Ezekiel 28B. This section on Tyre runs from chapter The city would cease to be important and influential

Transcription

1 Let s jump back int ne f the mst fascinating chapters f Scripture in all the Bible We re midway thrugh chapter 28 studying the Lrd s declaratin f judgment against Tyre, ne f Israel s histrical enemies This sectin n Tyre runs frm chapter The first tw and a half chapters dealt with the city, it s peple and finally it s leader Tyre was a city-state, a single settlement sitting n a rcky island abut 1km ff shre f present-day Lebann It had a ideal harbr fr deep ships and high walls that extended int the island and int the sea Which made the city practically impenetrable and ideal place frm which t regular and rule wrld trade thrugh the Mediterranean S fr centuries Tyre was the trading pwer and envy f the wrld But the Lrd says that their pride and wealth cnspired t deceive the peple s hearts They lked arund at the wealth and pwer and decided they were captains f their wn fate They believe they accumulated s much wealth and ruled cmmerce because they were inherently superir t ther peples And at the tp f the heap were the men wh ruled Tyre, the kings wh amassed wealth and pwer at an astunding rate S as the Lrd spke t Tyre thrugh Ezekiel, He declared the city wuld be brught lw, rbbed f it s wealth and stripped f it s pwer The city wuld cease t be imprtant and influential And they peple wuld perish in the sea 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 2! f! 19 And the king f the city, a man the Lrd calls prince f Tyre, wuld be judged fr his pride and arrgance against Gd Then in v.11 f chapter 28, the Lrd shifted gears in a majr way, still speaking abut Tyre but referencing a new and very different character Addressing this character as the king f Tyre, the Lrd retells a stry f privilege leading t pride and a fall int judgment and destructin While that utline sunded very similar t the ne we studied in the first 10 verses f the chapter, it deviated in majr ways This new character served Gd in the thrne rm in a very special way And his fall int sin shk bth heaven and earth S clearly, this individual was n rdinary ruler f the city f Tyre Rather, we learned last week that the king f Tyre was a reference t Satan himself Satan was the spiritual authrity perating invisibly behind the scenes He crrupts the hearts f the peple and drives their ppsitin t Gd and the peple f Israel S as the Lrd prmised Israel that their earthly enemies wuld be judged in time, s als He prmises that Israel s (and mankind s) spiritual enemy wuld meet his fate t We read the entire lamentatin fr Satan last week but nly studied thrugh the first part f it Tnight, we ll re-read the whle sectin again, and even as we mve frward in ur study, we will need t revisit sme f thse earlier details Ezek. 28:11 Again the wrd f the LORD came t me saying, Ezek. 28:12 Sn f man, take up a lamentatin ver the king f Tyre and say t him, Thus says the Lrd GOD, Yu had the seal f perfectin, Full f wisdm and perfect in beauty Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 3! f! 19 Ezek. 28:13 Yu were in Eden, the garden f Gd; Every precius stne was yur cvering: The ruby, the tpaz and the diamnd; The beryl, the nyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquise and the emerald; And the gld, the wrkmanship f yur settings and sckets, Was in yu. On the day that yu were created They were prepared. Ezek. 28:14 Yu were the aninted cherub wh cvers, And I placed yu there. Yu were n the hly muntain f Gd; Yu walked in the midst f the stnes f fire. Ezek. 28:15 Yu were blameless in yur ways Frm the day yu were created Until unrighteusness was fund in yu. Ezek. 28:16 By the abundance f yur trade Yu were internally filled with vilence, And yu sinned; Therefre I have cast yu as prfane Frm the muntain f Gd. And I have destryed yu, O cvering cherub, Frm the midst f the stnes f fire. Ezek. 28:17 Yur heart was lifted up because f yur beauty; Yu crrupted yur wisdm by reasn f yur splendr. I cast yu t the grund; I put yu befre kings, That they may see yu. Ezek. 28:18 By the multitude f yur iniquities, In the unrighteusness f yur trade Yu prfaned yur sanctuaries. Therefre I have brught fire frm the midst f yu; It has cnsumed yu, And I have turned yu t ashes n the earth In the eyes f all wh see