Do people still idolize grand delusions even in highly intelligent, highly educated societies? Let’s look at Ezekiel 8.
How did Ezekiel visit Jerusalem in a vision at the hand of the Lord?
In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting in front of me, and there the hand of the Lord God came down on me. I looked, and there was a form that had the appearance of a man. From what seemed to be His waist down was fire, and from His waist up was something that looked bright, like the gleam of amber.
He stretched out what appeared to be a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the inner gate that faces north, where the offensive statue that provokes jealousy was located. I saw the glory of the God of Israel there, like the vision I had seen in the plain. (Ezek 8:1-4 HCSB)
What detestable idolatry did Ezekiel see taking place in front of the temple? Did God say He was leaving His sanctuary?
Then he told me, “Son of Man, look up toward the north.” So I looked off toward the north. Suddenly, off toward the north, facing the gate that led to the altar, the image that provoked God’s jealousy was standing near the entrance. Then the Spirit told me, “Son of Man, don’t you see what they’re doing? The house of Israel practices awful, detestable things here, so I’m going far away from my sanctuary. But you’re about to see things even more detestable than these.” (Ezek 8:5-6 ISV)
How was Ezekiel enabled to see the wicked abominations taking place inside?
And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall. Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. (Ezek 8:7-9 KJV)
What were the elders of the land secretly plotting inside the temple?
So I entered and looked, and behold, every form of creeping things and beasts and detestable things, with all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around. Standing in front of them were seventy elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them, each man with his censer in his hand and the fragrance of the cloud of incense rising. Then He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images? For they say, ‘Yahweh does not see us; Yahweh has forsaken the land.’” (Ezek 8:10-12 LSB)
Were there worse abominations for Ezekiel to witness at the entrance of the temple?
And He said to me, “Yet you will see still greater abominations which they are committing!” Then He brought me to the entrance of the gate of the Lord’s house which was toward the north; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. And He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater abominations than these!” (Ezek 8:13-15 NASB)
Were sun worship and violence also abominations practiced around the temple?
He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.
He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose! Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them.” (Ezek 8:16-18 NIV)
Do people still profess to be wise, but are actually fools, inventing delusions in our modern world?
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. (Rom 1:22-23 NKJV)
Do people still idolize grand delusions even in highly intelligent, highly educated societies? You decide!
National Collapse (Ezekiel 7)
What caused Israel’s national collapse? Are we in similar circumstances as a nation? Let’s look at Ezekiel 7.
What did God plan to punish Israel’s abominations like idolatry, sexual immorality and child sacrifice?
Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land. Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations. And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 7:1-4 KJV)
Did God say that the end has come, that doom was coming because of Israel's sins?
Thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘A calamitous evil, a unique calamitous evil, behold, it is coming! An end has come; the end has come! It has awakened against you; behold, it is coming! Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come; the day is near—confusion rather than joyful shouting on the mountains. (Ezek 7:5-7 LSB)
Would God show any pity? Would Israel know that it is God punishing them?
Now I will shortly pour out My wrath on you and expend My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and bring on you all your abominations. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare you. I will repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the Lord, am striking. (Ezek 7:8-9 NASB)
Because of their sins, would any one of them preserve their wealth?
See, the day! See, it comes! Doom has burst forth, the rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed! Violence has arisen, a rod to punish the wicked. None of the people will be left, none of that crowd—none of their wealth, nothing of value.
The time has come! The day has arrived! Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller grieve, for my wrath is on the whole crowd. The seller will not recover the property that was sold—as long as both buyer and seller live. For the vision concerning the whole crowd will not be reversed. Because of their sins, not one of them will preserve their life. (Ezek 7:10-13 NIV)
Even well-prepared for self-defense, would Israel suffer because of disease, famine and losses on the battlefield?
They have blown the trumpet and made everyone ready, But no one goes to battle; For My wrath is on all their multitude. The sword is outside, And the pestilence and famine within. Whoever is in the field Will die by the sword; And whoever is in the city, Famine and pestilence will devour him. (Ezek 7:14-15 NKJV)
What horror and shame would happen to those who manage to escape?
The survivors who escape to the mountains will moan like doves, weeping for their sins. Their hands will hang limp, their knees will be weak as water. They will dress themselves in burlap; horror and shame will cover them. They will shave their heads in sorrow and remorse. (Ezek 7:16-18 NLT)
Would the nation’s wealth be of any help? Would even the holy of holies be violated?
They will cast their silver in the streets, and their gold will be as an unclean thing. Their silver and their gold won’t be able to deliver them in the day of Yahweh’s wrath. They won’t satisfy their souls or fill their bellies; because it has been the stumbling block of their iniquity. As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty; but they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things therein. Therefore I have made it to them as an unclean thing.
