1/9/13  Ezekiel 6

4 times God declares "and you will know that I am the Lord".   When all that God has said is fulfilled, they will know that He alone is Lord.   When all their altars are broken down, when the remnant hate their own evil acts,  when death is everywhere - by sword, plague, and famine; and when the land is desolate, a wilderness of waste.   Judgement comes from God and His wrath will be spent.  These results of judgement are clearly foretold and completed by God's Hand.

What would that look like to us today?
v 6 " In all your dwellings, cities will become waste and the high places will be desolate, .... that your idols may be broken and brought to an end, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be blotted out."   Cities around the world, especially in the Middle East, are filled with bombed out, burned out buildings. Churches and Mosques are targets of terrorism.  Sacred grounds are defiled.  Would we see the many idols of Japan, India, China etc be swept away, perhaps like the destruction from the tsunami last year? 

v9 " Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be carried captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols; and they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed for all their abominations."   Are there people even now that mourn their own evil actions?  Could the high rate of suicide reflect the deep loathing of self for the evil acts that one has committed?   Are those without hope in Jesus Christ wondering if God is punishing them and know that they deserve it?

v12 " He who is far off will die by the plague, and he who is near will fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged will die by the famine. Thus shall I spend My wrath on them" Death comes by one of these 3 avenues - disease, violence, or starvation.   In America the top killers are heart disease, cancer, car accidents ( a sword of sorts?)  In Africa disease and starvation have been rampant, but now violence has come to join forces against the people. In the Middle East violence is possible on any street, at any time, on any day.

 V 13 says that when you find the dead slain among their idols... when they continue to worship the evil spirits in spite of the warnings.. they will die there.   Many in our world worship the idols of drugs, alcohol, lust, etc.  They go down that road of addictions and end up dead at the hand of these evils.  Are these any different than the idols of ancient Israel?

Chapter 7 of Ezekiel repeats 5 times the idea that the judgement is "according to your ways".  Their abominations will be brought upon them,  according to their conduct and judgements they will receive back.  They will reap what they have sown.  Their wealth will not be able to rescue them, their pride will be turned to shame.  It will be too late to find mercy and pity from the Lord.  Position means nothing, for the king, priest, elder, or prince will tremble alike before the Lord's judgements.
"An end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land" v2.  "The time has come, the day is near - tumult rather than joyful shouting on the mountains" v7
We also sense a nearing of the "end".  A time when Christ shall return or a time when we leave this life for the next.  We will face the Judge and He will "repay according to your ways"  I tremble at the thought of facing the God Who is a consuming fire without the Righteousness of Jesus Christ to cover me.   Oh wake up my friends and family who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ!  Disaster is coming and without Christ there is NO pity and none will be spared.  Listen to the Word of the Lord!