"The glory of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it." (Ezekiel 11:23, NIV)
"The city," is Jerusalem. No one ever thought it would happen, though warned for generations. The time had come, a horrible time of judgment. For a brief moment, "The glory of the Lord...stopped above the mountain east of it," but it was almost a "parting sigh," a longing, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,...how often I have longed to gather your children..,and you were not willing."
You are aware, I am sure, of the colloquialism, "half-empty" and "half-full-people." Both see the same thing, but tend to interpret it differently. The problem with the "half full" people is that they tend to look at "how things used to be" and attempt to convince themselves that things are not so bad now, and will improve in the future. The "half empty" people tend to see where things are headed, that is, if something is not done. "Half full" people must remember that if the glass is continually drained and not refilled, then you have nothing. "Half empty" people know that you just cannot take and take without refilling. I can tell you that if you take the Bible seriously, you will discover that the "world's cup" is not only "half empty," but is headed toward "empty."
Today's text is the result of Israel's disobedience. Warned by God, time and again through the centuries, that disobedience has severe consequences, what Ezekiel saw in chapters 8-11 was the "gradual" departing of, "The glory of the Lord...." The vision reveals that this does not occur at one moment, but rather over time; hence, while, "The glory of the Lord," is departing "slowly," people are lulled to sleep, "O, well, the glass is at least 'half full.' This will get better. I believe we are on the verge of............"
This quarter as I have been going through Ezekiel, I have seen, "The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ," in a way I have not before. For example, I highly recommend reading the first chapter in the NIV; meditate on it; try to "envision" what Ezekiel must have seen. It is a marvelous "scene," a glorious description of the Godhead and His "Realm." "The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ," of which we can say with the ancients, "is now and ever shall be; world without end. Amen." The variable is whether people and the nations embrace, obey, and follow Jesus. I believe that Ezekiel is the "end time" prophecy of the Major Prophets. I have rededicated myself to something which Jesus spoke to my heart almost 44 years ago, that I should "get into Ezekiel." I had/have no doubt that this was a "prophetic word" to me. Maybe you should also "take another look" at Ezekiel, and share with me what Jesus is showing you.
Father, in Jesus' Name, help me to see and hear You. Amen.
"The city," is Jerusalem. No one ever thought it would happen, though warned for generations. The time had come, a horrible time of judgment. For a brief moment, "The glory of the Lord...stopped above the mountain east of it," but it was almost a "parting sigh," a longing, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,...how often I have longed to gather your children..,and you were not willing."
You are aware, I am sure, of the colloquialism, "half-empty" and "half-full-people." Both see the same thing, but tend to interpret it differently. The problem with the "half full" people is that they tend to look at "how things used to be" and attempt to convince themselves that things are not so bad now, and will improve in the future. The "half empty" people tend to see where things are headed, that is, if something is not done. "Half full" people must remember that if the glass is continually drained and not refilled, then you have nothing. "Half empty" people know that you just cannot take and take without refilling. I can tell you that if you take the Bible seriously, you will discover that the "world's cup" is not only "half empty," but is headed toward "empty."
Today's text is the result of Israel's disobedience. Warned by God, time and again through the centuries, that disobedience has severe consequences, what Ezekiel saw in chapters 8-11 was the "gradual" departing of, "The glory of the Lord...." The vision reveals that this does not occur at one moment, but rather over time; hence, while, "The glory of the Lord," is departing "slowly," people are lulled to sleep, "O, well, the glass is at least 'half full.' This will get better. I believe we are on the verge of............"
This quarter as I have been going through Ezekiel, I have seen, "The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ," in a way I have not before. For example, I highly recommend reading the first chapter in the NIV; meditate on it; try to "envision" what Ezekiel must have seen. It is a marvelous "scene," a glorious description of the Godhead and His "Realm." "The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ," of which we can say with the ancients, "is now and ever shall be; world without end. Amen." The variable is whether people and the nations embrace, obey, and follow Jesus. I believe that Ezekiel is the "end time" prophecy of the Major Prophets. I have rededicated myself to something which Jesus spoke to my heart almost 44 years ago, that I should "get into Ezekiel." I had/have no doubt that this was a "prophetic word" to me. Maybe you should also "take another look" at Ezekiel, and share with me what Jesus is showing you.
Father, in Jesus' Name, help me to see and hear You. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
