Ezekiel 36:5

Ezekiel 36:5 says, 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.  God said that He had a message for those who thought they had defeated His people.  This message is still true today and we as followers of Christ must share it with the world as a warning to their coming fate if they do not repent and come to God.    

Verse six adds, 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:  God said that His prophecy was to be against all those who oppressed His people because He is a jealous God and who watches over His people and will not allow any others to destroy them forever.   

Verse seven continues, Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame.  God said that He had lifted up His hand against the heathen around the people of Isreal and that the heathen would bear the shame of their own failure to obey Him and also for trying to destroy His people.  When God’s judgment comes, everyone who has not accepted His gift of salvation will bear the shame of their own guilt.  I believe that those who have accepted His gift of salvation and then at times do not obey God’s word to them will also bear shame for their actions when His judgment comes, but they will still be a part of His kingdom.   

Verse eight states, 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.  God said that when He sent His judgement on the heathen that His people would flourish.  This was not everyone who was born in Israel but was everyone who was born in Israel and had put their faith in Him.  It was those who were spiritual Israelites.  We may be born in what is called a Cristian nation or into a family that is considered a Christian family, but this does not make us a part of God’s people.  Only those who individually accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will ever be a part of God’s people.   

Verse nine adds, For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:  God said that since He was for them that the people of Isreal would be tilled and sown, or made ready to bear fruit for Him.  The land had been cursed because of the disobedience of the people of Israel, but it would now be productive again.  If we are to be spiritually productive today, we must be obedient to God in all that we say and do.   

Verse ten continues, 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:  God said that He was going to once again cause the nation of Isreal to be prosperous.  Their houses would be rebuilt and their cities inhabited by His people once more.  I don’t believe that we can say that if we put our faith in God that we will always flourish materially every day, but we will have a home in heaven where we one day will.  It will always depend on our accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, though. 

Ezekiel 36:1

Ezekiel 36:1 says, Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord:  God told Ezekiel he was now to prophesy to the mountains of Israel.  The first fifteen verses seem to apply to the temporal state of Israel and the rest to the spiritual state.  We should never be more concerned with our temporal state than we are with our spiritual state.  We can fail in this life and still be a part of God’s kingdom if we have asked for His forgiveness and have accepted His gift of salvation, but if we fail spiritually by never doing so, then we never will be.  Ezekiel was to speak words of comfort to the people of Israel even if they were currently in a deplorable condition.  If we are spiritually in a deplorable condition by failing to accept God’s gift of salvation or by failing to live in obedience to His word, He still offers us words of comfort if we repent and return to Him.   

Verse two adds, Thus saith the Lord God; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession:  God said that the enemies of Israel were boasting that they owned even the mountains of Israel.  Their enemies believed that they had totally defeated Israel and that Israel would never rise again.  As followers of Christ, our enemies may believe that they have defeated us forever if they take control of all our material possessions, but if we are still obedient to God, they will never defeat us spiritually and we will one day rise to glory with God.   

Verse three continues, 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:  Ezekiel was then to tell the people that God was aware of their current state in the world.  Even if we lose everything in the world, even our life, due to being obedient to God, that does not mean that God is not still with us.  God knows what is going on in the world, and He does not always give victory to Christians.  Sometimes, Christians may lose everything they own and even be killed for their faith, but they are forever safe with God spiritually.  This is the good news that we need to share with lost people today as we invite them to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Christianity should never be depicted as a way to material blessings today, but as a way to take up our cross daily as we die to wanting the things of this world if it means disobeying God’s word.   

Verse four concludes, 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;   God continued to say that His word was to the broken people of Israel and all their land.  I believe this was to those who were still living by faith in their covenant with God and not just to these who were born in the land of Israel.  The people of Israel were only God's people because of their covenant relationship with Him and not just because they were born in Israel.  If we are followers of Christ today, even if we are broken and desolate in the world, God still has a massage of hope for us.     

Ezekiel 35:11

Ezekiel 35:11 says, Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.  God said that He was going to judge Moab by the same standard that they had judged other people.  They had seen themselves as superior to others and had destroyed or enslaved them, so God was going to do the same to them, but His judgment would be everlasting.  When this occurred, they would know too late that He is God.  We will all be judged by whether or not we have accepted God’s word or not, which should affect how we treat other people.  Those who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will be sent away to everlasting punishment just as they had sent others away to death or enslavement.  Though the soul will never die, those who are not followers of Christ will forever be enslaved in the pit of hell, and then they will know that God is God.   

Verse twelve adds, And thou shalt know that I am the Lord, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.  God said that the people of Moab would know that He is God because they would be punished because of their actions against Israel, or God’s chosen people.   Though our ultimate judgment will be because of our relationship with Jessus Christ, those who have attempted to abuse or destroy His people, or Christians, will be held accountable for this as well.   

Verse thirteen continues, Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.  God said He had heard their boasting against Him.  Those who boast today that there is no God or that He isn’t the only God will one day be held accountable because God hears them when they boast about this.   

Verse fourteen states, Thus saith the Lord God; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.  God said that even if the whole world rejoiced at the power of Moab that He was going to make them desolate.  People may boast about their power today, even claiming to be more powerful than God, but one day, He is going to send them to the desolation of hell.   

Verse fifteen adds, As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the Lord.  God said that just as they had rejoiced at the desolation of Israel, He was going to make them desolate and then they would know that He is God.  I don’t believe that God rejoices over the everlasting destruction of those who will not put their faith in Jesus Christ, but He will allow them to go away to everlasting destruction one day, and then too late they will acknowledge that He is God.