yu Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 4! f! 19 Ezek. 28:19 All wh knw yu amng the peples Are appalled at yu; Yu have becme terrified And yu will cease t be frever. Last week I taught thrugh the first part f v.16, but befre we mve int what fllws, let s remember what we learned in thse verses First, we learned abut Satan s rigins, his appearance, intelligence and abde Satan was created t be the wisest and mst beautiful creature in all Creatin He was adrned with every precius jewel, resulting in a brilliant appearance that reminds us that Satan presents himself as an angel f light And he began his existence in Eden, the garden f Gd Last week we learned that this Eden is nt the same ne we see in Genesis 2, where Adam and Wman first lived The Eden f that chapter is the Garden f Adam, nt the Garden f Gd And it was created specifically fr Adam and Wman, nt fr Satan Furthermre, we nticed in v.14 that Satan was n the hly muntain f Gd, Mt. Zin, in the midst f burning stnes f fire Frm ther Scripture, we learned that this was a descriptin f Gd s thrne rm, nt a place n earth Furthermre, as we ll see tnight, Ezekiel says Satan was cast dwn frm this place t the earth after he sins S the Garden f Gd was a place Satan lived befre he sinned and befre he was cast dwn t the earth Then we learned abut Satan s ccupatin prir t his fall, and that was prbably the mst fascinating aspect f the entire accunt In v.14 we re tld that Satan was the aninted, cvering cherub 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 5! f! 19 A cvering cherub is the name given in the Bible fr the figure that guarded the tp f the ark in the tabernacle Tw glden cvering cherubim were carved int the mercy seat and underneath their wings appeared the glry f Gd Furthermre, we remembered that Hebrews tells us that the tabernacle and all it s furniture were patterned after things fund in Heaven There is a heavenly sanctuary, a heavenly tabernacle the writer f Hebrews tells us And the things Gd tld Mses and the children f Israel t build were patterned after things in Heaven, including the mercy seat S since the mercy seat n earth had glden statues f cherubim, we can knw that the mercy seat in Heaven used actual cherubim Cherubim are angels created by Gd t guard His glry And nw we knw that Satan s riginal trade, his ccupatin was t be the cherub guarding Gd s glry n the heavenly mercy seat Day by day, Satan std guard, the clsest created thing t the glry f Gd And his privileged psitin became the surce f his dwnfall Then we re tld in v.16 that the abundance f Satan s trade (r his high ccupatin) caused him t becme prideful and arrgant Much like the human king f Tyre, this spiritual king f Tyre let his success and beauty and pwer g t his head And eventually, Satan s pride led him t sin against Gd In v.15 we re tld that unrighteusness was fund within him sin riginated in the heart f Satan His sinful heart brught him t vilence, and thugh we dn t knw what vilent act resulted, I suggested ne pssibility We knw that thrughut histry, Satan has sught t take the place f Gd 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 6! f! 19 In several instances, he tried t seat himself in the place f Gd in the heavenly tabernacle S perhaps that pattern started frm the beginning, when Satan guarded that very place in Heaven Perhaps he sught t sit in that place f authrity in Heaven, trying t take the mercy seat by frce Whatever Satan did in heaven, it results in the Lrd casting him dwn, which is where we pick up again tnight Ntice in v.16 that after Satan sinned against Gd, he was cast dwn frm the muntain f Gd in Heaven And Satan is remved frm the stnes f fire, further cnfirmatin that this place is nt the Eden n earth Likewise in v.17 we re tld Satan is cast t the grund because he was crrupted by his beauty and splendr His beautiful appearance gave him reasn t think he was inherently pwerful and wrthy f authrity and privilege And as we read earlier, his psitin guarding the glry f Gd puffed him up The phrase ending the first half f v.17 actually reads yu have crrupted yur wisdm because f brightness The reference t brightness refers t the glry f Gd, which Satan guarded Because he std s clse t it, it crrupted his wisdm leading him t think he culd replace Gd S the Lrd cast Satan dwn as prfane, meaning as unhly, impure and unwrthy t remain in