FOR WHY WILL
YOU DIE, O HOUSE
OF ISRAEL?
Part 4
by
Keith Hunt
Over and over again in the pages of the Prophets of old, God
has stated WHY He must punish the whole peoples of the House of
Israel and the House of Judah, with a punishment like no other in
all recorded history - Jeremiah called it "Jacob's trouble"
(chap.30:7). Daniel talked about the same time of trouble, like
no other before or after. And it was at this time that the people
of God would be delivered (Dan.12). Dozens of passages teach that
the peoples of the 13 tribes of Israel are in a captivity to
their enemies at the time of the end. Jesus comes again, and one
thing He immediately does is bring forth the remnant of Israelite
people out from the lands they have been scattered in, to restore
them to the land of Promise - the land of Palestine.
The punishment was needed to bring them to deep and true
REPENTANCE. One passage in the writings of Jeremiah gives the
clear reason why the Eternal will have to lower the rod of
correction upon the Jewish people, and the people of the British
Commonwealth, USA, and nations of Northwest Europe.
"For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have
only done evil before me from their youth: for the children of
Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their
hands, says the Enteral....Because of the evil of the children of
Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to
provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their
priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem. And they have turned unto me their
BACK, and not their face: though I TAUGHT THEM, RISING UP EARLY
AND TEACHING THEM( yes, God has always had His faithful true
ministers proclaiming His truths to the nations of Israel,
especially in the last days - Keith Hunt), YET THEY HAVE NOT
HARKENED TO RECEIVE INSTRUCTION...." (Jeremiah 32:30-33).
We have come to chapter 9 in the book of Ezekiel, and the
Lord is now ready to start to act upon what He has promised,
punishment and death, if the nations of Israel will not turn to
Him in repentance. But the Lord is merciful to those that are
after His own heart. Remember when the Almighty with two angels
came to destroy Sodom and Gomorah(Gen.18) and Abraham asked Him
about the innocent? The Eternal would have mercy for the
innocent. You will remember Lot and some of his family were
spared death.
This situation to befall Israel is not quite the same, for
they will be punished regardless of how many righteous are
within. But we now see in Ezekiel nine, that the Lord is still
looking out for the righteous who dwell in the nations of Israel.
These righteous "sigh and cry for all the ABOMINATIONS" being
committed (verse 4). Please keep in mind that "the city"
(Jerusalem) and all that is to take place in her, is a TYPE of
all to come upon the whole 13 tribes of Israel and Judah. This we
have seen in previous studies.
These righteous have a mark set upon them. They are marked
as God's people. The indications are that they will be protected
from the death when it starts, as those under the blood were
protected from death when God brought Israel out of Egypt under
Moses (Ex.12). This would seem to be the logical conclusion from
the context of chapter nine. It could be that the righteous are
noted, God has them in His book of life, and that they will be a
part of the first resurrection, those who will rise to meet
Christ in the air, the clouds, and so ever be with Him.
The righteous marked here are so marked at the beginning, or
just before the start of the announcement to slay the young and
the old. They are spared from death as Jacob's trouble begins.
These marked here are not to be confused with the 144 thousand
of Revelation 7. Those in Rev.7 are brought to conversion just
before the great day of the wrath of God, after the heavenly
signs and killing of true saints during the great tribulation(see
the 5th and 6th seals of Rev.6 with Mat.24). Revelation 7 is a
later time frame from this prophecy of Ezekiel 9.
We certainly do have very plain words about the death to
come for a great many of the inhabitants of the nations of
Israel, immediately after the marking of those who cry and sigh
for the abominations being committed.
"...Go you after him through the city, and SMITE: let not
your eye spare, neither have you pity: Slay utterly old and
young, both maids and little children, and women....and BEGIN at
my SANCTUARY....and they went forth and slew in the city. And
it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left,
that I fell upon my face and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! will
you destroy ALL THE RESIDUE OF ISRAEL in your pouring out of your
fury upon Jerusalem?
Then said He unto me, The iniquity of the HOUSE OF ISRAEL
and JUDAH is EXCEEDING GREAT, and the land is full of blood, and
the city full of perverseness....And as for me also, mine eye
shall not spare, neither will I have PITY, BUT I WILL RECOMPENSE
THEIR WAY UPON THEIR HEAD...."
Ezekiel is again lifted up by the Spirit and brought to the
Temple in Jerusalem, chapter 10:1.
God here speaks to the princes of Israel. To the men who
give you advice and leadership. You receive BAD and
self-deceptive advice O nations and people of Israel.
