, draw us to delight in You, as
intercessors in tune to Your desires, that our prayers are powerful and
effective, for Your glory. We pray You use us a soul winners and disciple
makers, so of all You’ve given us, none are lost.
Thank You.
We love You, forever.
Amen.
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Ezekiel 20
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