Ezekiel 29:8

Ezekiel 29 :8 says, Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.  God said that He was going to bring a sword against the people of Egypt and they and their animals would be killed.   I am always reluctant to say that God actually caused the destruction of anyone, but if He knew that they were never going to repent and turn to Him, He may have.  I do know that one day, everyone who has not put their faith in Jesus Christ will be sent away to everlasting punishment, which is much worse than just dying physically.  

Verse nine adds, And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the Lord: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.  God said that Egypt was going to become desolate, because they had claimed that the river was the source of their power, even claiming that they had made the river. People may claim many things to be their source of power today, other than God, and may even claim that some other gods are responsible for their success, but they will one day find out how wrong they were.   

Verse ten continues, Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia. God said He was against the people of Egypt and their rivers, and their entire land was going to be laid waste.  If God is against us today, or I believe more accurately if we are against Him, one day everything we have will be destroyed and we will go away to everlasting punishment. If we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, this will never apply to us though. 

Verse eleven states, No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. God said that no man or beast would pass through Egypt and it would be uninhabited for forty years.  The punishment of the land of Egypt itself was to be for a limited time, but those of her people who died without asking God’s forgiveness would suffer their punishment forever.  Sometimes, a nation may become almost desolate because of their claiming that other gods have made them successful, but the main concern should always be what will happen to the people of that nation who have denied God.  

Verse twelve adds, And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.   God said that Egypt was going to become desolate for forty years and her people were to become scattered throughout the other nations.  When God’s final judgment comes, those who are sent away for their refusal to accept God’s gift of salvation will be sent away to everlasting punishment and it will not matter what happens to their country and their punishment will not be for a limited time but will be forever.

Ezekiel 29:1

Ezekiel 29:1 says, In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,  Once more, Ezekiel specifies the day that God’s word came to him.  We may not know the exact day that God calls us to do something for Him, but we should at least know for sure that He has.  

Verse two adds, Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:  Ezekiel was now to prophesy against Egypt, the old enemy of the people of Israel who had once enslaved them.  There may not be a country that has enslaved us, but sin does until God sets us free from its power by His gift of salvation.  Once He does, we should never allow sin to have power over us again or look to sinful actions for power in the world.  

Verse three continues, Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.  God’s word was especially for the Pharoah of Egypt, who thought of himself as a great dragon from the river.  The Pharoah believed that the river was his and that it gave him power.  He was going to find out that the river, like all of creation, belonged to God, and that he was powerless against Him.  No matter how powerful a person may believe themselves to be today, for whatever reason, they are powerless before God.   

Verse four states, But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.  God said that He was going to put a hook in the jaws of the Pharoah, who believed himself to be the dragon of the river, and all the fish were going to stick to his sides.  The fish represented all of Pharoah’s servants and really all of his people.  When God brought the Pharoah out of the river by his power, metaphorically speaking, all those who believed him to be all powerful, would fall with him.  No matter what or who we put our faith in, other than God, will one day be defeated and we will be defeated along with them. 

Verse five adds. And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.  God said the Pharoah and all his people would be left in the open fields, cut off from the river that they thought would bring them strength and power.  There, they would become no more than food for the animals of the fields.  One day, those who do not accept Jesus Christ, the Living Water, will be forever cut off from God’s kingdom, and they will suffer an even greater fate than being just physically destroyed.  They will be punished forever in the pits of hell.  

Verse six continues, And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.  God said that when this happened that all the people of Egypt would know that He is God.  Egypt had claimed to be a staff for the people of Israel to lean on for protection but had proven themselves to be ineffective as their protectors.  Anything we lean on for protection other than God will always prove to be ineffective.  

Verse seven concludes, When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand.  God said that when the people of Israel leaned on Egypt, that Egypt boke, or failed to protect them, just as anything that we look to keep us safe today other than God will fail us. 

Ezekiel 28:20

Ezekiel 28:20 says, Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,  

Verse twenty-one adds, Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it,  Ezekiel was now to prophesy against Zidon.   

Verse twenty-two adds, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her.  Ezekiel was to tell the people of Zidon that He was God and that He would be glorified in the midst of them.  God will be glorified in the midst of the world today, whether people believe Him or not. This is because His glory is not dependent on whether people believe in Him or not.  The people of Zidon were to be punished because they didn't believe in Him, just as everyone who doesn’t believe in Him and put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will one day be punished.  

Verse twenty-three continues, For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the Lord.  God said He was going to send pestilence on them and that their enemies would cause their blood to run in the streets. This would be because God was executing His judgment on them. God said that when this happened, they would know that He is God.  If we do not accept God's gift of salvation, one day we will face His judgment and know that He alone is God.   

Verse twenty-four states, And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord God.  God compared these nations that opposed Israel to a prickling brier in the house of Israel.  They were of no real power against Israel because they were God’s chosen people.  God also said that there would be no more grieving amongst the people of Israel. Of course, this depended on the covenant relationship He had with the people of Israel and their obedience to that covenant relationship and not just on the fact that they were born in Israel.  It is only when we enter into a covenant relationship with God that we are His people forever and no force on earth will ever stand against us, and one day we will go home to heaven where there will be no more grieving.  When God’s final judgment comes, everyone will know that He is God.  

Verse twenty-five adds, Thus saith the Lord God; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.  God said that He was going to gather the people of Israel from wherever they were scattered into the promised land once more, and they would be sanctified in the sight of the heathen.  I believe this would be those who truly put their faith and trust in God.  One day, all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ and enter into a covenant relationship with Him will be sanctified in the sight of the lost people of the world.  

Verse twenty-six continues, And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the Lord their God.  God said when He gathered the people of Israel once together more, that they would build houses and plant vineyards in peace because God had executed His judgment on all their enemies.  I am not sure exactly what we will do in heaven, but I am sure that we will live in peace, whether we go there after we die or when Jesus Christ returns in victory.