Audio Download

Ezekiel 33:21–33 The City of Jerusalem Had Been Captured

[Study Aired October 7, 2024]

INTRODUCTION

Today’s study is about the condition of those who were left as remnants after the invasion of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans and the desire of these remnants to inherit the land which they believed they, as descendants of Abraham, were entitled to it. The Lord’s response through Ezekiel was that they were not worthy of the inheritance of Abraham because of their sins.

The rest of the chapter focuses on the unwillingness of the people of Israel to obey the word of the Lord proclaimed by Ezekiel. The Lord also promised that everything that He has said through Ezekiel shall come to pass in the fulness of time. That is what will make the people of Israel recognize that a prophet has indeed been among them.

Eze 12:21  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 12:22  Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?
Eze 12:23  Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.
Eze 12:24  For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.
Eze 12:25  For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD. 

The Report from a Fugitive

Eze 33:21  And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten. 

The number ‘twelve’ is the number of Christ. It also means foundation. That of the number ‘ten’ signifies the completeness or fulness of the flesh. The number ‘five’ is a symbol of grace through faith. ‘On the fifth day of the tenth month in the twelfth year of the captivity of the Lord’s people’ signifies that it is when the sins of our flesh have reached their fulness or become complete during our time in the physical churches of this world, or Babylon, that Christ comes to us with His judgement (grace) to begin the walk of faith as we leave behind the Law of Moses. That is the time that we escape from Jerusalem as fugitives when we become aware that the city is smitten or taken. What this implies is that our exit from Babylon is when we come to the realization that the city of Jerusalem is smitten or the churches of this world are under the dominion of the evil one.

This brings to mind Psalm 124 where the Lord has caused us to escape as fugitives from the snare of the fowler as follows:

Psa 124:1  A Song of degrees of David. If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;
Psa 124:2  If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
Psa 124:3  Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:
Psa 124:4  Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:
Psa 124:5  Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.
Psa 124:6. Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. 
Psa 124:7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. 
Psa 124:8  Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

The snare of the fowler in Psalm 124 refers to the attractiveness of the churches of this world and their false doctrines. These false doctrines refer to the waters which overwhelmed us including the stream and the proud waters which went over our soul in Psalm 124:4-5.

Our exit from Babylon is initiated by the Lord coming to us with the Spirit of His mouth and His brightness. That is when we come to see who the harlot woman really is. That is the time that we begin to understand the spiritual meaning of the Lord’s words.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 
Rev 17:6  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

The Lord Opened Ezekiel’s Mouth to Speak

Eze 33:22  Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.   

The news that the city of Jerusalem is smitten is not good news to hear when we have spent all our time in the city and are therefore in love with the city or Babylon. As shown in verse 22, the Lord prepares our hearts before we are given to receive such news. The hand of the Lord being upon Ezekiel, a type of the Lord’s elect, in the evening before the fugitive came with the news, was to prepare him for the message from the fugitive who represents the Lord’s elect.

Psa 10:17  LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

1Ch 29:18  O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:

The man who fled from Jerusalem to meet Ezekiel in the morning signifies the Lord leading us from Babylon to meet the Lord’s elect. The morning represents the time that the morning star, who is Christ, comes to us with His words. That is when we hear the mysteries of the kingdom of the Lord spoken to us by His elect symbolized here by Ezekiel. The time that Ezekiel was made dumb was when he was with the exiled people of Israel who in this case represent Babylon, since the word of truth would not have profited them.

Eze 3:26  And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.

Psa 39:9  I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.

The fugitive, who represents the Lord’s elect, hearing the word of the Lord from Ezekiel, confirms the fact that we speak wisdom to them who are mature, that is, the Lord’s elect. It is instructive to note that the Lord gave a sign to Ezekiel that when he sees a man who has escaped from Jerusalem, then he shall speak. That is to suggest that the words of the Lord are for the Lord’s elect in this age.

Eze 24:25  Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,
Eze 24:26 That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears? 
Eze 24:27  In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD

Eze 33:23  Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 33:24  Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance. 

