Through the Bible - Ezekiel

"Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations... Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite... When I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee... Live... And thou becamest mine... Thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot." (Ezekiel 16, selected)

Why would a loving God pour out wrath on the people He chose? Ezekiel answers—and calls us to warn a perishing world.

A Hard Book and Its Author

How many of you read through Ezekiel this week? Just one of you—and that's okay, it is a hard book. The very first chapter is intriguing, a wheel within a wheel and all manner of strange things. I'm not going to interpret that for you. But as I've read through it, it's a powerful book, and I keep thinking about the judgment of God, because it is so clearly seen.

The authorship is not really contested. Several times Ezekiel mentions himself as the writer, and God speaks directly to him, calling him to do very strange things as a sign to the people. In fact, God repeatedly says, "You are a sign and a witness to the people"—a witness to an exiled people, a people in captivity.

Ezekiel was one of the captives brought to Babylon after the first siege by King Nebuchadnezzar. You may not know that Jerusalem was finally destroyed in 586 BC, but there were two earlier sieges before Nebuchadnezzar completely destroyed the city. After the first, he carried most of the people to Babylon and set up a puppet king. Ezekiel even prophesies that this king would seek Egypt's help to defend the city one more time, prompting Nebuchadnezzar to come and destroy it completely.

Ezekiel was a contemporary of Daniel, whom we'll study next week. Like Daniel, he was brought from Jerusalem to Babylon. He was of the priestly tribe, and it's believed he received these visions when he turned thirty—the very age when Levites would begin their service in the temple. He should have begun serving in the temple; instead he was a captive. But God said, "I'm not finished with you. You are a priest. I'm going to speak through you to my people."

The Twofold Purpose of God's Wrath

As you go through this book, you wonder: how could this loving God, who speaks so much of how He loves these people, pour out His wrath upon them? This book shows us clearly why. The phrase "thus saith the Lord God" appears 199 times here—more than any other book in the Bible. And 64 times God says, "And ye shall know that I am the Lord."

The purpose of God's judgment was twofold. First, purification—any time you see God's judgment in the Old Testament, it is for purifying. Second, that all the world would know that He is the Lord. Remember Exodus: it says Pharaoh hardened his heart, and it also says God hardened Pharaoh's heart. God even stirred Pharaoh to pursue Israel into the Red Sea.

I've always paused at Exodus 14, where God tells Moses, "I am going to harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will follow you." I think, "Lord, if You can speak to Pharaoh that way, why not just tell him to go home?" Yet God says, "No, I will pour out my wrath upon him and his armies, so the world will know that I am God." God proclaims Himself to the world through His judgments—upon Egypt in Exodus, and upon His own people in Ezekiel.

Forty-six times we read, "The word of the Lord came to me." Here was a man waiting on the Lord, and God would come and ask, "Ezekiel, what do you see?" And Ezekiel would write what he saw. I guarantee he didn't understand it. When he writes of a wheel within a wheel and creatures with eyes all over them, he was surely wondering, "What in the world is that?" And God simply said, "Write it."

God on the Move

We can't come to any definite interpretation of these visions, but we can draw applications. These creatures with eyes all over them show a great vigilance—they surround God like His secret service detail. Isaiah saw the same picture: creatures with six wings, covering their feet, covering their eyes. Pat and I spent half an hour this week talking about the wheel within a wheel without resolving it.

But one thing is clear: God is on the move. He is in Babylon with His captive people, and then He catches Ezekiel up and takes him back to Jerusalem to show him what's happening there. God brings this priest to the temple and shows him that the people have erected altars of incense to foreign gods. He tells him, "Look, there's a hole in this wall—peek through it." And Ezekiel finds essentially pornographic images all over the walls, with the priests worshiping them. God says, in effect, "Do you see now why I'm going to pour out my wrath?"

The Commission of a Sign

Chapters 1 through 3 give the commission of the prophet, as we saw with Isaiah and Jeremiah. God called Ezekiel to be not only a prophet but a sign by the way he lived. God would have him lie on one side for 390 days, then flip and lie on the other side for 40 days. He told him to pack up all his belongings, leave the camp, pitch his tent outside, and return at evening. "You are a sign to them in the way you live."

And so are we. We are a sign to the world around us—the people we work with, go to school with, live near. God speaks through us by the way we live. They're watching. But God also called Ezekiel to speak His word.

Chapters 4 through 24 announce the judgment coming upon Judah. This brings us back to the wrath of God, so clearly seen in the Old Testament and pointing to a coming day when God will judge this Christ-rejecting world again. That should stir us to evangelism. Romans says the unrighteous are storing up wrath for the day of wrath. There is a coming day when God will pour out the cup of His wrath, and that is not a pretty thing.

When Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel saw what God's wrath truly looks like, they doubled over in pain. Ezekiel cries out, "O Lord, this is too much." Habakkuk cried, "Lord, this is not right, that You pour out judgment like this." Jonah was the exception—he wanted the enemies destroyed. But most prophets, seeing the reality of wrath, were grieved.

Why God Is Jealous

This should stir us to bring the gospel to people who are perishing. Paul says in Romans 1 that the gospel is the very power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, Jew or Gentile. God is able to save people from the wrath to come because He poured out His wrath upon His Son, who took our sin upon Himself. That is good news.

But why does God pour out wrath? Many today question it. In my generation, when you mention God's wrath, people say, "Your God's an angry God." This past week I was talking with my mom about A New Earth by Tolle, which Oprah Winfrey is endorsing and using to disciple millions into new-age teaching. Oprah said she had a life-changing experience sitting in a Baptist church around age twenty-seven. The preacher was praising God's glory and awesomeness, then mentioned God's jealousy—and she said, "God jealous? I can't serve a jealous God." Well, Ezekiel shows us exactly why God is jealous.

Remember Hebrews 12: whom the Lord loves, He chastens. Those who receive correction grow in the peaceable fruits of righteousness. Those who harden their hearts will still glorify God—through His wrath, because all will see He is righteous when He judges. Write this down: God is glorified whether a person accepts or rejects Him. He is glorified through the believer who accepts Him, and through the unbeliever by His just wrath.

Ezekiel 16: The Rescued Child Who Became a Harlot

Chapter 16 is one of the longest chapters, and it gives us a clear understanding of God's jealousy. The people of Judah expected God would never judge them; false prophets kept saying, "Don't worry, God loves you, He's not going to judge you." Sound familiar?

God says, "Cause Jerusalem to know her abominations." He reminds them of their roots: "Thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite." Just like the religious people of John 8 who boasted, "We are Abraham's children," and Jesus said, "Your father is the devil." God says, "Remember where you came from—you're nothing special. When you were born, your navel was not cut, you were not washed, not salted, not swaddled. You were cast out in an open field, loathed. No other god pitied you."

Then comes the turning point in verse 6: "When I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, Live." God comes to a dead, abandoned child and gives life. He causes her to grow to maturity. "When I passed by and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, and thou becamest mine."

He washes her with water—Ephesians 5, the washing of the water of the Word. He anoints her with oil—the Holy Spirit. He clothes her in embroidered work, fine linen, and silk; decks her with bracelets, a chain, a jewel on her forehead, earrings, and a crown. Can you imagine it? God took an abandoned child no one wanted, washed her, raised her, and adorned her with gold, silver, and righteousness. "Thou wast exceedingly beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. Thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness which I had put upon thee."

Trusting in Her Own Beauty

"But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot." Isn't that the way of man? God pours out abundantly upon us, and somehow we think it's of ourselves. Israel took every garment, every jewel, the gold and silver He had given, and made high places and images, committing whoredom with them. They took the fine flour, oil, and honey He fed them and offered it all to false gods.

Worse, they took the children He gave them and sacrificed them in the fire. "Is this thy whoredom a small matter," God asks, "that thou hast slain my children?" And through it all, they never remembered the days of their youth—how they were naked, polluted, and helpless when He called them. After all their wickedness, it grew worse: they built a high place in every street and at every corner, like the pagan city of Athens where Paul found idols everywhere.

Why does God judge? Because of their wicked ways. Verse 27: "I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food"—a famine—"and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee." Even the Philistines were ashamed of their lewdness. They played the harlot with the Assyrians and were never satisfied. That is a key truth: the world will never satisfy us. Israel tried every possible thing; their appetite was insatiable, and the more they pursued, the emptier they became.

The Worst Harlot of All

God says they were not like ordinary harlots, who do it for a fee. They paid their lovers; they gave their gifts to all who passed by. "Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord." Notice God calls His beloved a harlot. He declares He will gather all her lovers against her, expose her, and judge her as a woman who breaks wedlock—giving her over into her enemies' hands to strip her, stone her, and burn her houses.

But notice the mercy in the wrath: "I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot." Remember, God's judgment purifies. Before Babylon, Israel was filled with idolatry; Babylon took that idolatry away. They came back cleansed of idols—though not perfect, for in Babylon, the land of merchants, they picked up materialism and returned as merchants. To this day the Jewish people are associated with commerce. God continually purifies us; remove one impurity and another arises.

So His mercy came through wrath. "I will make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee." That is a wonderful thing about God's anger—it does not extend forever. Yet He says, "I will recompense thy way upon thine head." We should be grateful He does not recompense our way upon our heads. He calls us, as in Jeremiah 6, to stand in the old paths; and He promises in Ezekiel 36:26 a new heart and a new covenant.

Worse Than Sodom

God reminds them their elder sister is Samaria—the northern ten tribes, already judged by Assyria—and their younger sister is Sodom, a general term here for the Gentile peoples. "Yet hast thou not walked after their ways... thou hast corrupted more than they." You think Sodom and Gomorrah were bad? You think Samaria, which never had a single good king, was wicked? "Thou hast done worse than they."

And God gives insight into Sodom's sin. We usually associate Sodom only with homosexuality, but notice verse 49: "This was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her... neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." Their major sin was pride and arrogance; they had everything, were lazy, and would not help the needy. "Therefore I took them away as I saw good"—God's grace in removing sin.

Judah was so wicked they made Sodom and Samaria look righteous. Yet, "Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant... and thou shalt know that I am the Lord." His wrath comes because of sin—Romans 1, the wrath of God revealed against all unrighteousness of those who suppress the truth. And on the day of judgment, everyone who witnesses it will say, "Amen, so be it." Yet still God calls, "Return to me," and through judgment He brings forth a remnant.

Chapter 18: The Soul That Sins Shall Die

Flip to chapter 18. "What mean ye, that ye use this proverb... The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?" Jeremiah explains it in Lamentations 5:7—"Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities." The people thought they were being judged for their fathers' sins. "O God, so unjust!"

We always seem to think ourselves righteous. My generation wants to blame everyone else—"It was my upbringing, my dad wasn't nice, that's why I shot twenty people." We won't take responsibility. But God says, "As I live, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb. Behold, all souls are mine... the soul that sinneth, it shall die." We are not judged for what our parents did ten generations ago, nor specifically for what Adam and Eve did—though remember 1 Corinthians 10: "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."

Exposing Sin by the Light

Most people don't think they're sinners, just as Judah didn't. The best way to expose sin is to shine light in a dark place, and God's Word is a lamp. Romans 3:20—"By the law is the knowledge of sin." If you tell someone, "You're a sinner, you're going to hell," they get offended: "Who do you think you are, you self-righteous Calvary Chapel Christian?" But let the Bible tell them. Show them, "Whoever looks on a woman to lust has committed adultery in his heart—have you done that?" "Have you ever told a lie?" "If you're angry without cause, you've committed murder in your heart." Just show them the law: "By the law is the knowledge of sin."

People say God is unjust to judge. But could you worship a God who looked down on rape, murder, and abused children and said, "That's okay"? No—there needs to be a reckoning. We're thankful God extends grace, which the gospel declares, but before someone can receive grace they must reckon that the soul that sins shall die.

Each Judged for His Own Way

God lays it out plainly. A just man who keeps His statutes shall live. If that just man has a son who is a robber, an idolater, an oppressor, "he shall not live... he shall surely die, and his blood shall be upon him." And if that wicked man has a son who sees his father's sins and does not do them, "he shall not die for the iniquity of his father... he shall surely live." Isn't that the cry of unbelievers? "Why does not the son bear the iniquity of the father?" But the soul that sins shall die; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked upon him.

"But if the wicked will turn from all his sins... and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions... shall not be mentioned unto him." "Have I any pleasure at all in the death of the wicked? saith the Lord; and not that he should return from his ways, and live?" Peter echoes this: God is not willing that any should perish.

And the warning runs the other way: "When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity... in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die." The people protested, "The way of the Lord is not equal." God answers, "Are not your ways unequal?" Then comes the call: "Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin... make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"

The Watchman's Call

This was Ezekiel's commission in chapter 3. "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel." When God sends warning to the wicked and Ezekiel fails to warn him, the wicked dies in his iniquity, but his blood God requires at the watchman's hand. If Ezekiel warns him and he does not turn, the watchman has delivered his soul. Likewise when a righteous man turns to iniquity—if not warned, he dies in his sin and his blood is required at the watchman's hand; if warned and he does not sin, he lives, and the watchman has delivered his soul.

Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation. How is godly sorrow produced? By showing someone how they have transgressed God's law and shamed His name. If you see a wicked man walking in wickedness, warn him of coming judgment; if he listens, God saves him; if he rejects it, he dies in his sins and you are released.

People ask, "Are you saying you can lose your salvation?" I don't believe you can lose salvation like you lose a wallet. Some groups say you sinned today, so go back to a crusade and get saved again—Scripture doesn't teach that. But Scripture does give warnings to those who depart from the faith and make shipwreck of it. Paul wrote, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world." Have such people lost their salvation? Only God knows. By their fruits you will know them. If a person isn't walking in righteousness, I can only see bad fruit, and I have to wonder whether they were ever saved. But the call remains the same: repent.

The Cost of Warning

Paul says in Romans 1 he is a debtor to Jew and Greek, because God gave us the words of eternal life and we owe that word to the world. We must give the warning Ezekiel gave. It isn't easy—you may be unpopular, and we like to be liked. But Paul said, "Though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved... I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls." He didn't care about their temporal feelings; he cared about their souls on the day of Christ. You may be the most unpopular person in the world, but praise God if in heaven those people say, "Thank you for warning me."

Judgment on the Gentiles and the Restoration of Israel

Chapters 4 through 24 announce judgment on Judah; chapters 25 through 32 announce judgment on the Gentiles. God doesn't play favorites in love or in judgment—the soul that sins shall die, and the soul that repents shall live, whoever your parents are.

Then chapters 33 through the end turn to the restoration of Israel. The exile was for their good and purification, but God promised, "I will bring you back." In Ezekiel 36:26 He declares a new covenant: "A new heart also will I give you... and I will put my spirit within you." There are two restorations in view: the return after seventy years in Babylon, and a far greater revival after the people are scattered throughout the whole world.

In chapter 37 God shows Ezekiel a valley of dry bones—a dead nation—and asks, "Can these bones live?" Ezekiel answers, "Lord, thou knowest." God breathes on them; the bones come together, sinew covers them, and the nation lives again, just as Isaiah foretold. On May 14th we'll hold a Wednesday service celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of Israel becoming a nation again—May 14, 1948, in a single day, as Scripture said it would happen.

Gog, Magog, and a Coming Temple

I believe Ezekiel 36 through 40 gives a prophetic chronology of end-times events. Immediately after the dry bones live again come chapters 38 and 39, where a coalition of nations comes against Israel. "Set thy face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal... Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them... Gomer, and the house of Togarmah of the north quarters."

These nations had different names twenty-five hundred years ago, just as cities change names—Istanbul was once Constantinople. Gog, Magog, Meshech, and Tubal are very likely Russia; Meshech seems to share a root with Moscow, and there is a Russian city called Tobolsk, probably Tubal. Persia changed its name to Iran in 1935. Ethiopia and Libya point to northern Africa; Togarmah may be the area of Turkey; some think Gomer is Germany, though we can't be certain. Nearly all these nations today are predominantly Shiite Muslim, closely connected to Russia, and openly hostile to Israel—something will stir them to come, perhaps oil reserves now being discovered there. Interestingly, Babylon, Israel's greatest historic enemy, is not named among them; there may be a reason for that.

At the end of that invasion, these armies are miraculously destroyed, and chapter 40 describes a new temple. I believe a third temple will be built in Jerusalem. That matters because Jesus said in Matthew 24 that when you see "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place," then flee, for great tribulation will come—and for that, there must be a temple.

A Closing Charge

So Ezekiel holds powerful end-times truths, and God's wrath is coming. We may be very close to the time of its outpouring. Therefore we should be in the world warning every man, that we might present every man perfect in Christ. If you warn the wicked and he turns, he shall live; and if a righteous man turns toward wickedness, we are called to warn him and call him to repentance. The wrath of God abides upon all who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, and no one will stand before God on that day and say, "That's not fair." We will all say, "Amen, amen."

Closing Prayer

God, we thank You for the truth of Your word. We ask that You would help us write these things on our hearts and be prepared to share them as we go into the world. Lord, as we leave here tonight and go to the mission field You've called us to, equip us, enable us to speak with boldness the truth, and to warn those who are walking in unrighteousness and ungodliness. And tonight, Lord, if our hearts have drifted in any way, I pray that the warning of Your word would cause us to turn once again back to You. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.