Ezekiel’s words had come true for the Jews in the past. Are we seeing his prophecies also coming true in our day? Have a read and be blessed.
Ezekiel 10: The Glory of the LORD Leaves the Temple
1 Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in appearance like a throne.
2 And he said to the man clothed in linen, "Go in among the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city." And he went in before my eyes.
3 Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house, when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.
4 And the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.
5 And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.
6 And when he commanded the man clothed in linen, "Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim," he went in and stood beside a wheel.
7 And a cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out.
8 The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings.
9 And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling beryl.
10 And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel.
11 When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went, but in whatever direction the front wheel faced, the others followed without turning as they went.
12 And their whole body, their rims, and their spokes, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around---the wheels that the four of them had.
13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing "the whirling wheels."
14 And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
15 And the cherubim mounted up. These were the living creatures that I saw by the Chebar canal.
16 And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them. And when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels did not turn from beside them.
17 When they stood still, these stood still, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in them.
18 Then the glory of the LORD went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim.
19 And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.
20 These were the living creatures that I saw underneath the God of Israel by the Chebar canal; and I knew that they were cherubim.
21 Each had four faces, and each four wings, and underneath their wings the likeness of human hands.
22 And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the Chebar canal. Each one of them went straight forward.
Ezekiel 11: Judgment on Wicked Counsellors
1 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the house of the LORD, which faces east. And behold, at the entrance of the gateway there were twenty-five men. And I saw among them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
2 And he said to me, "Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city;
3 who say, 'The time is not near to build houses. This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.'
4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man."
5 And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and he said to me, "Say, Thus says the LORD: So you think, O house of Israel. For I know the things that come into your mind.
6 You have multiplied your slain in this city and have filled its streets with the slain.
7 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of it, they are the meat, and this city is the cauldron, but you shall be brought out of the midst of it.
8 You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, declares the Lord GOD.
9 And I will bring you out of the midst of it, and give you into the hands of foreigners, and execute judgments upon you.
10 You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel, and you shall know that I am the LORD.
11 This city shall not be your cauldron, nor shall you be the meat in the midst of it. I will judge you at the border of Israel,
12 and you shall know that I am the LORD. For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you."
13 And it came to pass, while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel?"
Israel's New Heart and Spirit
14 And the word of the LORD came to me:
15 "Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, your kinsmen, the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, 'Go far from the LORD; to us this land is given for a possession.'
16 Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.'
17 Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.'
18 And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations.
19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
21 But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD."
22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.
23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city.
24 And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen went up from me.
25 And I told the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me.
Things to think about…
Ezekiel’s vision in chap 10 is similar to chapter one. The same creatures are there. The glory of the Lord descends Ezek 10:3 but then departs, vs 18. Jerusalem had the Lord’s presence, but then fire is scattered over the city and the Lord’s presence departs. God had removed His hand. We know in the book of Revelation that churches can have their lampstands removed. The gospel light is taken from them. It happens when God’s people are not faithful with His message. Such was the case with ancient Israel.
The eastern gate is mentioned Ezek 10:19 & 11:1 as where the presence of the Lord remains. The present gate on the eastern side of the temple mount is closed today. It was sealed off by Suleiman in 1541. The Messiah is prophesied to come through this gate, hence why the Muslims sealed it off. What is your understanding of prophecy regarding this gate? Christ entered through this gate from the Mount of Olives. Will He do so again? I believe He will in glory.
Ezek 11:2-13 says that those who were still living in Jerusalem at the time and expecting it to not be destroyed were badly deceived. In 587/6BC they would be taken out of Jerusalem and judged at the border, Ezek 11:10. This is exactly what happened, they were tried and killed, along with the king’s sons at Riblah, which is on the northern border of Israel.
We see in Ezek 11:14-25 that the Lord will bring back the captives to Jerusalem and from the countries where they have been scattered. Some returned in 536BC under the decree of Cyrus the Persian. There is a greater fulfilment than what occurred with the captives who returned in 536BC. It seems that this is an end times prophecy that other prophets also speak about. The Jews have returned to their land, they continue to return from all the countries where they have been scattered and are dwelling in Jerusalem. This has never happened on this scale in Jerusalem’s history. These I believe is a fulfilment of these words of prophecy found here and elsewhere in the scriptures. There are now more Jews living in Israel than outside Israel. This has not been the case for almost 2 millennia.
The Apostle Paul speaks about the times of the Gentiles being full and ‘all Israel being saved’ Rom 11:26. Here in Ezekiel we see in Ezek 11:19 that a new heart will be given to them. Let’s pray Jews would see who their true Messiah is – Jesus.
Ezek 11:23 is prophetic where it says “the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city.” This of course is the Mount of Olives from which our Lord returned to Jerusalem to be tried, but also the place from which He will return in triumph, more than on a donkey, but in glorious triumph to restore Israel and the earth.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Title was “For God so loved the world” – Reading John 3:1-21
1. Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. Describe what you remember of this man, who he was and what would eventually happen to him spiritually?
2. What does it mean to be born from above – I.E born of the Spirit and water? How does this effect your understanding of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? Surely we have no choice as whether we are born or not. Discuss.
3. Nicodemus became bold and at Jesus’ burial became unclean by touching a dead body. There is a prophetic fulfillment of all being allowed to celebrate the Passover, even when unclean (I.E burying someone), Num 9:6-11. Discuss how this relates to the gospel.
4. Pray for each other and the outreach of the gospel
Prayer Points
1. Pray that the Lord has mercy and allows the west to not fall any further from Christ as the Queen has been buried.
2. The right choice for a full time Youth and Young Adults Pastor to start Jan 2023 and the finances to support them.
3. Alpha course being run at CBC on Saturday – 30 women attending. Pray for Rochelle and team as they use our facilities.
4. Ministry leaders within the church.
5. Our One for Israel ministry.
6. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
7. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Doug’s message and the gospel faithfully given on Sunday.
2. Many returning back to full health.
3. Worship on Sunday – thankyou Paul, Suzy, Zac, Ashley. Bec on Words and Doug on sound. Thankyou. Fiona and Maddison in café always do a stellar job. Thankyou for those who welcomed at the door.
4. All those who faithfully serve in ministries, Worship, Sound/Technical/Kids Church/ Cell Groups/Admin - Bulletins/Finances/Property/Welcoming/Spiritual Leadership/Cafe
5. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Remember to check your duty rosters.
2. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
3. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism question for September...
Q. 8. What will happen to the righteous in the day of judgment? A. They shall live with Jesus Christ forever, in a new heaven and a new earth.