As indicated in the previous studies, the word of the Lord coming to Ezekiel signifies the Lord coming to His elect with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. What this means is that the Lord coming to His elect is to judge them for the destruction of their flesh. The coming of the Lord is also to illuminate His words so that we can understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

Verse 24 shows us our mindset when we were in the physical churches of this world, or Babylon. The ‘wastes of the land’ of Israel refer to the spiritual degradation state of our lives when we were living in Babylon. At that time, we thought we were Abraham’s seed and therefore we regarded the Lord’s promise to Abraham as His promise to us. This is the Lord’s promise to Abraham about the land of Canaan on the day the Lord made a covenant with him:

Gen 15:18  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 

As the Lord’s elect, we are Abraham’s seed and therefore are recipients of the Lord’s promise to Abraham. Spiritually, the land here in Genesis 15:18 symbolizes our bodies which we must possess to please the Lord. It is insightful to note that Abraham was promised not only the land but the rivers of Egypt and that of Euphrates. This implies that possessing our bodies involves possessing the false doctrines of this world. That means not living according to these false doctrines.

In His life here on earth, the Lord demonstrated how we can overcome the pull of the flesh to possess our bodies by walking on the sea, which signifies the flesh of mankind. Peter, who is a symbol of the elect, followed His example and started walking on the sea initially, towards Jesus. However, when he became afraid when he saw the boisterous waves, he started to sink. Jesus saved him but questioned him for doubting.

Mat 14:23  And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
Mat 14:24  But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
Mat 14:25  And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
Mat 14:26  And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
Mat 14:27  But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
Mat 14:28  And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 
Mat 14:29  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 
Mat 14:30  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 
Mat 14:31  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 

This whole episode is to demonstrate to us that our victory over the flesh is through faith, and the word of the Lord makes us aware that this faith is not ours but the Lord’s.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

In verse 24 of our study for today, the people of Israel who remained in the land after the Chaldean invasion thought that just because they were physically related to Abraham they are entitled to the land. In other words, our brothers and sisters in Babylon think that they are Abraham’s seed and therefore, they can possess their bodies. Their reliance on the law of Moses means that their walk is not that of faith and therefore they cannot possess their bodies, or overcome the flesh. The next verses show us why they are disqualified from receiving the promise of Abraham.

Eze 33:25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land? 

Here in this verse, we are given a list of what we were doing in Babylon which disqualified us from receiving the land promised to Abraham or being given to possess our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord. The first thing mentioned here is eating meat with blood in it. Eating meat with blood in it signifies imbibing false doctrines which causes us to hate our brothers and sisters. As Apostle John indicated, hating our brother or sister spiritually means committing murder. During our time in Babylon, we hated the Lord’s elect and therefore were guilty of the blood of Christ and His messengers.

Luk 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 
Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. 

Looking for our idols for help means depending on our false doctrines which have become our idols of the heart and therefore prevent us from knowing our Lord Jesus Christ. No wonder we are deceived into thinking that we are Abraham’s seed and therefore we shall inherit the land.

Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? 
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

Eze 33:26  Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile everyone his neighbour’s wife: and shall ye possess the land? 

The sword here is put in a negative context. The negative aspect of sword refers to words that are spoken which destroy us. The sword therefore refers to the lying words and false doctrines of the adversary.

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.   

Psa 64:2  Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:
Psa 64:3  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

Standing upon our sword means relying on our false doctrines instead of the truth of the word of the Lord. In this case, our works become an abomination to the Lord. That is to say that we engage in idolatry, which means we worship another Jesus, instead of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

In verse 26, we are also guilty of defiling our neighbor’s wife. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Lord showed us who spiritually signifies our neighbor.

Luk 10:36  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 
Luk 10:37  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. 

From the parable, we can see that our neighbor is one who has shown us mercy. We know that it is our Lord Jesus Christ who has shown us mercy and therefore is our neighbor. Defiling our neighbor’s wife is therefore doing evil to the Lord’s bride. This is the same as what happened in the Corinthian church where a man defiled his father’s wife.

1Co 5:1  It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
1Co 5:2  And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

We are therefore not different from this man. In our time in Babylon, we polluted the Lord’s elect who were captives in Babylon with false doctrines. The Lord is therefore asking us whether we really deserve to possess the land, or our bodies, in view of our sins during this time of our walk in Babylon.

The Remnants Shall be Judged

Eze 33:27  Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. 

In view of our sins as described in the preceding verses, we are to face the Lord’s judgement. Here in verse 27, the Lord is applying His judgement tools to correct us. These tools are ‘the sword’, ‘pestilence’ and ‘noisome beasts’. If we continue to remain in the ruined cities or Babylon, then we shall fall by the sword, that is, be deceived by false doctrines. The open fields represent the world. If we continue to conform our lives according to the standards of this world, then we shall be devoured by the beasts of the field. That is to say that we shall live according to the dictates of our flesh. The ‘caves and forts’ in verse 27 symbolize anything that we depend on or hide in. These shall be taken away by the Lord through pestilence.

