To Baldly Go Where No Prophet Has Gone Before (Ezekiel 5:1-17)

Christian Bale lost over 60 pounds for his performance in The Machinist, then bulked up by gaining 100 pounds to portray Batman.

It’s a thing in Hollywood for an actor to make drastic physical transformations. It’s nothing new. It was a thing among the Jewish exiles who lived in Babylon.

Ezekiel performed a one-man physical theater for 430 days. He took on the role of a Jewish citizen trying to survive behind the walls of the besieged city of Jerusalem. Starvation was a major theme of his performance. He daily ate a tiny ration of a kind of unhealthful bread cooked using cow dung for fire.

Is there any doubt that Ezekiel was emaciated, weak, and atrophied by the end?

The LORD likes to give us symbols and signs. Signs are never meant to to confuse, but rather to clarify. As a rule He normally explains His symbols & signs in the same chapter, or elsewhere in the Bible.

The LORD’s explanation for Ezekiel’s performance is verses five, six, and eight: “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her. She has rebelled against My judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.”

Twice the LORD mentions that Jerusalem is in the midst of “countries all around her.” How many times does He use the word “nations?” Seven; that’s a lot.

The LORD chose Jerusalem to be the spiritual center of the Earth. Every other country should be understood as placed around her in order that they, too, might believe and be saved.

They rebelled. Instead of teaching the Gentiles about the righteousness of God, they adopted the practices of the Gentile’s ‘gods.’ The LORD said, “ ‘Therefore, as I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘surely, because you have defiled My Sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you;” (v11).

Ezekiel embodied, physically & spiritually, what it meant to be diminished.

Can Christians ever be described as being “diminished” by God? The church in Ephesus would answer, “Yes, a church can be diminished.” Jesus revealed to them that they had left their first love. The Lord told them He would “remove their lampstand.” Albert Barnes writes, “The meaning is, that the Church gave light in Ephesus; and that what He would do in regard to that place would be like removing a lamp, and leaving a place in darkness.”   

I’ll organize my comments around two points: #1 You Have Roles To Play In The Drama Of Redemption, and #2 You Have Direction To Follow In The Drama Of Redemption.

#1 – You Have Roles To Play In The Drama Of Redemption (v1-4)

This book opened on Ezekiel’s 30^th birthday. It was the day he ought to have begun a twenty-year career as a priest in the Temple in Jerusalem. Instead he was one of the exiles removed from Jerusalem to Babylon in the second of three sieges. The message he received in a visit from the LORD was that the Temple, and Jerusalem, would be leveled & looted.

He is now more than a year into his new ministry as a prophetic performer. We don’t get a detailed description of his physical condition, but we don’t need one. Based on his diet & daily routine, and the fact he was portraying a people who would gradually starve to death, he was in starvation shape as he comes to his final performance in chapter five.

Can you think of a Bible character whose role did not involve suffering, sorrowing, grief, despair? I wonder in Heaven if they don’t try to one-up themselves?

Ezk 5:1 “And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber’s razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair.

Can you even imagine what shaving your head & beard would be like using a battle sword? The swords could be up to 40” long!

Shaving-off your hair and beard was symbolic of things like sorrow and judgment. For Ezekiel, who was a priest, it was a reproach.

The day he shaved had to be the final act of the final performance. The ‘run’ of his physical theater was 430 days of lying on his sides plus one day of shaving.

Ezk 5:2  You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them.

Ezk 5:3  You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment.

Ezk 5:4  Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out into all the house of Israel.

He weighed his hair into three equal piles:

1. The first pile of hair was burned in a fire.
2. The second pile was chopped at by the sword.
3. The third and final portion was tossed up into the air to be carried by the wind.

Crawling on the ground, Ezekiel recovered a few of the hairs scattered by the wind and tucked them into the folds of his garment. He took some of the  rescued hair from his garment and threw it into the fire to be burned.

Ezekiel’s hair represented what would happen to the Jerusalem Jews:

1. The portion burned in the fire represented the citizens who would die in the hardship of the siege.
2. The hair chopped by the sword represented those who would die once the gates were breached.
3. And the final portion, scattered by the wind, represented those fleeing from the city in every direction after its fall.

Some who escaped would perish. Others, a small group, would survive. God always preserves a remnant.

Graham Scroggie wrote the masterful book, The Unfolding Drama of Redemption. The liner note reads, “Get your front row seats now for the greatest drama ever – God’s plan of salvation for humanity! Organized like a dramatic play, this classic traces the theme of redemption through each book of the Bible with careful scholarship and a thorough analysis of its content and history.”

I love that, but I would ask, “Are we not the actors?”

We are on stage, not spectators. All of us take on many roles – sometimes concurrently. We read in the Bible about the roles of wives, husbands, children, masters, bond servants, pastors, teachers, evangelists, elders, deacons, missionaries.

Our dialog for each role is improvised. Whenever we speak, however, we are to speak as the oracles of God, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, using our words for building up,  letting no corrupt communication proceed out of our mouths, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace into the hearers.^[1]

In movie credits you’ll read, Personal Assistant to Christian Bale. If your life was credited like that, it would name your assistant God the Holy Spirit.

Get into your roles; On with the show, this is it.

#2 – You Have Direction To Follow In The Drama Of Redemption (v5-17)

In case you hadn’t heard, James Earl Jones died this week at the age of 93. Before he was cast as the voice of Mufasa, Sean Connery was considered.

“The name’s Mufasa; King Mufasa.”

The LORD ‘cast’ Israel in the role of revealing His righteousness to the surrounding nations. We read in Deuteronomy 7:7-8, “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

There is something called, “Replacement Theology.” It is the belief that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s plan, and that the promises made to Israel in the Bible now apply to the Church.

To which we say, “WRONG!” Israel was and is perfectly cast by the Director.

Ezk 5:5  “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her.

The model of the city being besieged; the Trager dung-cooker/smoker; a nearly starved Ezekiel – all of it was “Jerusalem.”

According to Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, “The term ‘in the midst’ in Hebrew means navel. Theologically, Jerusalem was considered by God to be the navel of the Earth. Jerusalem is the center while the other nations revolve around her. Her purpose, her calling, was to testify concerning the righteousness of God.”

