March 29, 2025

God gave Ezekiel a detailed description of the Temple with measurements, locations of arches and windows, and a myriad of other details. The instructions are so vast that it takes up the next several chapters of Ezekiel. We know that the Temple resides within us because of Jesus’s gift to us of the Holy Spirit. If God had spent so much time describing in great detail the Temple and all the chambers and rooms for the different people groups, how much more do you think we should include other Christians in the Temple of our being? Ezekiel describes many different rooms, much like when Jesus told us he was going to make a place for us in his Father’s house. The Matthew Henry Commentary mentions that all the different rooms could be like the different church denominations. That makes sense, but notice that they are all under the same roof. I believe God will give us a certain amount of grace concerning our misunderstanding of the scriptures, though I think we should be diligent in seeking the truth as best we can. God will clean us up and refine our understanding as we submit to Him. The one thing that is very clear is that we need Jesus; without him, there would be no Priest for our Temple, and we would be lost forever. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel. Ezekiel 40:4

March 28, 2025

Ezekiel continued his end-time prophecy against Gog, who represents the antichrist, and Magog. They position themselves as invaders, but there will not be a fight! The invaders will come to fight against Israel, and they will die by the hand of God, and he will set Magog on fire.

And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Ezekiel 39:3

There will be so many of them that it will take seven months to bury them; all the people will help to cleanse the land of the bodies. After the seven months, when most of the bodies are buried, abled men will be assigned to the duty of burial to cover the bones of the ones not readily seen and the ones where birds had feasted on the flesh. There will be so many weapons left that they will use them as firewood for their home, allowing time for the forests to flourish. Then, Jesus will reveal himself to Israel, pour out His Holy Spirit upon them, and they will know he is God. 

Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 39:29

March 27, 2025

From what I’ve found, no one knows who Gog and Magog are. However, what we do know is that they will come against Israel, and God will destroy them. Historians and commentators are unsure whether they represent an actual leader and country or if it’s a reference to the enemy; you can guess all you want, but that won’t make it the truth. God gives Israel the outcome of their enemy first as comfort so they know they will eventually prevail in the hands of God. 

And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Ezekiel 38:4

Gog and Magog are also mentioned in Revelation as a precursor to tribulation. In Revelation, Gog and Magog, God's enemies, are sent to the lake of fire. Our enemies are God's enemies and will not prevail against Him if they deny Him. I'm not talking about an occasional spat with another Christ-follower as your enemy, these enemies reject God and refuse His deity. Work out your differences with other Christians; they are not the enemy. We can be sure that God's plan for us is perfect, and no matter the outcome we see here on earth, the promise of a new heaven and new earth awaits us, and we will dwell with Jesus forever. 

March 26, 2025

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Ezekiel, and he had a vision of dry bones; there were many of them, enough to make an army. God asked him if dry bones could live, and Ezekiel replied that only He knew. God told him to speak to the dry bones, so he did what He commanded and spoke to them, and they came together with sinews and flesh but had no life in them. God told him to prophesy to the four winds and tell them to breathe on them, and they stood on their feet, came to life, and created a great army. God told him that these were the people of Israel and indicated that they would be resurrected and brought back to their land. God was giving the people hope for the future, to know that after death, they would live again at the resurrection of the dead. He also prophesied that Israel and Judah would become one nation again. 

We have the same hope as Israel; Jesus came so that we all could hope for eternal life, become our King, and expect God to put our bodies back together to live in his new kingdom on earth. As a side note: this story is probably why some believers don’t want to be cremated, but if God can put new sinews and skin on old dry bones and make Adam out of dust, you can bet He can recreate your body from the dust of your bones. This story is another reason to hope for a future and to live your life for Jesus, worship the Father, and allow the Holy Spirit to help you turn your life around. 

And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD. Ezekiel 37:13-14

March 25, 2025

Some of us are hard-headed, and it takes a while for our hearts to tenderize. God knows this about us, and thankfully, He gave us time for our stony hearts to become flesh, soft, and malleable. As the voice of the Holy Spirit becomes more evident, our hearts become softer, allowing us to overcome the works of darkness and do the work God has called us to do. There are a lot of promises in Ezekiel 36 that we should commit to memory and even clarity as to why some churches sprinkle rather than full immersion. Interesting, right? Also, there is a promise that we don’t have to worry about famine! God promises no famine twice in this text. Here I am, putting away food like a happy homesteader when I shouldn’t be worried about such things. Or did God have me canning so our family wouldn’t be hungry? Hmm. The promises of God give us the ability to do His work and bring others to salvation in Jesus; without His grace, we couldn’t do it. 

Here are the highlights of God’s promises in Ezekiel 36:

God will:

1. Sanctify His great name. Vs. 23
2. Gather us out of the heathen into our own land. Vs. 24
3. Sprinkle us with water to cleanse us. Vs. 25
4. Put His spirit in us, replace our stony hearts, so we walk in His ways. Vs. 26
5. Be our God, and we will be His people. Vs. 27
6. Save us from our uncleanliness. Vs. 28
7. Increase the corn and multiply the fruit so we don’t have to worry about famine. Vs. 29-30

Doesn’t that warm your heart and help you relax? It does me.

Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your ownsight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. Ezekiel 36:31-32

March 24, 2025

The land of Israel was desolate, and the Edomites were happy because they thought they could take it over and enrich themselves off the land. Ezekiel prophesied against them because they rejoiced rather than become terrified of Israel’s punishment. It was like when one child was getting punished, and the other laughed, thinking they could have the punished child’s snack. God does not take kindly to such behavior. 

And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate. Ezekiel 35:3

As we begin to notice people being punished for their actions and justice being served, we should take notice, be cognizant of our behavior, and learn from their conduct so we are not also admonished. We can see that justice is on the horizon for those who have taken advantage of the American people and people worldwide who have suffered at the hands of filthy governments. However, we must be careful; it’s okay to feel relieved, but we shouldn’t go too far because we don’t want to be reprimanded for rejoicing over their punishment as the Edomites did.

Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them. Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate. Ezekiel 35:13-14

March 23, 2025

God sees our struggles and knows the hands that caused them. He told Ezekiel to prophesy against the shepherds who scattered His flock, who got rich off them and fattened themselves rather than caring for them. Notice Matthew’s Commentary, which was written in the 1600s, and what he says here: “It is ill with the patient when his physician is his worst disease, ill with the flock when the shepherds drive them away and disperse them, by ruling them with force.”  We can see from his comment that history repeats itself, and we are reliving a scenario much like it was in his day and back when the scripture was written. We have been so slowly immersed in oppression that we don’t recognize that we are oppressed. However, when the cost of living becomes so high that we can barely afford to eat, the eyes of the oppressed begin to open, revealing the truth. I know my children couldn’t be the only ones feeling it. The good news is that God sees our struggles and has a plan to remediate them. Ezekiel predicted the promise of the good King, Jesus, our Messiah. You can understand why, when he came as a baby and grew up to become a dynamic teacher and preacher, Israel was disappointed that he wasn’t saving them out of their trouble right then and there. That’s why they denied him and his deity. Now, we await him and expect a warrior to come and save us; he will! Be patient. Pray for your situation and believe that our salvation is near. He is coming back; we can be sure of that. 

And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. Ezekiel 34:28-29