Bible Study: November 13, 2024

So last week we got through most of Ezekiel 21. We ended Ezekiel 21 in the time when God was talking about giving Isaiah the prophecy about the throne in Judah being overturned, overturned, overturned. It says overthrown, overthrown, overthrown, the New King James version. And we talked about how that throne was moved from Jerusalem to Ireland, to Scotland, and then to England where it sits today waiting for the return of Jesus Christ. And when he returns to earth, he will take that throne of David that God promised would exist until the time of the return of Jesus.

We didn't go through all the detail, but you'll remember we did refer you to a, not a booklet, but a paper that the church has. And it is posted on our website somewhere. Yeah, I don't know, remember exactly where, but it's been posted on one of the home office congregation type websites. That's ucg.org slash congregations home hyphen office. If you can't ever find it, just send Dave Permar me an email and we'll get you a copy of it. Oh, you could also, I think you could also look for it at bible.ucg.org or the ucg bible commentary. Go to Ezekiel 21. And as you read through it, you will see a link to that paper. I think called the throne of David, if I remember what the name of the paper is. But we left it off last week at Ezekiel 27. And we had a few verses left in, in Ezekiel 21 that we were going to go over. You'll remember that there was the prophecy of Nebuchadnezzar taking two roads. He came to a fork of road and I'm going to put up the, put up the graphic we had last week on that again, just to kind of remind you of what we were talking about. You'll remember you can, you can see that right? Or can you? I think you can.

I see that. Yeah, you do see it. Okay. No. You do not see it. Okay. Well, that's it. Because usually I can see people in the background. Let me try that one more time. I must not have hit the right share button here. So there we go. Okay. Now, now you can see it, I'm sure. Yes. Okay. So you remember this graphic from last week and there was a prophecy and those verses of like 2018 to 23 in Ezekiel 21 where God has Nebuchadnezzar come to a fork in the road and then he has to choose between the two, the two forks. He chooses the one to go to Jerusalem and he destroys the city there. It's the third, the third siege of Jerusalem. He completely destroys this city, completely destroys the temple. But there's this other road there, five, six, five, seven, and nine on the right side indicates the road that he took toward Jerusalem. God led him to that. But then we have these Ammonites who also were waiting to see what Nebuchadnezzar would do as he was going to, if he was going to conquer them. He has reason to conquer them as well. And God has reason to punish the Ammonites. So when Ezekiel, not Ezekiel, when Nebuchadnezzar does conquer Jerusalem, he doesn't put his sword away. He has another job to do. He did Jerusalem first, but we read in verse 28 through 32, he's going to go and he's going to destroy Ammon as well. So let's just read through chapter or verses 28 to 33 here.

And that's showing again that he is the one that he is doing that. I see a number of people. Hold on just a minute and let some people in here may have to, they may have to wait a second here.

Okay. Yep. I'll just have to wait a second until we get back up here again. Did I lose the share on you?

Okay. Wow. We can still see. No, we're still here. Okay. Okay. Yeah. I shouldn't push buttons while I'm doing that. Then I don't know how to get myself back out of it. Okay. Verse 28.

And you son of man, prophesy and say, thus says the Lord God concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach and say, a sword, a sword is drawn, polished for slaughter or consuming and for flashing. You remember last week, God said those same words about the sword that was ready to slaughter. And that was having to do with Judah because of their sins and their abominations before God. But that same sword that's designed for slaughter, that's drawn and polished and ready to go is still there. And Ammon is going to be the one who receives the punishment that they deserve. While they see false visions for you, while they divine to lie to you, apparently this is where I am and was saying, see, our gods spared us. He went to Jerusalem. We're safe to bring you on the next of the wicked, the slain whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end.

So they were prophesying they're safe, but that isn't the case. Never can desert did come in and slaughter or did conquer them as well. Return it to a chief. I will judge you in the place where you were created in the land of your nativity. The commentary say maybe that return it to a chief should be maybe better quoted. Will you return it to achieve? Will you spare Ammon? But no, God doesn't return it to achieve. I will judge you. God says in the place where you were created, they are in the land where they were raised up in the land of your nativity. I will pour out my ignitination with you. I will blow against you with the fire of my wrath and deliver you into the hands of brutal men who are skillful to destroy. Again, this is what he's saying toward Ammon.

Ezekiel prophesied toward Ammon. This is what's going to happen to them. You shall be fuel for the fire. Your blood shall be in the midst of the land. You shall not be remembered for I, the Lord, have spoken. So we have this prophecy where Ammon is going to be destroyed. Now you remember where Judah, that God was going to punish Judah. They were going to go into captivity. They were going to, the city was going to be destroyed. The temple was going to be destroyed. But he did not completely destroy Judah. Ammon, he does completely destroy. We read that in some of the other prophecies in Isaiah about Ammon being destroyed.

Jeremiah talks about it. Instead of going back to those chapters and looking at that, I'll give you a couple to look at here. In 2 Kings 24 and 25, it talks about the destruction of Ammon. Jeremiah 27 and Jeremiah 49 talk about it. But as God talks about it, a few chapters forward in Ezekiel, he talks about Ammon, again, the same prophecy that they are going to be destroyed for the sins that they committed against Judah. When Judah was getting attacked, apparently they were gleeful. They were celebrating.

And God does not ever look kindly when someone is being punished that other people are gloating about it. And so that for that reason, and because of sins that, you know, as Israel came out of Egypt, Edom was punished strongly as well. You see God punishing. But let's look at Ezekiel 25 and verse 3. And here we're talking about it again. We're in a series of chapters here in Ezekiel where God is leading up to, again, repeating again and again, why is Judah destroyed?

