Ezekiel 20:33-38: The Purification Prophecy
Ezekiel 20 can be summarized as the denouncement of the idolatry that has plagued Israel since they were living in Egypt as well as the promise of the complete eradication of idolatry from Israel in the future. The first verse tells us that the Jewish elders had approached Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. Remember, Ezekiel and these elders were captives in exile in Babylon. Jerusalem and Judah had not yet completely fallen to Babylon, and Judah was currently a vassal kingdom under Babylon’s thumb. Some of the Jews had been taken captive, while others were left in Jerusalem with Zedekiah placed as king to pay tribute to Babylon. It is likely that these elders were wondering the fate of Judah since Zedekiah was considering rebelling against Babylon by allying himself with the Egyptians. We know that the decision to rebel was not only a bad decision as it led to the complete destruction of Jerusalem (both the city and the temple) and the death and destruction of the residents, but this decision also was against what God told Zedekiah to do (Jeremiah 27:1-22) which was to submit to Babylon’s rule.
God refuses to be questioned by these elders and doesn’t even record their question (Ezekiel 20:1-4). Instead, He provides a long history of Israel’s problems with idolatry beginning with their time in Egypt. Israel repeated the same pattern again and again: God delivers Israel and requires obedience, Israel disobeys and chooses idols, God wants to completely destroy Israel, and then God decides to have mercy on Israel for His name’s sake (Ezekiel 20:5-23). But finally, God decided to leave Israel to the idolatry that they so desired. Their sin led them deeper and deeper until they even sacrificed their own children to the idols. This continuance in sin leads to their own destruction (Ezekiel 20:23-26). While sad, this result shouldn’t surprise us. Sin always leads to destruction. In truth, the saying, “sin serves as its own punishment” certainly applies here.
Next, God turns to the elders and accuses them (and all Israel) as following after their ancestors in their idolatry (Ezekiel 20:27-32). Like the many times before, Israel deserved completely annihilation, and God will punish Israel. However, God will also have mercy saving a righteous remnant as His people (Ezekiel 20:33-38) which is the topic of this discussion.
It is here that God issues what I am calling the ‘purification prophecy’. In this prophecy, God details future events that will serve to purify Israel so that only the righteous remnant remains. Here are the events listed:
1) God will gather Israel from the countries they have been scattered to (Ezekiel 20:34)
2) God will bring Israel to the “wilderness of the people” to “plead with [them] face to face” (Ezekiel 20:35)
3) God will cause Israel to “pass under the rod” (Ezekiel 20:37)
4) God will brig Israel “into the bond of the covenant” (Ezekiel 20:37)
5) God will purge Israel by removing the wick from the “land of Israel” (Ezekiel 20:38)
Exactly what events that this prophecy is detailing is debatable. There are a couple of good explanations but I would like to explore two of them. However, I would like to explain a few terms that will be helpful to our decipherment of this prophecy.
“Wilderness of people” = this phrase seems to refer to more than a location but to a spiritual or figurative position. The wilderness likely refers to the heathen nations or gentiles (unbelievers).
“Pass under the rod” = this refers to the practice of shepherds using their rod to count and sort their sheep. The shepherd would stand at the gate and would use his rod to count his sheep as the flock would pass through the gate. Leviticus 27:32 utilizes this phrase in relation to tithes: “And concerning the tithes of the herd, or of the flock, even of whosoever passeth under the rod, the 10th shall be holy unto the Lord.”
“Bond of the covenant” = there are several covenants between Israel and God listed in the Bible. All of these covenants are essentially the same with two sides: 1) God will accept Israel as His people and 2) Israel will obey and follow God. Many covenants were required because Israel kept breaking the covenant through disobedience (Isaiah 24:5, Isaiah 33:8, Jeremiah 11:8-10, Jeremiah 22:9). Eventually, the new covenant will be established which is done so through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 42:6, Isaiah 49:8, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Jeremiah 32:40, Ezekiel 16:20-63, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Hebrews 8:8-13).
“Purge out” = this phrase comes from the Hebrew word “barar” which means to “clarify.” The concept of purging is often applied to Israel’s judgement. One example is in Isaiah:
Isaiah 1:25-28 KJV
“And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.”
