Waiting With Anticipation and a Lot of Eagerness!

“And they cried out (those who had been slain because of the word of God) with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the Earth?” (Rev. 6:10).

Hey Gang:  I have been into the book of Ezekiel many times in the past several years but have never really ask the Lord to help me dissect and grow deeper in my understanding of Ezekiel’s words.  My reason for this trip through Ezekiel was my interest in how many times God said “I will” and ‘Then you shall know that I am the Lord”. 

As I read it this time I got the deep feeling that Ezekiel was preparing the hearts of the Jews for what is going to come down at a future date.   He stated his ministry began in the fourth month on the fifth day of the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin, or around 597 BC. 

For many believers the book of Ezekiel is mostly a perplexing maize of incoherent kaleidoscopes of whirling wheels and dry bones that defy interpretation.  I do not disagree with that, but I find so many pearls that each time I go back to Ezekiel’s words, I find those pearls begin to surface with meaning.

Now one does not have to be a rocket scientist to understand the Lord’s words in verse 11: 17: “I will gather you from the people and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel”.  Now the world has great pains with this because they have no foundation on which to hang this piece of covenant truth!

You need to go back to Genesis to build a foundation to receive this verse, and a multitude of other verses that say the say thing.  (To Abraham’s descendants) I will give you this land, “So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.  Now that seems pretty clear to me.  Who is doing the giving? God almighty!  One would think that God almighty would have some credibility and clout in the world body (the UN) - but such is not the case.

I suspect God knew there would be some problems throughout the years as to who really owned the land which is “apple of God’s Eye”, so He stepped up the decree in Genesis 17:7-8 by established an irrevocable covenant; it is irrevocably established between God Almighty and His chosen people.  In verse eight, Ezekiel makes it very clear that it is, indeed, an everlasting possession signed by God.

 Do you think that more saner minds should have come the conclusion that they are dealing with a losing cause in their arguments that Israel never was Jewish? Or that there never was a Jewish Temple? Or that in the last Century the holocaust was just something someone dug up out of their imagination?  

Getting back to the rocket-scientist mentality, one might think that after the enemies of Israel got their clocks cleaned, they would try to find a way to live in peace with those who seem to be so much stronger than they, but as we know such is not the case.  But there is a growing question throughout the world as to why God would protect Israel when they have rejected Him all those generations. 

The answer is very clear.  The Lord God made it clear: “it is not for your sake, O House of Israel That I am about to act, bur for My holy name, which you have profaned in their midst.  Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight” (Ezekiel 36:22-23).

I have heard a multitude of reasons why people do not study prophecy.  As Grandma Jessie would say, “They are all right for they are personal opinions. “ But I wonder, if the real reason is that we like to have very smooth and easy paths to follow when we are studying a subject area- and, if we do not have a clue how to study and research, we tend to ignore the subject. 

In my studies I often end up the day’s study with more questions than answers -but have learned, if I return to the same areas tomorrow a light often goes on.  Prophecy to me has but one purpose, to be used to open the hearts of those who have rejected the Word thinking there is no proof in its content. 
When I show them Genesis 15:17-21 and the Newspaper with headline, Israel is Reborn, it tends get their attention.  Try it, feels good when a door is opened.

Blessings,

Gramps