Author: remnantinthepass

Good Sunday July twenty third as we work through the judgments on the pagan nations.

Babylon’s army destroys Tyre- God said to Tyre, “therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up.” The barrage against Tyre is seen as the waves in a storm crashing the shore destroying everything it its way. This powerful center for world trade will become a bare rock region. 4b “I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. 5 It shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,’ says the Lord GOD.” No more will Tyre be seen as a world trade center, here we are told left will be only a place to fish. God said Tyre would be destroyed and it was, and for years after, Tyre was beaten down by her enemies. Tyre means ‘rock’ and the reference to the top of the rock here is what happened to Tyre, she was ripped bare only the rocks left. Tyre was the commercial capitol of the day in the Mediterranean but after God’s judgment only a place for fisherman to cast their nets. “Also her daughter villages which are in the fields shall be slain by the sword. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” This is speaking of all the small cities colonies scattered around that would be affected by the collapse of Tyre. These would have been Phoenicia, Cyprus, Rhodes, Malta, Sicily, Sardina and the Baltic areas and Africa. God’s judgment would be complete destruction.  Let us read together from Ezekiel 26:7-11 “For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army with many people. 8 He will slay with the sword your daughter villages in the fields; he will heap up a siege mound against you, build a wall against you, and raise a defense against you. 9 He will direct his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers. 10 Because of the abundance of his horses, their dust will cover you; your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen, the wagons, and the chariots, when he enters your gates, as men enter a city that has been breached. 11 With the hooves of his horses he will trample all your streets; he will slay your people by the sword, and your strong pillars will fall to the ground.” God had said that the same king that brought down both Jerusalem and Judah would attack and destroy them. Babylon held nothing back. Ezekiel says they brought battering rams, and axes to tear down the towers. They brought a large army with many horses so many that they kicked so much dust that it covered the whole city. Tyre resisted Babylon for some thirteen years. Ezekiel 29:18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it.” Eventually Tyre was brought under Babylon’s rule. The strong pillars refer to most likely the temple of Heracles at Tyre. When Babylon finally entered Tyre they found no one there, they had snuck away. God does what it says in His word, believe it? Remnant

Good Saturday July twenty second as we study this prophecy and discover God’s will.

Now the Lord turns to Tyre-

The Edomites were descendents of Isaac, and Edom shares the northern border with Israel. These two nations were constantly in conflict, and when Jerusalem fell, the Edomites rejoiced, and then Ezekiel said that they would be destroyed. This prophecy then turned to the Philistines, those living on the coast known as the Kerethites, who were identified as being Philistines. The area today known as the Gaza strip and were enemies to Israel and we read because they hated Israel God was judging them. God says ‘I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines. Now Nebuchadnezzar punished them because they had teamed up with Tyrians to fight Babylon. This is what we can take from the judgments against these enemy nations, those who treat God or His people incorrectly He will deal with and those who respect and honor God, mercy will be granted. As we continue chapters 26 through 28 God will deal with Tyre. Tyre was located some forty miles north, Tyre being a seaport and a large commercial center in its day. Let us read together from Ezekiel 26:1-6 “And it came to pass in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, ‘Aha! She is broken who was the gateway of the peoples; now she is turned over to me; I shall be filled; she is laid waste.’ 3 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up. 4 And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. 5 It shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,’ says the Lord GOD; ‘it shall become plunder for the nations. 6 Also her daughter villages which are in the fields shall be slain by the sword. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” Exporters and importers traveling from Tyre heading to Egypt would have to pass through Israel and Judah where they then would be taxed. Now that Babylon has removed both Judah and Jerusalem Tyre would then make all the profits. Many believe Ezekiel was given this prophecy some fourteen months after Babylon began to conquer Jerusalem. What we see is Tyre is rejoicing that Jerusalem is no longer in their way to become richer. Today the region is known as Lebanon, but here is a large commercial center. But because Tyre was against Israel God promised judgment against them. Proverbs 17:5 “He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.” This was how Tyre responded to Jerusalem’s fall so God brought justice to them. When God is against you there is no place to run and hide, there is no one who will be able to help you. Tyre had built a strong defense; the area was embedded in the rocky cliffs that made them feel secure. Babylon conquered them around 586-573 B.C. and the Persians in 525 B.C. as did Alexander the Great, Antiochus and the Saracens in the14th century. They had no defense being an enemy of God and mocking His people.God’s word is truth have you chosen who’s side you are on? Remnant

Good Friday July twenty first as we gather again to search for the truth from this prophecy.

