Should This Matter?

We have all seen it, whether in our everyday lives or on the movie screen. You know, the man standing on the street corner holding the sign that says “The End is Near!” Or “Repent Now! The End Has Come!” The picture I described has become comedic in most instances prompting most ‘logical’ people to roll their eyes and keep moving on. But, the Bible tells us to have a difference response to His promises of judgement.

The Bible tells us that the end IS near. That Christ could return any moment. Jesus promises it and the apostles promise it. But we don’t have to just have to take their promises without evidence! The Old Testament provides plenty of examples of judgement fulfillment that should incline us to listen to Jesus’ promise to return soon a little more seriously.

Ezekiel 12 is one of those chapters. As I always do, allow me to provide some background to this chapter to place it within context.

BACKGROUND

Ezekiel is a priest and prophet who was taken captive by Babylon during one of the first two invasions of Jerusalem by Babylon. At the time of this prophecy, he is living in Babylon among the other exiled Jews. He receives this message from God around 6 years before the final and most terrible siege of Jerusalem in which many will be killed by Babylon, famine, and pestilence. The few who survive will be carried away captive to Babylon and the temple and city of Jerusalem will be almost completely destroyed. Those who remained in Jerusalem at the time of this prophecy (those who were left behind after the first sieges) believed that they had survived the worst Babylon would do. They believed that they were the remnant who would possess the land which would mean that those taken into captivity were being punished. False prophets assured both those in Jerusalem and those in captivity that Babylon would soon break and the captives would be returned to Jerusalem along with the stolen temple treasures (see Jeremiah 28). They also believed that the temple would stand forever and could never be destroyed (see Jeremiah 7 and Ezekiel 9:5-7). However, this attitude couldn’t be further from the truth.

Through prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel (and others), God tells the people of Jerusalem that Jerusalem would in fact fall to Babylon and the temple would be destroyed. The remnant that would return to Jerusalem in the future would come from the exiled people which wouldn’t happen for 70 years. Those who currently were left in Jerusalem would mostly die and the few survivors would be taken captive. Just as Ezekiel and Jeremiah prophecies, Babylon does invade Jerusalem in 587 BC. The siege lasts almost 3 years which resulted in extreme famine followed by disease. Once the siege broke, the armies of Babylon killed many of the people and the rest were taken captive to Babylon.

EZEKIEL 12 AND JEWISH RESPONSE TO PROMISES OF JUDGEMENT

In Ezekiel 12, we actually get a glimpse of the Jews line of thinking in regards to God’s promises of judgement. We can see from verse 2 that the people did not believe Ezekiel’s vision. They likely preferred what the false teachers preached which was that Babylon would fall instead of Jerusalem.

In this chapter God provides two proverbs that the people used in regards to Ezekiel’s (and likely Jeremiah) prophecies:

1. “The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth.” (Verse 22) = the vision will not come to pass and life will continue as it always has
2. “The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesied of the times that are far off.” (Verse 27) = the vision is true, but it will not come in my lifetime or for a very long time

Both of these resolutions are incorrect, of course, because as we know through the benefit of history, Jerusalem fell around 6 years later. All of the prophecies that had been issued by God proved astonishingly correct. And, 70 years after Jerusalem falls, the remnant returns to the ruined city to rebuilt it and the temple again (as promised by God on multiple occasions through His prophets). What I find interesting here was that the Jew’s thought on God’s judgement was not all that different from our own. And since their attitude to God’s judgement was similar to ours, I would imagine God’s answer to their faulty logic would be similar to His answer to our faulty logic.

THE CHURCH’S RESPONSE TO PROMISES OF JUDGEMENT

These same proverbs pervade the world and, sadly, the church today. Many so-called ‘Christians’ don’t even believe in literal interpretations of God’s coming judgment, and those who do often have no sense of urgency in regards to it. I believe that the lack of belief in Christ’s return is a major reason for the weakness of the church today. It is hard to stay motivated to live for Christ if there is no accountability or at best delayed accountability for our actions.

The fact is that Christ has promised His return, and it has been prophesied countless times in both the Old and New Testaments. It will happen. Not only did Christ promise to return, but He urged us to be watchful because He will come “as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:1).

Of course, the Bible also tells us that just like those in 587 BC Jerusalem, many will not be ready. They will have listened to the false teachers who draw them away.

What I LOVE about Ezekiel 12, is that we can learn from what the Jews experienced. God acknowledged their incorrect view of His faithfulness even in judgement and He answered them. Since our ‘Christian’ culture has the same thoughts on judgement that the Jew had, God’s answers would still apply to us today!

1. God is faithful to His promises. Judgement will come. “The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision…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.” (Verse 23-25)

2. If we really believe that judgment will come and could come any day, our lives should reflect urgency. There will be a day when God says “There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done.” (Verse 28).

NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES

There are several passages in the Bible helpful to this discussion, but I want to highlight two of them here:

2 PETER 3

Peter took time to address the coming judgement. He basically says that the scoffers will say that judgment isn’t coming: ‘If it were, why hasn’t it happened yet? We have promises of judgement but nothing ever happens!’ Peter reminds us that 1) God has promised judgement before and delivered (the flood) and 2) God is long suffering for our sakes. God destroyed the entire world with a flood before and he will do so again, but this time with fire. Peter then challenges us: if we really believe this is true, should we live like it?

2 Peter 3:2-12

“This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”

MATTHEW 24

Christ attends to the urgency of judgement in Matthew 24. In chapter 24, Jesus provides the disciples the signs and some details of his return. After doing so, He addresses the need for urgency among his followers. He reminds us that His coming could happen at any time and just like in the days of the flood, many will not be ready.

Matthew 24:36-51

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

CONCLUSION – WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?

If we really believe that Christ is coming back and it will be soon, we need to live like it! The church has slowly backed away from teaching on end-time prophecy likely afraid of sounding like loons. But judgement will come whether we teach on it or not. And if we are not teaching on it, we are damning souls to hell because people will not be ready. End-time prophecy and Christ’s return is part of the Bible – a MAJOR part! We cannot afford to ignore it.

The Jews didn’t believe that God would actually destroy Jerusalem and the temple. They thought that their existence would continue on as it always had. They believed they could live in their sin and not have to experience judgment. But judgment came. What God promised finally happened. They were held accountable for their sin. It did take a long time between some of the prophecies and the judgment because God gave them many opportunities to repent. But in the end, God was faithful to His word.

Fortunately, God has promised that a remnant will escape the fire in the end just as a remnant escaped the worst of the judgment in Jerusalem. That remnant will populate New Jerusalem just as the remnant in Babylon eventually returned to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. God will be faithful to this beautiful promise to His people as well. History in the Old Testament serves as a pattern to us for the future. We can learn from the mistakes of the Israelites as well as the mercy and grace of God upon them!