Have you ever made plans to go somewhere, and even though you heard about it, everything you had heard paled in comparison to what you actually observed once you arrived? This was Ezekiel’s plight—and will be our future plight. When something is beyond words, you don’t want to miss out on it.

We’ve already talked a lot about what Ezekiel saw. Yet, the wonders seem to go on and on. We discussed the temple complex and how large it is (about three football fields square). Yet, that is set in a complex that is roughly 8 miles square! This is called the Holy Portion which is further divided into three rectangles. The top rectangle, a little more than 3 miles by 8 miles, is for the Levites. These are those individuals who help in all aspects of temple worship, except for offering sacrifices. The same size rectangle below this one, and in which the temple is located, is for the priests. These are those individuals who are allowed to offer sacrifices at the temple. Although these sections of land are devoted to the priests and Levites, this doesn’t mean it will be devoid of others, and businesses and restaurants. These will be very busy places as people from around the world will come here to offer sacrifices and see their King.

The rectangle below these two, a little over 1.5 miles by 8 miles, completing the larger square, is where the city of Jerusalem will be located. It will be a square in the center of this rectangle with farming to support the city population occurring on both sides. This is likely where king David and the Prince will reside.

As already stated, a stream will flow out from the Holy of Holies of the temple and flow east. This stream becomes deeper and deeper every one-third mile and turns into a river. Some have denoted this as “the Ezekiel River” since this was part of the vision God gave to Ezekiel. Along both sides of this river is a grove of trees. At some point, the river flows over the escarpment which has plunged the city to be high above the surrounding land. Once the river goes over the escarpment, it flows between the two Mounts of Olive (which split in two at the Messiah’s return), and then flows into the Jordan River in the distance and into what is today called the Dead Sea. Yet, this sea will now team with live fish and fresh water.

On both sides of this larger square where the priests, Levites, city of Jerusalem, and temple reside is more farmland which will be owned by the Prince. From the Prince’s fields will come the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offering for festivals, new moon celebrations, and Sabbaths. In addition, those who live within the land of Israel will, in essence, tithe to the Prince of their abundance. They will donate approximately 15% of their wheat and barley, approximately 1% of their olive oil, and 0.5 percent of their sheep. The Prince will use these for fellowship offerings and grain offerings for the people.

This Holy Portion is the inheritance for the Prince and his children. Above and below this Holy Portion is the inheritance given to each of the tribes of Israel. This Holy Portion will lie between the inheritance given to Judah and Benjamin.

So, as you can see, God gave Ezekiel an overwhelming vision—something both he, and even we today, can look forward to. Ezekiel was concerned about his people and their beloved temple and if both would be lost to them forever. God gave Ezekiel an emphatic ‘no’! Not only would it return but be so much grander than anyone could ever imagine. I’m sure Ezekiel was blown away. I’m sure he was overcome with joy in how exceedingly generous God is with us despite our selfishness. We may lose heart and faith, but God is always faithful and never forgets his promises. So, come on and join in his promises. Our future is a grand one: a future beyond our imagination. Don’t you want to experience that? Of course, you do. It only takes a little faith and for you to admit your future cannot be on your on merit, but only through the merit of the one who will give us all we want and more—beyond our imagination!

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Of all the remarkable things in the book of Ezekiel, probably the term “Prince” has to be one of the more interesting and controversial. Let’s take a look at this.

Who is this Prince? Some have stated it is referring to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, himself. Others say it is the Old Testament King David now serving as the Messiah’s, the King of kings’, viceroy. Others have proposed someone else entirely. So, why the confusion? For one, these passages of scripture are not very specific. Secondly, we expect certain things based upon what other scriptures tell us, and we try to make it all fit. But, should we? I think if we take a step back, we can put some of the clues given in Ezekiel with these other passages of scripture about God’s promises to David and formulate a scenario which makes it all fit seamlessly without having to put a round peg in a square hole, so to speak.

I think it is fairly easy to eliminate the first assertion above, that this Prince could be Jesus Christ. After all, if Jesus is the King of kings and has his throne in the Holy of Holies, and is the object of everyone’s worship, then this could not be Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the King of kings. After all, this Prince is the one leading everyone in worship of the King of kings (Ek 45:17, 22). Therefore, it would make sense it would be someone different from him.

What about this Prince being King David? I think the confusion for this comes in because of the passage in Ezekiel which states, “I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken” (Ek 34:24). I think the term “prince” in this passage is showing the hierarchy in David’s relationship with God, the ultimate ruler. He will be of authority, but not ultimate authority. In addition, although subtle, there is no definite article with the use of this term “prince.” Therefore, I think this gives additional credence that this is a term of hierarchy than position. In addition, the Prince will be mortal and have children (Ek 46:16-17). David will be part of the first resurrection, have a glorified body, and will not marry and have children (Mt 22:30).

David, will, however, also be a king and rule over Israel (Ek 27:24). If Jesus Christ is to be the King of kings during this time, this would imply there will be many kings and Jesus will be the King over all other kings (Rv 19:16). There will be many nations during Christ’s kingdom (Is 62:2; Zc 14:16; Rv 20:3). So, just as there will be other kings over other territories, David will be the king over Israel during this time (Ek 37:24).

So, if Christ is the King of kings, and David is one of the many kings who will reign under the direction of Christ in his Kingdom, who is this Prince? From passages in Ezekiel, it suggests that this Prince will lead the people of the world in the worship of the Messiah, the King of kings, Jesus Christ. He will offer sacrifice for himself and for the people (Ek 45:22), he will be able to have children (Ek 46:17-18), and he will receive an inheritance of land like the tribes of Israel (Ek 45:7.18). From these passages, we gather this Prince is an Israelite and is mortal, as he will not have a glorified body. That would mean he had to come out of the Tribulation as a believer. This would give him a unique perspective for the people as he would understand the horrors of the world prior to Christ establishing his Kingdom, understand the importance of the people’s need to accept their King as the hope for their future, and will understand the importance of the sacrifices and what they mean for the people, and be able to teach them these things.

Because he came out of the Tribulation as a mortal, it would mean God had this plan for this one before Christ’s Kingdom was ever set up. That would at least suggest this one may have been one of the 144,000 prophets (Rv 7:4) who evangelize the world during the Tribulation as their lives would be protected (Rv 7:2-4) and would be assured to survive into the Promised Kingdom. This is not a guarantee of this, but, I think, is suggestive. Therefore, it would be plausible this one who becomes the Prince is from the tribe of Judah, where Jerusalem is located, and is one of these prophets the Lord raises up to evangelize the world before his return.

So, here is the hierarchy: Christ sets up his Promised Kingdom and reigns as the King of kings in Jerusalem. David reigns in his glorified state as the king of Israel during this time, just as other glorified ones will reign as king of other nations at this time. The Prince, non-glorified, will also live in Jerusalem, as he is an Israelite who will lead the people of the world in the worship of the King of kings and help the people of the world realize that Christ is not only their King, but also their Savior and their future hope for eternal life. While one-thousand years is a long time, it is still finite. Those born during this time must still chose Christ as their Savior and their hope, just as we do today, and this Prince will be instrumental in helping them see this need for their eternal future.

It’s interesting that God always seems to manifest and work in a triune manner. He is Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), the city of Jerusalem becomes three sections during his Kingdom (Rv 16:19), and the spiritual authority is also triune: Christ, the King of kings is the object of worship, David is the king of Israel, the nation leading the other nations in the worship of Christ, and the Prince is the one who can identify with the mortals of this time and lead them in the specific worship of Christ, their King, and their Messiah.

What about you? Are you going to be around to be part of all of this and witness it first-hand? Do you want to? Then take a note from Ezekiel and yield to this One who is now and forever the King of kings, the Messiah, and the Hope of your eternal future.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

It seems it always helps when you experience something new to also have something familiar with which to reference. This is what Ezekiel experienced. In previous posts we discovered that his thoughts were on the temple since he was in captivity in Babylon. God gave him a vision of a new temple that would be established in the future. While many things were new and different, it had a feeling of familiarity at the same time.

The size of the temple complex is something to consider. If you take a football field and put three end-to-end both in width and length, that would be about the size of it. That’s quite the size, isn’t it? However, the size of the temple itself didn’t change much from that of previous temples. The size of the entire tabernacle could almost fit inside the temple structure of Solomon’s temple, although the entire complex was much larger. Yet, the size of Solomon’s temple was basically equivalent to that of Herod’s temple and of the temple in Ezekiel’s vision. The size of the entire complex of each temple did increase with each successive temple.

The tabernacle, Solomon’s temple, and Herod’s temple had a bronze altar, a laver, a menorah, a table of shewbread, and an altar of incense. Herod’s temple did not have the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat as those were lost in Ezekiel’s day when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple. The temple in Ezekiel’s vision had only the bronze altar and the altar of incense. We discussed this briefly previously. All the other elements had been fulfilled by Christ: the laver represents the word of God which cleanses from sin (Ep 5:26). Christ is the living word of God (Jn 1:1) and is physically present. The menorah represents Christ as the light of the world (Jn 9:5), the table of shewbread represents Christ as the bread of life (Jn 6:35), the ark of the covenant represents Christ’s glory dwelling in the Holy of Holies (Ek 43:7), and the mercy seat represents Christ as the propitiation for sin and is already completed (1Jn 2:2). The bronze altar represents that atonement is still needed for those born, and the altar of incense represents the prayers of thanksgiving by those who have accepted Christ’s atonement for one’s sins and who is the hope of their future.

The bronze altar is arranged in a tier fashion and has steps leading up its eastern side. It is interesting that in Solomon’s temple this was a ramp instead of steps and was located on the southern side of the altar. This altar is quite large, being 10.5 feet high with its top being 21 ft sq. It would seem the priests will have to be quite strong to carry these sacrifices up these steps and get them close to the center of the altar.

It seems that the same sacrifices as previously made will now continue: burnt offerings, peace (fellowship) offerings, sin offerings, trespass (guilt) offerings, grain (meat) offerings. Why is this? Sacrifices are now needed for three basic reasons: (1) because a theocracy is re-established where sin must be dealt with when part of the sinless Trinity is physically present, (2) it seems death no longer occurs as there is no additional resurrection of the righteous dead mentioned in scripture, (3) sacrifices were always symbolic for they never took away sin and faith has always been required. All of these reasons help those born during this time to see their need for accepting Christ their King as their Savior and the Hope for their future.