They tell you to plan for the next century, way down the road,
for they tell you no evil will befall the might Western nations.
You increase in crime overall (USA has declined in crime
recently, during the 90's, but Britain has greatly increased,
especially in violent crime. By the time God is going to punish,
crime will be out of sight in the nations of Israel). The
Eternal says you have feared the sword of war, and indeed the
sword will come upon you. God will deliver you over to your
enemies and so execute judgment upon you. You shall fall by the
weapons of war, and when it happens the Almighty says you
will finally KNOW that He is the Eternal. He will so bring you to
humble repentance, for He says you have not walked after His
statutes, and His judgments, but have done the manner of the
heathen around you.
After all this has taken place, yet the Lord will not cast
you away. He will see your repentance. He will hear your cries
for mercy, and He will forgive, and love you. He will answer you.
Oh, how wonderful and longsuffering is the Eternal. The day is
coming when you will be given a new heart and a new life. Will
you listen people of Israel and Judah to the good that your God
will yet perform towards you.
"....Although I have cast them far off among the heathen,
and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will
I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they
shall come....I will even gather you from the people, and
assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered,
and I will GIVE YOU THE LAND OF ISRAEL. And they shall come
hither, and they shall take away....all the abominations...And
I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within
you; and I will take away the stony heart out of their flesh, and
give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes,
and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they SHALL BE MY
PEOPLE AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD...." (Ezek.11:16-21).
The Eternal had Ezekiel act out a literal removal of himself
and his "stuff" of captivity in chapter 12, to teach the lesson
to Israel that they would indeed be removed. Again the emphasis
is placed on Israel that they are a REBELLIOUS household of
people, with eyes to see but will not see, with ears to hear but
will not hear. God says He will leave A FEW IN NUMBER who shall
escape the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, to declare all
the abominations that they will then fully recognize, among the
nations where they shall come (verse16).
There will be among you people and leaders who will laugh at
this warning, they will say the day of destruction for such great
and powerful nations as the British Commonwealth and the USA is
many many years away. But the Eternal says He is the Almighty,
and it WILL NOT BE PROLONGED, for He will say the word and it
shall come to pass (verse 25-28).
Listen O nations of Israel, you have famous religious
preachers and prophets in your lands. But they teach and prophesy
"out of their own hearts." They talk out of their own spirit,
and God says they have SEEN NOTHING! (chapter 13:1-3). They come
to you in the name of the Lord, but the Lord says He has NOT SENT
THEM! They have lulled you to sleep with a false grace and false
hope. They have built up a false wall that looks strong and right
but there is no true cement to hold the bricks, and the Eternal
will blow with His stormy wind upon it, until it and its builders
are smashed (verses 6-16).
Ah, the Lord also speaks to the women that now lead in your
nations in various influential positions of power and leadership
- spiritually(many are now ordained ministers of religion) and
physically(positions of power and influence in governments from
local to federal). Because in the main they have strengthened the
hands of the wicked and have not led the people to turn from
their evil ways, God will in the coming punishment return to them
their reward of sin and evil, and will deliver the people from
their clutches of corruption (verses 17-23).
We see in chapter 14 and verses one to eleven, a very
interesting principle of teaching. If the attitude of the bulk
of the people is that they do not really want truth or
righteousness, that they have closed their hearts and minds to
hungering after righteousness, if they have turned their minds
over to being deceived, and put whatever idols before their
minds(i.e. comfort, wealth, biblical laziness, overlooking sins,
corruptions, lies, making the "church" into a social club) and
still come in an outward form to the religious leaders to
supposedly ask about the things of God, then we learn one BIG
principle of truth here. Under those circumstances, with that
attitude prevailing, GOD WILL DECEIVE THE VERY RELIGIOUS LEADERS
THE PEOPLE COME TO SEEK AFTER FOR GOD'S WAY.
This shows that the grass roots PEOPLE of the churches are
just as MUCH RESPONSIBLE FOR DECEPTION AND WILL BE PUNISHED AS
MUCH AS THOSE THAT DECEIVE!
The whole NT shows that religious deceivers WOULD COME, some
would be FROM WITHIN THE VERY CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST(i.e. Acts
20). The whole NT declares every Christian is personally
responsible for searching the Scriptures, proving all things,
loving the truth, and trying the spirits to see they are from
God. This must always be the case throughout any Christian's
life. Never going to sleep on this job. If they do, then they
are in the above attitude of mind, and what goes around will come
around, deception leads to deception. Those that are deceivable
will be deceived by those who are deceptive. AND GOD SAYS BOTH
ARE JUST AS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR DECEPTION - THEY SHALL BOTH
BEAR THE PUNISHMENT OF THEIR INIQUITY. YES, THE ETERNAL PULLS NO
PUNCHES, HE CALLS THIS MIND-SET - INIQUITY (verse 10).
