A True Prophesy

Eze 5:14 Moreover I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.
Eze 5:15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it. 

Jer 24:8 And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:
Jer 24:9 And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.
Jer 24:10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.

Eze 5:16 When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
Eze 5:17 So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.

Lev 26:21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.
Lev 26:22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.

Not all prophesies are to edify, but if from the LORD they are truth. Too often people claim to be prophets who say easy words to gain the favor of a listener. Jesus gave gifts to the church and prophecy was one of the five fold ministries.

Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

These ministries were to edify the church. Lying doesn't edify, truth edifies the church. Our Lord is not a liar. We can be built up in truth. We want to speak encouragement, but always we speak the truth. The Bible is for building us up in faith.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Getting back to the discouraging word of prophecy given by Ezekiel. He spoke the truth, to prepare his people for what was going to happen. When I was in the hospital I wanted to know what my chances were for survival . I did not want the doctor to lie to me to make me feel good with a false sense of well being. I wanted the truth. Our LORD is greater than anything that comes against us. If we turn to him in faith he will give us strength to get through what we face, and he may do a miracle so that we come out changed with new hope in our hearts.

Psa 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. 

Vile Fruit

Luk 13:6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
Luk 13:7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
Luk 13:8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
Luk 13:9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

Eze 5:5 Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. 
Eze 5:6 And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them.

They were to be witnesses of God, but instead were more evil than the surrounding nations.

Eze 5:7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you;
Eze 5:8 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations.
Eze 5:9 And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.
Eze 5:10 Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds.

As terrible as this sounds, the LORD had warned them in the beginning that this would happen if they were to turn away to false gods.

Deu 28:53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:
Deu 28:54 So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:
Deu 28:55 So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.

Eze 5:11 Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.
Eze 5:12 A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.
Eze 5:13 Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them.

Vile figs

Jer 29:17 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
Jer 29:18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:
Jer 29:19 Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.  

Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. 

Sign of Judgment

Eze 5:1 And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.
Eze 5:2 Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.
Eze 5:3 Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts.
Eze 5:4 Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.

Translate it: take thee a sharp sword, for a barber's razor thou shalt take it thee. Even if the action were literal, the use of an actual sword would best enforce the symbolic meaning. The "head" represents the chief city, the "hair" the inhabitants - its ornament and glory - the "hair cut from the head" the exiles cast forth from their homes. It adds to the force of the representation that "to shave the head" was a token of mourning Job 1:20, and was forbidden to the priests Leviticus 21:5. Thus, in many ways, this action of Ezekiel "the priest" is significant of calamity and ruin. The sword indicates the avenging power; the shaving of the head the removal of grace and glory; the scales and weights the determination of divine justice. (Barnes)

His hair was divided into three equal parts by weight.

One third was to be burned, famine and pestilence.

One third was to die by the sword of the Chaldeans.

One third would be scattered to the wind, scattered by the sword, carried away and some fleeing to other nations.

A remnant would by tied in his skirt. A part of the remnant would be scattered in the fire and from this a fire would destroy all of Israel.( 2kings 25:1-26)

skirt; kanaph, wing, extremity, corner, shirt

Luk 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

If a rebellious people will turn from their sins, then the LORD will turn away his wrath on their sin. Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Micah, Hosea, Isaiah were prophetic voices crying out with illustrations of their messages from the LORD to the people. Are we hearing the voice of God today, through his Bible, his evangelists and preachers? Are we hearing the cry of the prophets of God? Do we want to see the results of rebellion: famine, pestilence and the sword? Arise people of God call upon the name of Jesus and follow him now. Do not believe the lies of those who deny God in our land.

Bread and Water

Eze 4:7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.
Eze 4:8 And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege. 

He was to be bound with ropes. He probably was able to get up to eat and to tend to personal matters.

Eze 4:9 Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof.

Barley was the least of the bread grains. Beans and lentils supplied protein. Millet is found in bird seed and fitches or spelt, was a type of wheat.

Eze 4:10 And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it.
Eze 4:11 Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink.

Everything was by measure, such as in times of scarcity.It was a vegetarian diet. Daniel preferred vegetables instead of the kings meat.

Dan 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

Eze 4:12 And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.
Eze 4:13 And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.

Eze 4:14 Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.
Eze 4:15 Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.

He was allowed to cook with cows dung because as a priest  dung from a man was a defilement. The food illustration was to show that they would not be eating as well as when they were free under their covenant in Jerusalem.  Abundance often brings idleness.

Amo 6:1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

Eze 4:16 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:

Lev 26:26 And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.

Ten women would share one loaf of bread.

Eze 4:17 That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.

Lev 26:39 And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.

The LORD would bring Jerusalem into a famine because of their iniquities. I was thinking about Ezekiel being told to act out these signs to the exiles in Babylon. These were things coming to their beloved city because of sin and idolatry. As exiles they may have been saying why me LORD? I thought you were a God of love? Why be so mean? Well, he is showing them the results of their rebellion. He still loved his people and was showing them his righteous judgement of their sins, according to their covenant. He had done nothing wrong; the evil was brought upon themselves. Truth is to be received for correction and correction received brings about true repentance. God's people are not forgotten.

Sign of the Siege of Jerusalem

1Co 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

Eze 4:1 Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem:
Eze 4:2 And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.

And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers. (Websters)

Eze 4:3 Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.

