1/11/13  Ezekiel  8-9

Ezekiel is taken to Jerusalem in a vision from God.  In it he sees the abominations that Judah is committing.  At the north gate is the idol of "jealousy" IN the court were carvings of unclean beasts and idols being worshiped by the 70 elders.  At the gate of the Lord's house women were crying for Tammuz, a Syrian god.  At the inner court 25 men turned their backs to the temple and worshiped the sun in the east.   The Lord sums up this in 9:9 " The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land is filled with blood, and the city is full of perversion, for they say 'The Lord has forsaken the land and the Lord does not see!'"

The Glory of the Lord moves from the altar to the threshold of the temple.  But before He leaves there is one more thing to be done.  God sends a "man" to go through Jerusalem and mark the foreheads of the men who " sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst"  These are spared, but all others are to be destroyed by the executioners.
Once again God proclaims that He will not pity or spare those who have rebelled against Him.  "I shall bring their conduct upon their heads"

Too often in our culture people who have rejected God, lived selfish, unholy, sinful lives are deceived into thinking they can be spared God's judgement.  God is Love.  He is compassionate and good.  How can He do evil by sending people to hell?  But they fail to realize that God is perfectly Holy and Just.  When we rebel and reject Him, when we do abominations before Him, thinking He does not see or that He is not here.... it is a sin that is very, very great in His eyes.

God will not leave the guilty unpunished. Period.  But, He offers salvation by His Grace, through Jesus Christ.  Our only Hope.  "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full into His wonderful face!" 
God takes sin seriously.  We need to see it through His eyes.  Then we will fall on our faces and repent and ask Jesus to be our Saviour too.  Thank you Lord for saving MY soul.