Philistines and Edomites judged-

Judah had become like other nations, Lamentations 4:12 “The kings of the earth, and all inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem.” The Moabites were accusing God to be powerless against them insulting God’s character and God’s divine position. God’s people wanted to be as the other nations having a king to lead them. 1 Samuel 8:5 “And said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” So Samuel was asked by the people to appoint a king as the other nations around them had. Now Samuel was old and his sons who would take his place had become wicked, so they asked for a king to rule them. The problem was they had forgotten that they were children of God, they were looking to men to guide them rather than God. Lot when asked by Abraham to choose the land he would settle, the word says he looked out not up, Lot did not seek the counsel from God and chose to settle in the lands of Sodom, which was a bad choice choosing a king to replace God, a bad choice. We are now in a section after Jerusalem and Judah are destroyed that God now begins dealing with the surrounding nations, many being relatives of both Judah and Jerusalem. Let’s read together from Ezekiel 25:12-17 “Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,” 13 therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan shall fall by the sword. 14 I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord GOD.15 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred,” 16 therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. 17 I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I lay My vengeance upon them.” The Edomites being descendants of Esau the son of Isaac looked at Judah when they became powerless and plundered her lands. Here we read the Lord then stretched His hand against them. Afterwards the Philistines are in sight, they being an ancient enemy of Israel, ‘and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast.’ The Cherethites’ were Philistines who lived on the coast. All the nations from this chapter were enemies to Israel although they had lived in the lands promised to God’s people. Genesis 12:2-3 “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” These nations had cursed Israel and here received their judgment. God will judge all people, receive His grace,His mercy, His Son, have Him? Remnant

Good Thursday July twentieth as we continue studying this prophecy of judgments.

Moab cursed the house of God-

Ezekiel will pen six prophecies being against Egypt in chapters 29- 32. The first was given in 587 B.C. speaking to Hezekiah, Jehoakim, and Zedekiah all were kings of Judah, who had looked to Egypt to help them. This prophecy was given for three reasons, first to remind them that Egypt was their enemy, they had enslaved them for some four hundred years. The second reason wasEgypt was a pagan nation who worshipped many gods. And thirdly, that they only saw in Egypt their carnal wealth and looked to them to protect them, not their true God. Egypt possessed great wealth and were  world traders had a great military and power, but God Himself condemned Egypt for their cruelty of mistreatment of slaves, so God sent Babylon to destroy Egypt as well as Assyria for believing they were rulers of the world. Ezekiel is instructed to set his face against Ammon, against Rabbah the capital of Ammon. God will destroy this city. Because the Ammonites had no pity they felt no sorrow at the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, of the sanctuary of the One true God, Judgment was brought against them. As Babylon had captured and destroyed both Judah and Jerusalem, the surrounding nations who applauded Babylon, God would use them to judge them. Remember they cheered and applauded when Judah and Jerusalem were destroyed believing they had escaped but because they pointed against God’s people they would be judged. Now let’s read together from Ezekiel 25:8-11 “Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations,’ 9 therefore, behold, I will clear the territory of Moab of cities, of the cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kirjathaim. 10 To the men of the East I will give it as a possession, together with the Ammonites, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. 11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the Lord.” Judgment was directed to the surrounding nations as Moab and Seir were related to Israel. Balak king of Moab hired Balaam to curse Israel as they were in the desert, Ruth a Moabite is the great grandmother of King David. As the Ammonites fell the fate of Moab and Seir was assured. All these nations were actual descendants of Lot, again when Lot gave his two daughter’s children, and when Jerusalem was destroyed. Now the Moabites being cleverer than the Ammonites did not cheer the fall of the temple but instead declared that the house of Judah was nothing more than another heathen nation. What they declared was that The God of Judah was not God of the universe rather a local idol god. Just so we are clear it is God who is in control of what is going on, He is cleansing the holy land from the lust and worship of idol gods and His purpose is to drive His people back to Him. Today we live in a world as we are reading about; the world looks at the church as weak, being divided by rules and regulations, religion. The so-called intelligent declare all paths lead to enlightenment, that there are many gods, many philosophies, and a great amount of ideas that all lead to the same place. Many are entangled in this, how about you? Remnant

 Good Wednesday July nineteenth as we open Ezekiel’s prophecy of God’s judgment.

