A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

Practically fragments of all the previous chapter are repeated in chapter 39, namely, Ezekiel 39:2-4,14-17. Comments on Gog, the chief (Rosh) prince of Meshech and Tubal continues. Meshech and Tubal; these are names associated with Russia. Meshech in Hebrew is Mosoch and the Muscovites are said to descend from Meshech. Being brothers, Meschech is also closely associated with Tubal. Assyrian annals have them as Tabali and Mushki. The Russian city Tobolsk is said to derive from Tubal. Tbilisi is the Capital of the country of Georgia. A picture of a geographical area begins to be apparent with names associated with these tribes.

Ezekiel 39

¹ “Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.

² And I will turn thee back and leave but a sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel; — Gill: I will lead thee and turn thee wheresoever I please: thou shalt not proceed any further than I shall permit thee, but shalt be driven back. And leave but a sixth part of thee; Or, as others render it, I will strike thee with six plagues, those mentioned in Ezekiel 38:22.

³ and I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.

⁴ Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou and all thy forces and the people that are with thee. I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. — I will give thee to the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured: a great part of his army being slain, should not be buried, but be devoured by birds of prey, and savage beasts; such as eagles and vultures of the former sort, and lions, bears, wolves. These birds of prey and savage beasts are behaving as before, so this doesn’t sound like the Millennium, is it?

One scene about the peace and tranquility of the Millennium is given by Isaiah below:

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them” Isaiah 11:6.

⁵ Thou shalt fall upon the open field, for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.

⁶ And I will send a fire on Magog and among them that dwell confidently in the isles; and they shall know that I am the Lord. — Magog and those that dwell in islands will also be called.

⁷ “‘So will I make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them pollute My holy name any more; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. — and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: either the nations round about who before blasphemed it, saying that God was not able to deliver his people from such a potent enemy; but now they will not dare to speak any more after this manner.

⁸ Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God. This is the day whereof I have spoken.

⁹ “‘And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the javelins and the spears; and they shall burn them with fire seven years, — “seven years” – some consider this an hyperbolical expression, but it may be very well taken in literally, and the meaning be, that so great will be the quantity of warlike weapons that will be found and gathered, that they will serve for fuel for the space of seven years.

¹⁰ so that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests. For they shall burn the weapons with fire, and they shall despoil those that despoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God.

¹¹ “‘And it shall come to pass on that day that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passersby on the east of the sea; and it shall stop the noses of the passersby. And there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude; and they shall call it the Valley of Hamongog [that is, The multitude of Gog]. — and there shall they bury Gog, and all his multitude; all his army, such of it as the fowls and beasts had not devoured, and the bones they had left.

¹² And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying them, that they may cleanse the land.

¹³ Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a day of renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God.

¹⁴ And they shall separate out men for continual employment, passing through the land, to bury with the passersby those who remain upon the face of the earth to cleanse it. At the end of seven months shall they search.

¹⁵ And the passersby who pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamongog.

¹⁶ And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah [that is, The multitude]. Thus shall they cleanse the land.’

¹⁷ “And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God: Speak unto every feathered fowl and to every beast of the field: ‘Assemble yourselves and come. Gather yourselves on every side to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh and drink blood. — “that ye may eat flesh and drink blood” maybe taken metaphorically; perhaps just “Gather from all sides for the sacrificial feast I am preparing for you, a magnificent sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel.”

¹⁸ Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.

¹⁹ And ye shall eat fat till ye be full and drink blood till ye be drunken of My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.

²⁰ Thus ye shall be filled at My table with horses and chariots, with mighty men and with all men of war,’ saith the Lord God.

²¹ “And I will set My glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see My judgment that I have executed and My hand that I have laid upon them. — and all the nations, and there is no exception, shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them; his glory and greatness, his omniscience and omnipotence. Even the Chinese will come to realize He is the ShangDi (上帝) that they have some knowledge before, but that He has never fully revealed to them.

²² So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward.

²³ And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity. Because they trespassed against Me, therefore hid I My face from them and gave them into the hand of their enemies; so fell they all by the sword. — Here is the reconciliation between the full house of Israel and all the nations of the world, the full 70 nations of the world under one Sovereign, one God! Hallelujah!

²⁴ According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid My face from them. — therefore hid I my face from them; took no notice of them, showed them no favour, took no care of them; disregarded their prayers and cries, and removed his presence from them, and all the tokens of it.

So the Targum, “I caused my Shechaniah (or majesty) to remove from them.”

²⁵ “Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Now will I bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for My holy name

²⁶ after they have borne their shame and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against Me, when they dwelt safely in their land and none made them afraid.

²⁷ When I have brought them back from the people and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations,

²⁸ then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, who caused them to be led into captivity among the nations. But I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there;

²⁹ neither will I hide My face any more from them, for I have poured out My Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.” — for I have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God; this refers not to the effusion of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, but to one that is yet to come, when all nations will be converted in the latter day; after which God will no more depart from them, nor shall they depart from him; “Christians” will repent for their adoration and worship of the SUN and come to the full meaning of what full the Oracles of God are; and even the Jews will repent profusely for the One they had pierced; see Zechariah 12:10.

Ezekiel 40

Maybe here is the start for the peace and tranquility of the Millennium? What we have here is a very detailed description of a magnificent physical Temple, somewhat loosely patterned after the Temple of Solomon, only much larger, complete with special living quarters for priests, and an elaborate system of animal sacrifices and other material offerings, along with the faithful observance of New Moons and Sabbaths, the whole picture rivaling the Book of Leviticus itself.

¹ In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was smitten, on the selfsame day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought me thither. — in the self-same day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought me hither; which is sometimes called the finger of God, or the power of God, this fell upon him, or was laid on him, and impressed his mind and soul; the Targum interprets “the hand of the Lord” the spirit of prophecy.

² In the visions of God brought He me into the land of Israel and set me upon a very high mountain, by which there was, as it were, the form of a city on the south. — by, which was as the flame of a city on the south: the prophet in the vision, and as to his view of things coming from Babylon, which lay north of Judea, has a view of the south which is the city of Jerusalem and the Temple.

³ And He brought me thither, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate. — there was a man; one in human form; appearance of brass, a cherub?

⁴ And the man said unto me, “Son of man, behold with thine eyes and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee; for with the intent that I might show them unto thee art thou brought hither. Declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.”

⁵ And behold, a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man’s hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by a cubit and a hand breadth. So he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed. — the cubit is a cubit and a hand’s breadth; to which may be added, that such was the royal cubit at Babylon, where Ezekiel now was, “the royal cubit is larger by three fingers than that which was usually measured with, or the common cubit;”

in this way Rashi and Kimchi understand it; though they make the common cubit to be but five hands’ breadth, or fifteen inches, and this six hands’ breadth, or eighteen inches.

Several modern translation have these measurements in feet and inches: an example is Voice, CSB, CEB, CJB, CEV, EXB, GW, GNT, etc:

VOICE: I saw a wall surrounding the temple. The measuring reed in the man’s hand was about 10½ feet long. He measured the wall and found it to be about 10½ feet thick and 10½ feet high.

⁶ Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east, and went up the stairs thereof and measured the threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad, and the other threshold of the gate, which was one reed broad.

⁷ And every little chamber was one reed long and one reed broad; and between the little chambers were five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed.

⁸ He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed.

⁹ Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was inward.

¹⁰ And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this side and three on that side; they three were of one measure, and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side.

¹¹ And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.

¹² The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side; and the little chambers were six cubits on this side and six cubits on that side.

¹³ He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another; the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door.

¹⁴ He made also posts of threescore cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate.

¹⁵ And from the face of the gate of the entrance unto the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits.

¹⁶ And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about and likewise to the arches; and windows were round about within; and upon each post were palm trees.

¹⁷ Then he brought me into the outer court, and lo, there were chambers and a pavement made for the court round about; thirty chambers were upon the pavement.

¹⁸ And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement.

¹⁹ Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court from outside, a hundred cubits eastward and northward.

²⁰ And the gate of the outer court that looked toward the north, he measured the length thereof and the breadth thereof.

²¹ And the little chambers thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were the same measure as the first gate; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

²² And their windows and their arches and their palm trees were the same measure as the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps, and the arches thereof were before them.

²³ And the gate of the inner court was opposite the gate toward the north and toward the east; and he measured from gate to gate a hundred cubits.

²⁴ After that he brought me toward the south, and behold, a gate toward the south; and he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures.

²⁵ And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about like those windows; the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

²⁶ And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them; and it had palm trees, one on this side and another on that side, upon the posts thereof.

²⁷ And there was a gate in the inner court toward the south; and he measured from gate to gate toward the south a hundred cubits.

²⁸ And he brought me to the inner court by the South Gate. And he measured the South Gate according to these measures,

²⁹ and the little chambers thereof and the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures. And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about; it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.

³⁰ And the arches round about were five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.

³¹ And the arches thereof were toward the outer court, and palm trees were upon the posts thereof; and the going up to it had eight steps. — and the going up to it had eight steps, for the inner court rose higher above the outer court than the latter did above the exterior.

³² And he brought me into the inner court toward the east; and he measured the gate according to these measures.

³³ And the little chambers thereof and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were according to these measures. And there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round about; it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.

³⁴ And the arches thereof were toward the outer court; and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side and on that side; and the going up to it had eight steps. — it had eight steps, the symmetry of the entire structure thus being shown once more.

³⁵ And he brought me to the North Gate and measured it according to these measures —

³⁶ the little chambers thereof, the posts thereof and the arches thereof, and the windows to it round about. The length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

³⁷ And the posts thereof were toward the outer court, and palm trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side and on that side; and the going up to it had eight steps. — eight steps again! Eight signifies a new beginning.

³⁸ And the chambers and the entries thereof were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt offering.

³⁹ And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering.

⁴⁰ And at the side outside, as one goeth up to the entry of the North Gate, were two tables; and on the other side, which was at the porch of the gate, were two tables.

⁴¹ Four tables were on this side and four tables on that side by the side of the gate, eight tables upon which they slew their sacrifices.

⁴² And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt offering, of a cubit and a half long and a cubit and a half broad and one cubit high, upon which also they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt offering and the sacrifice. — burnt offering and animal sacrifices will be brought back into practice. Why brought these back for those who preached: “Christ died and the ceremonial laws are therefore obsolete”?

⁴³ And within were hooks, a handbreadth wide, fastened round about; and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.

⁴⁴ And outside the inner gate were the chambers of the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the North Gate, and their prospect was toward the south, one at the side of the East Gate having the prospect toward the north. — Rashi: the chambers of the choristers: the chambers of the Levites who sing; whose duty and privilege it is to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

— Kretzmann: And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singers in the inner court, these two cells being immediately at the entrance of the court, which was at the side of the north gate, and their prospect was toward the south, that is, the one faced in that direction; one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north, so that the two faced each other.

⁴⁵ And he said unto me, “This chamber whose prospect is toward the south is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house.

⁴⁶ And the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar; these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, who come near to the Lord to minister unto Him.”

⁴⁷ So he measured the court, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits broad, foursquare, and the altar that was before the house.

⁴⁸ And he brought me to the porch of the house and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side and five cubits on that side; and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side.

⁴⁹ The length of the porch was twenty cubits and the breadth eleven cubits; and he brought me by the steps by which they went up to it; and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side and another on that side. — all nine chapters 40-48 are devoted mainly to the Grand New Temple in Jerusalem; the City and the land allocation for each tribe following Israel’s return to the Promised Land.

The Laws, statutes and both the weekly and annual Sabbaths will be brought back:

“And in controversy they shall stand in judgment, and they shall judge it according to My judgments; and they shall keep My laws and My statutes in all Mine assemblies, and they shall hallow My Sabbaths,” Ezekiel 44:24.

And despite Ephraim being the birthright holder, the Lord chooses Judah to oversee His Temple ceremony and worship:

“Moreover He refused the tabernacle of Joseph and chose not the tribe of Ephraim, but chose the tribe of Judah, the Mount Zion which He loved,” Psalm 78:68-69.

This Ezekiel Temple and its courts will be five hundred cubits in length with five hundred in breadth: – “875 by 875 feet” — much enlarged compared to Solomon’s or Herod’s to reduce chances of stampedes during festivals when Jerusalem will be flooded by people from all the nations:

“Of this there shall be for the sanctuary five hundred in length with five hundred in breadth, square round about, and fifty cubits round about for the open places thereof,” Ezekiel 45:2.

Various forms of offerings and sacrifices will be reinstated:

“It shall be the prince’s duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel,” Ezekiel 45:17.

And the Ephraimites, who had been stiffed-necked all along, will no longer be quarreling with Judah pertaining as to how many days to observe Passover, a composite feast of seven days where only the unleavened is to be eaten:

“‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the Passover, a feast of seven days. Unleavened bread shall be eaten,” Leviticus 45:21.

And about the Law, both written and case Laws:

Judah is My lawgiver, Psalm 108:8.

Posted in Ezekiel

Chapter 37 contains a prophecy of both the Jews’ and Israelites’ return from captivity to their own land; of the union of the each tribes with one another; their restoration is represented by a vision of dry bones made alive. But is this the start of the Millennium?

Ezekiel 37

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, — More on Ezekiel 23:25:

And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire. Ezekiel 23:25

Since Ezekiel’s message is for the endtime and meant for the house of Israel, which is the United States and its European allies and “thy remnant shall fall by the sword . . . and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire”: — if those remnant are put to the sword, and any residue be put to the fire, then no more will be left, reaffirming there is no place of safety for those hopeful to have one. Second, any living will have to be resurrected from the valley of dry 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.” — and he said unto me, son of man, can these bones live?… is there any probability to believe they shall live?

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.’” — God said of these dry bones “and ye shall know that I am the Lord” implying that they never have known God, despite many claim they were Christians. How could they? In today’s world, no less than 99.99 percent of professing Christians don’t even know the basic tenet of understanding the Oracles of God!

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.’” — and breathe upon these slain, that they may live; and so looked comely and beautiful, as in the proper form of men; and yet no principle of spiritual life in them; but, like Adam’s body, of the earth, earthly, and breathless, till the Lord stirred up their spirits.

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.

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 from our parts.’ — these bones are the whole house of Israel; this phrase takes in the ten tribes, as well as the two tribes of Benjamin and Judah inclusive.

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, — in God’s view, death is both unclean and an insignificant event, hence He forbid His priests to come near the dead among his people; and the high priests, not even near their parents if they died (Ezekiel 21:1-11).

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.’”

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

¹⁶ “Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick and write upon it, ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write upon it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ — earlier in Ezekiel 36:1 these are described as “the mountain of Israel;” this prophecy is concerning the top dog, the United States and its European allies, UK and France. And in Ezekiel 36:4  “the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys;” these are the hills: Ireland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Finland, and Iceland; and the valleys, the low countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

¹⁷ And join them one to another into one stick, and they shall become one in thine hand.

¹⁸ And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, ‘Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these?’

¹⁹ say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in Mine hand.’ — Rashi: Behold I will take the stick, etc: that they shall no longer be two kingdoms.

²⁰ And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

²¹ “And say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations whither they have 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. — and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel, as they were during the times of David and Solomon.

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 dwelling places wherein they have sinned and will cleanse them. So shall they be My people, and I will be their God.

²⁴ “‘And David My servant shall be King over them, and they all shall have one Shepherd. They shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them. — is this the Millennium? Is this the same King David of ancient Israel? Or is he an equivalent? and they shall also walk in my judgments, and keep my statutes, and do them; these would definitely include the statutes and ordinances of the “ceremonial law” since the temple will be rebuilt; and which the Jews, who control Jerusalem, will be performing them for and on behalf of all the nations.

²⁵ And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob My servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they and their children and their children’s children for ever. And My servant David shall be their Prince for ever. — is this the Millennium? Is this the same King David of ancient Israel? Or is he an equivalent?

²⁶ Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them, and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. — the Temple will be rebuilt, and the Glory of God, the Shekhinah will return.

²⁷ My tabernacle also shall be with them. Yea, I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

²⁸ And the nations shall know that I, the Lord, do sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.’” — the Temple will be filled with the Glory of God; the Shekhinah will be manifested before all the nations of the world.

The question is, is this the start of the Millennium? If so the Messiah (Christ) and His saints would rule the world, some over one city, others ten. Would these saints be given power over the nations, yet so powerless with no power to allow their subjects to go all the way to Jerusalem and mount a war against its inhabitants? And all the way from east Asia, say the Philippines? It seems inconceivable. Or, is “My servant David” a form of John the Baptist that came in the name of Elijah? Your thoughts?

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Malachi 4:5

Ezekiel 38

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

² “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, in the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him — these are the sons of Japheth.

The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. Genesis 10:2

³ and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. — Gog is not a name among the sons of Japheth, but designated as the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.

⁴ And I will turn thee back and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords;

⁵ Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them, all of them with shield and helmet;

⁶ Gomer and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters and all his bands — and many people with thee; in Revelation 20:8 Gog and Magog shall go out to deceive the nations to the four quarters of the earth, but here, Persia is from the extreme east; Ethiopia or Cush is from the south; Libya or Put represent the extreme west; and the house of Togarmah was in the extreme north.

⁷ “‘Be thou prepared and prepare for thyself, thou and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. — TLB translation says “Be prepared! Stay mobilized. You are their leader, Gog!”

⁸ After many days thou shalt be visited. In the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste; but it is brought forth out of the nations and they shall dwell safely, all of them. — led by Gog and Magog ‘in the latter years,’ numerous Gentile nations will launch an attack on Israel from all directions.

⁹ Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm. Thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou and all thy troops, and many people with thee.

¹⁰ “‘Thus saith the Lord God: It shall also come to pass that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought; — at the same time shall things come into thy mind; when the Israelites shall be in their own land, dwelling in great security; and when Gog and his companions shall make preparation to enter into their land suddenly and furiously; and thou shall think an evil thought, many schemes and devices; to do mischief, to dispossess them of their land, and plunder their substance.

¹¹ and thou shalt say, “I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates”—

¹² to take a spoil and to take a prey, to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited and upon the people who are gathered out of the nations, who have gotten cattle and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. — this will be against Gog as the chief of numerous rebellious nations with him.

¹³ Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, “Art thou come to despoil us? Hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?”’

¹⁴ “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: On that day when My people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

¹⁵ And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty army. — in relation to Jerusalem, Gog is indicated as coming from the north. So who is Gog? The two major nations lying north of Jerusalem are Turkey and Russia. Joel Richardson says Gog is Turkey; whereas most CoG Communities say it’s Russia. So who is Gog? We’ll see.

¹⁶ And thou shalt come up against My people of Israel as a cloud to cover the land. It shall be in the latter days; and I will bring thee against My land, that the nations may know Me when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

¹⁷ “‘Thus saith the Lord God: Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old times by My servants the prophets of Israel who prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? — besides Ezekiel, there maybe other prophet/s that spoke of Gog, hence the plural form of prophet.

¹⁸ And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that My fury shall come upon My face.

¹⁹ For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I spoken: Surely on that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel,

²⁰ so that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at My presence; and the mountains shall be thrown down and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. — this scene appears like when the Israelites were at the foot of Mount Sinai when the mountain quaked with thunders getting louder and louder, with Moses speaking with God in a voice also like thunders that frightened the Israelites as written in Exodus 19:18–20.

²¹ And I will call for a sword against him throughout all My mountains, saith the Lord God. Every man’s sword shall be against his brother. — this will be a civil war within Gog, with numerous nations warring against each other.

²² And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him and upon his troops and upon the many people that are with him an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. — and I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood…. not only the sword against the confederates and the sword of Gog’s soldiers against one another; but the Lord himself would plead with him by his judgments, or take vengeance on him;

— as the Targum; and send a pestilence in his army, which should destroy vast numbers of it; as the army of Sennacherib was destroyed by one when before Jerusalem; and make a great slaughter among them by that and other judgments.

²³ Thus will I magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am the Lord.’ — “and I will be known in the eyes of many nations” could be known by another term, “the times of the Gentiles.” Lastly, “and they shall know that I am the Lord,” (together with verse 16 “that the nations may know Me”) indicate they’ll have learned their lessons and survive at the end.

Posted in Ezekiel

Chapter 35 is a prophecy of the destruction of Edom, who had threatened Israel, their hatred and slaughter of the Israelites, the cause of their downfall.

But who is Edom/Esau today? The answer lies in the book of Obadiah; and Jonathan Targum identifies Esau (Sepharad of the Southland identified) as Spain! Obadiah 1:20; the Targums identified Sepharad with Spain, hence, Spanish Jews are called Sephardim;

Wikipedia: Sepharad (/sɛfəræd/or səˈfɛərəd/ Hebrew: סְפָרַד Sp̄āraḏ; also Sefarad, Sephared, Sfard) is the Hebrew name for Spain. A place called Sepharad, probably referring to Sardis in Lydia (‘Sfard’ in Lydian), in the Book of Obadiah (Obadiah 1:20, 6th century BC) of the Hebrew Bible. The name was later applied to Spain.

Ezekiel 35

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

² “Son of man, set thy face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it — Son of man set thy face against Mount Seir…. which had its name from Seir the Horite, who first possessed it; and was succeeded in it by Esau and his posterity, the Edomites; (Genesis 36:8; Deuteronomy 2:12), so that the country of Edom or Idumea is intended here.

³ and say unto it, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out Mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate. — behold, O Mount Seir, I am against thee: not the face of the prophet only, but the face of God himself was against them; and a terrible thing it is for any to have God to be against them, whether a nation, or a particular person.

The Targum is, “behold, I send my fury upon thee.”

⁴ I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.

⁵ Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end, — because thou hast had a perpetual hatred…. there was an old grudge and enmity subsisting in the posterity of Esau against the posterity of Jacob, because the latter supplanted the former, and got the birthright and blessing from him;

— it started on the part of Edom led to their refusal of permission for Israel to pass through their land (Numbers 20:14-21); to their invasion of Judah (2 Chronicles 20:10-11); to their aiding Nebuchadnezzar in the overthrow of Jerusalem (Obadiah 1:1,13); and to the outrageous conduct of the Herods and their dynasty against the purposes of God during the days of Christ and the apostles. The Herods were Idumaeans (Edomites). See much more on this in Isaiah 34-43;

(More at the end: “Rage it, rage it, even to the foundation thereof!” Psalm 137:7)

⁶ therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee for blood, and blood shall pursue thee. Since thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee. — since thou hast loved cruelty, and taken delight in shedding blood, vengeance and slaughter shall pursue thee, and thou shalt fall into the hands of those that will be as eager to shed blood.

⁷ Thus will I make Mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth.

⁸ And I will fill his mountains with his slain men; in thy hills and in thy valleys and in all thy rivers shall they fall that are slain with the sword.

⁹ I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. — thy cities shall not be restored to thee again. This was exactly fulfilled; for the Nabatheans having driven the Edomites out of their ancient habitations, in the time of the Babylonish captivity, they settled themselves in the southern part of Judea, where they were afterward conquered by Hyrcanus, and obliged to embrace the Jewish religion, and so became at length incorporated with that nation. 

¹⁰ “‘Because thou hast said, “These two nations and these two countries shall be mine and we will possess it,” though the Lord was there, — “these two nations and these two countries …” these are Israel and Judah, the covenant people after the division of the monarchy, the northern and the southern Israels, Samaria and Jerusalem.

¹¹ therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will even do according to thine anger and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I have judged thee.

— Petra, “when I have judged thee” is now described as:

“This land, once so rich in flocks and herds, so mighty in its rock-hewn cities, so extensive in its commercial activities, so renowned for the architectural splendor of its palaces, is now a desolated and deserted wilderness. Its whole population consists of three or four miserable tiny villages. No merchant would now dare to enter it; its highways are unused; its cities are in ruins.”

¹² And thou shalt know that I am the Lord, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, “They are laid desolate. They are given us to consume.” — and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel; the people of Israel and Judah literally, and the churches and people of God figuratively.

¹³ Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against Me and have multiplied your words against Me; I have heard them.

¹⁴ Thus saith the Lord God: When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.

¹⁵ As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee. Thou shalt be desolate, O Mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it; and they shall know that I am the Lord.’” — even though all Edom were made desolate, they survive at the end: “and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

— and finally the remnant of Israel are not lead into “a place of safety” but are to be “scattered into all the winds.”

. . . and I will execute judgments in thee [Israel], and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds Ezekiel 5:10.

~~~

The Lord was asked to remember in Psalms 137 against the Edomites who had asked that Jerusalem be razed to its foundations:

⁷ Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem’s fall, who said, “Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof!” Psalms 137:7

To call for the razing of the Temple of God “Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof!” is a heavy crime against the God of the Most High. The Most High dwelled there and these Edomites cheered the Babylonians to burn it down? Madness! Just Madness!!!

Ezekiel 36

¹ “Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel and say, ‘Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. — “the mountain of Israel;” this prophecy is concerning the desolations of the United States, UK and France. And Israel is judged in relation to the “nations” used 15 times in this chapter alone.

² Thus saith the Lord God: Because the enemy hath said against you, “Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession,”’ — because the enemy had said against you, aha: rejoicing at the calamity of Israel, particularly the Edomites or Idumeans, as in the preceding chapter; and who are chiefly meant; and also the Ammonites and Tyrians, Ezekiel 25:3.

³ therefore prophesy and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Because they have made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the nations, and ye are taken up on the lips of talkers and are an infamy (gossip: the state of being well known for some bad quality or deed; or scoffing) of the people, — and swallowed you up on every side; all their neighbours, being their enemies, were like ravenous beasts of prey, gaping upon them with their mouths; and, observing the low condition into which they were brought by the king of Babylon, helped forward the destruction; and everyone shared in the spoil and plunder nearest to them they could conveniently come at.

⁴ therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are round about” — before only the mountains are spoken to, but now, “and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys;” these are the hills: Ireland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Finland, and Iceland; and the valleys, the low countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

⁵ therefore thus saith the Lord God: Surely in the fire of My jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations and against all Edom, who have appointed My land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out as a prey.’ — to those neighbouring nations that “have appointed My land into their possession” were Ammon, Moab and Edom.

— with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey; with the utmost joy they joined Nebuchadnezzar’s army when he invaded the land of Judea and besieged Jerusalem, out of pure malice and spite to the people of the Jews, in order to eject them from the possession of their land, that it might become a prey to them; see Psalms 137:7.

⁶ Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My fury, because ye have borne the shame of the nations. — because ye have borne the shame of the nations; their reproaches and scoffings, their injuries and abuses; all which were resented by the Lord.

⁷ Therefore thus saith the Lord God: I have lifted up Mine hand. Surely the nations who are about you, they shall bear their shame. — Gill: surely the nations that are about you, they shall bear their shame; the punishment of their shame; that which is justly due to them for reproaching and putting to shame the people of God:

— or they shall be a laughing stock to others, and be reproached and derided themselves, and so be paid in their own coin; a just retaliation this for their treatment of the Jews.

⁸ “‘But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people of Israel, for they are at hand to come. — ye shall shoot forth your branches; that is, the trees that grew upon them should; the vines, and the olive trees, planted on hills and mountains;

— these could be their colonies: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa; American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands (US); Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Virgin Islands (UK); Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Mayotte, Réunion (France).

⁹ For behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown.

¹⁰ And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the wastes shall be built. — all the house of Israel, all the tribes of Israel, the ten tribes as well as the other two: for all shall return.

¹¹ And I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they shall increase and bring fruit. And I will settle you according to your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. — and I will settle you after your old estates; that is, you mountains shall be inhabited by those that formerly dwelt in you, and you shall be enjoyed by your right owners; by those who had you in possession from the beginning, from the times of Joshua; by whom you were settled on them by lot, according to their several tribes. These land to be taken back from Ammon, Moab and Edom (verse 5 above).

¹² Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even My people Israel; and they shall possess thee and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.

¹³ Thus saith the Lord God: Because they say unto you, “Thou, land, devourest up men and hast bereaved thy nations,”

¹⁴ therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord God.

¹⁵ Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the nations any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord God.’” — neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord God; by famine, sword, or pestilence, or any other judgment caused by sin:

— or, “thou shalt not bereave” as the marginal reading is; and which the Targum and many versions follow: now what is here promised, in this and the preceding verse, had not its full accomplishment upon the Jews’ return from the Babylonish captivity.

CSB says: I will no longer allow the insults of the nations to be heard against you, and you will not have to endure the reproach of the peoples anymore; you will no longer cause your nation to stumble. This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”

¹⁶ Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

¹⁷ “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings; their way was before Me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.

¹⁸ Therefore I poured My fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it.

¹⁹ And I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries; according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.

²⁰ And when they entered unto the nation whither they went, they profaned My holy name, when they said to them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of His land.’ — they profaned my holy name; by their pornography, sexual immorality and promiscuity, by their violation of both tables of laws; by their gun violence, family breakdown, homelessness;

— and by their use of dirty language while invoking God’s name, whereby they gave the Gentiles an occasion to reproach them, their religion, and their God, Romans 2:24; and not only do they promote LGBTQIA and other filths at home but being hubris and narcissistic they also try to promote and enforce them onto other nations; in doing so “they profaned My holy name,” so said the Lord!

²¹ But I had pity for Mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations whither they went.

²² “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for Mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the nations whither ye went.

²³ And I will sanctify My great name which was profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

²⁴ For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

²⁵ “‘Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you.

²⁶ A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

²⁷ And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments and do them.

²⁸ And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God. — and ye shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers…. not only shall be brought into it, but shall inhabit it, and continue there, and that in great safety and plenty; because this land between the rivers is the gift of God, and what he gave to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, by promise so long ago, and to their seed.

²⁹ “‘I will also save you from all your uncleannesses; and I will call for the corn and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

³⁰ And I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the nations.

³¹ Then shall ye remember your own evil ways and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

³² Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!

³³ “‘Thus saith the Lord God: In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be rebuilt.

³⁴ And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.

³⁵ And they shall say, “This land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities have become fortified and are inhabited.”

³⁶ Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I, the Lord, build the ruined places and plant that which was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.’

³⁷ “Thus saith the Lord God: I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them. I will increase them with men like a flock.

³⁸ As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am the Lord.” — God said of the house of Israel that “they shall know that I am the Lord” this implies that they do not know God at this time, despite many claim they are Christians, a few pretentious at best. How could they? In today’s world of professing Christians, no less than 99.99 percent of them don’t even know the Oracles of God!

Posted in Ezekiel

Chapter 33 specifies the duty of watchman, and the people’s sins; contains a vindication of the justice of God; a threatening of destruction to those who remained in the land after the taking of the city; and in chapter 34, a hypocrisy of the prophets who choose to feed themselves than feed the flock. Earlier, we have established that although Ezekiel has his face set toward Jerusalem, this prophecy is meant for the house of Israel at the endtime “for many years to come” (Ezekiel 12:27). And, here, remember, the house of Israel is primarily the United States of America, and secondarily its European allies. . .

Ezekiel 33

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

² “Son of man, speak to the children of thy people and say unto them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man from their borders and set him as their watchman, and

³ if when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet and warn the people, — if what he seeth the sword come upon the land…. or those that kill with the sword, as the Targum; as soon as he observes a body of armed men, more or less, marching towards the borders of the land with a manifest intention to enter and invade it;

— he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; warn the people by blowing the trumpet, the signal agreed on; by which they would understand that an enemy was at hand, or danger near; or warn them by word of mouth, as well as by the trumpet, where he could do it, and when it was necessary.

⁴ then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet and taketh not warning, if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

⁵ He heard the sound of the trumpet and took not warning: his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

⁶ But if the watchman see the sword come and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, if the sword come and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.’ — but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hands; he shall be punished for not doing his duty, for not giving the due warning of danger, on which account the man was surprised with the enemy, and taken away unawares; and therefore his death shall be laid to the watchman, and he must be answerable for it.

⁷ “So thou, O son of man, I have set thee as a watchman unto the house of Israel. Therefore thou shalt hear the word at My mouth and warn them from Me. — this prophecy is meant for the house of Israel which is primarily the United States of America, and secondarily its European allies.

⁸ When I say unto the wicked, ‘O wicked man, thou shalt surely die,’ if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand

⁹ Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

¹⁰ “Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel: ‘Thus ye speak, saying, “If our transgressions and our sins be upon us and we pine away in them, how should we then live?”’ — “the house of Israel” reemphasizing a prophecy which is meant for the United States and its European allies.

¹¹ Say unto them: ‘As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?’

¹² Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression. As for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness, neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.’

¹³ When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live, if he trust to his own righteousness and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

¹⁴ Again, when I say unto the wicked, ‘Thou shalt surely die,’ if he turn from his sin and do that which is lawful and right,

¹⁵ if the wicked restore the pledge, give back that which he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

¹⁶ None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him. He hath done that which is lawful and right: he shall surely live.

¹⁷ “Yet the children of thy people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal.’ But as for them, their way is not equal. — instead of turning away and by repenting, the house of Israel complains even further; that His way is not according to the rules of justice and equity.

¹⁸ When the righteous turneth from his righteousness and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.

¹⁹ But if the wicked turn from his wickedness and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.

²⁰ Yet ye say, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal.’ O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one according to his ways.” — still obstinately persisting in their false charges as their complaint repeated: “The way of the Lord is not equal.”

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 out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, “The city is smitten!” — that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me; as it was foretold and promised he should, Ezekiel 24:26;

— saying, the city is smitten; the city of Jerusalem; the walls were broken down, the houses burnt, and the whole destroyed.

²² Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening before he that had escaped came, and He had opened my mouth until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb. — and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; the hand of the Lord, or the power of the Lord, had done it, as he promised he would, Ezekiel 3:26-27 so that he spoke freely and boldly.

²³ Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

²⁴ “Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes in the land of Israel speak, saying, ‘Abraham was one, and he inherited the land. But we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.’ — ‘if Abraham, being only a single person, had the whole region of Judea and Samaria (and more) given him, there is much greater reason to conclude, that God will preserve the possession of more to us, who are a numerous part of Abraham’s posterity.’

²⁵ Therefore say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Ye eat meat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood. And shall ye possess the land?

²⁶ Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbor’s wife. And shall ye possess the land?’

²⁷ Say thou thus unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that are in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. — and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured; a reminder of “so will I send upon you famine and evil beasts” Ezekiel 5:17.

Ezekiel 14:21“For thus saith the Lord God: How much more when I send My four sore judgments upon Jerusalem — the sword and the famine and the noisome beast and the pestilence — to cut off from it man and beast?

²⁸ For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.

²⁹ Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.’

³⁰ “Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, ‘Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord.’ — every man to his brother, saying, come, l pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord; let us go perhaps we shall hear some new thing, which may be pleasing.

³¹ And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as My people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

³² And lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

³³ And when this cometh to pass — lo, it will come — then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.” — and when this cometh to pass…. the prophecy before delivered out, concerning the desolations in the land of Israel, by the sword, pestilence, and wild beasts;

— lo, it will come; whatever is predicted by the Lord; in the mouth of his prophets, certainly comes to pass: then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them; that Ezekiel was one such prophet by the exact accomplishment of his predictions.

Ezekiel 34

In this chapter, God is against the shepherds of Israel, that is, their rulers, both in church and state, are called to an account, as having been very much accessory to the sin and ruin of Israel, by their neglect of the duties of their station.

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

² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds: Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

³ Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe yourselves with the wool, ye kill the ones that are fed; but ye feed not the flock. — but ye feed not the flock; did not govern the people well, by doing justice and judgment among men, as became civil magistrates; did not deliver out words of faith and sound teachings, to feed the minds of men with, which is the duty of those that preside in the church of God.

⁴ The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.

⁵ And they were scattered because there is no shepherd, and they became meat to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. — and they became meat to all beasts of the field when they were scattered; the Targum says, “and they were delivered to all the kingdoms of the people to be consumed;”

— such as the Assyrians, Babylonians, Ammonites, Moabites, and others; and may be applied to false teachers, those grievous wolves, which spare not the flock, into whose hands members of churches, professors of religion, fall, when neglected by their shepherds.

⁶ My sheep wandered through all the mountains and upon every high hill; yea, My flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

⁷ “‘Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

⁸ As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because My flock became a prey and My flock became meat to every beast of the field because there was no shepherd, neither did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and fed not My flock,

⁹ therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord.

¹⁰ Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require My flock at their hand and cause them to cease from feeding the flock, neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more. For I will deliver My flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. — thus saith the Lord, Behold, I am against the shepherds; they have made me their enemy by their negligence and abuse of their power, and I will appear and act as such; they have been enemies to my sheep, though pretending to be their shepherds;

— I will be an open enemy to them; and will require my flock at their hands; I will require a severe account from their kings and princes, their priests and prophets.

¹¹ “‘For thus saith the Lord God: Behold I, even I, will both search My sheep and seek them out.

¹² As a shepherd seeketh out his flock on the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek out My sheep and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered on the cloudy and dark day.

¹³ 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.

¹⁴ I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be; there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

¹⁵ I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.

¹⁶ I will seek that which was lost and bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken and will strengthen that which was sick. But I will destroy the fat and the strong: I will feed them with judgment. — I will feed them with judgment; I will judge, chastise, and punish them.

¹⁷ “‘And as for you, O My flock, thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the hegoats. — behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats: between the smaller and weaker cattle, the sheep and the lambs; now, the Lord, as he observed a difference between them, he would make this manifest, and take the part of the one against the other; even the part of the weaker against the stronger.

— the Targum says, “behold, judge between man and man, sinners and the ungodly.”

¹⁸ Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? And to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?

¹⁹ And as for My flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.

²⁰ “‘Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them: Behold I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. — behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. The Targum says, “between the rich man and the poor man.”

²¹ Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns till ye have scattered them abroad,

²² therefore will I save My flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.

²³ And I will set up one Shepherd over them, and He shall feed them, even My servant David. He shall feed them, and He shall be their Shepherd. — perhaps this indicates the reunion of the Northern and Southern kingdoms of the old and new Israel.

²⁴ And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them. I, the Lord, have spoken it.

²⁵ “‘And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land; and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.

²⁶ And I will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing, and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

²⁷ And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves by them.

²⁸ And they shall no more be a prey to the nations, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.

²⁹ And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the nations any more.

³⁰ Thus shall they know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are My people, saith the Lord God.

³¹ And ye My flock, the flock of My pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.’” — these words at the conclusion of the chapter, explain the metaphor which runs through the whole of it; namely, that what was said of a flock and its shepherds, is to be understood of men and their governors;

— and of God’s people, whom their ecclesiastical ministers misled and oppressed, but whom God watches over, provides for, and takes care as a shepherd does. This too lays an obligation upon civil princes and magistrates, to govern faithfully and justly the people committing their trust.

Posted in Ezekiel

Chapter 31 opens with the Lord speaking to the Pharaoh of Egypt, giving him an example of Assyria, and to anyone else, as a warning of what could happen to them (or us) too.

Ezekiel 31

¹ And 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 unto me, saying,

² “Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: “‘Whom art thou like in thy greatness?

³ Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of a high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. — behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon…. the king of Assyria is compared to a large and flourishing cedar, for the extent of his dominions, the prosperous state of his empire, and his exaltation above all other princes, which drew upon him their envy. Here grew the tallest, most stately, broad and flourishing ones.

⁴ The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field. — the waters made him great…. the waters of the river Tigris, near to which stood the city of Nineveh, the metropolis of the Assyrian monarchy; the traffic brought by which river made it rich and great, and the whole empire, and the king of it.

⁵ Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters when he shot forth.

⁶ All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young; and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. — and under his shadow dwelt all great nations; under his protection, care, and government, many large kingdoms and states were; yea, all were either subject to him, or sought to be his friends and allies: this explains the above figurative expressions;

— the Targum says, “by his army he subdued all the strong towers; and under his governors he subjected all the provinces of the earth; and in the shadow of his kingdom dwelt all the numerous people.”

⁷ Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches, for his root was by great waters.

⁸ The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him; the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like his branches, nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.

⁹ I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches, so that all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God envied him. — so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him; all the kings of the earth, though they dared not openly speak against him, or oppose him; yet they inwardly grieved at and secretly grudged his grandeur and majesty, superior to theirs;

— the Targum says, “I have made him beautiful by the multitude of his mighty ones; and all the kings of the east trembled before him, because of the strength of his power, which he had from the Lord.”

¹⁰ “‘Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height,

¹¹ I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mightiest of the nations. He shall surely deal with him. I have driven him out for his wickedness.

¹² And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off and have left him. Upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow and have left him.

¹³ Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches,

¹⁴ to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height—all that drink water. For they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit. — for they are delivered unto death in the nether parts of the earth; they are mortal by nature, as other men; they are appointed to die, and will be delivered into the hands of death, when the time is come, who will not spare them because of their crowns and sceptres; and when they will be laid in the grave, in the lowest parts of the earth, who used to sit upon elevated thrones of state.

¹⁵ “‘Thus saith the Lord God: In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning. I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed; and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him.

¹⁶ I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. — and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water; the greatest kings and potentates of the world, the chief and principal of the Assyrian empire; all that ruled over multitudes of people, and partook of their wealth and riches, and were supported in grandeur and dignity; who had been in the state of the dead before this time.

¹⁷ They also went down into hell with him unto them that are slain with the sword, and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the nations.

¹⁸ To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth. Thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain by the sword. “‘This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord God.’” — this is Pharaoh, and all his multitude, saith the Lord God; this account represents Pharaoh, his grandeur, his pride, and his ruin; this shows what will be the end of him, and of his numerous subjects. The Septuagint renders it, “so will be Pharaoh” in like manner will he fall, and all his people with him for the Lord God has said it, and it shall assuredly come to pass.

— the Targum says, “to whom art thou like now in glory and greatness among the kings of the east? and thou shall be brought down with the kings of the east into the lower part of the earth; in the midst of sinners thou shalt sleep, with those that are slain by the sword; this is Pharaoh, and all his multitude, saith the Lord God.”

Ezekiel 32

Chapter 32 opens with a lamentation for the Pharaoh of Egypt, giving him a warning of being carried away by Babylon.

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 unto me, saying,

² “Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say unto him, “‘Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas; and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubled the waters with thy feet and fouled their rivers. — thou art like a young lion of the nations; for strength and fierceness, for cruelty and tyranny.

³ “‘Thus saith the Lord God: I will therefore spread out My net over thee with a company of many people; and they shall bring thee up in My net. — the king of Egypt is compared to a large fish taken in a net, and brought to land, and left on it, to be the prey of the fowls of the air and beasts of the field.

⁴ Then will I leave thee upon the land; I will cast thee forth upon the open field and will cause all the fowls of the heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill the beasts of the whole earth with thee.

⁵ And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height.

⁶ I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.

⁷ And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.

⁸ All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God.

⁹ “‘I will also vex the hearts of many people when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known. — and the ruin of that kingdom is further amplified by the casting of it on the mountains and valleys; by the land flowing with its blood; by the darkness of the heavens; by the vexation in the hearts of many people; and by the amazement of kings and nations.

¹⁰ Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee when I shall brandish My sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall.

¹¹ “‘For thus saith the Lord God: The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee;

¹² by the swords of the mighty will I cause thy multitude to fall, the terrible of the nations, all of them. And they shall despoil the pomp of Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed. — “thy multitude” this is not talking of the Pharaoh but its people.

¹³ I will destroy also all the beasts thereof from beside the great waters; neither shall the foot of man trouble them any more, nor the hoofs of beasts trouble them.

¹⁴ Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord God.

¹⁵ When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the Lord.’ — “then shall they know that I am the Lord” indicates they wouldn’t be put an end to, but come to know that God is known for his omnipotence, omniscience, holiness, justice, and by the judgments He executes.

¹⁶ “This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament her. The daughters of the nations shall lament her; they shall lament for her, even for Egypt, and for all her multitude, saith the Lord God.”

— scatter or scattered the Egyptians; found 4 times in Ezekiel 29:12,13; 30:23,26; disperse/d: found 3 times in Ezekiel 29:12, 30:23,26.

¹⁷ It came to pass also in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

¹⁸ “Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt and cast them down, even her and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth with them that go down into the pit. — “wail for the multitude of Egypt and cast them down. . . unto the nether parts of the earth” — the Gypsies, an ethnic group of traditionally itinerant people now living in various parts of central Europe and the Balkans (Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, the Czech and Slovak republics, and Hungary) and Southern France, as well as Turkey;

— but allegedly to have originated from northern India, yet only scanty evidence are given and none seems to be living there today. In fact all evidence point to the fact that they have originated from Egypt, and scattered around various countries (Ezekiel 29:12 “And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and will disperse them through the countries”).

— today, Gypsies are known as Roma, but in Hebrew, their name is derived from the Egyptian city of Zoan, known as “the royal city of the Pharaohs” or Tanis (as the Targum says), at one time the royal and capital of the country; and this is from Wikipedia (Romani people):

Hebrew: צוענים‎, romanized: Tzoanim. Derives either from the biblical Egyptian city of Zoan, or from the linguistic root צ־ע־נ‎, meaning “wander”

The English term Gypsy (or Gipsy) originates from the Middle English gypcian, short for Egipcien.

— and from the French entry:

French: gitan/tsigane, English gypsy, gipsy / dʒɪpsiː/, Irish: giofóg, Spanish/Catalan/Italian gitano, Basque: ijito, Turkish: çingene, all from Greek: Αἰγύπτιος, romanized: Aigýptios “Egyptian” (corrupted form: Γύφτος, Gýftos), and Hungarian: fáraónépe from Greek: φαραώ, romanized: pharaó “pharaoh” – referring to their allegedly Egyptian provenance.

¹⁹ ‘Whom dost thou pass in beauty? Go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.’ — instead of “the nations” it’s the uncircumcised used 10 times with a pejorative connotation in this chapter alone;

— go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised; go down to the grave, and take thy place, and lie there among the wicked and most profligate of mankind, and such as might be most despised by the Egyptians, since they used circumcision.

— the Targum says, “go down and sleep with sinners.”

²⁰ They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword. She is delivered to the sword; draw her and all her multitudes.

²¹ The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: ‘They are gone down; they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’

²² “Assyria is there and all her company; his graves are about him, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, — Ashur is there, and all her company…. in the state of the dead, or in a most desolate and ruinous condition; the great Assyrian monarchy, the kings of it, the princes, nobles, generals, soldiers, and the vast number of subjects in all the dominions of it; all his army.

²³ whose graves are set in the sides of the pit and her company is round about her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living.

²⁴ “There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.

²⁵ They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude. Her graves are round about him, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword. Though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit. He is put in the midst of them that are slain.

²⁶ “There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude. Her graves are round about him, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.

²⁷ And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, who are gone down to hell with their weapons of war; and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.

²⁸ Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword. — the word “sword” is used 16 times, mostly about being slain or fell by the sword in this chapter along, showing much emphasis about how their fate lies.

²⁹ “There is Edom, her kings and all her princes, who with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword. They shall lie with the uncircumcised and with them that go down to the pit.

³⁰ “There are the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who are gone down with the slain. With their terror they are ashamed of their might, and they lie uncircumcised with them that are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.

³¹ “Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord God.

³² For I have caused My terror in the land of the living; and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord God.” — Egypt was described as “the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his river” (Ezekiel 29:3) are now being “are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude.” What a drastic fall!

Under “Romani people” from Wikipedia:

The English term Gypsy (or Gipsy) originates from the Middle English gypcian, short for Egipcien. The Spanish term Gitano and French Gitan have similar etymologies. They are ultimately derived from the Greek Αιγύπτιοι (Aigyptioi), meaning Egyptian, via Latin. This designation owes its existence to the belief, common in the Middle Ages, that the Romani, or some related group (such as the Middle Eastern Dom people), were itinerant Egyptians. This belief appears to be derived from verses in the Biblical Book of Ezekiel (29:6 and 12–13) which refer to the Egyptians being scattered among the nations by an angry God.  In his book The Zincali: an account of the Gypsies of Spain, George Borrow notes that when they first appeared in Germany, it was under the character of Egyptians doing penance for their having refused hospitality to Mary and her son. As described in Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the medieval French referred to the Romanies as Egyptiens.

Posted in Ezekiel

Chapters 29-30 contain a prophecy against the Pharaoh of Egypt and of its destruction and restoration and show how the God of Israel will be manifested to them and to all the rest of the nations.

Ezekiel 29

¹ In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

² “Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. — to prophesy against indicates something bad is to happen.

³ Speak, and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: “‘Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, “My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.” — the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers; the chief river of Egypt was the Nile, which opened in seven mouths or gates into the sea, and out of which canals were made to water the whole land; and which abounding with rivers and watery places, hence the king of it is compared to a great fish, a dragon.

⁴ But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales; and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.

⁵ And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers; thou shalt fall upon the open fields. Thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered. I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.

⁶ And 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. “And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord,” indicates they survive at the end.

⁷ When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break and rend all their shoulder; and when they leaned upon thee, thou brokest and madest all their loins to be at a halt.

⁸ “‘Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.

⁹ And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the Lord, because he hath said, “The river is mine, and I have made it.” — and the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste…. men few or none being left in it, to till it, nor cattle found upon it.

¹⁰ “‘Behold, therefore I am against thee and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.

¹¹ No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years.

¹² And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and will disperse them through the countries. — and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries; such as were not carried captive into Babylon fled into other countries, as Arabia, Ethiopia, Romania, Bulgaria, and other places. Are these scattered Egyptians the Egyptiens, the Egipcien, who later are better known as Gypsies? More evidence and comments in Ezekiel 32.

¹³ “‘Yet thus saith the Lord God: At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered. — yet thus saith the Lord God, at the end of forty years…whither they were scattered. Reckoning from its devastation by Nebuchadnezzar to the taking of Babylon by Cyrus and scattered around various countries.

¹⁴ And I will bring back the captives of Egypt and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation, and they shall be there a base kingdom. — and they shall be there a base kingdom; Egypt throughout all subsequent history has continued to remain a nation of secondary strength and importance: Babylon dominated her; then Persia dominated her; then the Greeks under Alexander the Great were her masters; after them came the Seleucids, and still later the Romans, the Ottomans, the British; the Egyptians never had a strong king of their own to reign over them.

¹⁵ It shall be the least of the kingdoms, neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations; for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. — for I will demolish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations; for though they made war upon other nations yet they did not subdue them, nor annex them, being much weakened both as to men and money.

¹⁶ And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance when they shall look after them; but they shall know that I am the Lord God.’ — Rashi: and it will no longer be: [i.e.] Egypt [will no longer be] a source of confidence for the House of Israel, bringing iniquity into remembrance for them, since the Holy One, blessed be he, said to them (Exod. 14: 13): “You shall no longer continue to see them.” — the house of Israel will no longer see Egypt as a great nation.

“but they shall know that I am the Lord God,” reaffirms they survive at the end.

¹⁷ And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

¹⁸ “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a hard service against Tyre: every head was made bald and every shoulder was peeled; yet had he no wages, nor his army, from Tyre for the service that he had served against it.

¹⁹ Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.

Coffman: Despite the fall of Tyre and its subsequent domination under a high commissioner from Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar received no significant spoil from its capture. Many have suggested that perhaps Tyre had had sufficient time to ship all of their treasures elsewhere.

— Egypt may well have been a cooperating partner with Tyre in such a project, giving credence to suggestion that such actions on Egypt’s part would have been a sufficient “casus belli” to result in Nebuchadnezzar’s immediate declaration of war against Egypt.

²⁰ I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor for which he served against it, because they wrought for Me, saith the Lord God. — and while the Babylonians besieged Tyre, the Egyptians came to Tyre’s aid. Thus God deemed it right for the Babylonians to ravage, plunder and subdue Egypt: they were doing Lord’s will and executing his righteous judgments on these enemies for their offenses.

²¹ “In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

“and they shall know that I am the Lord,” repeated four times (verses 6, 9, 16, 21) reaffirms they survive at the end.

Ezekiel 30

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

² “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: “‘Howl ye, “Woe be the day!”

³ For the day is near; even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the nations. — this is also called the “the time of the Gentile [H1471 gō·w·yim],” but what does it mean?

⁴ And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia when the slain shall fall in Egypt; and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. — great pain shall be upon Ethiopia; great trouble and distress; when the slain shall fall in Egypt.

⁵ Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.

⁶ “‘Thus saith the Lord: They also that uphold Egypt shall fall, and the pride of her power shall come down; from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord God. — thus saith the Lord, they also that uphold Egypt shall fall…. that is, by the sword; either their allies and auxiliaries without, that supported the Egyptians with men and money; or their principal people within, their nobles that supported their state with their estates, their counsellors with their wisdom, their soldiers with their valour and courage.

⁷ And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.

⁸ And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed. — “and they shall know that I am the Lord,” reaffirms they survive at the end.

⁹ “‘In that day shall messengers go forth from Me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt; for lo, it cometh.

¹⁰ “‘Thus saith the Lord God: I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

¹¹ He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land; and they shall draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain. — the terrible of the nations shall be brought to destroy the land; the Chaldeans, the most fierce, cruel, and terrible of all people, and others the most terrible that could be collected out of all nations under the yoke of the king of Babylon; and all of them terrible to the nations against whom they came, as now against Egypt to destroy it; see Habakkuk 1:6.

¹² And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked; and I will make the land waste and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers. I, the Lord, have spoken it.” — and I will make the rivers dry …” we have no historical record of such a drought falling upon the Nile; so if the Lord had spoken it, this could only refer to a time into the future, that is, a prophecy. The forty years of desolation that has been mentioned again and again with reference to God’s judgment upon Egypt would indeed have included such a disaster as the drying up of the Nile. There is also the possibility that the language here may be allegorical or figurative;

— and I will make the rivers dry up; the waters from the Nile shall be wasted and dried up, perhaps none flow from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam; this drying up would be a calamity for Egypt since the country depended entirely upon the Nile for drinking and irrigation (see also Isaiah 19:5 and Zechariah 10:11).

¹³ “‘Thus saith the Lord God: I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt, and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt. — and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt; that is, a native of that country; or that should rule over the whole of it; and in that grandeur the kings of Egypt had before; will be no more

— Egypt was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, under the Babylonians; then the Persians; the Greeks; the Romans; the Saracens and Mamalucks; the Turks; the British so that it never recovered its former glory; and indeed, it never really had a king: “no more a prince of the land of Egypt.”

¹⁴ And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No. — today, Gypsies are known as Roma, but in Hebrew, their name is derived from the Egyptian city of Zoan; and this is from Wikipedia (Romani people);

Hebrew: צוענים‎, romanized: Tzoanim. Derives either from the biblical Egyptian city of Zoan, or from the linguistic root צ־ע־נ‎, meaning “wander”.

— for more, see a study commentary in Ezekiel 32.

¹⁵ And I will pour My fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt, and I will cut off the multitude of No.

¹⁶ And I will set fire in Egypt; Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily.

¹⁷ The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword; and these cities shall go into captivity.

¹⁸ At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt, and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her. As for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.

¹⁹ Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt; and they shall know that I am the Lord.’” — “and they shall know that I am the Lord,” repeated four times (verses 8, 19, 25, 26) reaffirms they survive at the end.

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 unto me, saying,

²¹ “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put on a bandage to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.

²² Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.

²³ And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and will disperse them through the countries.

²⁴ And 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 shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.

²⁵ But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down. And they shall know that I am the Lord when I shall put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt. — “And they shall know that I am the Lord,” affirms they will survive, despite being dispersed through the nations.

²⁶ And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

— “and they shall know that I am the Lord,” reaffirms their survival at the end, by then knowing that the God of Israel is both omniscient and omnipotent.

Posted in Ezekiel

Chapter 27 and 28 continue with the same prophecy and lamentation against Tyre that started in Chapter 26. Why three chapters? Something must be rather significant. Whereas Chapter 26 centers on Tyre, chapter 27 branches out to surrounding territories and many trading outposts. And chapter 28 goes beyond the temporal.

Ezekiel 27

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

² “Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre, — take up a lamentation for Tyre; this alludes to the mournful lamentations as practiced at funerals.

³ and say unto Tyre, ‘O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, who art a merchant of the people for many isles, thus saith the Lord God: “‘O Tyre, thou hast said, “I am of perfect beauty.” — which art a merchant of the people for many isles; the inhabitants of many isles brought the produce of them to her; who took them off their hands, or sold them for them to others; these came from several quarters to trade with her in her markets; and who supplied other isles and countries with all sorts of commodities, for which they either resorted to her, or she sent by ships unto them.

⁴ Thy borders are in the midst of the seas; thy builders have perfected thy beauty. — thy borders are in the midst of the seas, fixed by the Lord himself, and which could never be removed. Tyre stood about half a mile from the continent, surrounded with the waters of the sea, till it was made a peninsula by Alexander;

— thy builders have perfected thy beauty. The Sidonians were the first builders of the city.

⁵ They have made all thy ship boards of fir trees of Senir; they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee. — they have taken cedars from Lebanon, to make masts for thee; large poles for the yards and sails to be fastened to, for receiving the wind necessary in navigation; all these are only in large vessels; most were made from the cedars of Lebanon; the Tyrians are said to be the first inventors of navigation.

⁶ Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Cyprus.

⁷ Fine linen with embroidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee.

⁸ The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were thy mariners; thy wise men, O Tyre, that were in thee, were thy pilots.

⁹ The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy caulkers; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to trade for thy merchandise. — all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise; ships from all parts were in her harbours, which brought goods into her, and carried goods out of her, by way of merchandise.

— so the Targum, “all that go down into the sea, and the ships; they were rowers, and they brought merchandise into the midst of thee.”

¹⁰ “‘They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war. They hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness.

¹¹ The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers. They hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect.

¹² “‘Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs.

¹³ Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants; they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market. — these are Japhet’s sons as documented in Genesis 10:2; so Tyre was even trading with people from east Asia.

¹⁴ Those of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and and mules — is listed in Genesis 10:3 as the third son of Gomer, and grandson of Japheth, brother of Ashkenaz and Riphath.

— the name is again mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel as a nation from the “far north.” Ezekiel 38:6 mentions Togarmah together with Tubal as supplying soldiers to the army of Gog. Ezekiel 27:14 mentions Togarmah together with Tubal, Javan and Meshech as supplying horses to the Tyrians.

¹⁵ The men of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand; they brought thee for a present horns of ivory and — Dedan (now part of Al-‘Ula, Saudi Arabia) was an oasis and city-state of north-western Arabia.

¹⁶ Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making; they traded in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and embroidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate.

¹⁷ Judah and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants; they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm.

¹⁸ Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches, in the wine of Helbon and white wool.

¹⁹ Dan also and Javan, going to and fro, traded in thy fairs; bright iron, cassia, and calamus were in thy market.

²⁰ Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots.

²¹ Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they traded with thee in lambs and rams and goats; in these were they thy merchants.

²² The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants; they traded in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold. — according to Josephus Sheba was also the home of the biblical “Princess Tharbis” said to have been the first wife of Moses when he was still Prince of Egypt.

Raamah or Rama is a name found in the Bible (Hebrew: רעמה, Ra‛mâh), means “lofty” or “exalted” and also may mean “thunder”. The name is first mentioned as the fourth son of Cush, who is the son of Ham, who is the son of Noah in Genesis 10:7.

²³ Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad were thy merchants.

²⁴ These were thy merchants in all sorts of things—in blue clothes, and embroidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords and made of cedar, among thy merchandise.

²⁵ The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market, and thou wast replenished and made very glorious in the midst of the seas. — even the ships of Tarshish sung or spake great things of Tyre’s riches, like sing praises.

²⁶ Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters; the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.

²⁷ Thy riches and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy caulkers, and the traders of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin. — thy riches and all thy company, shall fall into the midst of the seas; shall be as utterly ruined and destroyed as if they were sunk in the sea by a shipwreck.

²⁸ The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots.

²⁹ And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea shall come down from their ships; they shall stand upon the land,

³⁰ and shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly and shall cast up dust upon their heads; they shall wallow themselves in the ashes.

³¹ And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird themselves with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.

³² And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee and lament over thee, saying, “What city is like Tyre, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?”

³³ When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filled many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.

³⁴ In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall.

³⁵ All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid; they shall be troubled in their countenance.

³⁶ The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more.’”” — the merchants of the peoples hiss at thee …” how fickle are the people of mankind! Tyre was then the most popular nation on earth; but the very merchants who were delighted to be “her traffickers” are here revealed as “hissing at their former leader.”

— “They totally disowned her; they hissed at her in a derogatory manner, perhaps thinking thereby to gain favor with the Babylonians.

— and never shalt be any more — historically Tyre was still an important city centuries later during the times of Alexander the Great, so this must be for the endtime; and is this a prophecy against Tyre that has no promise of restoration? Seems so as the end of chapter 26 says the same thing that Tyre “shalt be no more.”

Other concluding versions for Tyre:

— from now on you are nothing;

— and you will never exist again;

— and you are gone forever;

— for you are gone, never to return.

Ezekiel 28

Chapter 28 is still a prophecy of the destruction and a lamentation of Tyre, starting as the “prince of Tyre,” but ends up as the “king of Tyre.”

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

² “Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: “‘Because thine heart is lifted up and thou hast said, “I am a god, I sit in the seat of God in the midst of the seas,” yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God. — because thy heart is lifted up In pride and self-conceit; and thou hast said: Namely, in thy heart; I am a god I am like a god. I sit in the seat of God Inaccessible by mortals.

³ Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee. — the Septuagint render it by way of interrogation, “art thou not wiser than Daniel?

— it is just like Nebuchadnezzar’s pride but under God who said of him Daniel 4:30-31. Yet thou art man, and not God 

⁴ With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasuries. — with thy wisdom and with thy understanding thou hast gotten thee riches…. through skill in navigation and trade, for which the Tyrians and their princes were famous, they acquired great wealth: by carnal policy has amassed vast treasures through the sale of pardons and indulgences has brought immense riches into the pope’s coffers, and the paying of three tithes among the CoG Communities when temple services had been abolished long ago.

⁵ By thy great wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches. — and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches; which are apt to puff up and swell with a vain opinion of themselves, and to make haughty, insolent, and scornful, in their behaviour to others; the whore of Rome is represented as proud, vain, and haughty, Revelation 18:7.

⁶ “‘Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God, — because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; seeking thine own glory; setting up thyself above all others; assuming that to thyself which belongs to God; and making thyself equal to him, or showing thyself as if thou wast God.

⁷ behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. — “strangers” refugees — Afghans, Syrians, Iraqis, Palestinians, Sudanese, Moroccans, Algerians, Mexicans, Haitians; are coming;

— “the terrible of the nations”; the most heinous and depraved of the nations: al-Qaeda, ISIS and their affiliates; “and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom”;

— their beautiful city and spacious buildings, the palaces of their king and nobles, their walls and towers erected and warriors so well skilled in military affairs.

⁸ They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. — “and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas”; that die in a sea battles, whose carcasses are thrown overboard, and devoured by fishes.

⁹ Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, “I am God”? But thou shalt be a man, and no god in the hand of him that slayeth thee.

¹⁰ Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.’” — thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised…. or the death of the wicked.

¹¹ Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, — here is a new scene, a change of scene.

¹² “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say unto him, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: “‘Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. — take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus…. who is before called the prince of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:2); and who he was. Note a subtle change of scene, from, “the prince” to here, “the king.”

¹³ Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering: the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold; the workmanship of thy taborets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. — now this prophecy of Tyre has again moved beyond the temporal, for none in the modern days has been to the Garden of Eden.

¹⁴ Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth, and I have set thee so; thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

¹⁵ Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. — this being, the adversary, was created; till iniquity was found in thee; pride, blasphemy against God, and contempt of his people, as well as violence and deceit;

— all this was found in “the king of Tyre.”

¹⁶ By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned; therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. — and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire; from among the creation (people, angels) of God.

¹⁷ Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness. I will cast thee to the ground; I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. — thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty…. riches, wealth, power and authority.

— thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness; outward lustre and glory, which dazzled his eyes.

¹⁸ Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic. Therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee; it shall devour thee; and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. — and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth, in the sight of all them that behold thee; the kings and merchants of the earth, who shall stand and look on the city as it is burning, and when reduced to ashes; which denotes the utter destruction of it, Revelation 18:9.

The Targum is, “I will give thee as ashes on the earth,’ and shall be no more.

¹⁹ All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.’” — and never shalt thou be any more; similar to Ammon, this prophecy against the king of Tyre has no promise of restoration.

²⁰ Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

²¹ “Son of man, set thy face against Sidon, and prophesy against it — Sidon is a city in Lebanon, but further north of Tyre.

²² and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: “‘Behold, I am against thee, O Sidon, and I will be glorified in the midst of thee; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have executed judgments in her and shall be sanctified in her.

²³ For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the Lord. — “and they shall know that I am the Lord” repeated four times (verses 22, 23, 24, 26) — Sidon survives, unlike Tyre, which perished and be remembered no more: Ezekiel 26:21.

²⁴ And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all who are round about them, who despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord God.

²⁵ “‘Thus saith the Lord God: When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to My servant Jacob.

²⁶ And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the Lord their God.’” — and they shall know that I am the Lord their God; Sidon survives, after they could see the hand of God in it, acknowledge his justice, and confess that their gods were idols, and that the God of Israel is the only true God.

Posted in Ezekiel

Chapter 25 continues with the same prophecy against the Ammonites which started in Chapter 21. Just a recap: We might speculate why the Ammonites were singled out here for this special oracle; but it might have pertained to the share they had in the murder of Gedaliah, by the hand of Ishmael and the Ammonites gave these killers refuge.

Second, in historic time, when Nebuchadnezzar took his route to Jerusalem, and destroyed the city, returned to Babylon, he went about without making any attempt upon the Ammonites; which so flushed the Ammonites that they insulted the Jews and laughed at their destruction, as if their God couldn’t save them.

And perhaps thirdly, the Ammonites are modern Jordan, sitting on land allocated to three of the tribes of Israel, and they are taking their ancestral land back, land that could even stretch to the Euphrates River.

Ezekiel 25

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

² “Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them;

³ and say unto the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the Lord God. Thus saith the Lord God: Because thou saidst, “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, — Gill: and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity; the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who were carried captives by Nebuchadnezzar;

— under Jehoiakim (succeeded Jehoahaz, who replaced Josiah but reigned only 3 months); began giving tribute to Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC; first deportation, purportedly including Daniel;

— another captives under Jeconiah, (Reign: 598 – 597 BC);

— and the rest would be under Zedekiah (Reign 597–586 BC); which completed the destruction of Israel and Judah;

— and gave the utmost pleasure to their enemies the Ammonites; who were so impious as to rejoice at the destruction of God’s temple: “’Aha,’ against My sanctuary” which they abhorred; this brutish and barbarous behaviour of theirs is resented by the Lord.

⁴ behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the East as a possession; and they shall set their palaces in thee and make their dwellings in thee. They shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk. — the men of the east for a possession…. the Chaldeans, the Medes and Persians, they lay eastward of Jerusalem; and/or it may be the Arabians, who are often called the men of the east.

⁵ And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels and Ammon a couching place for flocks; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. — Rabbah is the capital of Ammon;

— and I will make Rabbath a stable for camels…. creatures much used by the eastern nations, especially the Arabians; who pitching their tents about Rabbath, the royal city,

⁶ For thus saith the Lord God: Because thou hast clapped thine hands and stamped with the feet and rejoiced in heart with all thy contemptuous hate against the land of Israel, — because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with thy feet: gestures expressive of joy and gladness;

— the Ammonites clapped their hands together, and leaped and skipped for joy, when they heard of the calamities of the Jews; who yet had more reason to be sorrowful, since they might expect their turn would be next; for the king of Babylon had a design against them, at the same time he came against Jerusalem, and was in doubt for a while which he should attack first; see Ezekiel 21:20.

⁷ behold, therefore I will stretch out Mine hand upon thee and will deliver thee as spoil to the nations; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries. I will destroy thee, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.’ — and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries; so as to be no more a people and a country; or be reckoned among the people and countries; or have any alliance with them, or help from them.

⁸ “Thus saith the Lord God: ‘Because Moab and Seir do say, “Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen,” — the Moabites are first prophesied of, and then the Edomites who both joined in saying, behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathens;

— it fares no better with them than with the rest of the nations, who do not profess and serve the same God they do; they are fallen into the hands of the king of Babylon;

— and yet are brought into the same miserable circumstances, and left in them, as others are; where is their God they boast of, and their superior excellence to the rest of the world?

— thus blasphemously, as well as wickedly, did they insult them, which was provoking to the Lord.

— the Targum renders it interrogatively, “in what do the house of Judah differ from all people?”

— the Septuagint, “behold, are not the house of Israel and Judah in like manner as all nations?”

⁹ therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country — Bethjeshimoth, Baalmeon, and Kiriathaim—

¹⁰ unto the men of the East with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. — this prophecy against Ammon and the Ammonites has no promise of restoration; for the Lord have spoken it.

¹¹ And I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the Lord.’ — and Moab, too, would suffer the same fate, no, not quite, as “and they shall know that I am the Lord,” indicates they will survive and come to acknowledge God.

¹² “Thus saith the Lord God: ‘Because Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended and revenged himself upon them, — because Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance: the Edomites bore an old grudge against the Jews, not only because their father Jacob had got the birthright and blessing from their father Esau; but because they were made tributaries to them in David’s time, and afterwards severely chastised by Amaziah; these things they laid up in their minds, and vowed revenge whenever they had an opportunity; and now one offered at the destruction of Jerusalem, which they took;

— Edom dwelt to the South of the house of Israel in ancient history; the book of Obadiah incorporates the prophecy of Edom in more details; but briefly here, it’s Spain and the Latinos, who live South of the children of Israel today.

¹³ therefore thus saith the Lord God: I will also stretch out Mine hand upon Edom and will cut off man and beast from it, and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.

— One other theory is that the Ottoman Turks (or today’s Turkey) are the sons of Teman. Perhaps they could be another branch.

¹⁴ And I will lay My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to Mine anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance, saith the Lord God.’

¹⁵ “Thus saith the Lord God: ‘Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge and have taken vengeance with a scornful heart to destroy it for the old hatred,

¹⁶ therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will stretch out Mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast.

¹⁷ And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay My vengeance upon them.’” — “and they shall know that I am the Lord,” indicates they will survive and come to acknowledge God; “when I shall lay my vengeance upon them”

— they will see the hand of God in it, acknowledge his justice, and confess that their gods were idols, and that the God of Israel is the only true God.

Ezekiel 26

Coffman: Tyre, and its sister city Sidon, both in Lebanon, were pagan to the center of their existence. It was Jezebel, the daughter of Eth-Baal, king of the Sidonians, who brought the whole pagan institution into Israel in the days of Ahab, precipitating the contest with Elijah on Mount Carmel.

Incidentally, that development demonstrated the godless influence of Israel’s apostate kings and their foreign wives. Jezebel was the wife of Ahab.

¹ And it came to pass in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

² “Son of man, because Tyre hath said against Jerusalem, ‘Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people; she is turned unto me; I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste,’ — Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, aha…. as rejoicing at her destruction, and insulting over her in it; which was barbarous and inhuman, and resented by the Lord.

³ therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. — and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up; the Chaldean army, consisting of soldiers of many nations; who for their number, noise, and fury, are compared to the raging waves of the sea;

— so the Targum says, “I will bring up against thee an army of many people, as the sea ascendeth in the raging of its waves.”

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. — Tyre, at that time the most famous city for trade and commerce in the world; and make her like the top of a rock means Tyre will be made barren.

⁵ It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God; and it shall become a spoil to the nations.

⁶ And her daughters who are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the Lord. — and they shall know that I am the Lord: and when they shall see all these things exactly accomplished, that the omniscient God could foretell events and come to their senses, thus they survive rather having their names remember no more.

⁷ “For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will bring upon Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings from the north, with horses and with chariots and with horsemen and companies, and many people.

⁸ He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field; and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a siege mound against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee.

⁹ And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers.

¹⁰ By reason of the abundance of his horses, their dust shall cover thee. Thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen and of the wheels and of the chariots when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach.

¹¹ With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets. He shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground. — Josephus wrote: “that Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre thirteen years,” before the fruits fell onto the ground. Tyre had a large fleet and were very rich with merchandise.

¹² And they shall make a spoil of thy riches and make a prey of thy merchandise; and they shall break down thy walls and destroy thy pleasant houses; and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water. — and they shall make a spoil of thy riches…. the Chaldean army, when they entered the city, and got possession of it, would plunder it, and divide the riches of it among them.

¹³ And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease, and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.

¹⁴ And I will make thee like the top of a rock; thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon. Thou shalt be built no more; for I the Lord have spoken it, saith the Lord God.

¹⁵ “Thus saith the Lord God to Tyre: Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?

¹⁶ Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes and put off their embroidered garments. They shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment and be astonished at thee.

¹⁷ And they shall take up a lamentation for thee and say to thee: “‘How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited by seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, who cause their terror to be on all that haunt it!

¹⁸ Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure.’ — Benson: shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall? all those that dwell upon the sea-coast near thee shall be thrown into a consternation at the news of thy being taken and destroyed;

— All the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones All the princes and rich merchants (or the merchants who are as princes, as Isaiah speaks) of Zidon, Carthage, and other maritime cities that maintained a trade with Tyre, and got great wealth by that means, shall express a deep grief and concern for the fall of it;

— They shall clothe themselves with trembling With fear productive of trembling; or, they shall be afraid on every side, and full of fear and trembling;

— And they shall take up a lamentation for thee Shall bitterly bewail thy fall.

¹⁹ “For thus saith the Lord God: When I shall make thee a desolate city like the cities that are not inhabited, when I shall bring up the deep upon thee and great waters shall cover thee,

²⁰ when I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit with the people of olden times, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited, and I shall set glory in the land of the living”

²¹ I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more. Though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord God.” — Oops, it seems here that Tyre “shalt be no more,” contrary to what verse 6 says. Perhaps verse 6 was meant for the time of Nebuchadnezzar, but here it’s the endtime? Any other possibilities?

Posted in Ezekiel

Chapter 23 exposes the idolatries of Israel, or the ten tribes, under the name of Aholah, which they committed with the Assyrians, of whom they had learned them, are exposed, and their punishment for them is declared, then the idolatries of Judah, or the two tribes, under the name of Aholibah, are represented as greater than those of the ten tribes.

Ezekiel 23

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

² “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother,

³ and they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth. There were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity. — “they played the harlot in Egypt …”; the proof of this is their apostasy with their reverence and worship of the Golden Calf which started in Egypt.

⁴ And the names of them were Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister; and they were Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. Thus were their names: Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem, Oholibah. — in allegory, Samaria is Israel or the ten tribes, under the name of Aholah, which they committed with the Assyrians, and their punishment for them is declared; and Aholibah represents the idolatries of Judah or the two tribes.

⁵ “And Oholah played the harlot when she was Mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,

⁶ who were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.

⁷ Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria and with all on whom she doted. With all their idols she defiled herself.

⁸ Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt; for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity and poured their whoredom upon her.

⁹ Therefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.

¹⁰ These uncovered her nakedness. They took her sons and her daughters and slew her with the sword; and she became notorious among women, for they had executed judgment upon her. — for they had executed judgment upon her; that is, the Assyrians, who were the instruments in God’s hand in doing justice and inflicting judgments on her. God is the true executor in their Assyrian captivity, same as in 70 AD during the Jerusalem inferno.

¹¹ “And when her sister Oholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her — and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms; guilty of more idolatries than the ten tribes, as in the times of Manasseh.

¹² She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbors, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men.

¹³ Then I saw that she was defiled, that they both took one way,

¹⁴ and that she increased her whoredoms. For when she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

¹⁵ girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, in the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity—

¹⁶ and as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.

¹⁷ And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.

¹⁸ So she uncovered her whoredoms and uncovered her nakedness. Then My mind was alienated from her, as My mind was alienated from her sister.

¹⁹ Yet she multiplied her whoredoms in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.

²⁰ For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

²¹ Thus thou called to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth.”

²² “Therefore, O Oholibah, thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side:

²³ the Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.

²⁴ And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, who shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about; and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments. — and I will set judgment before them, and they (your enemies) shall judge thee according to their judgments;

— that is, I will deliver you into their hands, and they shall judge and condemn you; not according to my laws and yours, but according to their own laws, according to the customs and usages among them, according to the law of nations;

— they shall deal with you as rebels and covenant breakers, such Zedekiah was: he broke the covenant with the king of Babylon, and rebelled against him: and this was fulfilled when he fell into his hands, and when he slew his children before his face, and then put out his eyes.

²⁵ And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire. — Gill: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword; as gallants use their harlots when they leave them, or jealous husbands their adulterous wives, disfiguring them, that they may be marked and known what they are, and be despised by others;

— as has been the custom in some countries, particularly with the Egyptians, to cut off the noses of adulterous persons; here it is to be understood figuratively: by the “nose”, is meant the king, who is higher than his people, as the nose is the highest part in a man’s face;

— and by the “ears” the priest, who caused a noise to be heard when he entered into the temple with his bells; or rather because it was the priest’s office to attend to the word of God, and teach it the people; in general, these denote everything that was excellent among the Jews, their city, temple, king, kingdom, princes, priests, and prophets, which should be demolished and removed;

— and by the remnant is meant the common people, that should come into the hands of the Chaldeans, and fall by their sword.

— so the Targum paraphrases it, “thy princes and thy nobles shall go into captivity, and thy people shall be killed with the sword:” they shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire; take and carry their sons and daughters captive, and burn with fire the city left by them.

— that is, the city of Jerusalem, the temple, the king’s palaces, the houses of the great men, and others in it, which were all burnt with fire when taken by the Chaldeans, Jeremiah 52:13;

— and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire; so would all be consumed? No remnant at all? (more details at the end of this chapter).

²⁶ They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes and take away thy fair jewels.

²⁷ Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee and thy whoredom brought from the land of Egypt, so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more.

²⁸ For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand of those whom thou hatest, into the hand of those from whom thy mind is alienated, — for thus saith the Lord God, I will deliver thee into the hand of them whom thou hatest…. historically the the Chaldeans and Babylonians, before loved by her, and doted upon, but now hated and rebelled against;

— but who are those enemies of the future? where they are to fall into similar hands; and this the Lord threatens to bring upon them for their sins; and he having said it, it might be performed; and it is to be repeated in the endtime.

²⁹ And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy labor and shall leave thee naked and bare; and the nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be uncovered, both thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.

³⁰ I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the nations, and because thou art polluted with their idols.

³¹ Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thine hand.

³² “Thus saith the Lord God: “Thou shalt drink of thy sister’s cup deep and large; thou shalt be laughed to scorn and held in derision; it containeth much.

³³ Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of dismay and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.

³⁴ Thou shalt even drink it and suck it out, and thou shalt break the shards thereof, and pluck off thine own breasts. For I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.

³⁵ “Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because thou hast forgotten Me and cast Me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.”

³⁶ The Lord said moreover unto me: “Son of man, wilt thou judge Oholah and Oholibah? Yea, declare unto them their abominations,

³⁷ that they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; and with their idols have they committed adultery and have also caused their sons, whom they bore unto Me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them.

³⁸ Moreover this they have done unto Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and have profaned My Sabbaths. — notice the plural, Sabbaths; and instead of observing the Sabbaths, they observe by following the sun-worshipping Samaritans, where they observe the SUN; on SUNday; facing the East; their backs against the Temple;

³⁹ For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into My sanctuary to profane it; and lo, thus have they done in the midst of Mine house.

And He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’S house, and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east. Ezekiel 8:16

Others, the Church of God Communities would always have their “wavesheaf offering” and Pentecost on a SUNday, Whitsundays.

⁴⁰ And furthermore, ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and lo, they came, for whom thou didst wash thyself, painted thy eyes, and decked thyself with ornaments, — Gill: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments; just as harlots do to make themselves agreeable to their lovers;

— who use washes and paint, as Jezebel did, and dress themselves in their best clothes, and adorn themselves in the best manner they can. Harlots had their particular attire, by which they were known, Proverbs 7:10. 

⁴¹ and sattest upon a stately bed, and a table prepared before it, whereupon thou hast set Mine incense and Mine oil.

⁴² And a voice of a multitude being at ease was with her; and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans from the wilderness, who put bracelets upon their hands and beautiful crowns upon their heads.

⁴³ “Then said I unto her that was old in adulteries: ‘Will they now commit whoredoms with her, and she with them?’

⁴⁴ Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto a woman that playeth the harlot; so went they in unto Oholah and unto Oholibah, the lewd women.

⁴⁵ And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses and after the manner of women that shed blood, because they are adulteresses and blood is in their hands.

⁴⁶ “For thus saith the Lord God: I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and despoiled.

⁴⁷ And the company shall stone them with stones and dispatch them with their swords. They shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire. — they shall slay their sons and their daughters; when they broke into the city, and took it; or when they found them making their escape, and hiding themselves in secret places;

— and burn up their houses with fire; as they did; the temple, the king’s palace, the houses of noblemen, and all the houses in Jerusalem; see Jeremiah 52:13.

⁴⁸ Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of the land, that all women may be taught not to do according to your lewdness.

⁴⁹ And they shall recompense your lewdness upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols; and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.”

~~~

More on verse 25. Since Ezekiel’s message is for the endtime and meant for the house of Israel, which is the United States and its European allies and “thy remnant shall fall by the sword.” — if those remnant are put to the sword, then no more will be left, reaffirming there is no place of safety for those hopeful to have one.

But wait, this apparently contradicts Ezekiel 23:25, where “I will leave a few men of them from the sword . . . that they may declare all their abominations among the nations.“

Or, after testifying all their abominations to the nations, then they are put down by the sword? A remnant of martyrs?

Your thoughts for this apparent contraction, please; thanks. Or indeed a remnant of martyrs is on its way?

Ezekiel 24

This chapter of destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem is prophesied here; but as said before, it is meant for the house of Israel at the endtime. By the sign of flesh boiling in a pot are shown the miseries that would come; and by the sign of Ezekiel’s being forbidden to mourn for the sudden death of his wife is that the calamities coming on the captives would be so astonishing as to exceed all expressions of sorrow.

¹ Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

² “Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: The king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day. — although this parable is set “against Jerusalem,” this message is meant for the house of Israel which is the United States and its European allies.

³ And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it.

⁴ Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece — the thigh and the shoulder. Fill it with the choice bones.

⁵ Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it; and make it boil well, and let them boil the bones of it therein. — Coffman: analogies clearly visible in this parable: the cauldron is the city; the flesh in it is the people; the immense fire under it is the fire of war; the setting of the cauldron on the fire is the beginning of the siege;

— the rust in the pot (introduced later) is the inherent wickedness of the people; the “choice bones (Ezekiel 24:4)” are the bones with meat attached to them; their being “choice” bones indicates that the nobility and the landed gentry will also be ruined by the war; the “bones under the caudron (Ezekiel 24:5)” are the large bones used, along with the logs for fuel;

— the removal of the flesh from the cauldron indicates the destruction of the whole city, rich and poor alike, high and low, indiscriminately, whether by sword, by pestilence, by famine, or by deportation;

— the emptying of the cauldron indicated the removal of Jerusalem’s population; the cauldron’s still being rusted indicated Jerusalem’s worthlessness, at that time, as regarded God’s eternal purpose, entailing, of course, the necessity for its complete destruction;

— the severe burning of the cauldron in intense fire after it was emptied speaks of the burning and destruction of the city itself and the Temple of God.

⁶ “‘Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein and whose scum is not gone out of it! Bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it. — scum is extraneous matter or impurities risen to or formed on the surface of a liquid often as a foul filmy covering.

— Gill: to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it; when a pot boils, a scum arises, and appears upon the top of the water, which the cook usually takes off:

— this denotes the filthiness and wickedness of the people, which would work up and be seen by the judgments of God upon them; yet should not be removed, but continue on them, unrepented of, and unpardoned. It signifies that they would remain hardened in their sins;

— and that the judgments of God would have no effect upon them to bring them to repentance; and that God would have no mercy on them, or pardon their sins.

⁷ For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust. — she set it upon the top of a rock; where it could not soak in, as when spilled upon soft earth: this denotes her openness and impudence in shedding blood, as not being ashamed of it, or afraid of punishment for it,

— but as rather glorying in it; perhaps there may be some allusion to the tops of hills and mountains, where idolatry was committed, attended with shedding human blood:

— she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust; she did not take any methods to hide her sin; having no sense of the heinousness of it, nor any consciousness of guilt, or any remorse or repentance; respect is had to a law which obliged to cover blood shed with dust, Leviticus 17:13;

— the Targum of the whole is, “because innocent blood which is shed in the midst of her; with pride and with a high arm she shed it; she shed it not through ignorance, that she might repent of it.”

⁸ That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance, I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.

⁹ “‘Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.

¹⁰ Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.

¹¹ Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.

¹² She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her; her scum shall be in the fire.

¹³ In thy filthiness is lewdness. Because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused My fury to rest upon thee.

¹⁴ I, the Lord, have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it. I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent. According to thy ways and according to thy doings shall they judge thee, saith the Lord God.’”

¹⁵ Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

¹⁶ “Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke; yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. — I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke; meaning his wife; who very probably was of a beautiful countenance;

— this lovely object of his affection the Lord signifies he would take away from him by death unto himself; that is, suddenly and at once;

— and so the Syriac and Arabic versions render it, “with a sudden stroke”; as sometimes persons are struck with death at once with an apoplexy or palsy;

— the Targum renders it, with the pestilence; it was what the Jews call death by the hand of heaven, by the immediate hand of God; and, it may be, without any intervening disease; or, however, without any train of disorders which lead on to death.

¹⁷ Forbear to cry. Make no mourning for the dead. Bind the attire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.”

¹⁸ So I spoke unto the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded. — and at even my wife died; suddenly, as it was said she should; this shows who is meant by the desire of his eyes, and what by the taking it away;

— and I did in the morning as I was commanded; neither moaned, nor sighed, nor wept, nor shed a tear, nor used any of the common ceremonies of mourning, but dressed and ate as at other times, as he was ordered to do; this was the next morning after his wife died.

¹⁹ And the people said unto me, “Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?”

²⁰ Then I answered them, “The word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

²¹ Speak unto the house of Israel, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. — thus saith the Lord of hosts, behold, I will profane my sanctuary; the temple, built for him, and where he dwelt, and was worshipped; where duties performed and holy sacrifices offered up formerly;

— this he says he would profane, that is, would bring the Chaldeans against Jerusalem, who should take and enter the temple, and so profane it, and make it common, yea, utterly destroy it;

— but how would this parallel in the future? New York city? London? Paris?

²² And ye shall do as I have done: Ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.

²³ And your attires shall be upon your heads and your shoes upon your feet. Ye shall not mourn nor weep, but ye shall pine away [meaning: to become thin and weak because of sadness or loss] for your iniquities and mourn one toward another.

²⁴ Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do. And when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God.’

²⁵ “Also, thou son of man, shall it not be on the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,

²⁶ that he that escapeth on that day shall come unto thee to cause thee to hear it with thine ears? — Rashi: on that day, it is impossible for the fugitive to come on the day of the destruction. Therefore this is the meaning: On that day that the fugitive will come to you to let you hear [of the destruction] with your own ears, on that day, your mouth will be opened;

— to let you hear with your own ears: to announce the news that the city has been struck.

²⁷ On that day shall thy mouth be opened to him who has escaped, and thou shalt speak and be no more dumb. And thou shalt be a sign unto them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.” — Peake: Ezekiel 3:22:  A Period of Silence — the Divine voice seems to decree for Ezekiel a period of temporary silence and inactivity. Perhaps Ezekiel 3:25 should read, “ I will lay bands on thee and bind thee”: at any rate, he is restrained in some way, whether, as some suppose, by some physical disability (e.g. catalepsy) or merely by the angry incredulity of his hearers, from proclaiming his message in public. He does not open his mouth, except in his own house to those who consult him privately (cf. Ezekiel 8:1), until his message is confirmed by the fall of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 33:21).

— Benson: In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him that is escaped; this implied, that the prophet was to prophesy no more about the affairs of Jerusalem and Judah till after the destruction of the city and temple; when the fulfilling of this part of his predictions, so contrary to the expectations of those who despised his prophecies, would give him more credit with them, and make them pay a higher regard to what other things he should prophesy of. According to this we find, that the spirit of prophecy, in regard to the affairs of Judea, did not come on him again till the news of the taking of Jerusalem was brought to him. See Ezekiel 3:21-27;

— Kretzmann: and I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, before the very eyes of the rebellious people, that thou shalt be dumb and shalt not be to them a reprover [someone who finds fault or imputes blame], lest the words of his reproof might win the self-hardened sinners back; for they are a rebellious house, confirming themselves in their apostasy and obstinacy;

— v 27: But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, in revealing the judgment of God upon his countrymen, 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, and therefore would have only themselves to blame for the calamity which would surely strike them.

— every watchman in the midst of his congregation has a tremendous responsibility resting upon him, both in calling sinners to repentance and in warning believers against the ways of unrighteousness. One negligent in this duty is a murderer of fellow human beings.

Posted in Ezekiel

Earlier, we have established that although Ezekiel has his face set toward Jerusalem, this prophecy is meant for the house of Israel at the endtime “for many years to come” (Ezekiel 12:27). Here, he is re-emphasizing the “Sword.” in fact, the word “Sword” occurs fourteen times in this chapter alone, being repeated over and over again, doubled and thrice for its significance. And remember, this prophecy is meant for the house of Israel which is primarily the United States of America, and secondarily its European allies. . .

Ezekiel 21

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

² “Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel; — “against the land of Israel”; this message for the house of Israel is meant for the United States and its European allies.

³ and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth My sword out of his sheath and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. — and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath; a similar situation occurred to ancient Judah when the Chaldean army rushed out of Babylon into Judea and made the inhabitants captives. Poor thing, the righteous will also be “cut off” among the wicked; there is no place of safety that many among the endtime pretentious are hoping for.

⁴ Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall My sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north, — his sheath against all flesh from the South to the North; oh, okay, this might give us a clue what “toward the South” and “kindle a fire in thee. . . from the South” are meant at the end of the preceding chapter.

— this Sword will come from the South! This is serious! It’s not just unwanted immigrants, these are warriors, conquering warriors set to slaughter!! For those in Europe, they might come from the whole of Africa; and for the United States, they might come from the whole South, all the Latinos of South America! And “against all flesh;”

— (and flaming flame in chapter 20:47) but in this chapter a subtle change: “My Sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the South to the North.”

— all will die? Okay I might be taken away and over the top, but then again, why so much emphasis of the Sword in this chapter?

— Jonathan renders: Spain (Rashi quoting the Targum: Sepharad shall inherit the cities of the Southland as Spain); the Targums identified Sepharad with Spain, hence, Spanish Jews are called Sephardim;

— Wikipedia: Sepharad (/sɛfəræd/or səˈfɛərəd/ Hebrew: סְפָרַד Sp̄āraḏ; also Sefarad, Sephared, Sfard) is the Hebrew name for Spain. A place called Sepharad, probably referring to Sardis in Lydia (‘Sfard’ in Lydian), in the Book of Obadiah (Obadiah 1:20, 6th century BC) of the Hebrew Bible. The name was later applied to Spain.

⁵ that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn forth My sword out of his sheath. It shall not return any more.’ — see, more about the Sword! it shall not return any more; that is, into its sheath, until it has done all its work; meaning that the invading army should not return to their own land until they had executed the whole will of God upon the endtime house of Israel; this is the fire that should not be quenched.

— one Report by McKinsey says of the 60 millions Latinos in US that had migrated from the South; they often live in ‘deserts’ where adequate housing, groceries are hard to find. “Nearly 9 in 10 of the Latino residents in such communities lived in five states: California, Florida, New Jersey, New York and Texas.”

McKinsey: Latinos are projected to make up 22.4 percent of the US labor force by 2030 and more than 30 percent by 2060 (Latinos population to 111.2 million by ’60); is this analysis wrong? Am I mistaken? Do feel free to present your opinion; thanks.

⁶ Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins [‘hearts’ in other versions], and with bitterness sigh before their eyes. — sigh, therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins…. as if thy loins were broke, and go as if they were, and sigh as thou goest; or as a woman in travail, having her hands upon her loins as ready to break, and in the utmost distress; or heave, and groan, and sigh, till the girdle of the loins is broke, and by these motions and gesture show the miserable state of this people, and how much thou art affected with it.

⁷ And it shall be, when they say unto thee, ‘Why sighest thou?’ that thou shalt answer, ‘For the tidings, because it cometh; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water.’ Behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord God.” — ‘why sighest thou?’ . . . because it cometh”; the report of an invading army, approaching and besieging their land, the land of Israel, which Ezekiel had from the Lord; and the thing itself was just at hand, and would certainly be so bad; that was the issues that affected him, and caused so much sorrow and sighing.

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

⁹ “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord. Say: “‘A sword, a sword is sharpened and also furbished! — a sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished; it is sharpened that it may make a slaughter; it is furbished that it may be as lightning: the rod for the house of Israel. And it is given to be furbished, that it may be handled: the sword, it is sharpened, yea, it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.

¹⁰ It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter. Should we then make mirth? It contemneth the rod of My son, as every tree.

¹¹ “‘And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled; this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished to give it into the hand of the slayer.

¹² Cry and howl, son of man! For it shall be upon My people; it shall be upon all the princes of Israel. Terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon My people; smite therefore upon thy thigh. — cry and wail, son of man; for it is upon my people, it is upon all the princes of Israel: they are delivered over to the sword with my people; smite therefore upon thy thigh;

— smite therefore upon thy thigh; as one grieved in spirit, in great distress and anguish, as experienced by Jeremiah:

Surely after I was turned, I repented; and after I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh. I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I bore the reproach of my youth.’ Jeremiah 31:19.

¹³ Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? It shall be no more, saith the Lord God.’ — and what if the sword contemn even the rod?; here God foretels, that if the house of Israel should despise, or not accept the correction or punishment brought upon them by the trial, the house of Israel would be entirely broken, and be no more. Serious stuff!

¹⁴ “Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain. It is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their secret chambers. — and smite thine hands together; the meaning of the clapping of the hands, smiting the hands together is an indication of violent grief; normally accompanied by the loud crying and wailing.

— “Let the sword be doubled the third time…”; this shows the tremendous size and power of the sword coming against the house of Israel. All hope of escape are gone.

— which entereth into their privy chambers; where they should endeavour to hide themselves from it, but in vain, none should escape; their privy chambers could not secrete nor secure them: or “which remains with them”; as that which is laid up, and reserved in a privy chamber.

¹⁵ I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint and their ruins be multiplied. Ah! It is made bright; it is sharpened for the slaughter. — Gill: I have set the point of the sword against all their gates…. the word rendered “point” is nowhere else used, and is differently translated: by some the “fear” of the sword; by others the “cry” of the sword, or of those that are slain with it, as the Targum paraphrases it, “those that slay with the sword.”

¹⁶ Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand or on the left, whithersoever thy face is set.

¹⁷ I will also smite Mine hands together, and I will cause My fury to rest. I, the Lord, have said it.” — I will also smite my hands together In token of my encouragement. I will animate and encourage the slayers to go on. God even said He needs to express His fury so He could find rest; the Targum says, “and even I will bring vengeance upon vengeance.”

¹⁸ The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying,

¹⁹ “Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; both shall come forth out of one land. And choose thou a place; choose it at the head of the way to the city.

²⁰ Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Judah in Jerusalem, the fortified.

²¹ For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked at the liver.

²² At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem: to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a siege mound, and to build a fort.

²³ And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths; but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.

²⁴ “Therefore thus saith the Lord God: ‘Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear — because, I say, that ye have come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.

²⁵ And thou, profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come when iniquity shall have an end, — the details given in the above few verses were about ancient Judah and its invasion, but Ezekiel’s message is for the endtime. Such details are written in coded language and only God knows what all these messages are to play out; so we may have to observe how world events eventuates in the next couple of years;

— which means these comments will need to be updated every now and then. Be patient, we’ll all get there.

²⁶ thus saith the Lord God: “‘Remove the diadem and take off the crown; this shall not be the same. Exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high; — thus saith the Lord God, remove the diadem, and take off the crown…. that is, from Zedekiah; and as these are the regalia and ensigns of royal dignity, taking them off signifies the deposition of him as a king;

— “exalt him that is low” is to exalt the Zarah line (from Pharez line). For more details, see “Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright” by J.H. Allen.

²⁷ I will overturn, overturn, overturn it. And it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it to Him.’ — Jerusalem to Ireland, to Scotland and then finally to England; until he come whose right it is; the right of the crown and final king of Israel as scepter holder; also the Messiah, being descended from a race of kings of the house of Judah, and of the seed of David.

²⁸ “And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach; even say thou: “‘The sword, the sword is drawn; for the slaughter it is furbished to consume because of the glittering” — this prophecy against Ammon has no promise of restoration. Why? We might speculate why the Ammonites were singled out here for this special oracle; but it might have pertained to the share they had in the murder of Gedaliah, by the hand of Ishmael and the Ammonites gave these killers refuge;

— second, in historic time, when Nebuchadnezzar took his route to Jerusalem, and destroyed the city, returned to Babylon, he went about without making any attempt upon the Ammonites; which so flushed the Ammonites that they insulted the Jews and laughed at their destruction, as if their God whom they served could not save them;

— and perhaps thirdly, the Ammonites are modern Jordan, sitting on land allocated to three of the tribes of Israel, and they maybe taking their ancestral land back, land that could even stretch to the Euphrates River.

²⁹ while they see vanity unto thee, while they divine a lie unto thee, to bring thee upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked whose day is come when their iniquity shall have an end.

³⁰ Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity.

³¹ And I will pour out Mine indignation upon thee; I will blow against thee in the fire of My wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skillful to destroy.

³² Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land. Thou shalt be no more remembered; for I the Lord have spoken it.’” — thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; such large numbers shall be slain everywhere, that the land shall flow with the blood of them; who shall lie unburied, and rot, and putrefy upon the ground:

— and thou shalt be remembered no more. This prophecy against Ammon and the Ammonites has no promise of restoration; for the Lord have spoken it.

Ezekiel 22

In Chapter 10, God’s four judgments — SWORD, war. FAMINE, occasioned by drought. PESTILENCE, epidemic diseases which sweep off a great part of the inhabitants of a land. And in this chapter it is BLOOD! BLOOD is used 8 times.

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

² “Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? Yea, thou shalt show her all her abominations. — the bloody city?… or, “city of blood” or “cities of blood” as in the United States with so much gun violence.

³ Then say thou, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself.

⁴ Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed, and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years. Therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the nations and a mocking to all countries. — “I have made thee a reproach among the nations …” this is a prophecy of what will soon happen, as indicated in the future tense used in the next verse, “Those that are near, and those that are far from thee, shall mock thee.”

⁵ Those that are near and those that are far from thee shall mock thee, who art infamous and much vexed.

⁶ “‘Behold, the princes of Israel, every one was in thee to their power to shed blood. — behold, the princes of Israel…. those that belonged to the royal family, the rich and nobles of the land, members of Parliament of Congress of a nation.

⁷ In thee have they made light of father and mother. In the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger. In thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow. — in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow; that were weak and helpless, and had none to protect them, father and husband being dead; when, according to their first rank and station as princes, they ought to have been the defenders of them; but, instead of that, distressed, afflicted, and grieved them.

⁸ Thou hast despised Mine holy things and hast profaned My Sabbaths. — thou hast despised mine holy thing…. the holy place, the temple, and the worship of it; holy persons, the priests that officiated there; holy sacrifices offered up by them; the holy word of God read and explained; and all holy ordinances there administered. These words are directed to Jerusalem, the holy city, and to the inhabitants of it, who ought to have been holy men;

— and hast profaned my sabbaths; by doing their own work, and neglecting the service of God; and which was an inlet, as it usually is, to all manner of sin.

⁹ In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood, and in thee they eat upon the mountains. In the midst of thee they commit lewdness [indecency or obscenity]. — in the midst of thee they commit lewdness; a general word for all manner of uncleanness, as adultery, fornication, incest, etc.

¹⁰ In thee have they uncovered their fathers’ nakedness. In thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution.

¹¹ And one hath committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife, and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law, and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.

¹² In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood. Thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained from thy neighbors by extortion, and hast forgotten Me, saith the Lord God. — Gill: In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood….

— innocent blood, as the Targum says; judges upon the bench, whose office it is to take the part of the innocent, and clear him from unjust charges; and protect him from the violence of wicked and unreasonable men; that lay things to his charge, which, if true, would require blood;

— and yet men in such offices took bribes to bring in the innocent guilty, and pass sentence of death on him; which is a most shocking iniquity indeed: to take bribes in pecuniary matters is very wicked; but to do it in cases which affect life is most dreadfully cruel: or if it is to be understood of such persons who take bribes to bear false witness against a man, to the taking away of his life, it is a very heinous and detestable sin; for, as for a set of jurymen bribed to bring in a wrong verdict, which would be equally a most enormous crime.

¹³ “‘Behold, therefore I have smitten Mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee. — behold, therefore, I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made…. as one amazed at it; or as filled with indignation against it; or as grieved and distressed at it; or else as rejoicing at the punishment going to be inflicted on them for it;

— so the Septuagint renders it, “I will bring my hand upon them;” and the Targum,”behold, I will bring my vengeance upon thee for the sins of mammon.”

¹⁴ Can thine heart endure or can thine hands be strong in the days that I shall deal with thee? I, the Lord, have spoken it, and will do it.

¹⁵ And I will scatter thee among the nations and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee. — to be scattered and dispersed throughout various provinces of other nations, as chaff is by the winds.

¹⁶ And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the nations, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.’”

¹⁷ And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

¹⁸ “Son of man, the house of Israel has to Me become dross [something regarded as worthless; rubbish]. All they are brass and tin and iron and lead in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.

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

²⁰ As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it to melt it, so will I gather you in Mine anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. — several metals of the baser sort are here mentioned, by a gradation from the better to the worse; tin being not so good as brass, and iron of less value than either, and lead than any of them.

²¹ Yea, I will gather you and blow upon you in the fire of My wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. — and I will leave you there, and melt you; that is, I will leave you to the sword, famine, and pestilence, to be destroyed by them; or with fire at the burning of the city: or, “I will rest”; as the refiner does; having put his metal into the furnace, and blown the fire, sits still till all is melted.

²² As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out My fury upon you.’”

²³ And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

²⁴ “Son of man, say unto her: ‘Thou art the land that is not cleansed nor rained upon in the day of indignation.’

²⁵ There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.

²⁶ Her priests have violated My law and have profaned Mine holy things. They have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shown difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

²⁷ Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.

²⁸ And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity and divining lies unto them, saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord God,’ when the Lord hath not spoken. — saying, thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken; herein mimicking the true prophets, who came in the name of the Lord, and usually prefaced their prophecies with a thus saith the Lord; and so did these false prophets, when the Lord said nothing to them, and gave them no commission to speak in his name, or say the things they did.

²⁹ The people of the land have used oppression and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy; yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

³⁰ And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none. — but I found none; no reformer of them, no repairer of the breach, nor restorer of paths, to dwell in; no intercessor for them, as Abraham for Sodom, Moses for Israel; or any, like Aaron, that stood between the living and the dead to stay the plague.

³¹ Therefore have I poured out Mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath. Their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.” — I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath; by the sword, famine, pestilence, and captivity.

Posted in Ezekiel

Chapter 19 starts with a riddle of a lioness with her two whelps among other young lions. So what does each of them represent? The riddle seems to be a prophecy over the complexities of the house of Israel and the royal house of Judah spread out over the next two and a half thousands years. The scepter, which belongs to the royal house of Judah, are mentioned only twice in the book of Ezekiel, but both in this chapter. And earlier, we have established that this Ezekiel prophecy was for a time far into the future (Ezekiel 12:27). In fact it’s for the endtime, our time, and so here it is.

Coffman commented that this chapter is a dirge (a lament for the dead, especially one forming part of a funeral rite) written by Ezekiel as a prophetic funeral for the earthly end of the House of David. As Cooke stated it:

“Ezekiel could write fine poetry when he chose; and on this occasion the impulse came from a mixed emotion, his pride in the royal house of Judah, and his pity for the misfortunes of the young princes.”

Ezekiel 19

¹“Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, — so this chapter is a lamentation; notice it started at the beginning with a lamentation and at the end it says: “This is a lamentation and shall be a lamentation,” for the princes of Israel; but who are the princes of Israel?

² and say: “‘What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions; she nourished her whelps among young lions. — this indicates an original royal family that had spread her wings over many nations.

³ And she brought up one of her whelps; it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.

⁴ The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt. — this young lion could well be Joseph, who was sold as a slave into Egypt, later his sons were to led the house of Israel, headed by Ephraim, the younger yet the ‘firstborn’ of Joseph.

⁵ Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion. — the house of Israel, headed by Ephraim, went into captivity, the lioness waited but her hope was lost as this young lion never came back. . . so her hope now lies with another whelp; the house of Judah.

⁶ And he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey and devoured men. — the house of Judah grew and became a nation.

⁷ And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate and the fullness thereof by the noise of his roaring.

⁸ Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit. — first the Assyrians came to lay a siege against the house of Judah but they were repelled off. A while later the Chaldeans came and managed to conquer this young nation.

⁹ And they put him under guard in chains (put him in a cage as some versions say), and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into prison, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel. — this young lion, “brought to the king of Babylon,” is clearly established to be house of Judah, the scepter holder, but its royal family had vanished;

— no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel; but yes, upon a hill of Israel: Ireland.

¹⁰ “‘Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters; she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. — thy mother is like a vine in thy blood; having royal blood, this lioness is the royal family that had established herself over many nations.

¹¹ And she had strong rods for the scepters of them that bore rule; and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches. — a rod or scepter is an emblem of authority; with numerous offspring and prosperity this royal family would split and spread into numerous other royal families that ruled over many nations in western Europe.

¹² But she was plucked up in fury; she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit. Her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them. — many of the royal families were overcame “cast down” by revolutions: – France (1830), Portugal (1910), Russia (1917), Germany (1918), Hungary (1918), Italy (1946), Romania (1947), Greece (1974); – they withered and fire consumed them.

¹³ And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground. — a few royal families remains, planted on dry and thirsty ground; powerless and without authority and in name only: Britain, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Spain.

¹⁴ And fire has gone out from a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a scepter to rule.’ This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.” — and fire is gone out of a rod of her; this speaks of the destruction of the royal family; she hath no strong rod; few of the royal blood of Judah or only weak ones will be left. And from that time onward, perhaps, no new royals would ever sat upon the throne of Israel;

— those that remains would end up in captivity too as fire would consume them. Dark days also lay ahead for their children as fire is ready to devour them as it devours her fruit. As the catastrophe shall be so complete, there will be a lot of mourning as lamentation will be compounded by further lamentation.

Ezekiel 20

This chapter is a continuation of lamentation for the princes and people of the house of Israel, on account of what had already befallen them, and what was yet to come. That means these are those that are left after one third died of famine and pestilence, another third of the sword, and these are those left over or those that survive in captivity.

¹ And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. — these were either some of the elders that were carried captive, who came to inquire how long they should continue in this state; or what methods they should use to free themselves from it;

— and sat before me; it is usually after some great calamities would elders would humble themselves and come to seek the Lord, by which time (verse 3 below) Ezekiel is forbidden to tell them that he would not be inquired of by them. During peace time these same people are usually contented to ignore God.

² Then came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,

³ “Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel and say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Have ye come to inquire of Me? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.’

⁴ Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers; — cause them to know the abominations of their fathers: God reminded them of the sins they committed, which were abominable in themselves and unto God, by which they would be led to see the abominable evils which they also had been guilty of, in which they had imitated their fathers, and what they had reason to expect in consequence of them.

⁵ and say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: On the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up Mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up Mine hand unto them, saying, “I am the Lord your God.” — here begins the account of their fathers; of God’s unmerited goodness to them, and of their sins and transgressions against him, and how it fared with them.

⁶ on the day that I lifted up Mine hand unto them to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands, — which is the glory of all lands; that is, either which fertility, signified by milk and honey, is the glory of all lands, being so fruitful, is more glorious or desirable than any other country; it greatly surpassing all others in its situation, soil, and climate.

— the Targum says, “which is the praise of all provinces:” that is, was praised and commended by the inhabitants of all other provinces for the plenty in it; which must needs be very great, to support so large a number of inhabitants in it, and yet its compass but small.

⁷ then said I unto them: “Cast away every man of ye the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

⁸ But they rebelled against Me and would not hearken unto Me. They did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt. “‘Then I said, “I will pour out My fury upon them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.”

⁹ But I wrought for My name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the nations among whom they were, in whose sight I made Myself known unto them in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. — “I wrought for my name’s sake…” — this is a reference to the fact that God on several occasions did not judge Israel according to what they certainly deserved; but, that in order to prevent the nations from questioning God’s ability to protect his people, simply went on and blessed them in spite of their sins. Two examples of this are found in Exodus 32:12 and in Numbers 14:16.

¹⁰ Therefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.

¹¹ And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. — God’s statutes and Judgments are dedicated to his servants to implement, starting with the Great Assembly, later the Sanhedrin. Today this Sanhedrin has been re-established here, inheriting and embedded with the following mandates:

Deuteronomy 16:18 “Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes; and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 

19 Thou shalt not distort judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise and pervert the words of the righteous.

Deuteronomy 17:11 According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do. Thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee to the right hand nor to the left. 

12 And the man who will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest who standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die; and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. 

13 And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.

And what happened in 70 AD in Jerusalem and Judea when God exercised His judgement?

History recorded only two sects that escaped this inferno:

(1) The Nazarenes as the early Christians were known in Acts 24:5. Many died as martyrs but according to Eusebius, some received divine warning and escaped to a northern town called Pella, west of the Jordan River.

(2) Pharisees of the House of Hillel escaped to Yavne. These were headed by a rabbi, Johanan ben Zakkai, the head of the Sanhedrin; he was smuggled out of besieged Jerusalem in a coffin. Later, his followers re-emerged as Rabbinic Jews who established the Hillel Calendar, which was revealed by Hillel II in about AD 359 concerning the rules of the Calendar.

¹² Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctify them.

¹³ But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They walked not in My statutes and they despised My judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and My Sabbaths they greatly polluted. “‘Then I said I would pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness to consume them.

History recorded two prominent sects that died during this AD 70 inferno:

(a) The Sadducees and Boethusians, following the heretic Samaritan way of observing Passover, kept it on the night of the fourteenth; they perished in the inferno;

(b) The Essenes, after they had repudiated the calendar that was sanctioned by the Sanhedrin, then went about presumptuously making one of their own. They all perished by either the flaming Sword or the consuming Fire.

¹⁴ But I wrought for My name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the nations, in whose sight I brought them out. — “I wrought for my name’s sake…”; this is repeated from verse 9, for emphasis.

¹⁵ Yet also I lifted up My hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands,

¹⁶ because they despised My judgments and walked not in My statutes, but polluted My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.

¹⁷ Nevertheless Mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸ “‘But I said unto their children in the wilderness: “Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols.

¹⁹ I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them;

²⁰ and hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.”

²¹ Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me. They walked not in My statutes, neither kept My judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted My Sabbaths. “‘Then I said I would pour out My fury upon them to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness.

²² Nevertheless I withdrew Mine hand and wrought for My name’s sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them forth. — “I withdrew Mine hand and wrought for my name’s sake…”; again, this is repeated from verse 9 and 14 with some variations, for emphasis.

²³ I lifted up Mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries,

²⁴ because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes and had polluted My Sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.

²⁵ Therefore I gave them also statutes that were not good and judgments whereby they should not live;

²⁶ and I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all who openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the Lord.’

²⁷ “Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel and say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed Me, in that they have committed a trespass against Me.

²⁸ For when I had brought them into the land for which I lifted up Mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering. There also they made their sweet savor, and poured out there their drink offerings.

²⁹ Then I said unto them: What is the high place whereunto ye go?’” (And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.)

³⁰ “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? And commit ye whoredom after their abominations?

³¹ For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

³² “‘And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all: in that ye say, “We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.”

³³ “‘As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and with a stretched out arm and with fury poured out, will I rule over you.

³⁴ And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out;

³⁵ and I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. — “I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples…”; this new wilderness was not a geographical wilderness like the wilderness of Egypt, but a wilderness, “of strange peoples, unusual social customs, etc,” 

— it was the wilderness of their captivity in an unknown civilization, the Assyrian; and the vast majority of Israel would not pass that test of being an Israelite, any more than their fathers had passed it in the former wilderness, Egypt;

— most of them, enamored with the wealth and splendor of modern “civilization” would never leave for any return to Palestine, even when free to do so. Such persons were described as, “Separated by the refining process, and not allowed to participate in the restoration.”

³⁶ As I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God.

³⁷ And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;

³⁸ and I will purge out from among you the rebels and them that transgress against Me. I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

³⁹ “‘As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God: Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto Me; but pollute ye My holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols. — “go ye, serve every one his idols…” this is the same kind of commandment that God gave to Judas Iscariot, when he said, “What thou doest, do quickly.” God never restrains anyone from evil who has already made up his mind to do more evil: “We lied, We cheated, We stole… It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment.” That would appear to be the condition of those elders who sat in front of Ezekiel.

⁴⁰ For in Mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve Me. There will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. — “all hostilities and separation between Israel and Judah shall cease;” this is in great contrast we have today:

“Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still” Isaiah 9:21 

The vast majority of today’s professing Christianity (99.99 percent) in the house of Ephraim and Manasseh make one fundamental error against his brother Judah in studying The Oracles of God.

⁴¹ I will accept you with your sweet savor when I bring you out from the people and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the nations. — and I will be sanctified in you before the nations; the outside world will take notice of the power and eminence of God, in the conversion and restoration of house of Israel, and praise and glorify him on account of His doing; and when He will be visibly feared, served, and worshipped, in the midst of Israel.

⁴² And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I lifted up Mine hand to give it to your fathers.

⁴³ And there shall ye remember your ways and all your doings wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.

⁴⁴ And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have wrought with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God.’”

⁴⁵ Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

⁴⁶ “Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the southland. — prophesy against the forest of the southland; this prophecy “against” indicates something with a bad outcome, which could be literal or could be symbolic, or even both. But remember again that this prophecy meant is for the house of Israel and is “of the times that are far off (Ezekiel 12:27); far into the future, this time, our time.

⁴⁷ And say to the forest of the south: ‘Hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee and every dry tree. The flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein. — this “kindle a fire” could be literal: the southern United States and southern Europe could be “kindled with fire” and much of the farmland could be in drought and be burnt up and eventually led to famine;

— but it could also be symbolic, where the south of United States (Mexico) and the south of Europe (North Africa) could be burnt with famine and civil unrest that led to huge unwanted migration to the north.

— and it shall devour every green tree, and every dry tree; all sorts of persons should be consumed by one or other of the above calamities, high and low, rich and poor, good and bad; and if good men should suffer, comparable to green trees, which fire will not so easily burn, not being fit fuel for it; then much more bad men, who were by far the most numerous, comparable to dry trees, and so fit fuel for the flames, and easily consumed thereby;

— and this flaming flame will spread from the south to the north: “and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned.”

⁴⁸ And all flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.’” — by this “all flesh shall see that I” the God of heaven will be manifested to all the rest of the nations.

⁴⁹ Then said I, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Doth he not speak parables?’” — parables, riddles and enigmas; sobering thoughts, isn’t it? If there are alternative ideas, please feel free to share, thanks.

Posted in Ezekiel

Chapter 17 starts with a riddle of two eagles and a vine and some mysteries along the historical footpaths in the complexities of the house of Judah and the house of Israel. The best book to have expounded this riddle is “Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright” by J.H. Allen (1847-1930).

In summary, this riddle is a mysterious prophecy as a form of a riddle to both Judah and Israel, which shows how the planting and rebuilding of David’s throne was survive beyond the captivity.

“And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; and say, Thus says the Lord God; A great eagle… came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: he cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants. He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree. And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature… and shot forth sprigs” (Ezekiel 17:1-6).

An Amazing Commission—and a Breach Healed!

The great eagle at the beginning of the riddle was the king of Babylon, who took Zedekiah captive. Verse 11 describes the destruction of Zedekiah’s Pharez lineage. The execution of his sons is the cropping off of the cedar’s young twigs. The “vine of low stature… [shooting] forth sprigs” reflects Judah’s freedom to movement while in captivity in Babylon. The second great eagle (vs. 7) refers to Jeremiah who took the princess from Babylon to Egypt, and later, beyond the seas to the British Isles.

This part of the prophecy pertained to the first eagle of Ezekiel’s riddle—the rooting up and tearing down of the existing throne in Judah. But within this same prophecy, the planting and building up is also addressed, which is the work of the second eagle performed by prophet Jeremiah.

Verses 22-23 go on to describe what was Jeremiah’s commission to re-establish David’s throne in another location. God says that He will take of the highest branch—the seed of King Zedekiah—and set it or plant it. The “tender young twig” of verse 22 could be none other than one of the king’s daughters that Jeremiah took with him to plant in the British Isles. Thus, the “high mountain and eminent” depicts the nations of Israel as God knew they were destined to become, once the birthright promise was realized.

God states that it will eventually be known that it was He who brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree (vs. 24). In light of this, notice a parallel Scripture in Isaiah: “And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward” (37:31). Jeremiah presented this young Hebrew princess—Tea Tephi—to the Zarah line ruling in the British Isles! Her marriage and children would continue the scepter and the dynasty promised David—and heal the breach.

Ezekiel 17

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

² “Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel,

³ and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers which had diverse colors, came unto Lebanon and took the highest branch of the cedar. — a great eagle; which is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, as it is explained, Ezekiel 17:12; who is compared to an eagle for his power and authority, that being the king of birds, and for his swiftness and voracity in conquering and subduing kingdoms; see Jeremiah 48:40.

⁴ He cropped off the top of it young twigs and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants. — young twigs mentioned, but tender ones.

⁵ He took also of the seed of the land and planted it in a fruitful field. He placed it by great waters and set it as a willow tree. — the seed of the land; Zedekiah, brother of Jehoiachin, and all their children.

⁶ And it [the seed] grew and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him and the roots thereof were under him. So it became a vine, and brought forth branches and shot forth sprigs. — this indicates that children were born unto them that were in captivity, but that they were to keep a low profile.

⁷ “‘There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers; and behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her planting. — there was also another great eagle, with great wings and many feathers: — many (John Gill, Adam Clarke, though JH Allen is indecisive or ambiguous) identify this second eagle as the Pharaoh of Egypt, but it seems more like whoever took Jeremiah and the king’s daughters to the British Isles fit this character of a great eagle with great wings. It remains a mystery but whoever took Jeremiah and the king’s daughters in its ship or ships, would be the second eagle that flew over the great seas to transplant the tender twigs there.

⁸ It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.’

⁹ Say thou, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Shall it prosper? Shall he not pull up the roots thereof and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? It shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.

¹⁰ Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither when the east wind toucheth it? It shall wither in the furrows where it grew.’”

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

¹² “Say now to the rebellious house: ‘Know ye not what these things mean?’ Tell them: ‘Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon; — and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes (but princess left out here) thereof, and led them with him to Babylon; the king of Judea, and the princes of it; Jeconiah and his nobles, who had been carried captive into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar; for Ezekiel was among these captives.

¹³ and hath taken of the king’s seed and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath from him. He hath also taken the mighty of the land,

¹⁴ that the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.

¹⁵ But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Shall he prosper? Shall he escape that doeth such things? Or shall he break the covenant and be delivered? — but he rebelled against him…. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon, broke the covenant he entered into, and violated his oath.

¹⁶ As I live, saith the Lord God, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. — surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king; in Babylon, where Nebuchadnezzar dwelt, that made Zedekiah king of Judah; which is mentioned, to point out the ingratitude of Zedekiah toward the king of Babylon, but instead, send envoys to Egypt, asking for horses and an army to help him (verse 15).

¹⁷ Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company help him in the war, by casting up siege mounds and building forts to cut off many persons.

¹⁸ Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.

¹⁹ Therefore thus saith the Lord God: As I live, surely Mine oath that he hath despised and My covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.

²⁰ And I will spread My net upon him, and he shall be taken in My snare, and I will bring him to Babylon and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against Me.

²¹ And all his fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds; and ye shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it.

²² “‘Thus saith the Lord God: I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon a high mountain and eminent. — I (through the second eagle) will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one (the feminine gender); and by the “top” and “young twigs” of the highest branch of the cedar, or of the chief tribe in Israel, are meant the royal house and family of David, and the chief of the tribe of Judah; and by the “tender one” is designed the tender gender, the daughters;

— and the Targum says, “I will bring one of the kingdom of the house of David, which is like to a high cedar, and I will raise him up an infant from his children’s children.” But Jeremiah verifies these children were the King’s daughters:

Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people who were in Mizpah, even the king’s daughters and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam; and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites. Jeremiah 41:10

²³ In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring forth boughs and bear fruit and be a goodly cedar, and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. — in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it…. in the highest part of the land of Israel, which during that time those at “the height of Israel” could well be in the British Isles (Israel in the isles of the sea, Isaiah 24:15), led by Ephraim. (Ephraim followeth after the east wind, Hosea 12:1)

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

Ezekiel 18

Earlier, we have established that this prophecy that Ezekiel delivered was for many years to come (Ezekiel 12:27), and the message is primarily and principally for the United States of America, and secondarily for its European allies. Here the prophecy on the house of Israel continues. . .

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

² “What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? — saying, the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? that is, as the Targum explains it, “the fathers have sinned, and the children are smitten.”

³ As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

⁴ Behold, all souls are Mine. As the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. — the soul that sinneth, it shall die; the soul that continues in sin, without repentance towards God, shall be separated from the presence of God, and endure his wrath to all eternity.

⁵ But if a man be just and do that which is lawful and right,

⁶ and hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbor’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, — neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife; been guilty of adultery, by lying with another man’s wife; or by marrying one divorced, not having committed fornication; which divorces were common among the people, and marrying such so divorced.

⁷ and hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath despoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;

⁸ he that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, — hath executed true judgment between man and man; whether in office as a judge, who sits on the bench for that purpose; or as an arbitrator chosen to decide matters in controversy between one man and another, and that does everything just and right between man and man.

⁹ hath walked in My statutes and hath kept My judgments to deal truly — he is just: he shall surely live, saith the Lord God. — God’s statutes and Judgments are dedicated to his servants to implement, starting with the Great Assembly, later the Sanhedrin. Today this Sanhedrin has been re-established here, inheriting and embedded with the following mandates:

Deuteronomy 16:18 “Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes; and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 

19 Thou shalt not distort judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise and pervert the words of the righteous.

Deuteronomy 17:11 According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do. Thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee to the right hand nor to the left. 

12 And the man who will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest who standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die; and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. 

13 And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.

And what happened in AD 70 in Jerusalem and Judea when God exercised His judgement?

(a) The Sadducees and Boethusians, following the heretic Samaritan way of observing Passover, kept it on the night of the fourteenth; they perished in the inferno;

(b) The Essenes, after they had repudiated the calendar that was sanctioned by the Sanhedrin, then went about presumptuously making one of their own. They all perished by either the flaming Sword or the consuming Fire.

I create darkness; I create evil; I, the LORD, do all these things (Isaiah 45:7).

¹⁰ “If he beget a son who is a robber, a shedder of blood, and who doeth the like to any one of these things,

¹¹ and who doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains and defiled his neighbor’s wife,

¹² hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath despoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,

¹³ hath given forth upon usury and hath taken increase — shall he then live? He shall not live. He hath done all these abominations: he shall surely die. His blood shall be upon him.

¹⁴ “Now, lo, if he beget a son who seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth and doeth not the like,

¹⁵ who hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbor’s wife,

¹⁶ neither hath oppressed any, hath not withheld the pledge, neither hath despoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry and hath covered the naked with a garment;

¹⁷ who hath taken off his hand from the poor, who hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed My judgments, hath 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, despoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.

¹⁹ “Yet say ye, ‘Why? Doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father?’ When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all My statutes and hath done them, he shall surely live.

²⁰ The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. — the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; that is, as the Targum paraphrases it, “the son shall not be punished for the sins of the father, nor shall the father be punished for the sins of the son.”

— but sometimes, one goes through great sufferings though no fault of his or her own, to develop righteous character, like Job and many others did; these will be rewarded enormously at the end.

²¹ But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all My statutes and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live: he shall not die.

²² All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him. In his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

²³ “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die, saith the Lord God, and not that he should return from his ways and live?

²⁴ But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. — but if the righteous man turn from his righteousness, and doeth wickedness, and acteth according to all the abominations which the ungodly man hath done, should he live? All the righteousness that he hath done shall not be remembered: for his unfaithfulness that he hath committed, and for his sin that he hath sinned, for these he shall die.

²⁵ “Yet ye say, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is not My way equal? Are not your ways unequal?

²⁶ When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity and dieth in it, for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

²⁷ Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. — he shall save his soul alive; from famine, pestilence, the sword, or captivity; he shall be preserved, and not be involved in calamities and distress.

²⁸ Because he considereth and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live: he shall not die. — the Nazarenes and the Hillel branch of Pharisees survived . . . (more below)

²⁹ Yet saith the house of Israel, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal.’ O house of Israel, are not My ways equal? Are not your ways unequal?

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

³¹ Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye have transgressed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why will ye die, O house of Israel?

³² For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God. Therefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

~~~

But which sects managed to escape from the Romans during the AD 66 to 70 siege of Jerusalem? History recorded only two sects that escaped this inferno:

(1) The Christians, known as Nazarenes in Acts 24:5. Many died as martyrs but according to Eusebius, some received divine warning and escaped to a northern town called Pella, west of the Jordan River.

(2) Pharisees of the House of Hillel escaped to Yavne. These were headed by a rabbi, Johanan ben Zakkai, the head of the Sanhedrin; he was smuggled out of besieged Jerusalem in a coffin. Later, his followers re-emerged as Rabbinic Jews who established the Hillel Calendar, which was revealed by Hillel II in about AD 359 concerning the rules of the Calendar.

Posted in Ezekiel

Earlier, we have established that this prophecy that Ezekiel delivered was not to be fulfilled during his time, but that its timing was a great distance into the future (Ezekiel 12:27), into our time and the message is primarily and principally for the United States of America, and secondarily its European allies.

Ezekiel 15

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

² “Son of man, what is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest? — Clarke: what is the vine tree more than any tree; it’s certain that the vine is esteemed only on account of its fruit.

³ Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? Or will men take a peg from it to hang any vessel thereon? — shall wood be taken thereof to do any work?…. the carpenter and joiner, the house or ship builder, are employed in; as to build houses of, make beams, rafters, floors, build ships with, make masts of, or any vessel or utensil for the use of man.

⁴ Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the middle of it is burned. Is it meet for any work? — behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel, that is; a vine tree when cut down, or a branch when cut off, it is good for nothing else; and that is the use it is generally put to; and this, it is suggested, would be the end of the house of Israel; who were become by their sins like a wild vine, and were fit fuel for the fire of divine wrath.

— the fire devoureth both ends of it; the branch cast into it, and so is quickly consumed. In Isaiah 9:12; “the Syrians before, and the Philistines behind, and they devour Israel with open mouth.”

⁵ Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work. How much less shall it be meet yet for any work when the fire hath devoured it and it is burned?

⁶ Therefore thus saith the Lord God: As the vine tree among the trees of the forest which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. — so this was fulfilled to Jerusalem in 70 AD, where “I have given to the fire for fuel;” to be burnt, as other trees of the forest are, and along with them; again in 132-135 AD; and could reoccur during the endtime for the house of Israel.

⁷ And I will set My face against them: they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I set My face against them. — the house of Israel will be surrounded at all sides, fires everywhere, no place to run to;

— from one calamity to another; those that escaped the famine and pestilence in the city fell by the sword; and those that escaped famine, sword, and pestilence, were carried into captivity, and there passed from one hardship and affliction to another.

— the Targum says, “I will execute my vengeance on them, because of the words of the law, which were given out of the midst of fire; they have transgressed, and people who are strong as fire shall consume them.”

— “Out of the cauldron, into the flame.”

⁸ And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord God.”

Ezekiel 16

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

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

³ and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem: Thy birth and thy nativity are of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite and thy mother a Hittite. — thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite; Abraham and Sarah, who were, properly speaking, the one the father, the other the mother, of the house of Israel, were Chaldeans; and neither Amorites nor Hittites; yet, because they dwelt among them; are so called; and especially since before their conversion they were idolaters, as those were;

— besides, the Jews who descended from Judah, and from whom they have their name, very probably sprung from ancestors who might be Amorites and Hittites: since Judah married the daughter of a Canaanite, and such an one seems to be Tamar, he took for his son Er, and by whom he himself had two sons, Pharez and Zarah.

⁴ And as for thy nativity, on the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to soothe thee. Thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. — Gill: thy navel was not cut; alluding to what is done to a newborn infant, when the midwife immediately takes care to cut the navel string, by which the child adheres to its mother, and takes in its breath and nourishment in the womb;

— the Targum refers it, “neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee: which also is done, to an infant as soon as born, to cleanse it from the menstruous blood, to make the flesh sleek, and smooth, and amiable; which is done in hot water:

— thou wast not salted at all; which was done, either by sprinkling salt upon it, or using salt and water h, as a detersive of uncleanness, to prevent putrefaction, to dry up the humours, and harden the flesh, and consolidate the parts.

⁵ No eye pitied thee to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person on the day that thou wast born. — but thou wast cast out in the open field; alluding to infants exposed by their unnatural parents, or unkind nurses, and left in an open field, or any desert place, to perish for want, unless some kind providence appears for them:

— this open field may design the land of Egypt, where Jacob and his posterity were, being driven out of Canaan by a famine; and where, after the death of Joseph, they were exposed to the hardships and cruelties of the Egyptians;

— and so the Targum paraphrases it, “and he (Pharaoh) decreed a full decree to cast your male children into the river, to destroy you when you were in Egypt.”

⁶ “‘And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, “Live”; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, “Live.” — the Israelites were trodden under foot by the Egyptians, when they made them to serve with rigour, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field;

— and so the Targum paraphrases it, “for it was manifest before me that you were afflicted in your bondage;” as they sighed and cried because of their bondage, the Lord looked upon them with an eye of pity and compassion, and delivered them.

— these are reminder of the house of Israel happening again, this time for 190 years instead of the 210 years in Egypt.

⁷ I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxed great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments. Thy breasts are fashioned and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.

⁸ “‘Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread My skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness. Yea, I swore unto thee and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest Mine.

⁹ Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.

¹⁰ I clothed thee also with embroidered work and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

Wikipedia: The production of silk originated in China in the Neolithic period, although it would eventually reach other places of the world (Yangshao culture, 4th millennium BC). Silk production remained confined to China until the Silk Road opened at some point during the latter part of the 1st millennium BC, though China maintained its virtual monopoly over silk production for another thousand years.

¹¹ I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands and a chain on thy neck.

¹² And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.

¹³ Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver, and thy raiment was of fine linen and silk and embroidered work. Thou didst eat fine flour and honey and oil; and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. — and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom;

— the Targum says,”and ye became rich, and were greatly strengthened, and prospered, and ruled over all kingdoms.”

¹⁴ And thy renown went forth among the nations for thy beauty; for it was perfect through My comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.

¹⁵ “‘But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and played the harlot because of thy renown, and poured out thy fornications on every one that passed by: his it was. — But thou didst trust in thine own beauty…. As the early American pilgrims did upon the new land bestowed on them; in their outward prosperity and grandeur; in their riches, wealth, and wisdom; and in the extent of their dominions, as manifest destiny dictates;

— and in such men as America’s Founding Fathers; including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe and Benjamin Franklin; together with several other key players of their time, structured the democratic government of the United States and left a legacy that has shaped the world. are apt to put their trust and confidence, and to be elated with, and grow proud and haughty, as a woman because of her beauty.

— and playedst the harlot because of thy renown; now playing the the role of a harlot among the nations round about them, for their wisdom, riches, and power; which was a snare unto them, as a woman’s beauty is to her; and they were admired and courted, and complimented by their neighbours, and so drawn into idolatrous practices, as women into fornication and adultery by the admirers of them: idolatry, which is here meant, is frequently signified by playing the harlot, or by fornication and adultery: or “thou playedst the harlot in thy name” alluding to the custom of harlots, notorious infamous ones, who used to set their names over the apartments, to direct men unto them; and so it may denote how famous and notorious the Israelites were for their idolatries, and how impudent in them.

— Rashi interprets this of the calf of the wilderness, and other idolatries which the tribe of Dan committed there; but it rather respects the idolatries committed from the times of Solomon to the captivity, which were many, and often repeated; and though sometimes a stop was put to them by pious princes, yet broke out again: so trusting in a man’s own righteousness, or in any outward thing, is idolatry; and also false worship and superstitious observances.

¹⁶ And of thy garments thou didst take, and decked thy high places with divers colors and played the harlot thereupon. The like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.

¹⁷ Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of My gold and of My silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thyself images of men and didst commit whoredom with them, — a beautiful woman, now taking the image of a man, as described by John Gill:

— Gill: and madest to thyself images of men; images in the shape of men; some were in the shape of women, others in the shape of men; here only male images are mentioned, because the idolatrous Israelites are represented by an adulterous woman committing adultery, with men; and these were made by themselves, of their jewels of gold and silver; or of their golden and silver vessels, which they had to eat and drink out of; these, they melted down and made idols of them in the form of men;

— just as the molten calf was made of the earrings of the women, Exodus 32:3; to which some refer this passage: and as it was a piece of egregious folly in themselves to part with their jewels and plate for such purposes, and of great ingratitude to God, their benefactor, so of the grossest stupidity and ignorance to worship images so made; which was equally as stupid, or more so, than if a woman should embrace the image of a man, instead of a man himself, as it follows.

— and didst commit whoredom with them: the images: that is, idolatry, which is spiritual adultery.

¹⁸ and tookest thy embroidered garments and covered them; and thou hast set Mine oil and Mine incense before them.

¹⁹ My meat also which I gave thee — fine flour and oil and honey, wherewith I fed thee — thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savor; and thus it was, saith the Lord God; much of these descriptions above are well intended for the early years of United States of America.

²⁰ Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto Me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this thy whoredoms a small matter,

²¹ that thou hast slain My children and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?

²² And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare and wast polluted in thy blood.

²³ “‘And it came to pass after all thy wickedness (Woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord God),

²⁴ that thou hast also built unto thee a brothel house, and hast made thee a high place in every street.

²⁵ Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.

²⁶ Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbors, great of flesh, and hast increased thy whoredoms to provoke Me to anger.

²⁷ Behold, therefore I have stretched out My hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of thy lewd way.

²⁸ Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them and yet couldest not be satisfied.

²⁹ Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea, and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.

³⁰ “‘How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman,

³¹ in that thou buildest thine eminent place at the head of every way and makest thine high place in every street, and hast not been as a harlot in that thou scornest hire,

³² but as a wife that committeth adultery, that taketh strangers instead of her husband! — that taketh strangers instead of her husband; that takes other men into her bed instead of her husband, not for the sake of gain, but lust; and this was the case of modern Ephraim, who are a wicked people, an idolatrous generation; who took strange gods to worship instead of the true God, who had been a husband to them.

³³ Gifts are given to all whores, but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom. — they give gifts to all whores…. gifts are usually given to whores, by those who commit whoredom with them; it is for the sake of these they prostitute their bodies, nor will they do this without gain.

³⁴ And it is the contrary in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms; and in that thou givest a reward and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.

³⁵ “‘Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord!

³⁶ Thus saith the Lord God: Because thy filthiness was poured out and thy nakedness uncovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children which thou didst give unto them,

³⁷ behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated. I will even gather them round about against thee and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. — when the going gets tough, the tough gets going and American allies (Germany, Turkey, S Korea, the Philippines and Japan?) will take their own interests first, team up with other enemies of the United States (Iran, N Korea, Russia and China?) and will turn against America.

— nar, it is not these countries’ doings, but it is God’s will that will cause these allies to be against the United States, and it is again God’s will through His Spirits that will trap the United States in a snare (And I will spread My net upon him, and he shall be taken in My [not China’s nor Russia’s] snare, Ezekiel 17:20; and he will be like a pig caught in a cage squealing away to no avail) then uncover her nakedness, American nakedness.

— then and only then perhaps that the world will finally uncover all the experiments Professor Ralph Baric and other associates have ventured at Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is God Himself that will lay a net to trap the United States; He is the Overseeing GrandMaster; not China, not Russia, these are only pawns on a chessboard.

³⁸ And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. — and I will judge thee as women that break wedlock…. the marriage covenant, defile the marriage bed, and were adulteresses, who by the law of Moses were to be punished with death.

³⁹ And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place and shall break down thy high places. They shall strip thee also of thy clothes and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare. — they shall strip thee also of thy clothes – thy fairjewels — alluding to a lot common enough to prostitutes, their maintainers in the end stripping them of all they had given them. Lots of stolen arts “the vessels of thy glory” the vessels of the sanctuary of gold and silver of other countries, and their own household furniture, with all their riches (from the Opium War booties, etc) and substance from other countries will be laid naked and have to be returned.

⁴⁰ They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones and thrust thee through with their swords. — and thrust thee through with their swords; such as attempted to escape out of the city, or fell into the hands of the enemy when it was taken, were slain with the sword.

⁴¹ And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women; and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.

⁴² So will I make My fury toward thee to rest, and My jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet and will be no more angry. — and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry: the effects of his anger cease, his judgments averted, and he at peace with them, and they with him.

⁴³ Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast made Me fret in all these things, behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord God; and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.

⁴⁴ “‘Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, “As is the mother, so is her daughter.” — saying, as is the mother, so is her daughter; an ancient and common proverb, used to express a likeness and agreement between persons their nature and disposition, in their behaviour, conduct, and conversation.

— so the Targum says: “as are the works of the mother, so those of the daughter.”

⁴⁵ Thou art thy mother’s daughter, who loatheth her husband and her children, and thou art the sister of thy sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. — the Targum says, “was not your mother Sarah among the Hittites? and she did not do according to their works; and though your father Abraham was among the Amorites, yet he walked not in their counsels.”

⁴⁶ And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters, who dwell at thy left hand; and thy younger sister, who dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. — Samaria, she and her daughters. The initial inhabitants maybe be Israelites, but they adopted idol worship starting with Jeroboam, worshipping of their calves at Dan and Bethel. The fanciful Samaritans came later, but they are SUN-worshippers.

— today more than 98.5 percent of Christians are honoring the SUN by observing SUNday. They have “their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the SUN toward the east,” Ezekiel 8:16. At even on the Fourteenth, onset to begin their passover, the Samaritans face the west as the SUN is setting. How awesome the sight is, exclaims Fred Coulter, for such a surreal ceremony to take place.

— others, following the SUN-worshipping Samaritans, the Church of God Communities are showing their contempt by having their “wavesheaf offering” and Pentecost on a SUNday. Always on SUNdays. And these are supposedly in God’s sanctuary, but God says He is a jealous God, so these pretentious Christians could be spewed out of His mouth! No? Regardless, there are those being described in Revelation 3:17 — wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: or else I will spew thee out of My mouth (v16,19).”

— Sodom and her daughters; witness the proliferation of LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (questioning), intersex, asexual (agender)). Thou “madest for thyself images of men,” Ezekiel 16:17). Women been changed into men, and men into women, all images of what they did in Sodom.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that count darkness as light, and light as darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20

⁴⁷ Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done according to their abominations, but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.

⁴⁸ As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. — as I live, saith the Lord God…. this is an oath, which the Lord God swore; who, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, by his life; and this he did to confirm what he had and was about to say, that the sins of modern house of Israel were greater than those of Samaria and Sodom; which might not be easily believed, but it was as true as he was the living God.

⁴⁹ Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, 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 good.

⁵¹ Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.

⁵² Thou also, who hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou. Yea, be thou confounded also and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.

⁵³ “‘When I shall bring back their captives, the captives of Sodom and her daughters and the captives of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring back the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them,

⁵⁴ that thou mayest bear thine own shame and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.

⁵⁵ When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

⁵⁶ For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,

⁵⁷ before thy wickedness was uncovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria and all who are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, who despise thee round about.

⁵⁸ Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the Lord.

⁵⁹ “‘For thus saith the Lord God: I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, who hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.

⁶⁰ Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.

⁶¹ Then thou shalt remember thy ways and be ashamed when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger; and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant. — then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed…. when the new spirit of truth is manifested and applied, it brings persons to a sense of their sins, and to an ingenuous acknowledgment of them, with shame and blushing; they remember their evil ways in which they have walked, and blush at the thoughts of what they have been guilty of; and how they have sinned against a God of love, grace, and mercy; and what vile ungrateful creatures they have been.

⁶² And I will establish My covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord,

⁶³ that thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God.’”

In conjunction with this chapter, a great youtube to watch here (Brian Berletic vs Daniel Dumbrill)

“I HAVE SEEN A HORRIBLE THING IN THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL” HOSEA 6:10

Posted in Ezekiel

We have established that this prophecy that Ezekiel delivered was not to be fulfilled during his time, but that there were many years to come; its timing was a great distance into the future (Ezekiel 12:27), into our time and the message is primarily and principally for the United States of America, and secondarily its European allies.

Ezekiel 13

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

² “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts: ‘Hear ye the word of the Lord! — Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel…. who called themselves so, and were accounted such by others; though they were not true, but the Targum calls them false prophets;

— that prophesy; that is, smooth things to the people; promising a speedy return from the captivity; or that Jerusalem should not be taken by the Chaldeans, and the inhabitants of it, and of the land, be carried captive.

³ Thus saith the Lord God: Woe unto the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! — false prophecies came into their own spirits and was agreeable to their fancies and carnal imaginations, pretending to the spirit of prophecy.

The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?” saith the Lord. Jeremiah 23:28

— any dream is the chaff – it is of no value; it is as wood, hay, and stubble. Only God’s Word is the wheat – in parallel with gold, silver, and precious stones.

⁴ O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. — these false prophets, as the Targum says; they are comparable to foxes, for their craftiness and cunning, and lying in wait to deceive, as these seduced the Lord’s people.

⁵ Ye have not gone up into the gaps [or breaches], neither made up the hedge [or a “fence”, a fortification] for the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord. — ye have not gone up into the gaps [or breaches as the Targum says]. The allusion is to breaches made in the walls of a city when besieged; at which time those within gather together in great numbers to meet the enemy, and prevent his entrance by the breaches.

— these words are either spoken to the princes of Israel, the civil magistrates; or to the prophets, who seeing the sins of the people, like a mighty torrent, opening a breach for the wrath and judgments of God to pour in upon them, should have put up their prayers, and made intercession to God for them; neither of which they did, and therefore are blamed here.

⁶ They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, “The Lord saith,” but the Lord hath not sent them; and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. — they have seen vanity, and lying divination…. the visions the false prophets pretended to see were nothing but the fruit of their own fancies and imaginations, and had nothing real in them; and what they divined or foretold should be were all lies, and never came to pass, and never would.

⁷ Have ye not seen a vain vision and have ye not spoken a lying divination, wherein ye say, “The Lord saith it,” albeit I have not spoken?

⁸ “‘Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because ye have spoken vanity and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God.

⁹ And Mine hand shall be upon the prophets who see vanity and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord God. — Gill: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, shall have no place in the church of God, nor fellowship with the saints; they shall not join with them in religious worship here;

— but either shall be left by the righteous judgment of God to separate themselves from them, or shall be excluded their communion; and much less shall they stand in the congregation of the righteous hereafter: or, “they shall not be in the secret”, or “council of my people.”

The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. Psalm 25:14

¹⁰ “‘Because, even because they have seduced My people, saying, “Peace,” and there was no peace, and one built up a wall, and lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar,

¹¹ say unto those who daub it with untempered mortar that it shall fall. There shall be an overflowing shower, and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall, and a stormy wind shall rend it. — this is another way of saying building a house upon the sands, loose sands.

—the vast majority which would be no less than 99.99 percent of today’s professing Christianity make this fundamental error. This porous foundation differs greatly from the original Nazarenes where they understood what the Oracles as given to the Jews (Romans 3:1-4) would mean. Unless trained in Judaism, they wouldn’t be able to read the Sacred Text, which only had consonants written. This means our modern version of Christianity is primarily built on sands, loose sands. More here.

¹² Lo, when the wall has fallen, shall it not be said unto you, “Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?”

¹³ Therefore thus saith the Lord God: I will even rend it with a stormy wind in My fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in Mine anger and great hailstones in My fury to consume it.

¹⁴ So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be uncovered, and it shall fall and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. — so says the Targum, “and I will destroy the city in which ye have prophesied false prophecies; and I will cause it to fall to the ground, and its foundations shall be discovered.” Much is repeated and expressed in similar words, both for the sake of confirmation and explanation of what is before said.

¹⁵ Thus will I accomplish My wrath upon the wall and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and will say unto you: “The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it,

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

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

¹⁸ and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew pillows to all armholes and make kerchiefs upon the head of those of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of My people, and will ye save the souls alive who come unto you?

¹⁹ And will ye pollute Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls who should not die and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to My people who hear your lies? — and will ye pollute me among my people…. defile the name of the Lord, by abusing it, to cover their wicked designs and practices, pretending they were seat by him, when they were not; that what they said came from him, though he spoke not by them; and that it was his will they declared, when it was their own, and what came out of their own hearts and heads:

— so the Targum says, “will ye pollute my will among my people”; to profane his name among the Gentiles was a great sin, but to pollute it among his own people was greater; attempting to draw them aside from his fear and worship, and that for gain, for small gain too.

²⁰ “‘Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly; and I will tear them from your arms and will let the souls go, even the souls whom ye hunt to make them fly.

²¹ Your kerchiefs also will I tear and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

²² Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way by promising him life, — Ephraim is a chronic liar; compulsive lying constantly and continuously; chief of whom is Mike Pompeo freely admitting lying within the CIA : We lied, We cheated, We stole

A parallel scripture is:

Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit; but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints. Hosea 11:12

²³ therefore ye shall see no more vanity nor divine divinations; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.’”

Ezekiel 14

This chapter emphasizes Israel, house of Israel rather than Judah or house of Judah. Earlier we have established that Ezekiel’s messages were actually meant for those living far into the future, in our time, to the modern house of Israel, the chief of whom is Ephraim, the United States of America. So this prophecy continues . . .

¹ Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me and sat before me. — the elders of Israel unto me…. if these were the elders of Israel, than they should be the “elders of Judah”; hence paradoxically, these are elders of Israel, indicating this scene is prophetic in significance, for the endtime, for those of the house of Israel.

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

³ “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face. Should I be inquired of at all by them?

⁴ Therefore speak unto them and say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart and putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols,

⁵ that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from Me through their idols.’ — the house of Israel; to have a form and shell of godliness, but to deny its substance, is the essence of hypocrisy.

⁶ “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. — numerous reference that the warnings are to the house of Israel, here, and closeby verses.

⁷ For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, who separateth himself from Me and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself. — such men, be he an Israelite or a Gentile, come to a prophet to inquire of God, but it seems too late . . .

⁸ And I will set My face against that man and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. — and I will set my face against that man…. and look him out of countenance, notwithstanding all his daring impudence and presumption in coming to a prophet of the Lord, and inquiring of him by him, yet guilty of gross idolatry;

— the Targum renders it, “my fury”, or “wrath”; and indeed that is what is meant; when God sets his face against a man, he pours out his wrath, or inflicts punishment on him;

— even if he’s set his mind “to inquire of him (Ezekiel) concerning Me,” (verse 7 above); there is a time that’s too late.

⁹ And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived [enticed] that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand upon him and will destroy him from the midst of My people Israel. — Rashi: have enticed: I opened a doorway for him to do whatever he wishes. And from here we can learn that if one wishes to defile himself, they open a door for him.

¹⁰ And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity. The punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him, — the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seekest unto him; they being both alike culpable, each pursuing the desires of their own evil hearts; the one seeking for smooth things to be spoken to him; the other speaking them, in order to gratify him.

¹¹ that the house of Israel may go no more astray from Me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people and I may be their God, saith the Lord God.’” — conversion during captivity, not before.

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

¹³ “Son of man, when the land sinneth against Me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out Mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it.

¹⁴ Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God. — though Noah, Daniel, and Job; the intercession even of the holiest of men shall not avert God’s judgments. 

¹⁵ If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts,

¹⁶ though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters. They only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate. — they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; meaning not adult children, but only little ones, infant sons and daughters; such as had not been guilty.

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

¹⁸ though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.

¹⁹ Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury upon it in blood to cut off from it man and beast, — and pour out my fury upon it in blood; or, “by blood”; by corrupting the blood, which is done when a man is seized with the pestilence;

— the Targum renders it, “with slaughter”; by slaying a great number of persons by that disease, as a token of fury and wrath, because of their transgressions. It may be rendered, “because of blood”; and so express the cause and reason of the judgment, the shedding of innocent blood.

²⁰ though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter. They shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

²¹ “For thus saith the Lord God: How much more when I send My four sore judgments upon Jerusalem — the sword and the famine and the noisome beast and the pestilence — to cut off from it man and beast? — my four sore judgments — SWORD, war. FAMINE, occasioned by drought. PESTILENCE, epidemic diseases which sweep off a great part of the inhabitants of a land. The NOISOME BEAST, the multiplication of wild beasts in consequence of the general destruction of the inhabitants.

²² Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters. Behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings; and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.

²³ And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings; and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God.” — and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God; that there was just reason for it; that he was sufficiently provoked to do it; and that it was necessary it should be done, for his own honour, and the good of others.

Posted in Ezekiel

As Ezekiel continues his visions of God in Jerusalem, his prophecy is for the children of Israel at the endtime.

Ezekiel 11

¹ Moreover the Spirit lifted me up and brought me unto the east gate of the Lord’S house, which looketh eastward; and behold, at the door of the gate five and twenty men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. — and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men as Rashi thought they were the same as in Ezekiel 8:16 “their backs to the Temple of the Lord” and “their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun;”

— now they’re between the porch and the altar; and more details about them, performing services and worshipping there; including the priests at the door of the eastern gate, sitting as a court of judicature, and were civil magistrates;

— some say Jerusalem was divided into twenty four parishes, districts, or wards, and everyone had its own head, ruler, and governor; and that there was one who was the president over them all, like the mayor and its rich and influential: “princes”of a city; today we have the likes of Bill Gates, George Soros, Mark Zuckerberg and Rupert Murdoch.

— Gill: princes of the people; men who were entrusted with power and authority to exercise the laws of the nation; and who should have been reformers of the people, and ought to have given them good advice, and set them good examples; whereas they were the reverse.

² Then said He unto me: “Son of man, these are the men who devise mischief and give wicked counsel in this city,

— Gill: these are the men that devise mischief, who formed schemes for the holding out of the siege, and for the security of the city, and of themselves in it, which was all folly and vanity:

— and give wicked counsel in this city; either in ecclesiastical affairs, to forsake the worship of God, and cleave to the idols of the nations; or in civil things.

³ who say, ‘It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the cauldron, and we are the flesh.’ — it is not near — that is, the threatened invasion; this mean the Chiefs of the city are advising the people to ignore Ezekiel’s warnings. These infidels are laughing and even mocking at Ezekiel, saying: “We will run all risks, we will abide in the city. Though it be the cauldron, and we the flesh, yet we will share its fate: if it perish, we will perish with it.” 

— ‘It is not near; or it’s as in Ezekiel 12:27, “of the times that are far off,” where their elders dismissed that Ezekiel’s vision were meant for many years yet to come: “of the times that are far off.”

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

⁵ And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said unto me, “Speak! Thus saith the Lord: Thus have ye said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.

⁶ Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain. — “multiplied your slain“ capital crimes increasing, blood upon blood, murder upon murder, shedding of innocent blood, gun violence everywhere in the United States today.

⁷ Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the cauldron; but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it. — but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it: where they promised themselves safety; ye shall not be permitted to do so, but God will ensure they shall be carried away as captives.

⁸ Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord God. — “ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain;” these crimes, to God, are serious stuff! Hence numerous repeats of a returning “sword” and reminders; repeats “I will bring a sword” and reminders. “Whatever crimes you inflict on others, these will be inflicted back on you.”

⁹ And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers and will execute judgments among you. — indeed the Sword appeared in 70 AD; this time by the hands of the Romans, but it was actually God executing His judgement on:

— (a) the Essenses (who had their own calendar); and;

— (b) the Sadducees (who observed a Passover and Pentecost similar to the Samaritan’s) where both defiled the tenets from the Sanhedrin and were wiped out by the Sword!

¹⁰ Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

¹¹ This city shall not be your cauldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel.

¹² And ye shall know that I am the Lord; for ye have not walked in My statutes, neither executed My judgments, but have done according to the manner of the nations who are round about you.”

¹³ And it came to pass when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice and said, “Ah, Lord God! Wilt Thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?” — conditions would be so bad that those few who survive would ask, “Would God make a full end to the remnant of Israel?”

The answer is “no.” Nebuchadnezzar left a few Jews back in their land, but they had a pay taxes and tributes to their new Babylonian masters.

II King 25 (Assassination of Gedaliah in 423 BCE: one of the four fast; 3 Tishrei)

²² And as for the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler.

²³ And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah at Mizpah even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

²⁴ And Gedaliah swore to them and to their men, and said unto them, “Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”

²⁵ But it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah so that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.

²⁶ And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

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

¹⁵ “Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Get you far from the Lord; unto us is this land given as a possession.’ — all the house of Israel wholly . . . ‘unto us is this land given as a possession.’ Does this mean that the “whole house of Israel” are coming back to claim the land of Israel that were originally given? If so it would include the whole of West Bank, more on Golan Heights and a large chunk of Jordan onward to the land of Iraq.

Perhaps this organization, BNEY YOSEF NORTH AMERICA https://bneyyosefna.com would take a lead.

¹⁶ Therefore say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Although I have cast them far off among the nations, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.’ — it may be rendered, “the sanctuary of a few”; especially that were truly God-fearing. The Targum says, “I have given them synagogues, second to my sanctuary, and they are as few in the provinces where they are carried captive.”

¹⁷ Therefore say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: I will even gather you from the people and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’

¹⁸ And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. — there would be a lot of cleaning to do, their idols and all things detestable since the birth of their nations. All these abominations should be wholly rooted out; historically this had its accomplishment under Zerubbabel, Ezra, Haggai, and so there should be another revival.

— but who, if any, would clean the detestable filths and abominations of the latter-day house of Israel?

<<< there seems a great gap in time in between from their detestable filthy and abominable stage above to one where the house of Israel would be ready to accept God’s new spirits, statues and judgments below; from Ezekiel 2 to Ezekiel 37 >>>

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

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

²¹ But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God.”

²² Then the cherubims lifted up their wings, and the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

²³ And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city. — the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city — this vision demonstrates that God did not abandon this people all at once; he departed by little and little.

²⁴ Afterwards the Spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea to those of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me. — from Jerusalem, Ezekiel was brought back to the land of the Chaldea, back with fellow captives by the River Chebar. But all this was done in vision; under the influence of the Spirit of God, as if he was carried to Jerusalem, and there saw and heard all he did, and then was brought back again to Chaldea.

²⁵ Then I spoke unto those of the captivity all the things that the Lord had shown me.

~~~

This vision of Shekinah departing (verse 23 above) demonstrates that God did not abandon this people all at once; he departed by little and little. First, he left the temple. Second, he stopped a little at the gate of the city. Third, he departed entirely from the city and went to the Mount of Olives, which lay on the east side of the city. Having tarried there for some time to see if they would repent and turn to him.

Fourth, he departed earth to heaven. The vision being now concluded, Ezekiel is taken away by the Spirit back to Chaldea, and there announces to fellow captive Israelites what God had showed him in the preceding visions, and the good that he had spoken concerning them; but they did not seem to agree with him, which the prophet reprimands severely.

Ezekiel 12

Ezekiel 12 explains why a few are going to be left to survive, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations. And that the vision that Ezekiel seeth is for many days to come, “and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.”

¹ The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying,

² “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see and see not; they have ears to hear and hear not, for they are a rebellious house. — this is true even for those dwelling in the Sanctuary, in the house of God; they have ears but couldn’t hear, eyes to see but couldn’t see; they don’t even know what the Oracles of God are; not to say about a willingness and the spirits to keep them.

³ Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee supplies for departure, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight. It may be they will consider, though they are a rebellious house.

⁴ Then shalt thou bring forth thy goods by day in their sight, as supplies for removing; and thou shalt go forth at evening in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.

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

⁶ In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders and carry it forth in the dark [עֲלָטָה H5939 thick darkness]. Thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground; for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.”

⁷ And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my goods by day, as supplies for captivity, and in the evening I dug through the wall with mine hand. I brought them forth in the dark [darkness], and I bore them upon my shoulder in their sight.

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

⁹ “Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, ‘What doest thou?’

¹⁰ Say thou unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel that are among them.’

¹¹ Say, ‘I am your sign: as I have done, so shall it be done unto them. They shall remove and go into captivity.’ — this captivity of the house of Israel would most probably last 190 years and for the house of Judah 40 years (see study on Ezekiel chapter 4).

¹² And the prince who is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the dark [darkness], and shall go forth; they shall dig through the wall to carry out through it. He shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

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

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

¹⁵ And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations and disperse them in the countries.

¹⁶ But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine and from the pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.” — “that they may declare all their abominations among the nations;” this explains why a few are left to survive;

— if they have hidden in some secret hideouts, they won’t be able to “declare all their abominations among the nations” whither they come; who, observing their calamities, and distresses, could deserve and a need to know, and hear those who are well-versed to explain their sins, abominations and judgement to the nations.

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

¹⁸ “Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with sorrow;

— those remnants who survive would explain to the nations that they have been guilty of great enormities, so that their punishment was a visible and standing declaration and warning to the nations of the abominable sins they, of the house of Israel, had been guilty of; and not to repeat them in their own nations.

¹⁹ and say unto the people of the land, ‘Thus saith the Lord God of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and of the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with sorrow, and drink their water with dismay, that her land may be desolate of all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein. — her land will be desolated: men, cities, towns, houses, vineyards, fields, fruits, and cattle are all in ruin. Those who could see, only sorrow and dismay.

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

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

²² “Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth’? — this is another way for the hardhearted (also stiffnecked) in the “land of Israel” to dismiss Ezekiel’s warning, “every visions faileth”!

²³ Tell them therefore, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.’ But say unto them, ‘The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.

²⁴ For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.

²⁵ For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more put off. For in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word and will perform it, saith the Lord God.’”

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

²⁷ “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, ‘The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.’ — see, this warning vision that Ezekiel saw concerning Israel’s ruin and the prophecy which he delivered, the house of Israel say, were not for their time to be fulfilled; dismissing that that they were only meant for many years yet to come: “of the times that are far off.”

²⁸ Therefore say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: There shall none of My words be put off any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God.’” — but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God: one jot and tittle of it shall not pass away till all be fulfilled; sooner may heaven and earth pass away than that shall; it is for ever settled in heaven, and shall be fulfilled on earth; he that has said it is of one mind, and none can turn him; and is able to do whatsoever he pleases.

~~~

Please allow me to elaborate (on verse 27 above): God must had told Ezekiel that the visions were for a time far into the future, and Ezekiel, in turn, repeated God’s message to the house of Israel, which seems unrecorded. Being hardhearted, the house of Israel, or their elders, turned around, brushing off those warnings by saying the visions were only meant for those living in the far future, which is recorded as in verse 27; hence they could continue to practice their abominable things which they were doing.

But more calamities were to fall for the house of Judah a few years later when Nebuchadnezzar took more captives; and a few hundred years later, in 70 AD and 132 AD, this time by the Romans; hence God’s warning messages were meant for the house of Judah since those days; timeless, and another meant “of the times that are far off.” That is, it was a warning meant for the endtime, our time, and this prophecy is primarily and principally for the United States of America and secondarily its European allies.

Posted in Ezekiel

As Ezekiel continues his visions of God in Jerusalem, his prophecy is for the children of Israel at the endtime.

In chapter 9 it has the core subject about killing those who preside over God’s Sanctuary, and in the endtime, the saints. Yet these saints are to be slain: “Slay utterly old and young . . . and begin at my Sanctuary,” Ezekiel 9:6.

But a small remnants are spared; why spared these and not the others?

Ezekiel 9

¹ He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, “Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.” — he cried also in mine ears with a loud voice…. that is, the Shekinah, whom the prophet saw in the temple, and who directed him from place to place, now wanted to show him all the abominations committed there;

— saying, cause them that have the charge over the city to draw near; or, “those appointed over the city,” as the Targum says; that is, the city of Jerusalem; by whom are meant the ministering angels, who had been the guardians of it, but now were to be employed another way;

— even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand; weapons of war, as bows and arrows, sword and spear.

² And behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side. And they went in and stood beside the brazen altar. — in the good old days, these “six men” or six destroyers could be the generals of Nebuchadnezzar Jeremiah 39:3; but in modern times, they could be Chechens, Syrians, Iraqis, Palestinians, Libyans and Afghans.

— in the Talmud: “wrath, anger, fury, destruction, breach, and consumption.”

³ And the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; — and the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was…. that is, the glorious God; or the Shekinah, removed from thence, as a token of his being about to depart from the temple, and with its protection removed, the temple was destroy in a short time.

— the Targum says, “the glory of the God of Israel departed in the cherub on which he dwelt, in the house of the holy of holies;” the cherubim removed with him, as were his chariot in which he rode.

⁴ and the Lord said unto him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and who cry because of all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof.” — and you shall mark a sign: you shall mark a sign on the foreheads of the righteous men in order to show the destroyers those men whom they should not strike.

— Gill: It is a Rabbinical thought, mentioned by Kimchi that Gabriel had orders to write the letter ת (tav; the last letter of the alphabet) in ink upon the foreheads of the righteous, which signified תחיה, “thou shall live”. And for the wicked the same letter ת were written in blood upon the foreheads, but it signified תמות, “thou shall die”.

— the letter ת in the original paleo Hebrew looks like an x sign.

⁵ And to the others He said in mine hearing, “Go ye after him through the city and smite. Let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity.

⁶ Slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” Then they began with the elder men who were before the house. — Gill: and begin at my sanctuary; the temple, the house of God, and the priests and Levites that dwelt there;

— the Septuagint version is, “begin at my saints”; those who professed themselves to be saints of the Lord, and were separated and devoted to his service; and so the Rabbins say, do not read ממקדשי, “at my sanctuary”; but ממקודשי, “at those that sanctify me”, or “my sanctified ones”; which they interpret of those that keep the whole law, from “aleph” to “tau”.

⁷ And He said unto them, “Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go ye forth.” And they went forth and slew in the city.

⁸ And it came to pass, while they were slaying them and I was left, that I fell upon my face and cried, and said, “Ah Lord God! Wilt Thou destroy all the residue of Israel in Thy pouring out of Thy fury upon Jerusalem?” — when Ezekiel was delivering his message both the house of Israel and Judah were already in captivity. He was among the captives at the river Chebar, so Ezekiel’s messages were actually meant for those living far into the future, in our time, to the modern house of Israel, the chief of whom is Ephraim, the United States of America — in thy pouring out of thy fury by famine, pestilence, and sword.

⁹ Then said He unto me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood and the city full of perverseness; for they say, ‘The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not.’

¹⁰ And as for Me also, Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their ways upon their heads.”

¹¹ And behold, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, “I have done as Thou hast commanded me.”

~~~

More on Ezekiel 9:6 Slay utterly old and young . . . and begin at my sanctuary:

Today many pretentious Christians, especially among the CoG Communities, believe they will go into a place of safety? But this is just a fantasy. It’s far more likely that lightnings and thunderstorms would begin with these professing Christians.

Deuteronomy 16:18 “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.

Deuteronomy 17:¹¹ According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. ¹² And the man who will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest who standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die.

Moses knew he would die soon and his understanding had been conveyed to the judges, the Levites and priests where the true interpretation of the law were taught. So in the book of Deuteronomy Moses spoke and explained unto all Israel “according unto all that the Lord had given him” as to how to keep them, the blessing they would have if they obey, or cursing if they disobey, in a language they could understand. Men may have good intentions, but may do things seen as presumptuously? What is presumptuous or presumptuously? 

Below are its synonyms: 

arrogant, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-handed, high-hat, huffish, huffy, imperious, important, lofty, lordly, masterful, overweening, peremptory, pompous, presuming, pretentious, self-asserting, self-assertive, sniffy, supercilious, superior, uppish, uppity

The Jews were prophesied they would mourn One whom they had rejected: “And they shall look to Me whom they have pierced; then they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only son” (Zechariah 12:10). But these Christians have nothing to mourn? Currently these endtime virgins are described as lukewarm and in need of nothing, but would they not mourn when they realise that they had been blind, wretched and naked, seeing finally that Christ had suffered far more through His torn flesh and shed blood than they had ever realised? No?

Today more than 98.5 percent of Christians are honoring the SUN by observing SUNday. They have “their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the SUN toward the east,” Ezekiel 8:16.

Others, following the SUN-worshipping Samaritans, the Church of God Communities are showing their contempt for God by having their “wavesheaf offering” and Pentecost on a SUNday. Always on SUNdays. And these are supposedly in God’s sanctuary, but God says He is a jealous God, so these pretentious Christians could be spewed out of His mouth! No? Regardless, there are those being described in Revelation 3:17 — wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: or else I will spew thee out of My mouth (v16,19).”

Despite the above, there’ll be a remnant that are spared: “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and who cry because of all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof,” Ezekiel 9:4. These remnants “who sigh and who cry” will be marked with a letter ת in ink on the forehead;

— but the question is, do we qualify to be in this category?

Ezekiel 10

Chapter 10 is a vision, very much like that in the first chapter, with some difference, and with a different view, the design of it being to represent the wrath of God against Jerusalem, and his departure from the city and temple. A throne much like that in Ezekiel 1:26 is described.

¹ Then I looked, and behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them, as it were, a sapphire stone with the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

² And He spoke unto the man clothed with linen, and said, “Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city.” And he went in in my sight. — and He spake unto the man clothed with linen…. that is, the God of Israel gave orders to the man clothed in linen, who appears in another character, and represents the Chaldean or Roman army; these “coals of fire” were an emblem of the wrath of God against Jerusalem.

³ Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court. — now the cherubim stood on the right side of the house…. according to the Targum, it was the south side of the house; opposite the north; that’s where the gross idolatries were committed.

⁴ Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord’S glory. — this is a token and intimation of the Lord’s leaving of the temple; and a little before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.

⁵ And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when He speaketh. — and the sound of the cherubim’s wings was heard even to the outer court…. or outward court. The sound of the Kingdom, and salvation by Christ; the sound of this in the swift ministry of the apostles, signified by the “cherubim’s wings”, went into all the earth, and throughout the whole Gentile world.

⁶ And it came to pass that when He had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, “Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims,” then he went in and stood beside the wheels.

⁷ And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen, who took it and went out. — who took it, and went out; took the fire, and went out of the temple, and scattered it upon the city of Jerusalem; so representing the Chaldean, or rather the Roman army, burning it with fire.

— but Ezekiel is a prophetic book, so the most important Question remains for us to ponder during the endtime: who would burn down the house of Israel?

⁸ And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings. — one of them put forth his hand, which was seen by the prophet, but this was only the “form” of one; which is not to be taken literally, but as seen in the vision of prophecy; and being under their wings denotes secrecy and privacy.

⁹ And when I looked, behold, the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub and another wheel by another cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was as the color of a beryl stone.

¹⁰ And as for their appearance, all four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel.

¹¹ When they went, they went upon their four sides. They turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went.

¹² And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about — even the wheels that the four had.

¹³ As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, “O wheel.”

¹⁴ And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. — the first face was the face of a cherub; this in place of the ox’s face, indicating, perhaps, that the face of an ox and a cherub has the same significance.

But the Ox is also the symbol of the United States; the UK has the Unicorn (more below).

¹⁵ And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the River of Chebar.

¹⁶ And when the cherubims went, the wheels went alongside them; and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them.

¹⁷ When they stood, these stood, and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also; for the spirit of the living creature was in them. — when they stood, these stood…. when the one were inactive, lifeless, and without motion, making no progress in knowledge, experience, and practice, the other were so likewise.

¹⁸ Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house and stood over the cherubims. — the departure of the glory of God from the threshold to the east gate of the Lord’s house, with the motion of the cherubim and wheels along with him. 

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

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

²¹ Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings, and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. — and everyone four wings: the Septuagint reads eight wings; and the Syriac version “six”; so many in all indeed they had.

²² And the likeness of their faces was the same as the faces which I saw by the River of Chebar, their appearances and themselves. They went every one straight forward. — they went everyone straight forward; their motion as well as their form were alike; they kept one even course, looking right on, and their eyes right before them.

~~~

More on the Ox and the Unicorn:

His glory is like the firstling of his ox (bullock), and his horns are like the horns of unicorns. With them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh,” Deuteronomy 33:17.

In the above verse, the Ox (verse 14 above) and Ephraim are named first, the firstborn of his (Joseph’s) “bullock is his glory”: the reference being to Ephraim; followed by Unicorn and Manasseh.

Although Manasseh was the firstborn, Joseph the father crossed his hands and placed Ephraim as firstborn, hence Ephraim, often known as the thirteenth tribe, represents not just the house of Joseph, but more often the house of the 10-tribes Northern Kingdom.

In Rabbinic teachings: the myriads (ten thousands) slain by Joshua, of the tribe of Ephraim: These are the myriads descended from Ephraim;

— and the thousands of Manasseh: these are the thousands slain by Gideon, who was of the tribe of Manasseh. These are the thousands descended from Manasseh.

In his blessings Jacob ascribes to Ephraim ten thousands, and to Manasseh only thousands; thus foreshowing, that Ephraim the younger was to be the more numerous of the two, as Jacob had before prophesied of them.

Posted in Ezekiel

As Ezekiel continues his visions from God, his prophecy is for the children of Israel at the endtime.

Ezekiel 7

¹ Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, — the Targum, whose origin in the Aramaic language could be traced to Ezra; expresses it as “The word of prophecy from the Lord.”

² “Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God unto the land of Israel: “An end! The end is come upon the four corners of the land. — the Targum says, “the punishment of the end, or the punishment determined to come upon the four winds of the earth;” this Targum version recognizes that the Israelites are all over the face of the earth, spread over the four winds!

— in Ezekiel 6:3 the message was to the “mountains of Israel,”referring to the United States, UK and France. . . . “and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys;” — the hills: Ireland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Finland, and Iceland; and the valleys, the low countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

— to the rivers; where during the nineteenth century, the British Royal Navy were known to “Rule the Waves;” and the United States having been plowing up and down the five oceans with her Seven Fleets since the British left the scene;

— and now “are all over the face of the earth, spread over the four winds” as the Targum says; which would include Australia, New Zealand, Canada (and perhaps South Africa?) and numerous small islands around the world.

— and in this context, “the land of Israel” and “over the face of the earth” would most probably include the modern state of Israel in Palestine.

³ Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send Mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations.

⁴ And Mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity; but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. — the punishments would be so great that “ye shall know who the LORD is,” to whom vengeance belongs; who takes notice of all their sinful actions, and punishes for them.

⁵ “Thus saith the Lord God: An evil, an only evil, behold, is come! — the Targum says, “evil after evil, lo, it cometh.”

⁶ An end is come, the end is come! It watcheth for thee; behold, it is come. — the repeating is for emphasis as these words, so often repeated, show the eagerness and concern of the prophet’s mind; the speed and haste destruction was making, or is to come; and the great hardheartedness and stupidity of the people, which requires constant repetitions.

⁷ The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land; the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains. — the Targum, “and there is no fleeing or escaping to the tops of the mountains.”

⁸ Now will I shortly pour out My fury upon thee, and accomplish Mine anger upon thee; and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations.

⁹ And Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity. I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the Lord that smiteth.

¹⁰ “Behold the day, behold, it is come! The morning is gone forth, the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded. — the Targum says, “a ruler hath budded, a wicked one hath appeared.”

¹¹ Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness; none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs; neither shall there be wailing for them.

¹² The time is come, the day draweth near. Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller mourn, for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. — upon the whole body of all modern Israelites, high and low, rich and poor, bond and free, buyer and seller; those that are in good circumstances, and those that are in bad ones; so that hereby they were all upon a level, in the same case and condition.

¹³ For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they were yet alive; for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, which shall not return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life.

¹⁴ “They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle, for My wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. — they have blown the trumpet, as an alarm of war, and see what will be the effect of it, but they shall be dispirited, and none come forth for a fight; this parallels another verse: “The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle” Psalm 78:9.

¹⁵ The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within. He that is in the field shall die with the sword, and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him. — the sword is without; war is throughout the country and pestilence and famine within the city; it shall destroy the whole. He who endeavours to flee from the one shall fall by the other, except a small remnant.

¹⁶ But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity. — a few shall escape the pestilence, famine, and sword, and flee to the mountains, where they will live a very miserable and uncomfortable life; so that this is no contradiction to the wrath of God being upon the whole multitude.

¹⁷ All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water. — all hands shall be feeble…. no strength in them, like jelly, to lay hold on weapons of war to defend themselves, or fight the enemy; no heart nor courage in them, to go forth and meet him; and even afraid to lift up their voice in mourning, lest they should be heard, being pursued, and be taken.

¹⁸ They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.

¹⁹ They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed; their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels, because it is the stumbling block of their iniquity. — gold and silver as being of no use to preserve them from famine and pestilence, but instead an hindrance in their flight from the enemy. This may also be interpreted as their idols of gold and silver, which shall be as items of contempt, to be cast away. Greed and the love for riches are their iniquity, covetousness, and idolatry, at which they stumbled, and fell into sin, and so into punishment for them.

²⁰ “As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty; but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein; therefore have I set it far from them.

²¹ And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil, and they shall pollute it.

²² My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute My secret place; for the robbers shall enter into it and defile it. — because of their sins, God allows the Chaldeans, the Greeks, and the Romans not only to destroy Jerusalem; but to enter God’s temple, even the holy of hollies: to deface it, plunder it, and burn it to the ground.

²³ “Make a chain, for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence. — or, “judgment of bloods,” capital crimes, such as are deserving of death, particularly murder, or shedding of innocent blood, gun violence especially in the United States today.

²⁴ Therefore I will bring the worst of the nations, and they shall possess their houses. I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease, and their holy places shall be defiled. — many refugees, Afghans, Syrians, Iraqis, Palestinians, Mexicans are now in American cities. Would some of them or their children turn into extremists like the Chechens did an attack in Boston with further plan to travel to Times Square in New York to unleash more mayhem and bombs?

²⁵ Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.

²⁶ Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumor shall be upon rumor. Then shall they seek a vision of the prophet, but the law shall perish from the priest and counsel from the ancients. — vision shall perish from the prophet, the law from the priest, and counselors from the ancients. Being rejected and be threatened, they wouldn’t be able to continue giving wise counsel; for the law shall perish from them. Other “wise men” and celebrated statesmen could devise foolish schemes; and in trying to avert disasters, they hasten their national ruin.

Ezekiel 8

In this chapter the prophet is carried in vision to Jerusalem and begins a new scene of prophecy extending to the twelfth chapter containing only one vision. This, according to Archbishop Usher, was the sixth year of Ezekiel’s captivity.

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 mine house and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me. — that the hand of the Lord fell upon me; which the Targum interprets is the spirit of prophecy, which came with power upon him: it denotes the energy and efficacy of the Spirit of God upon him, and revealing to him the things that would soon take place;

— the “elders of Judah” were the elders of Judah that were carried captives along with Jehoiachin; but more probably these were those that came from Jerusalem inquiring about the fate of the holy city.

² Then I beheld, and lo, a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of His loins even downward, fire, and from His loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the color of amber. — the Septuagint renders it, “behold the likeness of a man”; reading איש, “a man”, for אש, “fire.” The Targum renders both the one and the other part of the description thus, “and I saw. . . a likeness the look of fire, the look of glory, which the eye cannot see, nor is it possible to look upon it; and beneath the look of fire, and the look of glory, which the eye cannot behold, nor is it possible to contemplate it; and above, as the look of brightness.”

Hence there are many variations interchanging between fire and man among all the English versions of the Bible. Here is one great example, the Message Bible:

In the sixth year, in the sixth month and the fifth day, while I was sitting at home meeting with the leaders of Judah, it happened that the hand of my Master, God, gripped me. When I looked, I was astonished. What I saw looked like a man—from the waist down like fire and from the waist up like highly burnished bronze. He reached out what looked like a hand and grabbed me by the hair. The Spirit swept me high in the air and carried me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the Temple’s inside court where the image of the sex goddess that makes God so angry had been set up. Right before me was the Glory of the God of Israel, exactly like the vision I had seen out on the plain.

³ And He put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. — and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem; so it was represented to Ezekiel in a true vision, which was of God, that he was carried from Chaldea to Jerusalem; not that he really was, for he was still in Chaldea when that vision was over.

⁴ And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain. — is this the Shekinah? Yes, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there…. in the temple, between the cherubim, where the glory of the divine Majesty dwelt. The Shekinah is a visible manifestation of God on earth, whose presence is portrayed through a natural occurrence of clouds and fire. Shekinah Glory means “He caused to dwell,” referring to the divine presence of God. So this was the same Shekinah that accompanied the children of Israel in the wilderness during the Exodus.

⁵ Then said He unto me, “Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north.” So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and beheld northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry. — Isaiah 14:13 “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the side of the north,” indicates God’s throne is toward the north. And God is jealous of the numerous idols the house of Israel were ironically practicing in “Jerusalem” and “in His Sanctuary.”

⁶ He said furthermore unto me, “Son of man, seest thou what they do, even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should depart far off from My sanctuary? But turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.” — even a greater abominations than the house of Israel committeth in His Sanctuary?

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

⁸ Then said He unto me, “Son of man, dig now in the wall”; and when I had dug in the wall, behold, a door.

⁹ And He said unto me, “Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.” — and behold the wicked abominations they do here; the idolatries there committed, wicked in themselves, and abominable to God.

¹⁰ So I went in and saw; and behold, every form of creeping things and abominable beasts and all the idols of the house of Israel portrayed upon the wall round about.

¹¹ And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up. — seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel; the whole Sanhedrin, or the great court of judicature in Jerusalem, which were originally appointed in Moses’ time to be judges and officers over the people, and govern, judge and direct them according the tenets established in Exodus 18:21–22 and Deuteronomy 17:9–12;

— and today, the Sanhedrin is functioning in Jerusalem.

¹² Then said He unto me, “Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his images? For they say, ‘The Lord seeth us not. The Lord hath forsaken the earth.’” — every man in the chambers of his imagery? the Septuagint renders it, “in his hidden” or “secret chamber”; that is, in those chambers which belonged to the priests and Levites, on the walls they had their secret rites or mysteries performed, in imitation of the heathens; who had mysteries of their religion privately observed; to which none were admitted; as those of Osiris among the Egyptians; of Ceres with the Grecians; and of Bona Dea among the Romans.

¹³ He said also unto me, “Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.”

¹⁴ Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord’S house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

¹⁵ Then said He unto me, “Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.”

¹⁶ And He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’S house, and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east. — the heads of the twenty-four courses of the priesthood, led by the high priest, making up the “twenty five men” were not only worshipping the sun: they were doing so in the very temple of God, with their backs turned upon the presence of God!

— the worship of heavenly bodies was against God’s will which Moses had warned the people (Deuteronomy 4:19, 17:3, whose penalty is to be stoned to death, Deuteronomy 17:5 ’till they die). These 25 men corrupted themselves by worshipping the sun; and so the Targum renders it, “and, lo, they corrupted themselves, worshipping facing the east the sun; their backs toward the temple of the Lord” — turned their backs to the most holy place; which is an aggravation of their impiety; casting the utmost contempt for God:

Moses’ warnings in Deuteronomy 17

³ And [if you] hath gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded, ⁴ and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it and inquired diligently, and behold, it be true and the thing certain that such abomination is wrought in Israel, ⁵ then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman who has committed that wicked thing unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones till they die. Deuteronomy 17:3-5

— also, Days of the Week Names: “Sunday” is the Sun’s day and “Monday” is the Moon’s day. “Tuesday” is Tiw’s day; Tiw is an Anglo-Saxon god of war. “Wednesday” comes from Woden, the Anglo-Saxon king of the gods; in Saxon the name is Wodnesdaeg. “Thursday” is Thursdaeg, Thor’s day; Thor is a Norse god of thunder, lightning and storms. “Friday” is Frigedaeg, Frigga’s day; Frigg is a Norse goddess of home, marriage and fertility. “Saturday” is Saeterndaeg, Saturn’s day; Saturn is an ancient Roman god of fun and feasting;

— Months of the Year Names: January (derived from the Latin Januarius) is to honor their Roman gods Janus; and March, named for Mars, is the Roman mighty god of war; February is derived from the Februa festival or its eponymous februa (“purifications, expiatory offerings”); April relates to what the Romans called the month Aprilis; from a word meaning “to open” and further back from Aphrodite, the Greek name for the goddess of love. May – named for Maia, is the Roman goddess of spring and growth;

— June is a name attributed to Juno, the female mighty wife of Jupiter in Roman mythology. She is also called the “Queen of Heaven” and “Queen of Mighty Ones.” July is to honor Julius Caesar; the Roman Senate named it “Julius” in honor of Roman emperor Julius Caesar. August honor Julius Caesar’s successor, the emperor Augustus; and the months September, October, November, and December are archaic adjectives derived from the ordinal numbers 7 to 10;

— today, more than 98.5 percent of Christians are honoring the SUN by observing SUNday worship. They have “their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the SUN toward the east; whose penalty is to be stoned to death – ’till they die.

— also, following the SUN-worshipping Samaritans, most Church of God Communities are showing their contempt for God by having their “wavesheaf offering” and Pentecost on a SUNday; always on a SUNday. And these are supposedly in God’s Sanctuary, but God says He is a jealous God, so these pretentious Christians could be spewed out of His mouth! A death penalty – ’till they die!

¹⁷ Then He said unto me, “Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence and have returned to provoke Me to anger; and lo, they put the branch to their nose.

¹⁸ Therefore will I also deal in fury. Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.” — yet will I not hear them; as they turned their backs on him, God will turn a deaf ear to them, and not regard their cries; the Targum says, “they shall pray before me, with a great voice, and I will not receive their prayer.”

Posted in Ezekiel

Chapter 5 is using Jerusalem as an example of the judgments which God were about to execute on its inhabitants with famine, pestilence, sword, and dispersion, and what were the reasons of God’s judgments on that great city; and the nature, rise, and end of them. 

And this warning is to “all the house of Israel” (verse 4); all thirteen tribes.

Ezekiel 5

¹ “And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor and cause it to pass over thine head and upon thy beard. Then take thee balances to weigh and divide the hair. — the Septuagint reads this in conjunction with the former, thus, “take thee a knife”, or “sword, sharper than a barber’s razor” — tn the Brenton translation: “a sword sharper than a barber’s razor.”

— John Gill: and cause it to pass upon thine head, and upon thy beard; the “head” was a symbol of the city of Jerusalem, the metropolis of Judea; the “beard”, of the cities, towns, and villages about it; and the “hair” of both, of the common people; compared to hair for their numbers, for their levity and unsteadiness, and for their being the beauty and ornament of the places where they lived; and the shaving of them denotes their disgrace and destruction, and mourning on account thereof.

² Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled; and thou shalt take a third part and smite about it with a knife, and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.

The first third “fire” would also include pestilence and famine: “Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.” Lementation 5:10; see also Ezekiel 5:12 below.

The Septuagint: ²A fourth part thou shalt burn in the fire in the midst of the city, at the fulfillment of the days of the siege: and thou shalt take a fourth part, and burn it up in the midst of it: and a fourth part thou shalt cut with a sword round about it: and a fourth part thou shalt scatter to the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them. 

³ Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts. — and bind them in thy skirts; in the pockets of them; signifying both a very small number of them, and their preservation. Rabbi Rashi interprets these that were carried captive to Babylon, and lived there, and were preserved, and returned again.

⁴ Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel. — and this warning is to “all the house of Israel;” the northern house of Israel (for 190 years?) and the southern house of Judah (for 40 years?) — and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire: this was fulfilled in Gedaliah and the Jews that were with him, over whom the king of Babylon had made him governor, who were slain by Ishmael.

⁵ “Thus saith the Lord God: This is Jerusalem. I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. — Gill: a type or sign of it; it may refer to both the former and latter type. It is the city of Jerusalem that is designed by the city portrayed upon the tile; and the same is signified by the head of the prophet that was to be shaved; that being not only the chief city of Judea, but of the whole world.

⁶ And she hath changed My judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and My statutes more than the countries that are round about her; for they have refused My judgments and My statutes. They have not walked in them.

— Gill: and she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations…. So they changed their glory for that which did not profit; and the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man; and the truth of God into a lie, Jeremiah 2:11; or, “for wickedness”; for judgments and laws that were not good, and which to observe was wickedness.

— the word “changed” signifies to “rebel against” or to “transgress”: and the may be, she, that is, Jerusalem, has “rebelled” against my judgments, and “transgressed” them in a wicked manner, even to a greater degree than the nations of the world. The Targum and Rashi interpret it changed as we do: — witness LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (questioning), intersex, asexual (agender));

— woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that count darkness as light, and light as darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20;

— and my statutes more than the countries that are around her. “Judgments” and “statutes”, are the same laws and ordinances of worship, being just and righteous, and firm and unalterable; unless it should rather be thought that “judgments” belong to the moral law, being given forth by the Lord as a judge, and founded upon judgment and righteousness; and “statutes” to the ceremonial law, being of positive institution and appointment, and to last so long as it was the pleasure of the lawgiver: — witness God’s judgement on Jerusalem in 70 AD;

— for they have refused my judgments and my statutes; they refused to comply with them, and to yield an obedience to them, and that with loathing, disdain, and contempt, as the word s signifies — no one seems to understanding the significance of the siege and inferno of Jerusalem from 66 AD to 70 AD;

— they have not walked in them; they did not make them the role of their walk and conversation; they showed no regard to them; they went out of the way of them, into crooked paths, with the workers of iniquity.

⁷ Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in My statutes, neither have kept My judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you,

“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled” Hosea 6:10

⁸ therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations. — this is serious stuff; the world will see if Fort Detrick and/or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill the Source of Covid-19? And before the sight of the nations? The history of Fort Detrick; how they received the Unit 731 transplant and how they nurtured those secrets from then on? Also, perhaps, the full extent of “We lied, we cheated, we stole… we had entire training courses” will be exposed for the world to see?

⁹ And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and the like of which I will not do any more, because of all thine abominations. — “because of all thine abominations;” God shows the reason why He deals with the full house of Israel in greater severity than with the surrounding heathen nations. Not comparable to any other nation, not even to Sodom and Gomorrah, when they were destroyed by fire from heaven; not in Egypt, when he inflicted his plagues on Pharaoh and his people. More than the Nazi concentration camp? More than the Armenian genocide in 1916? More than the Japanese Unit 731 germ experiment in Harbin?

¹⁰ Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds.

— Gill: therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee…. which was long ago threatened by the Lord, and prophesied of by Moses, Leviticus 26:27; and was fulfilled at several times in the people of Israel, as at the siege of Samaria, 2 Kings 6:28; at the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, Lamentations 4:10;

— and at the siege of the same city by Titus Vespasian, as Josephus relates; for though these instances only show that mothers ate their children, yet no doubt the fathers took part with them; and if mothers, who are naturally more tender, could do this, it is much more reasonable to suppose that fathers did the same.

¹¹ “Therefore as I live, saith the Lord God, surely because thou hast defiled My sanctuary with all thy detestable things and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall Mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.

¹² A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee; and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.

A third part of them shall die with the pestilence and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee;

and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; signified by the third part of the hair, smitten with a knife;

and I will scatter a third part into all the winds; the greatest part of which were carried into captivity.

¹³ Thus shall Mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted; and they shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it in My zeal when I have accomplished My fury upon them. — and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in My zeal; that is, they shall find by experience that what the Lord had spoken by His prophets, and had threatened to bring upon them, was said in earnest, and arose from a jealousy for His own glory; this will be a clear case, and out of question.

¹⁴ “Moreover I will make thee a waste and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.

¹⁵ So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments upon thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the Lord, have spoken it. — I the Lord have spoken it; the Targum says, “I the Lord have decreed in my word.”

¹⁶ When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you, and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread,

¹⁷ so will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee, and I will bring the sword upon thee. I, the Lord, have spoken it.” — I the Lord have spoken it: who was able to perform it, and did, both at the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and by Titus in 70 AD; and perhaps a series of bigger ones in the future?

Ezekiel 6

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

² “Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them — Son of man, set thy face towards the mountains of Israel…. or cities of Israel, the future inhabitants of them; not the ancient ten tribes, for they had been carried captive long before this time, even in the times of Hezekiah; but far more likely, into the far future unless it can be thought that this prophecy is designed to show the reason of their captivity, which isn’t. 

³ and say: ‘Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys: Behold I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. — this message to the “mountains of Israel;” these mountains refer to the United States, UK and France. . . . “and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys;” the hills: Ireland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Finland, and Iceland; and the valleys, the low countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg;

— and to the rivers; where during the nineteenth century, the British Royal Navy were known to “Rule the Waves;” and the United States having been plowing up and down the five oceans with her Seven Fleets since the British left the scene.

⁴ And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken; and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.

⁵ And I will lay the dead carcasses of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.

⁶  In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. — in all your dwelling places your cities shall be laid waste…. which denotes that the desolation should be general, wherever they had cities and places to dwell in; the idolatry being universal, as is said in Jeremiah 2:28; But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? Let them arise if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble; for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah. Of course, this is for modern Israel, not Judah.

— Flash forward: “I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD” Ezekiel 35:4.

⁷ And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

⁸ “‘Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations when ye shall be scattered through the countries. — situations are getting very serious, and ultimately Ezekiel asks:  “Ah, Lord God! Wilt Thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?” Ezekiel 11:13.

⁹ And they that escape from among you shall remember Me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart which hath departed from Me, and with their eyes which go a whoring after their idols. And they shall loathe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations. — they that escape of you shall remember Me (God); those that escape the sword, the pestilence, and the famine, and shall be led into captivity, shall plainly see that it is God who has done this, and shall humble themselves on account of their abominations, leave their idolatry, and worship God alone;

— and this they have experienced from the Babylonian captivity many times again and again down to the present day.

¹⁰ And they shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.

¹¹ “‘Thus saith the Lord God: Smite with thine hand and stamp with thy foot, and say: “Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel!” For they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. — for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; which are threatened in Ezekiel 5:12; and the persons on whom they should be separately executed are mentioned in Ezekiel 6:12. Again the term “the house of Israel” is used here.

¹² He that is far off shall die of the pestilence, and he that is near shall fall by the sword, and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine; thus will I accomplish My fury upon them. — central theme of falling by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence are repeated for emphasis. And sometimes in different order indicates they are all mixed together.

¹³ Then shall ye know that I am the Lord, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they offered sweet savor to all their idols. — modern day idolatry is alive and well. Anything that we love, treasure, prioritize, identify with, or look to for need fulfillment outside of God, can be acting as an idol in our heart and life: Wealth, Prosperity, Career Success, Image, Safety & Security.

¹⁴ So will I stretch out My hand upon them and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations; and they shall know that I am the Lord.’”

— by now we have established that 70 AD is one of God’s judgement on Judah and Jerusalem, but it’s a microcosm for the wider Israelites at the endtime. So which were God’s judgement in 70 AD? And which sects managed to escape fire and death? History recorded only two sects that escaped the inferno of 70 AD.

(1) The Christians, known as Nazarenes in Acts 24:5. They escaped to a northern town called Pella, west of the Jordan River.

(2) Some Pharisees, those of the House of Hillel. They were headed by a Pharisaic rabbi, Johanan ben Zakkai, the head of the Sanhedrin, who was smuggled out of besieged Jerusalem in a coffin. They escaped to Yavne and, later, his followers re-emerged as Rabbinic Jews, who established the Hillel Calendar, which was revealed by Hillel II in about 359 AD concerning the rules of the calendar.

All other sects died and “disappeared” in the 70 AD inferno: (a) All Sadducees, Herodians, Boethusians; (b) Essenes, together with (c) the House of Shammai Pharisees and (d) the Zealots. They all disappeared by receiving their fire. Were these sects facing their judgement as warned by Ezekiel?

If the 70 AD inferno was only a microcosm, a foretaste, how could those who deviate from the God ordained Calendar, who have similar deceptive beliefs as the original Essenes, escape Ezekiel’s and John’s warning during the Last Days? Wouldn’t there be another Sodom and Gomorrah? And wouldn’t they also share its fate? It’s an unpleasant ending, but that’s what the Scriptures indicate.

When in 70 AD, Jerusalem went through a fire inferno and all Sadducees disappeared from history.  “Disappeared from history” seems like a whitewashed phrase. They were in fact burnt off like the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? Amos 3:6. Their predictions of death were proven true, that the Sadducees were sharing the same fate with king Zedekiah, described as “the wicked ones … whose reign over Israel will be brought down … his wives, his children, and his infant will go into captivity.”

Like the Samaritans, the Sadducees rejected not only the Oral Torah and the Rabbinic understanding of the Torah, but instead accepted the Samaritan interpretation of their Passover and Pentecost celebration. By doing so they rejected the Prophets (like Ezekiel) and their Writings. God included His holy city of Jerusalem in this judgment in 70 AD as a microcosm for us to be forewarned, so take heed.

Posted in Ezekiel

Chapter 3 starts with further account of the prophet’s calling and mission; of his preparation and work; of the people to whom he was sent; of what happened to him; of the nature of his office, and what followed upon the renewal of his calling.

And remember, Ezekiel’s prophetic message wasn’t for the house of Judah but to the house of Israel; hence we must try to read the prophetic meaning behind all those historical setting. Its timing was a great distance into the future (Ezekiel 12:27), into our time and the message is primarily and principally for the United States of America, and secondarily its European allies.

Ezekiel 3

¹ Moreover He said unto me, “Son of man, eat what thou findest: eat this scroll, and go, speak unto the house of Israel.”

John Gill: eat this roll; not literally, but figuratively, as John is bid to eat the little book, digest it – let it be thy nourishment; and let it be thy meat and drink to do the will of thy Father who is in heaven. Revelation 10:9; that is, read it, meditate upon the things contained therein; and digest them, that he might be able to impart them, and make them known to others: it is explained in Ezekiel 3:10; by hearing and receiving the words of the prophecy; and so the Targum, “receive what is written in this roll.”

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

³ And He said unto me, “Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this scroll that I give thee.” Then did I eat it, and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. — it was joyous for Ezekiel to receive the Divine message, to be thus let into the secrets of the Divine counsel. It’s liked the Parable of the King inviting one special friend for the Eight Day to end the Feast; for just one special guest.

Gill: And he said unto me, son of man, cause thy belly to eat…. or “devour” and consume; that is, concoct and digest; do not cast it out of thy mouth, as soon as thou hast tasted of it; but let it go down into the stomach, and there digest it; and from thence into the belly, that so, upon the whole, virtue may be received, and nourishment come by it:

— and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee; eat to satiety;

— so the Targum says, “son of man, thou shalt satiate thy soul, and fill thy belly, if thou receivest what is written in this roll, which I give thee:”

— this was sufficient to qualify the prophet for prophesying, and furnish him with materials enough; and these fit and proper for the discharge of his office; and so such who study the word of God with application become scribes well instructed in the kingdom of heaven; and being filled themselves, are able to bring forth a message to the comfort and satisfaction of others.

⁴ And He said unto me, “Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with My words unto them. — and he said unto me, son of man, go…. after he had eaten the roll; for then was he qualified to prophesy:

⁵ For thou art not sent to a people of strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel — but to the house of Israel; who were a people of the same speech and language with the prophet; all spoke and understood the Hebrew language; nor were the things he delivered such as they were altogether strangers to being the same, for substance, which Moses, and the other prophets, had ever taught.

⁶ not to many people of strange speech and of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. — surely, had I sent thee to them “a people of strange speech and of a hard language,” they would have hearkened unto thee; which shows an aggravation of the obstinacy and disobedience of the people of Israel; that had the Gentile nations been favoured with the same means of instruction they were they would have been obedient. That is, Gentiles “they would have hearkened unto thee” would have repented and would have done better!!!

⁷ But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee, for they will not hearken unto Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. — “They are not willing”; they have no desire, no inclination, to hear and hearken; but the reverse: stiffnecked as in Exodus 32:9; and indeed the reason why they did not hearken to him was not because they rejected him (Ezekiel) and his words, but because they rejected the Lord and his reproofs (admonitions).

⁸ Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. — Ezekiel should behave with an undaunted spirit, and with great intrepidity, amidst all opposition made to him.

⁹ As an adamant, harder than flint, have I made thy forehead. Fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.”

¹⁰ Moreover He said unto me, “Son of man, all My words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.

¹¹ And go, get thee to those of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them and tell them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God,’ whether they will hear or whether they will forbear.” — “Go, get thee unto thy people…” note that God did not say here, “unto my people,” but “unto thy people.” The apostasy of Israel was so complete that God no longer recognized them as his people, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Hosea, “I hated them: because of the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of my house; I will love them no more” (Hosea 9:15).

¹² Then the Spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place.” — a voice of a great rushing; this was the same noise made by the wings of the living creatures that formed the chariot of God. See Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10. 

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

¹⁴ So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me. — then the spirit took me up…. not the wind, nor an angel, but the Spirit of God; who took up Ezekiel from the ground, from the place where he was, among the captives by the river Chebar, and had seen the glorious vision described in the first chapter; and had had his call and mission, as expressed in the second chapter; and was carried by him to another company of captives, who were at another place by the same river, as appears by comparing Ezekiel 1:1, with Ezekiel 3:15.

¹⁵ Then I came to those of the captivity at Telabib, who dwelt by the River of Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days. — seven days: at the change of place and company; at the sad condition his people were in; and, above all, at the dreadful things he had to deliver to them. The Targum renders it, “silent”; through grief and trouble — a great time for reflection.

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

¹⁷ “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word out of My mouth, and give them warning from Me.  

— Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel… both in a civil sense, a watchman of a town or city, or of the whole country, and in an ecclesiastical sense. So the Targum renders it by מליף, “a teacher”; whose business it was to instruct the people in divine things, to warn them of their evil ways, and of the danger they exposed them to; such were the prophets of old; and lies in watching over the souls of men, as shepherds over their flocks, that they go into right pastures, and not astray, and so preserves them from beasts of prey; and as watchmen of cities, to give the time of night, and, notice of approaching danger; to the discharge of which office are necessary quick sight, diligence in looking out, sobriety and vigilance, courage, constancy, and faithfulness: and they are “sons of men” that are put into this office.

¹⁸ When I say unto the wicked, ‘Thou shalt surely die,’ and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. — thou shalt surely die; that is, If he turn not from his wickedness, and thou givest him not warning, as above, he shalt die in his iniquity, which he should not have committed; but his blood will I require at thy hand; I will visit thy soul for the loss of his.

¹⁹ Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

²⁰ Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

Rabbi Rashi: I shall place a stumbling block before him: When he does his deeds in secret and displays himself as a righteous man, I place an overt sin before him in order to reveal his deeds, and when I bring evil upon him, they will not question Me.

²¹ Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.”

<< there seems to be some missing events to fill the gap. Ezekiel must have delivered his warning message, least he would die as a watcher, but he didn’t die, signifying he must have delivered the warning but that the people didn’t like the message. On his return, he was made dumb by God who asked him to stay at home until the fulfillment of his warning: the destruction of Jerusalem: Ezekiel 24:26-27. This is historical but the real message is for the endtime and is to the house of Israel >>

²² And the hand of the Lord was there upon me; and He said unto me, “Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.”

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

²⁴ Then the Spirit entered into me and set me upon my feet, and spoke with me and said unto me, “Go, shut thyself within thine house. — instead of sending him to a public assembly, God orders him to confine himself to his own lodgings: Go, shut thyself within thy house.

²⁵ But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them.

²⁶ And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb and shalt not be to them a reprover [someone who finds fault or imputes blame], for they are a rebellious house. — that thou shall be dumb…. which is to be understood not just literally, as if he was really struck dumb, as Zechariah was; and that such silence should be charged upon him by the Lord, that he should be as if his tongue cleaved to the roof of his mouth, as if he was a dumb man: and so the Septuagint version renders it, “I will bind thy tongue.”

²⁷ But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God.’ He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear; for they are a rebellious house. — I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth; I will not give thee any message to deliver to them. They are so rebellious, it is useless to give them further warning. But then again, God set the time, when to be silent and when to speak when the time is right.

Ezekiel 4

¹ “Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile and lay it before thee, and portray upon it the city, even Jerusalem;

² and lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mound against it. Set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about. — if Jerusalem had already fallen then this mentioning of Jerusalem could be a futurist event, perhaps in the year 70 AD, and the event of this siege could be a microcosm for the endtime, for a wider audience, for the house of Israel in the next verse, and its timing was a great distance into the future (Ezekiel 12:27).

³ Moreover take thou unto thee an iron plate, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city; and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.

⁴ “Also lie thou upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it, thou shalt bear their iniquity. — the Septuagint has another phase: “according to the number of the hundred and fifty days,” which is not in the Masoretic text.

⁵ For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

Nobody attempts to place what this 390 years mean, except:

Rashi: three hundred and ninety days: We learned in Seder Olam (ch. 26): This teaches us that Israel sinned for three hundred and ninety years from the time they entered the Land until the ten tribes were exiled therefrom. 

— well, if Rashi’s premise is true, that the 390 years were since the house of Israel entered the Promised Land from the other side of the Jordan to the time of their exile, then using the same principle, Judah’s 40 years of iniquity would have started the same time but ended around the time Joshua ended his reign when he died an an age of 110, or shortly after? It just doesn’t add up and doesn’t make sense!

— oh, and by the way, the Septuagint version of this verse says its 190 years instead of 390 years in verse four; so is this easier to understand? Not quite! Perhaps and perhaps only, the downfall of the house of Israel would start first and last for 150 years before the house of Judah joins them for the last 40 years for the final total 190 years as spelt out in the Septuagint? What do you think?

⁶ And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.

Rashi: the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: This teaches us that the house of Judah sinned, from the time that the ten tribes were exiled until Jerusalem was destroyed, forty years;

— again, the figures and reasoning doesn’t sound right; why start only after the northern 10 tribes had gone into captivity; and the time gap was about 135 to 150 years, not 40?

— reading from verse 4 to verse 6 in the Septuagint, it seems the 190 days are made up of 150 days for Israel and 40 days for Judah.

Septuagint version: ⁴ And thou shalt lie upon thy left side, and lay the iniquities of the house of Israel upon it, according to the number of the hundred and fifty days which thou shalt lie upon it: and thou shalt bear their iniquities. ⁵ For I have appointed thee their iniquities for a number of days, for a hundred and ninety days: so thou shalt bear the iniquities of the house of Israel. ⁶ And thou shalt accomplish this, and shalt lie on thy right side, and shalt bear the iniquities of the house of Juda forty days: I have appointed thee a day for a year.

⁷ Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem; and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it. — therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege at Jerusalem…. all the while he was lying either on the left side or the right, his face was to be directed to the siege of Jerusalem, indicating perhaps it is prophetic “thou shalt prophesy” pointing to the year 70 AD.

⁸ And behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another until thou hast ended the days of thy siege.

⁹ “Take thou also unto thee wheat and barley and beans, and lentils and millet and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side; three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof.

— Gill: Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches…. the first of these was commonly used to make bread of; in case of want and poverty, barley was used; but, for the rest, they were for cattle, and never used for the food of men but in a time of great scarcity; wherefore this was designed to denote the famine that should attend the siege of Jerusalem.

— Gill: no mention is made of the forty days, perhaps they are understood, a part being put for the whole; or they were included in the three hundred and ninety days. The Septuagint and Arabic versions read only a hundred and ninety days.

¹⁰ And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day. From time to time shalt thou eat it.

¹¹ Thou shalt drink also water by measure, a sixth part of a hin. From time to time shalt thou drink. — this is famine, same as the great scarcity during the siege of Jerusalem from 66 to 70 AD.

¹² And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man in their sight.” — in the severity of famines, the captives, to languish in hunger and distress, though not compelled to make bricks from straw but only asked to bake their food with shits! Yak! Is this a better deal than the time being in Egypt?

¹³ And the Lord said, “Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the nations, whither I will drive them.” — the above “thus shall” indicates it is futuristic from God’s and Ezekiel’s perspectives as the house of Israel were already in captivity some 150 years ago, so the mystery of 390/190/150/40 years remains what this could possibly mean. Any other possibilities?

¹⁴ Then said I, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, my soul hath not been polluted; for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.” — then said I, ah, Lord God!… the interjection “ah” is expressive of sighing and groaning.

Gill: neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth; corrupt or, putrefied, or whatsoever was unclean by law, as swine’s flesh, or any other. The argument is, that since he had never eaten of anything forbidden by the law of God, he could by no means think of eating that which was abhorrent to nature; as bread baked with men’s dung was.

¹⁵ Then He said unto me, “Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.” — cow’s dung, obviously an improvement over man’s excretion, which Ezekiel seemed to have bargained for, like Abraham did in his days.

¹⁶ Moreover He said unto me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem; and they shall eat bread by weight and with care, and they shall drink water by measure and with astonishment,

¹⁷ that they may lack bread and water, and be stunned one with another, and be consumed away for their iniquity.

Below is the Septuagint (and Arabic versions too; John Gill says so) and putting all together, a possible explanation to the mystery of the 390/190/150/40 years:

⁴ And thou shalt lie upon thy left side, and lay the iniquities of the house of Israel upon it, according to the number of the hundred and fifty days which thou shalt lie upon it: and thou shalt bear their iniquities. — start with the ten tribes house of Israel and last for 150 years

⁵ For I have appointed thee their iniquities for a number of days, for a hundred and ninety days: so thou shalt bear the iniquities of the house of Israel. — start with the 10 tribes but end with the full house of Israel; all 12 tribes: end of the 190 years

⁶ And thou shalt accomplish this, and shalt lie on thy right side, and shalt bear the iniquities of the house of Juda forty days: I have appointed thee a day for a year. Ezekiel 4:4-6 Septuagint. — after the start of the 10 tribes house of Israel and last for 150 years, the house of Judah; 3 tribes join in for 40 years

⁹ Take thou also to thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and bread-corn; and thou shalt cast them into one earthen vessel, and shalt make them into loaves for thyself; and thou shalt eat them a hundred and ninety days, according to the number of the days which thou sleepest on thy side. Ezekiel 4:9 Septuagint. — from the start with 10 tribes and end with full house of Israel: 190 years; why the difference? Perhaps Judah had undergo numerous pogroms and cleanings whereas Ephraim has none since the day when went captivity and into apparent oblivion

We’re now in the Hebrew year 5782 and we’ll need another 217 years to usher the Divine Plan into the 7th Millennium as we believe. Of course, this is on the assumption that God’s oracles have been accurately kept since the day Adam was created as the Oracles custodians claim.

If we add 217 years to the Gregorian calendar year 2021 we’ll come to 2238 when the 7th Millennium starts. Working backward 190 years will bring us to the Gregorian year 2048. So could the year 2048 be the start of the house of Israel’s “iniquity?” — “thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them;” in captivity to start the 190 years?

No, not really: the 190 years should end with the appearance of “My servant David,” in the “valley full of dry bones” scenario (Ezekiel 37) where the full house of Israel would dwell securely rather than in captivity. Indications are that this period is a hundred year period involving “Gog and all his multitude” to the beginning of the Millennium (Ezekiel 40).

If so, the start of the 190 years would be pushed back another hundred years, which would be the Gregorian year 2048; which seems having a higher possibility than the figures (of 390/40 years) offered by the Masoretic Text.

On reflection the children of Israel were in Egypt for about 210 years, so cheers; this captivity of 190 years is 20 years shorter. These analyses may run away with imaginations, but the incorporation of prophecies always has elements of uncertainties and so these predictions could be prone to errors.

Okay, one Question that comes to mind is, “Why the iniquity for Israel is much longer than Judah?” Perhaps the answer could be broken into two parts: (1) the house of Judah, the Jews, have undergone pogroms numerous times over the last two and a millenium whereas the house of Israel have remained largely unscatched since their only captivity was by the Assyrians;

And a related second reason: (2) the house of Judah has already been restored to the Land of Promise; whereas the house of Israel are still largely intact and in exile. It would take decades for conditions to build up for the whole house of Israel to want to return back to their homeland to team up with the house of Judah for the fulfilment of the prophecy of the joining of the two sticks in Ezekiel 37.

And finally, these analyses are not written in stone and so any thoughts to the contrary are most welcome. Are there any other possibilities or factors that have been left out but could or should be considered? Thanks for reading.

Posted in Ezekiel

This book Ezekiel is placed after Jeremiah; since Ezekiel was among the captives in Chaldea when his visions occurred; whereas Jeremiah began to prophesy long before that captivity. The name of this prophet signifies, as it is commonly interpreted, “the strength of God”, or “strengthened by God.”

And since Ezekiel was regarded as a major prophets, the events recorded have significant meanings, that although those events were historical, they have implications for our time.

And Ezekiel’s message wasn’t for the house of Judah but to the house of Israel, whose captivity occurred some 135 years before Judah’s captivity. Hence we must try to read the prophetic meaning behind all those historical setting.

Yet nobody seems to understand the various symbols and riddles in this book of Ezekiel to put all the puzzles into a cohesive and coherent picture. The Jews couldn’t understand what or how the house of Israel could have any relevance since the days they went into exile; Christians taught themselves that they have already replaced the Israelites and God’s graceful promises of eternity are now theirs!

The secret is out when God revealed it to Ezekiel: “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, ‘The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off’ (Ezekiel 12:27). Or as the RSV has it: “The vision that he sees is for many days hence, and he prophesies of times far off.” That’s right, its timing was a great distance into the future into our time and the message is primarily and principally for the United States of America, and secondarily its European allies.

Ezekiel 1

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 of Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

— the Targum, whose origin in the Aramaic language could be traced to Ezra, paraphrases the words thus, “and it was in the thirtieth year after Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the law, in the house of the sanctuary, in the court under the porch, in the middle of the night, after the moon was down, in the days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah.”

— Ezekiel was among the captives by the river Chebar in Chaldea; some thought it was the river Euphrates, others a distributary. Ezekiel was among the captives and this was around the year 587/586 BC, resulting in the exile of the inhabitants of Jerusalem to Babylon. The northern Kingdom Israel was taken earlier around 721 BC, hence the significance is that Ezekiel’s visions are prophetic.

— “and I saw visions of God.” And so at the end: “And I saw, and behold, a storm wind, etc.” — a similar case like John in Revelation.

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

³ the word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him. — Ezekiel was a priest; in the Jerusalem Targum, the Prophet Ezekiel is called the son of Jeremiah the prophet.

⁴ And I looked, and behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself; and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. — “A whirlwind came out of the north;” Nebuchadnezzar, whose land, Babylonia, lay north of Judea. Chaldea was denominated by Jeremiah prophecy.

⁵ Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

⁶ And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

— Ezekiel 10:21; each cherub has four wings, or two elsewhere. But in Isaiah 6:2 — each seraphim has six wings.

— the Targum, whose origin in the Aramaic language of understanding the Scriptures could be traced to Ezra; multiplies the faces in a strange monstrous manner, paraphrasing the words thus, “each had four faces, and there were four faces to everyone “of them”, and every creature had sixteen faces; the number of the faces of the four creatures was sixty and four.”

— Rabbi Rashi (1040-1105 France): and each one had four faces: “Each one” means that the human countenance had four faces, as did that of the lion, the eagle, and the ox, totaling sixteen [faces] to one living being. It was thus for each living being, and four wings for each of the faces, totaling sixty-four wings for each living being. This is [why] Jonathan paraphrased: two hundred fifty-six wings.

⁷ And their feet were straight feet, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass.

⁸ And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and all four had their faces and their wings.

⁹ Their wings were joined one to another. They turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

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

Around the camp: NORTH: DAN (Asher, Naphtali); EAST: JUDAH (Issachar, Zebulon); SOUTH: REUBEN (Gad, Simon): EAST: EPHRAIM (Benjamin, Manasseh). Numbers 2:2

¹¹ Thus were their faces. And their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

¹² And they went every one straight forward; whither the spirit was to go, they went, and they turned not when they went.

¹³ As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire and like the appearance of lamps; it went up and down among the living creatures, and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

¹⁴ And the living creatures ran and returned, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

¹⁵ Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold, a wheel was upon the earth by each of the living creatures with his four faces.

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

¹⁷ When they went, they went upon their four sides; and they turned not when they went.

¹⁸ As for their rims, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rims were full of eyes round about the four.

¹⁹ And 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 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went; thither was their spirit to go: and the wheels were lifted up opposite them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

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

²² And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creatures was as the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

²³ And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other; every one had two which covered on this side, and every one had two which covered on that side of their bodies.

²⁴ And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech as the noise of a host. When they stood, they let down their wings; — “as the voice of the Almighty;” like distant thunder, with hailstones and coals of fire, sometimes lightning flashes; for this is termed the voice of God, Psalms 18:13; Exodus 9:23; Exodus 9:28-29; Exodus 20:18.

²⁵ and there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads when they stood and had let down their wings.

²⁶ And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, with the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness in appearance of a man above upon it.

²⁷ And I saw as the color of amber, with the appearance of fire round about within it. From the appearance of His loins even upward and from the appearance of His loins even downward, I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

²⁸ As the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of One who spoke. — this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of God: of the divine Shechinah; His omnipotence and omniscience; the same BEING that dwelled in the Temple in Jerusalem, now manifested Himself to Prophet Ezekiel showing him events that are set to come far into the future.

Ezekiel 2

¹ And He said unto me, “Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.”

² And the Spirit entered into me when He spoke unto me, and set me upon my feet, so that I heard Him who spoke unto me. — this is the Spirit of God that spoke to Ezekiel. 

³ And He said unto me, “Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against Me. They and their fathers have transgressed against Me, even unto this very day;

— “I send thee to the children of Israel;” this targeted nation couldn’t be Judah, which was already in captivity, and not Israel, the northern Kingdom either, since it was exiled by the Assyrians some 135 years earlier. So the message has to be meant for the endtime, to an endtime rebellious house of Israel.

⁴ for they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God.’ — “for they are impudent children and stiffhearted: hard-hearted; elsewhere stiffnecked: “And the Lord said to Moses, “And the Lord said unto Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiffnecked people,” Exodus 32:9; showing no respect; obstinate, stubborn, with hearts that were like an adamant stone, and harder than the nether millstone; impenitent, obdurate, and inflexible.

⁵ And they, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear (for they are a rebellious house), yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

— John Gill: “yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them”; so that they were left without excuse, which was the purpose of the prophet being sent unto them; although there was little or no hope of reclaiming them; but, however, by such a step taken, they could not say that they had no prophet sent to reprove them for their sins, and warn them of their danger; had they, they would have listened to him, and so have escaped the evils that would come upon them.

⁶ “And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee and thou dost dwell among scorpions. Be not afraid of their words nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

⁷ And thou shalt speak My words unto them, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear, for they are most rebellious.

⁸ But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee. Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house. Open thy mouth, and eat what I give thee.” — this means Ezekiel was to hear it and internalize the message, then the people to whom such messages of God may come should also hear it read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest it, and be warned of this message.

⁹ And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me; and lo, a scroll of a book was therein.

¹⁰ And He spread it before me; and it was written within and without, and there were written therein lamentations and mourning and woe. — “it was written within and without;” contrary to the state of rolls in general, which are written on the inside only, but this was written on the outside also, perhaps indicating a message or great urgency.

— the Targum says, “it was written before and behind, what was from the beginning, and what shall be in the end.”

— Gill: it was usual only to write on the inside; but when they had a great deal to write, then they wrote on the back also; so that this roll being written denotes the largeness and abundance of the prophecies contained in this book; some in respect to the Jews and the house of Israel, and others the nations of the world.

Posted in Ezekiel