Exact Ezekiel; Chapters 10-11
ZADOK PUBLICATIONS - Dr. C. R. OLIVER
May 1, 2017
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Introduction: May 1, 2017 Exact Ezekiel Chapters 10-11 Chapter Ten is a picture of the departure of God from the Temple (and Jerusalem) in degrees. Its relevance to today is obvious. Though the people still attended Temple activities and the offering of sacrifices continued as usual, God was not there. Could it be that churches meet and fellowship and continue their services while God is nowhere to be found? Following on the heels of this momentous revelation is Chapter Eleven. This is where the stench, that drove God out of His Holy Temple, was unveiled and shown in naked terms to be the cause of all the misery coming upon the nation. Ezekiel was overwhelmed with the hypocrisy he saw and their deep seated commitment to sin and rebellion. Judgment rightly lay at their door, but still he cried out to God for mercy. Chapter 10 The action began just after the man clothed in linen had marked those who wept and mourned over the city. If, indeed, this is characterized as Jesus, He is now assigned to bring fiery judgment on those who are unmarked.
Notice please, that each time a new element is introduced, the scene turns back to the Sovereign God who is the progenitor. He exercises His authority and shows the spiritual side of war and conquering hordes. A throne of "blue" sapphire stands above a crystal surface. This scene is thoroughly majestic and beautiful for one to behold. As sapphires appear in many colors, the most valuable is deep blue, and if set immaculately in a sea of diamonds, decries wealth, beauty and Kingly status. Like David, we cry out, "You are beautiful." But, coming from this unparalleled source is a demand for the fire of judgment. (There are three fires in the Bible, used by the Lord: the fire of judgment, the fire of Hell and the fire of the Holy Ghost. Jesus will someday come in Flaming Fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel. [II Thess. 1:7,8]. At this point in time, He comes to spread fire upon the beloved city of Jerusalem [showing the future burning of the walls and Temple and all the magnificent houses by the Babylonian army]. There is a spiritual side for all actions by nations and governments). Cherubim, with wings spread about the mercy seat, are animated to show the real cherubim around the Majesty's throne. Even though the golden replicas remained in the Temple Holy of Holies, they are just that, "replicas." No longer would offerings be acceptable, no longer the God of Israel would occupy the Temple with His glory! The fire that once fell upon the accepted offering of the day of atonement, at the mercy seat and between the wings of the cherubim, now devours the enemies of the Lord. The Cherubim are exactly the same ones of Ezekiel's initial vision. Their wheels are gyroscopic in nature, not requiring turning from one direction to another. Wherever the spirit of the Cherubim wished to travel, these wheels carried out their duties. The four faces gazed in all directions, and they were aided by the eyes on the cherubim and the gyroscopes. Ezekiel saw the man in linen go between the wheels and gather the hot fiery coals from the hands of the Cherubim. They handled the elements without harming themselves or the recipient.
As Ezekiel was awestruck at the majesty and ceremony taking place, he observed the position of each participant. The cherubim were stationed opposite from the idol of abomination. They stood at attention on the South side of an East facing Temple. The glory of the Lord moved from above the Cherubim and hovered over the entrance to the Temple, thereby shielding the man in linen from the presence of the idol. The courtyard glowed brightly (Like the glowing of Moses' face and the shining of Jesus' Transfiguration). A question must now be asked: At your church, or house gathering, could such glory come down and fill the place? (Only once have I seen such glory fall on a congregation, and the cloud was misty and like a fog--only bright and obscurant of the people [Baptist church, Maua, Brazil, after preaching on Solomon's Secret.].) The wings of the Cherubim acted as amplifiers to the voice directing the drama.
If Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego moved in flames and were not burned, the man in linen could take the live coals and carry out his judgment without harm. Ezekiel now goes into great detail about this action.
Not only does Ezekiel describe a gyroscopic action, but he details the scope of eyes on each body, which were covered in eyes (all over their bodies, hands, back and wheels). Nothing escaped their view. The slightest move by the Great King was observed and attended! Strangely, the NLT version changes the "face of a Cherub" to the face of an ox. In the NKJV it reads thusly:
Seemingly, "This was the living creature I saw by the River Chebar," caused the translators of more modern versions to change the first face to an Ox. However, when one characterizes the faces there is a difference worth pointing out. The ox was a beast of burden and an object often used as a sacrifice. The "cherub" is an angelic creation who ministers to the needs of God. Nonetheless, the four faces are indicative of the writers of the four gospels and are representative of the total creation in facial categories before their Maker. Matthew:the Lion - Mark:the Ox - Luke:the Man - John: the Eagle
Matthew wrote about "Jesus the Messiah" and to a Jewish audience. Mark (perhaps the first to write a gospel) about Jesus, the Servant. Gentile audience. Luke writes about Jesus' birth, death and the birth of the early church. Gentile audience. John wrote concerning the spiritual impact of Christ's life (Who He is, rather than what He did). Audience: the born again. Chapter Eleven:
Something cryptic jumps toward the reader in this verse, for Jaazaniah is pictured in chapter eight as the son of Shaphan (son of the Rabbit) and in chapter eleven as (son of the helper). In chapter eight, he is pictured among the seventy sex oriented elders and in chapter eleven as a "leader among the people." In chapter eight, he is situated in the "middle" of the elders and in chapter eleven he is among twenty-five prominent men of the city." Hmmm. Could this mean when in the closeted group, he acted like a rabbit and when among the people like a trusted counselor? (A viewpoint from fellow: Jim Haddock.) Just as God showed the sins of the Priests with their apartment idols, along with twenty-five priests worshipping the sun, and the seventy elders, God is once again going to acquaint Ezekiel with the hypocrisy of public leaders. God holds responsible those who have charge over people. Often, the citizens of a country have a tendency to believe The Almighty is not concerned with what goes on in city hall or the court house or capitol. How very wrong that notion is. It would be great if public leaders realized they are being scrutinized by the Lord of Glory and held accountable for their actions. Dare we say such understanding would be sobering, to say the least? Jaazaniah and Pelatiah slammed into the judgment of God and realized too late that God knows the spiritual side of political action.
Ah, dear reader, who are those in government who are responsible for "wicked" counsel in your city or nation? Who, indeed, is guilty of running their offices apart from God and never seeking His wisdom? For that matter, what pulpit is prophesying "loud and clearly" the severity of leadership under the indictment of Jehovah? This very day, there are wicked men and women who are still in good standing with their churches and continue in their sins, unrebuked. Not so with Ezekiel. Why was the counsel of these leaders so onerous to God? Could it be their admonition to build houses, and carry on business as usual, was in conflict with the word of God spoken to Jeremiah? He prophesied Jerusalem's citizens would be carried away, their city under judgment and their captors merciless. It was not the time to invest in commerce and real estate. They claimed their reasoning was based on the safety and security of the great wall around Jerusalem. They compared themselves to meat in an iron pot-safe and protected. The Lord turned their words on them! They were to be the stew meat in a cauldron of scalding judgment. Ezekiel was told to prophesy LOUDLY and CLEARLY. There is a time to pound the pulpit and declare loudly and clearly the message of God. He is not to be ignored and his prophets slighted. God said in this passage, "I know every thought." O saints, it is time to bring every thought and imagination under the blood. He KNOWS every thought. Those with agenda had best know that HE knows the difference between His work and their selfish plans. He knows a person, not from the outside - but, from the inside. "I know every thought."
God spelled out what He planned to do. God truly is a good God, for He does exactly what He says He will do. Those who blank out His judgment with, "He would never bring that," had best get a refresher course on Ezekiel 11:9-10. Why? Because to do similarly to Israel is to reap the same result as Israel! "For you have refused to obey me," is the sin. Copying heathen practices is the conduit! Watch out, you leaders of once Christian countries who are bent on bringing in "cultural diversity."
While Ezekiel was doing exactly what God told him, judgment came immediately to Pelatiah. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an Angry God (Jonathan Edwards)." Respected and illustrious Pelatiah died-bam, just like Ananias and Sapphira! Have you witnessed prophetic death? Get ready! Ezekiel moved to intercession, realizing how many stood under judgment at this point; it seemed all Israel would perish. Bless his spirit and love for others. God answered his prayer by giving him promises for a future time, but first He gave him a further view of the "national mind."
Their warped reasoning, embraced by those who had escaped the Assyrian Invasion and the multiple captures by Nebuchadnezzar, thought this was God's grace enabling them to confiscate their relatives' land. Their spiritual foundations were so eroded they could not reason soundly. First, they surmised the "borders of Israel" contained the kingdom of God and territories outside those borders meant, "No God protection." In other words, all those exiles, who were carried away to Babylon, were such sinners that God removed them from His land. "Their inheritance now belongs to us," expressed their greedy lust. Warped thinking leads to wrong conclusions. Are we not living in a world of "warped thinking?" God showed Ezekiel the broad realms of His protection. Though he and the exiles were far away from the Temple and homeland, God declared He will be their sanctuary. Those scattered around the world were really the chosen ones, not those in the city. These are they of the true Israel of God-those who carried out the greatest commission--to go into every nook and cranny of the universe and preach the gospel of the kingdom. He is not territorial; He is boundless. Israel is not a blood line ancestry, but a blood bought citizenry. David knew His sanctuary when he wrote:
But further back than David, by a testimony beyond their wildest fathom of these words was written:
My God, how that resonates with end time prophesy! What God told Ezekiel, to comfort him and answer his prayer of intercession, traveled all the way to the day we live in-the now of time. This is no carrot hung out in front of exiles for a modicum of hope; this refers to a time yet to be revealed. Israel is not the territorial limits established by man, but a land reserved for the saints of God to reclaim as their own. Replacement theology be hanged. It is not replacement theology that is spoken by God, but a righteous kingdom, over a righteous land, inhabited by a people of righteousness.
God's departure from the corrupted halls of religion came next.
Yes, Ezekiel saw the Lord depart the precious Temple of the Jews. It would no longer be the dwelling place of the Most High. The cherubim and the glory cloud lifted and went to the place Jesus would sweat great drops of blood-the Mt. of Olives. From there, God would travel to Mt. Herman, slowly withdrawing from the land of warped thoughts. Ezekiel was returned supernaturally to those gathered to him before the vision. He faithfully related the occurrences and events that he saw. But if you take a peek into next month's newsletter, he is shown the hearts of those before him. This prophetic word says the revelation of the vision was not for their generation.
What if the hearts of your congregation were revealed to you, pastor? What if the heart of the pastor was revealed, congregation? What if we looked through the subterfuge of religious activity to the "heart of Darkness" that dwells beneath the smiling, agreeing faces of a multitude? What if? Until Next month, Dr. Cosby R. Oliver, PhD. |
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