HashKama: The Age of Dissent
Having escaped a plot to take his life, the apostle Paul was to go on trial before the governor, Felix, in Caesarea; the religious having made charges against him. More than forty men had plotted together, forming a conspiracy and binding themselves by an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. They went to the chief priests and elders and told them of their intentions to kill Paul, and shared their plan about how they should all go about it (Acts 23:12-15). However, a young man, the son of Paul’s sister, heard about the plot. He went to the barracks where Paul was being held, and told him what was going on. Paul called a centurion and asked him to take the young man to the commander, and the young man told the commander about the plot to ambush and kill Paul. The commander believed the young man and immediately took evasive action, in effect, saving Paul’s life (23:16-24). We know little about the young man, but he had the courage to warn of the impending disaster; and because of his actions, the disaster was averted, and Paul lived.
The Old Testament prophets had a hard time convincing the people of approaching danger. The early prophets were able to perform miracles to enhance their message (with the exception of Isaiah 37:7), but the later prophets had to convey their messages effectively and use symbolic acts to get their message across. Even then they faced unbelief and opposition. Jeremiah wrestled with false prophets (see Jeremiah Ch.26 for example). Ezekiel faced opposition, even in the prophecies after the destruction of Jerusalem. The people treated his words as lurid songs – “And behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not practice them” (Ezekiel 33:32 NASB 1977). They simply would not listen and continued in their sin and rebellion. The reason for performing symbolic acts is found in all the prophets, but Ezekiel had a further motive. God does not permit him to speak. He was to act out and convey his prophetic messages symbolically. There is the engraving in brick (Ezekiel 4:1-2); there is an iron plate (4:3); he has to lie on his left side; and then lie on his right side. Representing the famine during the approaching siege, Ezekiel’s intake of food is restricted as he lies on each side (4:9-12). Ezekiel was to survive on something like 650 grams of water and less than 1,000 calories of food a day. He would have suffered hunger and thirst and great discomfort…unlike those that proudly proclaim themselves to be prophets today, calling themselves Prophet So-and-So, and send your dollars to me! He was to bake barley cake on excrement, it was to be human, but God allowed him to use cow dung instead (4:13-14). Then comes what awaits the inhabitants of Jerusalem after the approaching siege – Ezekiel was to take a knife and pass it over his head and beard, and divide his hair. He was to burn a third part of the hair; he was to strike a third part with the sword all around the city, and scatter a third to the wind. He had to use a few hairs to tie up in his skirts, some of them were thrown onto the fire to burn. From that fire it would go out to the whole House of Israel (5:14). You can discover more about the symbols by reading Ezekiel 4-5:4. The people were given a step-by-step demonstration of what was coming. Jesus has given us warnings of what will occur as the world approaches the end of this age (Matthew 24), but is anybody listening? At the end of this age the heavens and earth itself will be destroyed by fire – “But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people” (2 Peter 3:7).
Ezekiel tells us: “Thus said the Lord God: I set this Jerusalem in the midst of nations, with countries about her. But she rebelled against My rules and My laws, acting more wickedly than the nations and the countries round about her; she rejected My rules and disobeyed My laws (Ezekiel 5:5-6). God’s people have the capacity to display the beauty of holiness in living for God and blessing His name, but they also have the ability to become more Godless than the world. The apostate church in our day is heaping up judgment on itself. Look at the nations around the Church today; the Godlessness is great; but look at the Church too, with its corrupt leaders and leadership. This alone is a sign of God’s judgment… upon the Church; that we no longer have Godly leadership. In God’s eyes, has the Church become more wicked than the nations? “Assuredly (“Lakhen” – “therefore” or “assuredly”), thus said the Lord God: Because you have not obeyed My laws or followed My rules, nor have you observed the rules of the nations round about you…” (Ezekiel 5:7). God’s people had been less loyal to God than the surrounding nations had been to their own gods. This is exactly what we are witnessing and what is developing in the Church today. Therefore, Ezekiel continues in vv.8-9 “Assuredly, thus said the Lord God: I, in turn, am going to deal with you, and I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. On account of all your abominations, I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again.” Those Christian ministries today that refuse to teach the whole truths of Scripture for one reason or another, like causing offence, are already falling prey to the Antichrist. They are preparing the way, and they are being prepared for him to be revealed. These two verses in Ezekiel remind me of days to come: “For those days will be such a time of tribulation as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will again” (Mark 13:9). However, situations could arise that will slow down, or hasten the appearing of the Antichrist. The situation developing in Ukraine is serious, and dangerous for the whole world. A war there could spread and involve many nations. The destruction would be very great and would likely change the geography of the world yet again.
