The Father of Creation vs The Mother of
All Bombs, Ezekiel 30
Last week, in Ezekiel 29 the Lord pulled back the curtain to reveal the great Oz of Egypt wasn’t so great after all. We stood on the banks of the Nile and watched God drag the great monster, arrogant Pharaoh Hophra, out of the river with hooks in his jaw.
The Lord exposed the illusion
that Egypt was a safety net of nations. Showing us that any worldly system we
lean on, outside of Him, will snap like a hollow reed and splinter and stab the
hand that holds it.
Now as we turn the page to Ezekiel 30, we see the
prophetic storm over the Nile is not passing, but growing.
Today’s prophecy will show how the Lord brings to
nothing all the things Egypt trusted. Their religion couldn’t save them, their wealth
was of no value, their military was broken, their intelligence futile, their beauty
was in vain.
As we read God’s actions toward nations in the past,
we’ll recognize His fingerprints as He still governs in the affairs of men
today.
Let’s walk through the text line by line, verse by verse, knowing God’s Divine timing and Living Word are always speaking, ever timely, always relevant, every single Word of Scripture is God breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16.
1 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying,
Notice, we open without a date, because this is a
seamless continuation of the prophetic warning of chapter 29.
Look at the warning the Lord gives His watchman in
verse 2:
2 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Wail,
‘Woe worth the day!’”
The ancient phrase "Woe worth the day"
literally means “Alas for the day!” or “Curse the day!” It is a
cry of terror.
Why should they wail? Verse 3 tells us:
3 “For the day is near, Even the day of the Lord is
near; It will be a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles.”
For Ezekiel's listeners, the Day of the Lord
wasn't a distant end times prophecy, it was an imminent, boots-on-the-ground reality.
God describes it as a “day of clouds,” a dark day of judgement was near,
very near, He repeats it twice.
Take note, this is the first time: “time of the
Gentiles” is used in the Bible. When Babylon conquered Jerusalem, was
the beginning of the “time of the Gentiles.” From that day to this it
has been trampled by Gentiles and will be until Jesus once again sets foot in Jerusalem.
Luke 21:24.
Now, look at how God’s fiery judgement spreads
like wildfire.
4 “A sword shall come upon Egypt, and great anguish shall
be in Ethiopia, when the wounded fall in Egypt, and they take away her wealth,
and her foundations are broken down.”
God’s judgement hits Egypt like an earthquake, and the
aftershocks, and tremors, send surrounding nations trembling to their knees.
5 “Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all the mingled people, Chub, and the
men of the lands who are allied, shall fall with them by the sword.”
Egypt didn’t stand alone. They, hired elite
mercenaries from Ethiopia, bought military protection from Libya
(Put) and Lydia (Lud), and signed defense pacts with all
the mingled people and Chub.
Like Iran today, with its economy collapsing, the
terrorists Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis and others are crumbling from lack of
funding.
6 ‘Thus says the Lord: “Those who uphold Egypt shall fall, and
the pride of her power shall come down. From Migdol to Syene they shall fall by
the sword in it,” Says the Lord God.’
Strike the serpent’s head and the body that upholds it
will die.
From top to bottom, Migdol to Syene, Divine judgement
falls.
7 “They shall be desolate in the midst of desolate
countries, and her cities shall be in the midst of wasted cities.
8 Then they shall know that I am the Lord, When I have set a fire in
Egypt and all her helpers are destroyed.”
God’s Divine Justice is not like our dysfunctional
judicial system, where folks are indited, questioned, they plead the fifth, 111
times, then, nothing ever happens.
God’s Divine Justice has consequences. They were made desolate, wasted, set ablaze, and destroyed.
From that day to this God’s Divine judgement on Egypt
still stands. Never have they, nor ever will they, return to the superpower
they once were.
In God’s Court, Divine Justice is served
and stands.