Why does God punish them? What did they do that incurred God's ire so much? But in chapter 25, I'll just be beginning in verse 1 here. It says, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel saying, Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them. Say to the Ammonites, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus he says, because you said, Aha, against my sanctuary when it was profaned and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity, indeed, therefore I will deliver you as a possession to the men of the East, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you.

They shall eat your fruit and they shall drink your milk. So he has this dire warning against the Ammon going on in verse 6, for thus says the Lord God, because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced in heart with all your disdain for the land of Israel, indeed, therefore I will stretch out my hand against you and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and I will cause you to perish from the countries.

I will destroy you and you shall know that I am the Lord. So as we read this in Ezekiel 23, and it did happen back at the time Judah was destroyed, we see there's also a prophetic element to this, because the house of Israel, you'll remember, has already gone into captivity. So when God has Ezekiel talk to the house of Israel, is for a future time that he is talking.

So chapter 25, we have the example of something in the future with Ammon, where there is this glee clapping of hands, stamping the feet, joy over the demise of the house of Israel. And God says they will they will exact their punishment before that. We never gloat over someone else's demise or punishment. Instead, we just remember to, as we read last week in Ezekiel 21, God says, sigh and cry, mourn that people have to go through those things and learn the lesson in their hard way.

Yes, Becky. Becky. Doesn't it remind you or make you think of the two witnesses and how that will be celebrated when they're taken? Yeah, yeah, you're exactly right. They'll be celebrating and dancing in the streets for three and a half days. Yeah, exactly. And gifts. I think they'll give gifts, which I've always thought is really strange for the two witnesses when they die, I think. Yeah, I missed the last part of that, but I think I agree with you. Okay, I'm sorry. I said, and I think they give gifts to one another, too. Oh, yes, yeah, no, they do. They do. It says that they're they're just having a really wonderful time during that time.

And God looks very unkindly on that. So, okay, so that wraps up chapter 21 then. In chapter 22, we're going to see, again, God's words of judgment against Jerusalem and the house and the house of Israel. This is an interesting chapter because in it, we're going to see where God lists a number of sins of the land of Judah that leads to their demise.

And when you look at it, you see that this is also a future prophecy. So, when God talks about all these sins, and we're going to relate some of what God says here to what we see going on in the world today and in our nation today, he talks about specifically these are the things when these things occur that have you come to your end. We're going to see that in verse four. So, it's a very interesting chapter, and in it, God lays out the type of society it is that is on the verge of reaping judgment from him.

So, let's pick it up in verse one of chapter 22. Moreover, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel saying, now, son of man, will you judge? Will you judge the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations.

Well, the bloody city is Jerusalem. There was violence going on in there, but he never specifically mentions Jerusalem. And as we read through this, even the commentaries will indicate that the secular commentaries will indicate that this indeed could be about cities who develop these type of situations with them when they turn against God and sin in this way. The UCG Bible commentary is much clearer on that, that this would be a sign of the sins that are there at the land of the land of Israel at the end time as well. So, God says, will you judge the bloody city? It's a violent city. It's full of blood. Yes, show her her abominations. You know, one thing about God is he does warn. He does let us know what it is that we do when we transgress against him. He does want people to know he is a merciful and compassionate God. It will show us our sins and give us the opportunity to turn from our way and the way that is against him to come back to him.

And so, when he gives Ezekiel these words, and these words that were given to Ezekiel are given to us. Every word in the Bible that was spoken in end times, they are words to us today. They are God's word to us today just as much as when he spoke them to the prophets back then and through Christ when he was on earth. So, we read these words and they're warnings to us as well. When we see ourselves and when we see our lands, it's a warning. It should be a warning to the world.

It should be a warning to us if these things are in our lives as well. Show her. Show her abominations.

All her abominations, God says. Then say, verse 3, thus says the Lord God, the city sheds blood in her own midst that her time may come and she makes idols within herself to defile herself.

Now, she says blood can be very much the violence of the city. We have violence in our cities, people killing each other. You hear of rampant shootings or whatever like that. But more specifically, when God talks about this bloodshed, the commentary suggests that this is the child sacrifice that is going on in the midst of the city. It is something they are doing voluntarily to sacrifice to Molech. And when God sees child sacrifice, that's one of the signs where you know his tolerance of people is done. He doesn't tolerate sin, but it has come near because they've drawn so far away from God that they would think they're honoring any God by killing children.

And it talks here about making idols within herself to defile herself. They've come up with their own religion in Judah. They've come up with their own way of doing things and they think that they're honoring their God in that way. So if we pause and look at our society today, you know, child sacrifice is one thing. When you take a child, you march it up to an altar and you specifically kill it in honor of Molech. But in this land, and this land, and especially in the last couple years, abortion has been claimed and elevated to a state where it is an absolute right, almost a crown on people's heads. As you've watched the recent presidential election in all the last two years where it's been abortion, abortion, abortion, and that is what, you know, that's just a right. We have that right to do that. And women fight for it and they will sacrifice other things for it. And it's not just, it's wrong no matter when abortion is, but even late term abortion. And so there's been this controversy out there about the third trimester pregnancies that can be terminated even after birth. And you know, there's been the reports they say documented, I don't know, or babies have just been allowed to die on the table. It is nothing short of child sacrifice. There is this death that occurs as people satisfy themselves and worship to some God. It was even interesting as I was listening to some of the rhetoric in the aftermath of the election and some of the things that were a spouse during that and how things got out of hand with the things that were said and whatever, that it had almost been elevated some of these ideals on the, I guess, far left side to it was a state of religion. It was a state of religion. It's their religion was what one of the commentators said, because they worship those things so much they weren't even able to see clearly what was going on and they cannot, they can no longer see clearly. So when I read these verses and I see what's going on in our world today, and especially with abortion being championed and the blood that's being shed and the religion, you know, there are things that people are asked to sacrifice. I mean, they talk about climate change, some commentators, even some in the church have suggested that climate change can be a type of religion as well. They make idols within themselves to defile themselves. So we could kind of take those words and look at our society today and say, yeah, that could define us as well. Bill Bruce, how are you doing? Good to see you.