Ammonites judged-

In the twenty four chapters we have studied, Ezekiel warned both Judah and Jerusalem that God’s judgment was coming for them abandoning Him. Ezekiel was allowed by God to speak to the people openly, yes there were some moments he was not to speak and keep a silence as when his wife died, but Ezekiel is God’s prophet to the people, what God spoke through Ezekiel the people now saw all that was spoken had come true. We have just read that Babylon led by king Nebuchadnezzar has been used by God to discipline Israel. The temple was completely destroyed then burned to the ground. Ezekiel just after his wife had died was silent, but when Nebuchadnezzar had accomplished the victory Ezekiel’s was then allowed to again speak. Let’s look at verse 26 again, “on that day one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with your ears.” One escapes from Babylon’s captivity in Israel and finds Ezekiel, a fugitive who travels some eighty miles and tells him that the cities the temple has been destroyed and burned down. When this news is brought to the exiled they mourn quietly as Ezekiel mourned for his wife. Now let’s read together from Ezekiel 25:1-7 “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them. 3 Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you said, ‘Aha!’ against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity, 4 indeed, therefore, I will deliver you as a possession to the men of the East, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you; they shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. 5 And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels and Ammon a resting place for flocks. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” 6 ‘For thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced in heart with all your disdain for the land of Israel, 7 indeed, therefore, I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations; I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will cause you to perish from the countries; I will destroy you, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” God directs Ezekiel to stand against the Ammonites. The Ammonites were a nomadic people who resided in the areas we know today as Jordan. These were descendants of Lot through his incestuous relationship with his younger daughter. Genesis 19:36-38 “Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.” So the Ammonites are then related to the Israelites. But the Ammonites cheered when Judah was judged and the temple was destroyed, but God saw what Ammon did and now says you will be destroyed as well. The Ammonites had no sorrow that Jerusalem had fallen; that the temple was destroyed and because they did not, judgment was now on them. Are we listening? Remnant

Good Tuesday July eighteenth as we continue to study from this amazing prophecy

Ezekiel speaks to all nations-

The temple of God- although the temple leaders and the people had fallen to being offenders of the holiness of their callings, still the temple represented God’s holiness and obedience. Ezekiel’s wife suddenly dying was the sign of the death of the sanctuary. Having idols, the temple instead of the place where the people would come to meet with their God was as a wooden or brass idol, it was a rabbits foot in a sense their security idol that is how low their respect of God had come. If we have learned anything as believers in the Christian church age, our God is not an idol He is a living active God in us. We are temples of God, let this sink in, just as Solomon stood the day when the temple was dedicated he and the priests welcomed the presence of God in the temple. But through time the temple had become an idol and a false source of hope for both Jerusalem and Judah. Because the temple stood, the people believed they had security, but where were their hearts? They were seeking the things of other nations, their idols. What ended up happening is they rejected God and choose to live without being obedient to as holy God. Parents please listen to what Ezekiel wrote from God, ‘your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.’ Then in Ezekiel’s life God took his wife’s life, it said suddenly, and Ezekiel was told not to mourn for her in front of the people. All this so the people would see that God was the only true God who was worthy of their worship. Now let us read together from Ezekiel 24:25-27 “.And you, son of man will it not be in the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that on which they set their minds, their sons and their daughters: 26 on that day one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with your ears; 27 on that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you shall speak and no longer be mute. Thus you will be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ” As we entered this twenty-fourth chapter, it began the siege by Nebuchadnezzar over Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar’s armies would destroy everything including the temple. After Ezekiel’s wife was taken Ezekiel did not speak any words until God opened his mouth here. It seems Jerusalem had to first fall before any more instruction would come. We are reading Ezekiel’s last prophecies to Israel until the thirty third chapters. At this time God has Ezekiel prophesying to the nations that surround both Judah and Jerusalem. Just as God had silenced Ezekiel when his wife died, he was silent to the people, but did speak to warnings and lamentations to the people outside of Judah until he again would speak when Jerusalem would finally fall in total defeat. Judah and Jerusalem had come to defeat by the Babylonians; his work now would be as shepherd and to be a watchman over the exiled. Now as a good shepherd Ezekiel would bring words of comfort, words of encouragement no longer negative words.  “Thus you will be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.” All mourning would seize as Jerusalem had fallen. This marks a day of significance, Ezekiel is vindicated as a true servant of God, Are we sharing the truth? Remnant

Good Monday July seventeenth as we continue studying this prophecy by Ezekiel.

