Audio Download

Ezekiel 36:1-21 – Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel

[Study Aired Nov 4, 2024]

INTRODUCTION

Today we are going to look at the prophecy to the mountains of Israel. To understand what the Lord is showing us here in this chapter, we need to know what the mountains of Israel signify. The reason for the mountains of Israel to be the target of Ezekiel’s prophesy was because almost all the mountains or high places of Israel had become places of idol worship. Worshipping idols in high places was how the Moabites worshipped, as shown in the following verses:

Isa 16:11  Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kirharesh.
Isa 16:12  And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.

These mountains in Israel used to be the mountains of the Lord. However, over time, the Israelites were influenced by the Moabites’ form of worship of idols on these mountains.

Isa 11:9  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Isa 65:11  But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.

Num 33:51  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
Num 33:52  Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:

Lev 26:30  And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.

The mountains therefore used to be the New Jerusalem but these holy mountains had been defiled over time and therefore represent Babylon. When Christ first came to us, we were like the New Jerusalem, but we took the Lord’s words (gold and silver) and turned them into the wisdom and traditions of men when we were in Babylon.

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

The Lord speaking to the mountains and the hills is the Lord speaking to us, His elect, about the fact that we are to face judgement.

Mic 6:1  Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.
Mic 6:2  Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD’S controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.
Mic 6:3 O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.

The mountain therefore signifies the house of the Lord, which is the same as His temple, which we are. Thus, the judgement of the Lord regarding the mountains refers to our judgement since we are the temple of the Lord.

Isa 2:2  And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 2:3  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Mic 4:1  But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
Mic 4:2  And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

With this in mind, let’s look at the prophesy to the mountains of Israel to know what the spirit is teaching us today about how the Lord is dealing with us.

Prophesy to the Mountains of Israel

Eze 36:1  Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD: 
Eze 36:2  Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: 

Verse 1 saying that the mountains of Israel should hear the word of the Lord is another way of saying that the Lord’s people who are represented by the earth, should hear or pay attention to the word of the Lord.

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

Verse 2 shows us our situation in Babylon when we are overcome by the flesh that is empowered by the devil, our enemy. The ancient high places refer to our hearts and minds which serve as the temple of the Lord. When our flesh dominates us, then our temple is in the possession of our enemy, the devil. It is in this deplorable state that we find ourselves, that the Lord comes to speak to us to let us know His plans for us.

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jer 29:12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Jer 29:14  And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

Eze 36:3  Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people: 

A simpler rendition of this verse is as follows:

Eze 36:3  therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Precisely because they made you desolate and crushed you from all sides, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people, (ESV)

The enemy making us desolate and crushing us from all sides means that we are totally under the sway of our old man or flesh. Becoming the possession of the rest of the nations implies that we became just like the people of the world as we live by the standard of this world. In this sense, the people of this world blaspheme the name of the Lord because of us.

Rom 2:19  And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
Rom 2:20  An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
Rom 2:21  Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
Rom 2:22  Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
Rom 2:23  Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
Rom 2:24  For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

Eze 36:4  Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about; 

In verse 4, we are again made aware that what the Lord is saying is directed towards His elect who are under the dominion of the enemy and as a result, they are not able to hear the word of the Lord. During our time in Babylon or the physical churches of this world, we were of our father the devil and therefore we could not understand the Lord’s words. It is this period of our lives that the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to cause us to see and hear what He is saying to us as He judges us.

Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Joh 8:45  And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

Again in verse 4, the Lord is showing us that the enemy, represented by the flesh, was in total control of our lives as He sits in our temple, signified by the mountains, hills and valleys, claiming himself to be God. He also polluted the truth we have received from the Lord with false doctrines (made our rivers desolate) and made the harlot woman to dominate us, that is, our cities forsaken. As a result, we became prey and were mocked by the people of the world.

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.

Eze 36:5  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey. 

