Day 241 – Ezekiel 9-12

Talking Points

• In a wild vision, Ezekiel sees the terrible terms of God’s judgment on His people for their rebellion. It is so terrible that Ezekiel questions if even the remnant will be stamped out. The event will mean the death of any who are not grieved over sin, with the leaders who encouraged and facilitated wickedness being especially culpable.
• This whole description helps us understand God’s holiness. As His long-promised punishment is poured out on Jerusalem, God removes His presence from the temple. Though He has been long-suffering and patient, calling for and allowing opportunity for repentance, God can have no part of sin. His judgment includes separation from sin and from sinners. In His final judgment, those outside of Christ will be separated from Him for all eternity. Where, in this case, the broken fellowship was to draw them into repentance, in the end, it will be the final state. What a terrible fate to exist for any length of time apart from God! Thinking of those who will be devastated, found in an eternal separation with no hope of reconciliation should urge us to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
• God promises a restoration in which a repentant remnant of exiles will return and repossess the land. They will remove and tear down the abominations. Most importantly, they will have hearts totally committed to God.

Thoughts

Ezekiel has been prophesying for some time now. Jeremiah had been prophesying the same thing. Yet, things continued on. The people of Israel had begun using a phrase as a result: “The days are long and every vision fails” (Ezekiel 12:22). Even those who believed the prophecies had grown complacent, convincing themselves that it was “for many years from now…of times far off” (12:27).

As people existing on this side of the first coming of Jesus Christ, I wonder how often we fall into these same traps. We know there is the promise of His second coming. We have been hearing of the vision given to John in Revelation for some time. We know others have prophesied the same thing. Yet, things continue on.

Have we grown complacent, thinking we don’t need to worry about an event so far off? Maybe we’ve convinced ourselves the visions have failed? Maybe you’ve tried to witness to people, telling them of the soon-coming King, and their response sounded something like this: “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4).

Today, instead, may we be found “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” and telling other people with an urgency like that of Jeremiah and Ezekiel (Titus 2:13).