I'm doing, I'm doing real good. I saw a woman minister the other day. I don't know what church, but here's what she said. If Christ was here, he would hold our hand while we had our abortions and be totally in agreement with it. And then she bragged about how many she had. And then how many have to be protected to see pregnancy. She had all the children she had. It just blew my mind.

It just blew my mind. Yeah. Especially when they attach it to God, right? That's something he would approve of. It's just, it's just heinous in God's eyes to see that. So.

Okay. Verse four, we go on the next down to verse 17, we have now God have it. We have see God listing this, these sins that the landers committing. Verse four, he says, you have become guilty by the blood, which you have shed and you defiled yourself with the idols, which you have made. And here's a key, a key sentence. You have caused your days to draw near and have come to the end of your years. Again, you have done these things. And when we do these things, when our society does these things, you have caused your days. You brought it upon yourself, as God is saying, you've caused your days to draw near and have come to the end of your years.

Therefore, I've made you a reproach to the nations and a mockery to all countries, that they would actually look on, you know, God's Judah, God's Israel, and say, what is going on with that country? What are they doing? They are leading the world into gravity. Those near and those far from you will mock you as infamous. Infamous isn't a good thing. It's kind of like, it's unbelievable to them how you could have brought this upon yourselves. Those near and those far from you will mock you as infamous and full of tumult. Look, the princes of Israel, that's the leaders of the land, right? Princes were the royal family. Today, we don't have princes and kings, but we have leaders in the land. The princes of Israel, each one has used his power to shed blood in you. They're there. They're there urging you on. This is the right.

This is the thing that you should do. This is how you handle things. It is a part that's just a part of society. In you, verse seven, and here we see, you know, some of the things again, in you they have made light of mother and father. There's no respect for mother and father. So we can see, we're not in all 50 states, but in some states, this whole transgender issue got out of hand where it would be if parents won't allow their child to be transitioned, the state can take them from you. Children were taught you don't have to deal with your mother and father. The state, the school teacher has more power over you than them. And even in states where that is, we see a decrease in the respect that is paid to mother and father as society moves away from all the tenets and moralities and disregard for whatever the parents may be teaching to what the state would teach, what the state would teach instead. In you, they have made light of mother and father. In your midst, they have oppressed the stranger. And God has, you know, back in Leviticus and Exodus, he has some, he has some words to say about being kind to strangers and not oppressing strangers.

And so we, you know, we live in a land today where strangers are oppressed. You know, we have, we have all this issue with immigration, but we have an issue with homelessness. We have an issue with all sorts of things in this country that are, that have just escalated in recent years is, it's out of control in a way in your midst. They have oppressed the stranger in you. They've mistreated the fatherless and the widow. God says to pay attention, be very caring of the people who are in these situations. And I'm not talking about the mass immigration that comes in here and everything like that. There's, there's issues with that when you go back to the Bible as well.

But, you know, we have all this oppression. They mistreated the fatherless and the widow. And what are they doing? What is the reason for all of this? It's not for the good of the stranger. There's some ulterior purpose that satisfies self as opposed to what's good for, what's good for them.

Verse eight, you despised, you despised my holy things. You profaned my Sabbaths. It was back in Ezekiel 18. I wasn't think it was that God talked about Sabbath over and over and over again for his people, that ancient Israel just completely profaned and defiled the Sabbath. Even though they were attending church, they still were defiling the Sabbath. They weren't keeping it with their heart. They weren't keeping it holy. And as a delight that God had intended, you despised my holy things and profined my Sabbaths. So you begin to see this list that God is going through. You've done all these things. Verse nine, and you are men who slander to cause bloodshed.

You know, slander, slander is one of those things where people just talk evil about someone else just, it's kind of like in a character assassination. I want to just get at that person.

So I'll say whatever I need to, to turn someone against someone else. It is a trend in society.

All you had to do is listen to the news to hear how just outright lies, if you will, I guess, were said by each candidate against the other, things that were there just to turn the people against it. And God has a lot to say about that. And slander in his eyes is no different than killing it. We keep our finger in there. Look at Christ's words here in Matthew, in Matthew five, in the Sermon on the Mount. He talks about how we talk to one another. Of course, in the Old Testament, it was the physical obedience to the commandments, thou shalt not kill. But Christ expands that and to the spiritual application of all those laws of the Old Testament that we live in the New Testament.

And in verse 21, I think it is, yeah, verse 21, he says, as you've heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raka shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says you fool shall be in danger of hellfire. God says, don't speak against them. Watch what you're doing. There is a price to pay when you speak against your brother unjustly. And of course, then in verse 24, what his will is you get together, you talk, you be reconciled, you, you forgive one another, you speak and you encourage each other, you exhort one another, if there is some kind of correction that needs to be done, it gets done in love, always with the always with the the intention that it will improve the other person as we continue on our march to the character development that God wants into his kingdom. Hey, Tracy.

