The Call of Ezekiel
Lesson V
In these notes, one picks up the pen to write with a sense of
reluctance because one knows there is nothing new under the sun. Yet each of us has his own personality. Each of us is more or less unique. And there is a sense that when we express
ourselves it will be like no other writer.
Many books have been written on Bible subjects and entire books of the
Bible. But we have observed that few
have been written on the Book of Ezekiel, for Ezekiel had some hard things to
say to his generation, and what he wrote has a living message for all
generations, including our own.
I am a simple soul and write for the common people. My explanations may be too simple and
simplistic for the learned intellectuals and theologians. But I am not writing for theologians. I write to help common people understand
Ezekiel’s message.
The book begins with experiences of the life of the Prophet. We shall observe a few stated facts. He refers to himself as having been called
“The son of man.” Therefore, we must
look upon him as being a type of Christ. He speaks of “visions” received from heaven. Therefore, there are not only types, but
symbols in his writing.
Ezekiel 1:1-3 Some historical
background.
Ezekiel 1:1-3
(1) Now it came to
pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth [month], in the fifth [day] of the
month, as I [was] among the captives by the river of Chebar,
[that] the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
(2) In the fifth [day]
of the month, which [was] the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's
captivity,
(3) The word of the
LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi,
in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and
the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
a) Ezekiel began his
ministry when he was thirty years of age.
In this he pictures Christ. He
was likely born about the year 627 B.C.
b) He was among the captives on the fourth month, July 5th,
by the river Chebar, in Babylon. Chebar was a canal
that had been cut-out by Nebuchadnezzar (cf Psalm
137:1).
Psalm 137:1
(1) By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down,
yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
c) Here, the heavens were opened and “I saw visions of God.” He experienced God (cf. Acts 7:2, Acts
7:55-56, Acts 9:3). In this statement he
is telling us that he was a prophet of God, not one called by men (cf.
Galatians 1:1).
Acts 7:2
(2) And he said, Men,
brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father
Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
Acts 7:55-56
(55) But he, being
full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into
heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
(56) And said, Behold,
I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Acts 9:3
(3) And as he
journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a
light from heaven:
Galatians 1:1
(1) Paul, an apostle,
(not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who
raised him from the dead;)
d) In verse 2, he tells us it was “the fifth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity.”
Therefore, if Ezekiel had been taken captive with Jehoiachin,
it would be about the year 597 B.C. (cf. 2 Kings 24:11-16).
2 Kings 24:11-16
(11) And
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did
besiege it.
(12) And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of
Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his
officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.
(13) And he carried
out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the
king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of
Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.
(14) And he carried
away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, [even] ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen
and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
(15) And he carried
away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother,
and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, [those]
carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon
(16) And all the men
of might, [even] seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all [that
were] strong [and] apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive
to Babylon.
e) In verse 3, we learn he was not only a prophet but he was a priest
(cf. Numbers 4:13). A priest’s duties began
at 30 years of age.
Numbers 4:13
(13) And they shall
take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon:
Ezekiel 1:4-24 Visions of heavenly creatures.
Ezekiel 1:4-24
(4) And I looked, and,
behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness
[was] about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour
of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
(5) Also out of the
midst thereof [came] the likeness of four living creatures. And this [was]
their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
(6) And every one had
four faces, and every one had four wings.
(7) And their feet [were]
straight feet; and the sole of their feet [was] like the sole of a calf's foot:
and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.
(8) And [they had] the
hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their
faces and their wings.
(9) Their wings [were]
joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one
straight forward.
(10) As for the
likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a
lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side;
they four also had the face of an eagle.
(11) Thus [were] their
faces: and their wings [were] stretched upward; two wings of every one were
joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
(12) And they went
every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; [and] they
turned not when they went.
(13) As for the
likeness of the living creatures, their appearance [was] like burning coals of
fire, [and] like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living
creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
(14) And the living
creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
(15) Now as I beheld
the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures,
with his four faces.
(16) The appearance of
the wheels and their work [was] like unto the colour
of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work
[was] as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
(17) When they went,
they went upon their four sides: [and] they turned not when they went.
(18) As for their
rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings [were] full
of eyes round about them four.
(19) And when the
living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures
were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
(20) Whithersoever the
spirit was to go, they went, thither [was their] spirit to go; and the wheels
were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in
the wheels.
(21) When those went, [these]
went; and when those stood, [these] stood; and when those were lifted up from
the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the
living creature [was] in the wheels.
(22) And the likeness
of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature [was] as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their
heads above.
(23) And under the
firmament [were] their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every
one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.
(24) And when they
went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the
voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an
host: when they stood, they let down their wings.
Hebrews 1:14 We are told that angels “ are
ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them who are heirs of salvation.” They are employed in working out the providence
of God in the affairs of men. cf.
Ezekiel 10:20
Hebrews 1:14
(14) Are they not all
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of
salvation?
Ezekiel 10:20
(20) This [is] the
living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they [were] the cherubims.
Ezekiel 1: 25-28 The glory of the
Lord.
Ezekiel 1: 25-28
(25) And there was a
voice from the firmament that [was] over their heads, when they stood, [and]
had let down their wings.
(26) And above the
firmament that [was] over their heads [was] the likeness of a throne, as the
appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne [was] the
likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
(27) And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about
within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the
appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire,
and it had brightness round about.
(28) As the appearance
of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so [was] the appearance of
the brightness round about. This [was] the appearance of the likeness of the
glory of the LORD. And when I saw [it], I fell upon my face, and I heard a
voice of one that spake.
As we have tried to show in another paper, the glory of the Lord is
personified in Jesus Christ But there is a lesson here. We will never have a proper perspective of
“earthly things” until we first have a view of “heavenly
things.” (Colossians 3:1).
“The things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and
grace.”
Colossians 3:1
(1) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Ezekiel 2:1-2 The Spirit entered him.
Ezekiel 2:1-2
(1) And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon
thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
(2) And the spirit
entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me
upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
The Spirit set him on his feet. Then spoke to him. Then sent him to preach. As we shall see, first by actions
and then by words. Learn
the lesson—actions must always be before words. What you do speaks
louder than what you say.
Ezekiel 2:3-8 He is sent to the
House of Israel.
Ezekiel 2:3-8
(3) And he said unto
me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation
that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against
me, [even] unto this very day.
(4) For [they are]
impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee
unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
(5) And they, whether
they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they [are] a rebellious
house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
(6) And thou, son of
man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and
thorns [be] with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of
their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they [be] a rebellious
house.
(7) And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or
whether they will forbear: for they [are] most
rebellious.
(8) But thou, son of
man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious
like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
See also Ezekiel 3:1,5,7,17,
By my own count the word
Revelation 21:12 is the last time the word, Israel, is used in the Bible, a
total of 2500 times.
It was in the year 595 B.C that Ezekiel was sent to “the
house of
Israel is now rebellious. Ezekiel 2:3,5,6,7; Ezekiel 3:9,26-27; cf 1 Samuel 15:23
Ezekiel 3:9, 26-27
(9) As an adamant
harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not,
neither be dismayed at their looks, though they [be] a rebellious house.
(26) And I will make
thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt
be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they [are] a rebellious house.
(27) But when I speak
with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say
unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth,
let him forbear: for they [are] a rebellious house.
1 Samuel 15:23
(23) For rebellion [is
as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry: Because
thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from
[being] king.
Israel is impudent and stiffhearted. Ezekiel 2:4. “Impudent” means without feeling of shame. Without modesty. No care for the feelings of others (Jeremiah
3:3; Jeremiah 6:15; Jeremiah 8:12; Zephaniah 3:5; Isaiah 3:9). When people can no longer blush with shame
they have reached the moral bottom.
Jeremiah 3:3
(3) Therefore the
showers have been withholden, and there hath been no
latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
Jeremiah 6:15
(15) Were they ashamed
when they had committed abomination? nay, they were
not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among
them that fall: at the time [that] I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 8:12
(12) Were they ashamed
when they had committed abomination? nay, they were
not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among
them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.
Zephaniah 3:5
(5) The just LORD is
in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his
judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
Isaiah 3:9
(9) The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and
they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide [it] not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
Worst of all Israel is now
idolatrous. Ezekiel 6:4,5,6,9,13; Ezekiel
14:3-7; Ezekiel 23:30 and there are many more such Scriptures.
We shall learn that in the sight of God idolatry is looked upon as
fornication, adultery and whoredom.
Cf Ezekiel 16:16 thou playedst the harlot.
Ezekiel 16:17 didst commit whoredom.(also vss 20,22,25,26).
Ezekiel 16:29 multiplied thy fornication.
Ezekiel 16:32 but as a wife that committeth
adultery
Ezekiel 16:35 wherefore ,O harlot.
Ezekiel 16:38 as a woman that break wedlock
Ezekiel 16:59 breaking the covenant.
One cannot read these things and think lightly of the breaking of the
marriage bond by any of the things listed above.
Ezekiel 6:4-6, 9, 13
(4) And your altars
shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your
slain [men] before your idols
(5) And I will lay the
dead carcases of the children of Israel before their
idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.
(6) In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, and the high
places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate,
and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and
your works may be abolished.
(9) And they that
escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried
captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed
from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they
shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have
committed in all their abominations.
(13) Then shall ye
know that I [am] the LORD, when their slain [men] shall be among their idols
round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the
mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place
where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols.
Ezekiel 14:3-7
(3) Son of man, these
men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock
of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
(4) Therefore speak
unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up
his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh
to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude
of his idols;
(5) That I may take
the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me
through their idols.
(6) Therefore say unto
the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent,
and turn [yourselves] from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your
abominations.
(7) For every one of
the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth
in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth
the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face,
and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer
him by myself:
Ezekiel 23:30
(30) I will do these [things]
unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, [and] because
thou art polluted with their idols.
Ezekiel 16:16-17, 20, 22,
25-26, 29, 32, 35, 38, 59
(16) And of thy
garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high
places with divers colours,
and playedst the harlot thereupon: [the like things]
shall not come, neither shall it be [so].
(17) Thou hast also
taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom
with them,
(20) Moreover thou
hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these
hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. [Is this] of thy whoredoms a small matter,
(22) And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms
thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast
naked and bare, [and] wast polluted in thy blood.
(25) Thou hast built
thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be
abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that
passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.
(26) Thou hast also
committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours,
great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to
provoke me to anger.
(29) Thou hast
moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet
thou wast not satisfied herewith.
(32) [But as] a wife
that committeth adultery, [which] taketh
strangers instead of her husband!
(35) Wherefore, O
harlot, hear the word of the LORD:
(38) And I will judge
thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.
(59) For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast
done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.
Ezekiel 2: 6-8 Ezekiel is warned.
Ezekiel 2:6 “be
not afraid of their words”, “nor dismayed at their looks”;
Ezekiel 2:8 “be
not thou rebellious like that rebellious house.” “Take heed
unto thyself” (1 Timothy 4:16).
1 Timothy 4:16
(16) Take heed unto
thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Ezekiel 2:9-10 through 3:1-3 He is given a roll
of a book.
Ezekiel 3:1 he
is told to “eat” it.
Ezekiel 2:9-10 through
3:1-3
(9) And when I looked,
behold, an hand [was] sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book [was] therein;
(10) And he spread it
before me; and it was written within and without: and [there was] written
therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
(1) Moreover he said
unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this
roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
(2) So I opened my
mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
(3) And he said unto
me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that
I give thee. Then did I eat [it]; and it was in my mouth as honey for
sweetness.
When you eat, you digest what you eat so that it becomes a part of you.
That Ezekiel was to do. (cf Jeremiah 15:16; Job 23:12
Matthew 4:4, Psalm 119:11, 2
Timothy 2:15; 1 Timothy 4:13-16)
Jeremiah 15:16
(16) Thy words were
found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of
mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
Job 23:12
(12) Neither have I
gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his
mouth more than my necessary [food].
Matthew 4:4
(4) But he answered
and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of God.
Psalm 119:11
(11) Thy word have I
hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
2 Timothy 2:15
(15) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth.
1 Timothy 4:13-16
(13) Till I come, give
attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
(14) Neglect not the
gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of
the hands of the presbytery.
(15) Meditate upon
these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to
all.
(16) Take heed unto
thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Ezekiel 3:4-7 He was to “eat”
then (and not until then) “go.” One
must feed ones self before one can begin to feed another. Ezekiel was forewarned that his message would
be rejected (2:7) so the prophet must be first strengthened himself before he
faced such difficult people. The word
“Ezekiel” means “God strengthens.” I
have lived long enough to know that I cannot give myself physical strength let
alone spiritual strength. And as natural food is given to
strengthen our bodies, so spiritual food is given to strengthen our souls.
Ezekiel 3:4-7
(4) And he said unto
me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words
unto them.
(5) For thou [art] not
sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, [but] to the
house of Israel;
(6) Not to many people
of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose
words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would
have hearkened unto thee.
(7) But the house of
Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all
the house of Israel [are] impudent and hardhearted.
Ezekiel 3: 8-27 He was to become a
watchman.
Ezekiel 3: 8-27
(8) Behold, I have
made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their
foreheads.
(9) As an adamant
harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither
be dismayed at their looks, though they [be] a rebellious house.
(10) Moreover he said
unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine
ears.
(11) And go, get thee
to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them,
and tell them, Thus saith
the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
(12) Then the spirit
took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, [saying], Blessed
[be] the glory of the LORD from his place.
(13) [I heard] also
the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and
the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.
(14) So the spirit
lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my
spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
(15) Then I came to
them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the
river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and
remained there astonished among them seven days.
(16) And it came to
pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
(17) Son of man, I
have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at
my mouth, and give them warning from me.
(18) When I say unto
the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest
to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked [man]
shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine
hand.
(19) Yet if thou warn
the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor
from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy
soul.
(20) Again, When a righteous [man] doth turn from his righteousness, and
commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before
him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his
sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his
blood will I require at thine hand.
(21) Nevertheless if
thou warn the righteous [man], that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin,
he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
(22) And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go
forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.
(23) Then I arose, and
went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as
the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I
fell on my face.
(24) Then the spirit
entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake
with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine
house.
(25) But thou, O son
of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them,
and thou shalt not go out among them:
(26) And I will make
thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt
be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they [are] a rebellious house.
(27) But when I speak
with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say
unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth,
let him forbear: for they [are] a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 3:8 He
was made strong by the word.
Ezekiel 3:14 The hand of the Lord was strong
upon him.
Ezekiel 3:15-21 He was made a watchmen to warn but one who would
not win (2 Corinthians 2:16).
2 Corinthians 2:16
(16) To the one [we
are] the savour of death unto death; and to the other
the savour of life unto life. And who [is] sufficient
for these things?
Hebrews 11:7
Noah condemned the world.
He did not save it. Was he
successful?
Hebrews 11:7
(7) By faith Noah,
being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark
to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became
heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Ezekiel 24:24 Ezekiel was to be a sign to Israel. Therefore, expect the miraculous and a good
deal of suffering for this ‘man of God.”
Ezekiel 24:24
(24) Thus Ezekiel is
unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this
cometh, ye shall know that I [am] the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 3:26-27 He was smitten dumb.
He could only open his mouth when the Lord gave him a message! You would think that
Ezekiel 4:3-5 He was confined
to his bed for 390 days to be a sign to Israel.
Ezekiel 4:6 He was confined
to his bed for 40 days as a sign to Judah.
Ezekiel 4:3-6
(3) Moreover take thou
unto thee an iron pan, and set it [for] a wall of iron between thee and the
city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This [shall
be] a sign to the house of Israel.
(4) Lie
thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon
it: [according] to the number of the days that thou shalt
lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity.
(5) For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the
number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt
thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.
(6) And when thou hast
accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt
bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each
day for a year.
Ezekiel 24:16-19 His wife died
very suddenly. Why was this?
Ezekiel 24: 20-25 God wanted
Israel to know that as Ezekiel and his wife were smitten, so the desire of
their eyes, Jerusalem and the Temple would also be smitten.
Ezekiel 24: 26-27 At the time of his wife’s death, Ezekiel was given a
promise. It was actually a prophecy.
(cf Ezekiel 33:21-22)
Ezekiel 24:16-27
(16) Son of man,
behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine
eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor
weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
(17) Forbear to cry,
make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine
head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not [thy] lips,
and eat not the bread of men.
(18) So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife
died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
(19) And the people
said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these [things are] to us, that thou doest
so?
(20) Then I answered
them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
(21) Speak unto the
house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I
will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your
strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth;
and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.
(22) And ye shall do
as I have done: ye shall not cover [your] lips, nor eat the bread of men.
(23) And your tires [shall
be] upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor
weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.
(24) Thus Ezekiel is
unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this
cometh, ye shall know that I [am] the Lord GOD.
(25) Also, thou son of
man, [shall it] not [be] in the day when I take from them their strength, the
joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their
minds, their sons and their daughters,
(26) [That] he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause [thee]
to hear it with [thine] ears?
(27) In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is
escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb:
and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall
know that I [am] the LORD.
Ezekiel 33:21-22
(21) And it came to
pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth [month], in the fifth [day]
of the month, [that] one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me,
saying, The city is smitten.
(22) Now the hand of
the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had
opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened,
and I was no more dumb.
The greater lesson:
Ezekiel 6:10, 13
(10) And they shall
know that I [am] the LORD, [and that] I have not said in vain that I would do
this evil unto them.
(13) Then shall ye
know that I [am] the LORD, when their slain [men] shall be among their idols
round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the
mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place
where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols.
Ezekiel 7:4, 27
(4) And mine eye shall
not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon
thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of
thee: and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.
(27) The king shall
mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the
people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and
according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I [am]
the LORD.
Ezekiel 11:10, 12
(10) Ye shall fall by
the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I [am]
the LORD.
(12) And ye shall know
that I [am] the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed
my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that [are] round
about you.
Ezekiel 12:15-16, 20
(15) And they shall
know that I [am] the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and
disperse them in the countries.
(16) But I will leave
a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence;
that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they
come; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.
(20) And the cities that
are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall
know that I [am] the LORD.
Ezekiel 13:14, 21, 23
(14) So will I break
down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered [morter], and bring it down to the ground, so that the
foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be
consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.
(21) Your kerchiefs
also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no
more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.
(23) Therefore ye
shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people
out of your hand: and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.
Ezekiel 14:23
(23) And they shall
comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I
have not done without cause all that I have done in
it, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 15:7
(7) And I will set my
face against them; they shall go out from [one] fire, and [another] fire shall
devour them; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I set my face against
them.
Ezekiel 16:62
(62) And I will
establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know
that I [am] the LORD:
Romans chapters nine through
eleven prove that Israel is still a “sign.”
Romans 9 Israel
selected.
Romans 10
Israel rejected.
Romans 11
Israel resurrected (Rosenthal)
The prophetic Scriptures
reveal God’s chosen signs.
Matthew 12:38-40
It is evil to seek signs that are not in the Bible.
Matthew 12:38-40
(38) Then certain of
the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign
from thee.
(39) But he answered
and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to
it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
(40) For as Jonas was
three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be
three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Often sign seekers become Word rejectors. E.g. Zodiac, Horoscope.
Ezekiel’s signs are unmistakable.
If one ignores Bible signs, one will be forced to seek “other signs.” (Romans 11:25; 2 Timothy 4:4)
Romans 11:25
(25) For I would not,
brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in
your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
2 Timothy 4:4
(4) And they shall
turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
The scattering of the Jews was
to be a sign to the Nations.
Prophecies in Ezekiel: Ezekiel 4:13, Ezekiel 5:10-12; Ezekiel 6:8-10; Ezekiel 12:11-16; Ezekiel 17:21; Ezekiel 20:23; Ezekiel 22:15-16.
See also Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 4:27; Deuteronomy 28:25,64; Ezekiel 36:19; Luke 21:24; James 1:1.
Ezekiel 4:13
(13) And the LORD
said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their
defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.
Ezekiel 5:10-12
(10) Therefore the
fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their
fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee
will I scatter into all the winds.
(11) Wherefore, [as] I
live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast
defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish [thee];
neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.
(12) A third part of
thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in
the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee;
and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword
after them.
Ezekiel 6:8-10
(8) Yet will I leave a
remnant, that ye may have [some] that shall escape the sword among the nations,
when ye shall be scattered through the countries.
(9) And they that
escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried
captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed
from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they
shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have
committed in all their abominations.
(10) And they shall
know that I [am] the LORD, [and that] I have not said in vain that I would do
this evil unto them.
Ezekiel 12:11-16
(11) Say, I [am] your
sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove [and]
go into captivity.
(12) And the prince
that is among them shall bear upon [his] shoulder in the twilight, and shall go
forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his
face, that he see not the ground with [his] eyes.
(13) My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare:
and I will bring him to Babylon [to] the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he
not see it, though he shall die there.
(14) And I will
scatter toward every wind all that [are] about him to help him, and all his
bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.
(15) And they shall
know that I [am] the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and
disperse them in the countries.
(16) But I will leave
a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence;
that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they
come; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.
Ezekiel 17:21
(21) And all his
fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain
shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have
spoken [it].
Ezekiel 20:23
(23) I lifted up mine
hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the
heathen, and disperse them through the countries;
Ezekiel 22:15-16.
(15) And I will
scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will
consume thy filthiness out of thee.
(16) And thou shalt take thine inheritance in
thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt
know that I [am] the LORD.
Leviticus 26:33
(33) And I will
scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your
land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
Deuteronomy 4:27
(27) And the LORD
shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among
the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.
Deuteronomy 28:25, 64
(25) The LORD shall
cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways
before them: and shalt be removed into all the
kingdoms of the earth.
(64) And the LORD
shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto
the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods,
which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, [even] wood and stone.
Ezekiel 36:19
(19) And I scattered
them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries:
according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.
Luke 21:24
(24) And they shall
fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations:
and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled.
James 1:1
(1) James, a servant
of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered
abroad, greeting.
This
prophetic fact has become an absolute historic fact.
These predictions cannot be limited to the Babylonian captivity (as
some teach).
Ezekiel foresaw that captivity, but he also saw beyond that to all
the Jewish scatterings since Babylon.
The Desolations of the
This is also another prophecy that has merged into actual history.
Some of the prophecies: Ezekiel
6: 1-7, 14; Ezekiel
12:19,20; Ezekiel 15:8; Ezekiel 33: 28-29; Ezekiel 36: 34.35. cf. Leviticus 26:27-35.
Ezekiel 6:1-7, 14
(1) And the word of
the LORD came unto me, saying,
(2) Son of man, set
thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy
against them,
(3) And say, Ye
mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith
the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the
valleys; Behold, I, [even] I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy
your high places.
(4) And your altars
shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your
slain [men] before your idols.
(5) And I will lay the
dead carcases of the children of Israel before their
idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars
(6) In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, and the high
places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate,
and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and
your works may be abolished.
(7) And the slain
shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.
(14) So will I stretch
out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the
wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations:
and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.
Ezekiel 12:19-20
(19) And say unto the
people of the land, Thus saith
the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, [and] of the land of Israel; They
shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with
astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because
of the violence of all them that dwell therein.
(20) And the cities
that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye
shall know that I [am] the LORD.
Ezekiel 15:8
(8) And I will make
the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith
the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 33:28-29
(28) For I will lay
the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the
mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.
(29) Then shall they
know that I [am] the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of
all their abominations which they have committed.
Ezekiel 36: 34-35
(34) And the desolate
land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed
by.
(35) And they shall
say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the
waste and desolate and ruined cities [are become] fenced, [and] are inhabited.
Leviticus 26:27-35
(27) And if ye will
not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;
(28) Then I will walk
contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times
for your sins.
(29) And ye shall eat
the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.
(30) And I will
destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of
your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
(31) And I will make
your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not
smell the savour of your sweet odours.
(32) And I will bring
the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished
at it.
(33) And I will
scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your
land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
(34) Then shall the
land enjoy her sabbaths, as
long as it lieth desolate, and ye [be] in your
enemies' land; [even] then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
(35) As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in
your sabbaths, when ye dwelt
upon it.
These prophecies are very specific. The fulfillments have been literal. The
Here we quote Wilber M. Smith:
“Unless one’s study of prophecy drives us to our knees in deeper
consecration of life and preparedness for the event of the Lord’s return, our
study can be vain and we can be out of the will of God.” Such study is intended to produce fruit (1
John 3:3; Hebrews 10:25).
1 John 3:3
(3) And every man that
hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he
is pure.
Hebrews 10:25
(25) Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one
another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
The sufferings
of the Jews is also to be looked upon as a sign.
Some prophecies in Ezekiel: Ezekiel
7:2a ; 4a; 15 and 25-27; Ezekiel 11: 8-10; Ezekiel 23: 46-49;
Some other Scriptures: Isaiah
22:18; Deuteronomy
27:15-26; Deuteronomy 28: 37,43,63-67; Deuteronomy 32: 24-30.
Ezekiel 7:2, 4, 15 and
25-27
(2) Also, thou son of
man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of Israel;
An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land.
(4) And mine eye shall
not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon
thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of
thee: and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.
(15) The sword [is]
without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that [is] in the field
shall die with the sword; and he that [is] in the city, famine and pestilence
shall devour him.
(25) Destruction cometh;
and they shall seek peace, and [there shall be] none.
(26) Mischief shall
come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but
the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.
(27) The king shall
mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the
people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and
according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I [am]
the LORD.
Ezekiel 11: 8-10
(8) Ye have feared the
sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the
Lord GOD.
(9) And I will bring
you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and
will execute judgments among you.
(10) Ye shall fall by
the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I [am]
the LORD.
Ezekiel 23:46-49
(46) For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will bring up a company upon them,
and will give them to be removed and spoiled.
(47) And the company
shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall
slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.
(48) Thus will I cause
lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may
be taught not to do after your lewdness.
(49) And they shall
recompense your lewdness upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols:
and ye shall know that I [am] the Lord GOD.
Isaiah 22:18
(18) He will surely
violently turn and toss thee [like] a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory [shall
be] the shame of thy lord's house.
Deuteronomy 27:15-26
(15) Cursed [be] the
man that maketh any graven or molten image, an
abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth [it] in a secret [place]. And all the people shall
answer and say, Amen.
(16) Cursed [be] he
that setteth light by his father or his mother. And
all the people shall say, Amen.
(17) Cursed [be] he
that removeth his neighbour's
landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.
(18) Cursed [be] he
that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And
all the people shall say, Amen.
(19) Cursed [be] he
that perverteth the judgment of the stranger,
fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.
(20) Cursed [be] he
that lieth with his father's wife; because he uncovereth his father's skirt. And all the people shall
say, Amen.
(21) Cursed [be] he
that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the
people shall say, Amen.
(22) Cursed [be] he
that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his
father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.
(23) Cursed [be] he
that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people
shall say, Amen.
(24) Cursed [be] he
that smiteth his neighbour secretly.
And all the people shall say, Amen.
(25) Cursed [be] he
that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And
all the people shall say, Amen.
(26) Cursed [be] he
that confirmeth not [all] the words of this law to do
them. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Deuteronomy 28: 37, 43,
63-67
(37) And thou shalt become an astonishment, a
proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
(43) The stranger that
[is] within thee shall get up above thee very high;
and thou shalt come down very low.
(63) And it shall come
to pass, [that] as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply
you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither
thou goest to possess it.
(64) And the LORD
shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto
the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods,
which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, [even] wood and stone.
(65) And among these nations
shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of
thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and
failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
(66) And thy life
shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear
day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy
life:
(67) In the morning
thou shalt say, Would God it
were even! and at even thou shalt
say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt
fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
Deuteronomy 32:24-30
(24) [They shall be]
burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction:
I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of
the dust.
(25) The sword
without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin,
the suckling [also] with the man of gray hairs.
(26) I said, I would
scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from
among men:
(27) Were it not that
I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave
themselves strangely, [and] lest they should say, Our
hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this.
(28) For they [are] a
nation void of counsel, neither [is there any] understanding in them.
(29) O that they were
wise, [that] they understood this, [that] they would consider their latter end!
(30) How should one
chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had
sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?
Their sufferings are as real as history.
Romans 11:22
(22) Behold therefore
the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward
thee, goodness, if thou continue in [his] goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
Romans 11:22 Their
sufferings are not finished as yet.
Luke 24:26
(26) Ought not Christ
to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
Of Christ it is written in Luke 24:26 “ought not Christ to have
suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
Like Him, Israel will enter her greatest sufferings just before she
enters her greatest glory (Jeremiah 30:6,7;
Daniel 12:1; Zechariah 12: 2,3; Zechariah 13:8; Matthew 24: 9,21-22,29).
Jeremiah 30:6-7
(6) Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as
a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
(7) Alas! for that day [is] great, so that none [is] like it: it [is]
even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it
Daniel 12:1
(1) And at that time
shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth
for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as
never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time
thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the
book.
Zechariah 12:2-3
(2) Behold, I will
make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall
be in the siege both against Judah [and] against Jerusalem.
(3) And in that day
will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden
themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
Zechariah 13:8
(8) And it shall come
to pass, [that] in all the land, saith the LORD, two
parts therein shall be cut off [and] die; but the third shall be left therein.
Matthew 24: 9, 21-22,
29
(9) Then shall they
deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of
all nations for my name's sake.
(21) For then shall be
great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this
time, no, nor ever shall be.
(22) And except those
days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's
sake those days shall be shortened.
(29) Immediately after
the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not
give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens shall be shaken:
As time moves on, observe the cooling towards Israel. And keep noticing the rise of anti-semitism (Max Demont, The Jew God
and History, pages 312-313).
Ezekiel foresaw the
preservation of the Nation which was also a sign.
Some Scriptures: Ezekiel 11:16; Ezekiel 12:15,16; Leviticus 26:44,45.
Ezekiel 11:16
(16) Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although
I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them
among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the
countries where they shall come.
Ezekiel 12:15-16
(15) And they shall
know that I [am] the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and
disperse them in the countries.
(16) But I will leave
a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence;
that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they
come; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.
Leviticus 26:44-45
(44) And yet for all
that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away,
neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant
with them: for I [am] the LORD their God.
(45) But I will for
their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out
of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I [am]
the LORD.
The Jews are the burning bush, not consumed.
They are the Jonah, in a fish’s belly, not digested.
They are the dead bones that will live again.
They are the Hebrews in the fire who did not burn.
They are the man in the lion’s den who was not devoured.
In all their suffering, they picture Christ who went down into death,
but like Him who saw not corruption, they have been preserved and will be
preserved.
“
These words from none other than the Soviet Ambassador to the United Nations at a luncheon in New York in March 1983.