Category: Ezekiel

The LORD Seeth Not? #3

Thursday, April 11, 2024

“Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, the LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth” (Ezekiel 8:12 KJV).

Is it valid to say, “The LORD seeth us not?” and “The LORD hath forsaken the earth?”

If a college professor who could read, write, and teach advanced English also lived in the United States (a country filled with English Bibles), why was he seeking “truth” by experimenting with countless foreign religions? Joining a cult is not accidental, but the fatal end of a series of poor choices. Eventually, we all realize we are heading down the wrong path, yet only a few of us ever humbly turn to Jesus Christ in faith (the correct path). We know we are fallible creatures—faulty minds, deceptive hearts, ailing bodies. How can we possibly worship beings like ourselves, depending on our own righteousness or theirs, blindly following cult leaders when even they also have weaknesses and problems?

In the context of today’s Scripture, the LORD has supernaturally transported the Prophet Ezekiel from Babylon to Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem (verses 3,4). Here in JEHOVAH God’s house, the Jews have installed and worshipped numerous idols (verses 5-16). Today’s Scripture: “Then said he [the LORD] unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, the LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth” (cf. Ezekiel 9:9). They assumed God was unaware of their sins, and they had escaped justice! Of course, judgment did eventually come!

“Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?” (Psalm 94:7-9). Let us rest assured, friends, the LORD will take vengeance—and no evildoers will escape His justice. May we come by faith in Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork as sufficient payment for our sins, before it is too late for us too!

Whom God Helps #8

Monday, August 29, 2022

“These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep” (John 11:11 KJV).

Behold, he whom God helps!

Whereas Lazarus had been terminally ill and was now physically dead, Christ’s power was not limited. Consequently, in today’s Scripture, the Lord said Lazarus was “sleeping.” While Lazarus’ life had left his body, it was only temporary. Four days later, Lazarus was raised from the dead. Likewise, Israel is not permanently expired. She will live again—but only when the Lord is ready to revive her.

Remember, Jesus did not immediately travel to Bethany to heal sickly Lazarus: “When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was” (verse 6). Why? “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight” (Hosea 6:1,2). Christ’s Second Coming to resurrect national Israel will take two days—neatly overlapping His delay to raise Lazarus 20 centuries prior!

Again, “Lazarus” is a variant of “Eleazar” (“whom God helps”). Isaiah chapter 41: “[10] Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness…. [13] For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. [14] Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” “Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen” (Isaiah 44:2). “Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;….” (Isaiah 49:8).

Bible Q&As #984 and #985: “What is ‘milch?’” and “What is ‘rereward?’”

Whom God Helps #7

Sunday, August 28, 2022

“These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep” (John 11:11 KJV).

Behold, he whom God helps!

Ezekiel’s vision of the Valley of the Dry Bones is interpreted in chapter 37: “[11] Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. [12] Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. [13] And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, [14] And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.”

Although Israel was scattered worldwide via invading Gentile armies centuries before Christ, God will reverse the curse and re-gather them into the Promised Land at Christ’s return (see Matthew 24:30,31). This national resurrection, deliverance from functional death, fills Israel with the Holy Spirit and makes her God’s earthly people!

Ezekiel chapter 37 resumes: “[21] And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: [22] And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. [23] Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.”

We now summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

Whom God Helps #6

Saturday, August 27, 2022

“These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep” (John 11:11 KJV).

Behold, he whom God helps!

In chapter 37, the Prophet Ezekiel, conducting his ministry during the Babylonian Captivity, receives a vision concerning Israel’s restoration and return to the Promised Land: “[1] The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, [2] And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. [3] And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

“[4] Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. [5] Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: [6] And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

“[7] So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. [8] And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. [9] Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. [10] So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.”

Now, let us see the explanation of the vision….

An Ambassador Turns 30!

🎂 Tuesday, August 7, 2018 🎂 

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

Age 30 is highly significant in Scripture—and also quite striking today!!

Joseph was 30 years old when he began to serve Pharaoh King of Egypt (Genesis 41:46). JEHOVAH God selected David to become King of Israel at age 30 (2 Samuel 5:4). A Levitical priest, a son of Aaron (Moses’s brother), was to be ordained into the ministry at 30 years old and serve until 50 years old (Numbers 4:3,23,30,35,39,43,47). Evidently, the LORD God commissioned the Prophet Ezekiel at age 30 (Ezekiel 1:1). Lastly, the Lord Jesus Christ began His earthly ministry at approximately 30 years old (Luke 3:23).

What have I learned in my 30 “short” years alive? I have learned to focus more on the eternal and less on the temporal—there is more (much, MUCH more!) to life than what we see with physical eyes! I have learned not to trust sinners such as myself—I trust Christ in people, not people! I have learned more about my Saviour Jesus Christ and His Word than I ever dreamed, and all because I have learned to approach the Holy Bible dispensationally. There is so much I still do not know, so I am constantly studying to continue learning.

I have now entered my fourth decade of earthly living—the most important. Hopefully, our Grace Study Bible Project will be completed within this decade. My 30s will bring many new life changes and experiences, but God’s grace teaches me how to keep walking. A “young man”—“man” is generic for male or female—purifies his “way,” his course of thinking and living, by listening carefully to God’s Word (today’s Scripture). Whatever life situations he faces, any decisions he must make therein, the Holy Bible affords him light and understanding. Whether we are young, or old(er), “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130). Then, we, as “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20), share that information with all who want to hear and believe as well! 🙂

P.S.: The age of 50 years is also an important Bible concept—and if I am around here in 20 years, we will have an appropriate study!! 🙂

Stuff

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

“In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back” (Luke 17:31 KJV).

Friend, you may be surprised to learn that “stuff” is a Bible word. It is a generic term employed to refer to various bits of matter, materials, articles, or activities. These things may not be defined or determined, so such an unrestrictive noun is quite convenient. Observe this stuff!

Laban frenetically searched Jacob’s “stuff” for his idols but found them not (Genesis 31:37). Pharaoh told Joseph to bring his family from Canaan and to “regard not [their] stuff” because “the good of all the land of Egypt is [theirs]” (Genesis 45:20). The Mosaic Law issued instructions about what would happen if a man gave his neighbor “money or stuff” to watch and guard and it was stolen (Exodus 22:7). As the planning of the Tabernacle was underway, the Jewish people were forced to stop giving building supplies because the “stuff” they had already given was more than enough (Exodus 36:7). God spoke of a conspiracy to take forbidden items and hide them in the “stuff” of the camp of Israel (Joshua 7:11).

Saul, just after his anointing as Israel’s first king, was so timid that he hid among the “stuff” (1 Samuel 10:22). As David and his companions are fleeing King Saul’s angry face, 200 of them stay by the “stuff” to protect it (1 Samuel 25:13). First Samuel 30:24 has David saying, “For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.” In cleansing a polluted room, Nehemiah threw out all the household “stuff” (Nehemiah 13:8). As a way of teaching Judah of their impending deportation to Babylon, God told the Prophet Ezekiel to prepare him “stuff” for moving his “stuff” (Ezekiel 12:3,4,7).

The Bible’s final reference to “stuff” is today’s Scripture. Here, “stuff” is just that—inconsequential and useless. It is to be abandoned when Israel must choose between retaining it and escaping the Antichrist defiling Jerusalem!!!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Why is Jesus Christ called ‘The Word of God?’”

When the LORD Turns Israel’s Captivity #6

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

“That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee” (Deuteronomy 30:3 KJV).

In today’s Scripture, Moses prophesies Israel’s glorious future restoration!

The Prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel repeatedly describe God’s “turning away [Israel’s] captivity” and “bringing again the captivity of [His] people Israel and Judah.” For example, Jeremiah 29:14: “And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.”

Or, Jeremiah 30:3: “For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.” And Jeremiah 30:18: “Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.” Israel is scattered around the world but God will regather them in His own time, to enjoy their own land!

“And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country” (Ezekiel 34:13). “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24). “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel” (Ezekiel 37:12).

Let us see what else the Old Testament prophets say in affirmation of Moses’ prediction in today’s Scripture….

An Ear to Hear

Saturday, July 19, 2014

“But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house” (Ezekiel 3:27 KJV).

May we always keep today’s Scripture in mind when sharing God’s Word with others, lest we grow discouraged and quit.

As King James Bible believers and Pauline dispensational Christians, we receive much criticism from denominational Christians and modern-version Christians. Many times, we learn firsthand that lost and saved alike are not interested in sound Bible doctrine. Lost people (including professing “Christians”) usually refuse to believe (trust) the Gospel of God’s Grace that we preach. Professing Christians usually prefer their long-held denominational doctrines than embrace the clarity of God’s Word rightly divided, and they rather their “easy-to-read” modern versions than have God’s preserved Word in English. Today’s Scripture attests to the fact that such willful Bible ignorance is nothing new.

In today’s Scripture, right at the beginning of the Prophet Ezekiel’s ministry (600 B.C.), Adonai JEHOVAH (“Lord GOD,” God the Father) warned him that some of Israel would listen to him preach His Word, and the rest would not want to hear anything from God. “For they are a rebellious house!”

The Four Gospels record Jesus Christ as saying, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear,” some eight times (Matthew 11:15; Matthew 13:9,43; Mark 4:9,23; Mark 7:16; Luke 8:8; Luke 14:35). In the book of the Revelation, Jesus Christ says, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,” some seven times (Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; Revelation 3:6,13,22). In Revelation 13:9, it is repeated, “If any man have an ear, let him hear.”

God Almighty, Author of the Holy Bible, knew that many would reject His words. If someone does not want to hear His Word, God grants him or her free will, permitting that person to “enjoy” the spiritual ignorance they so desire (1 Corinthians 14:37,38; cf. Romans 1:18-32). Beloved, when dealing with people who do not have an ear to hear God’s Word, may we have an ear to hear 1 Corinthians 14:38, “If any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.”