I don't know if this is the first question, but I read those words about Raka and fool.

And Raka, I do not even know what that word means. But fool, I used to tell my son was acting a fool.

And that was foolish. Is that what I was talking about? Don't say he's talking about fool. And what really that fool is a kind of a spiritual condemnation that you were saying that he is it's just a spiritual condemnation. I don't think it's in the same guys as as fool of your acting foolishly and stuff like that. Raka is just a very angry. I used to know exactly what that meant. I forgotten what it means. It was a very angry word that someone would say just when you're anger is just really fired up against against them. But it's one of those words that if you hear, you know that there has been something said against you. But fool is a spiritual connotation of it, indicating that you are completely apart from God. It's kind of like a judgment type thing, if I remember correctly. Thank you. Hey, Dale. Oh, hi there. Yeah. Hi.

Good to see you. Yeah, I looked up Raka and said in the Greek is like worthless or useless. So that's pretty pretty pretty insulting. Yeah, it is worthless or useless person. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

So if we go to James, you know, James talks about, you know, how we speak about it with each other about each other as well. So James four in verse 11, you know, again, he says, he says there, don't speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. So God takes it seriously how we how we respect each other. Doesn't mean that there is never a time, you know, there's never a time for correction.

There is a time for correction, but it's done with purpose. And it's a it's a trial on those who, who must correct. But on those of us who have to be corrected, how do we take that? Do we take that in the right intent that this is God showing us our sins, warning us of what needs to change in us?

Because if we really are, if we really are intent and committed to his development of us, his Holy Spirit in us leading us to the character and the and the type of person we need to be, we will take that we'll examine ourselves and take that to heart. And then one more back in Psalms and Psalm 101. You don't need to turn there if you don't want to Psalm 101. Among many, many verses about slander in the Psalms and Proverbs. Psalm 101 verse five, it says, whoever secretly slanders his neighbor. And that's a lot of time where slander occurs, right? I'm talking to someone behind their back and giving them my opinion of him. He has no chance to hear what's being said. I'll just cast my color on it the way I want to whoever secretly slanders his neighbor.

God says him, I will destroy the one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him, I will not endure. I'm always slander when we slander other people. It is really the result of a haughty heart.

We think they are much better than them. We know much better. We know much better. We are much better than them. And we speak evil of them. So when God says, when you see this going on in a society, and those of us in America who have watched the recent presidential election, I think that anyone who has been through many presidential elections would say the the slander and the words that were said about each of the candidates there was beyond anything in the in the past. All with the intent, all with the intent just to destroy other people's opinion of him, whether it had any basis or not. So if we go back to Leviticus, not Leviticus, Ezekiel 22.

Ezekiel 22, we were in verse 9. Again, we have this list of sins that God says when you see these, your time has drawn near, you've come to the end of your years, society. Verse 9, we read in, you are men who slander to cause bloodshed. It's like character assassination, right? You're trying to turn someone against another person, you slander to cause bloodshed. And you are those who eat on the mountains. Well, you know, on the mountains, guys, kind of like there's this pagan sacrifice, we've read about, you know, the high hills that pagans worshipped on going up to the mountains to do to do whatever sacrifice or whatever ritual they have, and eating up there. So God is talking about you go up to the mountains, you are worshipping those gods, you are worshipping someone other than him. And you are those who eat on the mountains. In your midst, they commit lewdness.

So then we have sexual depravity. And God goes on for a few verses, a couple of verses here about the sexual depravity. Again, we can look at what we have going on in our society today, with the things that, you know, I often say five or 10 years ago, we wouldn't have even thought about transgender issues and all these other issues and drag queens in schools or drag queens being exonerated as they were some champion of society and some brave, courageous souls.

And the things that go on in this world, they commit lewdness. We should be reminded, you know, when a nation or a people depart so far from God, Romans 1, you know, Romans 1 talks about how their heart becomes further and further and further from God. And Romans 1, God is pretty specific when he talks about the lewdness that comes when people turn further and further away from God.

And this is kind of what he's here to. We see these sins that are there. And he says, you know, in your midst, right in the midst of you, there's no shame at all. They just kind of profess it in your midst. They commit lewdness in you. Verse 10, men uncover their father's nakedness. We can think back to Genesis, you know, when Noah and his son Ham and God said, you know, that's what happened and God put a curse on Ham and you men uncover their father's nakedness. And you, they violate women who are set apart during their impurity. That was an old covenant, an old covenant ritual that God had put in there of that people had to obey. One commits abomination with his neighbor's wife. Another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law and another in you violates his sister, his father's daughter. So God lists these various things that are just the lewdness, the sexual depravity, the sexual immorality that becomes rampant in the land. And people are no longer even ashamed of it.

Instead, they almost sort of flaunt it as again, that is kind of a right that they have.

We go on. Verse 12, in you, they take bribes to shed blood. You know, bribes is one of those things. It's just an indication of corruption in government. And, you know, as we, as we, you know, over the last few years, again, in America and in Canada, you know, I know that you've had issues up there. I'm sure in England, they have had as well. You know, you have all these issues of corruption, everything that's there. The only thing that hasn't happened with some of the corruption that has been uncovered is any kind of prosecution or any kind of indictments or anything like that. But it's pretty common knowledge that in the government, there is plenty of corruption going on, plenty of bribes being taken. There's nothing new under the sun. It was happening back then. It happens today. It'll happen in the next government as well. It's just one of those sins of the nation that human nature leads us to. If they can enrich themselves, they enrich themselves.