We notice also here that the Lord will GIVE YOU YOUR DESIRE.
The one who WANTS to deceive, will be granted his wish, God will
allow him to do so. The one who has turned from seeking truth and
righteousness will also be led by God (for God will not step in
and prevent it) into the deception of the deceiver (verse 9).
Yet, the ultimate free will to deceive or be deceived, is still
the responsibility of each individual. And they will personally
bear their punishment.
The Lord goes on to show HOW PERSONAL this really is, in
verses 12 to 23. When God does bring the promised destruction
upon your nations, only those who will see, acknowledge, and who
will be practicing righteousness will be spared from death. No
one will be able to deliver anyone else, no one will be able to
save anyone who is not in the righteous mind-set. Some will
already be in a state of righteousness as we have seen in chapter
9. Some will come to deep repentance as all these four evils
come upon the lands of Israel (the sword, the famine, the beats,
the pestilence, verse 21). A REMNANT will be spared.
The first part of chapter 16 tells us in an analogy, how the
Almighty found and chose you peoples of Israel.
You mighty nations of Britain, USA, and Northwest Europe,
were not always powerful and great. Your beginnings as a people
goes back a very long way, and the Eternal says you were like a
helpless un-cared-for baby cast away in the field to die. God
rescued you, washed, clothed, and fed you, until you increased
and became great in the world.
The Lord goes on to tell you how He was the one who built
you up, made you into a fine lady, even a beauty queen dressed in
the best clothes and jewelry and ointments available. He says you
then became "exceeding beautiful, and you did prosper into a
kingdom" (verse 13).
Your fame throughout the world for your beauty and wealth
and perfectness was known by all (verse 14).
BUT, the Eternal goes on to say, starting in verse 15, that
all this fame, fortune, wealth, beauty, greatness, was your
downfall, were the things that led you to play the HARLOT! You
have let your material wealth lead you to commit idolatry - you
are a people engrossed in pleasures and materialism, with the
rich ever getting richer and the poor ever getting poorer (verses
16-19).
In turning your back on your God, in rejecting His ways, in
casting Him out of your schools and places of business, in
turning to the ways that seem right for man but which end in
death, you are destroying your children. You are raising a
generation that does not know, has never opened the pages of the
Bible, have never read one single word within its pages. You
have broken homes, children with one parent, or no parents, or
children with two mothers and no father, or two father and no
mother, as you accept the life style of the homosexuals and grant
them family status. You have children being raised on crime and
violence as they watch all your violent TV shows. You have
children being raised on your "sick-cons" during prime time
hours, which portray sexual immorality, fornication, adultery,
homosexuality, as the normal thing, and that which is clean and
straight and moral as something to be laughed at. You have not
solved the "ghetto" problem, and with it today the problem of
hard drug use by an ever younger population of your children.
You have an increase of children killing children. The violence
among teenage girls is shooting off the charts. There is an
epidemic is teen cigarette smoking.
Surely you are, with your children, sacrificing them to be
devoured (verse 20). And the Lord asks you if you think this is a
small matter. You are reaping what you are sowing. Through the
prophet Amos God speaks to you: "Hear the word of the Lord,
you children of Israel: for the Lord has a controversy with the
inhabitants of the land, because there is NO TRUTH, NOR MERCY,
NOR KNOWLEDGE OF GOD in the land. By swearing, and lying, and
killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out,
and BLOOD TOUCHES BLOOD....My people are DESTROYED for LACK of
KNOWLEDGE: because you have REJECTED knowledge, I will also
reject you....seeing you have FORGOTTEN THE LAW OF YOUR GOD, I
WILL ALSO FORGET YOUR CHILDREN....(Amos 4:1-6).
The Eternal in this age, does not force anyone to learn and
to love His knowledge contained in His word. He does not at this
time force anyone to love and obey His laws, commandments,
statutes, and judgements. You people of Israel, in the main,
have chosen to REJECT the word and laws of the Almighty God, and
as He allows you this freedom, and as you then produce a
generation of children who do not know Him, who do not seek Him,
who do not want him in their lives, He then, not forcing them to
do differently, in human terms says to you, "I will forget your
children." God will keep hands off and allow you and your
children to reap the results of doing your own thing. So today
we have an epidemic of children bashing and killing children,
children killing themselves, children and youths on an ever
increasing drug binge, more and more children running away from
home and living on the streets, and as Isaiah wrote, "And my
people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by
his neighbor: the CHILD shall behave himself proudly against the
ancient...As for my people, CHILDREN are their oppressors...they
which LEAD you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your
paths" (Isa.3:5,12).
