EZEKIEL

Ezekiel is classed as one of the 3 “Major Prophets” of the Old Testament, (Isaiah and Jeremiah are the other two). He was born in 622 B.C. and died around 570 B.C. and was among the first group of Jewish captives who had been deported to Babylon by king Nebuchadnezzar in 597 B.C.

EZEKIEL 1:1-3

1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

2 On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity,

3 the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

The Chebar (Kebar) river was a small river that ran just to the east of the city-State of Babylon in what is now modern-day Iraq.

The 5^th year of Judah’s king Jehoiachin’s captivity would have been about 592 B.C.

Note: The Chaldeans were the mixed races of the empire of Babylon. Both Babylonians and Chaldeans were often referred to loosely as “Chaldeans”.

The prophet Ezrekiel was a priest like his father. Ezekiel was also a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah.

EZEKIEL 1:4-9

4 Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

5 Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

6 Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings.

7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze.

8 The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings.

9 Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward.

These creatures are cherubim, (not called such until chapter 10) angelic beings which figured prominently throughout the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, where statues of two cherubim covered the “mercy seat” on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant from which God spoke to Moses. As God commanded to Moses;

EXODUS 25:17-22

17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width.

18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.

19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat.

20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.

21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you.

22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

In the Bible God is often spoken of as dwelling between the cherubim;

ISAIAH 37:16

16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

Oddly enough, Renaissance paintings usually show cherubim as babies with a single face and a pair of wings. Yet Ezekiel says that they have 4 wings, 4 faces and legs like calves.

EZEKIEL 1:10-14

10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle.

11 Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies.

12 And each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went.

13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning.

14 And the living creatures ran back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning.

The 4 faces are symbolic of the creatures of God’s creation:

The lion - wild creatures;

The ox - domesticated animals;

The eagle - birds;

The man, - Mankind, God’s highest creation.

Two of their wings covered their bodies and the other two were used for flying.

They moved incredibly fast with fire and bolts of lightning accompanied their movements. When they went left, right, forward and back they did not turn but went in the direction that the face wished to go.

EZEKIEL 1:15-21

15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces.

16 The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

17 When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went.

18 As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them.

19 When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

20 Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

21 When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

Beryl is normally a blue-green to green gemstone and common forms are emerald and aquamarine. Although they can also be blue, yellow or pink, blue-green seems to be the predominate color.

The purpose of the “wheels” is unknown, and while UFO theorists have tried to link them to alien devices, this idea is generally rejected.

The 4 faces represent the cardinal points of a compass, and the creatures each went in different directions as they wished in a straight line without needing to turn in that direction.

The purpose of the eyes in the rims of the wheels is also unknown, but could represent the all-seeing eyes of the Lord

EZEKIEL 1:22-28

22 The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads.

23 And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body.

24 When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings.

25 A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings.

26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it.

27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around.

28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.

Although UFO buffs have tried to compare the “firmament” above the cherubs’ heads as a crystalline helmet, a careful reading indicates that it is a platform upon which the Throne of God rests.

It is hard to imagine the vision of the Lord that Ezekiel saw. He appeared sitting on a dark blue Throne, radiating a fiery golden color, surrounded by fire, giving emphasis to the Scripture;

DEUTERONOMY 4:24

24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Note carefully that God is described in appearance as a Man, reinforcing the concept that we are created in God’s image;

GENESIS 1:26

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Evolutionists preach that Man evolved from apes, mistaking similarity as proof of common ancestry. Does God look like an ape? Not according to Scripture! There are insects that look like living leaves - does that mean they “evolved” from leaves? “Walking sticks” are insects that look like living twigs (I’ve seen one) - did they “evolve” from twigs? Of course not!! Neither did Man “evolve” from apes.

Finally Ezekiel describes the brightness around God and His Throne as having the brilliant colors of a rainbow. What an incredible image!!

EZEKIEL 2:1-8

1 And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.”

2 Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me.

3 And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.

4 For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’

5 As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.

6 “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house.

7 You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.

8 But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

God’s command to Ezekiel in verse 6 is very similar to that which He gave to contemporary prophet Jeremiah in Jerusalem. God had said;

JEREMIAH 1:17-19

17 “Therefore prepare yourself and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, lest I dismay you before them.

18 For behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land— against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land.

19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”

Note that God gives the Jews a choice as to whether to listen or not. He will not violate our free will as to whether we worship Him or not. He will call and speak to us, but He will not force us to listen. In the New Testament, in like fashion, Jesus taught in the streets and the Temple and people had the choice to listen or walk away.

Note also that God didn’t want Ezekiel groveling before Him, but commanded that he stand on his feet to speak with him, preserving his dignity. To reinforce this, the Spirit stood him on his feet.

EZEKIEL 2:9-10

9 Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.

10 Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe.

In ancient times papyrus (a form of paper made from the crushed, pressed, pithy substance in marsh reeds) was a major tool of scribes. As papyrus was time-consuming to make and not always in abundant supply, both sides of a scroll were written on.

A scroll would be written and any left-over papyrus would be cut off and used for other writings to save paper. Also in some cases when its intended purpose was finished the ink could be washed off and the papyrus could be re-used.

EZEKIEL 3:1-3

1 Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”

2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.

3 And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.

Eating the scroll was symbolic of the sweetness of God’s Word feeding the spirit of Man. King David said in Psalms;

PSALM 19:7-10

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moses reminded Israel of God feeding them in the wilderness;

DEUTERONOMY 8:3

 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

Jesus Himself spoke the same thing while He was on Earth, being tempted by Satan;

MATTHEW 4:1-4

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

Physical bread can satisfy the body but the spirit can still starve. People try to satisfy that spiritual hunger with physical things like drugs, alcohol, following various religions and philosophies, partying and the like. But that is like eating rabbit meat - paradoxically you can stuff yourself with rabbit and still starve to death, believe it or not.

Ezekiel’s eating the scroll is very much like what the Apostle John was instructed to do in his vision in the book of Revelation. In his vision John had seen an angel with one foot on land, the other on the sea who held a book in his hand. John relates;

REVELATION 10:8-11

8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”

9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.

11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

In John’s case, the words in book were sweet to relate, but bring bitter conviction to the sin nature in our lives.

EZEKIEL 3:4-9

4 Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.

5 For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel,

6 not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you.

7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted

8 Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads.

9 Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.”

God’s words in verse 6 were borne out in the 8^th century B.C. with the famous prophet Jonah. God had commanded Jonah to go to the brutal Assyrian city of Nineveh and preach that they either repent or be destroyed in 40 days.

Jonah refused, and took a ship to Tarshish, running from God. God sent a violent storm which threatened to sink the boat. Jonah told the frightened sailors to throw him overboard and the storm stopped when they did.

God sent a huge fish which swallowed Jonah and Jonah went to Nineveh the hard way. Three days later the fish vomited Jonah on the beach to the west of Nineveh. Assyrians spoke a language called Akkadian which chances are good that Jonah didn’t understand, but somehow Jonah preached to them and like God said in verse 6 above, the brutal, Godless people of Nineveh from the king on down listened and repented.

As God warned Jeremiah, the people would fight against him but he was not to be afraid of them.

EZEKIEL 3:10-15

10 Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.

11 And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear, or whether they refuse.”

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: “Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place!”

13 I also heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise.

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 the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

Verse 11 sounds a bit strange, as Ezekiel was already with the captives by the Chebar River in Babylon. However it appears that the vision Ezekiel saw was in Jerusalem, which would explain his seeing the whirlwind coming from the north, the direction from which the Babylonians would come.

He had said;

EZEKIEL 1:4

4 Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

Apparently when the vision was finished, God took his spirit back to the river Chebar, to the captives there.

EZEKIEL 3:16-21

16 Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:

18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.

19 Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

20 “Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.

21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”

Ezekiel had it easy. He was appointed as a watchman over Israel, whereas today, we are watchmen over wherever we go. As Jesus said;

MARK 16:15-16

15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

This is also warning to those who believe in the poisonous “once saved, always saved” doctrine which promotes the concept that once you accept Jesus and are saved, if you “fall away”, you will still be saved.

Verse 20 above shows that to be wrong, and the author of Hebrews in the New Testament says;

HEBREWS 10:26-31

26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The Apostle Peter also confirmed this when he said concerning teachers who promote false doctrines;

2 PETER 2:18-22

18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.

19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.

20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

EZEKIEL 3:22-27

22 Then the hand of the Lord was upon me there, and He said to me, “Arise, go out into the plain, and there I shall talk with you.”

23 So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face.

24 Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and spoke with me and said to me: “Go, shut yourself inside your house.

25 And you, O son of man, surely they will put ropes on you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them.

26 I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and not be one to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house.

27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.

This is very similar to what happened to contemporary prophet Jeremiah who was imprisoned in an empty water cistern for preaching and prophesying the words of God. God will ensure that Ezekiel doesn’t speak from himself, but will only speak the words that God gives him.

Again, God will not force people to listen and obey. He gave us a free will, and He will not forcibly cause someone to worship and obey. But He will also reward them according to their works, blessings and goodness for obedience, evil and destruction for disobedience.

EZEKIEL 4:1-3

1 “You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem.

2 Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around.

3 Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.

We need to remember that Ezekiel and some of the people of Jerusalem had been deported as captives to Babylon by king Nebuchadnezzar. Jerusalem was still standing, so God was showing the captives what was happening to the city.

EZEKIEL 4:4-8

4 “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity.

5 For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

6 And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year.

7 “Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it.

8 And surely I will restrain you so that you cannot turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege.

It is uncertain why God did this to Ezekiel as a graphic reminder of the sins of Israel and Judah. However it is interesting that the total number of days equals 430, the total number of years that Israel was in slavery in Egypt.

EXODUS 12:40

40 Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.

And 40 years was the number of years that Israel wandered in the desert after leaving Egypt;

NUMBERS 32:13

13 So the Lord’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone.

EZEKIEL 4:9-13

9 “Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it.

10 And your food which you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it.

11 You shall also drink water by measure, one-sixth of a hin; from time to time you shall drink.

12 And you shall eat it as barley cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.”

13 Then the Lord said, “So shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, where I will drive them.”

20 shekels equates to about 8 ounces (227 grams) of bread a day that Ezekiel was allowed to consume. 1/6 of a hin of water equates to about a quart (.95 liters) of water. This demonstrates the scarcity of food and water that residents of Jerusalem would suffer during the siege.

EZEKIEL 4:14-17

14 So I said, “Ah, Lord God! Indeed I have never defiled myself from my youth till now; I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has abominable flesh ever come into my mouth.”

15 Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.”

16 Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, surely I will cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem; they shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and shall drink water by measure and with dread,

17 that they may lack bread and water, and be dismayed with one another, and waste away because of their iniquity.

In ancient times (and still practiced today) dried grass-eating animal dung was used as fuel, especially in places where wood was unavailable. Such waste would burn efficiently as it consisted of digested plant material and therefore would not be considered to be unclean.  Dung of meat-eating animals was not to be used.

EZEKIEL 5:1-14

1 “And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber’s razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair.

2 You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them.

3 You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment.

4 Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out into all the house of Israel.

5 “Thus says the Lord God: ‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her.

6 She has rebelled against My judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes.’

7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, have not walked in My statutes nor kept My judgments, alone nor even done according to the judgments of the nations that are all around you’—

8 therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.

9 And I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of all your abominations.

10 Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments among you, and all of you who remain I will scatter to all the winds.

11 ‘Therefore, as I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity.

12 One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.

13 ‘Thus shall My anger be spent, and I will cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be avenged; and they shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury upon them.

14 Moreover I will make you a waste and a reproach among the nations that are all around you, in the sight of all who pass by.

God has had enough of Judah’s rebellion. As He had prophesied through Moses, cannibalism would run rampant in the city due to the famine generated by the siege. Moses had warned all of Israel;

DEUTERONOMY 28:52-57

52 “They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the Lord your God has given you.

53 You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you.

54 The sensitive and very refined man among you will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the rest of his children whom he leaves behind,

55 so that he will not give any of them the flesh of his children whom he will eat, because he has nothing left in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates.

56 The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and sensitivity, will refuse to the husband of her bosom, and to her son and her daughter,

57 her placenta which comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of everything in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates.

God promises to destroy two thirds of the population of Jerusalem with starvation, disease and the sword and the final third would go into captivity with the sword following them. The prophet Jeremiah (Chapter 52) recorded that about 4,600 Jews survived to be taken into captivity, meaning that over 9,000 Jews in Jerusalem alone died in the siege.

EZEKIEL 5:15-17

15 ‘So it shall be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson, and an astonishment to the nations that are all around you, when I execute judgments among you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the Lord, have spoken.

16 When I send against them the terrible arrows of famine which shall be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will increase the famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread.

17 So I will send against you famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken.’ ”

God had said of Judah;

EZEKIEL 5:7-9

7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, have not walked in My statutes nor kept My judgments, nor even done according to the judgments of the nations that are all around you’—

8 therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.

9 And I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of all your abominations.

Considering the detestable activities of Judah’s enemies, the fact that God considers them to be worse than their neighbors gives an indication as to just how abominable they had become. The prophet Jeremiah had warned Judah for 40 years of God’s coming judgment, but they ignored him. He has finally had enough.

EZEKIEL 6:1-10

1 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

2 “Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,

3 and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: “Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.

4 Then your altars shall be desolate, your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.

5 And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars.

6 In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.

7 The slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

8 “Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries.

9 Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations.

10 And they shall know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.”

In ancient times pagan altars were built atop hills and mountains as people thought that would bring them closer to their “gods”. God promises to destroy the altars along with the worshipers and drive the remnants He allows to survive to the winds.

And when it happens, they will understand that it was God’s doing and they will be ashamed of themselves and will despise their sinful ways. As He would say through the prophet Zechariah;

ZECHARIAH 1:6

6 Yet surely My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? “So they returned and said: ‘Just as the Lord of hosts determined to do to us, according to our ways and according to our deeds, so He has dealt with us.’ ”

EZEKIEL 6:11-14

11 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Pound your fists and stamp your feet, and say, ‘Alas, for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.

 12 He who is far off shall die by the pestilence, he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged shall die by the famine. Thus will I spend My fury upon them.

13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when their slain are among their idols all around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every thick oak, wherever they offered sweet incense to all their idols.

14 So I will stretch out My hand against them and make the land desolate, yes, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblah, in all their dwelling places. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ” ’ ”

God reiterates the coming punishment of Judah and Jerusalem. He keeps repeating His warning in the hopes that the people will heed and repent. If not, He promises to make the Land a wasteland like the desert wilderness to the east.

EZEKIEL 7:1-9

1 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “And you, son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: ‘An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.

3 Now the end has come upon you, and I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will repay you for all your abominations.

4 My eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity; but I will repay your ways, and your abominations will be in your midst; then you shall know that I am the Lord!’

5 “Thus says the Lord God: ‘A disaster, a singular disaster; behold, it has come!

6 An end has come, the end has come; it has dawned for you; behold, it has come!

7 Doom has come to you, you who dwell in the land; the time has come, a day of trouble is near, and not of rejoicing in the mountains.

8 Now upon you I will soon pour out My fury, and spend My anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will repay you for all your abominations.

9 ‘My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will repay you according to your ways, and your abominations will be in your midst. Then you shall know that I am the Lord who strikes.

God had been pleading and warning Judah for nearly 40 years concerning their sins, warning that He would bring disaster from Babylon upon them. But they refused to listen, instead becoming worse and worse and His patience is at an end. As He had told the prophet Isaiah;

ISAIAH 30:8-11

8 Now go, write it before them on a tablet, and note it on a scroll, that it may be for time to come, forever and ever:

9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the Lord;

10 Who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.

11 Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.”

EZEKIEL 7:10-15

10 ‘Behold, the day! Behold, it has come! Doom has gone out; the rod has blossomed, pride has budded.

11 Violence has risen up into a rod of wickedness; none of them shall remain, none of their multitude, none of them; nor shall there be wailing for them.

12 The time has come, the day draws near ‘Let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn, for wrath is on their whole multitude.

13 For the seller shall not return to what has been sold, though he may still be alive; for the vision concerns the whole multitude, and it shall not turn back; no one will strengthen himself who lives in iniquity.

14 ‘They have blown the trumpet and made everyone ready, but no one goes to battle; for My wrath is on all their multitude.

15 The sword is outside, and the pestilence and famine within. Whoever is in the field will die by the sword; and whoever is in the city, famine and pestilence will devour him.

God is telling the people that this will be a total disaster to them, they will not return to their possessions. In a classic example, in Israel some years ago a stash of ancient gold coins was found in a clay jug. Apparently the owner had hidden them there intending to come back for them later, but had never returned.

EZEKIEL 7:16-19

16 ‘Those who survive will escape and be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, each for his iniquity.

17 Every hand will be feeble, and every knee will be as weak as water.

18 They will also be girded with sackcloth; horror will cover them; shame will be on every face, baldness on all their heads.

19 ‘They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like refuse; their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord; they will not satisfy their souls, nor fill their stomachs, because it became their stumbling block of iniquity.

People would throw their gold and silver into the streets in the hopes that the invaders would take the treasure and move on. However it would be with them as it would be later with the Babylonians when the Medes attacked;

ISAIAH 13:15-18

15 Everyone who is found will be thrust through, and everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.

16 Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished.

17 “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who will not regard silver; and as for gold, they will not delight in it.

18 Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, and they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye will not spare children.

EZEKIEL 7:20-27

20 ‘As for the beauty of his ornaments, He set it in majesty; but they made from it the images of their abominations— their detestable things; therefore I have made it like refuse to them.

21 I will give it as plunder into the hands of strangers, and to the wicked of the earth as spoil; and they shall defile it.

22 I will turn My face from them, and they will defile My secret place; for robbers shall enter it and defile it.

23 ‘Make a chain, for the land is filled with crimes of blood, and the city is full of violence.

24 Therefore I will bring the worst of the Gentiles, and they will possess their houses; I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease, and their holy places shall be defiled.

25 Destruction comes; they will seek peace, but there shall be none.

26 Disaster will come upon disaster, and rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; but the law will perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.

27 ‘The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the common people will tremble. I will do to them according to their way, and according to what they deserve I will judge them; then they shall know that I am the Lord!’ ”

The people have melted their ornaments of silver and gold in order to create or cover their idols with the precious things given to them by God. An example of this was recorded during the time of the Judges;

JUDGES 17:1-4

1 Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

2 And he said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and on which you put a curse, even saying it in my ears—here is the silver with me; I took it.”

And his mother said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my son!”

3 So when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, “I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son, to make a carved image and a molded image; now therefore, I will return it to you.”

4 Thus he returned the silver to his mother. Then his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah.

Note that ‘the Lord’ Micah’s mother was referring to was not God, but Ba’al.

Evil Queen Athaliah’s sons had done something similar;

2 CHRONICLES 24:7

7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also presented all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord to the Baals.

God promises to defile His ‘secret place’ (the Temple Holy of Holies) by bringing ‘the worst of the Gentiles’ against Jerusalem, in this case, the Babylonians. Although legendary for their cruelty and brutality, the Assyrians had been even worse but they had been conquered by Babylon some 25 years previously.

EZEKIEL 8:1-4

1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there.

2 Then I looked, and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire—from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, like the color of amber.

3 He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy.

4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain.

The Lord has carried Ezekiel’s spirit from Babylon to Jerusalem where he saw an idol (probably of Ba’al) residing inside the inner court of the Temple itself. Note in the descriptions given of God, He is depicted as human in form, reinforcing the fact that we are made in God’s image.

GENESIS 1:27

27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

EZEKIEL 8:5-12

5 Then He said to me, “Son of man, lift your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the altar gate, was this image of jealousy in the entrance.

6 Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater abominations.”

7 So He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, there was a hole in the wall.

8 Then He said to me, “Son of man, dig into the wall”; and when I dug into the wall, there was a door.

9 And He said to me, “Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they are doing there.”

10 So I went in and saw, and there—every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed all around on the walls.

11 And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in their midst stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. Each man had a censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up.

12 Then He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’ ”

From the description, Ezekiel saw a real idol in the Temple court, but saw a representation of the idols worshiped by the elders of Jerusalem, not an actual view of real pictures on the Temple walls. God was showing Ezekiel what these elders worshiped secretly in their hearts.

EZEKIEL 8:13-14

13 And He said to me, “Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.”

14 So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the Lord’s house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.

Tammuz is a complex, shadowy figure labeled in different Sumerian and Babylonian texts either as a king of the ancient Mesopotamian city-State of Uruk (Erech); as the consort of the goddess Ishtar; and some scholars have linked him to the legendary ancient Biblical figure Nimrod, although there seems to be no clear connection.

As a demi-god (human son of a god or goddess), Tammuz was associated with agriculture and abundant harvests who was supposedly killed and taken to the underworld. His death was linked to the long, hot, dry Mesopotamian summers and women were instructed to weep for his death.

Apparently according to Sumerian legend a deal was struck in which Tammuz would spend half the year in the underworld (causing hot, dry summers) and the other half in the world of the living, (generating Spring renewal and Fall harvests.)

EZEKIEL 8:15-16

15 Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.”

16 So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.

This was in line with Egyptian sun-worship in which Egyptians worshiped the sun-god Ra, usually represented by a winged disk. Drawings and clay seals unearthed in Israel have depicted Egyptian symbols such as the winged disk and the “ankh” (looped cross) showing strong Egyptian religious influence in Israel.

EZEKIEL 8:17-18

17 And He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose.

18 Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

“Putting the branch to the nose” would equate to the modern practice of “thumbing your nose”. Is it any wonder why God was so furious with Judah?

EZEKIEL 9:1-11

1 Then He called out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, “Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand.”

2 And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer’s inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side;

4 and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”

5 To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity.

6 Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple.

7 Then He said to them, “Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city.

8 So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, “Ah, Lord God! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?”

9 Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!’

10 And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.”

11 Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, “I have done as You commanded me.”

Ezekiel sees a graphic representation of the slaughter to come. The angels designated to guard the city and its inhabitants are now commanded to destroy everyone not specifically marked to be spared.

Jerusalem was filled with bloodshed which defiled it, and God’s Temple had been defiled both by bloodshed and idolatry. (Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest had been murdered (stoned to death) by king Joash in the Temple courtyard 200 years earlier because he rebuked the king for his wickedness - 2 Chronicles, chapter 24).

God had told Moses;

NUMBERS 35:33-34

33 So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.

34 Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.’ ”

Innocent blood shed by murder can only be atoned for by the execution of the murderer. God had said to Noah right after the Flood;

GENESIS 9:6

6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.

God would atone for the innocent blood shed in Jerusalem and His Temple by executing those who had committed the murders as well as those who condoned it or did nothing to stop it.

EZEKIEL 10:1-5

1 And I looked, and there in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

2 Then He spoke to the man clothed with linen, and said, “Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” And he went in as I watched.

3 Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court.

4 Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord’s glory.

5 And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even in the outer court, like the voice of Almighty God when He speaks.

Ezekiel sees God as He prepares to abandon His Temple. The wings of the cherubim sounded like thunder as they moved. The fire scattered across the city represented the burning of the city which the Babylonians would do after deporting the people to Babylon.

EZEKIEL 10:6-19

6 Then it happened, when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from among the wheels, from among the cherubim,” that he went in and stood beside the wheels.

7 And the cherub stretched out his hand from among the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed with linen, who took it and went out.

8 The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings.

9 And when I looked, there were four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by one cherub and another wheel by each other cherub; the wheels appeared to have the color of a beryl stone.

10 As for their appearance, all four looked alike—as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

11 When they went, they went toward any of their four directions; they did not turn aside when they went, but followed in the direction the head was facing. They did not turn aside when they went.

12 And their whole body, with their back, their hands, their wings, and the wheels that the four had, were full of eyes all around.

13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing, “Wheel.”

14 Each one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15 And the cherubim were lifted up. This was the living creature I saw by the River Chebar.

16 When the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also did not turn from beside them.

17 When the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when one was lifted up, the other lifted itself up, for the spirit of the living creature was in them.

18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim.

19 And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

As was stated earlier, the purpose of the wheels is unknown. Beryl is a semi-precious stone consisting of beryllium, aluminum and silicon. It is normally associated with the gemstone aquamarine and tends to be a pale blue to blue-green color.

Oddly enough Ezekiel substitutes the word “cherub” for ”ox” when referring to one of the faces of the cherubim. The reason for this is also unknown. But as Ezekiel is describing the same cherubim that he saw in chapter 1, it can be assumed that the “cherub” face is the ox face described in chapter 1.

The Lord begins to leave His Temple, moving from the sanctuary to the east gate entrance.

EZEKIEL 10:20-22

20 This is the living creature I saw under the God of Israel by the River Chebar, and I knew they were cherubim.

21 Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

22 And the likeness of their faces was the same as the faces which I had seen by the River Chebar, their appearance and their persons. They each went straight forward.

Ezekiel confirms that the cherubim he saw in Jerusalem are the same cherubim he saw in Babylon in chapter 1.

EZEKIEL 11:1-13

1 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the East Gate of the Lord’s house, which faces eastward; and there at the door of the gate were twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

2 And He said to me: “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city,

3 who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses; this city is the caldron, and we are the meat.’

4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man!”

5 Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me, “Speak! ‘Thus says the Lord: “Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind.

6 You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.”

7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the meat, and this city is the caldron; but I shall bring you out of the midst of it.

8 You have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you,” says the Lord God.

9 “And I will bring you out of its midst, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and execute judgments on you.

10 You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

11 This city shall not be your caldron, nor shall you be the meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of Israel.

12 And you shall know that I am the Lord; for you have not walked in My statutes nor executed My judgments, but have done according to the customs of the Gentiles which are all around you.” ’ ”

13 Now it happened, while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried with a loud voice, and said, “Ah, Lord God! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of Israel?”

The expression “This city is the cauldron and we are the meat” is essentially saying “Our goose is cooked!” referring to the state of the people with famine, disease and murder stalking in the city.

God tells the elders that they will not fall by the sword, famine or disease in Jerusalem, but will face Babylonian judgment after being captured. Why Pelatiah died before facing Babylonian judgment is unknown.

Ezekiel called the elders “princes of the people” and true to God’s words, the prophet Jeremiah recorded;

JEREMIAH 52:10

10 Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. And he killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

Riblah was in Syria, close by the border of the former Northern Kingdom of Israel. There God had Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar kill the wicked princes of Judah as prophesied and killed the sons of the king of Judah.

EZEKIEL 11:14-21

14 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

15 “Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety, are those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Get far away from the Lord; this land has been given to us as a possession.’

16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” ’

17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” ’

18 And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there.

19 Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,

20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

21 But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.

The inhabitants of Jerusalem have basically told God, “We own the Land, so we don’t need You or Your laws any more. As God had said of them through the prophet Isaiah;

ISAIAH 30:8-11

8 Now go, write it before them on a tablet, and note it on a scroll, that it may be for time to come, forever and ever:

9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the Lord;

10 Who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.

11 Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.”

EZEKIEL 11:22-25

22 So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them.

23 And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.

24 Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen went up from me.

25 So I spoke to those in captivity of all the things the Lord had shown me.

Ezekiel watches as God removes His Presence from the Temple to the Mount of Olives to the east, as He departs from Jerusalem.

EZEKIEL 12:1-16

1 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

2 “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.

3 “Therefore, son of man, prepare your belongings for captivity, and go into captivity by day in their sight. You shall go from your place into captivity to another place in their sight. It may be that they will consider, though they are a rebellious house.

4 By day you shall bring out your belongings in their sight, as though going into captivity; and at evening you shall go in their sight, like those who go into captivity.

5 Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your belongings out through it.

6 In their sight you shall bear them on your shoulders and carry them out at twilight; you shall cover your face, so that you cannot see the ground, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.”

7 So I did as I was commanded. I brought out my belongings by day, as though going into captivity, and at evening I dug through the wall with my hand. I brought them out at twilight, and I bore them on my shoulder in their sight.

8 And in the morning the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

9 “Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’

10 Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are among them.” ’

11 Say, ‘I am a sign to you. As I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall be carried away into captivity.’

12 And the prince who is among them shall bear his belongings on his shoulder at twilight and go out. They shall dig through the wall to carry them out through it. He shall cover his face, so that he cannot see the ground with his eyes.

13 I will also spread My net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there.

14 I will scatter to every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword after them.

15 “Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.

16 But I will spare a few of their men from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the Gentiles wherever they go. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”

Most of the houses in Babylon at that time were built of mud-brick supported by wooden beams which was cheap to make as cut stone was quite expensive, scarce and had to be imported. Therefore Ezekiel could easily dig through the wall of his house

It is fascinating to note that God says in verse 13 that the king of Jerusalem (although called “the prince” in verse 12) would go to Babylon, but would not see it. Contemporary prophet Jeremiah recorded that Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar blinded king Zedekiah before taking him to Babylon. Therefore he went to Babylon, though he did not see it.

I suspect that God called king Zedekiah “the prince” for one of two possible reasons:

1. If the prophecy was made before king Jehoiachin, Zedekiah’s father was overthrown and taken to Babylon, then Zedekiah would have still been the Crown Prince.

2. Zedekiah was appointed as king by Nebuchadnezzar after Zedekiah’s father had been taken captive to Babylon. Thus he would have been considered a “vassal king” serving as a prince to Nebuchadnezzar.

EZEKIEL 12:17-20

17 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

18 “Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink your water with trembling and anxiety.

19 And say to the people of the land, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the land of Israel: “They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their water with dread, so that her land may be emptied of all who are in it, because of the violence of all those who dwell in it.

20 Then the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall become desolate; and you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

There was outside of Jerusalem a valley called Tophet (also called the Hinnom Valley). It was used as a garbage dump for the city and the pagans of Jerusalem offered their human sacrifices there.

God had told the prophet Jeremiah;

JEREMIAH 7:31-34

31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart.

32 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when it will no more be called Tophet, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Tophet until there is no room.

33 The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth. And no one will frighten them away.

34 Then I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. For the land shall be desolate.

True to God’s word, the Babylonian siege destroyed over 9,000 people in Jerusalem alone, and made the rest of Judah a wasteland. I’m sure that if archaeologists were to excavate the Tophet Valley they’d find the remains of thousands who were buried there.

EZEKIEL 12:21-28

21 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

22 “Son of man, what is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which says, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails’?

23 Tell them therefore, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will lay this proverb to rest, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.” ’ But say to them, ‘ “The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision.

24 For no more shall there be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel.

25 For I am the Lord. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say the word and perform it,” says the Lord God.’ ”

26 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

27 “Son of man, look, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’

28 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done,” says the Lord God.’ ”

Judah had become cynical, saying to Ezekiel, “Where is this great disaster you spoke of?”, and to the false prophets, “Where is the peace you promised?” The days continue as they have been, and nothing has changed.”

God has been patient, giving them every chance to repent but they refused. God has had enough and will now fulfill His words.

EZEKIEL 13:1-16

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’ ”

3 Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!

4 O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts.

5 You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord.

6 They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed.

7 Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.”

8 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord God.

9 “My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.

10 “Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace—and one builds a wall, and they plaster it with untempered mortar—

11 say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down.

12 Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?’ ”

13 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it.

14 So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

15 “Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it,

16 that is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,’ ” says the Lord God.

False prophets and diviners have been a plague to Israel since they came out of Egypt, especially with the Ba’al worshipers. There are always those who seek adulation and fame as ‘prophets’ claiming that they had dreamed or seen visions from God (or pagan gods), while telling lying prophecies from their own imaginations.

During the time of the prophet Elijah, wicked queen Jezebel had 450 ‘prophets’ of Ba’al and 400 ‘prophets’ of the pagan goddess Asherah who sponged off of her and Israel. Elijah forced a showdown on Mount Carmel, in which God sent fire from Heaven to burn Elijah’s sacrifice and show who was truly God (1 Kings, chapter 18). He then executed all of the ‘prophets’ as required by God;

DEUTERONOMY 18:20

20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’

God compares these ‘prophets’ to a poorly created wall with unseasoned mortar used to hold it together. “Tempered” mortar must be allowed to set for a period of time to allow the lime to better bond chemically with the sand. Not allowing the bonding process time will make the mortar more like thick mud rather than an adhesive.

God compares the ongoing Babylonian siege to a mighty storm beating on an untempered mortared wall. And just like a storm against a weak wall, the walls of Jerusalem were first breached, then thrown down by the Babylonians. (2 Kings, chapter 25)

EZEKIEL 13:17-23

17 “Likewise, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; prophesy against them,

18 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of My people, and keep yourselves alive?

19 And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies?”

20 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls there like birds. I will tear them from your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like birds.

21 I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

22 “Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life.

23 Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

These wicked women today would be called “mediums”, witches and gypsies, women who offered magic charms and offered to foretell the future for food or money. They disheartened the righteous and strengthened the beliefs of the wicked, ensnaring souls like a fowler trapping birds.

EZEKIEL 14:1-11

1 Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me.

2 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

3 “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?

4 “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols,

5 that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.” ’

6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.

7 For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself.

8 I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

9 “And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the Lord have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.

10 And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired,

11 that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people and I may be their God,” says the Lord God.’ ”

At first it seems to say that God would give the prophet enquired of by the idol-worshipers a false prophecy. But God cannot lie, nor would He cause His prophets to give a false prophecy. Note that in verse 3, the elders came to Ezekiel, a true prophet of the Lord and God essentially said, “Why should I answer these idolaters through you?”

During the time of the kings, righteous king Jehoshaphat of Judah had allied with evil king Ahab of the Northern Kingdom of Israel to attack Syria. When they met, the prophets of Ba’al prophesied victory for king Ahab but there was no prophet of the Lord among them.

Jehoshaphat requested that a prophet of the Lord be brought, and the man named Micaiah prophesied disaster and death to Ahab. Micaiah then spoke to Ahab concerning his ‘prophets’, saying;

1 KINGS 22:19-23

19 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left.

20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner.

21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’

22 The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’

23 Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”

And true to God’s word, Ahab was wounded in the battle and died shortly afterward. Just as in that case, God would answer these idolaters from the mouth of a lying spirit through their own ‘false prophets’ to their destruction.

EZEKIEL 14:12-23

12 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying:

13 “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it.

14 Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord God.

15 “If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts,

16 even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be desolate.

17 “Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land,’ and I cut off man and beast from it,

18 even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered.

19 “Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast,

20 even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”

21 For thus says the Lord God: “How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it?

22 Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it.

23 And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord God.

Those who know the Bible, does this sound familiar? Abraham pleaded with God to spare Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim if He could find 10 righteous in all the cities collectively. God promised to do so, and visited the cities.

How many people were spared the resulting firestorm that incinerated all four cities? Three. Only Abraham’s nephew Lot and his two daughters were miraculously saved because they were righteous.

In this case, God has determined that no one could intervene to save the city from His wrath, meaning that it is apparently worse than Sodom and its sister cities in His eyes.

EZEKIEL 15:1-8

1 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

2 “Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest?

3 Is wood taken from it to make any object? Or can men make a peg from it to hang any vessel on?

4 Instead, it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for any work?

5 Indeed, when it was whole, no object could be made from it. How much less will it be useful for any work when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned?

6 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

7 and I will set My face against them. They will go out from one fire, but another fire shall devour them. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I set My face against them.

8 Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have persisted in unfaithfulness,’ says the Lord God.”

God considers the inhabitants of Judah to be as useless to Him as a vine from the woods, useful only as fuel for a fire. Judah will perish in the siege and only a few will escape the coming Judgment.

EZEKIEL 16:1-8

1 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: “Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.

4 As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.

5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.

6 “And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’

7 I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.

8 “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord God.

This is a difficult part of Scripture to understand. God seems to be relating the history if Jerusalem since its founding as a nomad encampment sometime around 4,000 B.C. While the founders are unknown, some of the Canaanites were Amorites and Hittites.

God, knowing what Jerusalem would become, turned the encampment from a temporary village of no consequence to a thriving city which would become the capital of Israel. Not only the capital of Israel, but a city whose control is coveted by countries all over the world.

NOTE: Rubbing a newborn infant’s body with salt was done to toughen the skin

EZEKIEL 16:9-14

9 “Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil.

10 I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk.

11 I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck.

12 And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.

13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty.

14 Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,” says the Lord God.

God greatly blessed the city, built it up and spread its fame throughout the Middle East and beyond. It became a heavily-fortified royal city and became rich through its trade and the skills of its craftsmen.

NOTE: Nose jewels or nose rings were highly prized among women in the Middle East and were used as a visible sign that a woman was married. When Isaac’s servant went to Haran at Abraham’s command to find a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac, he met Rebecca whom God had chosen to be Isaac’s wife. The servant gave her a golden nose ring and bracelets indicating that she was now engaged to Isaac. (Genesis, chapter 24).

EZEKIEL 16:15-22

15 “But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it.

16 You took some of your garments and adorned multicolored high places for yourself, and played the harlot on them. Such things should not happen, nor be.

17 You have also taken your beautiful jewelry from My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images and played the harlot with them.

18 You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set My oil and My incense before them.

19 Also My food which I gave you—the pastry of fine flour, oil, and honey which I fed you—you set it before them as sweet incense; and so it was,” says the Lord God.

20 “Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter,

21 that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?

22 And in all your abominations and acts of harlotry you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, struggling in your blood.

Jerusalem quickly fell under the sway of pagan worship practices, building altars to demon gods, and decorating them with the finery that God had provided for the people to clothe themselves; melting their gold and silver to create molded images or to plate over their wooden idols; burning sweet incense and offering fine flour cakes to demon gods and goddesses; and burning their infant children alive in ritual furnaces in a mockery of sacrifices of animals offered to God for atonement for sin.

EZEKIEL 16:23-34

23 “Then it was so, after all your wickedness—‘Woe, woe to you!’ says the Lord God—

24 that you also built for yourself a shrine, and made a high place for yourself in every street.

25 You built your high places at the head of every road, and made your beauty to be abhorred. You offered yourself to everyone who passed by, and multiplied your acts of harlotry.

26 You also committed harlotry with the Egyptians, your very fleshly neighbors, and increased your acts of harlotry to provoke Me to anger.

27 “Behold, therefore, I stretched out My hand against you, diminished your allotment, and gave you up to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior.

28 You also played the harlot with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; indeed you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied.

29 Moreover you multiplied your acts of harlotry as far as the land of the trader, Chaldea; and even then you were not satisfied.

30 “How degenerate is your heart!” says the Lord God, “seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot.

31 “You erected your shrine at the head of every road, and built your high place in every street. Yet you were not like a harlot, because you scorned payment.

32 You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband.

33 Men make payment to all harlots, but you made your payments to all your lovers, and hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry.

34 You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite.”

Jerusalem has worshiped the gods of other countries around it, and has allied itself with pagan nations rather than follow God. The kings of Jerusalem have approached and paid other kings for alliances like an adulterous woman paying men to be with her, causing God to say through the prophet Jeremiah;

JEREMIAH 32:31-33

31 ‘For this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My fury from the day that they built it, even to this day; so I will remove it from before My face

32 because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their kings, their princes, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

33 And they have turned to Me the back, and not the face; though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction.

EZEKIEL 16:35-41

35 ‘Now then, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord!

36 Thus says the Lord God: “Because your filthiness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your harlotry with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them,

37 surely, therefore, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved, and all those you hated; I will gather them from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness.

38 And I will judge you as women who break wedlock or shed blood are judged; I will bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy.

39 I will also give you into their hand, and they shall throw down your shrines and break down your high places. They shall also strip you of your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.

40 “They shall also bring up an assembly against you, and they shall stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords.

41 They shall burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women; and I will make you cease playing the harlot, and you shall no longer hire lovers.

42 So I will lay to rest My fury toward you, and My jealousy shall depart from you. I will be quiet, and be angry no more.

43 Because you did not remember the days of your youth, but agitated Me with all these things, surely I will also recompense your deeds on your own head,” says the Lord God. “And you shall not commit lewdness in addition to all your abominations.

God is going to bring all of the nations that Jerusalem made alliances with against it. In verse 40 God says Jerusalem’s enemies will stone the city with stones like stoning an adulterous woman. Ballistae and trebuchets can lob huge stones at city walls and were very effective against fortified cities, being basically the first “long-range artillery”.

EZEKIEL 16:44-52

44 “Indeed everyone who quotes proverbs will use this proverb against you: ‘Like mother, like daughter!’

45 You are your mother’s daughter, loathing husband and children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children; your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.

46 “Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who dwells to the south of you, is Sodom and her daughters.

47 You did not walk in their ways nor act according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you became more corrupt than they in all your ways.

48 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done.

49 Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

50 And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.

51 “Samaria did not commit half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have justified your sisters by all the abominations which you have done.

52 You who judged your sisters, bear your own shame also, because the sins which you committed were more abominable than theirs; they are more righteous than you. Yes, be disgraced also, and bear your own shame, because you justified your sisters.

God’s disgust with Jerusalem is shown in His accusations where He says that the city is worse than even idolatrous Samaria, destroyed in 701 B.C. by the Assyrians in God’s wrath, and Sodom, long held up as an example of extreme wickedness and lewdness was destroyed by God in a firestorm around 2,000 B.C.

The inhabitants of Jerusalem self-righteously condemned both Samaria and Sodom for their wickedness yet sinned worse than both in God’s eyes!!

Just as Samaria was destroyed and it’s people deported to Babylon and Sodom was destroyed by fire, even so would the Babylonians deport Jerusalem’s inhabitants to Babylon and destroy the city by fire.

EZEKIEL 16:53-59

53 “When I bring back their captives, the captives of Sodom and her daughters, and the captives of Samaria and her daughters, then I will also bring back the captives of your captivity among them,

54 that you may bear your own shame and be disgraced by all that you did when you comforted them.

55 When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters return to their former state, then you and your daughters will return to your former state.

56 For your sister Sodom was not a byword in your mouth in the days of your pride,

57 before your wickedness was uncovered. It was like the time of the reproach of the daughters of Syria and all those around her, and of the daughters of the Philistines, who despise you everywhere.

58 You have paid for your lewdness and your abominations,” says the Lord.

59 For thus says the Lord God: “I will deal with you as you have done, who despised the oath by breaking the covenant.

Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar had swept through the entire Middle East on both sides of the Jordan River down to the Red Sea in his drive for conquest. 25 years earlier he had destroyed Assyria and absorbed the remnants of the 10 tribes of Israel deported by the Assyrians 115 years earlier.

God had said to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the nations of the Middle East;

JEREMIAH 28:14

14 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. I have given him the beasts of the field also.” ’ ”

And when he swept down the eastern side of the Jordan River he conquered and deported the inhabitants of the Valley of Salt (Dead Sea valley) the location of the destroyed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, to Babylon.

When Persian king Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 538 B.C. he freed the captives to return to their homelands. Thus the former inhabitants of Samaria and the Dead Sea valley were free to return to their homelands.

EZEKIEL 16:60-63

60 “Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.

61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for daughters, but not because of My covenant with you.

62 And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord,

63 that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord God.’ ”

This is in line with God’s promise through the prophet Jeremiah when He said;

JEREMIAH 46:28

28 Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,” says the Lord, “For I am with you; For I will make a complete end of all the nations To which I have driven you, but I will not make a complete end of you. I will rightly correct you, for I will not leave you wholly unpunished.”

EZEKIEL 17:1-15

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel,

3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “A great eagle with large wings and long pinions, full of feathers of various colors, came to Lebanon and took from the cedar the highest branch.

4 He cropped off its topmost young twig and carried it to a land of trade; he set it in a city of merchants.

5 Then he took some of the seed of the land and planted it in a fertile field; he placed it by abundant waters and set it like a willow tree.

6 And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature; its branches turned toward him, but its roots were under it. So it became a vine, brought forth branches, and put forth shoots.

7 “But there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers; and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, and stretched its branches toward him, from the garden terrace where it had been planted, that he might water it.

8 It was planted in good soil by many waters, to bring forth branches, bear fruit, and become a majestic vine.” ’

9 “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots, cut off its fruit, and leave it to wither? All of its spring leaves will wither, and no great power or many people will be needed to pluck it up by its roots.

10 Behold, it is planted, will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew.” ’ ”

11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

12 “Say now to the rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Indeed the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon.

13 And he took the king’s offspring, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land,

14 that the kingdom might be brought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.

15 But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered?

God compares Judah to a Lebanese cedar, tall and majestic. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is portrayed as a mighty eagle who clipped off the highest branch (Judah’s king Jehoiachin, also known as Jeconiah) along with the skilled craftsmen and merchants and deported them (planted them) in Babylon (city of merchants).

Nebuchadnezzar took the branch’s offspring (Jeconiah’s son, Zedekiah) and set him in the Land as a vassal king of a subjugated nation (low vine) but kept the remnant of the nation in the Land (roots remaining under the vine). Judah then became allied with Babylon by a covenant made with Nebuchadnezzar.

However Zedekiah treacherously sent to Egypt, seeking an alliance with Pharaoh Hophra (Pharaoh Apries) against Babylon. The Rabshakeh (an Assyrian military official) had previously warned king Hezekiah of Judah against making an alliance with Egypt when Assyrian king Sennacherib was besieging Jerusalem 115 years earlier, saying;

ISAIAH 36:6

6 Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

He was warning that Egypt was an unreliable ally at best and Pharaoh would abandon those he promised to help.

EZEKIEL 17:16-21

16 ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke—with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.

17 Nor will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company do anything in the war, when they heap up a siege mound and build a wall to cut off many persons.

18 Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact gave his hand and still did all these things, he shall not escape.’ ”

19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “As I live, surely My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense on his own head.

20 I will spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and try him there for the treason which he committed against Me.

21 All his fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”

An enraged Nebuchadnezzar returned and besieged Jerusalem again in 587 B.C. True to the Rabshakeh’s word and God’s prophecy, Egypt attacked the Babylonians so as to lift the siege of Jerusalem but Pharaoh Hophra was easily defeated and fled back to Egypt.

Scripture records and history verifies that as God promised, Judah’s king Zedekiah was taken to Babylon along with the survivors of the siege. King Zedekiah died in captivity and the captive Jews were scattered throughout the Babylonian empire.

EZEKIEL 17:22-24

22 Thus says the Lord God: “I will take also one of the highest branches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain.

23 On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell.

24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it.”

God promises that when Jesus Christ returns to set up His Earthly kingdom on Mount Zion, Israel will be the greatest of all nations.

As God spoke through the prophet Micah;

MICAH 4:1-3

1 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it.

2 Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

3 He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

EZEKIEL 18:1-9

1 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying,

2 “What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

3 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.

4 “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.

5 But if a man is just and does what is lawful and right;

6 If he has not eaten on the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, nor defiled his neighbor’s wife, nor approached a woman during her impurity;

7 If he has not oppressed anyone, but has restored to the debtor his pledge; has robbed no one by violence, but has given his bread to the hungry and covered the naked with clothing;

8 If he has not exacted usury nor taken any increase, but has withdrawn his hand from iniquity and executed true judgment between man and man;

9 If he has walked in My statutes and kept My judgments faithfully— he is just; he shall surely live!” says the Lord God.

This proverb was referring to Moses’ reiterating God’s warning of;

NUMBERS 14:18

18 ‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’

On the surface this may seem that innocent children would suffer for the wickedness of the parents. But what Israel didn’t take into account is that children learn from watching and listening to their parents. Abused children many times become abusers themselves; racial prejudice and hatred can be passed from generation to generation, etc.

God sets down examples of righteous behavior in verses 5-8 above, which if a man follows, he will be blessed. He then clarifies His pronouncement of Numbers 14:18.

EZEKIEL 18:10-13

10 “If he begets a son who is a robber or a shedder of blood, who does any of these things

11 And does none of those duties, but has eaten on the mountains or defiled his neighbor’s wife;

12 If he has oppressed the poor and needy, robbed by violence, not restored the pledge, lifted his eyes to the idols, or committed abomination;

13 If he has exacted usury or taken increase— shall he then live? He shall not live! If he has done any of these abominations, he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

Sometimes good parents can raise children who are “bad seeds”, wicked children who don’t listen to their parents or obey them. In such a case God will not hold the parents responsible but the child or children will bear their own guilt and punishment.

EZEKIEL 18:14-18

14 “If, however, he begets a son who sees all the sins which his father has done, and considers but does not do likewise;

15 Who has not eaten on the mountains, nor lifted his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, nor defiled his neighbor’s wife;

16 Has not oppressed anyone, nor withheld a pledge, nor robbed by violence, but has given his bread to the hungry and covered the naked with clothing;

17 Who has withdrawn his hand from the poor and not received usury or increase, but has executed My judgments and walked in My statutes— he shall not die for the iniquity of his father; he shall surely live!

18 “As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother by violence, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity.

It would be unjust of God to cause an innocent child to pay for the sins of his father, and God recognized this fact which is why He clarified His original warning.

The books of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles are full of examples of good kings having bad sons and bad kings having good sons. In each case, God punished or destroyed the bad person alone for their sins.

EZEKIEL 18:19-24

19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live.

20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

21 “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

22 None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live.

23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?

24 “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die. 

God shows His mercy and fairness in saying that the wicked can still live if they turn their life around. By the same reasoning, if the righteous turn to sinful ways, they will suffer the consequences. God in verse 23 expresses His wish that all repent and live.

As the Apostle Peter stated;

2 PETER 3:9

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

God will wait patiently for a sinner to repent, but then He will act if they do not.

EZEKIEL 18:25-32

25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?

26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies.

27 Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive.

28 Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?

30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.

31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?

32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!”

Even when God explains Himself, the inhabitants of Jerusalem are so steeped in wickedness that they considered His commandments to be unfair. God then sums up His feelings about the issue in verse 32.

EZEKIEL 19:1-9

1 “Moreover take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

2 and say: ‘What is your mother? A lioness: she lay down among the lions; among the young lions she nourished her cubs.

3 She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion; he learned to catch prey, and he devoured men.

4 The nations also heard of him; he was trapped in their pit, and they brought him with chains to the land of Egypt.

5 ‘When she saw that she waited, that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.

6 He roved among the lions, and became a young lion; he learned to catch prey; he devoured men.

7 He knew their desolate places, and laid waste their cities; the land with its fullness was desolated by the noise of his roaring.

8 Then the nations set against him from the provinces on every side, and spread their net over him; he was trapped in their pit.

9 They put him in a cage with chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him in nets, that his voice should no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.

In verse 4 above, God is referring to king Jehoahaz, son of king Josiah. Pharaoh Necho II had killed Josiah while Necho was on his way to Carchemish to battle Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar for control of the Middle East.

Nebuchadnezzar defeated Necho and as he retreated back to Egypt, Necho captured Judah’s king Jehoahaz, perhaps being angry that Jehoahaz’ father king Josiah had opposed him, and he took Jehoahaz to Egypt in chains where he died in captivity.

Necho then took Jehoahaz’ older brother Jehoiakim and made him a vassal king to Egypt in Jehoahaz’ place. In 605 B.C. Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and forced Jehoiakim to become a vassal king to Babylon.

Verses 5-9 above refer to Jehoiakim’s rule.

Jehoiakim served Babylon until Nebuchadnezzar attacked Egypt in 601 B.C. and was repulsed. Jehoiakim then treacherously switched his allegiance back to Egypt, causing an enraged Nebuchadnezzar to again besiege Jerusalem.

Nebuchadnezzar then captured Jehoiakim and carried him in chains to Babylon along with some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and he died in Babylon.

EZEKIEL 19:10-14

10 ‘Your mother was like a vine in your bloodline, planted by the waters, fruitful and full of branches because of many waters.

11 She had strong branches for scepters of rulers. She towered in stature above the thick branches, and was seen in her height amid the dense foliage.

12 But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried her fruit. Her strong branches were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.

13 And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.

14 Fire has come out from a rod of her branches and devoured her fruit, so that she has no strong branch—a scepter for ruling.’ ” This is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation.

The vine spoken of here is Judah, once a mighty nation equal in stature to the city-States and countries around it. But God in His fury uprooted it and burned it at the hand of Babylon and Judah now languishes in desert-region Babylonia.

The fire from a rod of her branches refers to Judah’s last ruling king, Zedekiah whose treachery would cause him to die in captivity with no sons to be king after him.

EZEKIEL 20:1-26

1 In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and they sat down in front of me.

2 Then the word of the Lord came to me:

3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Have you come to inquire of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign Lord.’

4 “Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors

5 and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the Lord your God.”

6 On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.

7 And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

8 “‘But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt.

9 But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep my name from being profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites.

10 Therefore I led them out of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.

11 I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, by which the person who obeys them will live.

12 Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.

13 “‘Yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws—by which the person who obeys them will live—and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the wilderness.

14 But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

15 Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands—

16 because they rejected my laws and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to their idols.

17 Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or put an end to them in the wilderness.

18 I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols.

19 I am the Lord your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

20 Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”

21 “‘But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws, of which I said, “The person who obeys them will live by them,” and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness.

22 But I withheld my hand, and for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

23 Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries,

24 because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes lusted after their parents’ idols.

25 So I gave them other statutes that were not good and laws through which they could not live;

 26 I defiled them through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the Lord.’

God states His case against Israel from the time they left Egypt to the present. His mercy and patience is shown by the numerous times He withheld His wrath at their willful rebellion and disobedience.

Verses 25 and 26 need to be understood as God allowed them to sacrifice their firstborn children to demon gods so that they might loathe themselves in their own sight. He did not give them these laws, as He Himself said;

JEREMIAH 32:35

35 And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.’

These were the practices of the pagan nations around them, and God gave them up to these vile practices.

EZEKIEL 20:27-31

27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In this also your ancestors blasphemed me by being unfaithful to me:

28 When I brought them into the land I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings.

29 Then I said to them: What is this high place you go to?’” (It is called Bamah to this day.)

30 “Therefore say to the Israelites: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images?

31 When you offer your gifts—the sacrifice of your children in the fire—you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. Am I to let you inquire of me, you Israelites? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will not let you inquire of me.

God knows the hearts of the elders of Judah. He had previously showed Ezekiel the abominations that the elders practiced, ranging from installing idols in the Temple, to burning incense to idols, and worshiping the sun. They would give lip-service to God, pretending to worship Him while still clinging to the worship of their pagan gods.

Bamah (Hebrew, “High Place”)

EZEKIEL 20:32-38

32 “‘You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen.

33 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.

34 I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered—with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.

35 I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment upon you.

36 As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign Lord.

37 I will take note of you as you pass under my rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.

38 I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

The above verses are difficult to pin down as far as timeframe, as there are no references given to go by. Did this happen after the Jews were released from Babylon to return to Judah? After World War II when the Jews created the State of Israel? Is it a future event?

EZEKIEL 20:39-44

39 “‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols.

40 For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord, there in the land all the people of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices.

41 I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations.

42 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors.

43 There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done.

44 You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Now THIS appears to be a future event. When Judah returned from Babylon they quickly fell into factionalism, religious and political strife. They were conquered in turn by the Persians, Greeks, and Romans before being scattered to the ends of the Earth.

In 638 A.D. the Arabs overran Jerusalem, and held it until the beginning of the Crusades in 1099 A.D. In 1291 A.D. the Arabs finally kicked the Crusaders out and held the Holy Land until 1948 A.D. when Israel became a sovereign nation again.

Today, Israel is still torn by religious factionalism with numerous forms of Judaism being followed. So the above events must be still in the future.

When the Messiah, Jesus Christ returns, He will recall His people worldwide to Jerusalem. As God prophesied through Isaiah;

ISAIAH 11:10:16

10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.”

11 It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from Pathros and Cush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea.

12 He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

13 Also the envy of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.

14 But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; together they shall plunder the people of the East; they shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab; and the people of Ammon shall obey them.

15 The Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt; with His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River, and strike it in the seven streams, and make men cross over dry-shod.

16 There will be a highway for the remnant of His people who will be left from Assyria, as it was for Israel in the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.

The highway spoken of here is the old King’s Highway which went from Hieropolis, Egypt, eastward through the Sinai Peninsula to Israel’s Red Sea port of Eilat. From there it turned northward through Ammon, Syria, Moab, and Amorite country, ending in Babylon.

EZEKIEL 20:45-49

45 The word of the Lord came to me:

46 “Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest of the southland.

47 Say to the southern forest: ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north will be scorched by it.

48 Everyone will see that I the Lord have kindled it; it will not be quenched.’”

49 Then I said, “Sovereign Lord, they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?’”

The “forest of the south” is the people of Judah which was south of Babylon. God is again warning of the destruction to come, and states that His wrath will not be turned away this time.

EZEKIEL 21:1-7

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

3 and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked from you.

4 Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north,

5 that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore.” ’

6 Sigh therefore, son of man, with a breaking heart, and sigh with bitterness before their eyes.

7 And it shall be when they say to you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ that you shall answer, ‘Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,’ says the Lord God.”

Note something important here! God says that He will cut off both the wicked and the righteous within the Land because of the sins committed in it. Some will say, “Why obey the Lord if we are to be destroyed with the wicked?”

Who are we to judge God in His judgments? The righteous die in wars like the wicked, and God spares whom He wishes. It could be that God by taking them in war is saving the righteous from misery and conditions that may cause them to sin.

For example, it has been said it is better to die swiftly in battle than to die slowly and horrifically from starvation or a slow, evil disease, both of which befell the inhabitants of Jerusalem during the siege. Starvation was so rampant that people were resorting to cannibalism just to survive as prophesied by Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 28:15-68.

EZEKIEL 21:8-13

8 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

9 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ Say: ‘A sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished!

10 Sharpened to make a dreadful slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we then make mirth? It despises the scepter of My son, as it does all wood.

11 And He has given it to be polished, that it may be handled; this sword is sharpened, and it is polished to be given into the hand of the slayer.’

12 “Cry and wail, son of man; for it will be against My people, against all the princes of Israel. Terrors including the sword will be against My people; therefore strike your thigh.

13 “Because it is a testing, and what if the sword despises even the scepter? The scepter shall be no more,” says the Lord God.

God promises that the kingdom of Judah is at an end, and there would no longer be kings of the line of David to rule the throne.

EZEKIEL 21:14-17

14 “You therefore, son of man, prophesy, and strike your hands together. The third time let the sword do double damage It is the sword that slays, The sword that slays the great men, that enters their private chambers.

15 I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that the heart may melt and many may stumble. Ah! It is made bright; it is grasped for slaughter:

16 “Swords at the ready! Thrust right! Set your blade! Thrust left— Wherever your edge is ordered!

17 “I also will beat My fists together, and I will cause My fury to rest; I, the Lord, have spoken.”

God is so infuriated with Jerusalem that He will literally pound His fists together in rage and frustration over their wickedness!

EZEKIEL 21:18-27

18 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying:

19 “And son of man, appoint for yourself two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to go; both of them shall go from the same land. Make a sign; put it at the head of the road to the city.

20 Appoint a road for the sword to go to Rabbah of the Ammonites, and to Judah, into fortified Jerusalem.

21 For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use divination: he shakes the arrows, he consults the images, he looks at the liver.

22 In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem: to set up battering rams, to call for a slaughter, to lift the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to heap up a siege mound, and to build a wall.

23 And it will be to them like a false divination in the eyes of those who have sworn oaths with them; but he will bring their iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.

24 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.

25 ‘Now to you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end,

26 thus says the Lord God: “Remove the turban, and take off the crown; nothing shall remain the same. Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted.

27 Overthrown, overthrown, I will make it overthrown! It shall be no longer, until He comes whose right it is, and I will give it to Him.” ’

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is on his way at the fork in the King’s Highway, needing to choose between attacking the Ammonites or Judah. He is using divination to decide which way to go, east of the Jordan River to Ammon or west to Judah. God says He will direct the Babylonians against the Ammonites first.

The “profane prince” He is referring to is king Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) of Judah.

The future King of Israel will be Jesus Christ who will rule the world from Jerusalem upon His return.

EZEKIEL 21:28-32

28 “And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach,’ and say: ‘A sword, a sword is drawn, polished for slaughter, for consuming, for flashing—

29 While they see false visions for you, while they divine a lie to you, to bring you on the necks of the wicked, the slain whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end.

30 ‘Return it to its sheath. I will judge you in the place where you were created, in the land of your nativity.

31 I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow against you with the fire of My wrath, and deliver you into the hands of brutal men who are skillful to destroy.

32 You shall be fuel for the fire; your blood shall be in the midst of the land. You shall not be remembered, for I the Lord have spoken.’ ”

God is about to put an end to the Ammonites, cousins and longtime enemies of Israel by the hand of the Babylonians. They will never again become a nation. Their present-day territory comprises the nation of Jordan.

EZEKIEL 22:1-16

1 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Now, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations!

3 Then say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “The city sheds blood in her own midst, that her time may come; and she makes idols within herself to defile herself.

4 You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and have defiled yourself with the idols which you have made. You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years; therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all countries.

5 Those near and those far from you will mock you as infamous and full of tumult.

6 “Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you.

7 In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst they have oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow.

8 You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths.

9 In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness.

10 In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are set apart during their impurity.

11 One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter.

12 In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me,” says the Lord God.

13 “Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst.

14 Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it.

15 I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you.

16 You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

God lists the sins of Jerusalem as follows:

Idolatry: Jerusalem was rife with idols of pagan Canaanite deities, some inside the Temple itself. They worshiped at pagan altars (high places) and ate at pagan feasts.

Bloodshed: Much innocent blood was shed through violence, false accusation, and murder. Princes accepted bribes to twist justice and condemn the innocent while favoring the rich.

Sexual immorality: Men were sleeping with their mothers, sisters, other men’s wives, daughters-in-law and women set apart during “that time of the month”.

Dishonest gain: Men extorted their neighbors, and charged interest (usury) with each other which was forbidden by the Law of Moses.

Things were so bad that God in His rage has beat His fists together at their sins and only His promises to Abraham, Jacob and David are keeping Him from destroying them completely.

EZEKIEL 22:17-22

17 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver.

19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

20 As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you.

21 Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst.

22 As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out My fury on you.’ ”

Just as fire is used to refine and burn impurities out of metal ores, God is going to put Jerusalem in the furnace of affliction and purify the rebels and sinners from it. Silver ores many times are mixed with other metals when mined, and heating the ore will separate the impurities out of it as they have differing melting points.

EZEKIEL 22:23-31

23 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

24 “Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.’

25 The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured people; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst.

26 Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

27 Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain.

28 Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord had not spoken.

29 The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger.

30 So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.

31 Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.

God details Jerusalem’s sins, with princes, priests, false prophets and the people murdering and extorting each other, afflicting the poor and innocent, mixing pagan rituals with their worship of God, and accepting bribes to twist judgment in favor of the rich.

When Israel sinned at Mount Sinai by creating a golden calf idol, God threatened to destroy them completely and create a nation through Moses’ descendants (Exodus, chapter 32). However, Moses interceded with the Lord (stood in the gap) for the people, begging the Lord to spare them, and He did, but punished them severely for their idolatry.

God has sought a righteous man with the courage to stand in the gap for Jerusalem, but found none. There were righteous men in the city, but none were willing to intercede on behalf of the city, causing God to say;

EZEKIEL 21:2-5

2 “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

3 and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked from you.

4 Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north,

5 that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore.”

EZEKIEL 23:1-10

1 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying:

2 “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother.

3 They committed harlotry in Egypt, they committed harlotry in their youth; their breasts were there embraced, their virgin bosom was there pressed.

4 Their names: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister; they were Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

5 “Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine; and she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring Assyrians,

6 Who were clothed in purple, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses.

7 Thus she committed her harlotry with them, all of them choice men of Assyria; and with all for whom she lusted, with all their idols, she defiled herself.

8 She has never given up her harlotry brought from Egypt, for in her youth they had lain with her, pressed her virgin bosom, and poured out their immorality upon her.

9 “Therefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, for whom she lusted.

10 They uncovered her nakedness, took away her sons and daughters, and slew her with the sword; she became a byword among women, for they had executed judgment on her.

God equates Samaria in the Northern Kingdom of Israel as a wanton bride who commits adultery with other men while forsaking her husband. Samaria has involved itself with idols of Egypt and Assyria and has allied with both for protection in which God equates both acts as spiritual adultery against Him.

In 701 B.C. the Assyrians destroyed Samaria and deported the survivors to Assyria and lands east. The Northern Kingdom of Israel ceased to exist, and Assyrian king Esarhaddon transplanted pagan eastern peoples into Samaria who became the despised Samaritans in the New Testament.

EZEKIEL 23:11-21

11 “Now although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.

12 “She lusted for the neighboring Assyrians, captains and rulers, clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men.

13 Then I saw that she was defiled; both took the same way.

14 But she increased her harlotry; she looked at men portrayed on the wall, images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,

15 Girded with belts around their waists, flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like captains, in the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity.

16 As soon as her eyes saw them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

17 “Then the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their immorality; so she was defiled by them, and alienated herself from them.

18 She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness. Then I alienated Myself from her, as I had alienated Myself from her sister.

19 “Yet she multiplied her harlotry in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, when she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.

20 For she lusted for her paramours, whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

21 Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians pressed your bosom because of your youthful breasts.

Judah saw what Samaria was doing and did even worse, allying itself with Babylon and Egypt for protection and worshiping their idols. Archaeologists have uncovered Mesopotamian and Egyptian idols and symbols of pagan deities in the territory of Judah, showing the influence of these foreign gods in the lives of people of Judah.

Even after witnessing the destruction of Samaria, not only did they not learn from it but they increased their abominations even above those of Samaria.

EZEKIEL 23:22-27

22 “Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you, from whom you have alienated yourself, and I will bring them against you from every side:

23 The Babylonians, all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, all the Assyrians with them, all of them desirable young men, governors and rulers, captains and men of renown, all of them riding on horses.

24 And they shall come against you with chariots, wagons, and war-horses, with a horde of people. They shall array against you buckler, shield, and helmet all around.

‘I will delegate judgment to them, and they shall judge you according to their judgments.

25 I will set My jealousy against you, and they shall deal furiously with you; they shall remove your nose and your ears, and your remnant shall fall by the sword; they shall take your sons and your daughters, and your remnant shall be devoured by fire.

26 They shall also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewelry.

27 ‘Thus I will make you cease your lewdness and your harlotry brought from the land of Egypt, so that you will not lift your eyes to them, nor remember Egypt anymore.

In 612 B.C. Babylon conquered Assyria, absorbing the mixed nations of the Assyrian empire into the Babylonian empire. And in 586 B.C. the combined nations of the Babylonian empire besieged and destroyed Jerusalem, killing over 9,000 Jews in the city alone. Judah was laid waste and the survivors were deported to Babylon for 70 years except for the poorest who were left as caretakers of the fields and vineyards.

It was customary to lead captives to their destinations naked and in chains as a form of humiliation, subjugation, shame and derision.

EZEKIEL 23:28-35

28 “For thus says the Lord God: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hand of those you hate, into the hand of those from whom you alienated yourself.

29 They will deal hatefully with you, take away all you have worked for, and leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotry.

30 I will do these things to you because you have gone as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have become defiled by their idols.

31 You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will put her cup in your hand.’

32 “Thus says the Lord God: ‘You shall drink of your sister’s cup, the deep and wide one; you shall be laughed to scorn and held in derision; it contains much.

33 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, the cup of horror and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria.

34 You shall drink and drain it, you shall break its shards, and tear at your own breasts; for I have spoken,’ says the Lord God.

35 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, therefore you shall bear the penalty of your lewdness and your harlotry.’ ”

God promises to deal with Jerusalem in the same fashion as Samaria because they not only saw happened to Samaria, they became even worse. God in turn will give Jerusalem the same cup of His wrath that He gave Samaria.

EZEKIEL 23:36-49

36 The Lord also said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.

37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them.

38 Moreover they have done this to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and profaned My Sabbaths.

39 For after they had slain their children for their idols, on the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed thus they have done in the midst of My house.

40 “Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.

41 You sat on a stately couch, with a table prepared before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil.

42 The sound of a carefree multitude was with her, and Sabeans were brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort, who put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads.

43 Then I said concerning her who had grown old in adulteries, ‘Will they commit harlotry with her now, and she with them?’

44 Yet they went in to her, as men go in to a woman who plays the harlot; thus they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, the lewd women.

45 But righteous men will judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.

46 “For thus says the Lord God: ‘Bring up an assembly against them, give them up to trouble and plunder.

47 The assembly shall stone them with stones and execute them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire.

48 Thus I will cause lewdness to cease from the land, that all women may be taught not to practice your lewdness.

49 They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you shall pay for your idolatrous sins. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”

God lists the sins of Samaria and Judah; worship of pagan gods; human sacrifice (ritual slaughter of infants and children); offering sacrifices of grain and oil to idols; luring foreign nations into forming military and trade alliances; defiling His Temple and working on Sabbath days to name a few things.

EZEKIEL 24:1-5

1 Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, write down the name of the day, this very day—the king of Babylon started his siege against Jerusalem this very day.

3 And utter a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Put on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it.

4 Gather pieces of meat in it, every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder. Fill it with choice cuts;

5 Take the choice of the flock, also pile fuel bones under it, make it boil well, and let the cuts simmer in it.”

The 9^th year of Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry would have been around 588 B.C.

Also, in the absence of wood or animal dung, bones could be used as fuel for cooking. As Jerusalem was under siege fuel sources would have been scarce, so use of animal bones would have been acceptable.

In this case, the pot represents Jerusalem, the pieces of meat are its citizens and the fuel bones are the armies of Babylon who are besieging the city.

EZEKIEL 24:6-8

6 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is in it, and whose scum is not gone from it! Bring it out piece by piece, on which no lot has fallen.

7 For her blood is in her midst; she set it on top of a rock; she did not pour it on the ground, to cover it with dust.

8 That it may raise up fury and take vengeance, I have set her blood on top of a rock, that it may not be covered.”

The Law of Moses required that he blood of any animal slaughtered for food have its blood poured onto the ground and covered with dust;

LEVITICUS 17:13-14

13 “Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust;

14 for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.’

The “scum” referred to here is the layer of useless fat and by-products that float on top of a simmering pot of fatty meats. This “scum” is usually drawn off before the broth and meats are served.

EZEKIEL 24:9-14

9 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the bloody city! I too will make the pyre great.

10 Heap on the wood, kindle the fire; cook the meat well, mix in the spices, and let the cuts be burned up.

11 “Then set the pot empty on the coals, that it may become hot and its bronze may burn, that its filthiness may be melted in it, that its scum may be consumed.

12 She has grown weary with lies, and her great scum has not gone from her. Let her scum be in the fire!

13 In your filthiness is lewdness. Because I have cleansed you, and you were not cleansed, you will not be cleansed of your filthiness anymore, till I have caused My fury to rest upon you.

14 I, the Lord, have spoken it; it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not hold back, nor will I spare, nor will I relent; according to your ways and according to your deeds they will judge you,” says the Lord God.’ ”

Jerusalem has become like a metal ore, mixed with impurities. The wicked are mixed with the righteous, much as silver ore many times contains lead, arsenic and zinc. God is going to use the Babylonians like a refining furnace to burn the impurities out of it and refine it into a pure metal.

EZEKIEL 24:15-24

15 Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

16 “Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down.

17 Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.”

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.

19 And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things signify to us, that you behave so?”

20 Then I answered them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

21 ‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the delight of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.

22 And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips nor eat man’s bread of sorrow.

 23 Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you shall neither mourn nor weep, but you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another.

24 Thus Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do; and when this comes, you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”

This is an incredibly hard lesson, the sudden loss of a loved one. God is graphically showing Jerusalem the depth of sorrow that will occur, with the people witnessing the death of loved ones in the siege.

In Jewish tradition when a loved one dies, the family covers the furniture and sits on the floor or low stools for a week (called “shevah”). Mirrors and pictures are covered during this time or turned to the wall, and leather shoes (including sandals) are not worn.

However God says that in this case their depression, fear, shock and despair will be so great that they will not weep or mourn but will be too traumatized to do any of these things.

EZEKIEL 24:25-27

25 ‘And you, son of man—will it not be in the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that on which they set their minds, their sons and their daughters:

26 that on that day one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with your ears?

27 On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you shall speak and no longer be mute. Thus you will be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”

Remember, God had made Ezekiel mute except for when God gave him words to speak. God had said;

EZEKIEL 3:26-27

26 I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and not be one to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house.

27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.

God will allow Ezekiel to speak on his own once the things he prophesied came to pass.

EZEKIEL 25:1-7

1 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them.

3 Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God: “Because you said, ‘Aha!’ against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity,

4 indeed, therefore, I will deliver you as a possession to the men of the East, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you; they shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk.

5 And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels and Ammon a resting place for flocks. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”

6 ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced in heart with all your disdain for the land of Israel,

7 indeed, therefore, I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations; I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will cause you to perish from the countries; I will destroy you, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

The Ammonites although cousins to Israel, had been enemies of Israel since they came out of Egypt and wars between them were frequent. God has had enough of them and as they had rejoiced to see both Israel and Judah go into captivity, He would utterly destroy them. They would be destroyed by the same coalition of eastern nations (Babylonian empire) that destroyed Jerusalem.

During WW II the Arabs sided with the Axis powers in the destruction of the Jews and vigorously fought to exterminate them during the Arab-Israeli wars of 1948-1949, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982, and 2006.

During the Arab-Israeli wars, Israel roundly defeated its enemies, and if you look at the Middle East today, the Arab nations are torn by unrest, are fighting each other (Sunni Arabs versus Shi’ite Arabs) and virtually all are under the rule of harsh and even cruel rulers. So God’s curse is still effective today.

EZEKIEL 25:8-11

8 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations,’

9 therefore, behold, I will clear the territory of Moab of cities, of the cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kirjathaim.

10 To the men of the East I will give it as a possession, together with the Ammonites, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations.

11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

The Moabites were also cousins of Israel and were enemies of Israel from the time Israel left Egypt and frequently warred against Israel. Like the Ammonites, God would destroy them as a nation, with the only remembrance of them being ruins, historical notes and Biblical stories.

EZEKIEL 25:12-14

12 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,”

13 therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan shall fall by the sword.

14 I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord God.

The Edomites (also called inhabitants of Seir) were close relatives of Israel, their forefather Esau having been Jacob’s brother. They too were enemies of Israel when they came out of Egypt, not allowing Moses and Israel to travel through their land when Moses led Israel out of Egypt. Wars between the Edomites and Israel were bitter and frequent.

God through the prophet Obadiah condemned the Edomites for stopping those of Judah who fled from the Babylonians and helping the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem;

OBADIAH 1:13-14

13 You should not have entered the gate of My people In the day of their calamity. Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor laid hands on their substance In the day of their calamity.

14 You should not have stood at the crossroads to cut off those among them who escaped; nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained in the day of distress.

However after Babylon had destroyed Judah they swept south and wiped out the Edomites and the Nabataeans (also known as Dedan) who were pushing into Edomite territory from the east.

EZEKIEL 25:15-17

15 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred,”

16 therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast.

17 I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I lay My vengeance upon them.” ’ ”

The Philistines had been perpetual enemies of Israel ever since Israel came into Canaan. Like the Edomites, they assisted the Babylonians in the destruction of Judah by delivering the escaping Jews to Edom who in turn delivered them to the Babylonians. But like the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites and Nabataeans, Babylon would utterly destroy them.

God prophesied through Amos;

AMOS 1:6-8

6 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they took captive the whole captivity to deliver them up to Edom.

7 But I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, which shall devour its palaces.

8 I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn My hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,” says the Lord God.

EZEKIEL 26:1-6

1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, ‘Aha! She is broken who was the gateway of the peoples; now she is turned over to me; I shall be filled; she is laid waste.’

3 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up.

4 And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.

5 It shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,’ says the Lord God; ‘it shall become plunder for the nations.

6 Also her daughter villages which are in the fields shall be slain by the sword. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.’

The 11^th year of Ezekiel’s ministry would have been about 581 B.C. Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians for about 5 years by then, and Tyrian rulers apparently saw an opportunity to expand southward.

Tyre actually consisted of two cities, one on the mainland of Lebanon (Old Tyre) and the other on an island about a half mile (1 km) offshore (New Tyre). Hold that thought for a few minutes.

EZEKIEL 26:7-14

7 “For thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army with many people.

8 He will slay with the sword your daughter villages in the fields; he will heap up a siege mound against you, build a wall against you, and raise a defense against you.

9 He will direct his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers.

10 Because of the abundance of his horses, their dust will cover you; your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen, the wagons, and the chariots, when he enters your gates, as men enter a city that has been breached.

11 With the hooves of his horses he will trample all your streets; he will slay your people by the sword, and your strong pillars will fall to the ground.

12 They will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise; they will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses; they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the midst of the water.

13 I will put an end to the sound of your songs, and the sound of your harps shall be heard no more.

14 I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a place for spreading nets, and you shall never be rebuilt, for I the Lord have spoken,’ says the Lord God.

Verse 14 throws a lot of people off, as it seems that Tyre would never be rebuilt after being destroyed. In 586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar conducted a 13 year siege of Old Tyre, eventually conquering the city. He could not destroy New Tyre as he had no Navy to blockade and besiege the city.

While it may seem that Tyre was destroyed forever, the Hebrew wording seems to indicate that Tyre would never again attain its former glory after its destruction. This is borne out by God’s prophecy concerning Tyre as spoken through the prophet Isaiah;

ISAIAH 23:15-18

15 Now it shall come to pass in that day that Tyre will be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king. At the end of seventy years it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the harlot:

16 “Take a harp, go about the city, you forgotten harlot; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that you may be remembered.”

17 And it shall be, at the end of seventy years, that the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her hire, and commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.

18 Her gain and her pay will be set apart for the Lord; it will not be treasured nor laid up, for her gain will be for those who dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for fine clothing.

Just as Jerusalem was deserted for 70 years, Tyre would be an abandoned ruin for 70 years. Then after 70 years Tyre would again become a merchant city but not according to its former greatness.

EZEKIEL 26:15-21

15 “Thus says the Lord God to Tyre: ‘Will the coastlands not shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded cry, when slaughter is made in the midst of you?

16 Then all the princes of the sea will come down from their thrones, lay aside their robes, and take off their embroidered garments; they will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground, tremble every moment, and be astonished at you.

17 And they will take up a lamentation for you, and say to you: “How you have perished, O one inhabited by seafaring men, O renowned city, who was strong at sea, she and her inhabitants, who caused their terror to be on all her inhabitants!

18 Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall; yes, the coastlands by the sea are troubled at your departure.” ’

19 “For thus says the Lord God: ‘When I make you a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you,

20 then I will bring you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you may never be inhabited; and I shall establish glory in the land of the living.

21 I will make you a terror, and you shall be no more; though you are sought for, you will never be found again,’ says the Lord God.”

Verses 15-21 seem to refer to Alexander the Great’s assault and siege of both cities of Tyre.

In 332 B.C. Alexander besieged and destroyed both cities of Tyre after 7 months and much effort. Enraged at his difficulties he killed 6,000 fighting men of the New City and crucified another 2,000 on the beach as a lesson to surrounding cities. God promises to send the slain inhabitants to Hell (the Pit) for their sinful arrogance.

Tyre never really recovered afterward, being conquered numerous times, being passed like a football between the descendants of two of Alexander’s four generals (Seleucus and Ptolemy) who ripped Alexander’s empire into 4 parts after his death in 323 B.C. And in 64 B.C. Rome conquered Tyre, holding it until Rome finally fell in 395 A.D.

EZEKIEL 27:1-7

1 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying,

2 “Now, son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre,

3 and say to Tyre, ‘You who are situated at the entrance of the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coastlands, thus says the Lord God: “O Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’

4 Your borders are in the midst of the seas. Your builders have perfected your beauty.

5 They made all your planks of fir trees from Senir; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make you a mast.

6 Of oaks from Bashan they made your oars; the company of Ashurites have inlaid your planks with ivory from the coasts of Cyprus.

7 Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was what you spread for your sail; blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah was what covered you.

Verses 3 and 4 seem to refer to the off-shore city of New Tyre, located about ½ mile (1 km) seaward from the Old City of Tyre. God describes the richness and luxury of Tyre’s ships;

Senir - location uncertain, but appears to be a mountain in the area of the Mount Hermon Range in northern Lebanon

Bashan - Golan heights, Syria.

Cyprus - Island just south of Turkey

Elishah - location unknown. But the fact that blue and purple dye came from there indicates it was somewhere on the coast of Lebanon. Blue and purple dye was extracted from the Murex (Venus’ Comb) sea snails found in Lebanon’s shallow coastal waters.

EZEKIEL 27:8-11

8 “Inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen; your wise men, O Tyre, were in you; they became your pilots.

9 Elders of Gebal and its wise men were in you to caulk your seams; all the ships of the sea and their oarsmen were in you to market your merchandise.

10 “Those from Persia, Lydia, and Libya were in your army as men of war; they hung shield and helmet in you; they gave splendor to you.

11 Men of Arvad with your army were on your walls all around, and the men of Gammad were in your towers; they hung their shields on your walls all around; they made your beauty perfect.

Tyre was the major city of the Phoenician seafaring empire whose ships sailed around the entire Mediterranean conducting commerce. They were expert sailors, exporting Tyrian purple (a rare and very expensive dye), highly-valued cedar wood, crafted metal work and products received in trade from other countries.

In turn, they imported raw metals (iron, copper, tin, lead, silver and gold) from colonies around the Mediterranean Sea and refined them into ingots or created weapons, jewelry and other marketable metal items.

Sidon - a major competitor Phoenician city

Arvad - a city on a small island off the coast of Syria

Gebal - also known as Byblos, a major exporter of Egyptian papyrus (paper made from compressed marsh reeds)

Persia - modern-day Iran

Lydia - western half of the Turkish peninsula

Libya - country in Africa on the western border of Egypt. Also known as Cyrenaica. A major coastal city of Cyrenaica was Cyrene (Kyrene).

EZEKIEL 27:12-24

12 “Tarshish was your merchant because of your many luxury goods. They gave you silver, iron, tin, and lead for your goods.

13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders. They bartered human lives and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.

14 Those from the house of Togarmah traded for your wares with horses, steeds, and mules.

15 The men of Dedan were your traders; many isles were the market of your hand. They brought you ivory tusks and ebony as payment.

16 Syria was your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made. They gave you for your wares emeralds, purple, embroidery, fine linen, corals, and rubies.

17 Judah and the land of Israel were your traders. They traded for your merchandise wheat of Minnith, millet, honey, oil, and balm.

18 Damascus was your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made, because of your many luxury items, with the wine of Helbon and with white wool.

19 Dan and Javan paid for your wares, traversing back and forth. Wrought iron, cassia, and cane were among your merchandise.

20 Dedan was your merchant in saddlecloths for riding.

21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your regular merchants. They traded with you in lambs, rams, and goats.

22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah were your merchants. They traded for your wares the choicest spices, all kinds of precious stones, and gold.

23 Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Assyria, and Chilmad were your merchants.

24 These were your merchants in choice items—in purple clothes, in embroidered garments, in chests of multicolored apparel, in sturdy woven cords, which were in your marketplace.

God details the nations that Tyre conducted commerce with as well as their imports and exports.

Tarshish - location unknown, but legendary for its mining and smelting / refining of metals. They traded refined metal ingots for products.

Javan - Greece

Meshech - Northern part of the Turkish peninsula

Tubal - Central Turkey, close by the borders of Iran (east) and Iraq (south)

Togarmah - Just southeast of Tubal in Turkey

Dedan - coast of Saudi Arabian peninsula, bordering the Red Sea

Syria - present day Syria

Helbon - Modern city of Aleppo, Syria

Dan - northern-most province of Israel on Lebanon’s southern border

Kedar - Nomadic warrior tribes in present day Saudi Arabia

Sheba - Modern day Yemen, legendary for its rare and expensive spices

Raamah - location unknown

Haran - situated on Turkey’s southern border, just north of Assyria

Canneh (Calneh) - exact location unknown, possibly just northeast of Aleppo, Syria

Eden - location unknown, assumed to be in area of Assyria

Chilmad - location unknown

I suspect that this just a few of the regions the Phoenicians traded with, as they also traded with Italy, France, Spain, Egypt and parts of Africa.

EZEKIEL 27:25-36

25 “The ships of Tarshish were carriers of your merchandise. You were filled and very glorious in the midst of the seas.

26 Your oarsmen brought you into many waters, but the east wind broke you in the midst of the seas.

27 “Your riches, wares, and merchandise, your mariners and pilots, your caulkers and merchandisers, all your men of war who are in you, and the entire company which is in your midst, will fall into the midst of the seas on the day of your ruin.

28 The common-land will shake at the sound of the cry of your pilots.

29 “All who handle the oar, the mariners, all the pilots of the sea will come down from their ships and stand on the shore.

30 They will make their voice heard because of you; they will cry bitterly and cast dust on their heads; they will roll about in ashes;

31 They will shave themselves completely bald because of you, gird themselves with sackcloth, and weep for you with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.

32 In their wailing for you they will take up a lamentation, and lament for you: ‘What city is like Tyre, destroyed in the midst of the sea?

33 ‘When your wares went out by sea, you satisfied many people; you enriched the kings of the earth with your many luxury goods and your merchandise.

34 But you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters; your merchandise and the entire company will fall in your midst.

35 All the inhabitants of the isles will be astonished at you; their kings will be greatly afraid, and their countenance will be troubled.

36 The merchants among the peoples will hiss at you; you will become a horror, and be no more forever.’ ” ’ ”

Greed is a powerful motivator. Tyre was a rich city, and various surrounding kings coveted their riches. Verse 26 speaks of Nebuchadnezzar conquering the on-shore city of Tyre in 573 B.C. after a 13 year siege. The island city of Tyre finally fell to the Greeks in 332 B.C. under Alexander the Great and never again regained its former prominence.

EZEKIEL 28:1-10

1 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying,

2 “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because your heart is lifted up, and you say, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, in the midst of the seas,’ yet you are a man, and not a god, though you set your heart as the heart of a god

3 (Behold, you are wiser than Daniel! There is no secret that can be hidden from you!

4 With your wisdom and your understanding you have gained riches for yourself, and gathered gold and silver into your treasuries;

5 By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches),”

6 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god,

7 Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, the most terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and defile your splendor.

8 They shall throw you down into the Pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the midst of the seas.

9 “Will you still say before him who slays you, ‘I am a god’? But you shall be a man, and not a god, in the hand of him who slays you.

10 You shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of aliens; for I have spoken,” says the Lord God.’ ”

Unfortunately riches many times breeds arrogance, elitism and contempt in those who own it. Just look at rich “celebrities” who become highly insulted if people don’t fawn all over them when they make an appearance.

In verse 3 God mocks the pompous king of Tyre who feels that he is a god on Earth, blinded by his own perceived wisdom and glory. God promises to bring the worst of the nations against him, in this case the cruel, brutal Babylonians. (The Assyrians had been even worse but they had been conquered and absorbed by Babylon 23 years earlier.)

God promises to send the king of Tyre to Hell (the Pit) at his death proving beyond doubt that he is not a god.

EZEKIEL 28:11-15

11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created.

14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.

15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.

This is fascinating, for though it appears that God is speaking to the king of Tyre, He is speaking to Satan who is deceiving the king into believing that he is a god. Remember that Lucifer (Light bearer), before he was renamed Satan (Adversary, Accuser) was guardian of God’s Throne (cherub who covers).

He was perfect in every way, with one exception. He was a created being like the other angels and in no way can a created being be equal with its Creator. And this arrogance caused him to be thrown out of Heaven and be sentenced to the Lake of Fire for eternity. God listed Satan’s sins when He spoke through the prophet Isaiah;

ISAIAH 14:12-15

12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!

13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north;

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’

15 Yet you shall be brought down to Hell, to the lowest depths of the Pit.

These are called “The Five ‘I wills’ ” and shows Satan’s determination to be equal with God and God’s response. The sentence may seem harsh, but remember Satan stood in the presence of Almighty God Himself and knew that he had been created by God. He also knew that while wise and powerful, he could never match God’s wisdom and power, making him far less than God.

Note a couple of things here.

1. Lucifer says that he will ascend into Heaven. That means that his assigned abode is somewhere below the Heaven where God dwells. This fits in with something the Apostle Paul said when describing the Apostle John’s vision of Revelation.

John said that his spirit had been taken to Heaven, into the presence of God Himself. John said;

REVELATION 4:1-5

1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”

2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.

3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.

4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.

5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

While there, John saw;

REVELATION 10:1-4

1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.

2 He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,

3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.

4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”;

The Apostle Paul in describing John’s vision said;

2 CORINTHIANS 12:2-4

2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.

3 And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—

4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

From Paul’s words it can be assumed that there are three Heavens. The first being the familiar sky we see. The second seems to be the abode of angels, causing Lucifer to say “I will ascend into Heaven”. By this it can be assumed that the Third Heaven is where God dwells.

(For more information, please see the study on the Book of Revelation in this Web site.) 

Next;

2. In Ezekiel 28:13 above, the ‘king’ spoken of by God was in the Garden of Eden. There were only 4 beings who were in the Garden, namely God, Adam, Eve and Satan. Adam and Eve were long dead but Satan being an angel was still alive.

He was also a master musician by the description in that he was covered with gold and precious gems and possessing musical instruments.

EZEKIEL 28:16-19

16 “By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.

17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you.

18 “You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you.

19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever.” ’ ”

This is somewhat difficult to understand unless you consider that God is addressing two individuals, the physical king of Tyre and Satan in the same set of verses. Verses 16 and 17 deal with Satan, verses 18 and 19 deal with the physical king of Tyre.

EZEKIEL 28:20-24

20 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

21 “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her,

22 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Sidon; I will be glorified in your midst; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I execute judgments in her and am hallowed in her.

23 For I will send pestilence upon her, and blood in her streets; the wounded shall be judged in her midst by the sword against her on every side; then they shall know that I am the Lord.

24 “And there shall no longer be a pricking brier or a painful thorn for the house of Israel from among all who are around them, who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord God.”

Sidon was a rival Phoenician city to Tyre, and God promises to do to them what He has promised to do to Tyre. As per verse 24 above, God promises to destroy the nations surrounding Israel just as He will do to Tyre and Sidon by the hand of king Nebuchadnezzar.

EZEKIEL 28:25-26

25 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob.

26 And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God.” ’ ”

When Jesus returns to set up His Earthly kingdom in Israel, Israel will at last be at peace with all nations.

The prophet Micah said;

MICAH 4:3

3 He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

King David prophesied of Him;

PSALM 110:5-6

5 The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.

6 He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries.

EZEKIEL 29:1-7

1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt.

3 Speak, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, who has said, ‘My River is my own; I have made it for myself.’

4 But I will put hooks in your jaws, and cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales; I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers, and all the fish in your rivers will stick to your scales.

5 I will leave you in the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers; you shall fall on the open field; you shall not be picked up or gathered. I have given you as food to the beasts of the field and to the birds of the heavens.

6 “Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.

7 When they took hold of you with the hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their backs quiver.”

The Pharaoh referred to here is Pharaoh Hophra (also known as Apries, ruled 589-570 B.C.) about whom Jeremiah prophesied;

JEREMIAH 44:30

30 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.’ ”

When Nebuchadnezzar began besieging Jerusalem, the Egyptians came out to do battle but were quickly defeated by the Babylonians and they fled back to Egypt. Afterward Hophra tried to protect neighboring Libya from Doric Greek invaders but failed there also.

Hophra had to then put down a mutiny between his army and foreign mercenaries (God called the mercenaries ‘fish stuck to his scales’). Then one of Hophra’s generals declared himself as Pharaoh and Hophra fled to a neighboring country. In 567 B.C. Hophra returned to re-take his throne but the Egyptians turned on him and strangled him.

Thus as God prophesied, Egypt was like a weak reed which broke when pressure was put on it, and Hophra died in the wilderness.

EZEKIEL 29:8-16

8 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will bring a sword upon you and cut off from you man and beast.

9 And the land of Egypt shall become desolate and waste; then they will know that I am the Lord, because he said, ‘The River is mine, and I have made it.’

10 Indeed, therefore, I am against you and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Ethiopia.

11 Neither foot of man shall pass through it nor foot of beast pass through it, and it shall be uninhabited forty years.

12 I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and among the cities that are laid waste, her cities shall be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.”

13 ‘Yet, thus says the Lord God: “At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered.

14 I will bring back the captives of Egypt and cause them to return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they shall be a lowly kingdom.

15 It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms; it shall never again exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations anymore.

16 No longer shall it be the confidence of the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity when they turned to follow them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord God.” ’ ”

In 564 B.C. Babylon invaded Egypt and while not totally conquering Egypt, reduced them to almost nothing as God prophesied. And as prophesied, Egypt never again recovered its former power and even to this day is small player on the world stage.

One historian wrote;

In 564 B.C. a foreign army invaded Egypt, laying waste the country. Tens of thousands

died. Thousands more, primarily the skilled and educated elite, priests and artisans

alike, were taken captive and deported. A minority escaped into the surrounding desert,

among them the ruling pharaoh. Only a small remnant survived.

The physical structures of the country were also decimated. Temples and tombs were

destroyed and looted. Cities were burned. From Migdol in the eastern Delta to Syene

near Elephantine south of Thebes, 500 miles upriver on the Nile, the country was

ravaged.

Twenty years passed as the land languished, raped of its treasure by garrisons left behind

by the foreigners. No pharaoh ruled to restore order. Another twenty years saw limited

rebuilding and the gradual renewal of religious and political life. Temples were

repaired. Training began for a new generation of priests and artisans.

(The Pharaoh who escaped was Pharaoh Hophra (Apries) who was written about earlier. Note also that as prophesied in verse 10, Egypt was laid waste from Migdol to Syene.)

EZEKIEL 29:17-21

17 And it came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it.

19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army.

20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they worked for Me,’ says the Lord God.

21 ‘In that day I will cause the horn of the house of Israel to spring forth, and I will open your mouth to speak in their midst. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”

In an interesting twist to history, Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre for 13 years before it fell. And remember, Tyre was actually two cities, Old Tyre which was on the shoreline of Lebanon, and New Tyre which was on an island about ½ mile (1 km) offshore.

When Nebuchadnezzar began his siege of Old Tyre the residents moved their valuables to New Tyre. Babylon had no Navy therefore New Tyre was out of reach and Old Tyre had no treasure for the Babylonian army.

But because Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed Tyre at God’s command, He rewarded him with the rich treasures of Egypt.

EZEKIEL 30:1-5

1 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying,

2 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Wail, ‘Woe to the day!’

3 For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near; it will be a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles.

4 The sword shall come upon Egypt, and great anguish shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain fall in Egypt, and they take away her wealth, and her foundations are broken down.

5 “Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all the mingled people, Chub, and the men of the lands who are allied, shall fall with them by the sword.”

God reiterates His prophecy against Egypt and includes its allies also. As previously discussed the Babylonians destroyed much of Egypt, along with the Ethiopians, Libyans, Lydians (part of Libya) and a people named ‘Chub’, a known north African tribe.

EZEKIEL 30:6-9

6 ‘Thus says the Lord: “Those who uphold Egypt shall fall, and the pride of her power shall come down. From Migdol to Syene those within her shall fall by the sword,” says the Lord God.

7 “They shall be desolate in the midst of the desolate countries, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are laid waste.

8 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have set a fire in Egypt and all her helpers are destroyed.

9 On that day messengers shall go forth from Me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great anguish shall come upon them, as on the day of Egypt; for indeed it is coming!” 

God promises that Egypt’s allies will be destroyed along with the Egyptians when the Babylonians sweep through.

EZEKIEL 30:10-19

10 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will also make a multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

11 He and his people with him, the most terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land; they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain.

12 I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked; I will make the land waste, and all that is in it, by the hand of aliens. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

13 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will also destroy the idols, and cause the images to cease from Noph; there shall no longer be princes from the land of Egypt; I will put fear in the land of Egypt.

14 I will make Pathros desolate, set fire to Zoan, and execute judgments in No.

15 I will pour My fury on Sin, the strength of Egypt. I will cut off the multitude of No,

16 And set a fire in Egypt; Sin shall have great pain, No shall be split open, and Noph shall be in distress daily.

17 The young men of Aven and Pi Beseth shall fall by the sword, and these cities shall go into captivity.

18 At Tehaphnehes the day shall also be darkened, when I break the yokes of Egypt there. And her arrogant strength shall cease in her; as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.

19 Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt, then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

The cities described comprise almost all of Egypt. This fits in with God’s prophecy to Jeremiah when He said;

JEREMIAH 43:12

12 I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment, and he shall go out from there in peace.

EZEKIEL 30:20-26

20 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and see, it has not been bandaged for healing, nor a splint put on to bind it, to make it strong enough to hold a sword.

22 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Surely I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, both the strong one and the one that was broken; and I will make the sword fall out of his hand.

23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them throughout the countries.

24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; but I will break Pharaoh’s arms, and he will groan before him with the groanings of a mortally wounded man.

25 Thus I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; they shall know that I am the Lord, when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt.

26 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.’

As we have seen earlier, in about 570 B.C. Egypt would be destroyed, the remnants of Pharaoh’s army and Pharaoh Hophra (also called Apries) himself was driven into the wilderness and for at least 20 years there was no ruling Pharaoh or government. It took another 20 years for Egypt to begin to recover.

EZEKIEL 31:1-9

1 Now it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: ‘Whom are you like in your greatness?

3 Indeed Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with fine branches that shaded the forest, and of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.

4 The waters made it grow; underground waters gave it height, with their rivers running around the place where it was planted, and sent out rivulets to all the trees of the field.

5 ‘Therefore its height was exalted above all the trees of the field; its boughs were multiplied, and its branches became long because of the abundance of water, as it sent them out.

6 All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; under its branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young; and in its shadow all great nations made their home.

7 ‘Thus it was beautiful in greatness and in the length of its branches, because its roots reached to abundant waters.

8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it; the fir trees were not like its boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like its branches; no tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty.

9 I made it beautiful with a multitude of branches, so that all the trees of Eden envied it, that were in the garden of God.’

God uses analogies to describe Assyria as being like a mighty tree, well-watered and spreading throughout the Middle East, its empire comprising approximately 75,000 square miles of Mesopotamia.

It was the greatest of the Middle Eastern nations, thus God compared it to a mighty tree when compared with the lesser “trees” of the other nations around it. It is thought that the Garden of Eden was originally located somewhere near Assyria between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers, and God seems to confirm that by saying that Assyria was the envy of “trees” (nations) in the area.

EZEKIEL 31:10-14

10 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have increased in height, and it set its top among the thick boughs, and its heart was lifted up in its height,

11 therefore I will deliver it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations, and he shall surely deal with it; I have driven it out for its wickedness.

12 And aliens, the most terrible of the nations, have cut it down and left it; its branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys; its boughs lie broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the peoples of the earth have gone from under its shadow and left it.

13 ‘On its ruin will remain all the birds of the heavens, and all the beasts of the field will come to its branches—

14 So that no trees by the waters may ever again exalt themselves for their height, nor set their tops among the thick boughs, that no tree which drinks water may ever be high enough to reach up to them. ‘For they have all been delivered to death, to the depths of the earth, among the children of men who go down to the Pit.’

The Assyrians were feared throughout the Middle East for their military might, brutality and cruelty. But like many empires, over time they became complacent and became weakened, wracked by internal strife.

In 612 B.C. the Assyrian capital of Nineveh was destroyed by rival Babylon, putting an end to the Assyrian empire and making Babylon the dominant power in the Middle East. And as prophesied in verses 13 and 14 Nineveh never regained its former glory and power nor did any city attain to its greatness.

God says that He sent the Assyrians killed in battle down to Hell, at that time called “the Pit”.

EZEKIEL 31:15-18

15 “Thus says the Lord God: ‘In the day when it went down to Hell, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it. I restrained its rivers, and the great waters were held back. I caused Lebanon to mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it.

16 I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to hell together with those who descend into the Pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the depths of the earth.

17 They also went down to hell with it, with those slain by the sword; and those who were its strong arm dwelt in its shadows among the nations.

18 ‘To which of the trees in Eden will you then be likened in glory and greatness? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the depths of the earth; you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,’ says the Lord God.”

God compares Pharaoh to Assyria and its helper nations and says that Egypt will suffer the same fate at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.

EZEKIEL 32:1-10

1 And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him: ‘You are like a young lion among the nations, and you are like a monster in the seas, bursting forth in your rivers, troubling the waters with your feet, and fouling their rivers.

3 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will therefore spread My net over you with a company of many people, and they will draw you up in My net.

4 Then I will leave you on the land; I will cast you out on the open fields, and cause to settle on you all the birds of the heavens. And with you I will fill the beasts of the whole earth.

5 I will lay your flesh on the mountains, and fill the valleys with your carcass.

6 “I will also water the land with the flow of your blood, even to the mountains; and the riverbeds will be full of you.

7 When I put out your light, I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.

8 All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark over you, and bring darkness upon your land,” says the Lord God.

9 ‘I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known.

10 Yes, I will make many peoples astonished at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and they shall tremble every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.

God compares Egypt to a huge sea monster that made everyone afraid. He says that He will destroy the Egyptians on the mountains and valleys and will cause plunderers (surrounding nations and Babylonian mercenaries) to loot the land.

By the sound of it, God would make it a gloomy, cloudy day when Egypt was destroyed.

EZEKIEL 32:11-16

11 ‘For thus says the Lord God: “The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you.

12 By the swords of the mighty warriors, all of them the most terrible of the nations, I will cause your multitude to fall. “They shall plunder the pomp of Egypt, and all its multitude shall be destroyed.

13 Also I will destroy all its animals from beside its great waters; the foot of man shall muddy them no more, nor shall the hooves of animals muddy them.

14 Then I will make their waters clear, and make their rivers run like oil,” says the Lord God.

15 “When I make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country is destitute of all that once filled it, when I strike all who dwell in it, then they shall know that I am the Lord.

16 “This is the lamentation with which they shall lament her; the daughters of the nations shall lament her; they shall lament for her, for Egypt, and for all her multitude,” says the Lord God.’ ”

There will be few left in Egypt when Nebuchadnezzar is finished, and no longer will Egyptians muddy the waters with bathing, neither will the animals muddy the waters by wading in them.

EZEKIEL 32:17-21

17 It came to pass also in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

18 “Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down to the depths of the earth her and the daughters of the famous nations, with those who go down to the Pit:

19 ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down, be placed with the uncircumcised.’

20 “They shall fall in the midst of those slain by the sword; she is delivered to the sword, drawing her and all her multitudes.

21 The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of Hell with those who help him: ‘They have gone down, they lie with the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’

This would have been about 570 B.C. when the army of Babylon destroyed Egypt, plundering the land and driving Pharaoh Hophra (Apries) into the desert with the remnant of his army. The Egyptians killed by the Babylonians were cast into Hell by God because of their pagan ways.

The mighty among the nations in Hell will mock them saying, “You exalted yourself and your people as being mighty, yet you are here with us, too.”

EZEKIEL 32:22-30

22 “Assyria is there, and all her company, with their graves all around her, all of them slain, fallen by the sword.

23 Her graves are set in the recesses of the Pit, and her company is all around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who caused terror in the land of the living.

24 “There is Elam and all her multitude, all around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living; now they bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.

25 They have set her bed in the midst of the slain, with all her multitude, with her graves all around it, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; though their terror was caused in the land of the living, Yet they bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit; it was put in the midst of the slain.

26 “There are Meshech and Tubal and all their multitudes, with all their graves around it, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.

27 They do not lie with the mighty who are fallen of the uncircumcised, who have gone down to Hell with their weapons of war; they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities will be on their bones, because of the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.

28 Yes, you shall be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and lie with those slain by the sword.

29 “There is Edom, her kings and all her princes, who despite their might are laid beside those slain by the sword; they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with those who go down to the Pit.

30 There are the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who have gone down with the slain in shame at the terror which they caused by their might; they lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit. 

God lists the peoples of mighty nations and their founding fathers who while mighty on the Earth, are humbled and ashamed of their actions while they were on Earth. Interestingly God mentions the funerary customs of some nations, where warriors fallen in battle were honored by being carried home on their shields with their swords under their heads.

In verse 27, God says that the Egyptians would not be classified with the mighty of the nations, indicating that the peoples of the mighty nations would be contemptuous and scornful of the weak Egyptians and especially Pharaoh who fled from the Babylonians when they invaded rather than dying gloriously in battle.

A similar situation would arise when king Belshazzar of Babylon would be killed by the invading Persians. Belshazzar had held a drunken party when he saw the famous “writing on the wall”, a man’s fingers spelling out the end of his kingdom as he watched. (Daniel chapter 5).

That night, Babylon was taken by the Persians virtually without a fight and Belshazzar was killed. God spoke to Belshazzar through the prophet Isaiah when He said;

ISAIAH 14:9-11

9 “Hell from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming; it stirs up the dead for you, all the chief ones of the earth; it has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

10 They all shall speak and say to you: ‘Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us?

11 Your pomp is brought down to Hell, and the sound of your stringed instruments; the maggot is spread under you, and worms cover you.’

Several things to note here:

Thrones - This doesn’t mean that there are thrones in Hell, it is referring to the royal stature of the dead kings who apparently still retain their royal status even in Hell. 

Worms / maggots - This is not referring to natural decay of the body in the grave. First of all, God told Isaiah that when He comes back to rule the Earth, the living will be able to see the eternal punishment of the dead sinners;

ISAIAH 66:24

24 “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

Jesus spoke of worms in Hell when He warned;

MARK 9:43-48

43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to Hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—

44 where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’

45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—

46 where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’

47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into Hell fire—

48 where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’

Jesus isn’t saying to maim yourself, He is saying that if something or some behavior causes you to sin, get rid of it. It may be an illicit relationship, drugs, alcohol, etc. If it causes you to sin, is going to Hell worth it?

EZEKIEL 32:31-32

31 “Pharaoh will see them and be comforted over all his multitude, Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword,” says the Lord God.

32 “For I have caused My terror in the land of the living; and he shall be placed in the midst of the uncircumcised with those slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude,” says the Lord God.

The “comfort” that Pharaoh will feel will be cold comfort indeed, being comforted that even though other mightier nations might mock him, they are also in Hell with him, as weak and as ashamed as he is.

EZEKIEL 33:1-6

1 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman,

3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people,

4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head.

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life.

6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’

God places the responsibility for warning the people of Jerusalem of His coming wrath on the watchman’s shoulders. In this He shows His mercy in that He is willing to warn the people before He acts in the hope that they will repent and turn from their wicked ways.

But if he remained silent, anyone who died in the coming attack would have their death charged to the watchman at the Judgment. And considering that an estimated 9,000 people in the city died during the siege, the watchman’s judgment would be horrifying indeed!!

EZEKIEL 33:7-11

7 “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.

8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.

9 Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

10 “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?” ’

11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

Being a prophet, God places the responsibility for warning Jerusalem and Judah of Babylon’s coming siege on Ezekiel’s shoulders. God is essentially warning them through Ezekiel so if they refuse to listen, they cannot say that they didn’t know that disaster was coming. God also begs Judah to repent so He won’t be forced to destroy them.

Ezekiel had it easy.

Christians have the same responsibility, except we are to warn the world about the coming of God’s wrath, especially during the End Times that we’re living in. The prophecies concerning the End Times are becoming alarmingly clear and with the rising movement toward Socialism in the United States, one of the last major obstacles to the global Socialist government of the Antichrist is about to be removed.

Anticipating this, the anti-American United Nations is already proclaiming that soon there will be a massive shift of power and re-distribution of wealth into a global government. Cynically, the Vatican, the richest entity on Earth is backing this movement, urging the U.N. to demand that rich nations give their wealth to the poor, notably excluding its own finances from this mandate.

For more information concerning the End Times prophecies, please see the End Times section of this Web site.

EZEKIEL 33:12-20

12 “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.’

13 When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die.

14 Again, when I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right,

15 if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

16 None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

17 “Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ But it is their way which is not fair!

18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it.

19 But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it.

20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, I will judge every one of you according to his own ways.”

There has been a poisonous doctrine taught that proclaims “Once saved, always saved”, meaning that once you’re saved by the Lord, you will never lose that salvation. You can’t “lose” salvation, but you can turn away from it.

The apostle Peter said;

2 PETER 2:20-22

20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

The author of the Book of Hebrews is even more direct;

HEBREWS 10:26-31

26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Although I cannot speak for God, I don’t think that He would destroy someone for a single sin. We all sin, no matter how good we aspire to be. I think that He is referring to continued indulgence in sin, especially if we know the truth and continue to sin anyway.

By the same token, if a habitual sinner turns from his wickedness and practices righteousness, God will allow him to live.

EZEKIEL 33:21-22

21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has been captured!”

22 Now the hand of the Lord had been upon me the evening before the man came who had escaped. And He had opened my mouth; so when he came to me in the morning, my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute.

This happened in 586 B.C. and was the second time that the city had been captured by the Babylonians, the first time being 12 years earlier when king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon captured and deported king Jehoiachin (also called Jeconiah or Coniah) and the skilled craftsmen as prisoners to Babylon.

He had spared the city then, as the king wanted to collect annual tribute from the captured city, rather than destroy it. This time, however, God had determined to destroy the city completely.

Early on, Ezekiel had been made mute by God so that he could not rebuke the citizens of Judah until God loosed his tongue;

EZEKIEL 3:26-27

26 I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and not be one to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house.

27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.

EZEKIEL 33:23-29

23 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

24 “Son of man, they who inhabit those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.’

25 “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You eat meat with blood, you lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?

26 You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and you defile one another’s wives. Should you then possess the land?” ’

27 “Say thus to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “As I live, surely those who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the one who is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and caves shall die of the pestilence.

28 For I will make the land most desolate, her arrogant strength shall cease, and the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through.

29 Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.” ’

Judah had become arrogant, essentially saying, “God gave us this Land and no one can make us leave”. Yet their cities were in ruins, starvation and disease stalked the land, Food animals in the fields (sheep, goats, oxen, deer, etc.) had been driven away or destroyed by the invaders causing predatory beasts to hunt humans for food.

Yet they hypocritically called on God to save them even as they transgressed His commandments. As a furious God told the prophet Jeremiah;

JEREMIAH 7:8-11

8 “Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit.

9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know,

10 and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’?

11 Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the Lord.

EZEKIEL 33:30-33

30 “As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.’

31 So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.

32 Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them.

33 And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Unfortunately this has been a problem that has plagued Israel since they came out of Egypt. For example, at Mount Sinai they swore to follow the Lord’s commands, but disobeyed shortly afterward causing them to wander the desert wilderness for 40 years until that entire generation died out.

As God told the prophet Isaiah;

ISAIAH 29:13-14

13 Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,

14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”

Jesus also spoke of this when He asked,

LUKE 6:46

46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?

EZEKIEL 34:1-6

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.

4 The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.

5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.

6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”

God’s deep wrath is vehemently expressed in His accusations against the religious leaders who instead of shepherding and feeding the flock, fed on the flock themselves, enriching themselves at the expense of their followers.

As God proclaimed through the prophet Micah;

MICAH 3:11

11 Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us.”

They were supposed to teach the people God’s laws for free as the majority of the people could neither read nor write and books of the Law were scarce. The corrupt priests and religious leaders were charging to teach man-made laws as doctrines which benefitted themselves at the expense of the people.

Jesus Himself was furious with the corrupt, hypocritical religious rulers and teachers of His time, calling them hypocrites and “a brood of vipers”;

MATTHEW 23:13

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

MATTHEW 23:33

33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of Hell?

The corrupt teachers both during the time of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and especially during Jesus’ time taught what is called the “Oral Law” which the Rabbis and sages say was given to Moses on Mount Sinai at the same time as the written Law, which was given on stone tablets.

First of all, there is no place anywhere in Scripture that mentions an “Oral Law” having been given to Moses at any time during His life. According to the Rabbis, supposedly God commanded Moses to not record the Oral Law but deliver it orally to Israel. This should immediately raise deep suspicion as such an “Oral Law” can be changed drastically over time and become corrupted. God gave the written Law as such as cannot be corrupted as long as the original source can be referenced as a comparison.

The Talmud supposedly codifies the “Oral Law” and is considered as equivalent to the reading of the written Law of Moses. The Talmud also contains the wisdom of the Jewish “Sages” who give their own interpretations of the Law of Moses. The problem is that in many cases the Sages contradict both each other and the written Law, and the book contains many “extra” commandments not found in the written Law resulting in much confusion.

If God gave Moses a written Law, why was a parallel “Oral Law” needed? And shouldn’t the “Oral Law” and the written Law be in agreement?

God condemned the corruption of His laws when He spoke through the prophet Isaiah;

ISAIAH 29:13

13 Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men...

Jesus condemned the Pharisees (religious leaders), scribes and Sadducees (aristocrat priests) for teaching the corruptions of the Oral Law in place of God’s commandments;

MATTHEW 15:1-11

1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,

2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?

4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’

5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”—

6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.

7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

9 And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand:

11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

Note first of all, the Pharisees accused Jesus’ disciples of transgressing the tradition (man-made commandment) of the elders, not God’s Law.

Jesus’ disciples were still hide-bound by the corrupted Pharisaic doctrines and didn’t understand what He meant. Jesus, frustrated by this said;

MATTHEW 15:16-20

16 So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding?

17 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?

18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.

19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

People tend to equate the Oral Torah with the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) when it is actually the Rabbinical interpretation of God’s written laws given to Moses (as well as additional man-made commandments).

With the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. the priesthood was destroyed and the Rabbis, seeing an opportunity, took over the job of teaching the people, a job previously relegated by God only to the priests. The laws of leprosy were set as an example;

DEUTERONOMY 24:8

8 “Take heed in an outbreak of leprosy, that you carefully observe and do according to all that the priests, the Levites, shall teach you; just as I commanded them, so you shall be careful to do.

The Oral Torah quickly began replacing the written Torah as the central source of Judaism. The written Laws of Moses are clear and agree with each other. The Oral Torah, especially the collection of writings known as the Talmud are a collection of Rabbis’opinions and interpretations of the Law as well as man-made commandments.

The result is a bewildering collection of laws and opinions that often disagree with each other. Added to this are the teachings of the Zohar, an Aramaic book of Jewish mysticism (written in the 13^th century) and a similar book known as the Kabbalah, (secrets supposedly passed down from Adam in the Garden of Eden) also composed in the 13^th century.

It is said that both the Zohar and the Kabbalah are required to understand the Torah which brings up an immediate question: If both the Kabbalah and the Zohar are necessary to understand the Torah how did the people understand the Torah from the time of Moses (generally thought to be between 1400 - 1500 B.C.) to when the books were written (circa 1200 A.D.)?

God never commissioned an “Oral Torah”, but He did command that the entire written Law of Moses be taught periodically.

DEUTERONOMY 31:9-13

9 So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.

10 And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles,

11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

12 Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law,

13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.”

If the “Oral Law” was so important, wouldn’t God have commanded Moses that it be recited as well, especially if He had commanded it in the first place?

The Rabbis command that they must be obeyed without question concerning the “Oral Law” and disobedience is equivalent to blasphemy.

The poison of the “Oral Law” is that there is no way to prove its authenticity. There is no written standard like the Mosaic Law to compare it to, so the Rabbis can make any rules they wish and claim it as part of the “Oral Law”, which they have done.

To wrap this up, the Oral Torah is a confusing mash-up of Mosaic commandments, Rabbinical commandments, and traditions. Rabbi “A” says one thing, Rabbi “B’” says another and Rabbi C” disagrees with both and all are considered as authoritative. Who is right?

It is because of this confusion that the New Testament says;

MATTHEW 9:35-36

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

And;

LUKE 4:31-22

31 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.

32 And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.

Jesus didn’t teach the interpretations of the Sages, He said, “This is the way it is....”

The apostle Paul spoke of Israel’s problem when he said;

ROMANS 10:1-4

1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

The Jews want to worship God, but either want to do it their own way, or are trapped in ignorance to God’s laws by the tyranny of the Rabbis who forbid reading the New Testament and reject Jesus. The Rabbis, knowing that their iron grip on power, position and money would vanish under the New Testament laws keep their people in spiritual ignorance as to the person of their Messiah, Jesus Christ.

In this they are the spiritual descendants of the Pharisees of Jesus’time, who said concerning Him;

JOHN 11:47-48

47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.

48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”

Note the emphasis here. “Take away our place......”

Jesus said of them;

MATTHEW 23:5-6

5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.

6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,

7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’

The apostle John drew a hard line when He wrote;

JOHN 12:42-43

42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue;

43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Ok, back to Ezekiel.

EZEKIEL 34:7-16

7 ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

8 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock”—

9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord!

10 Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”

11 ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.

12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.

13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.

14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God.

16 “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

God has brought Israel back to the Land as He promised, and He has caused Israel to prosper, turning a dusty neglected wasteland into a lush, vibrant environment, despite the efforts of the nations to destroy them.

He destroyed the corrupt priesthood and Pharisaic order in 70 A.D. and the Jews were scattered among the nations for 1,878 years. Then despite all odds, they returned to the Land and resurrected the State of Israel as God promised.

God had spoken through the prophet Isaiah;

ISAIAH 11:11

11 It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea. 

NOTE: This prophecy was made over 100 years before the destruction and scattering of Judah the first time in 586 B.C.

But before they were scattered the second time He sent His true Shepherd, Jesus Christ to search out His sheep and He fed them with truth and understanding. The corrupt leaders and the people rejected Him and put Him to death but He left His teachings and the free offer of eternal salvation before He died so that those who believed in Him could continue to be fed.

The corrupt sheep and the corrupt shepherds who enriched themselves at the expense of their flock were fed with judgment when the Romans destroyed the nation. And even afterward they had and still today have corrupt Rabbis and teachers who teach man’s doctrines and commandments as if they were God’s Word and hide the true identity of their Messiah just as the Pharisees did during Jesus’ time on Earth.

EZEKIEL 34:17-19

17 ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats.

18 Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet?

19 And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”

God will judge His people, separating the righteous from the wicked, the true from the false. He accuses the teachers of knowing the truth but feeding the flock who depend on them with corrupt man-made commandments and traditions mixed with bits of God’s Word.

EZEKIEL 34:20 -24

20 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep.

21 Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad,

22 therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.

24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

When Jesus returns to set up His Earthly kingdom, the righteous dead will be resurrected to rule with Him. Those still alive and who are allowed to enter His Millennial kingdom in the flesh will have a resurrected king David ruling over them as a prince under Jesus’ authority as the King of Kings.

Jesus will judge the wicked and corrupt leaders who have persecuted and scattered the righteous, and will cause the righteous to dwell safely in peace.

EZEKIEL 34:25-31

25 “I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.

26 I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.

27 Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.

28 And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid.

29 I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore.

30 Thus they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord God.’

31 “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.

When Jesus returns He will make the Land of Israel like a luxuriant, beautiful, fruitful garden and no more will they be attacked by their enemies. They will dwell safely in peace and there will be no more hunger or sorrow there.

EZEKIEL 35:1-9

1 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it,

3 and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord God “Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you; I will stretch out My hand against you, and make you most desolate;

4 I shall lay your cities waste, and you shall be desolate. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

5 “Because you have had an ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, when their iniquity came to an end,

6 therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; since you have not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue you.

7 Thus I will make Mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it the one who leaves and the one who returns.

8 And I will fill its mountains with the slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those who are slain by the sword shall fall.

9 I will make you perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited; then you shall know that I am the Lord.

The Edomites were related to Israel as Esau their forefather was Jacob’s brother. In Genesis, in accordance to a prophecy of God, Jacob tricked Esau into giving up his birthright as the firstborn and Esau vowed to kill Jacob.

Jacob fled to Haran, his great-uncle Nahor’s birthplace for many years and Esau carved himself a kingdom in Edom (Seir) to the south of Judah. Jacob and Esau later reconciled but the hatred of Esau’s descendants against Jacob’s descendants continued for hundreds of years.

When Israel came out of Egypt after 430 years, Moses requested to pass through Edomite territory on their way to Canaan. The Edomite king refused and promised war if Israel tried to enter. God forbid Israel to go to war with their relatives, forcing Israel to take the long way to the east.

There were frequent wars between the Edomites and Israel during the time of the kings of united Israel and the kings of Judah after the kingdom of Israel split away from Judah in 930 B.C.

When the Babylonians destroyed Judah in 586 B.C. the Edomites rejoiced and began occupying Judah’s pasturelands in the south with an eye on claiming all of Judah for themselves. However increasing invasion of the Nabataeans, an Arabic tribe from Arabia pushed them completely out of Edom up into what is present-day Jordan.

EZEKIEL 35:10-15

10 “Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess them,’ although the Lord was there,

11 therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will do according to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you.

12 Then you shall know that I am the Lord. I have heard all your blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to consume.’

13 Thus with your mouth you have boasted against Me and multiplied your words against Me; I have heard them.”

14 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “The whole earth will rejoice when I make you desolate.

15 As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, so I will do to you; you shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, as well as all of Edom—all of it! Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’

Invading Arab tribes eventually drove the Edomites completely out of Edom and Edom was pretty much forgotten until 1812 when the ancient Nabataean city of Petra was re-discovered.

EZEKIEL 36:1-5

1 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord!

2 Thus says the Lord God: “Because the enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession,’ ” ’

3 therefore prophesy, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you are taken up by the lips of talkers and slandered by the people”—

4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which became plunder and mockery to the rest of the nations all around—

5 therefore thus says the Lord God: “Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country.”

God expresses His fury at the surrounding nations, especially Edom who rejoiced to see Judah’s destruction and greedily coveted their land figuring to claim it for themselves.

EZEKIEL 36:6-15

6 “Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have borne the shame of the nations.”

7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I have raised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall bear their own shame.

8 But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come.

9 For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.

10 I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.

11 I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

12 Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you bereave them of children.”

13 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they say to you, ‘You devour men and bereave your nation of children,’

14 therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the Lord God.

15 “Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the Lord God.’

God promises that even though He has punished Judah with destruction, He has sworn by an unbreakable oath that the time will come when all of Israel will flourish and be at peace forever.

EZEKIEL 36:16-21

16 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity.

18 Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it.

19 So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds.

20 When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.’

21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.

Israel had become as unclean as a woman during her menstrual cycle because of their wickedness, therefore He drove them out of the Land. And even then they continued to blaspheme Him by their actions in the places where He had driven them.

EZEKIEL 36:22-32

22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.

23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.

24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.

25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.

29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you.

30 And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations.

31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations.

32 Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

God will bring Israel back to their Land, not because of their own righteousness but for the sake of His holy name and for the sake of His great promises that He made. Also so that the nations will not mock Him for not keeping His promises, but so that they and Israel will see His mercy and grace.

Israel will see this and will be ashamed and disgusted for their previous behaviors and will walk in the statutes of the Lord. This has yet to happen and won’t happen until Jesus returns.

EZEKIEL 36:33-38

33 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt.

34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by.

35 So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’

36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

37 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock.

38 Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

When Jesus returns and wars at last cease, Israel will become a fruitful, populous nation. Their land will be luxurious, hunger will be banished and people will at last dwell in peace.

The next three chapters are important milestones in what we call The End Times, prophecies concerning the last days which will culminate in Jesus’ return as King of Kings to set up His Millennial (thousand year) rule on Earth.

The first of these milestones is the resurrection of the State of Israel.

EZEKIEL 37:1-14

1 The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.

2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.

3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”

4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!

5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.

6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.

8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ”

10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’

12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.

14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ”

God prophesies of a time when Israel would seem to be a dead race, lost to history as so many races before them. Moabites, Canaanites, Ammonites, Edomites, Amorites, Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, Sumerians..... all would be dusty ruins and footnotes in history and it appeared that Israel would be among them.

Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. and for 1,878 years the Jews wandered the Earth, savagely persecuted and destroyed, especially during World War II when at least 6 million Jews were destroyed by the Nazi death machine.

No nation on Earth has been so thoroughly destroyed and scattered for so long and has ever returned. Whenever the Jews tried to assimilate among the Gentiles, persecution soon broke out driving them out, reminding them that they were Jews, a unique people among the nations. God would not allow them to assimilate or disappear.

The Jewish people had long despaired of ever returning to their ancient homeland, figuring themselves to be extinct. However in 1895, Austrian activist Theodore Herzl published a book called “Der Judenstaat”(the Jewish State), proposing that the Jews return to the Land and restore the State of Israel. After World War II the Jews of Europe realized that returning to Israel was the only safe place for them, and in 1948 the State of Israel came into existence.

Note that while the bodies have been resurrected, there is no life in them. That is Israel’s spiritual state today. They are back in the Land but are spiritually dead.

The authoritarian Rabbis have an iron grip on the spiritual worship practices of the Jews and teach a confusing hodge-podge of man-made doctrines (Oral Law), mysticism and Mosaic laws as a modern-day Rabbinic Judaism.

The apostle Paul spoke of this state of spiritual blindness in Israel when he said;

ROMANS 10:1-4

1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

The Rabbis have hated Jesus ever since His ministry started, calling Him a deceiver, a servant of Satan, a sorcerer and other epithets. They forbid reading the New Testament, calling it a book of curses, blasphemies and hatred toward the Jews (even though they have never read it), hiding Jesus and the message of salvation from the Jewish people.

EZEKIEL 37:15-23

15 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

16 “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’

17 Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

18 “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’—

19 say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.” ’

20 And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

21 “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;

22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.

23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

This is Israel’s physical state today. When the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. the genealogical records were destroyed so that today no Israeli knows what tribe they come from. Some claim to come from the line of the priests (Hebrew: Kohanim) people whose last names are “Cohen”.

There has also been genetic research that seems to indicate that people with the “Cohen” last name have a unique “Y” chromosome that indicates a common ancestor, possibly that of the patriarch Levi from whose tribe the Jewish priestly line was chosen by God. However to date, definitive proof of this has not yet been uncovered.

EZEKIEL 37:24-28

24 “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.

25 Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.

26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore.

27 My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

28 The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” ’ ”

When Jesus returns, all Israel will see Him and understand that He is their promised Messiah. At this time, the apostle Paul exults;

ROMANS 10:26-27

26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

27 For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”

When Jesus returns, the righteous dead will be resurrected and God will appoint king David as an eternal prince under the kingship of Jesus who will shepherd Israel as a leader forever. God Himself will dwell in Israel as the royal capital of His world-wide kingdom.

The second milestone is soon-coming World War III which will bring about the rise of the one whom the Bible calls the Antichrist and the final human empire as prophesied in the books of Daniel and Revelation.

A full study of these prophecies, including World War III can be found in the End Times Series of studies in this Web site.

The city of Jerusalem had been conquered in 586 B.C. by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, and the majority of it's population had been deported to far-off Babylon as prisoners, including the prophet Ezekiel, a common practice of the time.

The purposes of such deportation served several ends, namely to depopulate the conquered city and country as a punishment; hold its citizens hostage to prevent future rebellion; bring the skilled craftsmen of the city into the conquering country to enrich the conqueror's culture; and to populate the royal court with conquered nobles as advisors and courtiers. (The deported Hebrew prophet Daniel eventually became chief governor of Babylon, and second only to king Nebuchadnezzar in power.)

DANIEL 2:48

48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.


Ezekiel's age is unknown when he began his prophetic career in Babylon, but his prophetic ministry seems to have lasted about 27 years. The last message from Ezekiel came during the 27^thyear of the Babylonian Exile (560 B.C.), as shown below;

EZEKIEL 29:17

17And it came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

During this time he prophesied of Nebuchadnezzar's conquest of the nations of Egypt; Moab; Ammon; Edom; the Phoenician city-state of Tyre; the total annihilation of the nation of the Philistines; and the final siege and destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple by Nebuchadnezzar at God's command after Jewish puppet king Jehoiachin's rebellion against Babylon.

WORLD WAR III

It was during this time also that Ezekiel made his famous end-time prophecy concerning World War III, in which a tremendous coalition army from the north consisting of Russian troops and forces from Islamic countries will sweep down against Israel, and will be destroyed personally by God Himself. This prophecy has never been fulfilled in history up to this point, so it is still a future event. But not a very distant future........

Chapters 38 and 39 of Ezekiel lay out the entire attack strategy of the northern forces, and identifies the key nations whom the Lord will use to bring this event to pass.


EZEKIEL 38:1-2

1 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

The name "Gog" refers to the prince or ruler of the land where Magog, Meshech and Tubal, sons of Japheth settled after the Flood. ("Rosh" means 'leader' or 'chief'). Some equate 'Rosh' with Russia, but some scholars think it is a coincidence.

Linguistically, ‘Rosh’ could be another name for the Rus, Viking trader / raiders who settled between the Baltic and Black Sea regions and eventually spread through eastern Europe and present-day Russia.

As for Meshech and Tubal, the book of Genesis records;

GENESIS 10:2

2 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras,

From Ararat in present-day Turkey where the Ark landed after the Flood, Magog, Meshech, and Tubal moved north into what is now known as Russia and the Ukraine.

Some Bible scholars and linguists have equated "Meshech" and "Tubal" with the Russian cities of Moscow and Tobolsk, and with Moscow in western Russia and Tobolsk to the east, this covers pretty much the entire Russian nation.

The descendants of the other sons of Japheth, namely Gomer, Madai and Javan also migrated away from Ararat, with Gomer settling down in the Taurus mountains of central and southern Turkey where they became the Cimmerians (also called Scythians); Madai moved into what is present-day Iran (becoming the ancient Medes), and Javan migrated westward across the Bosporus Strait into the Greek islands.


EZEKIEL 38:3-7

3 and say, 'Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.

4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.

5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet;

6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops--many people are with you.

7 "Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them.’

This is a list of nations that will be allied with the Russians when they are drawn by God to attack Israel. Persia (Iran); Ethiopia; Libya; Gomer (referred to as the Cimmerians (Scythians) by Roman historian Herodotus - people of central and southern Turkey, inhabiting the Taurus mountain region); and Togarmah, equating to present-day Armenia in northern and western Turkey.

Note that before it's collapse, the Soviet empire was always addressed as a single entity, with all of the captive nations of the “Iron Curtain” after World War II collectively being known as the "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" or the USSR. Here, however, the Lord is addressing the leader of a single nation, namely Russia (Magog).

By this very fact, the old Communist USSR had to break apart into it's individual nations again (occurred in 1991) for God to address Russia as a single nation. A new federation is now forming however, with the former Soviet republics now becoming linked and allied to Russia economically and in some cases by force (Ukraine and Crimea), fulfilling God's words of "many people are with you."

And until recently, Russia had been a "guard" to them under the old Soviet empire, keeping them captive and under it's protection.

Russia has also long courted leaders in Arab countries in the Middle East and Africa, seeking bases and warm-water ports for its ships (Russian ports are ice-locked for much of the year) and to counter Western expansion and provide markets for its military hardware.


EZEKIEL 38:8

8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely.

The biggest indicators that this verse refers to a future time, are that God states that "in the latter years" these events would happen. While some might try to say that the destruction of Judea by the Roman general Titus in 73 A.D. might fit this prophecy, the fact that God speaks to Israel as a nation, rather than Judah alone indicates otherwise. (Israel and Judah split in 930 B.C. after the death of king Solomon. Ten of the tribes of Israel became the Northern Kingdom of Samaria, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin became the Southern Kingdom of Judah.)

The Northern Kingdom was completely destroyed as a nation by Sargon II of Assyria in 721 B.C. and never rose again. Also the fact that Israel was never invaded by the confederation of nations listed in this prophecy also proves that this is an event yet to come.

The ancient northern empires of Assyria and Babylon were clearly known to Israel, and were never defined as "Magog". The ancient northern city-state empires of Akkad, Ur, Sumer, Mari, Uruk and Ebla had all risen and fallen before the Exodus, so therefore they also can also be ruled out as possibilities.


EZEKIEL 38:9-12

9 You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you."

10 'Thus says the Lord God: "On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan:

11 You will say, 'I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates'--

12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.

The most noteworthy thing here, is that Israel will be at relative peace with it's neighbors, when the confederation forces decide to attack. They will be coming against a land of "unwalled villages" and "having neither bars nor gates".

This fits in very well with a recent proposal by the United Nations to make Jerusalem an "international city of peace". The Vatican of course, constantly seeking legitimacy for it's claims to be the head of Christianity and coveting a position of greater political and religious power, strongly backs this proposal and has been lobbying hard to be the administrator of this city, which would place it in the center of worship for three faiths. It would also take control of Jerusalem (and the Temple Mount) away from Israel to whom it rightfully belongs.

The fact that Israel will be at peace is surprising, considering that it has been in a virtual state of war ever since it's declaration of nationhood in May of 1948. However, most of the nations surrounding Israel (with the exception of Syria) have made peace for the most part with their ancient enemy, and Syria is too involved in civil war to threaten Israel. The "Palestinians" are not formally a nation and are more of an irritant to Israel than an actual threat.

It is also fascinating to note that Egypt is not listed as one of the attacking nations. Usually when the ruling Pharaoh stopped by for a visit, he brought thousands of troops with him. Even in modern times, Egypt and Israel went to war in 1948 - 1949, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1967, 1968 - 1970, and 1973 with a peace treaty finally being signed in 1978. As of today the peace is still being maintained despite Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood attempts to reignite hostilities between the two nations.