We are in perilous times. The comment by the world that states that all religions are the same, is a thought that has found its way into the school curriculum. Even in the classroom God is robbed. Schools have to teach about all world religions, in effect making all gods equal to the true God; religious syncretism. In giving time to other religions, less time is used to teach about Jesus Christ. Christ is devalued because like Rome, the world is rotten to its core. Children are being indoctrinated in racism, LGBT+ etc from a very young age. They will be the leaders, barristers, judges, doctors etc of the future. Satan uses Scripture: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). The Antichrist could appear in the lifetime of some living today. Our children are being educated to receive him and to obey him. They are not being taught about the Creator God. They are not being instructed in the Scriptures. They will know only lawlessness in preparation for the Lawless one; and tragically, there are Church leaders today that are implicated in this rebellion against God. They rebel against His teaching, and bring death to their congregations by rebelling against the teaching of God, and, “On account of all your abominations, I will do among you…” He will not “be among” us as a mother hen protecting her young; Indeed, His glory has departed. He “will do.” His doing will not be to bring blessing, but to bring cursing. The people have done detestable things and abominations, and God will not show compassion (5:11). The range of sins are listed in the following chapters of Ezekiel. Today, we are experiencing a world-wide pandemic of abominations. The nations will be judged, and the Church will be cleansed. We say that the God of the New Testament is the same God found in the Old Testament, and that God does not change; we had better believe it. “Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings” (Hebrews 13:7-9). The rot set into Rome, and eventually Rome fell. Rome was never a Godly nation, but the inner corruption caused Rome to collapse. It has survived by taking on a cloak of religion, but the rot still breaks out and the true spirit of Rome is revealed, with the fake spirituality and false doctrine that exists, the inner corruption, paedophilia, sodomy, murder, greed and power over others. The Roman Church is no longer alone in this. The rot and corruption have spread throughout the denominations. Man wants to destroy the old world and to bring in the new world. That is a job God alone will do. The whole world is to be shaken and destroyed by the hand of God, and He will create new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17).
In Ezekiel 5:16-17, we find God releasing deadly arrows of famine on the people to destroy those doomed to destruction; there are wild beasts, pestilence and bloodshed, and God would also bring the sword against them. In verses 5-17, Ezekiel emphasizes that the prophecy comes from God – vv.5; 7 and 8; 11; 13; and 15. The verses in 5:16-17 are similar to those found in Deuteronomy 32:23-24, – “I will heap calamities on them and spend my arrows against them. I will send wasting famine against them, consuming pestilence and deadly plague; I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.” Moses introduces the section by making the following declaration: “For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and arouse his anger by what your hands have made” (Deuteronomy 31:29). Comparing these verses, it would appear that Ezekiel’s warning is the fulfilment of Moses’ warnings to the people before he died.
The people in Ezekiel’s day didn’t believe God would destroy them all the time the Temple was standing. What do we put our faith in so that we believe God will not touch Britain, America, Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia or wherever we are? Read Revelation 6:8: “I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.” This verse is somewhat similar to those of Moses and Ezekiel that we looked at, but it speaks now of the last days and the whole world.
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked abandon his way, and the unrighteous person his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, and to our God, For He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-11). Let the wicked person stop being wicked, and let the unrighteous person surrender his thoughts (devisings) to God’s control and God’s word (2 Corinthians 10:5) – and return to the Lord. He is close by if you seek Him; and He will forgive all those who call on His name in sincerity and truth (Joel 2:32; Romans 10:8-13).
Blessings and shalom
Malcolm [12.04.2021]