God will do to you what He has done to me-

Ezekiel is told by God your wife is going to die but you are not to grieve for her. We read that Ezekiel obeyed God fully, what God was doing was using Ezekiel’s life as an example to what the people had done to Him and what was going to happen to them. Reminiscent of the life of Hosea, who was asked to take a harlot as his wife who was unfaithful to him. Hosea 1:2-3 “When the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea: “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord.” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.” As with Hosea God intends to use the death of Ezekiel’s wife for the people to see what they have become. The grief that Ezekiel held is a high cost in being obedient to the Lord, but you know what would be worse, missing the eternal call to heaven. Jeremiah 16:5 “For thus says the Lord: “Do not enter the house of mourning, nor go to lament or bemoan them; for I have taken away My peace from this people,” says the Lord, “loving-kindness and mercies.” Any personal sorrow, we may go through in life in our obedience to the Lord, will be overcome by our positions with Jesus in heaven. Let us now read from Ezekiel 24:19-24 “And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things signify to us, that you behave so?” 20 Then I answered them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 21 ‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the delight of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. 22 And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips nor eat man’s bread of sorrow. 23 Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you shall neither mourn nor weep, but you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another. 24 Thus Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do; and when this comes, you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.” Ezekiel, having just spoken to the people that his wife would be dead by morning was shocked and saw Ezekiel’s behavior as strange to them. “‘Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the delight of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.” Again using Ezekiel as the source in his joy and security with his wife, Israel though has been disobedient by treating God improper, what is said here is as Ezekiel’s wife had died suddenly so the sanctuary would as well die suddenly. Their sons and daughters left behind still in Jerusalem as Judah it says will fall to the sword. The nations would experience grief so deep that as Ezekiel expressed as a deep quiet moan. What would happen to both Judah and Jerusalem was what they deserved not taking God at His word. In Ezekiel as God’s leader to the people we see that true servants of God may go through personal sufferings as they allow God to use them as He so wishes. Too many believe living right with Jesus is not having losses or sufferings, not so. Are you willing to be used by God? Remnant

Good Sunday July sixteenth as we study the prophecies given through Ezekiel.

Ezekiel’s wife dies-

When we open our bibles and begin to read from the book of Genesis we are introduced to the creator of life which includes what our eyes see, what our ears hear, what our noses smell and Who God is. As much as the enemy still wants us to choose to believe we can be as God, when we actually examine life from the atomic structure to natural life we have to be amazed as life is so amazing. What I love about Genesis is that God alone spoke life into existence, we read “Genesis 1:12a “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.” It is after God placed life His creation into order we read in verse 26-28 that God so then created man, Genesis 1:26-27 “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” God created our world and us to be submissive and obedient to Him. He has given us life, and when He created man He created both the male and the female. Dear saints this is God’s word and God does not lie, so as we are reading from this prophecy understand just how much went into the creation when God says He must destroy His people who have rejected Him that this is not something God at all enjoys doing but He must do so we will know Who He is. Let us read together today from Ezekiel 24:16-18 “Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.”18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.” Ezekiel, God’s prophet, reveals that his wife has died, ‘take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke.’ We are let into Ezekiel’s personal life, his wife, his soul mate, his desire of his eye was taken from him.  God says to Ezekiel ‘yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down.’ Ezekiel’s position: yes he has lost his wife, his soul mate but God says you are not to mourn but to continue to represent Me. This is as when Aaron’s two sons Nadab and Abihu who offered an unauthorized offering Leviticus 10:2-3 “So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. 3 And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy and before all the people I must be glorified.’ ” So Aaron held his peace.” And Ezekiel is to hold his peace. Even Jesus wept and Ezekiel was to mourn alone and sigh in silence. God knows Ezekiel’s loss, ‘so I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died.’ And Ezekiel obeyed, trusted God and the next morning he continued the teachings. Life has losses, do you trust the Lord? Remnant

Good Saturday July fifteenth as we come to study this word this prophecy together.