It also seems that four of the seven feasts typically celebrated each year (Lv 23) will still be celebrated during this time: Pesach (Passover), Matzah (Unleavened Bread), Bikkurim (Firstfruit), and Sukkot (Tabernacles). While these have been fulfilled, these are still needed because these feasts represent the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, as well as his literal dwelling with his people. The other three are already fulfilled and are not needed: Shavuot (Pentecost) – the giving of the Holy Spirit; Rosh Hashanah (Trumpets) – God remembering his covenant with Israel (Tribulation Period), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) – God forgiving Israel of their sins (at Christ’s return).

As you can see, there will be many similar things that have been reshaped and slightly different. What is familiar has been reshaped for the needs of the new age. These things will help those who are already bound to their Messiah, their King, a new way to celebrate and worship him. These things will help those who need to make a decision about their King a way to understand their need to accept him. What is new will also be familiar.

This is going to be an amazing time. I hope you are making plans to not miss it. Something so wonderful should not be missed.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Seen a good movie lately? Don’t they all show how bad something gets before things turn around and become wonderful, setting the stage for good out of the chaos? There was prelude which occurred right before the vision God gave to Ezekiel (Ek 40-48). We see this prelude through the eyes of other prophets. Let’s explore that today.

The vision given to Ezekiel occurred in the twenty-fifth year of his captivity and the fourteenth year since the fall of Jerusalem (Ek 40:1). Therefore, enough time had passed which allowed Ezekiel to really think about his peoples’ future and what was possibly in store for them. God answered his thoughts by giving him a vision of a future temple which will be much different from any previous temple Ezekiel was familiar with. It is also interesting that this occurred in a month that would have had Ezekiel thinking about the temple in Jerusalem. This verse tells us his vision occurred on the tenth day of the first month of the year. This was either the first month of the Jewish calendar which would represent the day the lamb would be set aside for Passover to ensure it was without blemish and acceptable (Ex 12:1-6). Or, it would have been the seventh month of the Jewish calendar (and first month of the Babylonian calendar) and represent the normal Day of Atonement when the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies of the temple to appease for the sins of the people (Lv 16; 23:27). Either of these circumstances would have Ezekiel thinking about the temple.

Yet, when God first brought him to Jerusalem to see the temple, Ezekiel did not recognize where he was (Ek 40:2). He was on a high mountain which was unfamiliar to him. The vision and purpose of this high mountain had been given to Micah and Isaiah, where they state that in the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains and will be exalted above the hills and all nations will stream to it (Mi 4:1: Is 2:2). Isaiah further stated that every valley would be raised up and every mountain and hill would be made low, the rough ground will become level, and the rugged places made into a plain (Is 40:4). John the Baptist stated that this reference referred to the time of their coming Messiah (Lk 3:5). It is likely this will occur when the Great Earthquake happens as Christ touches down on the Mount of Olives (Zc 14:4-5; Rv 16:18).

There are three tectonic plates surrounding Jerusalem: Arabian plate, Sinai plate, and Gaza plate. In addition, there are three major plates which meet at the Afar Triangle in Somalia: the African plate, the Indian plate, and the Arabian plate. Then, there is a rift which travels from the Afar Triangle, up the Red Sea, through the Sea of Aqaba and up the Jordan basin. Then the Palmyra fold belt extends from the upper Jordan basin to the Euphrates River. The great earthquake which occurs will then release the tension from between all these junctures and create multiple, and huge, land transformations. The Mount of Olives will split in two (Zc 14:4), Jerusalem will split into three parts (Rv 16:19), and likely the Euphrates River will be channeled into the Jordan River making the waters of Dead Sea viable as it receives more fresh water into it and a channel is made for water to exit the Dead Sea into the Sea of Aqaba. In addition, water will flow out from Jerusalem (where the temple will be built) into the Dead Sea and around an escarpment into the Mediterranean Sea (Zc 14:8). This escarpment will form due to the earthquake which will push the area of Jerusalem and westward up and make a plain eastward. This escarpment will be from Geba, about five miles north of Jerusalem, to Rimmon, about thirty-five miles south of Jerusalem.

It is, therefore, understandable why Ezekiel did not recognize this mountain. God was showing him the future when God’s Millennial Kingdom will be formed, and Jerusalem will be situated on the highest mountain on the planet (Zc 14:10; Is 2:2; Mi 4:1). So, our coming Messiah will reign on high, both literally and figuratively. He will reign from the highest point on the planet and be King of kings—sovereign overall. This is going to be a glorious time. Don’t miss it!

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Some say we’re going backwards if we take Ezekiel’s last vision (Ek 40-48) which God gave to him literally. After all, if Christ came and abolished the Law, then why would God say he would go back to a temple with a sacrificial system? Yet, if we look at this more closely, I think we will better understand the why and the need.

We need to understand the following: (1) what Adam’s rebellion caused; (2) the purpose of the Law; and (3) what opportunity Israel failed to fulfill. Understanding these three things help us to understand the need for a Millennium here on this earth, and why a sacrificial system would be re-established. Let’s look at each of these three points.

Did Adam really rebel? Is eating some fruit really that bad? Well, to be honest, any sin is an act of rebellion. What is rebellion anyway? It is knowing what is expected and then doing the opposite. Isn’t that what Adam and Eve did? God only had one rule for them: do not eat of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the middle of the garden (Gn 2:17). Yet, they disobeyed. After hearing the half-truths from the serpent, who was influenced by Satan himself, they believed these lies and doubted God. They doubted that God wanted the best for them and would supply the best for them. Isn’t that at the core of all sin. If we go against what God has told us, then we are really saying we don’t believe he has the best for us in his mind. He’s holding back, and we must take matters into our own hands. That’s what Adam and Eve did. They doubted, which lead to a change in their belief about God and his goodness, which led to actions against God’s will.

So what did Adam lose? Everything. God had established a theocratic kingdom with Adam ruling under God’s leadership. He had given Adam dominion over all the earth and its creatures, had told him and Eve to have many children, and asked them to lead the earth’s inhabitants with God as their ultimate authority. This was lost. Adam turned it over to Satan. How do we know this? We are told that Satan today is the prince of the power of the air (Ep 2:2), and when he tempted Christ in the wilderness, he offered all the kingdoms of the earth to Christ if he would only worship him. If these kingdoms were not his to give, he could not have offered them, and Christ would not have taken his offer so seriously.

So, what was the purpose of the Law? It was to show the wickedness of man. To help mankind understand they were not good on their own. It wasn’t about the sacrifices. God often stated he valued obedience over sacrifice (1Sa 15:22; Ho 6:6). He was always about the heart and not the sacrifice. The sacrifice did not forgive sin. It represented the horror of sin and what it ultimately causes, i.e., death (Ro 6:23). It has always been about faith – not sacrifice. Abraham believed, and it was counted to him as righteousness (Gn 15:6). This was the way before the Law was ever given. Even the prophet Habakkuk stated it had always been about faith (Hk 2:4). The Law pointed to the need of a Savior. It all pointed to Christ. He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill the law (Mt 5:17). Sacrifice also pointed to the fact that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Mt 26:28; Hb 10:18). Sin leads to death. Mankind needed a Savior.

When God created Israel as a nation at the base of Mt. Sinai, he told them they were to be a kingdom of priests to the world (Ex 19:6). They were to lead the world in the worship of God. Yet, they failed in his. They took the meaning of being God’s chosen people to make them feel superior to other peoples and not that they were chosen to be God’s ambassadors to the world. While many did do this, they did not as a nation. They missed a great opportunity.

God’s plans will never fail and nothing mankind does can ever thwart his plans. He has something to prove before he makes Satan and sin disappear forever. He will remove the curse that Satan and the rebellious act of Adam and Eve caused upon the earth and all mankind (Ac 3:19-21). While the earth will become a utopian-type society under his rule, there will still be people born into the kingdom who will be unsaved. While Satan will be removed from the earth for this period of time, man’s propensity to sin will not be removed. This will demonstrate man cannot blame his acts of rebellion on Satan’s influence alone. Therefore, they will need to understand their need for a Savior just like we do today. Why does this mean a sacrificial system will be needed to do this? This utopian society, with the curse lifted, will occur after what is called the first resurrection (where all the righteous will be resurrected from the dead; Rv 20:4-6). There is nothing recorded in Scripture that another resurrection of the righteous will occur. Therefore, it would seem that death has also been abolished, although those who rebel will be removed from the earth. It is not clear if others will actually see them die. So, the sacrificial system will be a demonstration of what death means and how it creates separation. In one sense it is a visual aid—a very graphic one—and will show the seriousness of the consequence of their disobedience. Since Christ will be physically present, there is a need for cleansing for worship of a holy God. The sacrificial system demonstrates this need for holiness and purity in the presence of someone holy (Ek 43:26; Zc 13:1). This will also fulfil God’s promise to Israel that they as a nation will lead the world in worship of the one true God.

And, why will it last for one-thousand years (Rv 20:3)? No one knows for sure, but could it be a way to demonstrate to Satan that Christ can build a kingdom which lasts longer than mankind can last on their own? Because of Satan and his influence, the world had to be destroyed with a flood to restore it (Gn 6:11-13). Adam lived for 930 years (Gn 5:5). Methuselah lived for 969 years (Gn 5:27). By Christ’s kingdom lasting one-thousand years, it shows his kingdom is superior to all that has come before. No sin, no disobedience, no acts of rebellion will be able to thwart God’s plan. God will rule forever. He has given us a chance to be a part of all of this. Are you going to accept what he offers?

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Have you noticed in reading Scripture that when God prophesies so much destruction, he incorporates hope and a positive outcome in the end? Ever wonder why? Before we answer this question, let’s look at two of the stranger chapters in the Bible: Ezekiel 38 & 39.

Yet, it’s only strange when we take it out of context. Many biblical scholars discuss this chapter as it relates to future “end time” events. While, that is likely true, it doesn’t “just appear” out of the blue. If you recall what we discussed in the previous post, God had just prophesied much prosperity to Israel. Here, God is backtracking a little to show how they will get to that point, and how he will protect them and ensure them of the future he just promised them.

So, what did God say would happen?

God gives Ezekiel a prophecy of a future time when a league of nations led by a ruler whom he calls Gog, will come against the unified nation of Israel (Ek 38:2). Gog lives in the land of Magog, which seems to be a territory between and above the Caspian and Black Seas. Gog is also called the Prince of Meshech and Tubal, which are likely parts of southern Russia and Georgia. It seems Ezekiel is stating that Gog will form an alliance with Persia (Iran), Cush (Ethiopia), Put (Libya), and Gomer and Togarmah (northern Turkey and Armenia). Opposing these will be Sheba and Dedan (Arabia), and Tarshish (Western Europe).

