Speaker 1: Picture this. You're sitting by a river in a foreign land,
Speaker 1: far from home, when suddenly the sky tears open and
Speaker 1: Heaven itself comes down to meet you. This is exactly
Speaker 1: what happened to a young priest named Ezekiel over two thousand,
Speaker 1: five hundred years ago. What he saw that day would
Speaker 1: change not only his life, but the entire understanding of
Speaker 1: God's power and presence. Get ready to step into a
Speaker 1: world where the impossible becomes reality, where divine visions unfold
Speaker 1: like scenes from the most incredible movie you've ever watched.
Speaker 1: This isn't just ancient history. This is the beginning of
Speaker 1: one of the most mind blowing spiritual journeys ever recorded.
Speaker 1: Ezekiel was thirty years old living among the Jewish exiles
Speaker 1: by the Kabar River in Babylon when his ordinary day
Speaker 1: became anything but ordinary, as recorded in Ezekiel Chapter one,
Speaker 1: verse one, in my thirtieth year, in the fourth month,
Speaker 1: on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles
Speaker 1: by the Kibah River, the heavens were opened, and I
Speaker 1: saw visions of God. The sky above him suddenly split apart,
Speaker 1: like a curtain being pulled back. What came next would
Speaker 1: have made any one fall to their knees in absolute wonder.
Speaker 1: A massive storm cloud appeared, but this wasn't any normal storm.
Speaker 1: Lightning flashed continuously inside it, and the entire cloud glowed
Speaker 1: with an intense fire that seemed alive. From the center
Speaker 1: of this supernatural storm, something incredible emerged. Four living creatures
Speaker 1: stepped out of the fire, and they were unlike anything
Speaker 1: Ezekiel had ever seen or imagined. As described in verses
Speaker 1: five and six, In the fire was what looked like
Speaker 1: four living creatures in appearance. Their form was human, but
Speaker 1: each of them had four faces and four wings. These
Speaker 1: weren't just unusual beings. They were magnificent, powerful, and clearly
Speaker 1: not of this world. Each creature had the face of
Speaker 1: a human in front, but that was just the beginning.
Speaker 1: On the right side, each had the face of a lion,
Speaker 1: the king of all beasts, representing royal strength and majesty.
Speaker 1: On the left side was the face of an ox,
Speaker 1: symbolizing faithful service and sacrifice, And on the back was
Speaker 1: the face of an eagle, the master of the skies,
Speaker 1: representing divine swiftness and heavenly perspective. Their bodies sparkled like
Speaker 1: polished bronze, and their wings stretched out in perfect formation.
Speaker 1: When they moved, they didn't turn their bodies like humans do. Instead,
Speaker 1: they could go in any direction instantly, forward, backward, left,
Speaker 1: or right, without ever changing position. Ezekiel noted in verse twelve.
Speaker 1: Each one went straight ahead wherever the spirit would go.
Speaker 1: They would go without turning as they went. But what
Speaker 1: made them truly extraordinary was what appeared beneath them. Each
Speaker 1: creatures stood beside a wheel that touched the ground. But
Speaker 1: these wheels defied every law of physics. Ezekiel knew. The
Speaker 1: wheels gleamed like precious stones, and each wheel had another
Speaker 1: wheel inside it, positioned at right angles. This meant they
Speaker 1: could roll in any direction without turning, just like the
Speaker 1: creatures above them. The rims of these wheels were covered
Speaker 1: with eyes, not just a few eyes, but completely covered,
Speaker 1: as if the wheels themselves were alive and could see
Speaker 1: everything around them. When the creatures moved, the wheels moved
Speaker 1: with them. When the creatures rose from the ground, the
Speaker 1: wheels rose too. There was a perfect unity between them,
Speaker 1: as if they shared the same spirit and purpose. The
Speaker 1: sound they made was indescribable, Ezekiel wrote in verse twenty four.
Speaker 1: When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings,
Speaker 1: like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of
Speaker 1: the almighty, like the tumult of an army. It was
Speaker 1: the sound of pure power of Heaven itself in motion.
Speaker 1: Above these incredible beings was something that looked like a
Speaker 1: vast expanse, crystal clear and stretching out like a solid dome.
Speaker 1: The creature's wings touched this expanse, and beneath it, their
Speaker 1: wings were spread out toward each other. Each creature had
Speaker 1: two wings covering its body and two wings spread out,
Speaker 1: creating a canopy of divine protection and reverence. What Ezekiel
Speaker 1: saw next took his breath away completely. Above the crystal
Speaker 1: expanse was something that looked like a throne. And this
Speaker 1: wasn't just any throne. It appeared to be made of sapphire,
Speaker 1: the most precious and beautiful blue stone known to mankind.
Speaker 1: But the real wonder wasn't the throne itself, it was
Speaker 1: who sat upon it. Ezekiel, Chapter one, verse twenty six
Speaker 1: records above the vault, over their heads was what looked
Speaker 1: like a throne of Lapis lazuli, and high above on
Speaker 1: the throne was a figure like that of a man.
Speaker 1: This figure radiated an indescribable brightness and glory. From what
Speaker 1: appeared to be his waist up, he looked like glowing
Speaker 1: metal filled with fire. From the waist down, he appeared
Speaker 1: like fire itself, and brilliant light surrounded him completely. The
Speaker 1: light wasn't harsh or blinding in a painful way. Instead,
Speaker 1: it was like seeing the most beautiful rainbow after a storm,
Speaker 1: but infinitely more magnificent. Ezekiel described it in verse twenty eight,
Speaker 1: like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on
Speaker 1: a rainy day. So was the radiance around him. This
Speaker 1: was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of
Speaker 1: the Lord. This wasn't just bright light. This was the
Speaker 1: very presence of God himself, the creator of the universe,
Speaker 1: choosing to reveal himself to a young priest in exile.
Speaker 1: The glory that filled Solomon's temple, the presence that led
Speaker 1: Israel through the wilderness as a pillar of fire, was
Speaker 1: now appearing directly to Ezekiel in a vision that would
Speaker 1: change everything. While Ezekiel lay face down, trembling before this
Speaker 1: incredible vision, he heard a voice speaking to him. It
Speaker 1: was the voice of the one on the throne, and
Speaker 1: it carried authority unlike anything he had ever heard. But
Speaker 1: first something amazing happened. The spirit entered into him and
Speaker 1: set him on his feet, giving him the strength to
Speaker 1: stand before God's presence. The voice spoke with both tenderness
Speaker 1: and authority, calling him son of Man, a title that
Speaker 1: emphasized his humanity in contrast to the divine glory before him.
Speaker 1: As recorded in Ezekiel Chapter two, verse three, God said,
Speaker 1: son of Man, I am sending you to the Israelites,
Speaker 1: to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They
Speaker 1: and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to
Speaker 1: this very day. This wasn't going to be an easy assignment.
Speaker 1: God was completely honest about what Ezekiel would face. The
Speaker 1: people he was being sent to were described as obstinate
Speaker 1: and stubborn. They had hard hearts and faces set like
Speaker 1: flint against God's message. They were like thorns and briars,
Speaker 1: and Ezekiel would feel like he was living among scorpions.
Speaker 1: But God's commission continued with both warning and encouragement. In
Speaker 1: verses six and seven, the Lord said, and you, son
Speaker 1: of Man, do not be afraid of them or their words.
Speaker 1: Do not be afraid. Though briars and thorns are all
Speaker 1: around you and you live among scorpions, do not be
Speaker 1: afraid of what they say or be terrified by them.
Speaker 1: Though they are a rebellious people. You must speak my
Speaker 1: words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen,
Speaker 1: for they are rebellious. This was perhaps the most challenging
Speaker 1: job description ever given. Ezekiel was being sent to people
Speaker 1: who had a track record of rejecting God's messengers, of
Speaker 1: hardening their hearts against truth, and of choosing their own
Speaker 1: way over God's way. They might listen or they might not,
Speaker 1: but that wasn't Ezekiel's responsibility. His job was simply to
Speaker 1: deliver God's message faithfully, regardless of their response. The commission
Speaker 1: came with a clear understanding that success wouldn't be measured
Speaker 1: by how many people listened or changed their ways. Success
Speaker 1: would be measured by faithfulness to the message itself. God
Speaker 1: wasn't asking Ezekiel to be successful in human terms. He
Speaker 1: was asking him to be obedient. What happened next was
Speaker 1: unlike anything in recorded history. God presented Ezekiel with a scroll,
Speaker 1: but this wasn't an ordinary document, as described in Ezekiel
Speaker 1: Chapter two, verse nine. Then I looked and I saw
Speaker 1: a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll,
Speaker 1: which he unrolled before me. This scroll was covered with
Speaker 1: writing on both sides, which was unusual for ancient documents. Normally,
Speaker 1: writing appeared only on one side to preserve the precious material.
Speaker 1: But this scroll was completely filled with God's message. The
Speaker 1: content wasn't pleasant. It was words of lament and mourning
Speaker 1: and woe. Then came the most extraordinary command Ezekiel had
Speaker 1: ever received. In chapter three, verse one, God said, son
Speaker 1: of Man, eat what is before you eat this scroll,
Speaker 1: then go and speak to the people of Israel. This
Speaker 1: wasn't symbolic language. God was literally telling Ezekiel to eat
Speaker 1: the scroll containing his prophetic message. Without hesitation. Ezekiel obeyed
Speaker 1: this incredible command. He opened his mouth and ate the
Speaker 1: scroll that God gave him. What happened next was completely unexpected,
Speaker 1: despite the scroll being filled with messages of judgment and sorrow,
Speaker 1: when Ezekiel ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey
Speaker 1: in his mouth. This amazing transformation revealed something profound about
Speaker 1: God's word, even when the message contains difficult truths. Or
Speaker 1: warnings of judgment. There's something inherently sweet about receiving revelation
Speaker 1: from God. The bitterness of the message's content was overshadowed
Speaker 1: by the sweetness of divine communication itself. God explained the
Speaker 1: significance of this act in verse four. He then said
Speaker 1: to me, son of Man, go now to the people
Speaker 1: of Israel, and speak my words to them. The scroll
Speaker 1: hadn't just been read by Ezekiel. It had become part
Speaker 1: of him. The message was now literally inside him, transformed
Speaker 1: from external words on a page to internal conviction and calling.
Speaker 1: This wasn't just about memorizing a message or understanding concepts.
Speaker 1: Ezekiel had internalized God's word in the mode complete way possible.
Speaker 1: Every word of judgment, every call to repentance, every promise
Speaker 1: of restoration was now as much a part of him
Speaker 1: as his own thoughts and feelings. After the incredible experience
Speaker 1: of eating the scroll, God gave Ezekiel one of the
Speaker 1: most sobering responsibilities ever assigned to a human being. He
Speaker 1: was to become a watchman. Not just any watchman, but
Speaker 1: a spiritual guardian, responsible for the eternal welfare of God's people.
Speaker 1: In ancient times, watchmen stood on city walls or high towers,
Speaker 1: scanning the horizon for approaching danger. When they spotted enemies
Speaker 1: or threats, they would blow a warning trumpet to alert
Speaker 1: the city. The safety of everyone depended on the watchman's
Speaker 1: faithfulness and alertness. Now God was appointing Ezekiel to this
Speaker 1: same role, but in the spiritual realm. As recorded in
Speaker 1: Ezekiel Chapter three, verse seventeen, God said, son of Man,
Speaker 1: I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel.
Speaker 1: So hear the word I speak and give them warning
Speaker 1: from me. This wasn't just about delivering messages. It was
Speaker 1: about bearing responsibility for people's spiritual safety and eternal destiny.
Speaker 1: God explained the weight of this responsibility with crystal clarity.
Speaker 1: If a wicked person was heading towards spiritual destruction and
Speaker 1: Ezekiel failed to warn them, their blood would be on
Speaker 1: Ezekiel's hands. In verses eighteen and nineteen, the Lord said,
Speaker 1: when I say to a wicked person, you will surely die,
Speaker 1: and you do not warn them or speak out to
Speaker 1: dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save
Speaker 1: their life, that wicked person will die for their sin,
Speaker 1: and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But
Speaker 1: if you do warn the wicked person and they do
Speaker 1: not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways,
Speaker 1: they will die for their sin. You will have saved yourself.
Speaker 1: The same principle applied to righteous people who might turn
Speaker 1: away from their faith. If they began to sin and
Speaker 1: Ezekiel didn't warn them of the consequences, he would bear
Speaker 1: responsibility for their spiritual downfall. But if he faithfully delivered
Speaker 1: the warning, whether they listened or not, he would be
Speaker 1: free from their blood. This created an enormous burden of responsibility.
Speaker 1: Ezekiel wasn't just responsible for his own spiritual condition. He
Speaker 1: was accountable for everyone he was sent to warn. Their
Speaker 1: eternal destiny partly depended on his faithfulness in delivering God's messages.
Speaker 1: But with this great responsibility came great authority. God wasn't
Speaker 1: sending Ezekiel out empty handed. Every warning, every call to repentance,
Speaker 1: every promise of restoration carried the full weight of divine
Speaker 1: authority behind it. When Ezekiel spoke God's words, he spoke
Speaker 1: with the same authority as God himself. God's methods of
Speaker 1: communication through Ezekiel were unlike anything seen before. Instead of
Speaker 1: just speaking words. God commanded Ezekiel to act out his
Speaker 1: messages through dramatic, symbolic performances that would capture people's attention
Speaker 1: and burn the truth into their memories. The first dramatic
Speaker 1: act began with something as simple as a brick. In
Speaker 1: Ezekiel Chapter four, Verse one, God commanded, now, son of Man,
Speaker 1: take a block of clay, put it in front of you,
Speaker 1: and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. This wasn't
Speaker 1: just an art project. This was the beginning of a
Speaker 1: powerful visual prophecy. After drawing Jerusalem on the brick, Ezekiel
Speaker 1: was told to lay siege to it. He built siege
Speaker 1: works around it, erected earthworks, pitched camps, and set battering
Speaker 1: rams against it all around. Then he took an iron
Speaker 1: pan and play it as an iron wall between himself
Speaker 1: and the city, turning his face toward it to show
Speaker 1: that it was under siege. But the performance was just beginning.
Speaker 1: God then gave Ezekiel an incredibly difficult command that would
Speaker 1: test his obedience to the limit. He was to lie
Speaker 1: on his left side for three hundred and ninety days
Speaker 1: bearing the sin of the people of Israel. Then he
Speaker 1: was to lie on his right side for forty days
Speaker 1: bearing the sin of Judah, one day for each year
Speaker 1: of their sin. During this entire time, Ezekiel was to
Speaker 1: keep his face turned toward the siege of Jerusalem and
Speaker 1: prophesy against it with his arm bared. God even bound
Speaker 1: him with ropes so he couldn't turn from one side
Speaker 1: to the other until the days of his siege were completed.
Speaker 1: The food restrictions were equally extreme. Ezekiel was commanded to
Speaker 1: eat only about eight ounces of food per day and
Speaker 1: drink only about two thirds of at of water. The
Speaker 1: food was to be made from a mixture of wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet,
Speaker 1: and spelt, the kind of mixture people would eat during
Speaker 1: a siege when normal food supplies were exhausted. Initially, God
Speaker 1: commanded Ezekiel to cook this food over human excrement, but
Speaker 1: when Ezekiel protested that he had never defiled himself with
Speaker 1: unclean food, God mercifully allowed him to use cow dung instead.
Speaker 1: This represented the unclean conditions the people would face during
Speaker 1: the siege of Jerusalem. Every aspect of this dramatic performance
Speaker 1: had meaning. The three hun ninety days represented the years
Speaker 1: of Israel's sin. The forty days represented Judah's sin, The
Speaker 1: limited food and water showed the conditions during the siege,
Speaker 1: and the unclean fuel represented the spiritual defilement that would
Speaker 1: come upon the people. One of the most heartbreaking aspects
Speaker 1: of Ezekiel's visions was witnessing something that had never happened
Speaker 1: before in Israel's history, the gradual departure of God's glory
Speaker 1: from the Temple in Jerusalem. This wasn't a sudden abandonment,
Speaker 1: but a slow, reluctant withdrawal that showed God's patience even
Speaker 1: in judgment. The process began when Ezekiel was transported in
Speaker 1: vision to Jerusalem, specifically to the entrance of the north
Speaker 1: gate of the Inner court of the Temple. What he
Speaker 1: saw there broke his heart, As recorded in Ezekiel Chapter eight,
Speaker 1: verse three, he stretched out what looked like a hand
Speaker 1: and took me by the hair of my head. The
Speaker 1: spirit lifted me up between Earth and Heaven, and in
Speaker 1: visions of God, he took me to Jerusalem. What Ezekiel
Speaker 1: witnessed in the temple was spiritual adultery of the worst kind.
Speaker 1: There was an idol at the entrance that provoked God
Speaker 1: to jealousy Digging through a wall, he discovered a secret
Speaker 1: room where seventy elders of Israel were burning incense to
Speaker 1: carved images of detestable animals and creatures. At the entrance
Speaker 1: to the north gate, women were sitting and weeping for
Speaker 1: the false god Tamus. In the inner court, twenty five
Speaker 1: men had their backs turned to the Temple of the Lord,
Speaker 1: worshiping the sun toward the east. The temple that was
Speaker 1: supposed to be the dwelling place of the Most High
Speaker 1: God had been turned into a center of pagan worship.
Speaker 1: The very leaders who should have been protecting the people's
Speaker 1: relationship with God were leading them into spiritual prostitution. It
Speaker 1: was in this context that God's glory began its slow departure.
Speaker 1: In chapter nine, verse three, Ezekiel recorded, Now the glory
Speaker 1: of the God of Israel went up from above the
Speaker 1: Cherubim where it had been, and moved to the threshold
Speaker 1: of the temple. This was the first movement. The glory
Speaker 1: that had rested above the ark of the Covenant in
Speaker 1: the Holy of Holies moved to the doorway. The glory
Speaker 1: didn't leave immediately. It paused at the threshold, as if
Speaker 1: reluctant to go, giving opportunity for repentance that never came. Then,
Speaker 1: in chapter ten, verse four, the glory of the Lord
Speaker 1: rose from above the Cherubim and moved to the threshold
Speaker 1: of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the
Speaker 1: court was full of the radiance of the glory of
Speaker 1: the Lord. The departure continued in stages. The glory moved
Speaker 1: from the threshold to the Cherubim, and the Cherubim lifted
Speaker 1: their wings. In verse eighteen, then the glory of the
Speaker 1: Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and
Speaker 1: stopped above the Cherubim. The living creatures Ezekiel had seen
Speaker 1: in his first vision were now carrying God's presence away
Speaker 1: from his own house. The final movement was the most
Speaker 1: devastating of all. In chapter eleven, vers twenty three, Ezekiel
Speaker 1: witnessed the glory of the Lord went up from within
Speaker 1: the city and stopped above the mountain east of it.
Speaker 1: The glory that had filled Solomon's temple, that had led
Speaker 1: Israel through the wilderness, that had been the center of
Speaker 1: their worship and identity, was now departing completely. This wasn't
Speaker 1: God abandoning his people in anger. It was God being
Speaker 1: forced to leave because his holiness could no longer dwell
Speaker 1: in a place that had been so thoroughly defiled. The
Speaker 1: departure was gradual, giving multiple opportunities for repentance, but the
Speaker 1: people's hearts had become too hard to respond. The final
Speaker 1: aspect of Ezekiel's early ministry focused on the corrupt leadership
Speaker 1: that had led God's people astray. These weren't ordinary citizens
Speaker 1: making personal mistakes. These were the princes, priests, and leaders
Speaker 1: who held positions of trusrust and authority, yet used their
Speaker 1: power to lead people away from God. In Ezekiel Chapter eleven,
Speaker 1: verse one, the spirit lifted Ezekiel to the east gate
Speaker 1: of the Lord's house, where he saw twenty five men,
Speaker 1: including Jazaniah and Pallatia, who were leaders among the people,
Speaker 1: But instead of leading righteously, they were plotting evil and
Speaker 1: giving wicked advice to the city. God revealed their thoughts
Speaker 1: to Ezekiel in verse three. They say, haven't our houses
Speaker 1: been recently rebuilt? This city is a pot, and we
Speaker 1: are the meat in it. They believed they were safe,
Speaker 1: that Jerusalem was like a cooking pot that would protect
Speaker 1: them like meat protected in a vessel. Their confidence was
Speaker 1: in the city's walls and their own political schemes, rather
Speaker 1: than in God's protection. These leaders had convinced themselves and
Speaker 1: others that they could continue in their rebellion without consequences.
Speaker 1: They thought their strategic location, their fortificatetionations, and their political
Speaker 1: alliances would keep them safe. They had completely forgotten that
Speaker 1: their security had always come from their relationship with God,
Speaker 1: not from human strength. God commanded Ezekiel to prophesy against
Speaker 1: these corrupt leaders. In verse four, he said, therefore prophesy
Speaker 1: against them, prophecy, son of Man. The message was clear
Speaker 1: and devastating. Their schemes would fail. Their confidence was misplaced,
Speaker 1: and judgment was coming. The judgment was swift and dramatic.
Speaker 1: While Ezekiel was prophesying, Pallatia, son of Beniah, died suddenly.
Speaker 1: This wasn't coincidence. It was a sign that God's words
Speaker 1: through Ezekiel carried immediate power and authority. The death of
Speaker 1: this leader served as a warning to all the others
Speaker 1: about the seriousness of their rebellion. The experience was so
Speaker 1: intense that Ezekiel fell face down and cried out, alas
Speaker 1: Sovereign Lord, will you completely destroy the rem of Israel.
Speaker 1: He was overwhelmed by the reality that God's judgments were
Speaker 1: not empty threats, but immediate realities. But even in judgment,
Speaker 1: God's heart of mercy was revealed. He explained that although
Speaker 1: he had scattered his people among the nations and countries,
Speaker 1: he himself would be a sanctuary for them in the
Speaker 1: countries where they had gone. The exile wasn't abandonment, it
Speaker 1: was discipline with a purpose. God promised restoration in Verses
Speaker 1: seventeen to twenty. I will gather you from the nations
Speaker 1: and bring you back from the countries where you have
Speaker 1: been scattered, and I will give you back the land
Speaker 1: of Israel again. They will return to it and remove
Speaker 1: all its vile images and detestable idols. I will give
Speaker 1: them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them.
Speaker 1: I will remove from them their heart of stone and
Speaker 1: give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow
Speaker 1: my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They
Speaker 1: will be my people, and I will be their God.
Speaker 1: The corrupt leaders had hearts of stone, but God promised
Speaker 1: to give his people hearts of flesh. Where there was
Speaker 1: division and rebellion, he would create unity and obedience. Where
Speaker 1: there was spiritual adultery, he would restore faithful relationship. The
Speaker 1: judgment on the leaders wasn't the end of the story.
Speaker 1: It was the beginning of a new chapter of restoration
Speaker 1: and hope. After the incredible visions and symbolic acts of
Speaker 1: his calling, God commanded Ezekiel to perform another dramatic prophecy
Speaker 1: that would shake the hearts of everyone who witnessed it.
Speaker 1: This wasn't going to be comfortable or easy. It was
Speaker 1: going to be a living picture of the horror that
Speaker 1: was coming to Jerusalem. In Ezekiel Chapter twelve, Verse three,
Speaker 1: God gave Ezekiel a command that seemed almost impossible. Therefore,
Speaker 1: son of man, pack your belongings for exile. And in
Speaker 1: the daytime, as they watch set out and go from
Speaker 1: where you are to another place, perhaps they will understand.
Speaker 1: Though they are a rebellious people, Ezekiel was to pack
Speaker 1: his bags like a refugee preparing to flee his homeland.
Speaker 1: But this wasn't just any packing. These were the belongings
Speaker 1: of someone going into exile, the few precious atoms a
Speaker 1: person could carry when forced to leave everything behind forever.
Speaker 1: The people watching would immediately understand what this meant, because
Speaker 1: many of them had already experienced this nightmare. During the day,
Speaker 1: while everyone could see him clearly, Ezekiel gathered his meager possessions.
Speaker 1: He packed only what an exile could carry, the bare
Speaker 1: essentials for survival in a foreign land. No luxuries, no
Speaker 1: family treasures, no comfortable reminders of home, just the basics
Speaker 1: needed to stay alive. But the real drama came in
Speaker 1: the evening, as recorded in verse four. During the daytime
Speaker 1: while they watch bring out your Belongings, packed for exile,
Speaker 1: then in the evening, while they are watching, go out
Speaker 1: like those who go into exile. This wasn't just about packing,
Speaker 1: This was about acting out the actual moment of forced departure.
Speaker 1: When evening came, Ezekiel did something that made everyone's blood
Speaker 1: run cold. Instead of walking out through the door like
Speaker 1: a normal person, he dug through the wall of his
Speaker 1: house with his own hands. This represented people so desperate
Speaker 1: to escape that they would break through walls rather than
Speaker 1: use doors. Trying to avoid capture by enemy soldiers. With
Speaker 1: his belongings on his shoulder, Ezekiel covered his face and
Speaker 1: went out through the hole he had made in the wall.
Speaker 1: The covered face showed the shame and grief of exile people,
Speaker 1: too heartbroken to look back at what they were losing,
Speaker 1: too afraid to see what lay ahead. The next morning,
Speaker 1: God explained the meaning of this powerful drama. In verse ten,
Speaker 1: he said, say to them, this is what the sovereign
Speaker 1: Lord says. This prophecy concerns the prince in Jerusalem and
Speaker 1: all the Israelites who are there. This wasn't just about
Speaker 1: ordinary people. This was about their leaders, including the king himself.
Speaker 1: Ezekiel was told to explain in verse eleven, say to them,
Speaker 1: I am assigned to you as I have done, so
Speaker 1: it will be done to them. They will go into
Speaker 1: exile as captives. Every action Ezekiel had performed would be
Speaker 1: experienced by the people in Jerusalem. The packing, the wall breaking,
Speaker 1: the covered faces, the desperate escape, It would all become
Speaker 1: their reality. The prophecy became even more specific regarding their leader.
Speaker 1: In verse twelve, God revealed, the prince among them will
Speaker 1: put his things on his shoulder at dusk and leave,
Speaker 1: and a whole be dug in the wall for him
Speaker 1: to go through. He will cover his face so that
Speaker 1: he cannot see the land. Even the king would experience
Speaker 1: this humiliation, fleeing like a common refugee through a hole
Speaker 1: in the wall. But the most devastating part was yet
Speaker 1: to come. God declared in verse thirteen, I will spread
Speaker 1: my net for him, and he will be caught in
Speaker 1: my snare. I will bring him to Babylonia, the land
Speaker 1: of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, and
Speaker 1: there he will die. The king would be captured, blinded,
Speaker 1: and taken to Babylon, where he would die without ever
Speaker 1: seeing the land of his captivity. While Ezekiel was faithfully
Speaker 1: delivering God's true messages through dramatic demonstrations, Jerusalem was plagued
Speaker 1: by false prophets who were telling people exactly what they
Speaker 1: wanted to hear. These weren't just mistaken religious teachers. They
Speaker 1: were dangerous deceivers, leading people towards destruction with lies disguised
Speaker 1: as divine revelation. In Ezekiel Chapter thirteen, verse two, God
Speaker 1: commanded Ezekiel to take action against these frauds, Son of Man,
Speaker 1: prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are now prophesying.
Speaker 1: Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination,
Speaker 1: hear the word of the Lord drum. These so called prophets,
Speaker 1: weren't receiving visions from God. They were making up messages
Speaker 1: from their own minds. God's condemnation was swift and fierce.
Speaker 1: In verse three, he declared, this is what the sovereign
Speaker 1: Lord says, woe to the foolish prophets who follow their
Speaker 1: own spirit and have seen nothing. They claimed to have visions,
Speaker 1: but they had seen absolutely nothing from God. They were
Speaker 1: spiritual frauds, leading people astray with their own imaginations. These
Speaker 1: false prophets were compared to jackals among ruins in verse four.
Speaker 1: Just as jackals scavenge in destroyed places without rebuilding anything,
Speaker 1: these prophets were feeding off the spiritual destruction of God's
Speaker 1: people without offering any real help or hope. They were parasites,
Speaker 1: not healers. The most tragic part was their timing. In
Speaker 1: verse five, God revealed their true nature. You have not
Speaker 1: gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair
Speaker 1: it for the people of Israel, so that it will
Speaker 1: stand firm in the battle. On the day of the Lord,
Speaker 1: when God's people needed true spiritual leadership most desperately, these
Speaker 1: false prophets were nowhere to be found. They offered no
Speaker 1: real strength, no genuine protection, no actual solution to the crisis. Instead,
Speaker 1: they spoke lies and claimed divine authority for their deceptions.
Speaker 1: Verse six expose their method. Their visions are false and
Speaker 1: their divinations a lie, even though the Lord has not
Speaker 1: sent them. They say, the Lord declares, and expect him
Speaker 1: to fulfill their words. They were putting words in God's
Speaker 1: mouth that he had never spoken, then expecting him to
Speaker 1: make their lies come true. But the false prophecy problem
Speaker 1: wasn't limited to men. There were also women who were
Speaker 1: practicing a form of spiritual deception that was equally dangerous.
Speaker 1: In verse seventeen, God commanded, now, son of Man, set
Speaker 1: your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy
Speaker 1: out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them. These false
Speaker 1: prophetesses had developed an elaborate system of magical practices designed
Speaker 1: to trap people's souls, as described in verse eighteen. This
Speaker 1: is what the sovereign Lord says, woe to the women
Speaker 1: who sow magic charms on all their wrists and make
Speaker 1: veils of various lengths for their heads in order to
Speaker 1: ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people,
Speaker 1: but preserve of your own lives. They were creating physical objects, charms,
Speaker 1: and veils that they claimed had spiritual power. People were
Speaker 1: paying them for these items, believing they would provide protection
Speaker 1: or spiritual insight. But these women were actually trapping people
Speaker 1: in deception, taking advantage of their spiritual hunger for personal gain.
Speaker 1: God revealed their mercenary motivation in verse nineteen. You have
Speaker 1: profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of
Speaker 1: barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people
Speaker 1: who listened to lies. You have killed those who should
Speaker 1: not have died, and have spared those who should not live.
Speaker 1: They were selling false spiritual comfort to people heading toward judgment,
Speaker 1: while failing to warn those who truly needed to repent.
Speaker 1: The judgment against all these false spiritual leaders was absolute.
Speaker 1: In verse twenty, God declared his intention to tear away
Speaker 1: their deceptive tool. Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says.
Speaker 1: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare
Speaker 1: people like birds, and I will tear them from your arms.
Speaker 1: I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds.
Speaker 1: After exposing the false prophets, God gave Ezekiel a parable
Speaker 1: that would cut to the heart of Jerusalem's true spiritual condition.
Speaker 1: This wasn't a gentle metaphor. It was a devastating comparison
Speaker 1: that revealed how far God's chosen city had fallen from
Speaker 1: its intended purpose. In Ezekiel, chapter fifteen, Verse two, God
Speaker 1: posed a question that seemed simple but carried profound implications.
Speaker 1: Son of Man, how is the wood of a vine
Speaker 1: different from that of a branch from any of the
Speaker 1: trees in the forest. This question forced people to think
Speaker 1: about what made a vine special and valuable. Everyone knew
Speaker 1: the answer. A vine was valuable for only thing producing grapes.
Speaker 1: Unlike other trees that could be used for building or
Speaker 1: making tools, vine wood was soft, weak, and essentially useless
Speaker 1: for any practical construction purpose. Its entire value depended on
Speaker 1: its ability to bear fruit. God pressed the point further
Speaker 1: in verse three, Is wood ever taken from it to
Speaker 1: make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to
Speaker 1: hang things on? The answer was obviously no. Nobody made
Speaker 1: furniture from vine wood, nobody carved tools from it. Nobody
Speaker 1: even made simple pegs to hang things on. Vine Wood
Speaker 1: was too weak and unreliable for any of these purposes.
Speaker 1: This led to the devastating application of the parable. Jerusalem
Speaker 1: was like a vine chosen by God specifically to bear
Speaker 1: spiritual fruit, to be a light to the nations, to
Speaker 1: demonstrate God's character to the world. But instead of producing
Speaker 1: the fruit it was created for, Jerusalem had become spiritually
Speaker 1: barren and just as useless. Vine wood was only good
Speaker 1: for one thing, burning as fuel. Jerusalem, in its fruitless state,
Speaker 1: was only fit for God's consuming judgment. In verse four,
Speaker 1: God made this clear. And after it is thrown on
Speaker 1: the fire as fuel, and the fire burns both ends
Speaker 1: and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything?
Speaker 1: The image became even more pointed. Even after vinewood was
Speaker 1: partially burned, it became completely worthless. The charred remains couldn't
Speaker 1: be used for anything at all. This represented Jerusalem's condition
Speaker 1: after experiencing God's partial judgments. Instead of repenting and returning
Speaker 1: to fruitfulness, the city had become even more hardened and useless.
Speaker 1: In verse six, God applied the parable directly. Therefore, this
Speaker 1: is what the sovereign Lord says. As I have given
Speaker 1: the wood of the vine among the trees of the
Speaker 1: forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat
Speaker 1: the people living in Jerusalem. Jerusalem's fate was sealed not
Speaker 1: because God was cruel, but because the city had failed
Speaker 1: to fulfill its purpose and had become spiritually worthless. The
Speaker 1: judgment wasn't arbitrary. It was the natural consequence of fruitlessness.
Speaker 1: Just as a farmer eventually removes a barren vine that
Speaker 1: takes up space without producing grapes, God was removing Jerusalem
Speaker 1: because it had failed to produce the spiritual fruit it
Speaker 1: was planted to bear. What came next was perhaps the
Speaker 1: most powerful and disturbing allegory in all of scripture. God
Speaker 1: told Ezekiel to present Jerusalem's spiritual history as the story
Speaker 1: of an abandoned baby who grew up to become an
Speaker 1: unfaithful wife. This wasn't just a story. It was a raw,
Speaker 1: emotional account of betrayal that would make people understand the
Speaker 1: depth of their spiritual adultery. The story began with an
Speaker 1: image that would break any heart. In Ezekiel Chapter sixteen,
Speaker 1: verse four, God described Jerusalem's origins. On the day you
Speaker 1: were born, your cord was not cut, nor were you
Speaker 1: washed with water too make you clean, nor were you
Speaker 1: rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. This was a
Speaker 1: baby completely abandoned, left to die without even the most
Speaker 1: basic care that any newborn needed to survive. Verse five
Speaker 1: painted an even more tragic picture. No one looked on
Speaker 1: you with pity or had compassion enough to do any
Speaker 1: of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out
Speaker 1: into the open field. For on the day you were born,
Speaker 1: you were despised. This baby wasn't just neglected, she was
Speaker 1: actively rejected and thrown away like garbage. But then came
Speaker 1: the moment of divine rescue. In verse six, God revealed
Speaker 1: his intervention. Then I passed by and saw you kicking
Speaker 1: about in your blood, And as you lay there in
Speaker 1: your blood, I said to you live. Indeed, God didn't
Speaker 1: just walk by the dying infant. He commanded her to
Speaker 1: live and took personal responsibility for her survival. Under God's care,
Speaker 1: the abandoned baby began to thrive. Verse seven described her growth.
Speaker 1: I made you grow like a plant of the bee effield.
Speaker 1: You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had
Speaker 1: formed and your hair had grown, Yet you were still
Speaker 1: naked and bare. God had brought her from the brink
Speaker 1: of death to the beauty of young womanhood. When she
Speaker 1: reached maturity, God's relationship with her changed from guardian to husband.
Speaker 1: In verse eight, he declared, later, I passed by, and
Speaker 1: when I looked at you and saw that you were
Speaker 1: old enough for love, I spread the corner of my
Speaker 1: garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave
Speaker 1: you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you,
Speaker 1: and you became became mine. This was the moment of
Speaker 1: their spiritual marriage, God choosing Jerusalem as his bride. The
Speaker 1: blessings that followed were extraordinary. God clothed her in the
Speaker 1: finest materials, embroidered cloth, leather, sandals, fine linen, and costly garments.
Speaker 1: He adorned her with jewelry, bracelets, necklaces, rings, and a
Speaker 1: beautiful crown. He fed her the finest foods, honey, olive, oil,
Speaker 1: and the best flower. She became incredibly beautiful and rose
Speaker 1: to become a queen among nations, but success corrupted her heart.
Speaker 1: In verse fifteen, the tragic turn began. But you trusted
Speaker 1: in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute.
Speaker 1: You lavished your favors on any one who passed by,
Speaker 1: and your beauty became his the very gifts God had
Speaker 1: given her became tools of spiritual adultery. The adultery wasn't
Speaker 1: just occasional unfaithfulness, it was systematic spiritual prostitution. She took
Speaker 1: the clothes God had given her and made shrines for
Speaker 1: false gods. She took the jewelry he had provided and
Speaker 1: made idols. She even took the food he supplied and
Speaker 1: offered it to other gods as incense. But the most
Speaker 1: horrifying aspect was yet to be revealed. In verse twenty,
Speaker 1: God exposed the ultimate abomination. And you took your sons
Speaker 1: and daughters whom you bore to me, and sacrificed them
Speaker 1: as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough?
Speaker 1: She had taken the children of her marriage with God
Speaker 1: and sacrificed them to false gods, the ultimate betrayal of
Speaker 1: trust and love. The allegory continued with devastating detail showing
Speaker 1: how Jerusalem had actually paid other nations to be her
Speaker 1: lovers instead of being paid like a normal prostitute. She
Speaker 1: had reversed the natural order, giving gifts to her spiritual
Speaker 1: lovers instead of receiving them. God's next message came in
Speaker 1: the form of a riddle that would puzzle every one
Speaker 1: who heard it until Ezekiel explained its meaning. This wasn't
Speaker 1: just a nature story. It was a political prophecy disguised
Speaker 1: as a parable about eagles and trees. In Ezekiel Chapter seventeen,
Speaker 1: verse two, God commanded son of Man, set forth an
Speaker 1: allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable.
Speaker 1: What followed was a story that seemed simple on the surface,
Speaker 1: but contained layers of meaning that would reveal the political
Speaker 1: drama happening around them. The riddle began with a great
Speaker 1: eagle in verse three, say to them, this is what
Speaker 1: the sovereign lord says. A great eagle with powerful wings,
Speaker 1: long feathers, and full plumage of varied colors, came to Lebanon.
Speaker 1: Taking hold of the top of a cedar. He broke
Speaker 1: off its topmost chute and carried it away to a
Speaker 1: land of merchants, where he planted it in a city
Speaker 1: of traders. This great eagle represented nebicud Neza, the King
Speaker 1: of Babylon, with his powerful military might. The cedar tree
Speaker 1: was the royal house of Judah, and the topmost shoot
Speaker 1: was King Jehoyakin, whom nebucad Neza had carried away to
Speaker 1: Babylon in the first deportation, but the eagle didn't just
Speaker 1: take he also planted. Verse five continued the story. He
Speaker 1: and took one of the seedlings of the land and
Speaker 1: put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a
Speaker 1: willow by abundant water, and it sprouted and became a
Speaker 1: low spreading vine. This seedling was Zedekiah, whom nebukud Nezza
Speaker 1: had placed on the throne as a puppet king. The
Speaker 1: arrangement seemed to be working well. The vine grew and spread,
Speaker 1: but it remained low and under the control of the
Speaker 1: eagle that had planted it. This represented the tributary relationship,
Speaker 1: where Judah would remain a kingdom, but under Babylonian authority. However,
Speaker 1: the story took a dramatic turn in verse seven. But
Speaker 1: there was another eagle, a great one with powerful wings
Speaker 1: and a lot of feathers. The vine now turned its
Speaker 1: roots toward him from the plot where it was planted,
Speaker 1: and stretched out its branches to him for water. This
Speaker 1: second eagle was Egypt, and the vine turning toward it
Speaker 1: represented King Zedekiah's decision to seek Egyptian help in rebelling
Speaker 1: against Babylon. The question posed in verse nine revealed the
Speaker 1: foolishness of this decision. Will it thrive? Will it not
Speaker 1: be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers,
Speaker 1: or its new growth will wither. It will not take
Speaker 1: a strong arm or many people to pull it up
Speaker 1: by the roots. The vine that tried to serve two
Speaker 1: eagles would be destroyed by both. God then revealed his
Speaker 1: personal involvement in this political drama. In verse sixteen, he declared,
Speaker 1: as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, he
Speaker 1: shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king
Speaker 1: who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised,
Speaker 1: and whose treaty he broke. Zedekiah's rebellion wasn't just against
Speaker 1: nebucud Nezza. It was against God himself, who had ordained
Speaker 1: the Babylonian king's authority. The judgment was swift and certain.
Speaker 1: Verse twenty proclaimed, I will spread my net for him,
Speaker 1: and he will be caught in my snare. I will
Speaker 1: bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there,
Speaker 1: because he was unfaithful to me. God would personally ensure
Speaker 1: that the rebellious king faced justice for his oath breaking
Speaker 1: and unfaithfulness. But the parable ended with hope. In verse
Speaker 1: twenty two, God promised, this is what the sovereign Lord says,
Speaker 1: I myself will take a shoot from the very top
Speaker 1: of a cedar and plant it. I will break off
Speaker 1: a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it
Speaker 1: on a high and lofty mountain. This represented God's promise
Speaker 1: to raise up a future king from David's line who
Speaker 1: would rule righteously. After delivering these harsh judgments against the
Speaker 1: nation as a whole, God revealed a principle that would
Speaker 1: revolutionize how people understood divine justice. This wasn't just about
Speaker 1: national consequences. It was about individual responsibility and the possibility
Speaker 1: of personal redemption even in the midst of national judgment.
Speaker 1: The principle was introduced through a popular saying that people
Speaker 1: were using to excuse their situation. In Ezekiel chapter eighteen,
Speaker 1: verse two, God addressed this excuse what do you people mean?
Speaker 1: By quoting this proverb about the land of Israel. The
Speaker 1: parents eat sour grapes and the children's teeth are set
Speaker 1: on edge. People were claiming they were suffering for their
Speaker 1: ancestors sins, not their own. God's response was absolute and final.
Speaker 1: In verse three, he declared, as surely as I live,
Speaker 1: declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb.
Speaker 1: In Israel, the era of blaming previous generations was officially over.
Speaker 1: Each person would be held accountable for their own choices
Speaker 1: and actions. To illustrate this principle, God presented three generations
Speaker 1: of a family with different moral choices. The first generation
Speaker 1: was represented by a righteous man described in verse five.
Speaker 1: Suppose there is a righteous man who does what is
Speaker 1: just and right. This man followed God's laws completely. He
Speaker 1: didn't worship idols, commit adultery, oppress others, or charge interest
Speaker 1: on loans. He fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and
Speaker 1: executed true justice. The verdict for this righteous man was
Speaker 1: clear in verse nine. He follows my decrees and faithfully
Speaker 1: keeps my mind laws. That man is righteous. He will
Speaker 1: surely live, declares the Sovereign Lord. His righteousness guaranteed his
Speaker 1: life and God's blessing. But then God presented the second generation,
Speaker 1: the son of this righteous man, who chose a completely
Speaker 1: different path. In verse ten, the scenario changed. Suppose he
Speaker 1: has a violent son who sheds blood or does any
Speaker 1: of these other things. This son committed every sin his
Speaker 1: father had avoided, murder, adultery, oppression, robbery, and idolatry. The
Speaker 1: question was crucial. Would this wicked son be protected by
Speaker 1: his father's righteousness. God's answer was definitive. In verse thirteen,
Speaker 1: will such a man live? He will not, because he
Speaker 1: has done all these detestable things. He is to be
Speaker 1: put to death. His blood will be on his own head.
Speaker 1: Parental righteousness provided no protection for personal wickedness. The third
Speaker 1: generation completed the illustration. In verse fourteen. God presented another possibility.
Speaker 1: But suppose this son has a son who sees all
Speaker 1: the sins his father commits, and though he sees them,
Speaker 1: he does not do such things. This grandson chose righteousness
Speaker 1: despite his father's terrible example. The grandson's fate was determined
Speaker 1: by his own choices, not his family history. Verse seventeen declared,
Speaker 1: he withholds his hand from mistreating the poor and takes
Speaker 1: no interest or profit from them. He keeps my laws
Speaker 1: and follows my decrees. He will not die for his
Speaker 1: father's sin. He will surely live. A wicked father couldn't
Speaker 1: condemn a righteous son any more than a righteous grandfather
Speaker 1: could save a wicked grandson. God summarized the principle with
Speaker 1: perfect clarity in verse twenty the one who sins is
Speaker 1: the one who will die. The child will not share
Speaker 1: the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share
Speaker 1: the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous
Speaker 1: will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the
Speaker 1: wicked will be charged against them. But the most amazing
Speaker 1: part was the possibility of personal transformation. In verse twenty one,
Speaker 1: God revealed that even the most wicked person could change
Speaker 1: their destiny. But if a wicked person turns away from
Speaker 1: all the sins they have committed and keeps all My
Speaker 1: decrees and does what is just and right, that person
Speaker 1: will surely live. They will not die. Past sins didn't
Speaker 1: have to determine future fate. As Jerusalem's political situation deteriorated rapidly,
Speaker 1: God commanded Ezekiel to compose a funeral song for the
Speaker 1: royal family. This wasn't just poetry. It was a prophetic
Speaker 1: lament that would capture the tragedy of leadership that had
Speaker 1: failed to protect God's people. In Ezekiel, chapter nineteen, Verse one,
Speaker 1: God gave the command take up a lament concerning the
Speaker 1: princes of Israel. This was to be a morning song,
Speaker 1: the kind sung at funerals when great leaders died. But
Speaker 1: these princes weren't dead yet. This was a prophecy of
Speaker 1: their coming doom. The lament began with a powerful metaphor
Speaker 1: in verse two. What a lioness was your mother among
Speaker 1: the lions? She lay down among young lions and reared
Speaker 1: her cubs. The mother lioness represented the royal line of David,
Speaker 1: specifically the kingdom of Judah. She was strong and noble,
Speaker 1: raising her young among other powerful leaders. The first cub
Speaker 1: grew to become a fearsome predator. Verse three described his development.
Speaker 1: She brought up one of her cubs, and he became
Speaker 1: a strong lion. He learned to tear them prey, and
Speaker 1: he became a man eater. This represented King Jehoahas, who
Speaker 1: ruled for only three months before being captured, but his
Speaker 1: reign was cut short by foreign intervention. In verse four,
Speaker 1: the lament continued. The nations heard about him, and he
Speaker 1: was trapped in their pit. They led him with hooks
Speaker 1: to the land of Egypt. Jehoahas was taken captive by
Speaker 1: Pharaoh Neko and died in Egyptian exile, never to return
Speaker 1: to his homeland. The lioness didn't give up after losing
Speaker 1: her first cub. Verse five told of her next attempt.
Speaker 1: When she saw her hope unfulfilled, her expectation gone, she
Speaker 1: took another of her cubs and made him a strong lion.
Speaker 1: This second cub was Jehoyakin, who seemed destined for greater
Speaker 1: success than his predecessor. This second lion also became powerful
Speaker 1: and dangerous. Verse six described his reign. He prowled among
Speaker 1: the lions, for he had become a strong lion. He
Speaker 1: learned to tear the prey, and he became a man eater.
Speaker 1: Like his predecessor, he ruled with violence and oppression, devouring
Speaker 1: his own people. His destructive behavior extended beyond just personal violence.
Speaker 1: Verse seven revealed the scope of his damage. He broke
Speaker 1: down their strongholds and devastated their towns. The land and
Speaker 1: all who were in it were terrified by his roaring.
Speaker 1: This king destroyed the very infrastructure and communities he was
Speaker 1: supposed to protect. But his fate was even worse than
Speaker 1: the first cubs. In verse eight, the Lament described his capture.
Speaker 1: Then the nations came against him, those from regions round about.
Speaker 1: They spread their net for him, and he was trapped
Speaker 1: in their pit. Unlike the first king, who was taken
Speaker 1: by one nation, this one faced a coalition of enemies.
Speaker 1: The end was swift and final. Verse nine completed his
Speaker 1: story with hooks. They pulled him into a cage and
Speaker 1: brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him
Speaker 1: in prison, so his roar was heard no longer on
Speaker 1: the mountains of Israel. Jehoiakin was taken to Babylon in chains,
Speaker 1: and his voice of authority was silenced forever. The Lament
Speaker 1: then shifted metaphors, comparing the royal line to a vine
Speaker 1: that had once been fruitful and strong. Verse ten painted
Speaker 1: a picture of former glory. Your mother was like a
Speaker 1: vine in your vineyard, planted by the water. It was
Speaker 1: fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water. This
Speaker 1: represented the kingdom during its prosperous years, but success led
Speaker 1: to pride and destruction. Verse twelve described the catastrophe, but
Speaker 1: it was uprooted in fury and thrown to the ground.
Speaker 1: The east wind made it shrivel. It was stripped of
Speaker 1: its fruit. Its strong branches withered, and fire consumed them.
Speaker 1: The east wind represented the Babylonian invasion that would destroy everything.
Speaker 1: The final image was one of complete desolation. Verse thirteen
Speaker 1: concluded the lament. Now it is planted in the desert,
Speaker 1: in a dry and thirsty land. The royal vine that
Speaker 1: had once flourished by abundant water, was now withering in exile,
Speaker 1: far from the source of its strength and life. For
Speaker 1: the final symbolic act in this section, God gave Ezekiel
Speaker 1: one of the most vivid and disturbing metaphors. Yet. Jerusalem
Speaker 1: wasn't just a city under siege. It was like a
Speaker 1: cooking pot that had become so corroded and filthy that
Speaker 1: it could never be cleaned again. The prophecy came with
Speaker 1: a specific date in Ezekiel Chapter twenty four, Verse one.
Speaker 1: In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the
Speaker 1: tenth day, the word of the Lord came to me.
Speaker 1: This wasn't just any day. This was the exact day
Speaker 1: that nebicud Nezzer began his final siege of Jerusalem. While
Speaker 1: the attack was starting hundreds of miles away, God was
Speaker 1: revealing it to Ezekiel in real time. God commanded Ezekiel
Speaker 1: to record this date. In verse two, son of Man,
Speaker 1: record this date, this very date, because the King of
Speaker 1: Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. This
Speaker 1: prophecy would serve as proof that God knew exactly what
Speaker 1: was happening. And when the metaphor began, simply enough in
Speaker 1: verse three, tell this rebellious people a parable, and say
Speaker 1: to them, this is what the sovereign lord says. Put
Speaker 1: on the cooking pot. Put it on, and pour water
Speaker 1: into it. At first, this seemed like normal cooking preparation,
Speaker 1: but as the instructionctions continued, the true meaning became clear.
Speaker 1: Verse four revealed what was going into the pot. Put
Speaker 1: into it the pieces of meat, all the choice pieces,
Speaker 1: the leg and the shoulder. Fill it with the best
Speaker 1: of these bones. The meat represented the people of Jerusalem,
Speaker 1: and the best pieces represented the nobility and leadership. The
Speaker 1: cooking process began in verse five. Take the pick of
Speaker 1: the flock, pile wood beneath it for the bones, Bring
Speaker 1: it to a boil, and cook the bones in it.
Speaker 1: This was the siege of Jerusalem. The city was being
Speaker 1: heated by the fires of war, and everyone inside was
Speaker 1: being cooked by the pressure and violence. But then God
Speaker 1: revealed the real problem with this pot. In verse six,
Speaker 1: he declared, for this is what the sovereign lord says,
Speaker 1: woe to the city of bloodshed, To the pot now encrusted,
Speaker 1: whose deposit will not go away, take the meat out,
Speaker 1: piece by piece, in whatever order it comes. The pot
Speaker 1: was corroded with rust and deposits that couldn't be cleaned.
Speaker 1: The rust and corrosion represented the accumulated bloodshed and sin
Speaker 1: that had built up in Jerusalem over generations. Just as
Speaker 1: rust weakens metal and makes it unusable, the moral corruption
Speaker 1: had weakened the city beyond repair. Verse seven identified the
Speaker 1: source of this corruption. For the blood she shed is
Speaker 1: in her midst she poured it on the bare rock.
Speaker 1: She did not pour it on the ground where the
Speaker 1: dust would cover it. The city had committed murders so
Speaker 1: openly and brazenly that the blood cried out for vengeance.
Speaker 1: The judgment was both just and inevitable. In verse eight,
Speaker 1: God explained his response to stir up wrath and take revenge.
Speaker 1: I put her blood on the bare rock so that
Speaker 1: it would not be covered. God himself had ensured that
Speaker 1: Jerusalem's crimes would not be hidden or forgotten. The corruption
Speaker 1: was so complete that normal cleaning wouldn't work. Verse eleven
Speaker 1: described the drastic measures needed. Then set the empty pot
Speaker 1: on the coals till it becomes hot and its copper glows,
Speaker 1: so that its impurities may be melted and its deposit
Speaker 1: burned away. The only way to deal with this level
Speaker 1: of corruption was to heat the pot until the metal
Speaker 1: itself glowed and the rust was burned away. But even
Speaker 1: this extreme treatment failed. Verse twelve revealed the hopeless condition.
Speaker 1: It has frustrated all efforts. Its heavy deposit has not
Speaker 1: been removed, not even by fire. The corruption was so
Speaker 1: deep and complete that even the most intense purification couldn't
Speaker 1: clean it. The final verdict was devastating in verse thirteen.
Speaker 1: Now your impurity is lewdness, because I tried to cleanse you,
Speaker 1: but you would not be cleansed from your impurity. You
Speaker 1: will not be clean again until my wrath against you
Speaker 1: has subsided. The pot was beyond redemption and would have
Speaker 1: to be completely destroyed. After delivering devastating prophecies against Jerusalem,
Speaker 1: God's attention turned to the nations surrounding Israel. These weren't
Speaker 1: random judgments against distant peoples. They were targeted pronouncements against
Speaker 1: specific neighbors who had celebrated Jerusalem's downfall and taken advantage
Speaker 1: of God's people in their darkest hour. The first nation
Speaker 1: to face judgment was Ammon, located east of the Jordan River.
Speaker 1: In Ezekiel chapter twenty five, verse two, God commanded, son
Speaker 1: of Man, set your face against the Ammonites, and prophesy
Speaker 1: against them. The Ammonites were descendants of Lot, making them
Speaker 1: distant relatives of Israel, but they had shown no family loyalty.
Speaker 1: When Jerusalem fell. Their crime was revealed in verse three.
Speaker 1: Say to them, hear the word of the sovereign Lord.
Speaker 1: This is what the sovereign Lord says. Because you said
Speaker 1: aha over my sanctuary when it was desecrated, and over
Speaker 1: the land of Israel when it was laid waste, and
Speaker 1: over the people of Judah when they went into exile.
Speaker 1: The Ammonites had actually celebrated when God's temple was destroyed
Speaker 1: and his people were dragged away in chains. This wasn't
Speaker 1: just political rivalry, it was spiritual mockery. They had rejoiced
Speaker 1: when the place where God's name Dwelt was defiled and destroyed.
Speaker 1: Their aha was a cry of triumph over what they
Speaker 1: saw as the defeat of Israel's God, not just Israel's army.
Speaker 1: The punishment would fit the crime perfectly. In verse four,
Speaker 1: God declared, Therefore, I am going to give you to
Speaker 1: the people of the East as a possession. They will
Speaker 1: set up their camps and pitch their tents amung you.
Speaker 1: They will eat your fruit and drink your milk. The
Speaker 1: very people the Ammonites thought would protect them would instead
Speaker 1: consume everything they had. Their capital city would become a
Speaker 1: pasture for animals. In verse five, I will turn rubber
Speaker 1: into a pasture for camels, and amon into a resting
Speaker 1: place for sheep. Then you will know that I am
Speaker 1: the Lord. The city where they had celebrated Israel's destruction
Speaker 1: would become grazing land for wandering herds. Next came Moab,
Speaker 1: another descendant nation of Lot. Their sin was different, but
Speaker 1: equally serious. In verse eight, God revealed their offense. This
Speaker 1: is what the sovereign Lord says, because Moab and Sayer said, look,
Speaker 1: Judah has become like all the other nations. Moab had
Speaker 1: denied the uniqueness of God's relationship with his people, claiming
Speaker 1: Judah was no different from any pagan nation. This was
Speaker 1: a direct attack on God's character and covenant faithfulness. By
Speaker 1: saying Judah was just like other nations, Moab was essentially
Speaker 1: claiming that the God of Israel was powerless and no
Speaker 1: different from the false gods of other peoples. The judgment
Speaker 1: against Moab would expose the flank of their country. In
Speaker 1: verse nine, Therefore, I will expose the flank of Moab,
Speaker 1: beginning at its frontier towns beth Jeshamuth, Balmion, and Kiriatheim.
Speaker 1: The glory of that land. Their strongest defensive positions would
Speaker 1: be stripped away, leaving them vulnerable to invasion. Edom's judgment
Speaker 1: was perhaps the most personal of all. These were the
Speaker 1: descendants of Esau, Jacob's twin brother, making them the closest
Speaker 1: blood relatives Israel had among the nations, but their behavior
Speaker 1: during Jerusalem's crisis had been absolutely brutal. Their crime was
Speaker 1: revealed in verse twelve. This is what the sovereign Lord says,
Speaker 1: because Edom took revenge on Judah and became very guilty
Speaker 1: by doing so. When Judah was already suffering under Babylonian attack.
Speaker 1: Edom had taken the opportunity to settle old scores and
Speaker 1: inflict additional damage on their wounded relatives. This wasn't just
Speaker 1: opportunistic raiding. It was calculated revenge that showed a deep
Speaker 1: hatred that had been festering for generations. They had waited
Speaker 1: for their moment of weakness and then struck with vicious cruelty.
Speaker 1: God's response would be equally personal and devastating. In verse thirteen,
Speaker 1: he declared, Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says.
Speaker 1: I will stretch out my hand against Edom and kill
Speaker 1: both man and beast. I will lay it waste, and
Speaker 1: from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword.
Speaker 1: The entire nation would be devastated from north to south.
Speaker 1: But the most shocking aspect of Eddomom's punishment was who
Speaker 1: would carry it out. Verse fourteen revealed, I will take
Speaker 1: vengeance on Edon by the hand of my people Israel,
Speaker 1: and they will deal with Edom in accordance with my
Speaker 1: anger and my wrath. They will know my vengeance, declares
Speaker 1: the Sovereign Lord. Israel themselves would eventually be God's instrument
Speaker 1: of revenge against their treacherous relatives. The final neighbor to
Speaker 1: face judgment was the Philistines, the ancient enemies who lived
Speaker 1: along the Mediterranean coast. Their crime was described in verse fifteen.
Speaker 1: This is what the Sovereign Lord says, because the Philistines
Speaker 1: acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice in their hearts,
Speaker 1: and with ancient hostility, sought to destroy Judah. Like Edom,
Speaker 1: they had used Judah's weakness as an opportunity to settle
Speaker 1: ancient grudges. The phrase ancient hostility pointed to centuries of
Speaker 1: conflict between these peoples from the days of Samson and David.
Speaker 1: The Philistines had been persistent enemies of God's people. Now
Speaker 1: they thought they saw their chance to finish what they
Speaker 1: had started long ago, but their celebration would be short lived.
Speaker 1: In verse sixteen, God pronounced their doom. Therefore, this is
Speaker 1: what the Sovereign Lord says. I am about to stretch
Speaker 1: out my hand against the Philistines, and I will wipe
Speaker 1: out the Karathites and destroy those remaining along the coast.
Speaker 1: By the coastal cities that had been centers of Philistine
Speaker 1: power for centuries would be completely eliminated. Among all the nations,
Speaker 1: that would face God's judgment. None was more powerful or
Speaker 1: prestigious than Tire. This wasn't just another city state. Tire
Speaker 1: was the crown jewel of ancient commerce, a maritime empire
Speaker 1: that controlled trade routes across the Mediterranean Sea and had
Speaker 1: grown fabulously wealthy from its strategic position. The prophecy against
Speaker 1: Tire began with the same attitude that had condemned the
Speaker 1: other nations. In Ezekiel chapter twenty six, verse two, God
Speaker 1: revealed their response to Jerusalem's fall, Son of Man. Because
Speaker 1: Tire has said of Jerusalem, Aha, the gate to the
Speaker 1: nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me.
Speaker 1: Now that she lies in ruins, I will prosper. And
Speaker 1: a Tire saw Jerusalem's destruction as a business opportunity. Jerusalem
Speaker 1: had been a major commercial center, controlling important trade routes
Speaker 1: between Africa, Asia, and Europe. With Jerusalem out of the way,
Speaker 1: Tire expected to capture all that lost business and become
Speaker 1: even richer. They were celebrating the death of a competitor
Speaker 1: rather than mourning the suffering of fellow human beings. This
Speaker 1: mercenary attitude toward human tree tragedy would bring divine judgment
Speaker 1: unlike anything the ancient world had ever seen. In verse three,
Speaker 1: God declared, therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says.
Speaker 1: I am against you, Tire, and I will bring many
Speaker 1: nations against you, like the sea casting up its waves.
Speaker 1: The metaphor of waves was particularly appropriate for Tire, since
Speaker 1: the city was built partly on an island and partly
Speaker 1: on the mainland coast. Just as relentless waves eventually wear
Speaker 1: down the strongest rock, wave after wave of enemy armies
Speaker 1: would crash against Tire until nothing remained, the first wave
Speaker 1: would be the most devastating. In verse seven, God identified
Speaker 1: the primary attacker, for this is what the sovereign Lord says,
Speaker 1: from the north, I am going to bring against tire Nebuchadnezzar,
Speaker 1: King of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots,
Speaker 1: with horsemen and a great army. The same Babylonian army
Speaker 1: that destroyed Jerusalem would turn its attention to tire Nebucanz's
Speaker 1: siege methods were described in terrifying detail in verse eight,
Speaker 1: he will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword.
Speaker 1: He will set up siege works against you, build a
Speaker 1: ramp up to your walls and raise his shields against you.
Speaker 1: The mainland portion of Tire would fall first, providing a
Speaker 1: base for attacking the island fortress. The assault would be
Speaker 1: overwhelming in its scope and violence. Verse nine continued, he
Speaker 1: will direct the blows of his battering rams against your
Speaker 1: walls and demolish your towers with his weapons. The famous
Speaker 1: walls of Tire, which had protected the city for centuries,
Speaker 1: would crumble under the relentless Babylonian attack. The aftermath would
Speaker 1: be even more devastating than the battle itself. In verse ten,
Speaker 1: God described the occupation. His horse will be so many
Speaker 1: that they will cover you with dust. Your walls will
Speaker 1: tremble at the noise of the war horses, wagons, and
Speaker 1: chariots when he enters your gates, as men enter a
Speaker 1: city whose walls have been broken through. The complete destruction
Speaker 1: was described in verse twelve. They will plunder your wealth
Speaker 1: and loot your merchandise. They will break down your walls
Speaker 1: and demolish your fine houses, and throw your stones, timber,
Speaker 1: and rubble into the sea. Everything that had made Tire grate,
Speaker 1: its buildings, its wealth, its very foundations would be cast
Speaker 1: into the waters. The final image was one of absolute desolation.
Speaker 1: In verse fourteen, God declared, I will make you a
Speaker 1: bare rock, and you will become a place to spread
Speaker 1: fish nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I the
Speaker 1: Lord have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. The mighty commercial
Speaker 1: en would be reduced to a bare rock where fishermen
Speaker 1: dried their nets, But tires fall would have implications far
Speaker 1: beyond the city itself. The economic shock waves would be
Speaker 1: felt throughout the ancient world. In verse fifteen, God revealed
Speaker 1: the broader impact. This is what the Sovereign Lord says
Speaker 1: to Tire. Will not the coastlands tremble at the sound
Speaker 1: of your fall when the wounded grown and the slaughter
Speaker 1: takes place in you. The smaller coastal cities that depended
Speaker 1: on Tire's trade networks would be terrified, realizing that if
Speaker 1: mighty Tire could fall, no city was safe. Their economic
Speaker 1: lifeline was being cut, and they would have to find
Speaker 1: new ways to survive in a world without Tyrian commerce.
Speaker 1: The princes of the Sea the rulers of other maritime cities,
Speaker 1: would perform elaborate morning rituals. Verse sixteen described their response. Then,
Speaker 1: all the princes of the coast lands were step down
Speaker 1: from their thrones and lay aside their robes and take
Speaker 1: off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit
Speaker 1: on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled at you. After
Speaker 1: prophesying the political and economic destruction of Tire, God commanded
Speaker 1: Ezekiel to compose a funeral dirge for the King of Tire.
Speaker 1: But this wasn't just about an earthly ruler. This lament
Speaker 1: would reveal spiritual realities that went far beyond human politics
Speaker 1: and reach into the very origins of evil itself. The
Speaker 1: lament began with what seemed like excessive praise for a
Speaker 1: human king. In Ezekiel Chapter twenty eight, verse twelve, God
Speaker 1: commanded son of Man take up a lament concerning the
Speaker 1: King of Tire, and say to him, this is what
Speaker 1: the sovereign Lord says. You were the seal of perfection,
Speaker 1: full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. Oh, no human
Speaker 1: ruler had ever been described in such absolute terms. Description
Speaker 1: continued with even more extraordinary language in verse thirteen. You
Speaker 1: were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone
Speaker 1: adorned you, Carnelian chrysolite, and emerald tapas Onyx and Jasper, Lapis, Lazuli, turquoise,
Speaker 1: and Beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold.
Speaker 1: On the day you were created, they were prepared. This
Speaker 1: being had been present in the original garden of Eden,
Speaker 1: adorned with precious stones, and created by God himself. The
Speaker 1: revelation became even more astounding in verse fourteen. You were
Speaker 1: anointed as a guardian Cherub, For so I ordained you.
Speaker 1: You were on the holy mount of God. You walked
Speaker 1: among the fiery stones. This wasn't describing any human king.
Speaker 1: This was describing a powerful angelic being who had held
Speaker 1: one of the highest positions in God's heavenly court. This
Speaker 1: Guardian Cherub had originally been perfect in every where. Verse
Speaker 1: fifteen confirmed you were blameless in your ways from the
Speaker 1: day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
Speaker 1: There had been a time when this being was completely
Speaker 1: without sin fulfilling his role as God's appointed guardian with
Speaker 1: perfect obedience and righteousness. But something had gone terribly wrong.
Speaker 1: The perfection had been corrupted from within, and the change
Speaker 1: was connected to the same thing that had corrupted tire,
Speaker 1: commercial success and pride. Verse sixteen revealed the process through
Speaker 1: your widespread trade. You were filled with violence, and you sinned.
Speaker 1: So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
Speaker 1: and I expelled you Guardian Cherub from among the fiery stones.
Speaker 1: The root of the corruption was identified in verse seventeen.
Speaker 1: Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and
Speaker 1: you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I
Speaker 1: threw you to the earth. I made a spectacle of
Speaker 1: you before kings. Pride in his own beauty and wisdom
Speaker 1: had transformed this perfect being into a rebel against his creator.
Speaker 1: The judgment that followed was total and irreversible. In verse eighteen,
Speaker 1: God declared, by your many sins and dishonest trade, you
Speaker 1: have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come
Speaker 1: out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced
Speaker 1: you to ashes on the ground in the sight of
Speaker 1: all who were watching. The fire of judgment would come
Speaker 1: from within, consuming everything this being had been and accomplished.
Speaker 1: The final verdict was absolute in verse nineteen. All the
Speaker 1: nations who knew you are appalled at you. You have
Speaker 1: come to a horrible end and will be no more.
Speaker 1: This powerful being who had once walked in God's presence
Speaker 1: would be completely destroyed, becoming a source of horror and
Speaker 1: warning to all who witnessed his fate. This lament revealed
Speaker 1: that the human king of Tire was being used as
Speaker 1: an earthly representation of a much greater spiritual reality. The pride, corruption,
Speaker 1: and fall of the earthly king paralleled the ancient rebellion
Speaker 1: of this guardian cherub, who had fallen from heaven through
Speaker 1: pride and become an enemy of God. After the elaborate
Speaker 1: prophecies against Tire and its king, God's attention turned to Sidon,
Speaker 1: Tire's northern neighbor and partner in maritime commerce. But the
Speaker 1: prophecy against Sidon was shorter and served as a bridge
Speaker 1: to something much more hopeful, the promise of Israel's eventual restoration.
Speaker 1: In Ezekiel chapter twenty eight, verse twenty one, God commanded,
Speaker 1: son of Man, set your face against Sidon, prophesy against her.
Speaker 1: Sidon was an ancient Phoenician city that had been a
Speaker 1: center of trade and paidan worship for over a thousand years.
Speaker 1: Like Tire, it had profited from relationships with various nations
Speaker 1: while maintaining its independence through commercial power. The judgment against
Speaker 1: Sidon was swift and direct. In verse twenty two, God declared,
Speaker 1: this is what the sovereign Lord says. I am against you,
Speaker 1: side on and among you. I will display my glory.
Speaker 1: You will know that I am the Lord. When I
Speaker 1: inflict punishment on you, and within you am proved to
Speaker 1: be holy. Unlike the detailed description of Tire's fall, Sidon's
Speaker 1: judgment was presented as a demonstration of God's holiness and power.
Speaker 1: The method of judgment was described in verse twenty three.
Speaker 1: I will send a plague upon you and make blood
Speaker 1: flow in your streets. The slain will fall within you,
Speaker 1: with the sword against you on every side. Then you
Speaker 1: will know that I am the Lord. Disease and warfare
Speaker 1: would come to devastate the city, proving that no amount
Speaker 1: of commercial success could provide protection against divine judgment. But
Speaker 1: immediately after pronouncing judgment on Sidon, God shifted to a
Speaker 1: message of hope for Israel. This wasn't coincidental. It was
Speaker 1: a deliberate contrast between the fate of those who opposed
Speaker 1: God's people and the future that awaited God's chosen nation
Speaker 1: despite their current suffering. In verse twenty four, God addressed
Speaker 1: Israel's situation no longer will the people of Israel have
Speaker 1: malicious neighbors who are painful briars and sharp thorns. Then
Speaker 1: they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord. All
Speaker 1: the neighboring nations that had tormented Israel throughout their history
Speaker 1: would be removed as sources of temptation and oppression. The
Speaker 1: promise of restoration was comprehensive and wonderful. Verse twenty five declared,
Speaker 1: this is what the Sovereign Lord says. When I gather
Speaker 1: the people of Israel from the nations where they have
Speaker 1: been scattered, I will be proved wholly through them in
Speaker 1: the sight of the nations. Then they will live in
Speaker 1: their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.
Speaker 1: This gathering wouldn't just be a return to geography. It
Speaker 1: would be a return to their covenant relationship with God.
Speaker 1: They would once again demonstrate God's holiness to the watching world,
Speaker 1: not through their rebellion and punishment, as they had been doing,
Speaker 1: but through their restoration and blessing. The restoration would include
Speaker 1: both security and prosperity. In verse twenty six, God promised,
Speaker 1: they will live there in safety, and will build houses
Speaker 1: and plant vineyards. They will live in safety. When I
Speaker 1: inflict punishment on all their neighbors who malign them, then
Speaker 1: they will know that I am the Lord their God.
Speaker 1: The safety would come not from military might or political alliances,
Speaker 1: but from God's protection after he dealt with all their enemies.
Speaker 1: This promise served as a crucial reminder that God's judgments
Speaker 1: against the nations weren't motivated by favoritism or ethnic preference.
Speaker 1: They were the result of these nations treatment of God's
Speaker 1: people and their rejection of divine justice. When God restored Israel,
Speaker 1: it would be as a demonstration of his faithfulness to
Speaker 1: his covenant promises, not as a reward for Israel's perfect behavior.
Speaker 1: Of all the nations that would face God's judgment, none
Speaker 1: was more significant than Egypt. This wasn't just another neighboring country.
Speaker 1: Egypt was a world's superpower, the ancient center of civilization,
Speaker 1: and the nation that had enslaved God's people for four
Speaker 1: hundred years before the Exodus. The prophecies against Egypt would
Speaker 1: span multiple chapters and reveal God's sovereignty over even the
Speaker 1: mightiest earthly powers. The word against Egypt came with specific
Speaker 1: dating in Ezekiel chapter twenty nine, verse one in the
Speaker 1: tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day,
Speaker 1: the word of the Lord came to me. This precision
Speaker 1: showed that God's timing was exact and his knowledge of
Speaker 1: international events was perfect. God commanded Ezekiel to deliver this message.
Speaker 1: In verse two, Son of Man, set your face against Pharaoh,
Speaker 1: King of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.
Speaker 1: This wasn't just about the current ruler. It was about
Speaker 1: the entire Egyptian system of power that had dominated the
Speaker 1: ancient world for millennia. Egypt's primary sin was arrogance and
Speaker 1: self dearification. In verse three, God revealed Pharaoh's attitude. Speak
Speaker 1: to him and say, this is what the Sovereign Lord says.
Speaker 1: I am against you, Pharaoh, King of Egypt, you great
Speaker 1: monster lying among your streams, you say the Nile belongs
Speaker 1: to me. I made it for myself. Pharaoh claimed ownership
Speaker 1: and creation of the very river that gave Egypt life.
Speaker 1: This wasn't just political pride, it was religious blasphemy. By
Speaker 1: claiming to have made the Nile, Pharaoh was asserting divine
Speaker 1: power and denying God's role as creator. The Nile was
Speaker 1: Egypt's lifeline, and Pharaoh was claiming credit for the miraculous
Speaker 1: annual flood that made Egyptian civilization possible. The punishment would
Speaker 1: be both humiliating and devastating. In verse four, God declared,
Speaker 1: but I will put hooks in your jaws and make
Speaker 1: the fish of your streams stick to your scales. I
Speaker 1: will pull you out from among your streams, with all
Speaker 1: the fish sticking to your scales. The great monster would
Speaker 1: be dragged out of his element like a caught fish,
Speaker 1: helpless and gasping. The imagery continued in verse five, I
Speaker 1: will leave you in the desert. You and all the
Speaker 1: fish of your streams. You will fall on the open
Speaker 1: ground and not be gathered or picked up. I will
Speaker 1: give you as food to the beasts of the earth
Speaker 1: and the birds of the sky. This represented complete defeat
Speaker 1: and abandonment, with no proper burial or mourning. But God's
Speaker 1: case against Egypt went beyond just Pharaoh's arrogance. There was
Speaker 1: a specific betrayal that had sealed their doom. In verse six,
Speaker 1: God explained, then all who live in Egypt will know
Speaker 1: that I am the Lord. You have been a staff
Speaker 1: of reed for the people of Israel. Egypt had failed
Speaker 1: as an ally when Israel needed support most. The metaphor
Speaker 1: of the reed staff was devastating. In verse seven, When
Speaker 1: they grasped you with their hands, you splintered, and you
Speaker 1: tore open their shoulders. When they leaned on you, you
Speaker 1: broke and their backs were wrenched. Instead of providing the
Speaker 1: military support they had promised, Egypt had collapsed under pressure
Speaker 1: and caused additional injury to those who trusted them. This
Speaker 1: had happened repeatedly throughout Israel's history. Whenever Israel faced a
Speaker 1: crisis and turned to Egypt for help instead of trusting God,
Speaker 1: Egypt had proven unreliable and had often made the situation worse.
Speaker 1: They had been a false hope that led to disappointment
Speaker 1: and disaster. The judgment would be comprehensive and long lasting.
Speaker 1: In verse eight, God declared, Therefore, this is what the
Speaker 1: sovereign Lord says. I will bring a sword against you
Speaker 1: and kill both man and beast. This wouldn't just be
Speaker 1: a political defeat. It would be a demographic catastrophe that
Speaker 1: would reduce Egypt's population drastically. The desolation would last for decades.
Speaker 1: Verse ten specified the duration. Therefore, I am against you
Speaker 1: and against your streams, and I will make the land
Speaker 1: of Egypt a ruin and desolate waste. From Migdol to Asswan,
Speaker 1: as far as the border of Kush. From the Mediterranean
Speaker 1: coast to the southern border, the entire country would become uninhabitable.
Speaker 1: The most shocking aspect was the complete depopulation described in
Speaker 1: verse eleven. The foot of neither man nor beast will
Speaker 1: pass through it. No one will live there for forty years.
Speaker 1: For an entire generation, Egypt would be as empty as
Speaker 1: a desert, with no human or animal life surviving in
Speaker 1: what had been one of the most densely populated regions
Speaker 1: on Earth. But like the other judgments, this one had
Speaker 1: a redemptive purpose. After forty years of desolation, God would
Speaker 1: restore Egypt, though not to its former glory. Verse thirteen promised.
Speaker 1: Yet this is what the sovereign Lord says. At the
Speaker 1: end of forty years, I will gather the Egyptians from
Speaker 1: the nations where they were scattered. Even God's enemies would
Speaker 1: eventually experience mercy and restoration. Two years after the first
Speaker 1: prophecy against Egypt, God gave Ezekiel another vision that portrayed
Speaker 1: Pharaoh in an even more dramatic and terrifying way. This time,
Speaker 1: the Egyptian ruler wasn't just a reed or a monster.
Speaker 1: He was depicted as a massive crocodile that terrorized the
Speaker 1: waters but would ultimately be trapped and destroyed. The second
Speaker 1: prophecy came with its own date in Ezekiel, chapter thirty two,
Speaker 1: verse one, in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month,
Speaker 1: on the first day, the word of the Lord came
Speaker 1: to me. This was near the end of Ezekiel's prophetic ministry,
Speaker 1: showing that God's attention to Egypt's fate continued throughout the
Speaker 1: entire period of Jerusalem's crisis. The new metaphor was introduced
Speaker 1: in verse two. Son of Man take up a lament
Speaker 1: concerning Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and say to him, you
Speaker 1: are like a lion among the nations. You are like
Speaker 1: a monster in the seas, thrashing about in your streams,
Speaker 1: churning the water with your feet and muddying the streams.
Speaker 1: Pharaoh saw himself as a noble lion, but God saw
Speaker 1: him as a destructive sea monster. The crocodile imagery was
Speaker 1: particularly appropriate for Egypt, since the Nile was famous for
Speaker 1: its dangerous crocodiles that could kill unwary travelers or animals
Speaker 1: that came to drink. Pharaoh was like the largest and
Speaker 1: most dangerous of these predators, dominating his territory through fear
Speaker 1: and violence. But this great predator would face a hunter
Speaker 1: far more powerful than himself. In verse three, God declared,
Speaker 1: this is what the sovereign lord says, with a great
Speaker 1: throng of people. I will cast my net over you,
Speaker 1: and they will haul you up in my net. The
Speaker 1: image was of fishermen working together to catch a creature
Speaker 1: too large for any individual to handle. The capture would
Speaker 1: be both public and humiliating. Verse four continued, I will
Speaker 1: throw you on the land and hurl you on the
Speaker 1: open field. I will let all the birds of the
Speaker 1: sky settle on you, and all the animals of the
Speaker 1: wild gorge themselves on you. The mighty river predator would
Speaker 1: become carrion for scavengers. The scale of destruction would be unprecedented.
Speaker 1: In verse five, God revealed, I will spread your flesh
Speaker 1: on the mountains and fill the valleys with your remains.
Speaker 1: This hyperbolic language emphasized that Pharaoh's downfall would affect the
Speaker 1: entire landscape of Egypt and surrounding regions. The blood imagery
Speaker 1: became even more intense. In verse six, I will drench
Speaker 1: the land with your flowing blood, all the way to
Speaker 1: the mountains, and the ravines will be filled with your flesh.
Speaker 1: This represented not just Pharaoh's death, but the deaths of
Speaker 1: all his armies and supporters in a massive military catastrophe.
Speaker 1: Even the heavens would be affected by this earthly judgment.
Speaker 1: Verse seven declared, when I snuff you out, I will
Speaker 1: cover the heavens and darken their stars. I will cover
Speaker 1: the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not
Speaker 1: give its light. This cosmic imagery showed that Pharaoh's fall
Speaker 1: would be an event of universal significance. The terror would
Speaker 1: spread far beyond Egypt's borders. In verse nine, God revealed,
Speaker 1: I will trouble the hearts of many peoples when I
Speaker 1: bring about your destruction among the nations, among lands you
Speaker 1: have not known. Even distant countries that had never dealt
Speaker 1: directly with Egypt would be shaken by news of such
Speaker 1: a powerful empire's collapse. Kings everywhere would tremble at the implications.
Speaker 1: Verse ten described their reaction. I will cause many peoples
Speaker 1: to be appalled at you, and their kings will she
Speaker 1: utter with horror because of you. When I brandish my
Speaker 1: sword before them on the day of your downfall, each
Speaker 1: of them will tremble every moment for his life. If
Speaker 1: Egypt could fall, no nation was safe from divine judgment.
Speaker 1: The specific weapon of destruction would be identified in verse eleven.
Speaker 1: For this is what the Sovereign Lord says. The sword
Speaker 1: of the King of Babylon will come against you. Nebucad Neza,
Speaker 1: who had already destroyed Jerusalem and Tire, would also be
Speaker 1: the instrument of Egypt's humiliation. The final prophecy against Egypt
Speaker 1: was perhaps the most haunting of all. It depicted the
Speaker 1: proud empire descending into the realm of the dead, where
Speaker 1: it would join other fallen nations in the darkness below
Speaker 1: the earth. This wasn't just about political defeat. It was
Speaker 1: about eternal consequences and the fate of all earthly powers
Speaker 1: that defy God. This ultimate prophit he came two weeks
Speaker 1: after the previous one, as recorded in Ezekiel, chapter thirty two,
Speaker 1: verse seventeen, in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day
Speaker 1: of the month, the word of the Lord came to me.
Speaker 1: The rapid succession of these prophecies showed the urgency and
Speaker 1: intensity of God's judgment against Egypt. God commanded Ezekiel to
Speaker 1: perform a funeral ritual in verse eighteen, Son of Man
Speaker 1: wail for the hordes of Egypt and consigned to the
Speaker 1: earth below both her and the daughters of the mighty nations,
Speaker 1: along with those who go down to the pit. This
Speaker 1: was a burial ceremony for a nation that wasn't dead, yet,
Speaker 1: prophetically sealing their doom. The descent to Shiol was described
Speaker 1: in verse nineteen. Do you surpass others in beauty? Go
Speaker 1: down and be laid among the uncircumcised. Egypt's pride in
Speaker 1: its beauty and civilization would count for nothing in the
Speaker 1: realm of death, where all earthly distinctions disappeared. In the underworld,
Speaker 1: Egypt would encounter other fallen powers. Verse twenty two revealed
Speaker 1: the first group. Assyria is there with her whole army.
Speaker 1: She is surrounded by the graves of all her slain,
Speaker 1: all who have fallen by the sword. The mighty Assyrian Empire,
Speaker 1: which had once terrorized the ancient world, was already waiting
Speaker 1: in the darkness. Each fallen nation was described with the
Speaker 1: same refrain about their former power and present humiliation. Verse
Speaker 1: twenty four introduced another Ilam is there with all her
Speaker 1: hordes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen
Speaker 1: by the sword. All who had spread terror in the
Speaker 1: land of the living went down, uncircumcised, to the earth below.
Speaker 1: The pattern continued with more nations. In verse twenty six,
Speaker 1: Meshek and Tubal are there with all their hordes around
Speaker 1: their graves. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword.
Speaker 1: Because they spread their terror in the land of the living.
Speaker 1: Each empire that had once inspired fear was now itself
Speaker 1: terrified and defeated. Even the ancient warriors of old were present.
Speaker 1: Verse twenty seven described them, but they do not lie
Speaker 1: with the fallen warriors of old, who went down to
Speaker 1: the realm of the dead with their weapons of war,
Speaker 1: their swords placed under their heads and their shields resting
Speaker 1: on their bones. Though these warriors also had terrorized the
Speaker 1: land of the living, there were different levels. Even in
Speaker 1: the realm of death. The prophecy became personal for Egypt's allies.
Speaker 1: In verse twenty nine, Edom is there, her kings and
Speaker 1: all her princes, despite their power. They are laid with
Speaker 1: those killed by the sword. They lie with the uncircumcised,
Speaker 1: with those who go down to the pit. Egypt would
Speaker 1: be joined by nations that had trusted in their alliance
Speaker 1: with her. The final group mentioned was particularly relevant in
Speaker 1: verse thirty All the princes of the North and all
Speaker 1: the Sidonians are there. They went down with the slain
Speaker 1: in disgrace, despite the terror caused by their power. They
Speaker 1: lie uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, and bear
Speaker 1: their shame with those who go down to the pit.
Speaker 1: Even Egypt's commercial partners would share her fate. When Pharaoh
Speaker 1: arrived in this realm of the dead, he would find
Speaker 1: a strange comfort in discovering he wasn't alone. Verse thirty
Speaker 1: one revealed his reaction. Pharaoh, he and all his army
Speaker 1: will see them, and he will be consoled for all
Speaker 1: his hordes that were killed by the sword, declares the
Speaker 1: sovereign Lord. His consolation would come from realizing that all
Speaker 1: earthly powers eventually faced the same end. The final verdict
Speaker 1: sealed Egypt's doom in verse thirty two. Although I had
Speaker 1: him spread terror in the land of the living, Pharaoh
Speaker 1: and all his hordes will be laid among the uncircumcised,
Speaker 1: with those killed by the sword, declares the sovereign Lord.
Speaker 1: The empire that had terrorized others would itself become a
Speaker 1: source of terror through its spectacular fall. The vision of
Speaker 1: Sheiole that concluded the prophecies against Egypt wasn't just about
Speaker 1: one nation's fate. It was a comprehensive picture of the
Speaker 1: ultimate destiny of all earthly powers that set themselves against God.
Speaker 1: This underground realm was portrayed as a vast cemetery where
Speaker 1: the proud empires of history lay in eternal defeat and shame.
Speaker 1: The description of this realm revealed a hierarchy even in death.
Speaker 1: Some nations were buried with honor, maintaining some dignity even
Speaker 1: in defeat, while others were consigned to the deepest shame
Speaker 1: and disgrace. The uncircumcised were separated from those who had
Speaker 1: maintained some covenant relationship with God, showing that spiritual condition
Speaker 1: affected even the after life. The repeated phrase they spread
Speaker 1: terror in the land of the living emphasized that these
Speaker 1: nations had all been characterized by their use of fear
Speaker 1: and violence to maintain power. They had built their empires
Speaker 1: through intimidation and military might, making others tremble before their
Speaker 1: armies and political influence. But in death the tables were
Speaker 1: completely turned. Those who had caused terror were now themselves terrorized.
Speaker 1: Those who had made others tremble were now trembling. The
Speaker 1: very power they had used to dominate others had become
Speaker 1: the source of their eternal humiliation. The image of weapons
Speaker 1: buried with some warriors but not others, suggested that there
Speaker 1: were different types of military honor. Some had fought with
Speaker 1: a code of conduct that earned them a measure of
Speaker 1: respect even from their enemies, while others had been so
Speaker 1: brutal and dishonorable that they deserved no recognition even in death.
Speaker 1: The presence of kings, princes, and entire armies in this
Speaker 1: realm showed that no level of earthly authority provided protection
Speaker 1: from divine judgment. Royal blood, political alliances, military might, and
Speaker 1: economic power all proved useless when faced with the consequences
Speaker 1: of defying the creator of the universe. The mention of
Speaker 1: specific nations Assyria, elam Meshek, tubal Edom, and Sidon created
Speaker 1: a comprehensive survey of the ancient world's power centers. Each
Speaker 1: had dominated their region for a time, inspiring fear and
Speaker 1: commanding respect, but all had ultimately fallen to the same
Speaker 1: fate that awaited Egypt. This vision served as both warning
Speaker 1: and comfort. It was a warning to any nation or
Speaker 1: ruler who thought they could defy God without consequences, showing
Speaker 1: that even the mightiest earthly powers were temporary and vulnerable.
Speaker 1: But it was also comfort to God's people, showing that
Speaker 1: their oppressors would eventually face justice and that no enemy
Speaker 1: of God's people would escape accountability forever. The cosmic scope
Speaker 1: of this judgment revealed that history itself was moving toward
Speaker 1: a divine conclusion, where all accounts would be settled and
Speaker 1: all wrongs would be made right. The nations that had
Speaker 1: seemed so permanent and powerful were actually just temporary actors
Speaker 1: on a stage controlled by eternal purposes beyond their understanding.
Speaker 1: After all the devastating prophecies of judgment against Jerusalem and
Speaker 1: the surrounding nations, God was ready to show Ezekiel something
Speaker 1: that would change everything. This wasn't going to be another
Speaker 1: vision of destruction. This was going to be the most
Speaker 1: spectacular demonstration of resurrection power the world had ever seen.
Speaker 1: In Ezekiel, Chapter thirty seven, Verse one, something extraordinary happened.
Speaker 1: The hand of the Lord was on me, and he
Speaker 1: brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and
Speaker 1: set me in the middle of a valley. It was
Speaker 1: full of bones. God didn't just give Ezekiel a vision
Speaker 1: this time, he physically transported him to a place that
Speaker 1: would become the setting for the most incredible miracle in
Speaker 1: the entire book. This wasn't just any valley, and these
Speaker 1: weren't just a few scattered bones. As Ezekiel looked around,
Speaker 1: he saw something that made his heart sink. Verse two
Speaker 1: described what he witnessed. He led me back and forth
Speaker 1: among them, and I saw a great many bones on
Speaker 1: the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.
Speaker 1: These weren't recent casualties of war. These were bones that
Speaker 1: had been bleaching in the sun for years, completely dried
Speaker 1: out and lifeless. The sight was overwhelming. Everywhere Ezekiel looked
Speaker 1: there were human remains scattered across the valley floor, skulls,
Speaker 1: rib cages, leg bones, arm bones, the remnants of what
Speaker 1: had once been a massive army or population, now reduced
Speaker 1: to sun bleached skeletons with no flesh, no life, and
Speaker 1: certainly no hope of ever living again. Then God asked
Speaker 1: him a question that seemed to have an obvious answer.
Speaker 1: In verse three, he asked me, son of Man, can
Speaker 1: these bones live? Any reasonable person looking at this scene
Speaker 1: would have immediately answered absolutely not. These bones were beyond dead.
Speaker 1: They were completely desiccated, scattered, and had been lying there
Speaker 1: so long that any connection between them had been lost.
Speaker 1: But Ezekiel had learned something important during his years as
Speaker 1: a prophet. When God asked questions, the obvious human answer
Speaker 1: wasn't always the right answer. So instead of saying what
Speaker 1: seemed logical, Ezekiel gave the perfect response, Sovereign Lord, you
Speaker 1: alone know. He was admitting that human understanding had limits,
Speaker 1: but God's power didn't. What happened next defied every law
Speaker 1: of nature and every expectation of what was possible. In
Speaker 1: verse four, God commanded prophesy to these bones and say
Speaker 1: to them, dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
Speaker 1: Ezekiel was being told to preach to a congregation of skeletons,
Speaker 1: to deliver a sermon to an audience that had no
Speaker 1: ears to hear. The message itself was incredible. Verse five
Speaker 1: contained God's promise to the bones. This is what the
Speaker 1: sovereign Lord says to these bones. I will make breath
Speaker 1: enter you, and you will come to life. God wasn't
Speaker 1: just promising to put the bones back together. He was
Speaker 1: promising to restore complete, living, breathing human being. The process
Speaker 1: would be systematic and amazing. Verse six outlined the steps.
Speaker 1: I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come
Speaker 1: on you and cover you with skin. I will put
Speaker 1: breath in you, and you will come to life. Then
Speaker 1: you will know that I am the Lord. First, the
Speaker 1: skeletal structure would be rebuilt, that muscles and organs, then skin,
Speaker 1: and finally the breath of life itself. Ezekiel obeyed God's
Speaker 1: command and began preaching to the bones. What happened next
Speaker 1: was like watching the most incredible special effects movie ever made,
Speaker 1: except this was completely real. Verse seven recorded the immediate response.
Speaker 1: So I prophesied as I was commanded, And as I
Speaker 1: was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and
Speaker 1: the bones came together, bone to bone. The noise must
Speaker 1: have been incredible. Thousands of bones rolling across the valley floor,
Speaker 1: finding their proper partners and clicking into place with perfect
Speaker 1: precision skulls rolled to meet spinal columns. Arm bones found,
Speaker 1: shoulder sockets, leg bones connected to hip joints. In a
Speaker 1: matter of moments, the scattered remains had become complete skeletons
Speaker 1: lying in formation across the valley floor. But that was
Speaker 1: just the beginning. Verse eight continued the amazing transformation. I
Speaker 1: looked and tendons and flesh appeared on them, and skin
Speaker 1: covered them, but there was no breath in them. Now
Speaker 1: instead of dry bones, there were perfect human bodies lying
Speaker 1: motionless in the valley. They looked like people who were sleeping,
Speaker 1: but they weren't breathing. God gave Ezekiel another command that
Speaker 1: seemed just as impossible as the first. In verse nine,
Speaker 1: he said, prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of Man,
Speaker 1: and say to it, this is what the sovereign Lord says.
Speaker 1: Come breath from the four winds, and breathe into these
Speaker 1: slain that they may live. Now Ezekiel had to preach
Speaker 1: to the air itself, calling for the wind to come
Speaker 1: and give life to these perfectly formed but lifeless bodies.
Speaker 1: The response was immediate and spectacular. Verse ten described the
Speaker 1: final miracle. So I prophesied. As he commanded me and
Speaker 1: breath entered them. They came to life and stood up
Speaker 1: on their feet a vast army. Not only did they
Speaker 1: come alive, but they stood up at attention, like soldiers
Speaker 1: ready for battle. The valley that had been a graveyard
Speaker 1: was now filled with a mighty army of living people.
Speaker 1: Then God explained what this incredible vision meant. These bones
Speaker 1: weren't just random dead people. They represented something very specific.
Speaker 1: In verse eleven, God revealed, Son of Man, these bones
Speaker 1: are the people of Israel. They say, our bones are
Speaker 1: dried up and our hope is gone. We are cut off.
Speaker 1: The vision was about God's people in exile, who felt
Speaker 1: as hopeless and lifeless as scattered bones. The Israelites in
Speaker 1: Babylon felt exactly like those dry bones. They had been
Speaker 1: cut off from their homeland. Their temple was destroyed, their
Speaker 1: king was in chains, and their national identity seemed completely finished.
Speaker 1: They were saying things like, we're as good as dead.
Speaker 1: Our nation is over, there's no hope for us to
Speaker 1: ever be a people again. But God had a message
Speaker 1: for them through this incredible vision. In verse twelve, he declared, therefore,
Speaker 1: prophesy and say to them. This is what the Sovereign
Speaker 1: Lord says, my people, I am going to open your
Speaker 1: graves and bring you up from them. I will bring
Speaker 1: you back to the land of Israel. What seemed impossible
Speaker 1: to them was not only possible but absolutely certain. From
Speaker 1: God's perspective. The restoration wouldn't just be political, it would
Speaker 1: be spiritual. Verse thirty promised, Then you, my people, will
Speaker 1: know that I am the Lord. When I open your
Speaker 1: graves and bring you up from them. They would experience
Speaker 1: God's power in such an unmistakable way that their faith
Speaker 1: would be completely renewed. But the most amazing promise was
Speaker 1: still to come. In verse fourteen, God revealed the ultimate purpose.
Speaker 1: I will put my spirit in you, and you will live,
Speaker 1: and I will settle you in your own land. Then
Speaker 1: you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and
Speaker 1: I have done it, declares the Lord. This wasn't just
Speaker 1: about returning to geography. It was about receiving new spiritual
Speaker 1: life that would make them truly God's people again. After
Speaker 1: the spectacular vision of resurrection, God gave Ezekiel another dramatic demonstration,
Speaker 1: but this one was simpler and more practical. It involved
Speaker 1: two pieces of wood and a message that would give
Speaker 1: hope to a people who had been divided for centuries.
Speaker 1: The demonstration began with a simple command in Ezekiel chapter
Speaker 1: thirty seven, verse sixteen, Son of Man, take a stick
Speaker 1: of wood and write on it belonging to Judah and
Speaker 1: the Israelites associated with him. Then take another stick of
Speaker 1: wood and write on it belonging to Joseph, that is,
Speaker 1: to Ephraim and all the Israelites associated with him. Ezekiel
Speaker 1: was to prepare two wooden sticks, each representing one part
Speaker 1: of the divided kingdom. This division went back over three
Speaker 1: hundred years to the time when Solomon's kingdom had split
Speaker 1: after his death. The northern kingdom called Israel or Ephraim
Speaker 1: had included ten tribes and had been destroyed by Assyria.
Speaker 1: The southern kingdom called Judah had included two tribes and
Speaker 1: had just been destroyed by Babylon. For centuries, these two
Speaker 1: parts of God's people had been separate nations, often fighting
Speaker 1: against each other instead of working together. The next instruction
Speaker 1: was simple but profound. Verse seventeen commanded join them together
Speaker 1: into one stick, so that they will become one. In
Speaker 1: your hand. Ezekiel was to hold the two sticks together
Speaker 1: so they appeared to be a single piece of wood.
Speaker 1: This visual demonstration would capture every one's attention and make
Speaker 1: them ask what it meant. Sure enough, the people's curiosity
Speaker 1: was aroused. Verse eighteen recorded their question, when your people
Speaker 1: ask you, won't you tell us what you mean by this?
Speaker 1: They could see that something significant was being communicated through
Speaker 1: this simple act, but they needed the interpretation. God's explanation
Speaker 1: was better than anything they could have imagined. In verse nineteen,
Speaker 1: he revealed, say to them, this is what the sovereign
Speaker 1: Lord says. I'm going to take the stick of Joseph,
Speaker 1: which is in Aphram's hand, and of the Israelite tribes
Speaker 1: associated with him, and join it to Judas stick, making
Speaker 1: them a single stick of wood, and they will become
Speaker 1: one in my hand. God himself was going to reunify
Speaker 1: his divided people. The reunification wouldn't just be symbolic, It
Speaker 1: would be literal and permanent. Verse twenty one promised, I
Speaker 1: will take the Israelites out of the nations where they
Speaker 1: have gone. I will gather them from all around and
Speaker 1: bring them back into their own land. This would involve
Speaker 1: people who had been scattered, not just to Babylon, but
Speaker 1: to many different countries over several centuries. The new unified
Speaker 1: nation would be completely different from the old divided kingdoms.
Speaker 1: Verse twenty two declared, I will make them one nation
Speaker 1: in the land on the mountains of Israel. There will
Speaker 1: be one king over all of them, and they will
Speaker 1: never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.
Speaker 1: The political division that had weakened and eventually destroyed both
Speaker 1: kingdoms would never happen again. The spiritual transformation would be
Speaker 1: just as dramatic as the political reunification. Verse twenty three promised,
Speaker 1: They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and
Speaker 1: vile images, or with any of their offenses. For I
Speaker 1: will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I
Speaker 1: will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I
Speaker 1: will be there God. The idolatry that had caused the
Speaker 1: original division and both kingdoms destruction would be completely eliminated.
Speaker 1: The leadership of this new unified nation would be perfect.
Speaker 1: Verse twenty four revealed, My servant David will be king
Speaker 1: over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They
Speaker 1: will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.
Speaker 1: This wasn't referring to the historical David coming back from
Speaker 1: the dead, but to a future king from David's family
Speaker 1: line who would rule with David's heart for God. This
Speaker 1: perfect king would establish a perfect kingdom. Verse twenty five
Speaker 1: described the permanence of this arrangement. They will live in
Speaker 1: the land I gave to my servant, Jacob, the land
Speaker 1: where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their
Speaker 1: children's children will live there forever, and David, my servant,
Speaker 1: will be their prince forever. This wouldn't be another temporary
Speaker 1: kingdom that would rise and fall like all the others.
Speaker 1: This would be an eternal kingdom. The relationship between God
Speaker 1: and his people would be restored to what it was
Speaker 1: always meant to be. Verse twenty six promised, I will
Speaker 1: make a covenant of peace with them. It will be
Speaker 1: an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers,
Speaker 1: and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. Instead
Speaker 1: of the broken covenant that had led to judgment and exile,
Speaker 1: there would be an unbreakable covenant that would guarantee permanent blessing.
Speaker 1: The ultimate purpose was that the whole world would recognize
Speaker 1: God's relationship with his people. Verse twenty seven declared, my
Speaker 1: dwelling place will be with them. I will be their
Speaker 1: God and they will be my people, and verse twenty
Speaker 1: eight concluded, then the nations will know that I the
Speaker 1: Lord make Israel holy when my sanctuary is among them forever.
Speaker 1: The restored and unified people would become a testimony to
Speaker 1: all nations of God's faithfulness and power. Just when it
Speaker 1: seemed like the promises of restoration meant that God's people
Speaker 1: would live in peace forever, God revealed that there would
Speaker 1: be one final test. A massive invasion would come against
Speaker 1: the restored nation, but this attack would ultimately demonstrate God's
Speaker 1: power to the entire world and establish his people's security permanently.
Speaker 1: The prophecy began with God addressing the leader of this
Speaker 1: future invasion. In Ezekiel chapter thirty eight, verse two, God commanded,
Speaker 1: son of Man, set your face against God of the
Speaker 1: land of Magog, the chief prince of Meishek, and Tubal
Speaker 1: PROPHESI against him. This Gog wasn't a specific person that
Speaker 1: Ezekiel knew, but a future leader who would arise from
Speaker 1: the far north. God described Gog's intentions in verse three.
Speaker 1: This is what the sovereign Lord says, I am against you, Gog,
Speaker 1: Chief Prince of Meshek and Tubal. This wasn't just a
Speaker 1: human political decision. This invasion would be motivated by forces
Speaker 1: that opposed God himself and his purposes for his people.
Speaker 1: The invasion force would be massive and international. Verse four
Speaker 1: described God's role in organizing Bidda. I will turn you around,
Speaker 1: put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with
Speaker 1: your whole army, your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and
Speaker 1: a great hoarde with large and small shields, all of
Speaker 1: them brandishing their swords. Even though God would think he
Speaker 1: was making his own decisions, God would actually be directing
Speaker 1: events for his own purposes. The coalition would include nations
Speaker 1: from all directions. Verse five listed some of the participants
Speaker 1: Persiakush and put will be with them, all with shields
Speaker 1: and helmets. These represented countries from the east, south, and west,
Speaker 1: showing that this would be a truly international effort against
Speaker 1: God's people. The northern forces were described in verse six,
Speaker 1: also Goma with all its troops, and beth Togomah from
Speaker 1: the far north with all its troops. The many nations
Speaker 1: with you, This coalition would include peoples from the distant North,
Speaker 1: representing the most remote and powerful nations of the Earth.
Speaker 1: But the timing of this invasion was crucial. It wouldn't
Speaker 1: happen immediately after the people returned from exile. Verse eight explained,
Speaker 1: after many days, you will be called to arms. In
Speaker 1: future years, you will invade a land that has recovered
Speaker 1: from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to
Speaker 1: the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They
Speaker 1: had been brought out from the nations, and now all
Speaker 1: of them live in safety. This invasion would come after
Speaker 1: Israel had been fully restored and was living in peace
Speaker 1: and prosperity. The restored nation would be completely unprepared for war.
Speaker 1: Verse eleven described their vulnerable condition. You will say, I
Speaker 1: will invade a land of unwalled villages. I will attack
Speaker 1: a peaceful and unsuspecting people, all of them living without
Speaker 1: walls and without gates and bars. The people would be
Speaker 1: so confident in their secure that they wouldn't even have
Speaker 1: military defenses. God's motivation would be purely materialistic. Verse twelve
Speaker 1: revealed his thinking, I will plunder and lute and turn
Speaker 1: my hand against the resettled Ruins. And the people gathered
Speaker 1: from the nations, rich in live stock and goods. Living
Speaker 1: at the center of the land. He would see Israel's
Speaker 1: prosperity and decide to take it for himself. Other nations
Speaker 1: would notice the invasion but wouldn't intervene. Verse thirteen described
Speaker 1: their response. Sheba and Deaden and the merchants of Tarshish
Speaker 1: and all her villages will say to you, have you
Speaker 1: come to plunder? Have you gathered your hoardes to loot,
Speaker 1: to carry off silver and gold, to take away live
Speaker 1: stock and goods, and to seize much plunder? They would
Speaker 1: ask questions but wouldn't take action to help. The invasion
Speaker 1: would seem overwhelming from a human perspective. Verse five described
Speaker 1: the massive force. You will come from your place in
Speaker 1: the far north, you and many nations with you, all
Speaker 1: of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army.
Speaker 1: Might This wouldn't be a small raid. It would be
Speaker 1: the largest military force ever assembled against God's people. But
Speaker 1: God had his own plans for this invasion. Verse sixteen
Speaker 1: revealed his purpose. You will advance against my people Israel
Speaker 1: like a cloud that huncovers the land in days to come.
Speaker 1: God I will bring you against my land, so that
Speaker 1: the nations may know me when I improved wholly through
Speaker 1: you before their eyes. This attack would become an opportunity
Speaker 1: for God to demonstrate his power to the entire world.
Speaker 1: The battle itself would be unlike anything in human history.
Speaker 1: Verse nineteen described God's intervention in my zeal and fiery wrath.
Speaker 1: I declare there at that time there shall be a
Speaker 1: great earthquake in the land of Israel. Natural disasters would
Speaker 1: be God's first weapon against the invaders. The supernatural intervention
Speaker 1: would intensify. Verse twenty two listed the divine weapons. I
Speaker 1: will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed. I
Speaker 1: will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones, and burning sulfur
Speaker 1: on him, and on his troops, and on the many
Speaker 1: nations with him. God would use weather, disease, and fire
Speaker 1: from heaven to destroy the invasion force. The result would
Speaker 1: be complete victory for God's people without them having to
Speaker 1: fight at all. Verse twenty three declared the ultimate purpose.
Speaker 1: And so I will show my greatness and my holiness,
Speaker 1: and I will make myself known in the sight of
Speaker 1: many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
Speaker 1: This battle would serve as the final proof of God's
Speaker 1: sovereignty over all earthly power. After the spectacular defeat of
Speaker 1: God's invasion, the land of Israel would need to be
Speaker 1: thoroughly cleansed before God's people could fully enjoy their inheritance.
Speaker 1: This wouldn't just be a matter of cleaning up after
Speaker 1: a battle. It would be a comprehensive purification that would
Speaker 1: take years to complete and would transform the very spiritual
Speaker 1: atmosphere of the land. The aftermath of the battle was
Speaker 1: described in Ezekiel chapter thirty nine, verse nine. Then those
Speaker 1: who live in the towns of Israel will go out
Speaker 1: and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up.
Speaker 1: The small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the
Speaker 1: war clubs and spears. For seven years, they will use
Speaker 1: them for fuel. The amount of military equipment left behind
Speaker 1: would be so massive that it would provide fuel for
Speaker 1: the entire nation for seven years. This detail revealed several
Speaker 1: important things. First, the invasion force had been enormous, large
Speaker 1: enough to equip an entire nation with fuel for seven years. Second,
Speaker 1: the weapons were made of materials that could be burned,
Speaker 1: showing that even in this future time, some warfare would
Speaker 1: still involve traditional materials rather than being completely technological. Third,
Speaker 1: the people would be so secure after this victory that
Speaker 1: they could afford to burn military equipment rather than storing
Speaker 1: it for future conflicts. The clean up of human remains
Speaker 1: would be even more extensive than dealing with the weapons.
Speaker 1: Verse eleven described the burial process. On that day, I
Speaker 1: will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the
Speaker 1: valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It
Speaker 1: will block the way of travelers because Gog and all
Speaker 1: his hordes will be buried there, so it will be
Speaker 1: called the Valley of Hammon Gog. The number of bodies
Speaker 1: would be so great that they would create a physical
Speaker 1: obstacle for people trying to travel through the area. The
Speaker 1: burial would be a massive national project. Verse twelve explained
Speaker 1: the scope. For seven months, the Israelites will be burying
Speaker 1: them in order to cleanse the land. It would take
Speaker 1: the entire nation working for seven months just to bury
Speaker 1: all the dead invaders. This showed both the enormous size
Speaker 1: of the invasion force and the thoroughness required to properly
Speaker 1: cleanse the land. But even after seven months of intensive
Speaker 1: burial work, the job wouldn't be completely finished. Verse fourteen
Speaker 1: described the ongoing clean up. People will be continually employed
Speaker 1: in cleansing the land. They will spread out across the land,
Speaker 1: and along with others, they will bury any bodies that
Speaker 1: are lying on the ground. Some bodies would be missed
Speaker 1: in the initial clean up and would need to be
Speaker 1: found and buried later. The search would be systematic and careful.
Speaker 1: Verse fifteen outlined the procedure. As they go through the land,
Speaker 1: any one who sees a human bone will leave a
Speaker 1: marker beside it until the grave diggers have buried it.
Speaker 1: In the valley of Hamon Gog, no remains would be
Speaker 1: left unburied, ensuring that the land was completely cleansed from
Speaker 1: the defilement of death. The spiritual significance of this clean
Speaker 1: up was enormous. In ancient times, contact with dead bodies
Speaker 1: made people ceremonially unclean and prevented them from participating in worship.
Speaker 1: Having thousands of unburied corpses scattered across the land would
Speaker 1: have made the entire country spiritually defiled and unfit for
Speaker 1: God's presence. The thoroughness of the purification showed that God
Speaker 1: intended his restored people to enjoy perfect fellowship with Him
Speaker 1: in a completely holy land. There would be no spiritual obstacles,
Speaker 1: no unclean areas, no reminders of death and destruction to
Speaker 1: interfere with their word, worship, and relationship with God. The
Speaker 1: clean up would also serve as a permanent reminder of
Speaker 1: God's victory over his enemies. Every time someone passed the
Speaker 1: valley of Hummud God, they would remember how God had
Speaker 1: defeated the greatest army ever assembled against his people. The
Speaker 1: burial site would become a monument to Divine power and faithfulness.
Speaker 1: The birds and wild animals would also participate in the
Speaker 1: clean up, but in a different way. Verse seventeen describe
Speaker 1: a gruesome feast, Son of Man, this is what the
Speaker 1: Sovereign Lord says. Call out to every kind of bird
Speaker 1: and all the wild animals. Assemble and come together from
Speaker 1: all around to the sacrifice. I am preparing for you
Speaker 1: the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you
Speaker 1: will eat flesh and drink blood. The carrion eating creatures
Speaker 1: would consume the remains that couldn't be properly buried. This
Speaker 1: wasn't just about practical clean up. It was about demonstrating
Speaker 1: that those who opposed guard would become food for scavengers.
Speaker 1: The mighty warriors who had marched proudly to battle would
Speaker 1: end up as meals for vultures and jackals. Their strength
Speaker 1: and pride would be reduced to nothing more than nourishment
Speaker 1: for the lowest creatures. The feast would include the highest
Speaker 1: ranks of the enemy forces. Verse eighteen specified the menu,
Speaker 1: you will eat the flesh of mighty men, and drink
Speaker 1: the blood of the princes of the earth, as if
Speaker 1: they were rams and lambs, goats and bulls, all of
Speaker 1: them fattened animals from Bashan. Generals, kings, and nobles would
Speaker 1: all receive the same treatment, becoming food for animals. The
Speaker 1: abundance would be overwhelming. Verse nineteen promised at the sacrifice
Speaker 1: I am preparing for you, you will eat fat until
Speaker 1: you are glutted, and drink blood until you are drunk.
Speaker 1: There would be so many bodies that even the scavengers
Speaker 1: would be overwhelmed by the abundance. This graphic imagery served
Speaker 1: multiple purposes. It showed the completeness of God's victory, the
Speaker 1: humiliation of his enemies, and the thoroughness of the land's purification.
Speaker 1: No trace of the invasion would remain except for the
Speaker 1: Memorial Valley and the seven years worth of fuel from
Speaker 1: their weapons. Twenty five years after Ezekiel's first vision by
Speaker 1: the Kiba River, God gave him the most detailed and
Speaker 1: elaborate vision of his entire prophetic ministry. This wasn't about
Speaker 1: judgment or restoration in general terms. This was a precise
Speaker 1: architectural blueprint for a temple that would surpass even Solomon's
Speaker 1: magnificent building in glory and significance. The vision began with
Speaker 1: another supernatural transportation. In Ezekiel Chapter forty, verse one, the
Speaker 1: date was carefully recorded in the twenty fi fifth year
Speaker 1: of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on
Speaker 1: the tenth day of the month in the fourteenth year
Speaker 1: after the fall of the city. On that very day,
Speaker 1: the hand of the Lord was on me, and he
Speaker 1: took me there. This was exactly twenty five years after
Speaker 1: Ezekiel had been taken into exile and fourteen years after
Speaker 1: Jerusalem's destruction. Ezekiel found himself in a completely different place
Speaker 1: than the Valley of dry Bones. Verse two described his
Speaker 1: new location in Visions of God. He took me to
Speaker 1: the land of Israel and set me on a very
Speaker 1: high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that
Speaker 1: looked like a city. He was back in the Promised Land,
Speaker 1: but everything was different from what he remembered. A mysterious
Speaker 1: figure was waiting for him there. Verse three introduced this being.
Speaker 1: He took me there, and I saw a man whose
Speaker 1: appearance was like bronze. He was standing in the gateway
Speaker 1: with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.
Speaker 1: This wasn't an ordinary person. His bronze like appearance suggested
Speaker 1: a supernatural being, possibly an angel, who had been appointed
Speaker 1: to give Ezekiel a tour of this new temple complex.
Speaker 1: The bronze man gave Ezekiel specific instructions. In verse four,
Speaker 1: the man said to me, son of Man, look carefully
Speaker 1: and listen closely, and pay attention to everything I'm going
Speaker 1: to show you, For that is why you have been
Speaker 1: brought here. Tell the people of Israel everything you see.
Speaker 1: This wasn't just a casual tour. Ezekiel was being commissioned
Speaker 1: to remember every detail and report it accurately to the
Speaker 1: exiles in Babylon. The first thing they measured was the
Speaker 1: outer wall that surrounded the entire temple complex. Verse five
Speaker 1: described it I saw a wall completely surrounding the temple area.
Speaker 1: The length of the measuring rod in the man's hand
Speaker 1: was six long cubits, each of which was a cubit
Speaker 1: and a handbreadth. He measured the wall. It was one
Speaker 1: measuring rod thick and one rod high. The wall was
Speaker 1: approximately ten feet thick and ten feet high, creating a
Speaker 1: substantial barrier around the holy area. The attention to detail
Speaker 1: was extraordinary. Every gateway, every room, every pillar, every threshold
Speaker 1: was measured with precision. The east gate, which was the
Speaker 1: main entrance, was particularly elaborate. Verse six began its description.
Speaker 1: Then he went to the east gate. He climbed its
Speaker 1: steps and measured the threshold of the gate. It was
Speaker 1: one rod deep. Every step of the entrance process was
Speaker 1: carefully designed and precisely measured. The guard rooms inside the
Speaker 1: gates were identical in size and spacing. Verse seven recorded
Speaker 1: their dimensions. The alcoves for the guards were one rodd
Speaker 1: long and one rod wide, and the projecting walls between
Speaker 1: the alcoves were five cubits thick. And the threshold of
Speaker 1: the gate next to the portico facing the temple was
Speaker 1: one rod deep. These weren't random rooms. They were carefully
Speaker 1: planned spaces for specific functions. The inner court had its
Speaker 1: own set of gates that mirrored the outer gates, but
Speaker 1: were even more elaborate. Verse twenty eight described the south gate.
Speaker 1: Then he brought me into the inner court through the
Speaker 1: south gate, and he measured the south gate. It had
Speaker 1: the same measurements as the others. The symmetry and consistency
Speaker 1: showed that this was a carefully planned design, not a
Speaker 1: haphazard collection of buildings. The porticos around the inner court
Speaker 1: were especially impressive. Verse thirty one noted one detail. Its
Speaker 1: portico faced the outer court. Palm trees decorated its jams,
Speaker 1: and eight steps led up to it. The palm trees
Speaker 1: weren't just decoration, they were symbols of righteousness and flourishing,
Speaker 1: showing that this temple was designed to promote spiritual growth
Speaker 1: and blessing. The rooms for preparing sacrifices were strategically located
Speaker 1: near the gates. Verse thirty eight described their purpose. A
Speaker 1: room with a doorway was by the portico in each
Speaker 1: of the inner gateways, where the burnt offerings were washed.
Speaker 1: Every aspect of temple worship was carefully planned and provided for.
Speaker 1: Even the musicians had their designated spaces. Verse forty four
Speaker 1: mentioned outside the inner gate. Within the inner court were
Speaker 1: two rooms, one at the side of the north gate
Speaker 1: and facing south, and another at the side of the
Speaker 1: south gate and facing north. These rooms were specifically designed
Speaker 1: for the singers who would lead worship in the new temple.
Speaker 1: The measurements continued with the temple building itself. Verse forty
Speaker 1: eight began the day description of the main structure. He
Speaker 1: brought me to the portico of the temple and measured
Speaker 1: the jambs of the portico. They were five cubits wide
Speaker 1: on either side. The width of the entrance was three
Speaker 1: cubits on either side. Every dimension was precisely specified, showing
Speaker 1: that this wasn't a vague vision, but a detailed blueprint.
Speaker 1: The recording of all these measurements served several purposes. First,
Speaker 1: it showed that God cared about details and order in worship. Second,
Speaker 1: it demonstrated that this temple was designed by divine wisdom
Speaker 1: rather than human creativity. Third, it provided hope to the
Speaker 1: exiles that God had specific plans for their restoration that
Speaker 1: were as detailed and certain as these architectural specifications. After
Speaker 1: the exhaustive tour of the temple's architecture, Ezekiel witnessed something
Speaker 1: that surpassed even the spectacular vision of the Valley of
Speaker 1: dry Bones. The glory of God, which he had seen
Speaker 1: departing from the old temple in stages, was now returning
Speaker 1: to fill the new sanctuary with even greater splendor than before.
Speaker 1: The vision of God's return began at the east gate,
Speaker 1: which had special significance throughout Ezekiel's ministry. In Ezekiel Chapter
Speaker 1: forty three, Verse one, the scene was set. Then the
Speaker 1: man brought me to the gate facing east. This was
Speaker 1: the same direction from which Ezekiel had seen the glory
Speaker 1: depart years earlier, and now it would be the direction
Speaker 1: from which Glory would return. What Ezekiel saw coming from
Speaker 1: the east was beyond description. Verse two. Attempted to capture it,
Speaker 1: and I saw the glory of the God of Israel
Speaker 1: coming from the east. His voice was like the roar
Speaker 1: of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory.
Speaker 1: This wasn't just a bright light. This was the very
Speaker 1: presence of the creator of the universe, returning to dwell
Speaker 1: with his people. The site immediately brought back memories of
Speaker 1: Ezekiel's earlier visions. Verse three recorded his recognition. The vision
Speaker 1: I saw was like the vision I had seen when
Speaker 1: he came to destroy the city, and like the visions
Speaker 1: I had seen by the Kebbah river, and I fell
Speaker 1: face down. This was the same glory that had called
Speaker 1: him to be a prophet, the same presence that had
Speaker 1: departed from Jerusalem, now returning in triumph. The glory didn't
Speaker 1: just hover outside the temple, it entered and filled the
Speaker 1: entire structure. Verse four described the magnificent entrance. The glory
Speaker 1: of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east.
Speaker 1: The same gate through which the glory had departed was
Speaker 1: now the portal for its glorious return. The intensity of
Speaker 1: the divine presence was overwhelming. Verse five recorded what happened next.
Speaker 1: Then the the Spirit lifted me up and brought me
Speaker 1: into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord
Speaker 1: filled the temple. The entire building was saturated with God's presence,
Speaker 1: just as Solomon's temple had been filled at its dedication,
Speaker 1: but even more intensely. Ezekiel found himself prostrate before this
Speaker 1: incredible display of divine glory, just as he had been
Speaker 1: at his first vision, but this time, instead of receiving
Speaker 1: a commission to prophesy judgment, he was witnessing the fulfillment
Speaker 1: of restoration promises. The God, who had been forced to
Speaker 1: depart because of his people's sin, was now returning to
Speaker 1: dwell with them permanently. The voice that spoke to him
Speaker 1: came from inside the temple, showing that God had truly
Speaker 1: taken up residence there. Verse six recorded while the man
Speaker 1: was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me
Speaker 1: from inside the temple. God was no longer speaking from
Speaker 1: a distance or through visions. He was speaking from his
Speaker 1: dwelling place among his people. The message was one of
Speaker 1: permanent establishment and eternal relationship. In verse seven, God declared,
Speaker 1: son of Man, this is the place of my throne
Speaker 1: and the place for the souls of my feet. This
Speaker 1: is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The
Speaker 1: people of Israel will never again defile my holy name,
Speaker 1: neither they nor their kings by their prostitution and the
Speaker 1: funeral offerings for their kings at their death. This wouldn't
Speaker 1: be another temporary arrangement that could be broken by human sinfulness.
Speaker 1: The reason for this permanence was explained in the promise
Speaker 1: of transformation. God wasn't just returning to the same people
Speaker 1: who had defiled his previous temple. He was returning to
Speaker 1: a people who had been fundamentally changed. Their hearts had
Speaker 1: been renewed, their spirit and it had been regenerated, and
Speaker 1: their capacity for spiritual adultery had been removed. The contrast
Speaker 1: with the past was emphasized in verse eight when they
Speaker 1: placed their threshold next to my threshold, and there your
Speaker 1: posts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me
Speaker 1: and them. They defiled my holy name by their detestable practices.
Speaker 1: So I destroyed them in my anger. The old temple
Speaker 1: had been contaminated by the proximity of pagan worship and
Speaker 1: royal corruption, but the new arrangement would be completely different.
Speaker 1: Verse nine promised, Now let them put away from me
Speaker 1: their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and
Speaker 1: I will live among them forever. The spiritual adultery that
Speaker 1: had characterized the past would be permanently eliminated. This return
Speaker 1: of God's glory wasn't just a restoration, it was an escalation.
Speaker 1: The presence would be more intense, more permanent and more
Speaker 1: transformative than ever before. The people who experienced this would
Speaker 1: be changed by the encounter in ways that would make
Speaker 1: future rebellion impossible. With God's glory now filling the new Temple,
Speaker 1: it was time to establish the regulations that would govern
Speaker 1: worship in this holy place. These weren't just updated versions
Speaker 1: of the old laws. They were designed for a people
Speaker 1: who had been transformed and a temple that would never
Speaker 1: again be defiled. The first priority was ensuring that only
Speaker 1: appropriate people would be allowed to enter the sacred areas.
Speaker 1: In Ezekiel, chapter forty four, verse six, God addressed the
Speaker 1: issue that had caused problems in the past. Say to
Speaker 1: rebellious Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says. Enough
Speaker 1: of your detestable practices, people of Israel, now in the
Speaker 1: casual attitude toward holiness that had characterized the past, would
Speaker 1: not be tolerated in the new Temple. The specific problem
Speaker 1: was identified in verse seven. In addition to all your
Speaker 1: other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart and
Speaker 1: flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating my temple, while you offered
Speaker 1: me food, fat, and blood, and you broke my Covenant.
Speaker 1: Allowing unqualified people into sacred areas had been one of
Speaker 1: the major causes of the temple's defilement. The solution was
Speaker 1: strict access control. But nine established the new policy. This
Speaker 1: is what the sovereign Lord says. No foreigner uncircumcised in
Speaker 1: heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even
Speaker 1: the foreigners who live among the Israelites. Physical circumcision alone
Speaker 1: wasn't enough. There had to be spiritual circumcision as well,
Speaker 1: representing a genuine heart relationship with God. But the access
Speaker 1: restrictions weren't just about foreigners. Even among the Levites, there
Speaker 1: would be different levels of service based on their past faithfulness.
Speaker 1: Verse ten addressed those who had been unfaithful. The Levites
Speaker 1: who went far from Me when Israel went astray, and
Speaker 1: who wandered from Me after their adoles must bear the
Speaker 1: consequences of their sin. These unfaithful Levites would still have
Speaker 1: a role in the Temple, but it would be limited.
Speaker 1: Verse eleven defined their duties. They may serve in my sanctuary,
Speaker 1: having charge of the gates of the temple and serving
Speaker 1: in it. They may slaughter the burnt offerings and sacrifices
Speaker 1: for the people and stand before the people and serve them.
Speaker 1: They could handle the physical work and assist the people,
Speaker 1: but they couldn't approach God's presence directly. However, those who
Speaker 1: had remained faithful would receive special privileges. Verse fifteen identified
Speaker 1: this group. But the levitical priests who are descendants of
Speaker 1: Zadok and who guarded the duties of my sanctuary when
Speaker 1: the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near
Speaker 1: to minister before me. They are to stand before me
Speaker 1: to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign Lord.
Speaker 1: The family of Zadok had remained loyal when others fell
Speaker 1: into idolatry, and their faithfulness would be rewarded. These faithful
Speaker 1: priests would have exclusive access to the most sacred duties.
Speaker 1: Verse sixteen specified their privileges. They alone are to enter
Speaker 1: my sanctuary. They alone are to come near my table,
Speaker 1: to minister before me, and serve me as guards. Only
Speaker 1: they could approach the altar, where God's presence dwelt most intensely.
Speaker 1: The clothing regulations for these priests were detailed and specific.
Speaker 1: Verse seventeen began the dress code when they enter the
Speaker 1: gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes.
Speaker 1: They must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at
Speaker 1: the gates of the inner court or inside the temple.
Speaker 1: Linen was cooler and cleaner than wool, representing the purity
Speaker 1: required for God's service. The head coverings were particularly important.
Speaker 1: Verse eighteen specified they are to wear linen turbans on
Speaker 1: their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They must
Speaker 1: not wear anything that makes them perspire. Sweating was associated
Speaker 1: with the curse of hard labor after the fall, and
Speaker 1: there would be no reminders of the curse in God's presence.
Speaker 1: When the priests finished their duties and returned to the
Speaker 1: outer court, where regular people gathered, they had to change
Speaker 1: clothes completely. Verse nineteen explained the procedure. When they go
Speaker 1: out into the outer court where the people are, they
Speaker 1: are to take off the clothes they have been ministering
Speaker 1: in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms
Speaker 1: and put on other clothes so that the people are
Speaker 1: not consecrated through contact with their garments. The holiness was
Speaker 1: so intense that even their clothing could transmit it to
Speaker 1: unprepared people. Personal grooming standards were also specified. Verse twenty
Speaker 1: established the rules. They must not shave their heads or
Speaker 1: let their hair grow long, but they are to keep
Speaker 1: the hair of their heads trimmed. Extreme hair styles associated
Speaker 1: with pagan mourning rituals or ascetic practices were forbidden. Everything
Speaker 1: should be moderate and appropriate. Marriage restrictions ensured the priest's
Speaker 1: family life supported their sacred duties. Verse twenty two outlined
Speaker 1: the requirements. They must not marry widows or divorced women.
Speaker 1: They may only marry virgins of Israelite descent or widows
Speaker 1: of priests. Their marriages needed to be unquestionably pure and
Speaker 1: free from any moral complications. The priest's teaching role was
Speaker 1: emphasized as being just as important as their ritual duties.
Speaker 1: Verse twenty three described this responsibility. They are to teach
Speaker 1: my people the difference between the holy and the common,
Speaker 1: and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and
Speaker 1: the clean. The people needed constant instruction to maintain the
Speaker 1: spiritual standards required for God's presence among them. Legal responsibilities
Speaker 1: were also part of their duties. Verse twenty four explained
Speaker 1: in any dispute, the priests are to serve as judges
Speaker 1: and decided according to my ordinances. They are to keep
Speaker 1: my laws and my decrees for all my appointed festivals.
Speaker 1: They are to keep my Sabbaths holy. They would be
Speaker 1: the final arbiters of religious law and practice. Property ownership
Speaker 1: rules for priests were designed to keep them focused on
Speaker 1: spiritual rather than material concerns. Verse twenty eight addressed their inheritance.
Speaker 1: I am to be the only inheritance the priests have.
Speaker 1: You are to give them no possession in Israel. I
Speaker 1: will be their possession instead of owning land like other Israelites.
Speaker 1: The priests would be supported by offerings and would depend
Speaker 1: completely on God for their needs. The festivals and sacrificial
Speaker 1: system would be restored, but with new meaning and power.
Speaker 1: Chapter forty five outlined the regulations for the various offerings,
Speaker 1: showing that worship would continue, but in a context of
Speaker 1: permanent divine presence rather than the tentative relationship that had
Speaker 1: characterized the past. The Sabbath regulations were particularly emphasized, showing
Speaker 1: that rest and worship would be priorities in the restored community.
Speaker 1: Verse seventeen of chapter forty six specified the prince is
Speaker 1: to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings.
Speaker 1: At the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths. At
Speaker 1: all the appointed festivals of Israel, even the political leadership
Speaker 1: would be focused on facilitating worship rather than pursuing secular power.
Speaker 1: The final vision that God gave to Ezekiel was perhaps
Speaker 1: the most practical and hopeful of all. After seeing the
Speaker 1: temple rebuilt and worship restored, he was shown how the
Speaker 1: entire promised land would be redistributed among the twelve tribes
Speaker 1: in a way that would insure justice, equality, and permanent peace.
Speaker 1: This wasn't just about returning to the old tribal territories
Speaker 1: that had existed before the exile. This was a completely
Speaker 1: new arrangement that would correct the inequalities and conflicts that
Speaker 1: had contributed to the nation's downfall. In Ezekiel, Chapter forty seven,
Speaker 1: verse thirteen, God introduced the new system. This is what
Speaker 1: the sovereign law Lord says. These are the boundaries of
Speaker 1: the land that you will divide among the twelve tribes
Speaker 1: of Israel as their inheritance, with two portions for Joseph.
Speaker 1: The distribution would be fundamentally different from the original conquest
Speaker 1: under Joshua. Instead of each tribe receiving territory based on
Speaker 1: their military success or political influence. Everyone would receive equal
Speaker 1: portions arranged in orderly parallel strips across the land. This
Speaker 1: geometric precision showed that divine wisdom, rather than human politics,
Speaker 1: would determine the boundaries. The northern border was carefully defined
Speaker 1: in verse fifteen. This is to be the boundary of
Speaker 1: the land on the north side. It will run from
Speaker 1: the Great Sea by the Hethlon Road, past Libohammoth to Zedad.
Speaker 1: The boundaries would be larger and more clearly defined than
Speaker 1: they had been in the past, ensuring that there would
Speaker 1: be no disputes about territorial limits. But before describing the
Speaker 1: tribal allocations, God revealed something that would transform the very
Speaker 1: nature of the land itself. In chapter forty seven, verse one,
Speaker 1: Ezekiel was shown an incredible sight. The man brought me
Speaker 1: back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw
Speaker 1: water coming out from under the threshold of the temple
Speaker 1: toward the east. For the temple faced east, the water
Speaker 1: was coming down from under the south side of the temple,
Speaker 1: south of the altar. This wasn't just a small spring
Speaker 1: or drainage system. As Ezekiel followed the water eastward, it
Speaker 1: grew dramatically. Verse three described the first measurement as the
Speaker 1: man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand.
Speaker 1: He measured off a thousand cubits and then led me
Speaker 1: through water that was ankle deep. The water was already
Speaker 1: substantial enough to create a stream. Another thousand cubits further,
Speaker 1: the water had grown significantly. Verse four continued. He measured
Speaker 1: off another thousand cubits and led me through water that
Speaker 1: was knee deep. He measured off another thousand and led
Speaker 1: me through water that was up to the waste. The
Speaker 1: stream was becoming a river fed by some supernatural source
Speaker 1: within the temple. The final measurement revealed something miraculous. Verse
Speaker 1: five described the climax. He measured off another thousand, But
Speaker 1: now it was a river that I could not cross,
Speaker 1: because the water had risen and was deep enough to
Speaker 1: swim in. A river that no one could cross. In
Speaker 1: just four thousand cubits, about two miles ankle deep water
Speaker 1: had become a major river. This river would bring life
Speaker 1: wherever it flowed. Verse nine explained its power. Swarms of
Speaker 1: living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will
Speaker 1: be large numbers of fish because this water flows there
Speaker 1: and makes the salt water fresh. So where the river flows,
Speaker 1: everything will live. Even the dead sea, which had been
Speaker 1: lifeless for millennia, would teem with fish when this river
Speaker 1: reached it. The vegetation along the river banks would be supernatural.
Speaker 1: Verse twelve described the miracle trees. Fruit trees of all
Speaker 1: kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their
Speaker 1: leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every
Speaker 1: month they will bear fruit because the water from the
Speaker 1: sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food
Speaker 1: and their leaves for healing. These trees would provide constant
Speaker 1: nourishment and medicine for God's people. This river flowing from
Speaker 1: the temple represented the life giving power of God's presence
Speaker 1: among his people. Just as the temple would be the
Speaker 1: center of worship, it would also be the source of
Speaker 1: physical blessing that would transform the entire land into a paradise.
Speaker 1: With this supernatural irrigation system in place, the land could
Speaker 1: support a much larger population than ever before. The tribal
Speaker 1: allocations reflected this new abundance. In chapter forty eight, verse one,
Speaker 1: the distribution began. These are the tribes listed by name
Speaker 1: at the northern frontier Dan will have one portion. Each
Speaker 1: tribe would receive territory perfectly suited to their needs. The
Speaker 1: order of the tribes was significant. Instead of the traditional
Speaker 1: arrangement based on birth order or previous territorial claims, the
Speaker 1: tribes were arranged to ensure that the temple would be
Speaker 1: at the geographic center of the nation. Verse eight identified
Speaker 1: the central portion bordering the territory of Judah from east
Speaker 1: to west will be the portion you are to present
Speaker 1: as a special gift. It will be twenty five thousand
Speaker 1: cubits wide, and its length from east to west will
Speaker 1: equal one of the tribal portions. The sanctuary will be
Speaker 1: in the center of it. This central area would be
Speaker 1: divided into three sections. The priests would receive the section
Speaker 1: containing the temple, the levites would have the adjacent area
Speaker 1: for their cities, and the prince would have territory on
Speaker 1: both sides to provide for the civil government. Verse fifteen
Speaker 1: described the city's portion. The remaining area, five thousand cubits
Speaker 1: wide and twenty five thousand cubits long will be for
Speaker 1: the common use of the city, for houses and for
Speaker 1: pasture land. The city will be in the center of it.
Speaker 1: The city itself would be perfectly planned and designed. Verse
Speaker 1: sixteen specified its dimensions. These will be its measurements the
Speaker 1: north side four thousand, five hundred cubits, the south side
Speaker 1: four thousand, five hundred cubits, the east side four thousand,
Speaker 1: five hundred cubits, and the west side forty five five
Speaker 1: hundred kubits. This square city would be surrounded by pasture
Speaker 1: land and supplied by workers from all the tribes. Each
Speaker 1: side of the city would have three gates named after
Speaker 1: the tribes, ensuring that every part of the nation had
Speaker 1: representation in the capital. Verses thirty one thirty four listed
Speaker 1: all twelve gates. The gates of the city will be
Speaker 1: named after the tribes of Israel. The three gates on
Speaker 1: the north side will be the Gate of Reuben, the
Speaker 1: Gate of Judah, and the Gate of Levi. On the
Speaker 1: east side, which is forth ou five hundred cubits long,
Speaker 1: will be three gates, the Gate of Joseph, the Gate
Speaker 1: of Benjamin, and the Gate of Dan. On the south side,
Speaker 1: which measures four thousand, five hundred kubits, will be three gates,
Speaker 1: the gate of Simeon, the Gate of Isakar, and the
Speaker 1: gate of Zebulun. On the west side, which is fourth
Speaker 1: through five hundred kubits long, will be three gates, the
Speaker 1: gate of Gad, the Gate of Asher, and the gate
Speaker 1: of Naftali. The new name of the city would reflect
Speaker 1: its greatest glory, the permanent presence of God among his people.
Speaker 1: Verse thirty five concluded the entire book with this magnificent promise.
Speaker 1: The distance all around will be eighteen thousand cubits, and
Speaker 1: the name of the city from that time on will
Speaker 1: be the Lord is there. This wasn't just a geographical designation.
Speaker 1: It was a theological statement. The city would be known
Speaker 1: throughout the world not for its wealth, its military power,
Speaker 1: its political influence, or its architectural beauty, but for the
Speaker 1: fact that the creator of the universe had chosen to
Speaker 1: dwell there permanently among his people. Tah equal distribution of
Speaker 1: land among the tribes would eliminate the economic inequalities that
Speaker 1: had contributed to social unrest in the past. No tribe
Speaker 1: would be disadvantage by poor soil or limited water access,
Speaker 1: because the supernatural river would ensure that all areas were
Speaker 1: equally productive. The geometric precision of the boundaries would prevent
Speaker 1: the territorial disputes that had often led to conflict between tribes.
Speaker 1: There would be no ambiguity about who owned what, and
Speaker 1: no opportunity for stronger tribes to encroach on weaker ones.
Speaker 1: The central location of the temple and the city would
Speaker 1: ensure that worship remained the focus of national life. No
Speaker 1: tribe would be so far from the sanctuary that regular
Speaker 1: participation in festivals would be difficult, and the prince's territory
Speaker 1: surrounding the central area would guarantee that civil government would
Speaker 1: always be oriented towards supporting, rather than competing with, religious leadership.
Speaker 1: Most importantly, the entire arrangement would serve as a physical
Speaker 1: demonstration that God had kept his promises to restore his
Speaker 1: people to their land and renew his relationship with them.
Speaker 1: Every boundary marker, every city gate, every flowing stream would
Speaker 1: be evidence that the God who had seemed to abandon
Speaker 1: them during the dark days of exile, had actually been
Speaker 1: planning their restoration all along. The vision ended where it
Speaker 1: had begun twenty five years earlier, with the overwhelming reality
Speaker 1: of God's presence among his people, but instead of the
Speaker 1: mobile throne chariot that had appeared by the Keebar River,
Speaker 1: or the departing glory that had left the old Temple.
Speaker 1: This presence was stationary, permanent, and transformative. The name of
Speaker 1: the city the Lord is there captured the essence of
Speaker 1: everything Ezekiel had been called to prophesy. Judgment would give
Speaker 1: way to restoration, exile would end in return, and the
Speaker 1: God who seemed distant would prove to be eternally near.
Speaker 1: If this journey through Ezekiel has opened your eyes to
Speaker 1: see God's power and faithfulness in a new way, don't
Speaker 1: keep it to yourself. Hit that subscribe button right now
Speaker 1: so you never miss another incredible biblical adventure. There are
Speaker 1: so many more amazing stories waiting to be discovered together.
Speaker 1: And here's the thing. Someone in your life needs to
Speaker 1: hear this message of hope today. Maybe they're going through
Speaker 1: their own valley of dry bones moment, feeling like their
Speaker 1: dreams are scattered and lifeless. Share this video with them.
Speaker 1: Let them see that the same God who promised to
Speaker 1: breathe life into Israel's hopeless situation is still breathing life
Speaker 1: into impossible circumstances to day, Your like, your share, your comment.
Speaker 1: They all help spread these life changing biblical truths to
Speaker 1: people who desperately need to hear them. Together, we can
Speaker 1: make sure everyone gets to experience the Book of Ezekiel
Speaker 1: like they've never seen it before. So what are you
Speaker 1: waiting for? Subscribe, share, and let's continue exploring God's incredible
Speaker 1: word together