I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a plunder; and they will profane it. I will also turn my face from them, and they will profane my secret place. Robbers will enter into it, and profane it. (Ezek 7:19-22 WEB)
Would God allow the cruelest of nations to attack and break Israel’s pride? What about our national pride?
Make a chain! The earth is full of perverted justice, the city full of violence. I’ll bring up the cruelest nations, and they will seize their houses. I’ll break their proud strength, and their sanctuaries will be defiled. (Ezek 7:23-24 CEB)
Are we terrified, looking for peace and not finding it, losing hope in one political tragedy after another? Are we guilty of national sins?
You will be terrified and will desperately look for peace—but there will be no peace. One tragedy will follow another, and you'll hear only bad news. People will beg prophets to give them a message from me. Priests will stop teaching my Law, and wise leaders won't be able to give advice. Even your king and his officials will lose hope and cry in despair. Your hands will tremble with fear. I will punish you for your sins and treat you the same way you have treated others. Then you will know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 7:25-27 CEV)
Is one driver of our economy covetousness, the exact opposite of contentment, and also idolatry?
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (Col 3:5 ESV)
What caused Israel’s national collapse? Are we in similar circumstances as a nation? You decide!
What did God plan to punish Israel’s abominations like idolatry, sexual immorality and child sacrifice?
Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land. Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations. And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 7:1-4 KJV)
Did God say that the end has come, that doom was coming because of Israel's sins?
Thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘A calamitous evil, a unique calamitous evil, behold, it is coming! An end has come; the end has come! It has awakened against you; behold, it is coming! Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come; the day is near—confusion rather than joyful shouting on the mountains. (Ezek 7:5-7 LSB)
Would God show any pity? Would Israel know that it is God punishing them?
Now I will shortly pour out My wrath on you and expend My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and bring on you all your abominations. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare you. I will repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the Lord, am striking. (Ezek 7:8-9 NASB)
Because of their sins, would any one of them preserve their wealth?
See, the day! See, it comes! Doom has burst forth, the rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed! Violence has arisen, a rod to punish the wicked. None of the people will be left, none of that crowd—none of their wealth, nothing of value.
The time has come! The day has arrived! Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller grieve, for my wrath is on the whole crowd. The seller will not recover the property that was sold—as long as both buyer and seller live. For the vision concerning the whole crowd will not be reversed. Because of their sins, not one of them will preserve their life. (Ezek 7:10-13 NIV)
Even well-prepared for self-defense, would Israel suffer because of disease, famine and losses on the battlefield?
They have blown the trumpet and made everyone ready, But no one goes to battle; For My wrath is on all their multitude. The sword is outside, And the pestilence and famine within. Whoever is in the field Will die by the sword; And whoever is in the city, Famine and pestilence will devour him. (Ezek 7:14-15 NKJV)
What horror and shame would happen to those who manage to escape?
The survivors who escape to the mountains will moan like doves, weeping for their sins. Their hands will hang limp, their knees will be weak as water. They will dress themselves in burlap; horror and shame will cover them. They will shave their heads in sorrow and remorse. (Ezek 7:16-18 NLT)
Would the nation’s wealth be of any help? Would even the holy of holies be violated?
They will cast their silver in the streets, and their gold will be as an unclean thing. Their silver and their gold won’t be able to deliver them in the day of Yahweh’s wrath. They won’t satisfy their souls or fill their bellies; because it has been the stumbling block of their iniquity. As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty; but they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things therein. Therefore I have made it to them as an unclean thing.
I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a plunder; and they will profane it. I will also turn my face from them, and they will profane my secret place. Robbers will enter into it, and profane it. (Ezek 7:19-22 WEB)
Would God allow the cruelest of nations to attack and break Israel’s pride? What about our national pride?
Make a chain! The earth is full of perverted justice, the city full of violence. I’ll bring up the cruelest nations, and they will seize their houses. I’ll break their proud strength, and their sanctuaries will be defiled. (Ezek 7:23-24 CEB)
Are we terrified, looking for peace and not finding it, losing hope in one political tragedy after another? Are we guilty of national sins?
You will be terrified and will desperately look for peace—but there will be no peace. One tragedy will follow another, and you'll hear only bad news. People will beg prophets to give them a message from me. Priests will stop teaching my Law, and wise leaders won't be able to give advice. Even your king and his officials will lose hope and cry in despair. Your hands will tremble with fear. I will punish you for your sins and treat you the same way you have treated others. Then you will know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 7:25-27 CEV)
Is one driver of our economy covetousness, the exact opposite of contentment, and also idolatry?