As we established in the previous chapter, Idumea is the same as Edom and it represents our flesh. The rest of the nations, and Edom taking over the land of the people of Israel with wholehearted joy and contempt with the view to make its pastureland a prey, is another way of saying that our old man or flesh had taken possession of our lives as he sits in the temple of God, exalting himself as God. We have therefore became a prey to the fowls of the air. This picture is what the Lord is showing us through the parable of the mustard seed and the leaven.

Mat 13:31  He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
Mat 13:32  It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Mat 13:33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” (ESV)

Eze 36:6  Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen: 
Eze 36:7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. 

Verse 6 shows us how the Lord is jealous over us, His elect, as He speaks in His jealousy and fury, which signify the Lord coming to us with His judgement to destroy our old man or flesh. We are also given the reason why the Lord is judging us, that is, to deliver us from the shame of the heathen. This shame of the heathen refers to the sins we commit against the Lord. It involves turning His words into false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition.

Psa 4:2  O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah

Hos 4:7  The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame.(ESV)

Hos 4:17  Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone.
Hos 4:18 When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring; their rulers dearly love shame. (ESV)

The Lord lifting up His hands in verse 7 is to assure us that He will deal with our temple which is represented by the mountains, hills and valleys, and also the false doctrines signified by rivers.

Eze 36:8  But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. 

It is important to note that we, His elect, are the branches of a tree, while the Lord is the stem which feeds the branches and causes them to grow and bear fruit. When we abide in Him, then we are the branches that shoots forth and bear fruit.

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

It is through the Lord’s judgement of our old man or flesh that we are able to abide in Him and shoot forth our branches and yield our fruit to the Lord’s people. The shooting forth of our branches implies that we have come to abide in Him through His judgement. Yielding fruit to the people of Israel means we become part of what every joint supplies. Our supply of the truth of the word of the Lord is what nourishes the body of Christ.

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

It is instructive to note that in verse 8, the Lord is assuring us that what He is saying regarding shooting forth our branches and yielding of our fruit, both are going to happen shortly in our live (for they are at hand to come). This is not different from the Revelation that John received about Christ when he was told that what he was being shown must shortly come to pass.

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

The question is, when is the time that the Lord is going to carry out what He has said? The answer is given to us by the Lord, as follows:

Mat 24:15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand: )
Mat 24:16  Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Mat 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house:

Seeing the abomination of desolation stand in the holy place is to show us that the Lord has started to accomplish that which He has said He will do. What is the abomination of desolation? It is when we come to see the beast within us sit in the temple of the Lord and claiming to be God. In other words, it is when we see that all our lives, we are under the dictates of our flesh. When we are blessed to see that all our lives we are under the dictates of our flesh, then it means that the Lord has started His work in us of becoming His branch and bearing fruit.

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.
2Th 2:5  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6  And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
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:

In Matthew 24:16, we are told that when we come to see the beast within us occupying the Lord’s place in our hearts and minds, we should flee from Judea to the mountains. Judea here represents Babylon and the mountains signify the assembly of the Lord’s elect. It is in the midst of the Lord’s elect that we are kept by what every joint supplies. Being at the house top in Matthew 24:17 is being unhindered by the shade of the house of Babylon, such that we begin to see clearly the Sun which represent our Lord Jesus Christ. That is why we are admonished not to go into the house of Babylon to take anything that will hinder what the Lord has begun to do in our lives.

Eze 36:9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: 

It is heart-warming to note that the Lord is for us and will turn unto us so that we become tilled and sown. This means that the Lord will use all His available resources to bring us to an expected end. Being tilled implies being judged. It is through the Lord’s judgement that He sows His words in our hearts and minds.

Eze 36:10  And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded: 

Here in verse 10, the Lord is assuring us that He will fill the house of Israel as well as the deserted cities with men. The house of Israel, or the cities to be inhabited here, on a positive note, signify the church of the firstborn or the assembly of His elect, which the Lord will bring us into.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

The wastes being rebuilt is another way of telling us that we were marred in the hand of the Lord (potter) and therefore He is making us again into another vessel fit for His purpose.

