Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- Ezekiel 38-42
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: It's good to see you. Welcome to our edition of our journey through scripture. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elgin, Texas. And ⁓ we are going to be ⁓ looking in Ezekiel, ⁓ Ezekiel chapters thirty-eight through forty two today. So thirty-eight through forty-two. so we're we're now at the time of we're f full in the exile. So the exile, remember, began and then there was about nine years, ⁓ and then the ⁓ Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed. ⁓ so now we're we're in that in between time. In fact, ⁓ here in just a minute we're gonna be kind of twenty five years ⁓ into the exiles what ⁓ Ezekiel is going to be talking about. but but here we we do enter into a the part of ⁓ Ezekiel that is what would we would now consider ⁓ apocalyptic writing. ⁓ now you hear that that term apocalyptic and we obviously think in times, we think when everything is desolate and has been ⁓ completely destroyed. ⁓ apocalyptic the the word ⁓ actually just means revelation. So revelation ⁓ in the the New Testament ⁓ is ⁓ apocalyptic writing. So it that it literally means that the Greek word was ⁓ apocalyptic. So ⁓ it means or apocalypse means revelation. ⁓ so it's revealing something. apocalyptic writing is very difficult. ⁓ anyone that says that they have it completely figured out ⁓ is is not being accurate. ⁓ it is it is a challenge. Now that doesn't mean that there we can't understand some of it, ⁓ but it is a challenge. So I'm not gonna get deep into it because there's lots of different opinions on on ⁓ you know any form of apocalyptic writing. ⁓ but one of the things that ⁓ we see that I think is very helpful to think about whenever you're reading through parts of Daniel, ⁓ parts of Ezekiel and obviously Revelation, ⁓ is that these were books that were written to help people who were going through persecution and going through difficulty. Right? So ⁓ the they weren't just written for us, you know, like the book of Revelation. It wasn't just written for some future date, ⁓ so that when people were going ⁓ through end times that they would ⁓ kind of have a clue as to what was going on. No, it was written to a group of people who were being persecuted right then and there. They would have known what many of the images and symbols would have ⁓ been talking about where we don't W we don't fully have the the cheat code, if you will. We don't have the the answer key. ⁓ now we can there are some keys from scripture that confirm things and you can look into history and you can make some ⁓ assumptions and guesses and and but we I just encourage you to be careful. ⁓ because the thing about apocalyptic writing ⁓ in the Bible is sometimes we focus so much on trying to match ⁓ the historical setting and what h ⁓ or the future historical setting that we miss how encouraging these writings are that they are a warning ⁓ to of saying, hey, it can get really bad and you may be going through a whole lot. But then there's also the ⁓ reassurance that in the end God wins, right? That God will overcome, that He will make things right. ⁓ that those who have done evil ⁓ will receive justice. That's to me the most important thing about ⁓ any of the apocalyptic writings that we see. ⁓ and it and it can be fun and it can be beneficial to to kind of look at, well, when is this talking about? Or, you know, when will this be talking about? but don't get bogged down in that and miss the message. That that God ultimately will be glorified, that God will overcome. And and also the message that, yeah, we may go through some very difficult and uncomfortable times. So are we going to keep our faith when we go through those times? Or are we going to fall away? And so Ezekiel definitely has that ⁓ thirty-eight and thirty-nine, ⁓ kind of very some interesting characters, Gog and from Magog. ⁓ these are are characters that are seen again in Revelation. ⁓ there's some differences, so it it it doesn't seem like it's talking about the same ⁓ place or people group. ⁓ again, there's lots of different ⁓ understandings of this ⁓ of what what it's referring to. ⁓ but if you start reading in chapter thirty eight and thirty-nine you will you'll hear about this. And ⁓ you know, it's basically that Israel is going to be ⁓ attacked. ⁓ it says it talking about ⁓ when Gog and Magog will attack, it says, You will say, I will go up against the land of unwalled villages, I'll go to peaceful people who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates, to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, ⁓ against ⁓ people gathered from other nations. ⁓ it says ⁓ Verse fourteen, Therefore, Son of Man, prophesy and say to God, thus says the Lord God, On that day when my people e when my people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? Then you will come at from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on a horse, a great company and a mighty army. You will come up against my people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring this against my land so that them that the nation may know me. When I am hallowed in you, O Gog before your eyes. Thus says the Lord God, are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by my servants, the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them? Alright, so the Gog is going to inflict judgment upon Israel. God will allow that, but then now there will be judgment on Gog as well. ⁓ it starts in in verse eighteen. ⁓ you know, starts ⁓ to to talk about that. ⁓ it says ⁓ verse nineteen, For for in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath I have spoken, surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heaven, the beast of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, all the men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at my presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall shall fall to the ground. I will call for a sword against God throughout all my mountains, says the Lord. Every man's sword will be against his brother, I will bring him to judgment and pestilence and