Let’s take a pause here. Where did all these strange names originate? We can final almost all of them in the genealogy of Noah (Gn 10), who had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Gomer, Magog, Tubal, and Meshech were sons of Japheth. Togarmah and Tarshish were both grandsons of Japheth through Gomer and Javan, respectively. Persia included both Medes (descendants of Madai, son of Japheth) and Elam (son of Shem). Sheba and Dedan were great grandsons of Ham through his son Cush. Therefore, by following the genetic clues of how the population expanded, we get the likely locations of today’s nations from these ancient people. And, believe it or not, it all seems to fit into today’s scenario.

Ezekiel states that Israel will be attacked from the north, south, and east. Those attacking will have a four-fold agenda (Ek 38:11-12): (1) to obtain the wealth of Israel; (2) to control the Middle East; (3) to destroy Israel; and (4) to challenge the authority of the Antichrist. This attack likely occurs in the early reign of the Antichrist after he negotiates a treaty with Israel. It’s likely not later in his rule, because half-way through the Tribulation, the Antichrist himself turns against Israel. When this attack occurs against Israel, the Antichrist, Sheba and Dedan (southern Arabia), and Tarshish (western Europe) will be against the invasion.

It is interesting to note that scripture suggests that this Antichrist will have a ten-territorial kingdom and he will then take over three of them and rule them himself. I bring this up here because it seems to tie very well into what Ezekiel is prophesying here. It seems our United Nations has already had discussions of how to divide our world into ten socio-economic regions. Therefore, without too much imagination, one could envision how such a one could take advantage of this previous work to divide the world into such areas and set up someone to rule these areas under his ultimate control. It is also interesting that the nations mentioned here in Ezekiel all originate from three of the identified territories. So, it would seem very likely that the invasion mentioned here in Ezekiel is the reason these three territories then go under his direct rule (Dn 7:24) as he would have to depose these three leaders of these territories to make himself appear to be a man of peace, even though he is not. Why would he have to do this? Let’s follow on in Ezekiel.

Ezekiel prophesies that God will use several natural disasters to hinder these nations from invading Israel (Ek 38:19-22): (1) a great earthquake; (2) infighting among the troops of these nations doing the invading; (3) disease; and (4) torrential rain, hailstones, and fire with burning sulfur. He then prophesies of four key events as an outcome of the demise of these nations (Ek 39:4-29): (1) birds and beasts are called to gorge on the dead bodies; (2) burying of the dead takes seven months to complete; (3) the weapons left from the invasion of the dead army provide enough fuel to last seven years; and (4) blessings, restoration, and salvation is provided to Israel.

Although it is God Himself who actually saves Israel (Ek 38:21-23), the Antichrist will likely claim credit and get further respect from the other nations of the world who will then see him as one dedicated to peace. This will endear their devotion to him even more. In addition, this information also supports the invasion occurring very early in his reign since the weapons become fuel for seven years and the whole Tribulation period will last for seven years.

We can now go back to the first question asked in this post. God provides hope when he provides doom because he is after the hearts of people and nations. He is showing that his ultimate plan will prevail despite our suffering and what he has to do to get our attention. Through these prophecies, he has given us knowledge, choice, and hope. He gives us the knowledge to see what will be coming, the choice to decide if we are going to believe it and change our perspective, and he gives us hope so that if we do the first two, we will have a blessed future. Don’t you want a blessed future? It’s just a matter of faith. It has always been a matter of faith: in Ezekiel’s time as well as in ours. What do you say? Are you willing to learn from what has been given to us in scripture, choose to believe and put your faith in the only one who has paid our debt of sin to provide us a wonderful future, and receive the hope that is then tangible and so real it is almost palpable? Are you ready?

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Ever been frustrated because you had to get something done, but you couldn’t because someone else had to do their part first – and wasn’t? I’m sure this is how Ezekiel felt many times. God had him sacrifice so much to be the watchman to his countrymen. Yet, he wasn’t seeing any change in them. I’m sure he often asked God, “What’s the point?” But God helped him to realize that Ezekiel’s future hope and the hope for the world was not dependent upon their obedience. Sure, we decide if we become a part of that, but our actions to not deter God from his plans. Let’s see what he told Ezekiel.

Israel was now dispersed. Nebuchadnezzar had captured Judah along with their beloved capital city Jerusalem and had even destroyed their beautiful temple. The Northern Kingdom of Israel has been taken captive by Assyria some one-hundred years earlier. Only a remnant was now left in their land. I’m sure Ezekiel felt all was lost. He likely couldn’t see how any of God’s promises could now come true. Was all hope gone? God said no.

God gave Ezekiel another vision (Ek 37). A very strange vision. One could classify it as a nightmare – an Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom-type of nightmare. Before Ezekiel lay a dry valley filled with human bones. There were likely hundreds of them all thrown together, many of them now disconnected. I’m sure Ezekiel was bewildered. Why was he here? Suddenly, the bones began to vibrate and then move! Do you think Ezekiel jumped backward? I think he did. I would have run! The bones then came together and formed skeletons. Sinews came upon the skeletons, and then flesh covered the sinews. Now, rather than a valley of bones, it was a valley of corpses. It just went from bizarre to morbid. Ezekiel then felt a wind. The wind blew over the corpses, and then into them! The corpses began to breathe! They then sat up and then stood to their feet. God had taken something totally worthless and made it purposeful.

It’s obvious this vision was about Israel. After all, God had just told Ezekiel he would make his Name great again and would cleanse Israel and put his Spirit within her (Ek 36:23-17). Isn’t that what the wind just did? Many have put history to Ezekiel’s vision: the bones represent Israel dispersed throughout the world, the formed skeletons represent the national pride of Israel which still remained in those dispersed which united them as a dispersed nation, the sinews represented the return of Jews to Israel from Russia, Poland, Germany, and central Europe in 1881-1948, the flesh covering the sinews represents the Tribulation period when Jews an Israelis from every nation will gather back to Israel, the wind entering the corpses represents Israel’s national conversion at Christ’s return, and the bodies living and standing to their feet represent Israel in Christ’s Millennial Kingdom. Is this an accurate interpretation? It would seem reasonable. Either way, it was clear God was going to bring about a miracle in Israel’s future and make them his people again.

While this vision was for Ezekiel, God reiterated this message to him and told him to give a visual message to the people. Ezekiel took two sticks (Ek 37:15-23). On one he wrote, “belonging to Judah and all the Israelites associated with him.” On the other, he wrote, “belonging to Joseph and all the Israelites associated with him.” Joseph represented the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the two largest tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Ezekiel then joined the two sticks together into one whole. God stated he was going to join Judah and Israel back into one nation (Ek 37:22) by gathering them from wherever they had been scattered. They would no longer, and never again, be two nations. God also stated he would cleanse them and be their God.

Although many Jews did return to Israel from Babylonian captivity by the decree of Cyrus who conquered Babylon (2Ch 36:23), this promise was not completely fulfilled with this return. Not all Jews returned, and it did not include Israelis from the Northern Kingdom, although there were likely a few. Actually, most Jews stays in Babylon. So, what was God referring to?

God gives more information to Ezekiel. He states that the Messiah will rule the people and David will be his prince (Ek 37:24-25). Now, the term Prince is used later in Ezekiel, but this was not used in the same context here. Here, God is calling David both king and prince. Why? David will be the king of Israel and will be subservient to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the King of kings. God states the temple will be restored, everlasting peace will be established, and all nations will know God made Israel holy since his sanctuary will be among them forever (Ek 37:26-28). We know this must be future, even to us, because these things have not yet occurred.

God was giving Ezekiel hope. God was giving Israel hope. Israel’s hope is also our hope. Don’t you want to be part of it: something so grand it is hard to comprehend. Everyone wants to be part of something mind-blowing. You can. It just takes a little faith to put your trust in this coming Messiah and off yourself. Christ did it all for us. Reach out to him. He’s reaching out to you.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Have you ever thought your job was done only to find out you’re really not? I’m sure that is how Ezekiel felt. He had been prophesying for a long time that Jerusalem, his home, was going to be destroyed by Babylon. Yet, even though many of his countrymen were already in captivity in Babylon, they could not come to grips with the fact that God would allow their beloved city and temple to be destroyed. It finally happened. Nebuchadnezzar lay siege to Jerusalem for nearly two years and then destroyed the entire city and its temple (Ek 24).

At that point, I’m sure Ezekiel thought his job was done. He had tried to warn his people and get them on the same page as God. He had remained faithful as God’s Watchman (Ek 3:16-27). He had gone through a lot of hardships to remain faithful as a watchman. He even had to endure the death of his wife as a topical lesson for his people (Ek 24:17-18). You can sympathize, right? After a long hard day, or physically demanding or mentally draining job, you are exhausted and just want to rest and rejuvenate. That is how Ezekiel felt, I’m sure. But, God had other plans for him.

God reminds Ezekiel that even though Jerusalem has fallen, he still has the duty of a Watchman (Ek 33:7). Ezekiel’s task is to now tell Israel that God does not delight in their destruction but desires for them to repent (Ek 33:11). An escapee from the destruction of Jerusalem came and told the people there in captivity that Jerusalem had fallen. At that time, God allowed Ezekiel to speak again (Ek 33:21-22). God had made him mute for almost two years—ever since Nebuchadnezzar had besieged Jerusalem. Can you imagine what the people thought of Ezekiel during this time? Maybe many thought it served him right to be mute. God had finally shut him up because of his unpatriotic sayings. Are we any different in being too quick to judge rather than allowing a disconcerting message to penetrate our hearts and allow God to see if there are any seeds of wickedness in us?

The people were now mad because God had allowed this destruction to happen. They had the misconception that the land was theirs—God had given it to them, and they felt God had no right to take it away. Yet, God, through Ezekiel, told them all the destruction was due to their disobedience (Ek 33:25-16). It seems people are people no matter in what time they live. Are we any different? We always have excuses for our behavior: it is never as bad as others claim, we have a justification for what we do, and we feel what we do is not really that bad after all. These people felt no differently.

As their watchman, Ezekiel kept to his task. He accused the shepherds of Israel, their leaders (kings, princes, priests, and false prophets) of looking out only for themselves rather than the needs of their people (Ek 34:2-4). This is one of the pitfalls of lifelong service that someone in such a position must be aware. Since this is now their job, their livelihood, and not just a short-term profession, they must temper their desire for ambition, wealth, and prosperity for their family. While it is not wrong to have these things, they have a higher responsibility to the people for whom they serve. It’s often too easy to lose sight of that fact. These leaders in Ezekiel’s day had done that. They had lost sight of their greater responsibility. Ezekiel tried to get them to see that. He warned them that God would remove them from leadership (Ek 34:10).

To better help them understand, Ezekiel gave an analogy of a coming Good Shepherd who will take good care of his people (Ek 34:12). Ezekiel turns to a future time, a time we refer to as the Millennial Kingdom, where God will gather his people from every distant land (Ek 35:12-13). He will judge between the goats and the sheep (i.e., between the righteous and the unrighteous), between one sheep and another (the act of receiving rewards), and he will shepherd them with justice (this may be referring to his ruling with an iron scepter (Rv 2:27)) (Ek 35:20-22). Their Good Shepherd, their Messiah, will make David their shepherd and their prince (Ek 35:24). This is likely referring to David’s position in relation to Christ, their Messiah. David will be subservient to him. In addition, the land will be made to be fruitful to meet all their nutritional needs, they will live in safety without the threat of war, and he will be their God (Ek 35:25-31).

Ezekiel then restates the prophecy against Edom (Ek 35). This was to contrast the choices made by Jacob and Esau, the ancestors of Israel and Edom. God used Esau (Edom) as a topical lesson as to what Israel could be like, but how God is going to instead reward Israel. This was not because of Israel’s goodness, but because of God’s goodness and how he will keep his promises to them.

In contrast to what God said about Edom, he would give great blessings to Israel: mountains, hills, rivers, valleys, and cities will become fruitful and prosperous (Ek 36:4, 8, 10). Yet, he reminds them that God will do this for his own Name sake (Ek 36:22) and not because of anything they have done. Despite what Israel had done in profaning God to the surrounding nations, God would make his Name great and holy again (Ek 36:23). God’s plan will not be rescinded because of what mankind does. God would do this by taking Israel and cleansing her and putting his Spirit within her (Ek 36:26-27). This was a new concept for them. The Holy Spirit will come upon them, and they will seek him and morn for their actions toward him (Zc 12:10).

This is also our promise from God, both now and for our future. If you turn to him, realize his death on the cross was payment for your sin (past , present, and future), accept that and realize nothing you can do can earn this for you except depending upon him completely both now and for your future, you too will receive the Holy Spirit to guide you on your journey through this life. Then, in the life to come you will receive all these blessing that God promised to his people through Ezekiel. Isn’t it exciting?! Come join us. You’ll be glad you did!

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

There is much talk these days about how prosperity is directly correlated to management alignment, but the bigger question is, are we aligned with God – the ultimate management. Ezekiel found himself asking not only his countrymen this question, but other surrounding nations the same question.

Ezekiel made many personal sacrifices, both of himself and his family, to try and get his people back in alignment with God’s plans for them. He used many visuals. The false prophets had given the people a visual of meat in a pot, stating they were protected from harm because they were inside the pot. Ezekiel now uses this same visual to show how that was not the case. Yes, they were the meat in the pot, but in Ezekiel’s visual, the fire boiled out all the water, consumed the flesh in the pot, and even charred the bones which remained. The same day, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem (Ek 24:3-9). This should have validated all that Ezekiel had told them – should have.

Ezekiel’s wife suddenly dies, and God tells him he is not allowed to mourn with the usual mourning customs in order to demonstrate to his people that their joy, their temple, was taken away from them and they would not be able to grieve outwardly either because of God’s judgment on them (Ek 24:17-18). Ezekiel was then struck dumb. He was unable to talk until an escapee from Jerusalem came and told them all that had happened to the city and the temple. Since the siege of Jerusalem lasted for almost two years, this is likely the length of time Ezekiel was unable to speak. God was using Ezekiel’s life as a sign to his people. God was serious and would do anything to get them to turn back to him.

Once Ezekiel got his voice back, he began to speak against nations that surrounded Israel: Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt. All these nations, or cities, had gloated and rejoiced when Jerusalem fell. Some were even distant relatives of Israel. Ammon and Moab were descendants of Lot who was Abraham’s nephew (Gn 19:33-28). Edom (Gn 36:1) was the brother of Jacob (whose name was later changed to Israel). Egypt was the country from which the Israelites came and occupied Canaan to form the nation of Israel and had been an enemy against Israel almost the entire time of its existence. Both Ammon and Moab would also be conquered and would not recover (Ek 25). God had stated that Israelites were not to mistreat an Edomite (Dt 23:7) because they were so closely related. Yet, Edom mistreated Israel. Edom would also be conquered by Nebuchadnezzar but would recover. In later years, it became known as Idumea and was the country from which King Herod who tried to kill the infant Jesus came. All three of these countries are now part of modern-day Jordan.

Philistines were Canaanites who God had told Israel to eliminate when Israel had first come into Canaan, but there were not annihilated and became a thorn to the Israelites. This was also the land from which Goliath came during the time of David. These people often sought revenge upon Israel (Ek 25:15). Ezekiel announced destruction upon the Kerethites, those strong bowmen who were the strength of Philistia, and who had escaped the destruction put upon them by Saul (1Sa 30:13), David (2Sa 8:18), Hezekiah (2Ki 18:8), and Psammetichus king of Egypt, who often made raids into Philistia (this was the son of Necho who encouraged Zedekiah to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar but then did not support him).

Tyre had friendly relations with Israel during the time of David and Solomon (1Ki 5:1; 2Ch 2:11). Apparently, these positive relations deteriorated once the nation of Israel split. Tyre rejoiced in the destruction of Jerusalem (Ek 26:2), so God would now allow Babylon to destroy the city. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city on the coast. Alexander the Great, 260 years later, destroyed the island city by using debris of the mainland city to build a causeway to the island. He used this causeway to bring his military might against the island city and destroyed it in 330 B.C. The destruction of Tyre caused the economy of many other cities to fail (Ek 27).

The ruler of Tyre was Ethbaal III who had so much pride he declared himself a god (Ek 28:2). He had a throne on the island city high on a mountain. Ezekiel then speaks to the one behind Ethbaal’s actions: Satan himself. Ezekiel tells him he had been in Eden, had been adorned with precious stones, had musical abilities, had been specially created for a special position with God to walk up and down in the middle of the stone of fire, and had been perfect before sin destroyed his relationship with God. Apparently, Satan had always wanted to dwell on high as Christ will one day and had used Ethbaal’s prominent palace to try and achieve that. God pronounced his destruction because of his sin of pride and vanity (Ek 28:16-17).

When Ezekiel turned to Sidon, he stated the city would be brought down through pestilence and war (Ek 28:23). Sidon was to originally be the northern part of the tribe of Asher; yet, they never conquered this part of Canaan. Jezebel, who became the wife of king Ahaz and helped corrupt him, came from here. This demonstrates that we never know the consequences of our inaction. It is always best to follow God’s promptings.

Ezekiel prophesied against Egypt over a two-year period (Ek 29-32). Pharaoh was filled with pride and identified himself with the crocodile god Sebek (Ek 29:3). Ezekiel stated Egypt would be humbled for 40 years, beginning with the invasion by Nebuchadnezzar (Ek 29:11).Egypt would recover, but never to prominence: Nebuchadnezzar defeated King Hophra of Egypt, Ahmose II became a vassal king to Babylon, 40 years later the Persians overtook Babylon, Egypt came back into prominence periodically but never as an independent nation (they were dependent upon Greece, then Rome, and later became as Islamic state), today the country is an Arab nation and the original Egyptians are not of prominence.

Ezekiel prophesied about Israel’s future. He stated Israel would no longer have malicious neighbors (Ek 28:25) and the people of Israel would be gathered from the nations where they had been scattered, and they would prosper. This prophesy goes beyond their historical return from Babylon years later (by the decree of the Media-Persian king Cyrus who conquered Babylon) to the Millennial Kingdom that will be set up by their coming Messiah.

The kingdom of Parthia likely had Semitic roots and its people became scattered throughout Europe when the Medes conquered Parthia. In the future, many will likely not even know they are of Israeli descent. This will be the miracle which God will bring about – more profound than the nation coming out of Egypt (Jr 23:7). This will be the celebration of Passover in the Millennium.

When these Parthians of Israeli tribal descents settled into Europe (and beyond), they were not necessarily of pure Israeli descent. Yet, they likely influenced these areas where they settled with their characteristics. They integrated with the people already living there. The longer time passed, the more integrated they became with the people of these areas. This is why this will be such a miracle by God. Those who don’t even know they are Israeli will be driven back to their homeland in Israel by the persecution of the coming Antichrist. Israel will be the only place where they can live with any hope of safety.

Isn’t it amazing how God’s plans always come about no matter the seemingly impossibility? That’s why we can rest in him. What he states is truth and will always be truth. Aligning with him is likely the best thing we can ever do. We will never regret it.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Have you ever talked to people about God, and they just don’t seem to get what you’re trying to tell them? Well, Ezekiel had a similar issue. He kept speaking and the people just never seemed to understand what he was trying to get them to see about their relationship with God. Let’s see some examples.

After Ezekiel had spoken to his people several times without them realizing they had drifted away from God and needed to repent, they came to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord (Ek 20:1). Ezekiel replied, likely a little sarcastically, as to why God should reveal anything to them. He then gave them a detailed history lesson of all the ways the Israelites had rebelled against God. Because of all their rebellion, both past and present, God stated he would “pass them under the rod” (Ek 20:37), meaning he would purge them from their sin. This is similar to what Jeremiah termed “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jr 30:7). Ezekiel stated the elders in Judah would be consumed like a forest fire (Ek 20:46-47). Yet, these leaders told Ezekiel he was speaking in parables. The words of Ezekiel went unheeded. Isn’t that just like people? Deflect until you can believe it. People haven’t changed over the centuries.

It is likely these leaders’ response broke his heart. Yet, God wasn’t giving up on his lessons to them. Ezekiel was told to tell the people to morn because their fellow countrymen and relatives back in Jerusalem would be slaughtered (Ek 21:7). As a sign and prophecy to these facts, God told Ezekiel to set up a signpost at the fork in the road which Nebuchadnezzar would take when he would invade Judah. The road to the right led to Judah and Jerusalem while the road to the left led to Ammon. Nebuchadnezzar would use divination techniques to decide which road to take. Yet, God stated he would ensure Nebuchadnezzar chose the road to the right. Ammon would gloat because of Jerusalem’s destruction, but Ezekiel warned them to be careful of doing so because the same destruction would come to them. Ezekiel then calls king Zedekiah “a wicked prince of Israel” (Ek 21:25). He stated Zedekiah would lose his crown and Jerusalem would become ruin. Ezekiel then looked way into the future as he tells his fellow citizens, “the crown would not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it” (Ek 21:27). Ezekiel was referring to Christ when he will reign during his Millennial Kingdom. While this prophecy may sound like it has a positive ending, it meant that no king would reign on the throne in Jerusalem until Christ would do so – quite a long period of time.