Now check out God’s messengers in verse 9:
9 “On that day messengers shall go forth from Me
in ships to make the careless (complacent) Ethiopians
afraid, and great anguish shall come upon them, as on the day of Egypt; for
indeed it is coming!”
Literally saying: On
that day messengers will go forth from Me in ships
to frighten Ethiopians (Cush) out of complacency.
Messengers:
mal·’ā·ḵîm: angels, messengers of God. (Should we make T-shirts
that simply say: “Mal·’ā·ḵîm”? Then, when folks ask what it means, we can be messengers for Him.)
On that day messengers of
God went out from God. They still do today. Are you one of them? You
should be. Not an angel, but a messenger, a mal·’ā·ḵîm.
Many need to be shaken
from their lukewarm, lazy, careless complacency. Are you one of them? You
shouldn’t be. You don’t have to be. Let today be your Turning Point, your wake-up
call.
Now, to be abundantly clear, God reveals who will be
His messenger, His mal·’ā·ḵîm, to carry out this mission of Divine Judgement.
10 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will also make the multitude of
Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”
When Nebuchadnezzar marched his army south against
Egypt, he might’ve thought he was marching to the beat of his own drum.
But he wasn't.
He was sprouting Sovereign Spiritual Seeds,
planted by God through dreams and Daniel and, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
Look at verse 11:
11 “He (Nebuchadnezzar)
and his people with him, the most
terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land; they
shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the
slain.”
Notice the Babylonians are called “the most
terrible of the nations.” Yet, they are the very instruments God uses.
So, never say, God can’t use you... or, that person,
or politician, you don’t like.
God
weaves His wonderful ways, through the wicked ways, of man.
Which brings us to a behind the scenes sneak peak at
God’s Divinely timed choreography.
Sixteen years prior, God planted a mind-blowing Sovereign
Spiritual Seed in Nebuchadnezzar by giving him a dream about a giant gold
headed statue. With God’s help, Daniel revealed the dream and its
interpretation.
That caused mighty king Nebuchadnezzar, the most
powerful man on the planet, to fall on his face before a teenager named Daniel,
a Jewish captive.
Then these powerful words flowed from Nebuchadnezzar’s
lips: “Truly your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings!”
(Daniel 2:47). The Lord of kings. Wow.
Now, back in the time of our text. God burned
another mind-blowing Sovereign Seed into Nebuchadnezzar.
While
Ezekiel was giving this prophecy, about Nebuchadnezzar burning
Egypt; about 50 miles north, Nebuchadnezzar was burning three men or,
trying to. He was wiping ashes off his royal robe and looking into the fiery
furnace as the fireproof Son of God and Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego were walking around, unafraid, unharmed, unburned, unsinged, without
even the smell of smoke on their clothes.
Nebuchadnezzar, mighty king of Babylon, called them
out and said: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego... there
is no other God who can deliver like this.” Daniel 3:28–29.
And meanwhile, back fifty miles south God said,
through Ezekiel what we’re reading today: “I will strengthen the arms of the
king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand.” Ezekiel 30:24.
You might not see God working, but He is.
Trust Him with all you’ve got.
Dear Church, it would be so easy for us to look at
Nebuchadnezzar and his military campaigns as just dusty old history lessons
that have nothing to do with us today.
But the Word of God is alive and powerful,
timeless, and ever timely!
Just look at the headlines screaming across our news
feeds this very week. Military planners are mapping strategic strike options
against Iran’s heavily fortified nuclear facilities like, Pickaxe Mountain.
They aren’t planning a ground invasion or using nuclear options. Instead, they
are drawing up contingency plans to deploy the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air
Blast bomb—the MOAB, known across the globe as the “Mother of All Bombs.”
A 21,600-pound weapon specifically engineered to detonate as an airburst (not
deep penetrating bunker-buster), creating a blinding, terrifying mushroom cloud,
shattering foundations and obliterating everything above ground.
Whether it’s Babylonian chariots kicking up dust in 587
BC, or a satellite-guided air strike filling the sky with thunder and a giant
mushroom cloud in 2026, do not fear.