In you, they take bribes to shed blood. You take a jury and increase. And you'll remember in the Old Testament, you know, God said, if you're going to lend money, if you're asked to lend money, don't charge a brother interest on it. Just let him pay it back without interest. But he said to the stranger, you can, you can charge interest. But apparently people were charging interest and, you know, still today we have pretty high interest rates, right? Maybe not loan sharks, but part of the campaign recently here was the credit card, the credit card interest that's on there.

And when you look at the credit card interest, it's pretty high. When you look at the debt that the America is playing on there, the interest they're paying on their debt, it's pretty high.

And so there are people making a lot of money and increase off of the usury of the interest that's there that enslaves people. You take usury and increase, you take usury and increase. You have made profit from your neighbors by extortion. Common thing today, you know, we hear about those reports. You may, you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion. You forgotten me, says the Lord God. So he says, you know, these things are all about self, worshiping self and doing the things that we want to do. And God says, you've forgotten me. And again, as you look at those, as you look at those sins, they were rampant in ancient Judah. They're still rampant today and in every society. And when those things occur, it brings about the downfall of a nation, the nation that it becomes so corrupt, they just cannot, they just cannot stand. It leads to all these sins. It leads to division and a house divided against itself can't stand. So God says, in the light of all that, a pretty complete list, right? Behold, therefore, he says, I beat my fists at the dishonest profit, which you have made and at the bloodshed, which has been at your midst.

Well, he beats his fists and angers him to see what they, what we've become and what people have become and what they've done. God's all for people making profits, but honest profits, not with dishonest scales, not through usury, not through deceit, not through slander, not through extortion or anything else like that. Dishonors profit is all about self completely against what God wants.

And so he says, I beat my fists against you. And verse 14, then he says, can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong in the days when I will deal with you? I, the Lord has spoken, and I will do it. Can you endure what's coming your way? You've committed all of these sins. You've turned away from me. You knew better. You knew better. And Ezekiel was warning them and Jeremiah was warning them. Isaiah warned them. The prophets all kept warning the people, turn back to God, turn back to God, turn back from your ways to his way. They just turned a deaf ear to it and just kept on doing the same thing. And God says, when that time comes, your days are near. Can you endure those days? You know, it may remind us of Joel 2, where God says that day, that day of doom, that day of turmoil that's coming, who can endure it? Who can stand against God when he exacts his anger on people who have turned against him and have violated his principles? Who can endure it?

Well, it won't be the people who have sinned unless he spares them. But if we are righteous, if we've developed the character that God wants during that time, if we don't participate in these sins and how society goes and we continue to build the character to the trials that come our way and we choose God's way and not the way of the world and not becoming part of it, we can't stand through those days. Not because of our power, not because of our might, but because we have relied on God and allowed his Holy Spirit and his character to develop in us and he will see us through that time.

So he says, he goes on here in verse 14, he goes on here through verse 14 and he says, I will scatter you among the nations. I will disperse you throughout the countries and I will remove your filthiness completely from you. I will scatter you. We've read that earlier in the book of Ezekiel. We read it in Isaiah. You can read it in Jeremiah. God says, you will be taken captive. You will leave your country. It happened to ancient Israel. They were deported from ancient Israel over into the Assyrians land. Judah was transported and deported.

Interesting that some of the commentaries use the word deported. We may think of that as an ancient thing that happens and yet here we are living in a time where we hear about deportations, millions being deported. So even in today's world, people get deported. Now when it comes time for time for America who turns against God to be deported, it's not something that's foreign.

It's not something that only happened in ancient times. It still happens today. But he says, I'll scatter you among the nations. Happened to ancient Israel. Happened to Judah. It'll happen again because these are prophetic verses that apply to the house of Israel today as much as they did to the peoples of God back then. Again though in verse 15, we're reminded when God punishes, when people reap the consequences of their actions that have been committed against God, they bring it upon themselves. Then God, because his name must be honored, he says, if you depart from me, if you do these things, these curses will be upon you. His name will be honored. He will do exactly what he has to say. But he says there in verse 15, I will remove, I will disperse you throughout the countries and remove your filthiness completely from you.

Because when they go to those countries, they will understand, look what we've done to ourselves.

Look what we've done. We've turned against God. We've read in Ezekiel 20, Ezekiel 20, Ezekiel 6. I think one more time in the book of Ezekiel will read that says, Israel will loathe themselves. They will repent because they will see we did it to ourselves.

We turned against God. We had the warnings. We knew better, but we turned against God and did things our own way. God says when that repentance comes, he will remove their filthiness completely from them. He does forgive when we repent. Sometimes we have to go through some tough times in order to come to the realization and humble ourselves before God and ask for that repentance and realize we're wrong and that we need to make the adjustments in our life by looking to him and yielding to him and repenting of our sins. In verse 16, he says, you shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations. You're going to be there because you're going to defile yourself in this. It really has the aspect of you're going to show them. Look what we did. We did it to ourselves. We should have obeyed God. Then you shall know, God says, that I am the Lord. You're going to go into captivity. Whenever we see, then you shall know that I am the Lord. He's doing it always for a good reason because he wants people to learn his way and to learn his way is best and commit to that way for the rest of their lives. Indeed eternity, if we look at what he really wants of mankind, that none would perish, but they would all turn to him. That takes the humbling of self. That takes the repentance. That's turned the art turning to him and away from self and acknowledging. Acknowledging to God and acknowledging and even maybe to each other, if that's necessary, that we can see the repentance. The first part, the first 16 verses there of Ezekiel 22, quite a chapter. Again, as we are in this section of Ezekiel, next week is going to be the same thing.