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (Col 3:5 ESV)
What caused Israel’s national collapse? Are we in similar circumstances as a nation? You decide!
Idols (Ezekiel 6)
What separates statues, like those of cherubs, from idolatry? Do we get as close as we can to idolatry or avoid even the appearance of it? Let’s look at Ezekiel 6.
What abomination was found on the high places throughout Israel?
Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy to them, and say, ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Yahweh! The Lord Yahweh says to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys: “Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword on you, and I will destroy your high places. Your altars will become desolate, and your incense altars will be broken. I will cast down your slain men before your idols. (Ezek 6:1-4 WEB)
How angry was God about the rampant idolatry throughout the land?
I’ll throw the Israelites’ corpses in front of their idols, and I’ll scatter your bones all around your altars. Wherever you live, cities will be in ruins, shrines made desolate, turned into utter ruin. Your altars will be punished and then broken down. Your idols will be demolished, your incense altars shattered, and all your works wiped out. The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 6:5-7 CEB)
Should we take God’s warnings in the Bible seriously? Have we disgraced God?
I will let some of the people live through this punishment, but I will scatter them among the nations, where they will be prisoners. And when they think of me, they will realize that they disgraced me by rebelling and by worshiping idols. They will hate themselves for the evil things they did, and they will know that I am the Lord and that my warnings must be taken seriously. (Ezek 6:8-10 CEV)
What three methods of punishment would the people suffer for their sins?
Thus says the Lord God: “Clap your hands and stamp your foot and say, Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, for they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. He who is far off shall die of pestilence, and he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who is left and is preserved shall die of famine. Thus I will spend my fury upon them. (Ezek 6:11-12 ESV)
What event will cause people to know that God does not approve of idolatry?
You will all know that I am Yahweh when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, and under every green tree and every leafy oak—the places where they offered pleasing aromas to all their idols. I will stretch out My hand against them, and wherever they live I will make the land a desolate waste, from the wilderness to Diblah. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.” (Ezek 6:13-14 HCSB)
Should Christians make statues to bow down to and worship in our church buildings?
What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said: “I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (2 Cor 6:16 ISV)
What separates statues, like those of cherubs, from idolatry? Do we get as close as we can to idolatry or avoid even the appearance of it? You decide!
What abomination was found on the high places throughout Israel?
Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy to them, and say, ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Yahweh! The Lord Yahweh says to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys: “Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword on you, and I will destroy your high places. Your altars will become desolate, and your incense altars will be broken. I will cast down your slain men before your idols. (Ezek 6:1-4 WEB)
How angry was God about the rampant idolatry throughout the land?
I’ll throw the Israelites’ corpses in front of their idols, and I’ll scatter your bones all around your altars. Wherever you live, cities will be in ruins, shrines made desolate, turned into utter ruin. Your altars will be punished and then broken down. Your idols will be demolished, your incense altars shattered, and all your works wiped out. The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 6:5-7 CEB)
Should we take God’s warnings in the Bible seriously? Have we disgraced God?
I will let some of the people live through this punishment, but I will scatter them among the nations, where they will be prisoners. And when they think of me, they will realize that they disgraced me by rebelling and by worshiping idols. They will hate themselves for the evil things they did, and they will know that I am the Lord and that my warnings must be taken seriously. (Ezek 6:8-10 CEV)
What three methods of punishment would the people suffer for their sins?
Thus says the Lord God: “Clap your hands and stamp your foot and say, Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, for they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. He who is far off shall die of pestilence, and he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who is left and is preserved shall die of famine. Thus I will spend my fury upon them. (Ezek 6:11-12 ESV)
What event will cause people to know that God does not approve of idolatry?
You will all know that I am Yahweh when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, and under every green tree and every leafy oak—the places where they offered pleasing aromas to all their idols. I will stretch out My hand against them, and wherever they live I will make the land a desolate waste, from the wilderness to Diblah. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.” (Ezek 6:13-14 HCSB)
Should Christians make statues to bow down to and worship in our church buildings?
What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said: “I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (2 Cor 6:16 ISV)
What separates statues, like those of cherubs, from idolatry? Do we get as close as we can to idolatry or avoid even the appearance of it? You decide!
Abominations Punished (Ezekiel 5)
Did Ezekiel demonstrate a then future punishment of human abominations? Are our nations without guilt? Let’s look at Ezekiel 5.
What did God ask Ezekiel to demonstrate this time as a prophecy?
“Now as for you, Son of Man, you are to go find a sharp sword and use it like a barber’s razor. You are to cut your hair and beard. Then you are to take a weighing scale and divide your shaved hair into three parts. You are to burn a third of it in the middle of the city when you’ve finished your siege. Next, you are to take another third of it and beat it with your sword.
Last, you are to scatter the remaining third to the wind, after which I’ll unsheathe my sword and pursue them. You are to preserve a few strands of hair and hide them in the folds of your garment. Then you are to take a few strands, throw them in the fire, and incinerate them. A fire will proceed to the house of Israel from there.” (Ezek 5:1-5 ISV)
Was Jerusalem located to be an example for other countries? Did Jerusalem fall into sins that were worse than those of surrounding countries?
Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them. (Ezek 5:5-6 KJV)
What did God decide because Jerusalem had sinned so abominably against Him? How bad will the famine be?
Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Because you have more turmoil than the nations which are all around you and have not walked in My statutes, nor done My judgments, nor done the judgments of the nations which are all around you,’ therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold, I, even I, am against you, and I will execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations.
And I will do among you what I have not done and the like of which I will never do again because of all your abominations. Therefore, fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons will eat their fathers; for I will execute judgments on you and scatter all your remnant to every wind. (Ezek 5:7-10 LSB)
Did idolatry and various undetailed abominations cause God’s punishment by thirds?
Therefore as I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘Because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominations, I definitely will also withdraw and My eye will have no pity, and I also will not spare. A third of you will die by plague or perish by famine among you, a third will fall by the sword around you, and a third I will scatter to every wind, and I will unsheathe a sword behind them. (Ezek 5:11-12 NASB)
What would the nations around know because of God’s punishment on Jerusalem?
Then my anger will cease and my wrath against them will subside, and I will be avenged. And when I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I the Lord have spoken in my zeal. I will make you a ruin and a reproach among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by. (Ezek 5:13-14 NIV)
What kind of lesson would Jerusalem be for all to see?
‘So it shall be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson, and an astonishment to the nations that are all around you, when I execute judgments among you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the Lord, have spoken. When I send against them the terrible arrows of famine which shall be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will increase the famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread. So I will send against you famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken.’ (Ezek 5:15-17 NKJV)
Did Jerusalem learn its lesson or was a future generation to suffer similar punishment in 70 AD?
They will be killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end. (Luke 21:24 NLT)
Did Ezekiel demonstrate a then future punishment of human abominations? Are our nations without guilt? You decide!
What did God ask Ezekiel to demonstrate this time as a prophecy?
“Now as for you, Son of Man, you are to go find a sharp sword and use it like a barber’s razor. You are to cut your hair and beard. Then you are to take a weighing scale and divide your shaved hair into three parts. You are to burn a third of it in the middle of the city when you’ve finished your siege. Next, you are to take another third of it and beat it with your sword.
Last, you are to scatter the remaining third to the wind, after which I’ll unsheathe my sword and pursue them. You are to preserve a few strands of hair and hide them in the folds of your garment. Then you are to take a few strands, throw them in the fire, and incinerate them. A fire will proceed to the house of Israel from there.” (Ezek 5:1-5 ISV)
Was Jerusalem located to be an example for other countries? Did Jerusalem fall into sins that were worse than those of surrounding countries?
Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them. (Ezek 5:5-6 KJV)
What did God decide because Jerusalem had sinned so abominably against Him? How bad will the famine be?
Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Because you have more turmoil than the nations which are all around you and have not walked in My statutes, nor done My judgments, nor done the judgments of the nations which are all around you,’ therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold, I, even I, am against you, and I will execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations.
And I will do among you what I have not done and the like of which I will never do again because of all your abominations. Therefore, fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons will eat their fathers; for I will execute judgments on you and scatter all your remnant to every wind. (Ezek 5:7-10 LSB)
Did idolatry and various undetailed abominations cause God’s punishment by thirds?
Therefore as I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘Because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominations, I definitely will also withdraw and My eye will have no pity, and I also will not spare. A third of you will die by plague or perish by famine among you, a third will fall by the sword around you, and a third I will scatter to every wind, and I will unsheathe a sword behind them. (Ezek 5:11-12 NASB)
What would the nations around know because of God’s punishment on Jerusalem?
Then my anger will cease and my wrath against them will subside, and I will be avenged. And when I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I the Lord have spoken in my zeal. I will make you a ruin and a reproach among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by. (Ezek 5:13-14 NIV)
What kind of lesson would Jerusalem be for all to see?
