Archive for the ‘Ezekiel’ Category
One year Ago…
Comments (11)For anyone who wants to know how all this started click below. It was exactly one year ago.
Deleted!
I woke up this morning and my Distribution List for this blog was DELETED! I had JUST added all the new people to it. If you want to be on the e-mail list for the overviews e-mail me at Pszyman@comcast.net
Note
I hate being behind, I do. I miss reading. 2 days and I really miss it! But helping the shelter home is not about the house it is about the people in the house. I hope one day to tell the story off how all this happened. What “I” thought was collecting some blankets and shampoo for the homeless turned out to be an Extreme makeover and the foreman was God. It was wild to watch! OK….going to read God’s word!
Day 254 Ezekiel 46-48
The life giving stream. THe end of this book of Ezekiel caught me like the beginning did, with a visual picture. This is one of Ezekiel’s most beautiful apocolyptic visuals. I read it very slowly and very carefully. It seem’s to be a picture of Heaven’s “river of the water of life”. Either turn to the very last Chapter in Revelation or click here . Whether specific or literal interpretation I know we can see Christ in this passage (mine is literal) . Ever widening, Ever deepening stream for the whole world.
The river of life can purify the salt from the dead sea! Fruit will grow when a tree is fed from this river.
Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not whither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.
Throughout all this I kept thinking about the New Testament scriptures where we become the dwelling, the temple to house the Spirit. SO when I read the name of the temple in the last scripture I just smiled. Did you catch the name of the temple…
THE LORD IS THERE.
Ezekiel 44-45
You are not Jewish and you live on this side of the Cross. So what does this reading have to do with you? Why would God include it in the Bible for ALL to have. Why? I will tell you. BECAUSE God is Holy. If we don’t understand the concept of Holiness then our progress as a Christian will not go far. Chapter 44 verse 9 clearly states that Unbelievers will not be allowed to enter the Temple.
Then the chapter continues about our approach to the Lord. Yes we have read all this before in Exodus and Leviticus. I am often irritated by my own as well as the church’s approach to the Lord. What are we thinking when we approach the Lord of All, the God of the Universe, like He is one of us? The way we approach God in prayer and worship distinguishes us. Think about this as you talk to God today. Ask Him to give you a Reverence and a Respect even just with hearing His Name!
Day 252 Ezekiel 42-43
OK, I approached today’s reading and just asked wreveal a message to me in it. I fully trust that on ever page if we are prayerful and trust that the Lord Can and Will speak to us He does. And Man…every scripture lately has brought me to the word repentance lately. Maybe knowing Joel is coming up seeded that in my heart but still.
In Chapter 43 is speaking about a wall between our sin and Him. A wall! I am not trying to interpret the Scripture I am just letting you know what blew me away. We all know that there is NO wall between us and God. It’s not “this is the part of me you can have…and this part don’t look at” . Go to 43:8, we put our threshold next to His…what? He is the only standard! But wait it gets better….
Let them consider the plan, and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.
Ohhhh that just touched my heart. Think about this. We know that Jesus will say that there is no longer a physical temple but that our bodies will be the ones that will house the Lord forever. SO now reread the above statement and see how that applies to us and our relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Day 251 Ezekiel 40-41
SO what in the world are we reading? Well, I don’t know. And here is the deal, God is so big that even some of the things we think we know we probably got wrong. One day we will be in Heaven and God might just pat us on the head and say “yeah…you over thought that”. But the wonderful thing about the Bible is scripture interprets scriptures, so God does allow us access to interpret His words, through God’s own words.
But here we are at another temple description. Now remember Ezekiel is a priest, and grew up in the line, so giving the details of a temple is something God knew He would do very well. He is speaking to the ones in exile giving them a Hope! He is speaking of what they knew. Remember, Ezekiel already had one vision given to him regarding the temple, back in Chapter 8, so this is his second vision of a temple. This however is a NEW temple.
Is this vision is an actual temple that may actually be a literal temple? What is called a “millennial temple”. The 12 tribes would one day inhabit the land and the temple would be rebuilt? OR is this figuratively? God is to live in the temple forever. The next couple of days we will consider some of the things Jesus said that makes me think this is a metaphorical preview of the whole Christian era.