Next week is an interesting chapter as well as God becomes very explicit and descriptive in his ire with Israel and his people. We'll say that for next week though. The first 16 verses are an indictment on us as well. Therefore, any nation that turns against God. Then in verse 17, we see the next admonition to Ezekiel from God. The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel saying, Son of man, and here we have the house of Israel. Again, they've gone into captivity, so we know that this is not for the house of Israel that's already been taken into captivity, but this is for people of the end time. The house of Israel will again be a significant nation on earth. The house of Israel has become dross to me. Now dross is not a word that we use very often, but what it pretty much means when you look it up, it says that it is a scum or unwanted material that forms on molten metal. This is the waste stuff of metal. God says, Israel was my children. They were the apple of my eye. I created them. I gave them everything, but look what they've done to themselves. The house of Israel has become scum to me. They are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead.

In the midst of a furnace, they have become dross from silver. So I may not explain this exactly right as I looked at it, since I've never put any silver in fire, but apparently there's this purification process where silver can melt. The dross falls out and it reveals the true silver or the true metal that's there, but the dross is the scum, the unwanted stuff that falls off of it.

But when it falls off, it reveals, and as you read this, think of the character that's revealed as we go through trials, because as God puts us through the fire of trials, it shows who we are. Do we doubt? Do we turn against him? Do we go running to look at society and say, what can you do to help me? Or do we learn to trust in God and put our faith in him?

Whatever that trial may be, ever more learning, building that faith. Last week I talked about an unshakable faith that we must develop if we're going to be in God's kingdom. That's what he's looking for us to do, that mature faith that comes through the course of our lives, where we have endured the trials, where we've turned to him, and when the winds blow and the storms come, we stand through it because our eyes are on him, and not on self, and not looking off to the left or right to see what can save ourselves because we have that absolute trust in God.

As we read through these verses, when I use silver, think of character, because that's what God is developing in us. He wants us to develop into that gold that is precious to him as he refines us and as he molds us into who he wants us to be. Son of Mao, or in verse 18 again, the house of Israel has become dross or scum to me. They're the dredge, right? They're not the valuable stuff. They are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead. In the midst of a furnace, they have become dross from silver. They had value before, but now they don't. Their actions have defiled them. Therefore, verse 19, thus says the Lord God, because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. You will be brought together because you have become dross as men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace to blow fire on it. There's the purification process. Here's the gold refined in the fire.

Like God says to the Laodicean church in Revelation 3, I counsel you buy gold refined in the fire as I gather you into the midst of a furnace to blow fire on it, to melt it. So I will gather you in my anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. You will have some severe trials. You may go through the great tribulation. You may do feel the anger of God that he says in verse 14, who can endure it? Can you stand against it? Where's your faith? Where are you looking?

Where are you looking to yourself? To the ways of the world? Are you looking to God?

I think goes in, yeah, I will leave you there in verse 20 and melt you. Yes, God says, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath and you will be melted in its midst.

When it's melted, what is going to be revealed? As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out my fury on you. What will be revealed when it's melted? Will there be character that's there, that you stand right through it all, or will it be complete dross, complete scum that is of no value to God? It's kind of a lesson when we look at those things. You know, Ezekiel, not Ezekiel, Isaiah, he uses the same analogy. We go back to Isaiah 1, and there he is, you know, remember in the very first chapter of Isaiah, he really is decrying the trouble, I guess, the defilement of his people at that time. They have turned from him, and he has some, you know, he has some admonitions. He talks about them like being Sodom and Gomorrah.

He admonishes them, turn back to God, put away the evil from yourselves. If we come down to verse 22, he says in Isaiah 1, your silver has become dross. The same thing he tells Ezekiel. Now, remember, Isaiah was a prophet to the nation of Israel. Ezekiel's in the second exile of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar took them, began taking them away from Judah. So we're talking 100 some years later here, at least from what the time Isaiah prophesied. Your silver has become dross.

Your wine mixed with water. It's no longer pure. It's been watered down. Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes and follows after rewards. They don't defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow become before them. Again, we see these same type sins that were listed there in Ezekiel 22. Therefore, the Lord says, the Lord of hosts, the mighty one of Israel. Ah, I will rid myself of my adversaries and take vengeance on my enemies. I will turn my hand against you and thoroughly purge away your dross and take away all your alloy. Now, God says, I'll purge you. I'll purge you. You will preserve. I will restore your judges. Is that the first? Then your counselors is at the beginning. And afterward, you will be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Again, there's that hope. There's that purification time where God will purify us, but always at the end of it, we're his people. We go through the fire, but always because God has the end in mind that we will be there with him for eternity. Painful time. We bring it upon ourselves and he has no choice because he is God. That when we do these things and turn from him, um, they have to happen, but he always has our best interest at heart. So in Ezekiel 17, look at my notes here for a second, we see, and if we look at, at the verses 17 to 22 as, where is it that when we go through those fires, what is it that God is going to be revealing in us? It's the character and it's the silver and gold, the spiritual silver and gold that we allow God to build in us as we follow him, yield to him and, and, and learn to trust him and of course, obey him, uh, from our heart, mind and soul. So let's go on to verse 23. And then we have another, another than part of this judgment in Ezekiel 22, another word of God coming to Ezekiel in verse 23. The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel saying, son of man, say to her, you are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation. You're a filthy land. We read about the filthiness up there. Even the rain, nothing comes to clean it. It has become a very, a very dirty nation. Even the rain hasn't come to clean it. The conspiracy, he says in verse 25, the conspiracy of her prophets in the midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey. And so we get into these false prophets, right? The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey. There's lies that are going on. Conspiracies. What do we do? How do we, how do we mislead the people for whatever purpose that would be? And so we see all these things going on in a land. And again, we can kind of compare it to where we are today. We have two diametrically opposite views of this country, right? That are out there. The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion, like roaring lion tearing the prey. There's the vision. There's people who don't see things the same way. They've heard things on both sides.