To be sure the people understood the reason for the coming destruction on Jerusalem, he points out their sins (Ek 22): they violated all the laws God had given them through Moses, they had shed blood to worship their idols, they didn’t care for the fatherless and widows, they carried out indecent sexual acts, they extorted their neighbors for financial gain, the priests didn’t distinguish between the holy and the profane for the people, the princes put financial gain above the welfare of the people, and the prophets, more like false prophets, often would spread only lies to placate the princes. God stated he was looking for someone to “stand in the gap” (Ek 22:30) so he would not have to destroy Jerusalem, but he could find no one to do so.

God then gives them an analogy. God called Samaria (representing the Northern King of Israel) Oholah, meaning “her own tabernacle.” He called Jerusalem (representing the Southern Kingdom of Judah), Oholibah, meaning “my tabernacle is in her.” This is referring to how Jeroboam lead ten of the twelve tribes to break from the reign of Rehoboam, son of Solomon, and had the people worship golden calves in Bethel and Dan (1Ki 12:28-29). Yet, even though Judah had the tabernacle within her borders, she was just as bad as Israel in not worshipping God. He stated that spiritually, both acted like harlots (Ek 23). The people of both Judah and Israel followed the gods of the surrounding nations and sought protection from these false gods rather than from God. Israel relied upon Assyria, and Judah, Assyria and Babylon. These same nations whom they relied upon were the ones who would cause their destruction. Who says God does not have a sense of irony? Yet, this irony was to show the folly of them trusting in these fickle nations rather than upon him, their Rock, who could always stand firm for them.

I’m sure Ezekiel was upset he wasn’t getting through to his fellow countrymen. After all, they were supposed to be God’s chosen people, but they had rejected God even though God was giving them every opportunity to turn back to him. Yet, are we any different today? We often turn our back on all the attempts God uses to get our attention to no avail. Let’s learn from Ezekiel’s story. Let’s give God a chance in our lives. After all, what do we have to lose? We may actually gain something beyond our expectation.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Have you ever noticed that God usually deals with us with a light touch, but our neglect of his promptings can come with heavy consequences? He wants the best for us, but our stubbornness is what gives us second best. This was the same with those Ezekiel was trying to get to follow God’s promptings.

God gave them several parables to try and get their attention (Ek 17:1-21). Let’s see what he told them. First, God gave them a parable of two eagles. The first eagle takes the highest branch of a cedar of Lebanon and carries it off. It is planted in the soil and grows into a healthy vine. In this instance, Nebuchadnezzar is the eagle and king Jehoiachin of Judah is the vine. He was a very wicked king and God had him removed from being king after he reigned for only three months. Jeremiah even prophesied against his wickedness. He was taken to Babylon and placed in prison. Yet, a future king of Babylon took him out of prison and placed him in a place of prominence (2Ki 25:27-30).

Ezekiel then talked about a second eagle. This second eagle also took a branch, but this branch did not prosper. Those who remained in Judah reached out to this second eagle who represented king Hophra of Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar’s forces reached as far south as Egypt. When Nebuchadnezzar deposed Jehoiachin, he put Zedekiah on the throne in Jerusalem. Because Zedekiah looked to king Hophra of Egypt for help and defied paying taxes to Babylon (2Ch 36:13), Nebuchadnezzar had Jerusalem captured, the temple burned, put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and brought him to Babylon where he later died (2Ki 25:1-21).

God then contrasts what he will do as opposed to what these human kings have done for the Israelites (Ek 17:22-24). He stated he would take the highest branch of the cedar, plant it on the heights of Israel, and it will become a large cedar bearing much fruit where all kinds of birds will use it as a habitat and find shade within its branches. This represents the prosperous reign of the coming Messiah. God stated this was his promise to Israel. This shows us two things: God’s way is always superior to ours, and he always provides a message of hope during his prophecies of destruction.

God went further. The people quoted the following proverb: The parents eat sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge (Ek 18:2). The people used this as an excuse not to change as they stated their circumstances were not their fault. They were just reaping the judgment of the acts of their ancestors. Ezekiel stated God was now going to hold each individual accountable for their own actions and it would not matter what one’s ancestors had or had not done. It would only matter what an individual did, and an individual would stand or fall on his own merit. While they then stated that was not fair, God stated he was offering them a new heart for their positive response to him (Ek 18:31-21). This brings us to the point that God has never claimed to be fair. This is not a concept you find in scripture. Remember Christ’s parable of the talents (Mt 25)? It was the one who had the most that got the talent of the foolish servant. It was not about being fair but about doing what the master required of his servants.

Ezekiel then proclaimed a lament for the two kings of Judah who each reigned only three months and were taken captive (Ek 19). The first was king Jehoahaz who was the successor and son of Josiah. After reigning for only three months, king Necho of Egypt deposed him and took him to Egypt. The second was king Jehoiachin who we talked about earlier. After reigning for three months, Nebuchadnezzar had him deposed and took him to Babylon.

Despite reigning for only three months, Jehoiachin was so wicked Jeremiah prophesied against him stating no descendent of him would sit on the throne of David (Jr 22:30). Yet, Jeremiah also stated there would never cease to be a king on the throne of Israel (Jr 33:17). Hosea also prophesied that Israel would be innumerable in the land where they were not his people (Ho 1:10). So, it is likely that once Jehoiachin was taken out of prison, he was made ruler over the Israelites who had been taken into Babylonia, although his job would be to make them remain loyal to the throne of Babylon. Yet, history tells us that it is likely these Israelites were the genesis of the Parthian empire since it has been found to have Semitic origins and language.

This also set the stage for Christ being able to fulfill such a convoluted prophecy, as only he could fulfill such a prophecy where he would have legal rights to the throne of David and not be a descendent of Jehoiachin through whom the bloodline of the throne resides. You see, Christ was not the son of Joseph who was a direct descendent of Jehoiachin, as Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit. Mary was his mother, and she was a descendent of David through Nathan and not through Solomon, and thereby not a descendent of Jehoiachin. When Joseph took Mary as his wife, he claimed Jesus as his own son which then gave Jesus the legal inheritance of the throne of David even though he was not a direct descendent of Jehoiachin. Only God could have choregraphed such a deed.

So, let’s take notice of this. We may balk at what God is trying to get us to do, yet what we can’t see at the time is that his plans are so much more wonderful that we could ever imagine them to be. Let’s let go and let God. It is truly the best way.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

You’ve met them right: what they say doesn’t match the reality you know. Are they wrong? Are you wrong? Ezekiel went through this. Let’s see how he dealt with it.

You may think Ezekiel’s case doesn’t apply to us. After all, God asked him to do some pretty strange stuff. Yet, I think when we look closer, we find that people are people, and they respond today pretty much as they did during his day. God tried to warn him: “You are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people” (Ek 12:1). This statement applies to our day and time as well, doesn’t it? It’s not disagreement about the facts, but the interpretation of the facts that leads to the conflict of realities.

Apparently, despite already being in captivity, the people did not think they would be staying there long. To try and get the people’s attention, God asked Ezekiel to do some strange things. This time, God asked Ezekiel to dig a hole though the wall of his house and take the belongings he could though it. In other words, he couldn’t take everything he owned, just enough for a quick escape. Now, the Bible is silent on his home life. Yet, you can imagine his wife was likely not very happy with now having a hole in her wall when the door was only a short distance away! Then, after going through his wall, Ezekiel was to act as if he was blind and could not see where he was going. You can see their reaction, right? See their fingers pointing and hear the cackle of their laughter?

Yet, this was a sign to the people that their king, currently back in Jerusalem, would be caught trying to escape capture and would be made blind. And this is what the historical record confirms for us. King Zedekiah fled Jerusalem at dusk through the wall in his garden, was caught near Jericho, saw his sons killed before him, and then his eyes were poked out. The people were scattered throughout many countries. A few were spared, but most died from sword, famine, and plague.

This was also prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah who was back in Jerusalem with Zedekiah (Jr 38). The princes in Jerusalem had heard Ezekiel was prophesying that Zedekiah would never see Babylon, yet Jeremiah was prophesying Zedekiah would be taken to Babylon. Therefore, they convinced the king that he could not trust either prophet, for they were just unpatriotic, and did not make sense as their prophecies were contradictory. Yet, we find out both were correct: Zedekiah was indeed taken to Babylon, and he never saw the city because his eyes were put out before he ever left Judah.

Next, Ezekiel was commanded to tremble as he ate and to shudder in fear as he drank. This was another sign that those in Jerusalem would eat in anxiety and drink in despair because their land was about to be stripped of everything and be laid bare. Some of the people likely dismissed Ezekiel entirely. Others said that even if they believed him, it wouldn’t happen for a very long time. They quoted the proverb, “the days go by and every vision comes to nothing” (Ek 12:22), meaning they hear all these prophecies, but they never seem to come true. Yet, God speaks through Ezekiel and tells them he would put an end to this proverb in only a short time.

Ezekiel then spoke against the false prophets (Ek 13). They were prophesying peace and placating the people to make them feel secure rather than trying to make them turn back to God. Ezekiel stated they were just putting whitewash on a flimsy wall. It may look good but was of no worth. Ezekiel then stated the elders of the people were in the same condition. They would rather worship idols who could not help them rather than turn to God who could actually do something for them. God told Ezekiel that even if Noah, Daniel, or Job were present, they would not be able to save their own children; they could only save themselves. In other words, God’s mind was made up. Destruction was imminent, and nothing would now stop it from occurring.

The prophecy of Jeremiah validated Ezekiel’s prophecies. Jeremiah prophesied that Judah’s captivity would last for 70 years (Jr 25:11-12; 29:10). Jeremiah sent word to the captives in Babylon to settle down, build houses, plant gardens for produce, marry and have children, and pray for God’s blessing because they would remain in captivity for 70 years. History tells us that the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar occurred in 586 BC and the building of the second temple during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah occurred in 516 BC: 70 years exactly.

To further get the people’s attention, Ezekiel compared Judah to a vine which is of nothing useful (Ek 15). Its only purpose is fuel for a fire, and God had decided to use them as such.