Among all this whoredom, you have your "religion" - your
"churches" on every street corner. You have a form of religion,
an outward show of religion. You, the USA still print on your
dollar bills, "In God We Trust." You claim you are Christian
nations, yet as a prostitute you have sex with those who come to
you (verses 24-26) like the Egyptians.
You have gone to the Assyrian - the German nation - and the
rising mighty power of Europe, and played the harlot with them,
but still you could not be satisfied (verse 28).
Then the Eternal says, you have not acted as a prostitute as
a prostitute acts and works. You have not taken gifts from your
lovers, but you have been like an adulterous wife, you have given
gifts to your lovers and you hire them to love you. In this you
are truly unlike any whore of prostitution. You defeated Germany
and Europe in the Second great World War of 1939 to 1945, and
then immediately started to re-build her and re-store her to
former glory and power. You have made your enemies into your
lovers, and you have given them presents for loving you. Those
very lovers will come against you to execute God's judgement upon
you. Your lovers will form A COMPANY of nations to fight and
destroy you. Listen to what your God tells you will come to
pass(if you will not repent):
"Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord: thus says
the Eternal God; Because your filthiness was poured out, and your
nakedness discovered through your whoredoms with your lovers, and
with all the idols of your abominations, and by THE BLOOD OF YOUR
CHILDREN, which you did give unto them; Behold, therefore I will
gather all your LOVERS, with whom you have taken pleasure, and
all THEM THAT YOU HAVE LOVED, WITH all them that you HAVE HATED;
I will even GATHER THEM ABOUT AGAINST YOU, and will discover your
nakedness unto them, that they may see all your nakedness. And I
will judge you as a woman that breaks wedlock and shed blood are
judged; and I will GIVE YOU BLOOD IN FURY AND JEALOUSY.
And I will also give you into their hand....they shall
strip you of your clothes, and shall take your fair jewels, and
leave you naked and bear.
They shall also bring up a COMPANY against you, and they
shall stone you with stones, and thrust you through with their
swords.....and execute JUDGMENT upon you....and I will cause you
to cease from playing the harlot...." (verses 35-41).
In Ezekiel chapter 18 the Eternal shows that those who sin
and practice evil shall personally bear their punishment.
Everyone will have to personally give account for their own
actions. The son will not be punished because his father did
wrong. The Mother will not be punished because her daughter did
evil. The soul that sins shall die, for his or her sins (verse
20).
Once more the Lord cries out to you the people of the House
of Israel. He cries out for your people to REPENT! He shows you
that His way is JUST and EQUAL. He does not want to have to
bring all these prophecies upon your lands and your people.
They do not have to come to pass. Will you not listen to what
your God proclaims to you?
"But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he has
committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful
and right, he shall surely live, he SHALL NOT DIE. All his
transgressions that he has committed, shall not be mentioned
unto him: in his righteousness that he has done he SHALL LIVE.
HAVE I ANY PLEASURE AT ALL THAT THE WICKED SHOULD DIE? SAYS
THE LORD GOD: AND NOT THAT HE SHOULD RETURN FROM HIS WAYS, AND
LIVE?
....When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness,
and commits iniquity, and dies in them; for his iniquity that he
has done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turns away
from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is
lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he
CONSIDERS, and TURNS AWAY from all his transgressions that he has
committed, he shall surely LIVE, he shall not die.
Yet says the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not
equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your
ways un-equal?
Therefore I will JUDGE you, O house of Israel, EVERY ONE
ACCORDING TO HIS WAYS, says the Lord God, REPENT and TURN
yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be
your ruin.
Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby you have
transgressed; and MAKE YOU A NEW HEART AND A NEW SPIRIT: FOR WHY
WILL YOU DIE O HOUSE OF ISRAEL?
For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, says
the Eternal God: WHEREFORE TURN YOURSELVES, AND LIVE YOU"
(Ezekiel 18:21-32).
May there be some of you out there in the lands of Israel
who will not only listen to the words coming from your merciful
Everliving God, but may there be some of you who will act upon
those words. It is never too late to REPENT, TURN around, depart
from wickedness and do that which is righteousness, and to accept
Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.
....................
To be continued
Written February 1998
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