the presence f Gd Nw t this pint in the narrative, we knw we re studying past events These events aren t just the past fr us they were als in the past fr Ezekiel Israel These things happened befre Adam and Wman even existed S this part f Satan s stry is merely the beginning f his judgment 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 7! f! 19 S nw we mve ahead t the next step f that judgment, beginning with the secnd half f v.17 The Lrd says he has put Satan befre kings that they might see him brught lw We knw this can t refer t the immediate aftermath f his fall Because when Satan fell, there were n human beings in existence, much less kings S clearly, the narrative has transitined t future events, s nw we need t understand what perid f histry the Lrd has mved int Ging t the next verse, the narrative initially takes a step back befre mving frward again The Lrd repeats that Satan s fall was the result f the unrighteusness f Satan s trade That refers t the sinful way Satan went abut perfrming the rle he was given by Gd And as a result, Satan prfaned his sanctuaries The sanctuaries refers t the Heavenly tabernacle where Satan wrked His sin made this place unhly fr a time, until Christ s death sanctified the temple by His bld This is further evidence that Satan served as a cvering cherub But then the narrative returns t future judgment in the secnd half f v.18 The Lrd says He bught fire frm the midst f Satan, which is a cryptic phrase But then ntice that this fire will cnsume Satan Ultimately it will turn him t ashes and kings will be astnished This passage has been written in a petic way t parallel what was said earlier abut the prince f Tyre, making it mre difficult t fllw But because we have ther Scripture t cnsult, we can figure ut what it s saying 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 8! f! 19 First, we knw that in a day t cme, during the middle f Tribulatin n earth, the Lrd begins t carry ut His plan t destry Satan He will permanently bar Satan frm having access t Heaven Rev. 12:9 And the great dragn was thrwn dwn, the serpent f ld wh is called the devil and Satan, wh deceives the whle wrld; he was thrwn dwn t the earth, and his angels were thrwn dwn with him. Rev. 12:10 Then I heard a lud vice in heaven, saying, Nw the salvatin, and the pwer, and the kingdm f ur Gd and the authrity f His Christ have cme, fr the accuser f ur brethren has been thrwn dwn, he wh accuses them befre ur Gd day and night. Rev. 12:11 And they vercame him because f the bld f the Lamb and because f the wrd f their testimny, and they did nt lve their life even when faced with death. Rev. 12:12 Fr this reasn, rejice, O heavens and yu wh dwell in them. We t the earth and the sea, because the devil has cme dwn t yu, having great wrath, knwing that he has nly a shrt time. This future day is the fulfillment f Ezekiel s prphecy that Satan is cast dwn t the grund befre kings Even nw, Satan has been cast dwn in the sense that he was remved frm his place f hnr in heaven But in the meantime, he is permitted t ram t and fr n the earth And he may even enter the thrne rm f Gd as we read in Jb Jb 1:6 Nw there was a day when the sns f Gd came t present themselves befre the LORD, and Satan als came amng them. Jb 1:7 The LORD said t Satan, Frm where d yu cme? Then Satan answered the LORD and said, Frm raming abut n the earth and walking arund n it. The angels are presented befre Gd, and Satan is amng them Ntice Satan is nt presenting himself befre Gd, since he has fallen and cannt stand befre Gd in that way any lnger But Satan mves amng the angels And by his wn testimny, he can mve freely n earth 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 9! f! 19 But Revelatin tells us that these days f freedm fr Satan are numbered In a day t cme he will be barred frm heaven frever And in that day, Revelatin 12 says it marks a new chapter f hrrr fr the inhabitants f the earth Because n that day, Satan faces the reality that his time is shrt Until that day, he held hpe that he culd find a way t avid the fate Gd has prmised him But nce he is barred frm Heaven, he becmes like an angry, caged animal, leading him t prduce even mre destructin n earth We knw frm the rest f Revelatin that he begins t persecute the wrld, especially Jews and Christians, with fercity never seen befre That persecutin leads the wrld int the very end f the age when Jesus cmes back And at the end, the Lrd s return results in Satan s dwnfall At that mment, Satan is caught and bund and placed in the Abyss, a place f trment fr angels similar t Hades fr human beings Rev. 20:1 Then I saw an angel cming dwn frm heaven, hlding the key f the abyss and a great chain in his hand. Rev. 20:2 And he laid hld f the dragn, the serpent f ld, wh is the devil and Satan, and bund him fr a thusand years; Rev. 20:3 and he threw him int the abyss, and shut it and sealed it ver him, s that he wuld nt deceive the natins any lnger, until the thusand years were cmpleted; after these things he must be released fr a shrt time. At this mment, the kings f the earth are able t marvel at his predicament Which kings? Thse wh share his fate in Hades, wh can see Satan in the pit, in the abyss We hear a descriptin f this mment in Isaiah Like Ezekiel, the Lrd spke thrugh Isaiah t Israel reassuring them that their eternal enemy wuld be judged 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 10! f! 19 Is. 14:3 And it will be in the day when the LORD gives yu rest frm yur pain and turmil and harsh service in which yu have been enslaved, Is. 14:4 that yu will take up this taunt against the king f Babyln, and say, Hw the ppressr has ceased, And hw fury has ceased! Is. 14:5 The LORD has brken the staff f the wicked, The scepter f rulers Is. 14:6 Which used t strike the peples in fury with unceasing strkes, Which subdued the natins in anger with unrestrained persecutin. Is. 14:7 The whle earth is at rest and is quiet; They break frth int shuts f jy. Is. 14:8 Even the cypress trees rejice ver yu, and the cedars f Lebann, saying, Since yu were laid lw, n tree cutter cmes up against us. Is. 14:9 Shel frm beneath is excited ver yu t meet yu when yu cme; It aruses fr yu the spirits f the dead, all the leaders f the earth; It raises all the kings f the natins frm their thrnes. Is. 14:10 They will all respnd and say t yu, Even yu have been made weak as we, Yu have becme like us. Is. 14:11 Yur pmp and the music f yur harps Have been brught dwn t Shel; Maggts are spread ut as yur bed beneath yu And wrms are yur cvering. Is. 14:12 Hw yu have fallen frm heaven, O star f the mrning, sn f the dawn! Yu have been cut dwn t the earth, Yu wh have weakened the natins! Is. 14:13 But yu said in yur heart, I will ascend t heaven; I will raise my thrne abve the stars f Gd, And I will sit n the munt f assembly In the recesses f the nrth. Is. 14:14 I will ascend abve the heights f the cluds; I will make myself like the Mst High. Is. 14:15 Nevertheless yu will be thrust dwn t Shel, T the recesses f the pit Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 11! f 19! The Lrd tells Israel that in the day when Israel receives the glry f the Kingdm as they were prmised, their enemy will meet his fate In this passage, Satan is called the king f Babyln, which is similar t the way Ezekiel describes him In Ezekiel s text, Satan is the king f Tyre, which becmes a type f the Tribulatin wrld pwer, Babyln In bth cases, the pwer behind the scene is Satan, the true king T that king, Isaiah says a day cmes when his ppressin will cease The Lrd breaks the sceptr f wicked earthly dminins in preparatin fr His Sn s return t rule the earth The whle earth is at peace, at rest, everyne breaks frth in jy Try t imagine a wrld withut the enemy at wrk, n rebellin and n temptatin t sin that prduces a wrldwide respnse f jy But beneath the earth, it s a different scene it s a scene f misery and glating In v.9 Isaiah says that Shel beneath greets the arrival f Satan (and the antichrist he indwelled) gleefully They take pleasure in seeing their ruthless leader suffering in judgement just as they are It s a misery-lves-cmpany mment n a csmic scale Ntice the descriptin f hw Satan lives with maggts as a bed and wrms fr a cvering Quite a cntrast with a cvering f precius stnes and a place n the mercy seat in the heavenly tabernacle! In v.12 the Lrd says Satan has fallen frm heaven, the star f the mrning, the sn f the dawn That phrase may seem dd, since it almst sunds like we re talking abut Jesus But the mrning star is the ancient name fr the planet Venus 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 12! f! 19 Venus is visible in the early mrning light until the sun rse in the east and the light f the sun eclipsed the light f Venus Fr that reasn, the Bible refers t Satan as the Day Star, because his light shines in the wrld nly until the Sn f Gd returns His glry will utshine Satan and as the Sn f Gd reigns frever, the light f the Day Star will never been seen again And by the way, the name Lucifer means day star in Hebrew S Isaiah 14:12 is speaking t Satan abut his fall, the day star cut dwn t the earth, the ne wh weakened natins In v.13 Isaiah reminds us f his fall repeating a piece f Ezekiel s stry Satan said he culd ascend t the thrne, seated n the munt f the assembling Becming like the Mst High But instead, Satan was thrust dwn t Shel, t the pit S that s the punishment Ezekiel is speaking abut in v.18 is the beginning f Satan s punishment that happens in Tribulatin He is cast dwn at mid-tribulatin The Lrd brings frth fire frm Satan s midst, meaning that frm what Satan begins the Lrd rchestrates Satan s dwnfall The fury that Satan prduces n earth amng the natins becmes the means by which the Lrd brings Satan t his end And he is becmes ashes in the eyes f all wh see him But this is merely the first part f Satan s destructin In v.19 Ezekiel repeats that Satan will be appalled by all the peple Again, that can t be speaking abut tday r any day in the past Because the wrld as a whle has yet t be appalled by Satan In fact, many wrship him, directly r indirectly The rest pretend he desn t exist r isn t real 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 13! f! 19 But ntice in the future, all wh knw him amng the peples (r yu culd translates that wrd as all creatures) S n sme day in the future, all creatures in creatin wh knw Satan will be appalled at his fate That day will be at the end f the Kingdm, when the wrld will be cleansed f all sin and evil Rev. 20:7 When the thusand years are cmpleted, Satan will be released frm his prisn, Rev. 20:8 and will cme ut t deceive the natins which are in the fur crners f the earth, Gg and Magg, t gather them tgether fr the war; the number f them is like the sand f the seashre. Rev. 20:9 And they came up n the brad plain f the earth and surrunded the camp f the saints and the belved city, and fire came dwn frm heaven and devured them. Rev. 20:10 And the devil wh deceived them was thrwn int the lake f fire and brimstne, where the beast and the false prphet are als; and they will be trmented day and night frever and ever. At the end f the 1,000 kingdm n earth, the Lrd begins t wrap up His plans fr this physical Creatin, beginning with ur eternal enemy Satan is released frm the abyss fr a shrt time, leading him t recruit all thse wh unbelieving n earth This army f unbelievers rallies t his side, because they are essentially already n his side by virtue f their unregenerate nature (Fr a deeper discussin f hw unbelievers play a part in the Kingdm, listen t ur Revelatin study) The rebellin desn t g very far r last very lng Satan and his frces are defeated by fire frm heaven in a brief mment Then Satan is cast int a lake f fire specially prepared fr him and his angels This is the place where he ceases t be frever, as Ezekiel says in v.19 Remember, the Bible describes the eternal Lake f Fire as the Secnd Death 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

14 14! f! 19 It is nt a literal cessatin f existence, but rather an unending perid f trment It s called the secnd death in the sense that it s final resting place fr the sul Just as the first death is the final resting place f the bdy S in summary, the Lrd ends His declaratin f judgment against Tyre with a prmise f reckning fr Israel s ultimate enemy The Tyrians were thrns in the side f Israel thrugh their idlatrus influence and persecutin And nw we have cnfirmatin that the enemy was behind these attacks, as we always knew he was He was crrupting Israel thrugh the influence f places like Tyre and Sidn S the Lrd is prmising t judge these places even as He judges the peple Satan directed S let s lk at the specific judgment spken against the sixth enemy in Ezekiel s racles, a sister city f Tyre: Sidn Ezek. 28:20 And the wrd f the LORD came t me saying, Ezek. 28:21 Sn f man, set yur face tward Sidn, prphesy against her Ezek. 28:22 and say, Thus says the Lrd GOD, Behld, I am against yu, O Sidn, And I will be glrified in yur midst. Then they will knw that I am the LORD when I execute judgments in her, And I will manifest My hliness in her. Ezek. 28:23 Fr I will send pestilence t her And bld t her streets, And the wunded will fall in her midst By the swrd upn her n every side; Then they will knw that I am the LORD. Ezek. 28:24 And there will be n mre fr the huse f Israel a prickling brier r a painful thrn frm any rund abut them wh scrned them; then they will knw that I am the Lrd GOD. Sidn was Tyre s neighbr, nly abut 20 miles away t the nrth als presentday Lebann 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

15 15! f! 19 It was named after Canaan s first sn, Sidn Like Tyre, Sidn was a Phenician city-state and a thrn in Israel s side Asher was suppsed t dispssess bth f these peples, but failed t d s And the gds f bth the Tyrians and Sidnians became cause fr spiritual crruptin amng the tribes f Israel Sidn nce rivaled Tyre as the wrld center f shipping, but it ccupied the shreline rather than an impenetrable island S when the Philistines destryed the city, they lst their place t Tyre The city was later rebuilt, but by then Tyre had eclipsed Sidn s pwer Later is was destryed again by the Assyrians, but nce mre it rebuilt itself Under the Persians, Sidn prspered and reached it s height f pwer Sidnians were great ship builders and the captain f the Persian fleet was the king f Sidn But a rebelling against the Persian empire sealed the city s fate and brught abut the judgment Gd is prmising here Once again, the judgment begins with the Lrd setting frth His purpse in bringing this actin He says will be glrified in the the midst f Sidn s destructin By His actin the Lrd will create a testimny t all peple fr all time That testimny is yu cannt mck r ppse Gd nr crrupt His peple withut facing judgment Gd respnds in the end and when Sidn fell, the wrld wuld knw that the Lrd had executed the judgment In v.23 the Lrd describes the punishment generally as pestilence, bld in the streets and wunded falling in the midst f the city n every side 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

16 16! f! 19 Histrically, the army that brught this prphecy t fulfillment was the Persian army When the city rebelled, King Artaxerxes Ochus came against the Sidnians t frce them int submissin Greek histrians recrd that as the army apprached, the citizens f Sidn lcked and barred the city gates lcking the ppulatin inside The leaders f the Sidn elected t implement a scrched earth plicy rather than surrender t the Persians They set fire t their wn city rather than allw it t fall int Ochus hands The infern spread rapidly, cnsuming the city and induced panic in the streets The fire and panic left 40,000 peple dead, reducing the city t a smldering, bldy mess It never regained its pwer Althugh the regin has remained inhabited even t this day, it has never risen abve the destructin by the Persians That is the legacy f Gd s judgment against the city The city may have cntinued t exist in sme limited sense But the Lrd prmise in v.24 has been kept the city has never again been a thrn in Israel s side That ends the sixth racle against Israel s enemies The nly ne that remains is Egypt which is the subject f chapters 29-32, after which we mve int the descriptins f the Kingdm Befre we get t Egypt, there is a shrt intermissin at the end f 28 where the Lrd reminds Israel f her cming glry Ezek. 28:25 Thus says the Lrd GOD, When I gather the huse f Israel frm the peples amng whm they are scattered, and will manifest My hliness in them in the sight f the natins, then they will live in their land which I gave t My servant Jacb. Ezek. 28:26 They will live in it securely; and they will build huses, plant vineyards and live securely when I execute judgments upn all wh scrn them rund abut them. Then they will knw that I am the LORD their Gd Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

17 17! f! 19 The Lrd gives perhaps the shrtest, mst succinct descriptin f Israel s life in the Kingdm fund in the whle Bible In v.25 the Lrd prmises that the Kingdm s appearance n earth begins with a preparatin step fr the natin f Israel Befre the Lrd brings the Kingdm t Israel, the Lrd wrks n earth t bring Israel t the place f their Kingdm Specifically, the Lrd begins mving the peple f Israel acrss the face f the earth tward their Prmised land in Israel This was migratin f Jews back t Israel is the Bible s first sign that the Kingdm prmised t Israel was abut t appear This wrds were written even as the natin was in the prcess f being scattered And then in centuries that fllwed, the natin has undergne perids f mini-returns The first happens just 70 years later when the Lrd allws a remnant t return frm Babyln t rebuild the temple (see Ezra) But that mini return f Israel (and thers that fllwed in centuries later are the nt regathering that the Lrd prmises here and elsewhere It s easy t get them cnfused, and in fact n less than the prphet Daniel made that very mistake himself in chapter 9 While Daniel sat in Babyln, he read the prphet Jeremiah s prmise that Israel wuld return t her land after 70 years In reading that prmise, Daniel assumed that return was the ne Gd said wuld lead Israel int the Kingdm S the Daniel began praying t usher in the Kingdm At that mment, the angel Gabriel visited Daniel t crrect him He let Daniel knw that the final grand return f Israel in preparatin fr the kingdm was still many years away The distinctin between these earlier, mini-returns f Israel t their land and the final return the Lrd is talking abut here is the degree and the ccasin f their return 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

18 18! f! 19 First, the return f Israel befre the kingdm is a return f all Israel All Jews n the earth will end up in the land f Israel r else they will perish There will be n ther ppulatin f Jews n earth besides thse in Israel Ntice in v.25 the Lrd says plainly He gathers the huse f Israel back in her land That descriptin pints t all f the natin, nt just a representative grup Secndly, the ccasin f their return is ultimately t greet the Kingdm s arrival The regathering leads t the Lrd manifesting His hliness in their sight This never happened in the earlier regatherings, meaning they were nt THE regathering prmised here and elsewhere S in a day yet t cme, the Lrd says all the huse f Israel will find their way back t the land f Israel And nce they are assembled, the glry f the Lrd will appear, leading t the appearance f the Kingdm And f curse, if the Kingdm appears s must the King, Christ S as we lk at histry, we find multiple mini-mini-regathering like the ne led by Zerubbabel r the ne that fllwed persecutins by the Rmans But these didn t lead t the Lrd shwing His hliness t the peple nr t the arrival S we re still lking fr the fulfillment f this regathering and we can see it happening nw in ur very day The return f Israel t her land began at the end f the 19th century and picked up speed in the 20th century It cntinues tday, but we still have a lng way t g Only recently has the ppulatin f Jews living in Israel exceeded the ttal number f Jews living utside Israel 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

19 19! f! 19 Still that s an accmplishment, and it s a sign that the end f the age is appraching We may be studying events f the distant past, but they have an bvius cnnectin t ur day right nw We are watching the fulfillment f the first part f v.25 Which means the rest is sn t cme t pass After they are regathered, then the Lrd returns (and us with Him) and the Kingdm will begin as prmised And in v.26 we re tld the Jews will live in their Prmised Land peacefully and securely This is anther prf that we re still waiting t see this prphecy fulfilled Because thugh the Jews have returned t their land fr perid f time in the past and even nw, they have yet t live in peace That s ne f the hallmarks f the Kingdm age, and until we see that detail fulfilled, we knw we haven t seen the Kingdm yet And t be sure we understand what peace means, the Lrd defines it specifically in the rest f v.26 They will wrk the land, enjying its fruit withut cncern fr any threat And they will have n threat because all Israel s enemy s will have been judged by Gd and will have n pwer t cntend with Israel Clearly, that has never happened befre, since Israel has remained at risk f enemies even until tday That s the day we re all waiting fr because what the Lrd has planned fr Israel He has planned fr us as well We share in their future and s we cheer n the fulfillment f these things In that day t cme, Israel will knw the Lrd as we d Cme quickly, Lrd Jesus 2019 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.