‘Pestilence’ comes from the Hebrew word “deber” which means ‘murrain’ or ‘plague’. ‘Murrain’ means ‘destruction’, and the only place that the word was used in the Bible was in the fifth plague in Egypt when there was widespread destruction of cattle of the Egyptians:

Exo 9:1  Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
Exo 9:2  For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,
Exo 9:3  Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

The Lord uses pestilence when we have gotten far away from Him. For example, when the children of Israel were in Egypt, the Lord used pestilence to get their attention. The Lord’s use of pestilence means that the people of Israel were given over to the devil, which in this case was represented by Pharoah who caused the people of Israel to be under great affliction.

Lev 26:25  And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.

Exo 1:8  Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

Exo 1:11  Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

Exo 1:14  And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in the  morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

Exo 3:7  And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

When the Lord got the people of Israel’s attention, He came to help them as the people drew closer to the Lord. Today, the Lord still uses pestilence to get our attention when we have drifted far from Him. For example, in the Corithian church, Paul gave over the man who slept with his father’s wife to the devil so that he may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Eze 33:28  For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through. 
Eze 33:29  Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed. 

Verses 28 and 29 continues with the Lord’s judgment of our old man, or flesh. When a land is laid desolate, all kinds of wild animals roam about looking for something to devour. When our bodies, which are represented by the land, are not being offered as a living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord, then our bodies are dominated by our flesh that is empowered by the devil. In this case, our bodies can be described as being “desolate”. The “pomp of the strength of the land ceasing” means that our old man, or flesh, shall be destroyed through the Lord’s judgement. The “mountains of Israel” are places of idol worship which refers to the idols of false doctrines in our hearts and minds. It is in our hearts and minds, which is the seat of the our old man, who thinks that he is God. The judgement of the Lord, therefore, cleanses our hearts and minds such that “the none” can pass through. That is to say that the flesh cannot dominate us again.

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

In verse 29, we can see that the Lord’s judgement results in us coming to know Him.

Our Inability to Obey the Word of the Lord

Eze 33:30  Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, everyone to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. 
Eze 33:31  And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goth after their covetousness. 

These verses show us our state when we were in the physical churches of this world or Babylon. We desire to hear the word of the Lord, but to do according to what we hear, is the problem. We therefore worship the Lord with our mouth but our hearts were far away from Him.

Isa 29:13  And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
Isa 29:14  therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

Mat 15:7  You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
Mat 15:8“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 
Mat 15:9  in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” 

During this period of our walk with the Lord in Babylon, we were the four angels bound by the river Euphrates. In other words, we were captives of the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition, which is represented by the river Euphrates that nourished Babylon. No wonder we were not able to worship the Lord acceptably in Babylon.

Psa 137:1  By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
Psa 137:2  We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
Psa 137:3  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
Psa 137:4  How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land? 

In the fulness of time, the Lord gave the command for us to be loosed from the river Euphrates so that we can hear the voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar which is before the Lord. What this means is that we are given the strength of the Lord to be able to do according to what we hear from His words.

Rev 9:13  And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 
Rev 9:14  Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 
Rev 9:15  And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

Eze 33:32  And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. 
Eze 33:33  And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them. 

These verses continue to let us know our deplorable state in the churches of this world. Here in verse 32, the Lord is saying that during this stage of our walk in Babylon, when we hear from the Lord’s elect represented here by Ezekiel, we regard them as nothing more than singers with beautiful voices who sing love songs, or musicians with instruments. We listen to their words but we do not do them. Jesus, in His ministry here on earth, also said the same thing about us during this period of our walk in Babylon, in another way as follows:

Mat 11:15  He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mat 11:16  But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
Mat 11:17  And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
Mat 11:18  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
Mat 11:19  The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

From the Lord’s words, we can see that the reason we were not able to do what we hear was simply because we did not have the power to carry them out until we are loosed from the river Euphrates. In the fulness of time, we, as the Lord’s elect, are given the power to understand the words of the Lord’s elect and to do them. That is when we come to realize who really are the Lord’s elect, signified here as a prophet in verse 33. It is this time of our walk with Christ that we are able to say, “blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”.

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Mat 23:38  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Mat 23:39  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

May the Lord be praised for opening our eyes to see and ears to hear the mysteries of the kingdom of the Lord!! Amen!!