‘So it shall be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson, and an astonishment to the nations that are all around you, when I execute judgments among you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the Lord, have spoken. When I send against them the terrible arrows of famine which shall be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will increase the famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread. So I will send against you famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken.’ (Ezek 5:15-17 NKJV)
Did Jerusalem learn its lesson or was a future generation to suffer similar punishment in 70 AD?
They will be killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end. (Luke 21:24 NLT)
Did Ezekiel demonstrate a then future punishment of human abominations? Are our nations without guilt? You decide!
Prophetic Drama (Ezekiel 4)
Does sin separate us from God like an iron wall? Have we endured physical and social hardship to serve God? Let’s look at Ezekiel 4.
Did Ezekiel make a model of Jerusalem under siege as a visual prophecy? Did an iron pan picture a barrier between God and Israel?
You also, son of man, take a tile, and lay it before yourself, and portray on it a city, even Jerusalem. Lay siege against it, build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it. Also set camps against it and plant battering rams against it all around. Take for yourself an iron pan and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city. Then set your face toward it. It will be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. (Ezek 4:1-3 WEB)
Did God have this very visual prophet lie on his side? Did this picture the unfaithfulness of both Israel and Judah?
Now, lie on your left side, and set the guilt of the house of Israel on it. For the length of time that you lie on your side, you will bear their punishment. I appoint to you three hundred ninety days, one day for each year of their guilt. So you will bear the punishment of the house of Israel.
When you have completed these days, lie on your right side to bear the guilt of the house of Judah. I appoint forty days to you, one day for each year. With your arm stretched out, face the siege of Jerusalem directly and prophesy against it. I’ve now bound you with cords so that you can’t turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege. (Ezek 4:4-8 CEB)
Did God have Ezekiel demonstrate yet another prophecy of bad food?
Get a large bowl. Then mix together wheat, barley, beans, lentils, and millet, and make some bread. This is what you will eat for the 390 days you are lying down. Eat only a small loaf of bread each day and drink only two large cups of water. Use dried human waste to start a fire, then bake the bread on the coals where everyone can watch you. When I scatter the people of Israel among the nations, they will also have to eat food that is unclean, just as you must do. (Ezek 4:9-13 CEV)
When Ezekiel asked God why He wanted him to defile himself with tainted bread, what was God’s answer?
Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up till now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth.” Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow's dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.” Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay. I will do this that they may lack bread and water, and look at one another in dismay, and rot away because of their punishment. (Ezek 4:14-17 ESV)
Rather than the polluted bread of punishment, did Jesus offer us the bread of life?
“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.” (John 6:35 HCSB)
Does sin separate us from God like an iron wall? Have we endured physical and social hardship to serve God? You decide!
Did Ezekiel make a model of Jerusalem under siege as a visual prophecy? Did an iron pan picture a barrier between God and Israel?
You also, son of man, take a tile, and lay it before yourself, and portray on it a city, even Jerusalem. Lay siege against it, build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it. Also set camps against it and plant battering rams against it all around. Take for yourself an iron pan and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city. Then set your face toward it. It will be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. (Ezek 4:1-3 WEB)
Did God have this very visual prophet lie on his side? Did this picture the unfaithfulness of both Israel and Judah?
Now, lie on your left side, and set the guilt of the house of Israel on it. For the length of time that you lie on your side, you will bear their punishment. I appoint to you three hundred ninety days, one day for each year of their guilt. So you will bear the punishment of the house of Israel.
When you have completed these days, lie on your right side to bear the guilt of the house of Judah. I appoint forty days to you, one day for each year. With your arm stretched out, face the siege of Jerusalem directly and prophesy against it. I’ve now bound you with cords so that you can’t turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege. (Ezek 4:4-8 CEB)
Did God have Ezekiel demonstrate yet another prophecy of bad food?
Get a large bowl. Then mix together wheat, barley, beans, lentils, and millet, and make some bread. This is what you will eat for the 390 days you are lying down. Eat only a small loaf of bread each day and drink only two large cups of water. Use dried human waste to start a fire, then bake the bread on the coals where everyone can watch you. When I scatter the people of Israel among the nations, they will also have to eat food that is unclean, just as you must do. (Ezek 4:9-13 CEV)
When Ezekiel asked God why He wanted him to defile himself with tainted bread, what was God’s answer?
Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up till now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth.” Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow's dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.” Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay. I will do this that they may lack bread and water, and look at one another in dismay, and rot away because of their punishment. (Ezek 4:14-17 ESV)
Rather than the polluted bread of punishment, did Jesus offer us the bread of life?
“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.” (John 6:35 HCSB)
Does sin separate us from God like an iron wall? Have we endured physical and social hardship to serve God? You decide!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)