Ezekiel then compared Judah to an adulteress. He stated their father was an Amorite and their mother a Hittite. Both ethnic groups were hated by the Jews. God knew this and used it for effect, for neither of these wanted their baby. The infant’s umbilical cord was not cut, but the bloody baby was simply thrown into a field and left abandoned. The Hittites were from whom Esau had taken his wives and his actions had grieved his father Isaac, and Amorites practiced wicked rites in their worship rituals. God used this for effect. He was saying it was a disservice to say they were descended from Abraham.

God said that when he came by and saw the abandoned infant, he took pity on her and willed her to live. He provided blessings, gave her love, clothing, wealth, and she became a beautiful queen. Yet, despite all God had done for her, she turned her back on his love and became a prostitute, using her wealth to make golden idols. She took her sons and sacrificed them as food to these idols. Although she despised the practices of other nations, she committed even greater travesties. Despite all of this, God stated he would still keep his promise to her and could bring them back to himself.

I find this truly remarkable. What God is saying is that nothing these people would do would change or deter him from fulfilling his promises. Isn’t that a God you want to know? How magnanimous. Who do you know that would do that for you? You may think you have done something unforgiveable. God is saying, no, that is not true. His arms are open wide, just waiting for you to turn around and see him, run to him, and be embraced in the love you have always wanted. Where are you today? Stop. Turn around. See his arms? Run to them. Feel his embrace. Find the love you truly desire.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Does God ever say, “Enough!” Well, he does, and when he does, it is never pretty. Yet, let’s face it. His patience is far greater and more longsuffering than ours. Think about it. You love your kids, right? But still, there is that breaking point when the word “Enough” seems to rise from your toes from total frustration. It doesn’t change your love for your child, but it does change how you relate to them in that moment, right?

God helped Ezekiel see his breaking point. Jerusalem was where he had stated his Name would dwell (2Sa 7:13). Now, due to Judah’s disobedience and spiritual rebellion, God was going to remove his presence from their temple. I’m sure this upset Ezekiel greatly, so God showed him why he was doing this. God took him on a spiritual vision quest.

Someone in likeness to whom he had seen earlier when God revealed himself to Ezekiel the first time (Ek 1) took Ezekiel to the temple in Jerusalem. God showed him the “idol that provokes to jealousy” which stood at the North Gate of the Inner Court of the temple. This is likely the image that Manasseh had erected here (2Ki 21:7). This is somewhat of a play on words, as God stated one of his names was Jealousy (Ex 34:14): “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” Yet, this is not the type of jealousy we think of or exhibit. This is the type where God was protective of his people and only wanted the best for them. This idol was certainly not the best for them. Yet, don’t we as well have idols in our lives which takes us away from our devotion to God?

God then led Ezekiel through a hole in wall of the inner court where Ezekiel saw priests worshipping all sorts of idols, paying homage to them with censers filled with burning incense. These priests believed God could not see them where they were. Isn’t this ironic. They are in his house and feel he can’t see what they’re doing. Yet, doesn’t our actions sometimes reveal we feel the same way?

Next, he took Ezekiel to the North Gate of the Outer Courtyard. Here, women were mourning for the god Tammuz. This was a Babylonian god who supposedly dies every winter and then comes back to life each Spring. Doesn’t this strike you as odd? They are worshipping the God of the people who are trying to conquer them. Did they think they would save themselves by pacifying the god of their conquerors?

The worship of Tammuz appears to date back to the time of Nimrod and the tower of Babel (Gn 10-11). This act of worship became so prominent that Tammuz became the name of the fourth month of the Jewish calendar (June/July of our calendar).

God then took Ezekiel to the entrance of the temple where twenty-five men stood with their backs to the temple as they stood facing east. They bowed to the sun rising in the east. This also seems to be part of the Tammuz worship as Tammuz was considered a sun god. Each of these acts, God considered more corrupt than the previous and stated he would not look on these people any more with pity (Ek 8:18).

Ezekiel then saw God’s glory move from above the cherubim, where his vision had seen God, to the threshold of the temple (Ek 9:3). God was in the process of showing Ezekiel he would remove his glory and presence from the temple where his Name was to dwell. The temple would then be ripe for conquest by the Babylonians. Six angelic beings came forward with weapons in their hands and appeared on the north side of the temple. This is interesting because this is now where the bronze altar, the altar of judgment, now resided since Ahaz had it moved here and placed a bronze altar of his own design at its original position in front of the temple entrance facing east (2Ki 16:10-14).

With these six angelic beings was one dressed in white who had a writing implement in his hand. This one went throughout Jerusalem placing a mark on the foreheads of those who grieved and lamented on what they saw being done at the temple. The six angelic beings then went throughout the city killing those without the mark. Ezekiel wept for them, but God again stated his pity had passed (Ek 9:10). While this was not real at this time as it was a vision given to Ezekiel, the armies of Nebuchadnezzar literally slew thousands of Jews in 586 BC when he took the city, which became a literal fulfillment of this vision.

The one on the sapphire throne above the cherubim spoke to the one dressed in white to take coals and scatter them through the city (Ek 10:1-2). The coals on the altar of incense were for incense to burn, representing the prayers of the people. God is saying he will hear their prayers no longer. God’s Shekinah glory then filled the inner court. It rose and moved to the threshold of the temple and then returned back to his place above the cherubim. This entire chariot of God’s glory next moved to the entrance of the eastern gate (Ek 10:18-19). It then traveled to the Mount of Olives and ascended back into heaven (Ek 11:23). This represented God’s presence had left the present temple and would not return until the Millennial Temple would be built (Ek 43:4-6; Zc 14:4). Ezekiel was then taken back to Babylon where he shared what God had shown him (Ek 11:25).

Is there a lesson for us here? I think so. While we expect God to be forgiving and longsuffering, which he is, he will not be that way forever. Just as Ezekiel and other prophets had prophesied coming destruction and captivity to give the people time to repent and turn back to God to avoid the prophecy, God’s word prophesies another coming time of destruction and catastrophe. Are we heeding his words? It’s time to turn our hearts back to him. That is our only hope. Will you take the journey back to him, or wait until the catastrophe hits?

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

God tells Ezekiel to prophesy against the mountains of Israel (Ek 6:1). That seems like a strange thing to do, but God had a purpose. The mountains were where all the high places, i.e., the altars to other gods, were placed and worshiped. This practice went all the way back to King Solomon. Despite what the good king Solomon had done and the magnificent temple he had built for the worship of God, he also built these altars to other gods. Why would he do such a thing? Scripture tells us he had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1Ki 11:3). It was the custom in that day for another kingdom to give the daughter of their ruler as a bride to the ruler of another kingdom to seal the bond between their two peoples. Solomon built a huge empire, and he obviously used this custom to his advantage—and did it quite often. Yet, his wives began to complain because they were now in a place with different customs, and they missed their own rituals and customs. Rather than teaching them his ways and customs, and about his God, he let them have their way and he made for them altars to their various gods (1Ki 11:4-9). As you can imagine, the people’s attitude became, “if the king thinks such practices are allowable, then we can do the same.” At first, it was a mixture of worshipping God and these other idols. Yet, over time, the worship of God waned, and the worship of these idols increased. Why? Well, worshipping God had rules about refraining from certain practices. Yet, worshipping these false gods appeased their base instincts. They could let themselves go, have sex with women who were not their wives, have sex with other men, get intoxicated with wine and lust, and let go of all inhibitions. Of course, this led to all sorts of other problems, but the people did not see, or refused to see, the connection of their issues with their rejection of God. By the time of Ezekiel, some 300 years later, the temple was in much disrepair while the high places were still in full swing.

We can see in scripture the slow demise of the temple. Under king Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, Shishak, king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem and took treasures from the temple back to Egypt (1Ki .14:25). Later, king Asa of Judah took all the remaining silver and gold from the temple’s treasury to Ben-Hadad, king of Aram in Damascus, to bribe him to go to war against Israel (1Ki 15:18). Later, king Ahaz also took silver and gold from the temple’s treasury, and may have taken gold off the temple itself, to bribe the king of Assyria to attack Damascus (2Ki 16:8). He also had a duplicate altar like he saw in Damascus put in place of the bronze altar in Jerusalem and put the bronze altar, originally in front of the temple’s entrance facing east, on the north side of the temple (2Ki 16:10-14). It seems he took the bronze from the lavers Solomon had made and the twelve-oxen base of the giant laver to make this altar (2Ki 16:17). Ahaz even dismantled some of the structures attached to the temple so as not to offend the king of Assyria (2Ki 16:18). He also took the furnishings of the temple and cut them in pieces, shut the temple doors, and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem (2Ch 28:24). King Hezekiah took the silver in the temple treasury and stripped gold off the temple doors and doorposts and gave it to the king of Assyria trying to bribe him to withdraw from Jerusalem (2Ki 18:16). As you can see, all the gold was already depleted from the temple’s treasury and so he resorted to more drastic measures to obtain the gold the king of Assyria demanded. Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh, built altars to other gods within the temple courtyard, put Asherah poles (i.e., phallic symbols) within the temple, had an image placed within the temple, and had living quarters constructed within the temple courtyard for the male shrine prostitutes which were now part of their worship rituals (2Ki 21:4-7, 23:7; 2Ch 33:7). So, you can see the temple lost its significance to the people and in the end was used for something totally against God, whereas it was originally built as something beautiful in which the people could worship God.

God stated he was going to put an end to these practices in a severe way. God would have king Nebuchadnezzar destroy all these high places, but it would not end there. Many would die by the sword. Those who did not die by the sword, would die by plague. When there are so many deaths at once, the other people cannot attend to bodies properly, so they breed plagues. Many will flee seeking to save their lives, but God states the plague would follow them. After all, animals and rodents are the ones who carry the plagues, and they are wherever the people are. Many would flee to Jerusalem, as cities had walls for protection, but God states this will not be a protection for them, but a death trap. Those inside Jerusalem would die from starvation because Nebuchadnezzar would surround the city and not let anyone in or out. Food supplies would dwindle, Jerusalem’s economy would collapse (Ek 7:12-13). Even the gold of the wealthy would become useless (Ek 7:19).