Ezekiel was told to write on a tile, perhaps a moist clay tablet used for writing; cuneiform writing is one of the oldest forms of writing, or perhaps it was a brick tile, one by two feet in dimensions. He could have drawn on it with a piece of charcoal, it doesn't say. He was to draw an outline of Jerusalem. He was to show it under siege with an iron pan, or a plate of iron between the city and Ezekiel. This was as a sign to the people. The iron pan was to symbolize that the siege could not be broken.

The Siege

2Ki 25:1 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.

Trees were cut down and dirt brought in to build a mount or ramp to get high up where the walls were weaker, then they could erect towers to use catapults or battering rams against the walls to break through.

Ezekiel's life was to be used for signs to the exiles. Hosea was asked to marry a prostitute as a sign to Israel.

Hos 1:2 The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.

So the prophet was not only to speak the word of God, but he was to be an illustration of his message if so required. Are we illustrating what a child of God should be like as we walk among the people of the world?

Eze 4:4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity.
Eze 4:5 For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

He was to lie on his left side for 390 days, each day standing for a year, according to the iniquity of the house of Israel. For 390 years Israel had been worshipping other gods.

Compare this to Numbers 14:34.

Num 14:34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

In this verse Israel was given a year of wandering for every day they spied out the land. They were punished because of their fearful unbelief. They feared the people of the land more than they feared and trusted in the Almighty God of Israel. Ezekiel was to illustrate the sin of Israel by laying on his left side for 390 days, each day standing for a year of their rebellion.

Eze 4:6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.

After this he was to lay on his right side for forty days, each day standing for a year of Judah's rebellion. This man of God had to endure hardships, as Jesus submitted "not my will but thine be done", so did Ezekiel submit, for he had the Spirit of God in him to accomplish what God required of him. If you are spirit filled, you have what you need to do what God has purposed for you to do. Are we doing God's purpose? That doesn't mean we are to be laying around watching TV. Ezekiel was told to lay down for God's purpose. What is God saying to you and to me?

Thus Sayeth the LORD God

Eze 3:22 And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.
Eze 3:23 Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.

I have found that the Lord walks with me in the natural surroundings as I walk by the river. Ezekiel was told to meet the LORD in the plain; a magnificent presence for the glory of the LORD stood there before him and he fell on his face.

Eze 3:24 Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.

The Spirit of the LORD entered into him to do what the LORD required of him. The Spirit was not always with him as he is with a born again believer. After the atonement of Jesus on the cross, Jesus promised to give us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit to dwell with us.

Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Now, we are led by the Spirit, although we still look for powerful manifestations of his presence.

Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

This time Ezekiel was told to go into his house.

Eze 3:25 But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:
Eze 3:26 And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.

Ezekiel was told to stay in his house, probably because the people would seek to bind him if he were to be outside at that time. They would resist his message. The LORD said that he was not to speak to them, for they are a rebellious house. There is a time not to speak. We are to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Eze 3:27 But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

No matter what they do to stop you from speaking, when I put words into your mouth you will speak. I see from this that we are not to speak our own thoughts to fill the time, but to wait upon the LORD; as he speaks we speak. When I hear from the LORD I am compelled to share regardless of whether it is received or not. Ezekiel with a prophetic ministry was to speak when God told him to speak. Prophesy is for others. We may encourage ourselves with God's word, this is good, but prophesy is for speaking to others a message from God.

Mat 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth; he that rejects the message, let him reject; for they are a rebellious people.

Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

In other words, they are what they are. If we are faithful to what God calls us to do, that is all he requires of us. Those who hear God, will hear his message through us, others will not want to hear.

Their Blood on your Hands

Eze 3:15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

Telabib,"mound of the flood" was Ezekiels dwelling place. He sat by the river, stunned and awe struck for seven days.

Eze 3:16 And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

A prophet watchman hears from God, not with natural hearing, but of the Holy Spirit. He then is to share what he hears to those in which he was sent.

Eze 3:18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

Blood guilt is a serious thing. Pontius Pilate did not want the innocent blood of Jesus on his hands but the people spoke foolishly.

Mat 27:24  When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. 

Mat 27:25  Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. 

So much of preaching is to make us feel good or to become prosperous, that is positive but what is God saying? If we do not warn them from God when he speaks to us, then their blood is on our hands. Warn them of their sins and the coming judgement.

Jas 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
Jas 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Eze 3:19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Eze 3:20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Eze 3:21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

Paul understood the responsibility given to him to preach the gospel message to the Gentiles.

Rom 1:14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
Rom 1:15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

1Co 9:16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

A final thought; what of those who respond to our message of salvation in our day? Do we put their names somewhere and leave them to their own way? We shake the dust off our sandals at those who will not receive our message, but do we shake off those who receive our message too? There is a responsibility to disciple these who come to the Lord. Ezekiek was calling Israel to repentance. They had always had a temple, but it was to be destroyed. A new faith was required in the God of the temple; a personal trust in him. For today we trust God and believe in Jesus as our savior. How will they make it in perilous times if they are not taught to trust in his promises? To ignore their growth could be as blood on our hands. To be born again is the blood of Jesus covering them and his spirit with them to guide them into all truth. It is important to have guidance from the church to keep them from the cults. They must be given the mind of Christ. We have a responsibility to the babes in Christ.