And there's these prophets that are out there and not necessarily religious prophets could be, but leaders out there that are tearing the people apart. They're not, they're not unifying. They're there to tear people apart. In her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured people. They're eating them alive. They're not helping them. They're not encouraging them. They're not bringing them together. They've taken treasure and precious things. They have made many widows in her midst. Here we have people that are there for themselves. They don't care about the cost to other people. They're there for themselves. Hey Xavier, how you doing? Hi, evening, brother Cherry. Hi everyone. This reminds me of our Lord's description of the adversary as well as, and it shows that you're imitating their father, doing the works of their father, growing as a lion seeking whom they may devour. Very good. Yeah. Good, good, good observation.

That's exactly what they're doing. Very good. We're in verse 25. They're in it for themselves.

They're just tearing people apart for whatever their own purpose is. Her priests, God says in verse 26. And you know, we're leading up, we're leading up to a very well-known verse here at the end of Ezekiel 26, but look what this whole chapter has been about. The sins of Judah, the sins of the nation. And here we have the priests doing these things as well. Her priests have violated my law. They've profaned my holy things. They haven't distinguished between the holy and unholy. You know, we have to be cognizant of that. These are the holy things of God. We keep his holy day holy. We hallow the Sabbath, we were told in Ezekiel 18. We hallow his name. We don't take his name in vain. We never use it as common. We take his name and we are responsible for that name by living the way of life that Jesus Christ called us to, the way of life that he lived.

They haven't distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made know the difference between the unclean and the clean. And they have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths so that I am profaned among them. You know, that hidden their eyes is an interesting way to God put it. I mean, and today, really all over the English-speaking nations, you know, people have hidden their eyes from God's Sabbath. It has become the Sabbath, the true Sabbath of God, his holy days has been preached for a number of years. Back in the worldwide Church of God days, it was preached loud and clear. I mean, there were millions of people who received Play Truth magazines. There was a TV program that was on that loudly, clearly, boldly proclaimed God's Sabbath, God's holy days. People learned, oh, the seventh day is God's Sabbath. They denied it. There are people even today who will talk about God's holy days and talk about, oh, the benefits they were to ancient Israel. But we don't have to do that anymore. We can just keep on keeping our pagan holidays. They have hidden their eyes. They know, but they choose not to do it. And that's kind of our lands as well.

And even more so, you know, as today at the home office, we had an all-day meeting with some people in the Church who are very astute and very successful in their fields and getting messages out. And as we look at the world that we live in today, we know that it certainly appears, anyway, that God has given us this opportunity for however long it is to go out and preach that gospel loudly, clearly, and boldly again in what is still a free time that we can do that without retribution or whatever it appears. And how do we do that? How do we make that happen? We know it's of God. He can do anything. He doesn't even need us. He can cry from the rocks if he wants to. But we do have a job to do and to do it right. People will hide their eyes from the Sabbath. They'll hide their eyes from God's, well, okay, that's a nice thing to say. That's a nice thing to hear.

But we're just going to keep doing what we do anyway, even though we've heard it, even though we've heard it and we can see it in the Bible. Hey, Tracy.

I don't know if I should be doing this or not, which is why I'm asking him.

But there are two people, Candace Owens and Charlie Kirk, and they're out there with these liberals. They're answering them according, I presume, to what Bob would say. I'm not that quick on my feet. I watched them to learn to be quick on my feet. Well, I'm not that quick on my feet. Should I be? Well, I mean, God gives the gifts, right? Charlie Kirk, in case you know, is a Sabbath keeper, right? He keeps the Sabbath. Candace Owens recently converted to Catholicism.

But you're right, they are very quick thinkers. I will watch some of the things that they do, and I marvel at them and a few other politicians how quick their answers are and how articulate they are. It is a gift. It is a gift to have that. And God will give this. Luke 21, he says, don't worry about what you're going to say when you're brought before the magistrates. He'll give you the words. So we just have, you know, we just have that faith in him when that time comes.

And I think I wonder, the nations of Israel back then combined, were they like as large as America or something like that? Or they like a small group that would have been easier to influence in God's way? Because we've got hundreds of millions of people here. They're just like, not even considering thinking about looking into possibly even doing God's way. They're just angry.

They're just they're just they're just turning further and further away from God. Yeah, they are angry. That's what happens when you turn away from God. There's a lot of anger out there.

But yeah, but to remember, when we read Ezekiel, God told Ezekiel, Ezekiel preached the gospel.

Anyway, they're not going to listen to you. Their hearts are hardened. You go out and say it anyway.

So he's here. He keeps he keeps warning. And the same thing is for us today. Keep saying it.

They may not listen to you. Be thankful if if he calls and some respond to the call, but but do the job anyway. So why do here when we read you were on me about they posted to the mountains on the doorpost. I've got to come out of the Amazon. It's on my door of my at my nursing home. Very good. OK. And I remind you of God every time you see it, right? Yes.

And other people come in. They're like, Oh, I like that. Yep. Well, very good. They may they may see your example and do that themselves and remember God. So yeah. OK. Very good. So yeah. Hidden their eyes were in verse 26. They've hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths so that I am profaned among them. They're my people. They should be keeping my way.

Now this could be talking about us as well. We could be keeping the Sabbath by showing up in church, but also hiding our eyes from how we keep that entire 24 hours in complete submission to God and remembering what that day is for. Verse 27. Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey. They're not about unity. They're about division to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain. Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, Thus says the Lord God, when the Lord has not spoken. Now, when we read those words, untempered mortar, it may remind you a few months ago when we were in Ezekiel 13, we read about untempered mortar.

And looking at the time, let's go ahead. Let's go ahead and just go back there just to look at a couple of those verses because untempered mortar means that when the winds come and the rains rainfall, if a wall is built with untempered mortar, it's going to fall. It has to be tempered. It has to be weatherproofed. It has to be strong in order to withstand the rain that's going to come the way and the storms that are coming that way. So in Ezekiel 13 and in verse 3, yeah, Ezekiel 13 verse 3, you know, again, through Ezekiel, we'll see God mention something in one chapter, then these chapters later, we'll see him come back to the same concept again. He's showing us how he works, what he does, these analogies that he shows gives us, you know, gives us instruction in how we should, what we should be doing. So verse 13 or verse 3 of Ezekiel 13, thus says the Lord God, woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing. Oh, Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. You haven't gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord. They've envisioned futility and false divination saying, thus says the Lord, but the Lord hasn't sent them, yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. They'll just tell you what they hope is going to happen, but it isn't God who has done that. Verse 9, my hand will be against the prophets who envisioned futility and who divine lies.

They won't be in the assembly of my people. They won't be written in the record of the house of Israel. They shall not enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, your God, because indeed, because they have seduced my people saying peace, peace, when there is no peace and one builds a wall and they plaster it with untempered mortar. Say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar that it will fall. There will be flooding rain and you, oh great hailstones, shall fall and the stormy wind shall tear it down. And through the rest, you know, you could go back and look at the rest of Ezekiel 13. He keeps talking about the untempered mortar that can't withstand the rains. That verse he talked about when they say there's peace and there's really not peace, it might remind us of 1 Thessalonians 5 when it says, you know, when they say peace and safety, sudden destruction comes. It comes out of nowhere. The storms come. They're not expecting it. They're not ready for it and their house falls. So, you know, here we see then Ezekiel 22 verse 28, God talking about this untempered mortar. It's a warning to us, make sure our walls are built with tempered mortar, built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, built with his Holy Spirit, built to withstand the wind and the rain, build it on the rock, as Jesus Christ would say. So let's go back to Ezekiel 20, 22 verse 28. Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar. I mean, the false churches of the world, the Protestant churches of the world, that's what they're doing. They're leading people astray, right? They're telling people that things that don't make any that have no basis in the Bible and some people believe them.

And when that time comes, they're going to be what happened. That's the Matthew 7 21, right? When they come to Christ and say, Lord, Lord, haven't we done wonders in your name? Didn't we prophesy in your name? And he says, depart from me, you were never keeping my law, you who practiced lawlessness because they're misled because they're using God's name to tell them true, tell them things that aren't truth. That's why we have to be very strong. And this is the truth.

This is the way of God. And we have to be very, very sure in our walk with God that we are doing it using his Holy Spirit to build the, to build the character that he wants us to, to, to build the people of the land. Um, I read verse 28. Yeah. Verse 29. The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery. They've mistreated the poor and needy and they wrongfully oppress the stranger. All these sins that we've talked about in this chapter. So God says in verse 30, a well-known verse. So I sought, I sought for a man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, who will stand up for it and say, God, will you, will you spare this land might remind us of what God did with Abraham at the time that Sodom and Gomorrah was going to be burned with fire, literally consumed with fire. And, and Abraham kept saying, will you, will you allow it to stand for 50 men, 40 men, 30 righteous men, 2010 God said, yes, even for 10, but there weren't even 10 in there. And so God says, I'm just looking for someone. Is there someone who will stand in behalf of that land for, for them?

And he says that I should not destroy it, but I found no one. Well, he will find some, right?

Those of his people will be people who should be able to stand up and say, yes, we're for you.

But he's looking for people, the land. Is there anyone out there in Israel, apart from his true servants who he has called who have yielded themselves to God whose eyes and citizenship is now in the kingdom of God. Is there anyone out there that does that? And he says, I didn't find anyone. I didn't find anyone there. Verse 31. Therefore I poured out my indignation on them.

I've consumed them with the fire of my wrath, just like Sodom and Gomorrah, they completely turned against God. I've poured out my indignation on them. I've consumed them with the fire of my wrath and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads, says the Lord God. They brought it upon themselves. I looked for someone. I wanted to have mercy. I sent warnings. I kept telling them and telling them to turn back and they didn't. And so, you know, that's the end of chapter 22.

Kind of a, kind of a treatise, of course, for ancient Judah, but a treatise and an admonition and a chapter for us today to look at ourselves, but also be aware of what's going on in the world around us and where in God's eyes, you know, we may be in the time that he makes whatever decisions or judgments he does on the land. So let's end it there and I will open it up for any comments.