While we may chide them for their actions, can we really do that considering our own actions? They neglected their temple and worship of God. Are we not guilty of the same? Today, his temple is our bodies, as that is where the Holy Spirit dwells (1Co 3:16). Are we making it a pure place for him or are we crowding him out with other things. Yes, I think we have a lot to learn from Ezekiel and his message to his people. Let’s heed the message for ourselves as well. We can accomplish so much more with a guilt-free conscience.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

If you read the book of Ezekiel, you may conclude that everything God asked of Ezekiel was an unusual assignment. But, I think the assignments we will talk about today are hard for us to comprehend. There were four signs that God requested of Ezekiel to give to his people. This request came approximately six years before Jerusalem was totally destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, or three years before the siege occurred. During the siege, there was a severe famine within the city (2Ki 25:30). God wanted the people to understand how bad things would be. The signs Ezekiel were to portray are as follows:

Ezekiel was to draw the city of Jerusalem on a block of clay and lay siege against it to demonstrate what Nebuchadnezzar would do to the city (Ek 4:1-3). Think about it. How bizarre would it be to see a grown man taking little soldiers, archers, and catapults and pretending he is making war against a drawing of Jerusalem, your hometown. That would likely draw attention, don’t you think? And make people mad. After all, he is saying your beloved capital is going to fall when all the other prophets are saying their king Zedekiah would have ultimate victory over Nebuchadnezzar. After all, the Jews were God’s chosen people. Surely, he would not let Jerusalem, the place of his Name, go to complete ruin.

Next, Ezekiel took it a step further. While he was doing his simulation of the siege against Jerusalem, he was to lie on his left side daily for 390 days to represent the years (a day for each year) Israel had been living in rebellion against God. This would represent the time in Israel’s history from when the judges ruled Israel to the time Israel was taken captive by Assyria. After that, he was then to lie on his right side for 40 more days to represent the time (again, a day for a year) Judah had been living in rebellion against God (Ek 4:4-8). This time may represent the reign of Manasseh, who God had stated was one of the most wicked kings who lead Judah into many sinful practices (2Ki 21:9-27). Think how long this is—over a year! Imagine seeing Ezekiel day after day after day doing this. I’m sure many asked why he was doing this. You would either just chalk him up to being crazy, or you would start to wonder if his message was true. I’m sure most did the former.

It didn’t end there. Ezekiel was to take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt, put them in a storage jar, and use them to make bread. That doesn’t sound so bad, right? Well, get this: he could use only eight ounces per day to make bread and drink on a little over a pint of water each day (Ek 4:9-13). On top of this, the bread was to be cooked using cow dung! I’m sure this got a lot of stares and a lot of ‘yuk’s. This was definitely not kosher. And that was the point. Conditions would get so bad in Jerusalem that people would do anything, and eat anything, to stay alive for as long as possible. Ezekiel was probably lucky the paddy wagon didn’t come for him, or whatever was the equivalent in his day.

Believe it or not, there’s more! Next, Ezekiel was to demonstrate the humiliation and hardships of those who would be left in Jerusalem by shaving his head and beard. Everyone would have found this to be very odd behavior. Men just did not do that in his day and age—especially if they were priests, which Ezekiel was. He didn’t just shave his head and beard, but then divided the hair into three equal portions. One-third he burned in the fire (to represent the disease and plagues which would sweep the land), one-third he further cut with a knife (to represent those who would be slain with the sword), and one-third he threw into the wind (to represent those who would flee in all directions but be destroyed). A few hairs were left on Ezekiel’s clothes. These hairs represented the few who would be spared but would still endure hardship (Ek 5:1-4).

These are strange things. Some say these are too strange to even believe. Yet, God stated these people were very stubborn, so he had to get their attention. Strange tends to do that. For some reason, even though Ezekiel’s audience were already in captivity, they still did not believe their famous, and precious, city of Jerusalem would be destroyed. Ezekiel was trying to get them to see that their turning away from God was the cause, and it would definitely happen. Yet, are we any different today? The Bible tells our future and the direction we are headed. We can either be on his side or not. What happens to us and our country depends on where we ultimately stand. Will we heed Ezekiel?

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Ezekiel is probably best known as God’s Watchman. So, how did that come about? Let’s look and see.

After Ezekiel had his vision of God’s glory, scripture states the Holy Spirit entered into him (Ek 2:2). God then gives Ezekiel a charge and a mission. Ezekiel is to present God’s words to Israel. Even through the people would be stubborn and not listen to him, Ezekiel was being held responsible for delivering God’s message, but not responsible for their acceptance of the message. Nothing was to deter Ezekiel from his mission and message (Ek 2:7). Even if the people did not listen, they would know a prophet had been among them (Ek 2:5).

Isn’t this a good message for us as well? Often, we get discouraged because those we talk to about God and his goodness and his desire to have a relationship with them do not listen to us or take action on what we tell them. Yet, just as God told Ezekiel, we are to obey in giving the message, but not concern ourselves about who responds to it. After all, that is between them and God. We should not try to take God’s responsibility onto ourselves. We are just to obey.

Ezekiel was then charged to eat a scroll which contained words of lament, mourning, and woe (Ek 2:9). He found it sweet as he ate it. One could argue if this was symbolic or literal, but the point is, God was equipping Ezekiel with his message to give to the people. God told Ezekiel he would make Ezekiel just as stubborn in delivering his message as the people would be in disobeying God’s words to them. This message made Ezekiel extremely distressed (Ek 2:12-15). After all, it was a message of doom—not something someone—anyone—would want to deliver to people they know and love.

God told Ezekiel he was to be a Watchman for Israel (Ek 3:16). Just like a watchman watching for a city’s safety, he was to warn. A watchman who did not warn would be considered negligent in their duty to their king and their city. In other words, not doing their job would be treasonous. This is what God told Ezekiel: if he did not warn the people, he would be held accountable, but if he warned and they would not listen, he would be considered innocent because he had warned. But, if they did listen, then he would be saving both himself and his countrymen (Ek 3:16-21). And that’s a good message for us today. We can only warn. We cannot make people listen and act.

Although Ezekiel had a very hard message to deliver, it was truth and the people needed to hear it. While they were God’s chosen people, they neglected their responsibility of that promise. They had strayed so far from God and his principles; they didn’t even know they were adrift. God had to get their attention. If they didn’t listen, the consequence would be severe. It was a dire necessity that Ezekiel deliver it. We, too, have a message to give to the world. It is a message of hope, but consequences of not heeding such a message can be dire and eternal. Let us, like Ezekiel, be vigilant in our delivery of the message.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Many people see Ezekiel’s vision in the first chapter of the book by his name as evidence that even the Bible supports the presence of UFOs. Is that really true? Let’s investigate.

Ezekiel saw this vision in the fifth year of his Babylonian captivity. He was 30 years old at the time. The vision was something quite extraordinary, to say the least. First, Ezekiel saw a large, dark, storm cloud come toward him from the north. Yet, this was no ordinary storm cloud. It was surrounded with brightness with lightning within it. Yet, within the center of this cloud was something that looked like molten metal gleaming, and from which the lightning originated. It must have looked quite ominous. If you’ve seen the movie Independence Day, it may have looked something like that, but with more light exuding within and without the billowing, folding dark cloud.

So, we first must ask ourselves if this is unique to Ezekiel, or did this occur before? Well, if we go back to the book of Exodus, we see something similar to this. When Moses and the children of Israel gathered at Mt. Sinai after their exodus from Egypt, something similar occurred. They also saw a tremendous black, rolling cloud come toward them from the north, with thunder and lightning, and it descend upon the mountain in front of them (Ex 19:18; Dt 33:2).

Ezekiel then saw what he called four living creatures (Ek 1:5) or cherubim (Ek 10:1). These creatures appeared to have four faces, with each facing a different direction: the face of a man was in one direction with that of an eagle opposite it; to the right was the face of a lion with that of an ox opposite it. The creatures each had four wings. Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides, they had human hands. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went. Each creature had two wings: one set was outstretched and long enough to touch the wings of the other creature near it; the other pair covered their bodies. Each creature traveled straight forward, appearing to dart in all directions, appearing like flashes of lightning. This is how one would expect a sentry to perform if it is protecting something or someone.

It is interesting that when the tabernacle was first erected, three tribes, with their standards, camped on each side of the tabernacle. There was one main tribe on each side. Reuben (with the face of man as its standard) was on the South, Dan (with the image of an eagle as its standard) was on the North, Judah (with the image of a lion as its standard) was on the East, and Ephraim (with the image of an ox as its standard) was on the West. Some have also indicated that these represent the four gospels and their portrayal of the characteristics of Christ: Matthew (kingly nature of Christ, as the lion), Mark (humanity of Christ), Luke (heavenly origin of Christ, as the eagle), and John (the servitude of Christ, as the ox).

We also see how cherubim were portrayed throughout scripture: guarded Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden (Gn 3:24); their replicas placed on the Ark of the Covenant depicted paying deference to the center of the Mercy Seat where the Shekinah glory of God was to appear to the High Priest in the Holy of Holies (Ex 25:19-22); on the veil between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies – protecting where God dwells (Ex 26:31); in various places throughout the curtains of the tabernacle and on walls of the temple (Ex 36:8; 1Ki 6:29); and two giant cherubim in the Holy of Holies in the temple (1Ki 6:27). In addition, we see these four creatures again in Revelation where they stand before God’s throne and sing praise to him (Rv 1:13-16). It seems each time we encounter these creatures, they are associated with protecting God’s throne and his holiness.

Then, next to these creatures were four “wheels.” These appeared to be two wheels together at perpendicular angles, so they could travel in any direction. They were also large and had what appeared to be “eyes” along their rims (Ek 1:15-18). Some have proposed that these “wheels” convey certain characteristics of God: the mobility of the wheels suggest the omnipresence of God; the eyes represent God’s omniscience; and their elevated position represent God’s omnipotence.

Then, above these creatures was a canopy that looked like crystal and on top of this canopy sat what appeared to be a throne, bright blue in color like that of a sapphire. And on this throne sat one who from the waist up looked as bright as molten metal, and from the waist downward the appearance of fire (Ek 1:27-28). You can imagine how awe-inspiring all of this was to Ezekiel. We also see something similar in Revelation where Christ appeared to the apostle John (Rv  1:13-16). We also see someone who appeared to Moses, Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel at Mt. Sinai who they met and ate with. This one was sitting on something which appeared the color of sapphire (Ex 24:9-11). It would seem Israel experienced both God, the first part of the Godhead, as well as the pre-incarnate form of Christ, the second part of the Godhead. This second part of the Godhead was always the one who appeared, and revealed himself, to man.

The response of both Ezekiel and John were the same. They both fell facedown (Ek 1:28; Rv 1:17). They were so overwhelmed, knew they were in the presence of someone greater than themselves, and felt very unworthy to be in his presence.