Ezk 5:6  She has rebelled against My judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes.’

This is God saying that He held Israel to a higher standard than He did Gentiles. Makes sense; they had His Law, they knew His heart.

So also we ought to adhere to the higher standard set by our Director. “ ‘AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these’ ” (Mark 12:30-31).

Ezk 5:7  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, have not walked in My statutes nor kept My judgments, nor even done according to the judgments of the nations that are all around you’ –

Ezk 5:8  therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.

It does seem, at times, that the LORD abandons Israel. The entire context of Scripture must be considered. When it is, we conclude along with the apostle Paul, “Has God cast away His people? Certainly not!… And so all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:1 & 26).

Bob LaForge writes, “It stands to reason that God would abandon us because of our constant sin, but if that was a reason for Him to leave us, then there never was a reason for Him to have been drawn to us… If He was attracted to us as enemies, how could He abandon those whom He now calls His children?”

Ezk 5:9  And I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of all your abominations.

Ezk 5:10  Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments among you, and all of you who remain I will scatter to all the winds.

Cannibalism would ensue. When a nation rebels against God, and He gives them over to their carnal desires, does not that nation devour itself with excess?

Ezk 5:11  ‘Therefore, as I live,’ says the Lord GOD,

‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity.

Have you had the experience of visiting someone you’ve not seen in a while, who is being treated for terminal cancer? It’s hard not to be startled by their physical deterioration. They are diminished.

Ezk 5:12  One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.

The commentators don’t see the End Times in these verses. Ezekiel isn’t looking that far ahead. The point here is to show what will happen to the current inhabitants of Jerusalem when it soon falls.

Ezk 5:13  ‘Thus shall My anger be spent, and I will cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be avenged; and they shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury upon them.

Ezk 5:14  Moreover I will make you a waste and a reproach among the nations that are all around you, in the sight of all who pass by.

Ezk 5:15  ‘So it shall be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson, and an astonishment to the nations that are all around you, when I execute judgments among you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the LORD, have spoken.

Ezk 5:16  When I send against them the terrible arrows of famine which shall be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will increase the famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread.

Ezk 5:17  So I will send against you famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the LORD, have spoken.’ ”

When you saw famine, pestilence, “blood” (plague), and wild beasts all at once – you could be sure it was a judgment from God.

We may not think we play a significant role. Nevertheless, your role, my role, can be equally or more difficult than that of the Bible characters. If not physically, mentally and spiritually. It’s why Hooper one-upped Quint when comparing scars. He pointed to his heart and said, “Mary Ellen Moffat. She broke my heart.”

Regardless the degree of suffering, the same Holy Spirit that entered Ezekiel resides permanently in you to come alongside and comfort you.

Let’s give an example. If you are married, you’re in the biblical roles of husband & wife. Each day God says, “Roll camera… Action.” He gives you direction in the Bible, and the enablement to follow His direction.

Is your household more Ozzie & Harriet… Or Ozzy Osbourne?

You are not looking to receive an Academy Award, or a Golden Globe, or a Peoples Choice Award.You don’t want to get a Razzi. Rewards from men & women mean nothing, and can prove to be harmful.

You will receive rewards and a Lifetime Achievement Award for your faithfulness when you appear at the Judgment Seat of Jesus after we are resurrected & raptured.

Jerry Bridges reminds us, “The promises of the Bible are nothing more than God’s covenant to be faithful to His people. It is His character that makes these promises valid.”

The Fantastic Fore-head (Ezekiel 3:1-21)

I’ve always been a skeptic when it comes to the head-butt as a fighting technique.

Seems it would hurt me as much as it would my opponent.

Turns out that’s not true – not if you perform the head-butt properly. Michael Rayburn, in a column for Police Magazine, wrote, “One only need look back at soccer’s World Cup series of 2006 and the devastating head butt delivered by French player Zinedine Zidane to Italy’s Marco Materazzi to realize how effective this tactic really is.” He head-butted him in the chest and Materazzi went down hard.^[1] He might still be down!

Don’t rock back and broadcast your head butt. Instead, compress and launch. Use the crown of your head and go for the bridge of the nose.

Hands down the best ever head-butter has got to be the prophet Ezekiel.

He was given a divine advantage. The LORD said to him, “Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead…” (3:8-9).

Ezekiel would butt heads with Israelites who were “impudent [brazen] and hard-hearted” (v7). They would “not listen to [Ezekiel], because they [would] not listen to [the LORD]” (v7).

Are the majority today listening to the Lord? They’re not listening to us, either. Brazen & hard-hearted would be an understatement.

We need to be more hard-headed…Hard-headed overcomes hard-hearted

I’ll organize my comments around two points:

#1 You Are A Hard-Headed Watchman

Who Hears & Receives God’s Word

#2 You Are A Hard-Headed Watchman

Who Hears & Repeats God’s Word

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#1 You Are A Hard-Headed Watchman

Who Hears & Receives God’s Word

(v1-15)

Before there was Logan, there was Perseus.

He was tasked with killing Medusa. One of the divine gifts he was given to kill her was an adamantine sword. It was made from a substance known as adamant. In modern comics, it’s the stuff that they added to Logan to make him Wolverine. Only they call it adamantium. I guess that makes Ezekiel the first X-Man. He was spiritually infused with adamant to perform his prophetic tasks.

Ezk 3:1  Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”

Ezk 3:2  So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.

Ezk 3:3  And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.

Three of Godʼs prophets were commanded to eat Godʼs Word – Jeremiah, John, & Ezekiel. I am definitely in the minority, but I like to think they really ate the scrolls. If that’s a little too literal, I can live with it being a metaphor for our being fortified in the inner man by God’s Word.

H.A. Ironside is a Bible commentator you want to read. He has an interesting take on this. He says the phrasing indicates that Ezekiel took in the portion but didnʼt swallow at first. Ezekiel chewed on it.

There is value in reading large portions of Scripture, and in reading through the entire Bible in a period of time. Do not neglect waiting on the Lord over a shorter passage for Him to reveal its treasures to you. Read it over & over… Pray before, during, and after… Jot down notes… Consult a Bible reference book, like a Bible dictionary, for things you need defined.  Only then reach for a commentary.^[2]

Ezk 3:4  Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.

