November 10
Ezek 21:1-22:31 | PS 108:1-13 | Prov 27:12 | Heb 10:1-17
At the time of Ezekiel's writing, the nation of Ammon was roughly 1400 years old, having originated from the offspring of Abraham's nephew, Lot, roughly 2000 BC. Have you met any Ammonites? The answer is no, because they were utterly wiped out as depicted by Ezekiel's prophecy in chapter 21:28-32. It was probably inconceivable to the residents of this nation to fathom their complete annihilation. But it happened. Judah (formerly joined with Israel), became a nation roughly 800 years before this writing. They had a rich legacy, with some magnificent kings such as David and Hezekiah, amazing structures like the Temple. Do you believe they could have foreseen their removal from their land? But it happened as prophesied in Ezekiel 21:1-27. America is around 250 years old. In comparison to other nations, we are very new on the scene. We consider ourselves the current empire of society, but we are immersed in sin, and our enemies surround us and are present within us. Some have come from other nations, but many have been raised within our halls of education. What we are seeing currently are not peaceful protests. We are witnessing demonic hordes swarming without consequences in our cities. A couple of years ago, in Los Angeles, a 69 year old Jewish man was bludgeoned to death by a bullhorn. Did that disband the horde? No, continuing their rant, protesting on top of the blood of the fallen Jewish man they continued. America had better open their eyes. Our nation is consumed with evil, and the hordes swarming are influenced by demons. This war has less to do with borders, and more to do with assembling the armies of God. Jesus is our only hope. Always has been, but now so apparent in these days that we find ourselves living in.
The land of Judah was filled with sin, and we see the sad truth declared by the prophet in Ezekiel 22:30, "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." God then, and now, is looking for those who will represent Him during our times. We are not told to arm ourselves, work out, etc. We need to declare Him. In the midst of turmoil it is easy to forget what is written in Hebrews 10:12, "But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,". As opposed to the work of the earthly priests which never ended in that their sacrifices only covered the sins of the people, Jesus was able to sit down for His work was completed. Jesus' perfect work on the cross removed sin. We, in Christ, don't have to reinvent anything, we simply need to lean on Jesus in times like this. We need to see eternity as the reality, and this world as temporal, which it is.
As tensions rise, we must also remember God's words through the prophet in Ezekiel 33:11, "Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’" This is to be our heart. This is to be our desire. Christ's representatives, His ambassadors, during these very dark times. God's story will continue along His predestined timeline. What seems like chaos to us, is falling into place for our Sovereign God. We need to choose what we will rest on during these times. We can continue to remain fixated to the news cycle and continue along the emotional roller coaster of fear and excitement depending on how things seem to be going from an earthly standpoint. Or, we can remain fixated on His Word and remain constant and be a source of hope as we lean on the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: