Dedicated to Truth

Dedication · Senior Member

Ezekiel

Dedication · Senior Member

In Ezekiel's vision he is given a fascinating glimpse of Christ.

He sees rather strange creatures called cherubim.
Above the cherubim was a platform of skyblue sapphire. Upon this platform was a throne. On the throne was One like a man -- Jesus Christ. All God's revelations to man come through Jesus, for no man has seen the Father.

The throne has a rainbow.
The rainbow is the symbol of the everlasting covenant, surronding His throne. It is a token that He will not fail, His Word is unchanging truth.

Where else do we encounter the platform of Sapphire?

At Mount Sinia --
Ex. 24:10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
24:17 And the sight of the glory of the LORD [was] like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

God's presence was on top of a pavement of blue sapphire stone. The tables of Stone (Exodus 24: 12), literally reads, The Tables of The Stone. Within the context, the only stone mentioned is the sapphire stone pavement that God was standing upon. Therefore, the commandments were not carved from an ordinary rock found on the mountain. It was carved from the stone supporting God's throne.

God's law of righteousness is the foundation of His throne!

Ezekiel, in vision, sees an inspiring picture of God upon His throne surrounded by the rainbow of unchanging promise, supported by the law of unchanging righteousness, controlling the play and interplay of human events. His wheels are full of eyes -- He sees all. No secret escapes His knowledge.

Ezekiel falls on his face in humility and reverence. He is told to stand up and commissioned to go as a messenger for God to his people. A people whose probation is about to close and whose rebellion against God's authority is causing God's glory to depart and allowing them to reap the whirlwind of their own rebellion.

Dedication · Senior Member

The Message

Chapters 4-32 is basically a description of the slow and sad departure of the Glory of God, all the while giving strong warnings, but His departure was followed by the overwhelming flood of disaster and destruction which crushed all but a remnant.

What caused this departure?
How is this relavent to us today?

How much of the prosperity, peace, and freedoms we have do we take for granted? How much of it is due because of God's protecting hand holding back the evil which is the result of sin?

Is God's glory departing from the "Christian" world today?

The book begins with a glorious vision of God as we noted in previous posts.

Later Ezekiel was carried in vision to Jerusalem, to the temple and:

8:4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.

Then we see the glory beginning to move up as the sealing mark is being applied.

9:3   And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house.
10:4   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.
10:5   And the sound of the cherubims' wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.
10:6   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.
10:7   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.

Notice the glory of God has not yet fully departed.
He has moved to the threshold of the door. It's seems the Lord is very hesitant to leave, but slowly He departs.

10:18 Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.
10:19 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 them above.

Still lingering-- still giving warning, but slowly moving further away.

11:22 Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
11:23 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.

More warnings follow -- a frightful description of the destruction about to occur. Yet we hear the anquished plea:

18:30 Repent, and turn from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn [yourselves], and live ye.

It seems, had there been just a small group leading the people toward God, the destruction would not have occured!

22:30 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.
22:31 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.

Dedication · Senior Member

8:3 ..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.
8:4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.

Ezekiel is taken in vision to the temple in Jerusalem. There he sees an image of jealousy that provoked to jealousy. At the same time He sees the Glory of God that he saw in the beginning.

Man's jealousy is set side by side with the glory of God. It shouldn't be there in the temple, but it is -- in competition to God's glory!

This image reveals the seat of sin --
it reveals the creature as being jealous of the Creator!
The created human wanting to be his own god.

The "image of jealousy" caused Lucifer to challenge the authority of Christ in the very beginning of sin's inception.
The "image of jealousy" causes mankind to constantly want to "do it my way" and rebel against God's authority and laws.

Yet this image is in the very temple of God!

Could a worshiper in God's house still be bowing to the image of jealousy?

Romans 1:21   Because that, when they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
1:22   Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
1:23   And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man,

Dedication · Senior Member

8:6   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 go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, [and] thou shalt see greater abominations.
8:7   And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
8:8   Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.
8:9   And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
8:10   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.

"the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary?"

God is showing Ezekiel why He is departing.
There was the image of jealousy -- the people wanting to be their own gods, not wanting to recognize the glory and authority of God.

But now God shows Ezekiel more -- "every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall"

Were these pictures actually on the walls inside the temple? I don't know.

It appears to be more an exposure of what was inside the hearts and minds of the spiritual leaders of the people. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks upon the heart and minds and personalites of those who claim to be worshipping Him.

Ezekiel is given an inside view -- and the inner life of these worshippers is full of evil, they have many idols, their thought lives are full of evil imaginings. It showed what these people, who were supposedly worshipping God, were doing in the dark, as well as in the secret of his imagination.

The one thing that is strikingly presented is that Israel was going through the MOTIONS of worshipping God, while their hearts and lives were in rebellion against His authority and life changing power.

It is a shocking picture of the world today.

Has the "Christian world" fallen into the same situation?

Literal pictures in the great churches are full of pictures depicting strange things mingled with bible themes,
but more importantly, is the mind and heart just going through forms of worship while the inner life is full of corruption?

2 Timothy

3:1   This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
3:2   For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3:3   Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
3:4   Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
3:5   Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:

Dedication · Senior Member

Turning for a moment to the book of Jeremiah we get a fuller picture of the conditions Ezekiel was addressing:

Jeremiah 7:2 Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.

Who is God speaking to in the above passage?
(Those who worship the LORD)

7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.
7:5 For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;

What are the people saying?
(We are worshipping the correct place!)
What is God's concern?
(Worshipping in the right place isn't enough, your life needs to change)

The people in Jerusalem during Ezekiel and Jeremiah's time were worshipping
in the RIGHT place, yet the shameful fact was that the Temple, the house of the
TRUE God was being used to include pagan practises. And what was worse -- the
people were polluting another "temple". It was this pollution that led to the
pollution of the literal temple.

The Bible states:
"Don't you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you".
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of
God is holy, which temple you are." 1 Cor. 3:16,17

The prophets were telling the people that they were defiled by their lusts,
passions, and practices. Then they were coming into the literal temple thinking they
were delivered to do these things!

Could this mean that people today, who claim they are saved and that their
actions or "works" don't matter, are thinking they too, are delivered to do
these things?

Could we ourselves think just because we follow certain rituals and worship on the right day that we are
saved even though we cling to pet sins?

The startling thing in this chapter is to see the ANCIENT OF THE HOUSE OF
ISRAEL, men who should have known better, men who must have been present during
the spiritual revival of King Josiah forty years earlier as the person named was the son of Shaphan. Shaphan was the scribe that read to King Josiah out of the book of the law. Now we see his son and other leaders secretly abandoning
the worship of the true God to pay homage to senseless man-made objects.

How could this be?

Small compromises -- one after the other.
Compromises that we need the Holy Spirit to point out in our lives as we search the scriptures and our hearts.

We want to be walking with Jesus to His kingdom, and engaged in true worship of the true God!

Dedication · Senior Member

Ezekiel 8:13 He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, [and] thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.
8:14 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.

Tammuz was "a god of Sumerian origin" whose worship was wide spread in ancient cultures.

This religion dated back to Nimrod's time shortly after the flood. Nimrod began the establishment of the pagan cults in defiance to God. When he died his wife Semiramis (also known as Istar) became pregnant, claiming the babe to be concieved by a ray of sun from the now "sun god" Nimrod and Nimrod was reincarnating himself in her womb. The child was named Tammuz, born Dec. 25. The mother and child were regarded as "divine." Ishtar becoming known as "the queen of heaven". It's never clear if Tammuz was "son" or "husband" to Ishtar.

Tammuz was regarded as the "shepherd" who died annually and rose to new life every year after Ishtar, his wife and mother descended into the nether world and brought him up again. Every year the rituals required weeping and fertility rites to bring Tammuz back.
This is what Ezekiel saw the the women doing!

The whole cult is NOT dead in our world today.

The "mary" cult is receiving astonishing homage the world over! This "mary" cult, is nothing more than Christian coated Istar and Tammuz paganism!
The real Mary, is dead, awaiting the coming of Christ like all faithful children of God. The apparition is NOT the Mary of the Bible.

The reemergence of the Mary adoration is not only an attraction for Roman Catholics, it is also seen in Protestant and Moslem religion. Also most other religions, like Hinduism, Buddism etc. have the "mother child" goddess as well.

Quoting from Christian Century May 16, 1910
"The sheer scale of modern European pilgimage is startling. The world's largest marian shrine is Guadalupe in Mexico, which attracts 10 million visitors a year, but several European centers draw pilgrims on nearly that scale. And just since the 1970's those numbers have grown substantially. Lourdes, which drew about a million visitors each year in the 1950's now records close to six million annually (50,000 may pass through on a quiet day). Each year, Jasna Gora in Czestochowa, Poland, attracts four five million to see a picture of the Virgin Mary supposedly drawn from life by St. Luke the Evangelist."

Jeremiah verifies what Ezekiel saw. The "mother/child" cult was being practiced in Israel.

Jeremiah 7:18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

The "queen of heaven" is very much sought after in our day.
It is often wondered if is "she" is the key to uniting all religions into one.

The Queen of Heaven -- the Lady of all Nations?

The apparition of Mary is always refered to as "Our Lady" --Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Medjugorje, etc.
She is appearing in all nations as "our lady of.... (whatever place).

"I am the Lady --Mary -- Mother of All Nations....I have come precisely today in order to tell you that I wish to be known as this. Let all the children of men, of all the countries in the world be one!" (Kunzli p.38, Message given Feb. 11,1951)

What does scripture have to say concerning this name:
Lady of all nations

Isaiah 47:1,5
Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. ....sit silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, THE LADY OF KINGDOMS ."

The "virgin mary" claims to be "tender and delicate"

"I am a tender and understanding Mother for all of you." she told Father Gobi Feb 26, 1991

Isaiah says: " 47:7 And you say, I shall be a lady for ever: so that you did not lay these things to your heart, neither did you remember the latter end of it.
47:8 Therefore hear now this, ..you who say in your heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:
47:9 But these two things shall come to you in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon you in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of your enchantments.
Rev. 18 says much the same thing.

The last day spiritual crises will have a lot to do with "Ishtar and Tammuz" renamed to appear as Biblical authentic, yet replacing the Our True Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and usurping His place for worship. This counterfeit will be the guiding power in the world religion crises depicted in Revelation.

The crises over true worship!

Dedication · Senior Member

The next verses in Ezekiel 8 are sad verses. Some may see these verses and feel that God is vindictive, yet how do we understand these verses in the light that God is love.

8:15 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.
8:16 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 worshipped the sun toward the east.
8:17 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.
8:18 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.

There at the entrance to the Lord's temple, between the entrance and the altar, were about 25 men who had their backs turned to the Lord's temple. They were facing east and worshiping the rising sun.
Now picture these men bowing down to worship, but what were they worshiping? Their faces were toward the created sun, while their backs were against the Most Holy Place, the Ark of the Covenant and the Creator of all things! God said this was the "greatest abomination" of the four abominations listed in this chapter. This action expressed gross contempt for the Creator God, using His place of worship to turn their backs on HIM, and worship the created sun.

In the book of Joel we read what should have been transpiring in this exact location:
"Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers,weep between the porch and the altar ( this is the same location where the 25 elders were committing gross idolatrous worship) and let them say, “Spare Thy people, O Lord, and do not make Thine inheritance a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they among the peoples say, ‘Where is their God?’” (Joel 2:17)

Yet there were no religious leaders pleading for revival of true worship, and pleading with God for forgiveness. Instead, we see the results of worshiping the creature rather than the Creator, as injustice and violence filled the land. The result of worshipping creation instead of the Creator, leads to a multitude of sins. The land was filled with violence as well as pagan worship.

For hundreds of years God patiently called these Israelites to worship Him, they had a few good kings who pointed them toward true worship, through whom God could work to uplift the nation, He protected them, sent them prophet after prophet, but for the most part the lure of the world was heeded, rather than the call of God. But Israel not only killed many of the prophets, they were in open contempt against God, substituting pagan worship in the very place of true worship.