Ezk 3:5  For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel,

Ezk 3:6  not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you.

Ezk 3:7  But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted.

Ezekiel is in exile, having been forcibly removed from Judah during the second siege by the invading Babylonians. The LORD has come to him in a whirlwind on His throne-chariot, borne by four mighty Cherubim. He is being ‘called’ – drafted – for his ministry among the captives.

How many times does the LORD say “the house of Israel?” Four. The title refers to the unified nation composed of the 12 tribes. After King Solomon died, the nation of Israel split in two. The Northern Kingdom was called Israel, and the Southern Kingdom was called Judah. The Northern Kingdom was conquered and its tribes dispersed about 200 years before Ezekiel prophesied to Judah.

In his conspicuous usage of “house of Israel,” Ezekiel is putting us on notice that there are no lost tribes. The LORD would regather all Jews from every tribe back home.

He did it, by the way; or at least it has begun.

Ezekiel would have a language barrier among his own people. We see this in our families & places of business. Go on a mission trip, and even with the language barrier you have greater success than you do at Thanksgiving.

Why send Ezekiel when the LORD could foresee their continued hardness? The LORD was playing the long game. Subsequent generations would see Him striving with their ancestors, out of love. His love manifests in giving us His light in order that we might receive His life.

Ezk 3:8  Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads.

Ezk 3:9  Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.”

This reads like a superhero origins story. What do we want to call him? Ironhead… Skull Crusher… Steel Brow… Head Strong?

Ezk 3:10  Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.

Ezk 3:11  And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear, or whether they refuse.”

It’s time we zero-in on what we mean by hardheaded. It involves hearing, receiving, and speaking.

“Hear with your ears” sounds a lot like “he who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says.”  We sometimes describe people as having an ‘ear’ for music. Having “an ear for something” suggests a heightened auditory perception or sensitivity.

There are over 120 million radio receivers in cars now. It’s a clunky illustration, but God the Holy Spirit indwelling you is a receiver for God’s Word, transmitting it to our hearts.

“Speaking” includes more than words. It is words and actions that reveal our affections and worldview.  Your worldview is the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual filter you use to experience, interpret, and respond to reality. Possessing a Biblical worldview implies that your ideas about all aspects of life and eternity derive from Scriptural principles and commands.

Hardheaded believers are tuned-in to God’s Word by the indwelling Holy Spirit. It sets the dial to a Christian worldview that doesn’t back-down from secular criticism. We have an answer for every man. We are in that way hard-heads… But tenderhearted.

Ezk 3:12  Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: “Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!”

Ezk 3:13  I also heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise.

The ISV and other translations read, “Then the Spirit lifted me up and I heard a great earthquake behind me and the glory of the LORD arose from his place.” The LORD’s chariot is take-your-muffler-off loud.

Ezk 3:14  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.

Ezekiel experiences a horizontal ‘rapture’ from one place to another. This was apparently quite common in the Old Testament among prophets. There are several passages that nonchalantly mention Elijah was a frequent flyer.

In the NT, Philip baptizes the Ethiopian official, and “the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away… [and] Philip was found at Azotus” (Acts 8:39-40).

The Word of the LORD can be described as “bitter” in that it reveals many hard truths about life, death, and life after death.

John Gill commented, “In the heat of my spirit [means] ‘in the indignation of my spirit;’ his spirit was hot and angry, he was froward and unwilling to go on the errand, to prophesy sad and dismal things to his people.”

Ezk 3:15  Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

He wasn’t commiserating with them in their distress. “Appalled” is a better word than “astonished.” As we progress we will see the prideful, unrepentant attitude of the exiles.

I want to be described as a believer who ‘has an ear’ for God the Holy Spirit. I began in the Spirit; I want to continue with Him.

Don’t start Google-ing for “how to have an ear to hear.” You’ll discover thousands of websites & blogs, each with their own 3 or 5 or 10 steps.

We recommend immersion.

‘Immersion’ in language learning is a method where you learn a language by being surrounded by it in everyday situations, using it constantly to speak, listen, read, and write. You might move in with a family that speaks only the language you want to learn. You might even move to another country.

I don’t know what immersion in the Holy Spirit looks like for you. It will involve these four things: Prayer… Bible study… Fellowship in a local Church… Telling others about Jesus.^[3]

Immerse yourself in those things and over the course of your time on Earth, and you will develop your “ear to what the Spirit says.”

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#2 You Are A Hard-Headed Watchman

Who Hears & Repeats God’s Word

(v16-21)

Nothing mysterious about a “watchman.” He attentively looks out from his tower and sees to the safety of the people.

Ezk 3:16  Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Ezk 3:17  “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:

Ezekiel showed-up suddenly. He uttered not a word for a full week. It’s an appropriate prequel to his often odd ministry.

Ezk 3:18  When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.

Ezk 3:19  Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

Ezk 3:20  “Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.

Ezk 3:21  Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”

Among the exiles were wicked & righteous individuals. We would say, unbelievers & believers:

1. The unbelievers go on in their sin despite God warning them.
2. The believers are tried and proven through trials, here called “stumbling blocks,” to exhibit their love for the LORD. (Think Job).

Upon first reading, there seems to be an urgency for Ezekiel to act as their watchman.

Urgency is not one of the lessons here.

1. First, we would note that Ezekiel said absolutely nothing for seven days.
2. Second, we are going to see that for the next two years his ministry will take place at his home. He only ministers to people who come to him.

While taking nothing away from the urgency of sharing God’s Word, we don’t need to be whipped up into a frenzy by something God is not telling Ezekiel to do.

Chuck Missler’s take on this – Ezekiel needs to be faithful to his calling. If that sounds watered-down, faithfulness is much harder than you think.

We are understandably concerned about the LORD telling Ezekiel if he fails in sharing God’s Word that “his blood I will require at your hand.”

There is a legal principle here that we don’t recognize, but a Jew would.

The Law of God deals with “blood-guiltiness.”

Blood-guilt is the accountability one bears for causing the death of another person, whether directly (murder) or indirectly (manslaughter). The one who sheds blood is held responsible and is considered guilty before God and the community.

Capital punishment was required for intentional murder. Fleeing to a city of refuge offered a merciful solution for manslaughter. A trial would be held, and if the death was ruled accidental, the perpetrator was not executed, but remained in exile in a city of refuge until the current High Priest died.

Ezekiel had not begun his ministry. This is still part of his calling. The LORD, therefore, was telling Ezekiel that his ministry of sharing the Word was a matter of life & death. He would be stained with blood-guiltiness should he refuse or later reject his calling.

Remember from verse fourteen that, “his spirit was hot and angry, he was froward and unwilling to go on the errand, to prophesy sad and dismal things to his people.” The LORD wasn’t giving Ezekiel a choice to volunteer. If Ezekiel refused, he would be considered a murderer or a man-slayer.

God can bring the hammer down on His prophets when He calls upon them. Think Jonah!

Our calling & commission is the Great Commission:

“All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on Earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

It is a serious calling. The apostle Paul remarked, “Woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel! … I have been entrusted with a stewardship” (First Corinthians 9:16 & 18).

What does the Bible say is required of stewards? To be faithful. You and I are to be faithful in our own callings.

Get this through your head: Be faithful in your calling.

Ezekiel 1:25-2:10 – Rebels, Rebels, Your Nation’s A Mess

Kevin was understandably devastated.

Cowboy Dan wasn’t coming to his birthday party after all. It was a pre-teen social embarrassment he would likely never recover from. “All the kids are gonna hate me,” he whined. “It’s gonna be just like little league.”

Cowboy Dan didn’t come… But Cowboy Gil did! AKA Steve Martin, he put on a hilarious performance in Parenthood.

Ezekiel got a surprise visit on his 30^th birthday!

The LORD came to him on His throne-chariot, in a whirlwind, borne by four magnificent Cherubim.

The LORD brought Ezekiel a gift.

“Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me…” (2:2).

If you are in-Christ, God the Holy Spirit entered you the moment you were born-again. We call it His indwelling – His permanent indwelling.

I’ll organize my comments around two points: #1 You  Were Given The Gift of God The Holy Spirit On Your Born-Again Day, and #2 You Were Promised The Gifting(s) Of God The Holy Spirit On Your Born-again Day.

#1 – You  Were Given The Gift of God The Holy Spirit On Your Born-Again Day (1:25-28; 2:1-2)

Think for a moment: What is the best birthday gift you’ve ever received? It pales in comparison to God’s gift to you.

The Holy Spirit is called “the gift of God in several places.”^[1] He is given to you, He enters you, when you believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ. And we say, based on biblical texts, His entering you is permanent.

On his 30^th birthday, on the very day, the LORD surprised Ezekiel in a whirlwind, borne along on His cherried-out Cherubim chariot.

Ezk 1:25  A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings.

Ezk 1:26  And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone…

What Ezekiel saw and experienced was the real. The thrones on Earth are the representations of the real that exists in the unseen, spiritual realm. When priests perform their tasks in the earthly Tabernacle & Temple, they “serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5).

If I told you I was looking at a custom car, and I said it had ‘sick flames on the hood’ would you speculate that it was a metaphor for the temporary nature of material things? “Don’t collect cars ‘cause they are only going to burn!” I guess you might if you’d never seen flames painted on a car. Chances are, however, you’d know exactly what I saw.

Ezk 1:26  And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it.

In the OT, when God is represented as a “man,” we say it is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. Angels appear to mankind, too. It can be a little confusing because Jesus is sometimes called the Angel of the Lord. When the Person allows or commands worship, you can be certain it is Jesus.

Ezk 1:27  Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around.

The presence of God is luminous, radiant. So much so that, in the future city, the New Jerusalem, “the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it.”

I learned this week that, in the NT, there are only three nouns that are used to describe God: love, life & light.^[2] Everything else is an adjective or an office. Any discussion of God must be subordinate to the understanding that God is love, God is life, God is light.

Ezk 1:28  Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.

The rainbow is the sign of God’s promise never to order-up a global flood. In His wrath against sin, God remembers mercy. The same will be true in the future Time of Jacob’s Trouble. Though not directly mentioned here, the 7yrs of tribulation are suggested by the rainbow because the apostle John saw the LORD on His Throne in the Revelation, with a rainbow, just prior to judgment.

Ezekiel “fell on his face.” I was asked recently if the Pentecostal practice of being slain in the Spirit could ever be genuine. Proponents point to people in the Bible who “fell down” before God. Many individuals in the Bible experienced a powerful, overwhelming encounter with God or His angels that caused them to fall or bow down: Abraham, Moses & Aaron, Joshua, Daniel, Balaam, Manoah & Mrs. Manoah, the apostle John, the apostle Paul, and Peter, James & John at the Mount of Transfiguration.

Unless I am mistaken… These ALL “fell on their face” before God. They did not fall backward when someone touched their forehead, and their fall wasn’t broken by the ushers.

The example I found of falling backward is the mob that came to arrest Jesus. He identified Himself as “I AM,” and they fell backwards. No ushers!

Ezk 2:1  And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.”

Ezk 2:2  Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me.

God the Holy Spirit did not indwell Ezekiel until this moment. In the Old Testament, there is no specific promise to believers that the Spirit of God would continually dwell in them. If God the Holy Spirit indwelt all OT believers, we wouldn’t need to be told that he entered Ezekiel. And we wouldn’t have any examples of His leaving a person; but we do.

Only after Jesus’ death and resurrection could the Holy Spirit be given permanently.

In fact, the permanent indwelling of God the Holy Spirit is part of the New Covenant. The nation of Israel rejected Jesus in His first coming. The nation is under discipline. Israel is not enjoying the New Covenant. We are!

The Church has not replaced Israel, but the spiritual blessings of the New Covenant made with Israel have been extended to the Church.  All believers today have the “law of God written on their hearts,” and all believers know the Lord’s presence in their lives.

#2 – You Were Promised Gifting(s) Of God The Holy Spirit On Your Born-Again Day (2:3-10)

The nation of Judah was made up of rebels without remorse.

“Rebellious,” or “rebelled” appear 7x in these few verses. The LORD also describes them as “transgressed,” “impudent,” and “stubborn.”

Despite their rejection of Him, God would not abandon them.