In the process of smelting metal, the impurities (dross and tin) are removed with heat so that only the pure metal is left. It is this pure metal that is valuable. In the same manner, God issues punishments to Israel to remove the wicked from amongst them and restore the righteous. The Babylonian exile and destruction of Jerusalem was an example of this. The wicked were killed or taken in exile (along with some righteous such as Ezekiel and Daniel). Later, when Persia overthrows Babylon, Cyrus, king of Persia, allows the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild (see Ezra and Nehemiah). Many Jews remained where they were exiled, but a righteous remnant returned who eventually rebuilt the temple and Jerusalem and no longer participated in idolatry. Of course, while this righteousness lasted for a time, the people eventually returned to their ways. The Jews were again scattered among the nations in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple for the final time (until the end-time prophecies come true) after the Jews yet again rebelled against their rulers.
Now that we have the terms squared away, I would like to propose three possible meanings for this prophecy. These possibilities coincide well with end-time prophecy but simply have different starting points. These possibilities could be wrong, but I think it is interesting to think about either way. Speculation can be a good thing and certainly helps me combine the entire message of the Bible (from beginning to end).
Possibility 1: The Jews through the return
1. God gathers the Jews from out of exile in Babylon. Cyrus of Persia issued a decree that the Jews and their temple treasures can return to their homeland just as God had said would happen long before. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah document their return.
2. When Israel returned to their homeland they had to build it back up. The temple and the city had been destroyed. The remnant came back repentant without the idolatry of their past. Still though, Israel returned to a land which also had other people around them (many of which were not happy with Israel’s return). In a sense, the Jews had returned to a “wilderness of people”. It is after this time that the period between the last book of the Old Testament and the first books of the New Testament occurs without much revelation from God.
3. Jesus Christ ministers, dies, and resurrects introducing the new convening. Members of the new covenant are counted into His flock as they wait for Christ’s return.
4. Jesus will return after the tribulation period and at that time all the wicked are purged from the earth. The remnant of members of the new covenant (gentile and Jew believers) remain to live in the Millennial Kingdom and then New Jerusalem (Revelation 19:11-21, Revelation 20, Matthew 24:27-31).
Possibility 2: The Church through the return
1. God gathers all believers under the new covenant through Jesus Christ. These Jew and gentile believers are known as the church.
2. The church waits in the “wilderness of the people” until Christ’s return. This is known as the “church age.”
3. During this period of waiting the church is counted and subject to the terms of the new covenant. This point may specifically refer to the 7 year tribulation directly before Christ’s return (Matthew 24:15-28, Revelation 19:11-15)
4. When Christ does return, the wicked are purged from the earth. The remnant left occupy the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 19:11-21, Revelation 20).
Possibility 3: The Tribulation Jews through the return
1. Before and at the beginning of the 7 year tribulation, God gathers the Jews to Israel. Through the “covenant with many,” the antichrist will confirm Israel so that the Jews will begin to sacrifice again and the temple will be rebuilt (Daniel 9:27). There will be a false sense of peace (Revelation 6:2)
2. For 3 ½ years, the antichrist coexists with the Jews in the “wilderness of the people.” Note: it could be possible that this refers to the time of fleeing to the wilderness mentioned in (Matthew 24:15-17 and Revelation 12:14-22) that takes place after the abomination of desolation which would make the 3rd point below referring to the 3 ½ years of Jacob’s trouble, a time of persecution like never before (Daniel 12:1, Matthew 24:15-22).
3. The abomination of desolation occurs where the sacrifices cease and the Jews are persecuted like never before along with believers (Daniel 9:27, Daniel 12:1, Matthew 24:15). The believers (Jew and gentile) are counted to be delivered according to the new covenant (Daniel 12:1, Revelation 7).
4. Christ returns (Revelation 19, Matthew 14:27-31) where the wicked are slain and the remaining believers occupy the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20).
Now, all of these scenarios could be true (as God typically repeats patterns throughout history) or one of them or none of them. I just enjoy the sport of speculation. There is definitely a mystery left for us until Christ returns as Revelation 10:7 says, “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”
While it is sometimes frustrating to study topics in the Bible and not come to a definite conclusion, especially in regards to end-time prophecy, any true student of God’s Word knows that one day, all will be revealed. We must be patient and look forward to that time. For, if everything were revealed already, there would be no reason to seek as Matthew 7:7 tells us to do. Even the prophets didn’t fully understand what they were prophesying, but they did as directed anyway (Matthew 13:17, Daniel 12:8-9, 1 Peter 10:10-12).
All these scenarios make one thing clear: be found amongst the believers counted by Christ when He returns. The wicked will be purged and their destination will be the Lake of Fire. If we take away nothing from this passage, we must understand that!
Do you prefer one of these scenarios? Let me know! Or do you have a better solution to this prophecy in Ezekiel 20? Tell me. I would love to hear it!