It s The End of the World as We Know It August 24, 2016 More Happy Words from Zeke Ezekiel 7 Page 1 Yes, the book of Ezekiel is filled with glorious prophecy Yes, the temple we will actually walk in is described in great detail But, remember, God first sets up His prophets and has them give prophecies on things soon to take place And for Israel, that is really unfortunate The really good news With this chapter the prophet s message, directed expressly against the land of Palestine, though of course including its sinful people, comes to an end. All God s pleadings and remonstrances had proven to be in vain: the people were insistent on taking their own way. H. A. Ironside, Expository Notes on Ezekiel, the Prophet. (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1949), 42. The people who are with Ezekiel, in captivity, in the fifth year of it, still remember the word they heard back in Jerusalem They are still in denial over their sin and the results of that sin Jeremiah 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it? (NASB95) Jeremiah 6:13 14 For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is greedy for gain, And from the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely. They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, Peace, peace, But there is no peace. (NASB95) While Ezekiel is talking to the nation in captivity, here is the word of the Lord from Jeremiah still in Jerusalem. Jeremiah 27:14 22 So do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, You will not serve the king of Babylon, for they prophesy a lie to you; for I have not sent them, declares the LORD, but they prophesy falsely in My name, in order that I may drive you out and that you may perish, you and the prophets who prophesy to you. Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus says the LORD: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD S house will now shortly be brought again from Babylon ; for they are prophesying a lie to you. Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city become a ruin? But if they are prophets, and if the word of the LORD is with them, let them now entreat the LORD of hosts that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon. For thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, concerning the sea, concerning the stands and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. Yes, thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the LORD and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem, They will be carried to Babylon and they will be there until the day I visit them, declares the LORD. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place. (NASB95) So in both locations, the true Word of God is being forthtold However, the people do not listen Not so much different than what conditions will be like at the end of the age
Page 2 Revelation 9:20 21 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts (NASB95) Ezekiel 7:1 4 Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me saying, And you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD to the land of Israel, An end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land. Now the end is upon you, and I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and bring all your abominations upon you. For My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you, but I will bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be among you; then you will know that I am the LORD! (NASB95) The term being used by Ezekiel is well known to those who are hearing it When using that term in the past, God has signified that His patience has ended Genesis 6:13 Then God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. (NASB95) The reaction should be one of abject horror Just as we have become desensitized to the condition of the world around us, the Nation of Israel had become desensitized to their own sin and the cesspool they were playing in Remember Manasseh: 2 Chronicles 33:2 9 He did evil in the sight of the LORD according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD dispossessed before the sons of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he also erected altars for the Baals and made Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. He built altars in the house of the LORD of which the LORD had said, My name shall be in Jerusalem forever. For he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. Then he put the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law, the statutes and the ordinances given through Moses. Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the sons of Israel. (NASB95) It had not improved Amos, who was also ministering at this time provides additional insight for us
Page 3 Amos 8:1 14 Thus the Lord GOD showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. He said, What do you see, Amos? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then the LORD said to me, The end has come for My people Israel. I will spare them no longer. The songs of the palace will turn to wailing in that day, declares the Lord GOD. Many will be the corpses; in every place they will cast them forth in silence. Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land, saying, When will the new moon be over, So that we may sell grain, And the sabbath, that we may open the wheat market, To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger, And to cheat with dishonest scales, So as to buy the helpless for money And the needy for a pair of sandals, And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat? The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob, Indeed, I will never forget any of their deeds. Because of this will not the land quake And everyone who dwells in it mourn? Indeed, all of it will rise up like the Nile, And it will be tossed about And subside like the Nile of Egypt. It will come about in that day, declares the Lord GOD, That I will make the sun go down at noon And make the earth dark in broad daylight. Then I will turn your festivals into mourning And all your songs into lamentation; And I will bring sackcloth on everyone s loins And baldness on every head. And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, And the end of it will be like a bitter day. Behold, days are coming, declares the Lord GOD, When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east; They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, But they will not find it. In that day the beautiful virgins And the young men will faint from thirst. As for those who swear by the guilt of Samaria, Who say, As your god lives, O Dan, And, As the way of Beersheba lives, They will fall and not rise again. (NASB95) Judgment was to come upon that land, and of course it would include the people of the land. The land of Israel and the nation Israel are always considered together in the Word of God. A new element is added to Ezekiel s prophecy in this message this is now the prophecy of the final destruction of the land and of Jerusalem. The final deportation will take place, and the city will be destroyed. J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: The Prophets (Ezekiel), electronic ed., vol. 25 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 46. The statement in verse two of the four corners of the land indicates this is to be the last judgement and it will be thorough Ezekiel declares that as people have behaved, so they shall be treated; one s fate is merely the outworking of one s action. Yahweh will personally guarantee that this occurs. Daniel Isaac Block, The Book of Ezekiel, Chapters 1 24, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 250. In his warning to the tribes that wanted to live on the east side of the Jordan, Moses provided a warning, one that should have been remembered Numbers 32:23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out. (NASB95) Sin has a tendency of producing a result that many times cannot be hidden That is what God is telling the Nation through Ezekiel Ezekiel 7:5 9 Thus says the Lord GOD, A disaster, unique disaster, behold it is coming! An end is coming; the end has come! It has awakened against you; behold, it has come! Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come, the day is near tumult rather than joyful shouting on the mountains. Now I will shortly pour out My wrath on you and spend My anger against you; judge you according to your ways and bring on you all your abominations. My eye will show no pity nor will I spare. I will repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the LORD, do the smiting. (NASB95)
We are introduced to a new name for God, the first time we see it is here in Ezekiel 7 Page 4 Throughout Scripture, various names of God are revealed. In Genesis 22:14, we see Jehovah- Jireh, the Lord our provider. In Exodus 17:15, we see Jehovah-Nissi, the Lord our banner, or covering. In Judges 6:24, we see Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord our peace. In Jeremiah 23:6, we see Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness. We like those names. But here we see He s also Jehovah-Makkeh, the Lord who smites because God is not only our provider, He is also a smiter And when we come to the Lord, we get the whole package. Jon Courson, Jon Courson s Application Commentary: Volume Two: Psalms-Malachi (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2006), 620. For us, the good news is this, Jesus took the penalty for us Isaiah 53:10 12 But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors. (NASB95) Jesus was smitten, crushed for us. He took the penalty for our sins and had it nailed on the cross with Him. What we see with the nation of Israel, the natural results of sin to include the crushing. God does not wink at sin, He judges it. We see that here in Ezekiel. In verses 7 and 10, the KJV has the phrase the morning is come, but both the NKJV and the NIV translate it doom has come. The Hebrew word means to plait, to braid, such as braiding a garland of flowers for the head, and it s translated diadem in Isaiah 28:5. How do the translators get either morning or doom out of this word? Probably from the image of that which comes around, for a braided garland is the result of the weaving of flowers into a circle. Morning is that which comes around, day after day, and the doom of the Israelites had come around. They had woven their own shameful crown of sin when they could have worn a diadem of glory to the Lord. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Reverent, Be Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor/Cook Communications, 2000), 38. God has Ezekiel draw a picture for his listeners He wants them to fully see what it is that is going to take place He will draw out four different pictures for them Ezekiel 7:10 11 Behold, the day! Behold, it is coming! Your doom has gone forth; the rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed. Violence has grown into a rod of wickedness. None of them shall remain, none of their people, none of their wealth, nor anything eminent among them. (NASB95) The picture that God has first is that of a rod that budded. In Numbers 16 and 17, Moses dealt with the rebellion of Korah Thousands perished due to their grumbling and discontent with the way God was doing things The Levitical rebellion was engendered by pride as well as jealousy and God showed up by causing the rod of Aaron to bud and even have ripe almonds on it By doing that, God showed that Aaron had indeed been chosen of God and the priesthood was through him It also showed that just as Aaron s ministry was ripe, so was God s judgment on those who rebelled
The picture would not be lost to Ezekiel s hearers Remember, Ezekiel is a Levite of the priestly class Here the imagery is one of ripeness for judgment Page 5 God had been long-suffering as His people disobeyed His law and defied His prophets, but now their sins had ripened and the nation would have to reap what they sowed. In their pride, they had cultivated a false confidence that the Lord would never allow His people to be exiled or His temple destroyed, but their sin had now matured and both were now about to happen. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Reverent, Be Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor/Cook Communications, 2000), 38. Just as Moses had warned the tribes east of the Jordan, Ezekiel is now warning those around him that their sin as well as the continuing sin of those in Jerusalem had become ripe. It could not be hidden any longer. The time of judgement was now ripe. Ezekiel 7:12 13 The time has come, the day has arrived. Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller mourn; for wrath is against all their multitude. Indeed, the seller will not regain what he sold as long as they both live; for the vision regarding all their multitude will not be averted, nor will any of them maintain his life by his iniquity. (NASB95) So if agricultural images do not do it for you, how about a business image The second picture uses a business example and also brings in the Jubilee Year as background Deuteronomy 15:1 6 At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts. This is the manner of remission: every creditor shall release what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because the LORD S remission has been proclaimed. From a foreigner you may exact it, but your hand shall release whatever of yours is with your brother. However, there will be no poor among you, since the LORD will surely bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, if only you listen obediently to the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today. For the LORD your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you. (NASB95) Every seven years was to be a Sabbatical year and after every 7 Sabbatical years was to be a Jubilee year The Nation had a problem with that as well 2 Chronicles 36:20 21 Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete. (NASB95) There would be those in the Nation who would see the coming of Babylon and would be listening to the false prophets and would see this as an opportunity to make a fast buck by purchasing property at a discount Ezekiel is pointing out here that they would not be able to enjoy it and those selling would not have the opportunity to redeem it
Page 6 Jeremiah had told the captives that they would be in Babylon for seventy years (Jer. 29:10), so they would spend their Sabbatic years and the next Year of Jubilee in captivity if they were alive. The vision of coming judgment would not be reversed (Ezek. 7:13, NIV); instead, the whole economic pattern would be reversed. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Reverent, Be Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor/Cook Communications, 2000), 39. Slaves were supposed to be set free every seven years Exodus 21:2 clearly says that, but you have to be following the law for that to happen The people had not and as a result they were not setting the slaves free, they were keeping them in slavery As a result, God was going to put the people into slavery The Land, well that no longer belonged to them It all belonged to God, they forgot that too Ezekiel 7:14 15 They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but no one is going to the battle, for My wrath is against all their multitude. The sword is outside and the plague and the famine are within. He who is in the field will die by the sword; famine and the plague will also consume those in the city. (NASB95) The next picture is from the perspective of the watchman Cities would post individuals on their walls to watch and sound the alarm if an enemy approached The job title sounded fancy, but if an enemy or hazard approached and you did not sound the alarm, then you would be held personally liable for the results. Ezekiel is a watchman for God and he is sounding the warning Remember though, there is no army left in Jerusalem All the mighty men of valor have been taken into captivity There is no army left 2 Kings 24:14 16 Then he led away into exile all Jerusalem and all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land. So he led Jehoiachin away into exile to Babylon; also the king s mother and the king s wives and his officials and the leading men of the land, he led away into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. All the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, one thousand, all strong and fit for war, and these the king of Babylon brought into exile to Babylon. (NASB95) No army, just a light police force left, and if they go outside the wall, they will be killed The job of the watchman in Jerusalem was futile No army No food No water
Page 7 Ezekiel 7:16 18 Even when their survivors escape, they will be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, each over his own iniquity. All hands will hang limp and all knees will become like water. They will gird themselves with sackcloth and shuddering will overwhelm them; and shame will be on all faces and baldness on all their heads. (NASB95) For His fourth picture, God points to the mourning dove, an example from nature It is from this group that the Lord would form His remnant, so they were important to Him. Instead of rejoicing at their escape, these people were mourning over their sins (Isa. 59:11), wearing sackcloth and shaving their heads in sorrow and repentance, a fulfillment of Ezekiel s prophecy in Ezekiel 6:9 10. They will be too weak and frightened to fight the enemy; all they can do is throw themselves on the mercy of the Lord. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Reverent, Be Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor/Cook Communications, 2000), 40. Ezekiel 7:19 21 They will fling their silver into the streets and their gold will become an abhorrent thing; their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their appetite nor can they fill their stomachs, for their iniquity has become an occasion of stumbling. They transformed the beauty of His ornaments into pride, and they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things with it; therefore I will make it an abhorrent thing to them. I will give it into the hands of the foreigners as plunder and to the wicked of the earth as spoil, and they will profane it. (NASB95) The final picture is that of throwing away wealth Remember, the Sabbaths had not been followed, people were cheating and stealing to create wealth During the final years of the Nation, the rich got richer and the poor become even further oppressed Amos 