Jer 18:3  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Eze 36:11 And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 

The Lord is also declaring to us in verse 11 that He will multiply on us both man and beast so that we increase and become fruitful. The man here refers to our new man which will increase after the image of the Lord. The beast here literally refers to the increase in domestic animals in the cities that the Lord shall rebuild. What this means is that we shall increase in spiritual riches in Him, to become fruitful in the Lord’s vineyard. The Lord has also promised us to be settled after our old estates. The old estates of the people of Israel refers to the land of Canaan when they were in captivity in Babylon or Assyria. The Lord settling us after the old estates implies being liberated from bondage to the physical churches of this world or Babylon and being given to possess our bodies.

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.

Verse 11 also shows us the Lord’s promise to do more good to us than ever before. The Lord is showering all these blessings on us so that we shall come to know who He really is.

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

1Co 1:4  I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
1Co 1:5  That in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
1Co 1:6  Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
1Co 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Eze 36:12  Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men. 
Eze 36:13  Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations; 
Eze 36:14  Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD. 
Eze 36:15 Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord GOD. 

In verse 12, the Lord is telling us that He will cause us, His elect, to overcome our flesh such that our flesh becomes our heritage. That means that overcoming our flesh is what will guarantee our inheritance. The statement “Thou shall no more henceforth bereave them of men” shows us that our children shall no longer be possessed by our flesh. Our children here refers to the doctrines of Christ which shall not be contaminated by the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition.

Verses 13 and 14 are telling us that the saying that our land devours up men as we continue to loss our children to the nations, will no longer be true. As we are aware, land signifies our bodies and therefore the land that devours up men refers to how we are destroyed when our old man or flesh controls us, as we end up being deceived by false doctrines. It is through the Lord’s judgement when He comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness, that our flesh shall no longer devour us as we come to appreciate the truth of the Lord’s words and therefore avoid false doctrines.

As indicated earlier, the shame of the heathen refers to sins committed against the Lord. Verse 15 is therefore assuring us that the Lord will deal with our flesh such that we do not continue to sin against the Lord. As a result, we shall not bear the reproach of the people nor stumble again.

Mal 4:2  But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Mal 4:3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make, saith Jehovah of hosts.

The Lord’s Concern for His Holy Name

Eze 36:16  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 36:17  Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. 
Eze 36:18 Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: 

During our time in the physical churches of this world or Babylon, when we were dominated by our flesh, we went astray from the Lord’s ways through the false doctrines that we imbibed. As a result, we put a stumbling block of iniquity before us when we harbored idols in our hearts which prevented us from knowing the truth. We therefore ended up hating the Lord’s elect who came to us to bring us the good tidings of His salvation.

1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

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;

In His mercy, the Lord came to judge us so that we can learn righteousness.

Eze 36:19  And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. 
Eze 36:20  And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. 
Eze 36:21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. 

Being scattered among the heathen and dispersed through the countries implies conforming ourselves to the standards of this world such that we were not different from the people of this world. We therefore became worse off as we dishonored the name of the Lord. Going forth out of our land in verse 20 means we lost complete control of our bodies as our flesh sits in our temple, claiming to be God.

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.
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

Verses 19 and 20 therefore, show us what it means to be marred in the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ. However, in the acceptable year of the Lord, He had pity on us and came to us with His judgement to cause us to learn righteousness so that we do not continue to drag His Holy name through the mud. Verse 21 therefore shows us the mercy of the Lord as He makes us again into another vessel as it seems good to the potter (our Lord Jesus Christ).

Jer 18:1  The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 18:2  Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Jer 18:3  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Looking back, we cannot help, but offer ourselves to our Lord as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him as He delivers us from the miry clay and sets our feet upon the rock. May His name be praised. Amen!!