God
still indeed governs in the affairs of men.
The Mother of all bombs may obliterate everything in a
mile radius, but the Father of all Creation can obliterate and create nations with
just His Word.
12 “I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into
the hand of the wicked; I will make the land and all that is in it
desolate, by the hand of aliens. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
God can start and stop rain. He can dry rivers; and
drain swamps.
He can open borders into the hand of the wicked
and make the land desolate by the hand of aliens.
According to this an open border is a curse, a
punishment, a way to make the land desolate.
Listen. If you’re not voting against
parties that support open borders, you’re voting for selling your land
into the hand of the wicked, you’re voting for making your
own land desolate by the hand of aliens.
13 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will also destroy the idols,
and I will cause the images to cease from Noph; there shall no longer be
a prince from the land of Egypt; and I will put fear in the land of Egypt.”
Noph (Memphis):
This was the ancient capital of lower Egypt. It was a financial center and the home of
the Apis bull cult. (they thought the bull was an incarnation of the
creator god ptah).
Bull hockey.
God says, “I
will cause your idols to cease from Noph.”
Their idols and images, their pagan religions
could not save them.
14 “I will make Pathros desolate, set fire to Zoan, and execute
judgments among No.”
Pathros & Zoan: Cities
known for culture and commerce.
No (Thebes):
The grand metropolis famous for magnificent temples to the god Amun and its
staggering wealth.
Their wealth could not save them.
15 “I will pour My fury on Sin, the stronghold of
Egypt; I will cut off the multitude of No.
16 And I will set fire to Egypt; Sin shall have great pain, No
shall be split open, and Noph shall have distress daily.”
Sin (Pelusium):
Located on the northeast frontier, this city was the key military “stronghold
of Egypt.” It was a fortress designed to stop invading armies.
Their military could not save them.
God says, "I will pour My fury on Sin."
While preparing this message I received a text from my
sister Sherri, that said:
This
morning as I was reading in Luke my attention was brought to something I read
in the Complete Jewish NT Commentary. It pointed out the judgement
coming is SIN. sin is what is judged and people
will have consequences based on their choice. That goes along with what you are
pointing out for tomorrow's sermon. sin will be dealt with.
People will suffer due to their embracing sin. God hates sin
and will judge and end it. God LOVES human and He gives us time to choose Him
and reject sin. (emphasis mine).
SIX TIMES, she mentioned the word SIN. God is working,
speaking... to those who are listening. She was hearing from the Holy Spirit.
When I told her one of the cities being judged in our text
is named: Sin. She said “Seriously!”
Seriously,
is exactly how God wants us to take the issue of sin. Not cozy up to it, not compromise
with it, not live in it.
17 “The young men of Aven and Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword,
and these cities shall go into captivity.
18 At Tehaphnehes the day shall also be darkened, when I break there
the yokes of Egypt. And the pride of her power shall cease in her; As for her,
a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.”
Aven (Heliopolis) & Pi-beseth
(Bubastis): These were the prestigious university and
temple towns where young men were trained (indoctrinated) in pagan philosophy.
Tehaphnehes:
A major palace city. Their glitter and lights went dark.
Their intelligence, their beauty could not
save them.
19 “Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt, Then they shall
know that I am the Lord.”’
Justice is served, so that they shall know that
I AM the Lord.
Now, as we round the bend into the homestretch, buckle your seatbelt because it may sound a little bit like, God goes gangster.
20 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month,
on the seventh day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Notice the time stamp: April 29, 587 BC. This
is just under four months after the vision in chapter 29.
Why does this date matter? Because HIStory tells us this
is when Pharaoh Hophra attempted to fulfill his secret military mission with
Jerusalem. He marched out of Egypt to attack the Babylonian siege surrounding
Jerusalem.
Those in Jerusalem who put their trust in chariots and
horses thought their secular savior had arrived.