5:11 12 Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And exact a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built houses of well-hewn stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine. For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, You who distress the righteous and accept bribes And turn aside the poor in the gate. (NASB95) Habakkuk 1:3 4 Why are you forcing me to look at iniquity and to stare at wickedness? Social havoc and oppression are all around me; there are legal conflicts, and disputes abound. Therefore, the Law has become paralyzed, and justice never comes about. Because criminals outnumber the righteous, whenever judgments are issued, they come out crooked. (ISV) The people have gold and silver You cannot eat gold and silver You cannot buy food when there is no food If you escape to the hills, it is excess weight that will slow you down Thus, you throw it away and the enemy will take it as their payment
Page 8 Habakkuk 2:6 11 Will not all of these ridicule him with mocking scorn? They will say, Woe to the one who hordes for himself what isn t his. How long will you enrich yourself by extortion? Won t your creditors revolt unexpectedly? Won t those who make you tremble wake up? As a result, you ll become their prey! Because you plundered many nations, all of their remnants will plunder you. Human blood has been shed, and violence has been done to the land, to the city, and to all who live in it. Woe to the one who amasses profit upon unjust profit in order to establish his household, so he can establish a secure place on the heights and escape from the power of evil. You have brought shame to yourself by killing many people you are forfeiting your own life. Indeed, the stone will cry out from the wall and the rafter will respond from the woodwork. (ISV) Ezekiel 7:22 27 I will also turn My face from them, and they will profane My secret place; then robbers will enter and profane it. Make the chain, for the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence. Therefore, I will bring the worst of the nations, and they will possess their houses. I will also make the pride of the strong ones cease, and their holy places will be profaned. When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there will be none. Disaster will come upon disaster and rumor will be added to rumor; then they will seek a vision from a prophet, but the law will be lost from the priest and counsel from the elders. The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with horror, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. According to their conduct I will deal with them, and by their judgments I will judge them. And they will know that I am the LORD. (NASB95) God lets the people know, through Ezekiel, that this time, the forces of Babylon will enter the Temple In fact He predicts that they will enter the Holy of Holies The Temple will be defiled and destroyed so do not bother looking to the priests for an answer The Jews had depended on the temple to save them, for surely God wouldn t permit His beautiful house to be ruined by pagan soldiers. But the temple had become a den of thieves, and the Lord was no longer pleased with the sacrifices the people offered there (Isa. 1:11 20). God would allow pagans to pollute His treasured place. The priests could give no encouragement from the Word of God because the people had broken the covenant and were outside the place of blessing. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Reverent, Be Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor/Cook Communications, 2000), 41. Jeremiah 7:3 4 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD. (NASB95) Jeremiah 7:11 Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it, declares the LORD. (NASB95) Ezekiel will have a vision concerning the Temple and what is actually going on in it. We will cover that vision next week, the unfortunate thing is, what was going on repeated later when the King arrived
Page 9 Mark 11:15 18 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. And He began to teach and say to them, Is it not written, MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS? But you have made it a ROBBERS DEN. The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching. (NASB95) Jesus encountered the same attitude and spirit that was present in the Temple during Ezekiel s day The priests cannot answer, and next we see the political system will fail As Yahweh s spokesman, Ezekiel is hereby calling on the enemy to make the appropriate preparations. Although Ezekiel has previously spoken of pĕlîtîm, fugitives, and of Yahweh banishing (hiddîaḥ) them among the nations (4:13), this is the most explicit prediction so far of the fate awaiting the population. Daniel Isaac Block, The Book of Ezekiel, Chapters 1 24, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 267. Ezekiel 7:25 27 When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there will be none. Disaster will come upon disaster and rumor will be added to rumor; then they will seek a vision from a prophet, but the law will be lost from the priest and counsel from the elders. The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with horror, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. According to their conduct I will deal with them, and by their judgments I will judge them. And they will know that I am the LORD. (NASB95) Stroke upon stroke does the ruin come; and it is intensified by reports, alarming accounts, which crowd together and increase the terror, and also by the desperation of the spiritual and temporal leaders of the nation, the prophets, priests, and elders, whom God deprives of revelation, knowledge, and counsel; so that all ranks (king and princes and the common people) sink into mourning, alarm, and horror. Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. 9 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 65. Amos 8:11 Behold, days are coming, declares the Lord GOD, When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. (NASB95) Current and Past Teachings, Study Notes and Slides of Through the Bible with Pastor Ken Brown are available at: www.calvaryword.com/bible