bloodshed. I will rain down on him, on his troops, on many people who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstone, fire and brimstone. Thus I will magnify myself and sanctify myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord. So God is will will use these ⁓ events to reveal himself to all the nations. ⁓ verse ⁓ chapter thirty nine continues to talk about Gog's armies ⁓ being destroyed. says ⁓ verse ⁓ six of chapter thirty nine and I will send fire on Magog and those who live in the security on their coastlands when they shall know that I am the Lord. I will make my name holy known in the midst of my people. ⁓ of Israel and I will let I will not let them profane my holy name anymore. Then the nation shall know that I am the Lord, the holy one in Israel. Surely it is coming, and it shall be done. Thus says the Lord God, this is the day which I have spoken. So again, that God is going to make himself known, all will be held to account. you continue to to go down it kind of ⁓ continues to talk about that victory that will be will be had ⁓ Israel will be restored. Verse twenty one, I will set my glory among the nations, all the nations shall s shall see my judgments which I have executed and my hand which I have laid on them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward. The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they were unfaithful to me. Therefore I hid my face from them, I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword according to their uncleanliness. And according to their transgressions I have dealt with them and hidden my face from them. And then it says, ⁓ now I will bring back the captives of Jacob and will have mercy on the house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name. So again, just kind of the similar theme that we we see that there is there's consequences for our actions, ⁓ for Israel's actions for not following God. ⁓ they will ⁓ receive ⁓ God's punishment, but then God will also restore them and will punish unjust nations ⁓ who who have ⁓ attacked Israel. So ⁓ basically everyone will be held accountable no matter what nation you are from. ⁓ then we get into chapters forty through forty two. We're gonna break this up a little bit. ⁓ forty through forty two, this is Ezekiel's vision of a the new temple. and New Jerusalem. in I think chapters eight through eleven ⁓ is the vision that Ezekiel had of the destruction of the temple and how sad that was to see that the temple was going to be totally destroyed. And sure enough it was. ⁓ now, twenty five years ⁓ after that, well it would have probably been about ⁓ sixteen years after the destruction of the temple, now Ezekiel has another vision. of a a ⁓ a new temple being ⁓ constructed ⁓ and and eventually that that will happen ⁓ whether that's the temple he's envisioning or if it's even a future temple we don't fully know but this is ⁓ this is a very hopeful ⁓ you know this is a hopeful vision of Ezekiel the the last vision of the temple was not hopeful but this one is very hopeful and so I encourage you to read chapters forty through forty two ⁓ it Talks about a new city, a new temple, and then it it starts going into the dimensions and what the temple will look like. ⁓ the eastern gateway, the outer court, the northern gateway, the southern gateway, the inner court, ⁓ places where the sacrifices were prepared. ⁓ this is in chapter forty, verse forty three, it says, Inside were hooks and hand breadth wide, fastened all around, and the flesh of the sacrifices was on the tables. That means the sacrifices were taking place, right? This is a functioning ⁓ temple that the people are now worshiping God again. ⁓ then it it just continues. It goes into the dimensions of the sanctuary in chapter forty one. ⁓ talks about chapter forty two, the chambers for the priests, ⁓ that the the priest will be there and that they will be able to ⁓ you know conduct the the rituals as they had been commanded to do. and and so g re read through chapter forty two. We'll stop there. ⁓ and then ⁓ on Thursday, go ahead and read forty three through forty-eight. ⁓ so Ezekiel forty-three through forty t forty eight. This is again, this is gonna kind of be repetitive, some things that you've heard before as far as talking about the building of the temple, but I I think it's important to to read through all of that. ⁓ but this is a a hopeful vision. And so the apocalyptic nature of Ezekiel right here, if we get bogged down and to Gog and Magog and Did that has that already happened? Is that still something that is going to happen? Is it only going to happen to Israel? Is it go is it going to happen to all of us? You know, what what exactly is going on here? Those are fun things to look at, but don't get overwhelmed by them because then you miss the point is that God will hold everyone accountable. All nations will be accountable, including his chosen nation, ⁓ will be held accountable. But that God will also redeem and restore the persecuted, right? That those who ⁓ are being persecuted because of their faithfulness. So so this is, you know, because there's so many people in Israel that they're in exile now and they may have remained faithful to God the whole time, right? That they never they they probably looked at their kings and their priests and said, Hey, y'all are y'all are doing this wrong. This is not what we should be doing. ⁓ but they didn't have power to change anything and they had to deal with the persecution just the same. But God is telling them ⁓ to to remain faithful, to be the remnant that God will make things right again. ⁓ and that's important for us to to know today. ⁓ we live in very interesting times. I know many people think we're entering into the end times. ⁓ I don't know whether that is ⁓ true or not. And the the reality is is we need to choose to be faithful whether we are or not, ⁓ whether it's going to get worse or not. We need to choose now to be faithful because we know that God ⁓ will sustain us, He will carry us through, ⁓ and ultimately He will hold everyone to account for the injustice ⁓ that is pervey. Right? Hope that you have a good days and I will see you on