But remember God had strengthened Nebuchadnezzar’s arm
and thus, the Egyptians went running home with their tails between their legs.
Kind of mind boggling that Egypt was coming to
help Jerusalem, the city of God, yet God, strengthened Babylon.
God
is on the side of Righteousness, no matter the color the flag.
21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of
Egypt; and see, it has not been bound up for healing, to put a splint on it, to
bind it with a bandage, to make it strong enough to hold a sword.”
God says Egypt’s failed attempt to stop Babylon was a
broken arm, that He gave Pharaoh.
One, to this day, Egypt never recovered from.
But God’ not done:
22 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I am against
Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, both the strong one and
the one that was broken; and I will make the sword fall out of his hand.”
See? God saying, I broke one of his arms, and now I’m
going to break the other one, sounds gangster. More like the Godfather, than
God the Father.
But make no mistake.
God is just.
God is Sovereign.
God directs the course of nations. He lifts up one and
puts down another. Proverbs 21:1, Daniel 2:21, Psalm 75:7.
God’s
Divine Judgement is Just.
Today, breaking both arms of a nation’s leader, might manifest
as a lame duck president, who can’t accomplish anything because both hands are
tied behind his back by corrupt politicians, rogue judges, dysfunctional
congress, phony indictments, bogus impeachments.
But the root cause that results in such wickedness, at
least in a free country like America, is lazy, complacent Christians who
muzzled God’s voice, by not letting His voice be heard through their voice, at
the ballot box, or by not fulfilling their calling to stand up, speak out, take
hold of the positions of leadership He called them to.
To
whom much is given, much is required. Luke 12:48.
Christians stayed home and watched TV instead of
taking a stand and taking a seat at Ottumwa Iowa City Council, thus, allowing a
devil worshipper to take their place, and open the meeting with a prayer to evil,
a prayer to him who seeks to kill, steal and destroy, a prayer to satan.
23 “I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse
them throughout the countries.
God’s
Divine Justice.
They were scattered
like Israel.
For forty years, like
Israel.
24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My
sword in his hand; but I will break Pharaoh’s arms, and he will groan
before him with the groanings of a mortally wounded man.”
Proverbs 29:2, “When the righteous are in
authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.”
25 ‘“I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon,
but Pharaoh’s arms shall fall down; they shall know that I am the Lord,
when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it
out against the land of Egypt.
26 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse
them throughout the countries. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”’
HIStory tells us all this happened, exactly as
written.
Finally, as we close, we see, for the third and
fourth time in this chapter God’s favorite phrase in Ezekiel, repeated
about 70 times:
Then
they shall know that I AM the Lord.
God is at work both strengthening and scattering,
that all shall know the He is Lord.
Think about this, while Ezekiel was speaking this prophecy,
God was also speaking through Jeremiah in Jerusalem, and through Daniel and
friends in Babylon’s palace.
Dear Church, God is doing the same today.
Especially here, because He promised a special kind of
Presence when His people gather in His name.
Especially now, because the night is far spent, the
day is at hand, the time of the Gentiles is about to strike twelve. Romans
13:12.
So, as you’re listening, reading, God is watching your
heart.
Strengthening those
leaning in on the everlasting, nail-scarred, outstretched arms of Christ, and chastening
those trusting in Egypt’s chariots and horses.
All for the purpose that all will know Him as
Sovereign Savior and Lord.
Let's pray.
Lord Jesus, we ask You to penetrate our
hearts, illuminate our minds, create in us a craving for You and a hatred for
sin. We pray that seeing You in action as we read Your Word today, will open
our eyes to recognize Your fingerprints in our world and in our lives. Please
wake from any lazy lukewarm apathy and give us a passion for pleasing You. Make
us into prayer warriors, soul winners, and disciple makers. So, when we see You,
we’ll be able to say, “Of all those You’ve given us, we’ve lost none.” And You’ll
be able to smile and say, “Well done!”
Thank You, Lord Jesus.
We love You, forever.
Amen.
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