Day 250 Ezekiel 38-39
Eschatology (from the Greek ἔσχατος, Eschatos meaning “last” and -logy meaning “the study of”) is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with what is believed to be the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world.
Day 249 Ezekiel 35-37
Prophecy about Edom. Kiss your brain if you remember who they are and why the Lord talks about their mountain as their pride. Edom, from Esau, from the dispute between Jacob and Esau. Esau’s family line (Edomites) are the modern day Arabs. Anyway, they built an impregnable city. NO one could attack them. Well, that’s not technically true…God did!
Chapter 36 is incredible. In verse 22 God’s plan is so obviously stated. All He is doing is for what is to come. Read 22 forward again. This is all being done to pave the way for the Messiah to come, since the people will not listen to God, He will restore us by bringing Jesus and giving us a new heart, and a Spirit. I would write more BUT I have to talk about 37. I wish 37 was a stand alone read so we could really get into it!
The Valley of the Dry Bones!!!
OK, if you are reading the blog first. Stop, go and read it once, and then come back to here. THEN read it again.
At first I am thinking God COULD do that. So imagine the look on Ezekiel’s face when it happened. If God can restore the bones of Israel, the ones in exile, then surely he can restore us when we are spiritually dry or even dead. People cannot doubt that strong non believers can’t be restored to full believers, God can do anything. If you say “yeah but you don’t know this person…” shame on you for thinking like that.
So I keep reading and I start to feel again this is about Jesus coming. OK, I am used the the prophet books having multiple lines of Prophecy, but this one is all THREE. Israel, Messiah and Tribulation. And hold on, are you sitting?? This is the only prophecy in history that a generation could read about and see happen in life. Did you hear what I just said. God chose you to be born at a time when you could open the prophecy and read it and SEE it happen.
Are you paying attention? Get this. When the part of the chapter starts in verse 15, the 2 sticks, one representing Judah and the other Israel. And he makes them one nation coming from the scattered nations (after the dispersion). *the time we are reading this we only had 2 of the 3 sieges done, Jerusalem has not been destroyed yet, the final blow)* So this prophecy is talking about when Judah and Israel come together again and are a formed nation. This prophecy hung out there for over 2000 years, never fulfilled. AND guess what, it did!. On May 14, 1948 Jews became an independent state after the Arab Israeli war, known as the War of Independence. Did you get all that. Since the Babylonian exile, the nations were dispersed all over, and this prophecy came true not until 1948. Before this date scholars could say with confidence that the end of days were not here because this prophecy hung out there. Well, people, guess what….so now when you hear that person say: We are in the end times, Jesus is coming, the last days, the brink of tribulation….WE ARE! And if you don’t think so…start paying attention to the times! Unless your days are numbered you may get to see if from this side.
Bet when you woke up today you had no idea you would be reading about this! Well. God is just good that way.
Day 248 Ekekiel 32-34
Just when I get bored with the reading (sorry God, but the past few days were tough) a reading like today completely rejuvenates me! I am skipping straight to 33.
Ezekiel’s message as well as the people take a turn in direction here. Ezekiel is appointed a watchman (Jesus is the new watchman) and gives a message of hope. As I read up to verse 9 I was given again a strong message of my purpose. Let me explain, remember when Ezekiel ate the scroll in the vision, and the Lord said (paraphrased) you won’t be judged for the way the people react to your message about the Lord but you will be judged on the fact that you DO IT! Well, that was the message the Lord gave me this morning in this message. Look at the second paragraph, as you walk around your office, friends, family, neighborhood…think about this:
But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’ ”Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.
Ezekiel 34 Shepherds and Sheeps. WOW. SO many levels to this. Sooooo many. We are shepherds to a flock. Our purpose is to find the lost and the scattered and bring them to lie down near water, the water of Life. But the message here is a foreshadow of Our Shepherd. The Son of David. I have that song in my head “Jesus Messiah…. a name above all names…Blessed Redeemer….Emmanuel…” ohhh I love that song.