Ezk 2:3  And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.

“Son of Adam” is the literal translation. In the plural it was a synonym for mankind. Daniel would elevate the title to refer to the Jewish Messiah. Jesus used it of Himself some 80x. He was the son of Adam who was the Messiah.

• When the LORD called Jeremiah, he tried to beg off, saying he was too young.
• Isaiah found himself in Heaven and volunteered.
• Ezekiel needed no time to think or react. He hit the ground running.

Each of us is unique. We are going to practice being Christians differently. It is OK as long as we agree upon the essential doctrines. It’s more than OK; it’s healthy.

Ezk 2:4  For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel was “sent,” but not far away. He stayed put and ministered within the captive community.

The prophets of the Bible mostly shared unpopular messages. They were messages of hope, of truth, of eternity. But in order to unlock those things there needed to be repentance.

Our message is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is glorious. But it is mostly unpopular when it is properly preached because it involves, you guessed it, a call for repentance.

“Thus says the Lord God.” A prophet was always under a death sentence. It was a capital crime to speak falsely for God.

Ezk 2:5  As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse – for they are a rebellious house – yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.

Every person who hears God’s Word has a personal responsibility to accept Him or to reject Him. God the Holy Spirit accompanies the Word in such a way that the sinners heart is able to respond.

I’m sorry, but if mankind does not have free will, God has already determined who will hear and who will refuse. Cornelius Van Til writes, “The moment a Christian theologian admits that anything happens in the whole course of history, whether by devil, or man, or power of nature, without the will of God, that moment the foundations of a Christian theology are shaken.” I might want to believe that… But then I remember God is love, life, and light. He therefore cannot be the cause of evil.

Those who do not have the written Word, never heard the name of Jesus, they have the witness of creation around them, and conscience within them. They are responsible to act upon what they know, not what they don’t know.

Ezk 2:6  “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house.

Ezekiel’s ministry would take place in an urban setting. But the spiritual landscape would seem like a desert.

Are you familiar with the phrase mad-dogging? It’s that intense stare that someone full of rage has. Boxers & MMA fighters exhibit it at their weigh-ins.  Ezekiel could expect to be mad dogged!

Ezk 2:7  You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.

For the third time, the Lord emphasizes personal responsibility. He was also encouraging Ezekiel that the success of his ministry would be measured in faithfulness, not by numbers.

Ezk 2:8  But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house…

Our lives and our ministries need constant evaluation. We often point out that of the seven letters to the seven churches in the book of the revelation only one of them is without correction or reproof. It’s the one to the church that is suffering intense persecution.

• We do not want to be rebellious like the churches in Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, & Laodicea.
• We do not want to be rebellious like the church in Corinth.

Ezk 2:8  But you, son of man… open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

The Word of God isn’t for others until it’s become part of you. Ezekiel must ‘digest’ God’s Word.

Do you think he ate it? Absolutely. It is going to be the least weird thing that Ezekiel does as he dramatizes God’s Word.

Ezk 2:9  Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.

Ezk 2:10  Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe.

The majority of prophetic messages were delivered during times of disobedience, decline, or impending judgment. Makes sense because God truly loves His special nation. He would always go after them, never abandon them, and be faithful to discipline them.

**********

Mary Poppins’ travels with a carpet bag from which she can pull out a seemingly endless number of objects, no matter the size or quantity, that are just right for her need.

God the Holy Spirit is an ocean of resources. I’ll mention a few of His more well-known giftings:

➲ He is involved in your regeneration (your new birth).

➲ He is involved in your baptism into the body of Jesus, in your being sealed, in your being adopted, in your being filled.

➲ The spiritual fruit in your life is the Fruit of the Holy Spirit.

➲ He is your teacher, guide, and comforter. He intercedes for you. ‘

➲ He is the down payment guaranteeing God’s promises.

➲ God the Holy Spirit gives  you the assurance of salvation.

Jesus in His first coming is described as “being in the form of God, [He] did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

Jesus was fully God and fully man. In His first coming, He set aside the independent use of deity. He lived as a man who was indwelt by the Holy Spirit. He didn’t sometimes take back His deity to answer a question, or to perform a healing. He lived as a Spirit-indwelt human.

A commentator paraphrased Jesus: “The Spirit I’m going to send to you… You’ve seen Him in Me. You’ve seen Him dwelling in My life these past three years. He has been with you in Me. And it’s that very same Spirit who has been with you in Me, on My life, indwelling Me these years, that is the Holy Spirit I’m going to ask the Father to send to you.”

With that in mind, listen to these words of the apostle Paul: “It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, He’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to Himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and He does, as surely as He did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s! (Romans 8:11 MSG).

In the classic SyFy series, Quantum Leap, Sam has ‘jumped’ into the body of a woman who is being abducted. Al, who appears only to him as a hologram, reminds Sam he has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. With that realization, Sam subdues the attackers.

If you are a believer, God, the Holy Spirit permanently entered you. You need to be reminded. Otherwise your flesh will reassert itself and you find yourself walking in that energy rather than by the dynamic power & enabling of God.

Creature Features (Ezekiel 1:4-24)

The Batmobile is just the most well-known.

There are additionally the Bat-Cycle, the Batwing, the Bat-Boat, the Bat-Sub, the Bat-Ski, the Bat-Glider, the Bat-Truck, the Bat-Shuttle, the Bat-Trike, the Bat-Copter, and the Bat-Train.

There may be cooler comic rides, but the Batman has the deepest inventory.

The LORD has a sweet ride!

• Its “wheels” are mentioned 10x.
• Its “rims” are mentioned 2x.

It is conveyed by four supernatural chauffeurs called “living creatures.” Further on in the book, Ezekiel says, “I knew they were Cherubim” (10:20).

He knew because the Cherubim were associated with the presence of God in the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem. There were carved images of them, out of gold and olive wood; as well as images embroidered on curtains; and carvings.

The nation of Judah was a vassal of Babylon. No worries, thought the Jews. God’s presence was in Solomon’s Temple. Certainly God would not allow Babylon to prevail.

They were wrong to trust in the Temple; God allowed it to be leveled.

Before the Temple was destroyed, God would remove His presence from the Temple. Ezekiel was relocated in a refugee camp in a Babylonian city called Tel Abib, by the River Kebar. He would be God’s prophet to break the awful news to the captives in Babylon that God had left the building!

Aren’t you glad that can’t happen today? Not so fast! Jesus wrote a letter to the church in Ephesus warning them that He was about to “remove [their] lampstand from its place – unless [they] repent” (Revelation 2:5).

I’ll organize my comments around the two subjects we encounter: #1 @therealCherubim, and #2 @therealChariot.

#1 – @therealCherubim (v4-14)

Angels… or Aliens?

UFOlogists claim that Ezekiel was an ignorant man using primitive language to describe his encounters with extraterrestrial visitors, “Ancient Astronauts.”

• Ezekiel was no ignorant man. He was God’s prophet.
• His language is far from being primitive; it is marvelous.

Besides, we referenced earlier that he said he knew that were Cherubim – not Chewbacca.

We choose aliens over angels because mankind does not like to retain God in our knowledge. Weʼd rather believe some fantastic tale than the truth that we were created by, and then visited by, the loving and merciful and forgiving God of the Bible. We can fight ET, and win, on account of our indomitable human, Captain Kirk-like, spirit, that proclaims, “Never say die, never surrender.” If there really is a God then we need to face the fact we are sinners in need of His saving and our submission.

Ezk 1:4  Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

Whirlwind Ezekiel, magnitude off the charts, was bearing down on the man who would never be priest. The storm was supernatural, in the unseen realm. It was geo-political, involving God’s plan for the ages, for Israel and the nations.

Ezk 1:5  Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

Ezk 1:6  Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings.

Ezk 1:7  Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze.

Ezk 1:8  The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings.

When we encounter visions like this in the Bible, we immediately look for symbolism. Let me give you an example. In verse eighteen we are told that these living creatures “were full of eyes.”

• One commentator said, “The number of eyes, wherever they may be, speaks of multi-dimensional awareness. Our two eyes help us to perceive a three-dimensional reality. A multitude of eyes suggests a greater awareness than we know as human.”
• Another commentator explains the eyes, “We can hide nothing from God. He sees and knows everything.”

Symbolism is subjective. So what does Ezekiel mean? He means that they were full of eyes!

Another rather distinguishing physical trait is in verse seven. “Their legs were straight.” They don’t have knees!

Ezk 1:9  Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward.

Cherubim appear in a few other settings, associated with the presence of God, and especially His visible presence in the Tabernacle and the Temple.

In the Wilderness Tabernacle…

• Cherubim were woven into the the curtains of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:1)
• Two golden figures of the Cherubim stretched their wings over the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:18-21).
• God said to Moses, “There I will meet with you, and from above the Mercy Seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the Ark of the [Covenant], I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel” (Exodus 25:22). In essence, it was God’s throne on Earth.

In Solomon’sTemple…

• There were four Cherubim in the Temple – the two gold ones on the Mercy Seat and two larger ones, carved out of olive wood, overshadowing the entire Ark (First Kings 6:23-28).
• The doors leading to the Holy Place were decorated with carvings of Cherubim (First Kings 6.31-32).

Notice the phrase, “their wings touched one another.” The Cherubim in the Temple were carved that way. Ezekiel saw the @therealCherubim which those in the Temple represented.

That place was where the presence of God visibly dwelt among His people.

This divine presence of God is called“Shekinah,” the “Shekinah glory,”  the “glory of the LORD,” “the cloud,” and “the fire.”

The Shekinah makes many appearances in the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Exodus from Egypt, for instance, the pillar of fire by day and the cloud by night were Shekinah.

When Solomon’s Temple was being dedicated, we read, “When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from Heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the Temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’s house. When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the Temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever”(Second Chronicles 7:1-3).

God wants His creatures to dwell with Him. It’s not an easy thing to accomplish, because we are depraved sinners and He is infinitely holy.

God is up to the task. The last four English words of this book declare the future time when, “The LORD is there!”

As we journey through Ezekiel and the temples, we will see the LORD was there, then He wasn’t there, then He will be there.

Ezk 1:10  As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle.

They were like the Mayor of Halloween Town in Nightmare Before Christmas.

Weird as this was, a Jew would instantly ‘recognize’ these four faces. They are lifted from Jewish history.

In the Book of Numbers God told the nation of Israel how they were to set up camp around the Tabernacle in the wilderness and where to put their tribal ensigns. Each of the four sides were to be encamped by three of the tribes:

1. The tribes of Judah, Issachar and Zebulon were to camp on the east and were collectively called the camp of Judah. The symbol on the ensign of Judah was a lion.
2. The tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin were to camp on the west side and were collectively called the camp of Ephraim. The symbol on the ensign of Ephraim was an ox.
3. The tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad were to camp on the south side and were collectively called the camp of Reuben. The symbol on the ensign of Reuben was a man.
4. The tribes of Dan, Naphtali, and Asher were to camp on the north side and were collectively called the camp of Dan. The symbol on the ensign of Dan was an eagle.

Israel camped about the Tabernacle as an earthly representation of the Cherubim surrounding Godʼs throne in Heaven.^[1]

Ezk 1:11  Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies.

In addition to Ezekiel’s description, Isaiah, Daniel, and the apostle John describe them from their own experiences. There are slight differences in each, but that is to be expected. No contradictions, just different emphases that can be reconciled.

Ezk 1:12  And each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit [mentioned 4 more times in the next set of verses] wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went.

Ezk 1:13  As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning.

Ezk 1:14  And the living creatures ran back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning.

If, as a Christian, you have liberty to use AI, read this description into an artwork app and see what comes up.

We saw last time that this vision came to Ezekiel on his 30^th birthday. It was the day he would have begun his service in the Temple.

God remembered Ezekiel’s birthday and He crashed his non-party.

#2 – @therealChariot (v15-24)

The burning question I’m sure we all have is this: “What does God need with a starship?”

Ok, so maybe that’s from Star Trek V. God doesn’t need a starship to travel. He doesn’t require Cherubim to drive Him. He doesn’t need a prophet. He doesn’t need you & He doesn’t need me.