The wickedness would be judged-

Ezekiel has described the city of Jerusalem as a pot so encrusted by their sins that the pot would not come clean. Now it was God’s heart that all would see their errors repent and come clean those living in Jerusalem as well as all us, that we would be cleansed and walk in obedience to the Lord. Many of us have gone through tough situations  in life which could be a cleansing, a purging of sinful ways directing us back to the Lord. When we do face difficult times we need to allow for God to remove from our lives anything that needs to be purged out so we can place our eyes on the goodness of God. Anytime we have to deal with problems we should look at it as God cleansing His daughter His son. This is a good time to examine our relationship with the Lord. We read yesterday Ezekiel was asked to oil the meat in a pot cooking even the bones but then Ezekiel was instructed to place the empty pot back on the fire which was to illustrate that not only would the people of Jerusalem go through God’s wrath but Jerusalem itself would be completely destroyed. Now let us read together from Ezekiel 24:13-15 “In your filthiness is lewdness. Because I have cleansed you, and you were not cleansed, you will not be cleansed of your filthiness anymore, till I have caused My fury to rest upon you. 14 I, the Lord, have spoken it; It shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not hold back, nor will I spare, nor will I relent; according to your ways and according to your deeds they will judge you,” says the Lord GOD.” Let us remember the ministry Ezekiel has been called into. He was called first to eat the scroll of woe which he did, but then Ezekiel was asked to lay on his side for about one year, then Ezekiel was asked to cut off his hair which he did, then he was told to cook using cow manure, and to move away from his house. Everything he was instructed to do was as a symbol to get the attention of the people. But as we read the people did not listen to the prophet sent to them by God. We read here, I the Lord has spoken, and it shall come to pass. What was coming would leave no doubts that what God said would happen was going to happen. We know from history that both Jerusalem and Judah were overtaken and destroyed by the armies from Babylon. What God said would happen did happen.We read the Lord has spoken it, it shall come to pass and it did. God’s word, we study to learn God’s word, why this book is so important is because God needs to purge all sin from the world, and He will. Many as those we are reading do not believe that God will do this, this is why we have a history of God recorded in our bibles, what God says He will do, He does. God is a good parent, we know His will and we are told things we are not to do, we are even told what will happen if we so choose to them anyway, we would receive the result of our disobedience. Israel has been warned as to what would happen if they did not repent and now it is happening just as they were warned. It has come to pass. Now their wicked ways and their wicked deeds are being judged. God must follow through, He said what He would do and now He must do it. Do we understand that He has to judge sin and rebellion? Are we then listening to His words? Remnant

Good Friday July fourteenth as we continue our studies from the prophecy of Ezekiel.

Woe to the bloody city-

The day when King Zedekiah reigned the date here written in Hebrew texts is January 15, 588 B.C. the day Babylon began the siege of the city. God had said that this day would come and the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed. Jerusalem is compared here as a cooking pot, a boiling Cauldron. So Ezekiel speaks this parable against the house of the rebellion and says Put on a pot, as Ezekiel has been doing with this prophecy he is speaking and acting this scene out before the people. In verse eleven which we will cover today we find that this is a bronze or copper pot. This is another time here that Ezekiel uses a cauldron; he said this in Chapter eleven in verses 3-12. Ezekiel speaks of choice pieces of meat, believed to be those who remained in the city believing that they would be spared, because they believed that they were good. Many today believe that they will go to heaven based on their belief that they are good. Many false religions base their futures on doing more good than bad. These here are thrown into the pot their personal goodness they believed would spare them did not.  If you have ever boiled say chicken you will see a film a foam like scum rise to the top this the illustration here, Ezekiel says that the scum which remained would be burned away by burning the pot clean of its filth, in other words all would be cleansed and destroyed. Now let us read together from Ezekiel 24:6-12 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is in it, and whose scum is not gone from it! Bring it out piece by piece, on which no lot has fallen. 7 For her blood is in her midst; she set it on top of a rock; she did not pour it on the ground, to cover it with dust. 8 That it may rise up in fury and take vengeance, I have set her blood on top of a rock, so that it may not be covered.” 9 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the bloody city! I too will make the pyre great.10 Heap on the wood, kindle the fire; cook the meat well, mix in the spices, and let the cuts be burned up. 11 “Then set the pot empty on the coals so that it may become hot and its bronze may burn, that its filthiness may be melted in it, that its scum may be consumed. 12 She has grown weary with lies, and her great scum has not gone from her. Let her scum be in the fire!” The bloody city is Jerusalem, being here surrounded by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. Why a bloody city, first because much innocent blood had been shed here, Ezekiel 21:13 “Because it is a testing and what if the sword despises even the scepter? The scepter shall be no more,” Scum had risen in the pot, now a better word would be rust, as rust symbolizes corrosion, especially as it is described as reddish in color. The scum are all the nation’s abominations, all her lewdness, all her filthiness that needed to be dealt with as sins against her.  We read they are to bring one piece at a time to place into the pot, no one because of say position in authority or statehood would be missed. ‘I too will make the pyre great.’ The fire under the pot is called pyre, translated as burning for the dead, meaning the fire will be so massive that first its contents would be burned up then the actual pot. All scum would be consumed. Are we learning God’s view on scum? Remnant