So, despite some who try to make this into an alien encounter, it is actually Ezekiel being visited by God who was revealing his glory to Ezekiel (Ek 1:28). Of course, if you want to get technical, you could claim this to be an unworldly encounter as God is not of this world, although it is part of his creation (Gn 1). Also, Ezekiel saw this vision of God’s glory several times (Ek 1:4-28, 2:12-14, 3:23, 10:1-22, 11:22-23). In addition, we have already seen that both Moses and John also saw something similar to what Ezekiel saw. Something similar is also described several times in the book of Psalms (Ps 80:1, 99:1, 104:3-4).

So, what was the point of God revealing himself to Ezekiel in this manner? Well, I guess only God knows, but it could be some of the following: this proved to Ezekiel he was receiving a message from God, proved to Ezekiel he was the same God as who appeared to Moses, and seeing God’s glory helped Ezekiel feel confident in his message to those who may doubt him. In addition, it showed that even though Ezekiel and many other Jews were now in Babylonian captivity, God had not abandoned them, he still loved them, and he wanted them to obey and love him in return.

Doesn’t God still do that with us today? How many times do we fail him? Yet, he still loves us and gives us more chances. While his patience with us will not last forever, we can be confident that he still loves us no matter what and keeps giving us opportunities to receive him, love him, and obey him. Our God is really a great God, isn’t he? And this passage helps us understand just how great and marvelous he really is!

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The book of Ezekiel has a lot to do with us understanding Biblical prophecy. Many think Biblical prophecy only refers to what is in Revelation, but, believe it or not, there is more in the Old Testament about future prophecy than is in the New Testament. Ezekiel is a key book to our understanding of our future.

But first, we need to understand the time in which Ezekiel lived. Both Jeremiah and Daniel were contemporary prophets to Ezekiel, although Ezekiel was the youngest of the three. Daniel was ten years younger than Jeremiah, and Ezekiel was 6 years younger than Daniel. Ezekiel was born during the time of King Josiah, who was the last good king of Judah. Josiah became king when he was only 8 years of age. Over the next 12 years, he started making many reforms and instituted the largest celebration of Passover since the time of the prophet Samuel (2Ch 35:18). When Josiah was about 25 years of age, he started making significant temple repairs and discovered the book of The Law in the temple remains (2Ch 34:8-21). This was the time in which Ezekiel was born.

Ezekiel was born into a time of revival in Judah and Jerusalem. Since he was the son of a priest (Ek 1:3), he likely grew up with a full knowledge of who God was and of God’s significance not only for Judah, but for him personally. He was likely trained to be a priest after his father. When Ezekiel was 13 years of age, king Josiah went to fight King Necho of Egypt (2Ch 35:20). The reason for him doing this is not clear. Yet, the Scythians had ruled Palestine during the time of Josiah and they had good relations and allowed Josiah’s reforms to spread all the way to north of Galilee in Naphtali (2Ch 34:6-7). Because some of the Scythians had plotted with Babylon against the Assyrians, Josiah may have wanted to prevent King Necho from reaching the Assyrians to provide aid. More than likely, Necho wanted the Assyrians and Babylonians to annihilate each other so he could regain control of the area.

Josiah headed off King Necho and his army at Megiddo, the pass through the Carmel mountains as one comes up the Way of the Sea (2Ch 35:22). Yet, Josiah was wounded with an arrow, was taken back to Jerusalem, and died (2Ch 35:23-24). King Necho and his Egyptian army headed to Carchemish where the battle between Assyria and Babylon commenced. While Babylon conquered Assyria, Necho pushed the Babylonians back. Likely to show his dominance, and probably for spite, King Necho took Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, to Egypt and put Josiah’s eldest son, Eliakim as king and changed his name to Jehoiakim (2Ch 36:1-4).

It seems King Necho went back to Carchemish and was this time defeated by the Babylonians, through the skill of Nebuchadnezzar, and pushed Necho all the way back to the Egyptian border. Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem and captured Jehoiakim. Yet, he was called back to Babylon because of the death of his father Nabopolassar. He therefore left Jehoiakim in charge put imposed taxation (2Ch 36:5-7). He also took many prominent people captive at this time—one of them being Daniel, who was likely 23 years of age at the time.

A few years later, Egypt and Babylon fight in Gaza. Although Babylon wins, they encounter heavy losses by the hand of Egypt. Jehoiakim then decides he will no longer pay taxes to Babylon. Three years later, Nebuchadnezzar returns to Jerusalem to collect his taxes. Before he arrives, Jehoiakim is killed by a raiding party, being thrown over the city’s wall (2Ki 23:2; Jr 36:30-31). His son, Jehoiachin, is made king, but reigns for only three months before Nebuchadnezzar arrives, who deposes Jehoiachin and made Josiah’s other son, Mattaniah, king and changed his name to Zedekiah (2Ch 36:9-10). Jehoiachin is taken to Babylon with about 10,000 other captives—one of whom was Ezekiel, being 25 years of age. So, Ezekiel is taken away from the temple before he was able to become a priest. Priests must be 30 years of age to be a priest (Nu 4:23).

Ezekiel is taken to a Tel-Abib, a place just south of Babylon on the Chebar canal which is a tributary of the Euphrates River. After being in captivity for five years, God gives him a vision and charges him to be a prophet to both those Jews in Babylonian captivity and to those Jews back in Jerusalem.

It is interesting that God revealed himself to Ezekiel when Ezekiel turned thirty, the age he would have begun his priestly duties at the temple if he was still in Jerusalem. God gave him an even greater duty—to be a prophet to the people he was to have served as a priest. He was still going to be serving them and pointing them to God in a way he never would have as a priest.

The same can be true for us as well if we are willing. While we have plans that seem to fail, if we trust in what God has for us, we may find he has something even greater in store for us than we could ever have imagined. Are you looking for that opportunity? That is what God is looking for. Have the right attitude and the willing heart and God will use you mightily. I wish you much success in your walk with the Lord.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Of all the remarkable things in the book of Ezekiel, probably the term “Prince” has to be one of the more interesting and controversial. Let’s take a look at this.

Who is this Prince? Some have stated it is referring to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, himself. Others say it is the Old Testament King David now serving as the Messiah’s, the King of kings’, viceroy. Others have proposed someone else entirely. So, why the confusion? For one, these passages of scripture are not very specific. Secondly, we expect certain things based upon what other scriptures tell us, and we try to make it all fit. But, should we? I think if we take a step back, we can put some of the clues given in Ezekiel with these other passages of scripture about God’s promises to David and formulate a scenario which makes it all fit seamlessly without having to put a round peg in a square hole, so to speak.

I think it is fairly easy to eliminate the first assertion above, that this Prince could be Jesus Christ. After all, if Jesus is the King of kings and has his throne in the Holy of Holies, and is the object of everyone’s worship, then this could not be Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the King of kings. After all, this Prince is the one leading everyone in worship of the King of kings (Ek 45:17, 22). Therefore, it would make sense it would be someone different from him. 

What about this Prince being King David? I think the confusion for this comes in because of the passage in Ezekiel which states, “I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken” (Ek 34:24). I think the term “prince” in this passage is showing the hierarchy in David’s relationship with God, the ultimate ruler. He will be of authority, but not ultimate authority. In addition, although subtle, there is no definite article with the use of this term “prince.” Therefore, I think this gives additional credence that this is a term of hierarchy than position. In addition, the Prince will be mortal and have children (Ek 46:16-17). David will be part of the first resurrection, have a glorified body, and will not marry and have children (Mt 22:30).

David, will, however, also be a king and rule over Israel (Ek 27:24). If Jesus Christ is to be the King of kings during this time, this would imply there will be many kings and Jesus will be the King over all other kings (Rv 19:16). There will be many nations during Christ’s kingdom (Is 62:2; Zc 14:16; Rv 20:3). So, just as there will be other kings over other territories, David will be the king over Israel during this time (Ek 37:24).

So, if Christ is the King of kings, and David is one of the many kings who will reign under the direction of Christ in his Kingdom, who is this Prince? From passages in Ezekiel, it suggests that this Prince will lead the people of the world in the worship of the Messiah, the King of kings, Jesus Christ. He will offer sacrifice for himself and for the people (Ek 45:22), he will be able to have children (Ek 46:17-18), and he will receive an inheritance of land like the tribes of Israel (Ek 45:7.18). From these passages, we gather this Prince is an Israelite and is mortal, as he will not have a glorified body. That would mean he had to come out of the Tribulation as a believer. This would give him a unique perspective for the people as he would understand the horrors of the world prior to Christ establishing his Kingdom, understand the importance of the people’s need to accept their King as the hope for their future, and will understand the importance of the sacrifices and what they mean for the people, and be able to teach them these things.

Because he came out of the Tribulation as a mortal, it would mean God had this plan for this one before Christ’s Kingdom was ever set up. That would at least suggest this one may have been one of the 144,000 prophets (Rv 7:4) who evangelize the world during the Tribulation as their lives would be protected (Rv 7:2-4) and would be assured to survive into the Promised Kingdom. This is not a guarantee of this, but, I think, is suggestive. Therefore, it would be plausible this one who becomes the Prince is from the tribe of Judah, where Jerusalem is located, and is one of these prophets the Lords raises up to evangelize the world before his return.

So, here is the hierarchy: Christ sets up his Promised Kingdom and reigns as the King of kings in Jerusalem. David reigns in his glorified state as the king of Israel during this time, just as other glorified ones will reign as king of other nations at this time. The Prince, non-glorified, will also live in Jerusalem, as he is an Israelite who will lead the people of the world in the worship of the King of kings and help the people of the world realize that Christ is not only their King, but also their Savior and their future hope for eternal life. While one-thousand years is a long time, it is still finite. Those born during this time must still chose Christ as their Savior and their hope, just as we do today, and this Prince will be instrumental in helping them see this need for their eternal future.

It’s interesting that God always seems to manifest and work in a triune manner. He is Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), the city of Jerusalem becomes three sections during his Kingdom (Rv 16:19), and the spiritual authority is also triune: Christ, the King of kings is the object of worship, David is the king of Israel, the nation leading the other nations in the worship of Christ, and the Prince is the one who can identify with the mortals of this time and lead them in the specific worship of Christ, their King, and their Messiah.

What about you? Are you going to be around to be part of all of this and witness it first-hand? Do you want to? Then take a note from Ezekiel and yield to this One who is now and forever the King of kings, the Messiah, and the Hope of your eternal future.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens