Ezekiel 24:9 says, Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. God once again was to have Ezekiel pronounce woe on the people of Jerusalem and said He would make them a pile for a great fire. This was based on their disobedience and refusal to repent and return to obeying God. There is a great fire prepared for those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, and God will allow them to go there forever if they do not accept His gift of salvation, but it will always be their choice. Matthew Henry says this judgment was for both Israel and Judah, but it only specifies Jerusalem. I do know that they both met the same fate of being completely destroyed.
Verse ten adds, Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. God told Ezekiel that he was to heap wood on the fire to make it hot enough to even consume the bones. Of course, even if the body is completely consumed, the spirit will live on forever, and those sent away to everlasting punishment because of their refusal to accept God's gift of salvation will wish they could just burn away to nothing. What happens to the body is unimportant, but what happens to the soul is the important thing.
Verse eleven continues, Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. God said that the apostasy of Judah was going to lead them to be completely destroyed as a nation, just as Israel had before them. Even though the two tribes of Judah remained faithful to God longer than the ten tribes of Israel, both ultimately became totally corrupt, and God was going to burn away all this corruption. We cannot justify ourselves based on whether or not we are better than some other group of people if we are not living in obedience to God’s word.
Verse twelve states, She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. God said that since the people of Judah had believed the lies of the world and had started worshipping idols instead of worshipping Him, that He was going to burn away their scum. The scum that God spoke of was the people of Judah putting their faith in Assyria and worshipping their gods instead of remaining true to Him. The burning away of this scum would come too late for those who had turned away from God. One day all the scum of the lies and sinful actions of people will be burned away, and the soul of those who have not accepted God’s gift of salvation will suffer everlasting punishment in the fires of hell.
Verse thirteen adds, In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. God said that since they had not been purged by His judgment when they could have, that they could no longer be purged. If we do not accept the purging of our sins when God calls us to salvation, there may come a time when it is too late to do so. It could happen in this lifetime if a person continues to reject God, but if it doesn't it will defiantly be too late after a person dies.
Verse fourteen continues, I the Lord have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord God. God said that He had pronounced this judgment on the people of Judah because they refused to repent and return to following Him in obedience to His word. If a person is sent away to everlasting punishment, it will be because of their choice to not put their faith in Jesus Christ, and when God’s judgment comes, it will be too late to do so. God also said that when this judgment came, it could not be changed. When God's ultimate judgment comes, it will last forever with no hope of it ever being changed.
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