He has created us to have fellowship with Him & with one another as members of one another. It is the way of things. And we are to be in a local fellowship because we are a body & a building:

• If you are a stone for a building, you are useless alone.
• If you are a body part, you are useless alone. And gangrenous.

Ezk 1:15  Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces.

Ezk 1:16  The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

Ezk 1:17  When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went.

Ezk 1:18  As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them.

Ezk 1:19  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.

I’ve seen what are called ‘Omni-Wheels’ on the Apple iCar prototype. They look like soccer balls & go in every direction. The car can go sideways.

Ezk 1:20  Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

Ezk 1:21  When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

• The Cherubim had control of the wheels. When the Cherubim moved, the wheels moved.
• The Spirit of God had control of the Cherubim.

Ezk 1:22  The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads.

There was a cover above the Cherubim, a platform. Light shone through it as light through a precious stone. The final verses of the chapter – we will look at them next time. There is a throne above the Cherubim & on the platform.

Ezk 1:23  And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body.

Ezk 1:24  When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings.

The Ark and Mercy Seat were removed before Solomon’s Temple was destroyed. There are many theories as to where it went. Jeremiah may have hidden it. The Ethiopian Church claims that they have it.

It was never seen again after the First Temple was destroyed. In its place was a large stone slab onto which the High Priest sprinkled the blood on the Day of Atonement.

The Shekinah will return. There will be a Third Temple after the 7yr Time of Jacob’s Trouble – the Millennial Temple (43:1-5).

In Back to the Future there is a scene where Marty McFly is worried about whether Doc Brown will show up to help him get ‘back to the future.’ As tension builds, another character reassures Marty by saying, “Don’t worry, he’ll be here.” This line underscores the trust and belief in the hero’s timely arrival, despite the uncertainty of the moment.

Remember how Ezekiel ends – “The LORD will be there!”

God’s people were conquered and held captive. Shortly their trust in the Temple would be taken away. Looking back on centuries of intense persecution and suffering, it is easy to conclude that Israel has been abandoned by God.

Has God abandoned them? “Certainly not! … God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew” (Romans 11:1-2).

Meanwhile…The Lord is here!

• If you are “in” Him, then He is indwelling you. Your body is the Temple of God the Holy Spirit.
• He is present when we gather together. Collectively, we are His temple on Earth, being built together.

Ezekiel 1:1-3 – I Coulda Been A Kohanim

We recognize certain milestone birthdays and set them apart for special observation and celebration.

• 16  Driver’s license
• 18  Reaching adulthood
• 40  Midlife
• 65  Traditional retirement age
• 100 Less than 1% of the US population lives for a century

In Mexico and other Latin American cultures the 15^th birthday for young ladies is celebrated with a quinceañera.

In Judaism, a bar mitzvah (for boys at 13) and bat mitzvah (for girls at 12) mark their coming of age.

In Israel among the male descendants of Levi’s son, Aaron, birthdays at 25yrs,  30yrs, & 50yrs are significant.

• In Numbers 4:23 we are told, “From 30 years old and above, even to 50 years old [Levites] enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting.”

• A few chapters later we read this clarification. “This is what pertains to the Levites: From 25 years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meetings” (23:24-26).

From age 25 until turning 30 the Levites apprenticed. At 30 they began their service. Retirement was mandatory at age 50.

We learn immediately that Ezekiel was a “priest” (1:3) entering his “30th year.”

What ought to have been a milestone was more like a crushing millstone.

Ezekiel did not write to us, but what he wrote is still for us. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (Second Timothy 3:16-17).

When the apostle Paul wrote those words, “all scripture” was the Hebrew Bible we call the OT. The NT was still being written.

I’ll organize my comments around two questions: #1 How Would You Describe What Jesus Is Doing In You & Through You?, and #2 How Would Others Describe What Jesus Is Doing In You & Through You?

#1 – How Would You Describe What Jesus Is Doing In You & Through You (v1)

It is not uncommon for an interviewer to ask you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

In Israel, if you were a descendant of Aaron, you were going to be a priest, a kohan (kohanim is plural).

Ezekiel knew what he was going to be as an adult. Only, when the time came, it was not possible:

• King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem in 606BC during the reign of Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim surrendered to him. Nebuchadnezzar took some of the Temple treasures and prisoners, among whom were Daniel and his three companions.
• Nebuchadnezzar returned in 597BC. King Jehoiakim had died and was followed by Jehoaichin, who reigned for only three months. He was taken captive to Babylon with the remainder of the Temple treasures and other prisoners, among whom was Ezekiel.
• The Babylonians returned to Jerusalem in 586BC and destroyed the Temple and the city.

Levites were not priests the way we think of them. Zachary Garris writes, “The Levites were not just priests – they were warrior-priests. Their priestly origin is based in righteous violence. But God put the violent nature of the Levites to good use. Not only would the priests among them slaughter animals on a regular basis for sacrifice, but also all the Levites would guard the Tabernacle & Temple and the cities of refuge. Yahweh ordained and scattered the Levites throughout Israel in order to guard His worship.”

What does he mean by “righteous violence?” When, for example, the Israelites worshipped the Golden Calf, Moses called for “every man [to] put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day” (Exodus 32:27-28).

NT believers are warrior-priests:

• The Church is called “priests” in Revelation 1:6.
• We are warriors, told to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6) and to become skillful utilizing various spiritual weaponry (Second Corinthians 10:4).

How is the warfare for you? What fronts are you fighting on? Where are you behind enemy lines? Are there chinks in your armor? Are you wounded? Are you getting more proficient with spiritual weapons, or are you trusting in the methods of the world and the strength of the flesh?

Ezk 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 Chebar…

Ezekiel was living in Babylon, down by the river.

Historians and Bible commentators are thankful for Ezekiel’s careful keeping track of time. But when somebody is that careful keeping track of days, it communicates a deep longing. Think of your kids counting how many ‘sleeps’ until you are taking them somewhere fun.

Ezekiel’s longing is captured in Psalm 137.

Psa 137:1  By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion.

Psa 137:2  We hung our harps Upon the willows in the midst of it.

Psa 137:3  For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, And those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

Psa 137:4  How shall we sing the LORD’s song In a foreign land?

Psa 137:5  If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill!

Psa 137:6  If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth – If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

Psa 137:7  Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom The day of Jerusalem, Who said, “Raze it, raze it, To its very foundation!”

Psa 137:8  O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!

Psa 137:9  Happy the one who takes and dashes Your little ones against the rock!

NT believers wait with a deep desire.

We “wait for His Son from Heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (First Thessalonians 1:10). Knowing I could be with Jesus right now, I am motivated to invest myself serving Him today.

The conditions of the Babylonian captivity weren’t severe. In fact, when it ended and they could return home, most Jews chose to stay and live under Persian rule.

Looking around… Things are getting severe. Do you say, “Even so, come Lord Jesus!” Or are we becoming too comfy-cozy?

Scholars have done the math. Ezekiel was taken captive at age 25, just when he would have begun his apprenticeship. The first vision came to him on the day of his 30^th birthday.

God did not need Ezekiel to priest in captivity, but rather to prophesy.

Ezk  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 Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

How are we to understand the “visions?” A commentary I consulted said, “One of the unusual parts of Ezekiel’s experience seems to be that he was physically taken away by the Spirit of God while the hand of God was upon him, and that he was returned to his place among the exiles at the end of his vision. We conclude this from the reference in a later chapter that reads: “Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound. The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went with the strong hand of the Lord upon me.”

Ezekiel was the first believer to be caught up & away bodily.

Before moving on, I want to mention the modern-day kohanim. How can they be identified?

Geneticist Dr. David Goldstein says, “[As it turns out] almost 100% of all men with family tradition of priesthood do descend from kohanim. Generation after generation of Jewish women were faithful to their husbands and their tradition. What a proud record of fidelity. Geneticists describe these results as “the highest record of paternity-certainty ever recorded… Date calculation based on the variation of the mutations among kohanim today yields a time frame of 106 generations from the ancestral founder of the line, some 3,300 years ago.” This exactly supports the tradition of descent from Aaron, brother of Moses.”

Many modern Jews with the surname Cohen & Kahn are kohanim.

The Nezer HaKodesh Institute for Kohanic Studies is teaching Jewish priests to perform Temple service for the Third Temple.

#2 – How Would Others Describe What Jesus Is Doing In You & Through You? (v2-3)

Take time to source a claim before you Insta, FaceBook, or X. It will keep you from furthering false rumors, like “ABC Refused to Renew Whoopi Goldberg’s and Joy Behar’s Contracts for The View for being toxic.”

The next two verses read like an independent Fact Check, verifying what Ezekiel said in verse one.

Ezk 1:2  On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity,

In this third-person account Ezekiel is being vetted. It’s a spiritual background check so the reader can be comfortable the priest was indeed raised-up as God’s prophet.

Ezk 1:3  the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there.

The LSV (Literal Standard Version) of verse three reads, “the word of YHWH has certainly been to Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chebar, and there is on him there a hand of YHWH.

It’s the findings of his vetting. Ezekiel is a bonafide prophet operating in the sphere of God’s almighty power.

There are no prophets today.

There is the Gift of Prophesy. It is a gift from God the Holy Spirit for some (not all) believers. It is exercised to benefit & bless the Church as discussed at length in First Corinthians 14.

In our fellowship it mostly takes the form of God the Holy Spirit impressing on a person to call our attention to a particular Scripture. Often that Scripture, or several taken together, speak encouragement to the gathering – and to someone in particular.

We would also acknowledge dreams and waking dreams, i.e., visions, as forms of Church Age prophesy.

The person speaking needs to be vetted. What they’ve said needs to be judged by the written Word.

If ultimately the Gift of Prophecy is the application of the written, complete Bible, why do we exercise it?

• The Bible presents it as a gift that has not ceased. I do not have the freedom to ignore it simply because it is controversial.
• A large portion of First Corinthians is dedicated to the proper exercise of gifts, prophecy being an important one. Why so much instruction about the so-called Sign Gifts if they were to shortly cease?
• Nowhere can we honestly prove from Scripture that certain gifts, like prophesy, have ceased. Cessationists mostly criticize the very real abuses of the gifts. But this requires correction, not cessation.
• On a personal level, it is humbling and intimate for the Lord to speak to you using independent means. Sure, you can search out verses from Nave’s Topical Bible. But when the Word speaks to you in a live setting, it can be precious.

Jeremiah, in Jerusalem, had been prophesying for about 35 years to this point.  Daniel was just beginning his amazing ministry and was at the heart of the action in the very courts of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon.

Ezekiel was stuck out along the River Chebar, a canal that was connected to the River Euphrates, in a Jewish settlement. He was out in the sticks, in Riverdale, a nobody, a priest who would never serve in the Temple.

Is “the hand of the Lord upon [us] here” in the sticks by the Kings River? 

One way to determine an answer is to read Jesus’ letters to seven churches in the opening chapters of the Revelation. It is our belief that each letter was written to every church. Yes, the letter to, say, the Church in Philadelphia was for that spiritual community, at that time. But the things the Lord says to them are applicable to any Church, any time they find themselves like Philadelphia.

One argument in favor of that is the fact they all end with Jesus saying, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (plural).

Another argument in favor of their being written to every church is that some of the rewards promised to a church are elsewhere promised to all believers.

We can read the letters asking, “How are we like or unlike each church?” Would Jesus commend us for certain things, or criticize us?

The heavens opened for Ezekiel. The heavens will open for us:

1Th 4:16  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

1Th 4:17  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

1Th 4:18  Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Secret rapture is a term frequently used as a pejorative by those who deny the idea that the rapture of the church is separate from the Second Coming of Christ. Do you think graves opening to release the dead in Christ will happen in secret? Christians alive at the time will be flying airplanes, driving cars. It won’t be very secret when the co-pilot announces over the comm, “Ladies & gentlemen, the Captain was just raptured, and I cannot raise LAX air traffic control. I suggest you buckle-up… And receive the Lord.”

• Maybe the Gideon’s could explore having a Bible in the storage compartment of airline seats?
• Or Franklin Graham can record a 90sec evangelism video to play?

Billy Graham once said, “Jesus wants to give you hope for the future. He wants you to learn what it means to walk with Him every day. When you come to Jesus, God gives you eternal life – which begins right now as you open your heart to Him.”