Ezekiel 1:1

 Ezekiel 1:1 says, Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.  There are things in Ezekiel that are hard to understand, and I will not profess to understand them all, but I will do my best to tell what I believe that God was saying through him as it applies to the world today.  Some understand this to refer to Ezekiel’s age.  Ezekiel was a priest who had reached the age of thirty and should have assumed full priestly duties, but there was no temple or altar to serve at.  Others understand it to be in the thirtieth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, but either way, there was no temple and likely no altar for Ezekiel to serve at, and he saw visions from God.   He said the heavens opened up and he saw this.  It wasn’t a dream or a fantasy but a vision from God.  We likely will never see such a vision since God has sent His Son to redeem us and show us everything that we need to know about God in order to be saved.   

Verse two adds, In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,  Ezekiel further dates the time that he began to see these visions to the firth day of the fifth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin. Matthew Henry sys this was likely a sabbath, but whatever day of the week it was, God was at work in Ezekiel's life even when he was in captivity.  God was also at work in our lives when we were in captivity to sin, and He sent us the spiritual sight of Jesus Christ as our Redeemer.  It might not have been as glorious as the visions that Ezekiel had, but it was more important, since it brought us to a right relationship with God if we accepted His gift of salvation,      

Verse three continues, The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.  Ezekiel said the word of the Lord came expressly to him, and that the hand of the Lord was upon him.  When God calls us to salvation, His call comes to each of us individually, and then His hand is upon us if we accept His gift of salvation.  This is true because the Holy Spirit indwells us and we are never out of the presence of God once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, even if at times we slip back into sin and wish we weren’t in His sight.   

 

Isaiah Review Concluded

 One of the great prophesies of Isaiah was his prophesy of the coming Messiah.  He said that the coming Messiah would be born of a virgin, and we know that Jesus Christ was the One Isaiah spoke of.  All the prophesies concerning Israel were temporary except for this one, but Jesus Christ came to be the everlasting Savior of mankind if people will only put their faith in Him.  Had this been the only prophesy that Isaiah proclaimed; it would set him apart as a great prophet. 

I have only pointed out a few of the things that Isaiah prophesied during his life, but this is the most important one.  All the other prophesies and actions of Isaiah were temporary, but the coming of Jesus Christ as a newborn baby to grow into a man and offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind for all time is everlasting.  If we were to fail to understand all of Isaiah’s other prophecies, we must understand this one.  Jesus Christ came to live a sin free life, even though He was tempted to sin just like we and yet never give in to sin.  Because He didn’t, He was able to become the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all other people.

We will never be a prophet like Isaiah or any of the other prophets, because we already know everything we need to know in order to be restored to a right relationship with God and we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us to help us know what God wants us to do and to call us to repentance when we don't.  Our commission is to share the gospel with other people, and I believe this should also lead us to want to gather with our fellow believers to give praise to God and to grow spiritually. 

Many times, Isaiah and the other prophets encountered opposition, and they sometimes felt that God was not with them, but He reminded them that He was. Like the prophets, we may encounter opposition from the world, but like them we must also remain faithful to God.  The Holy Spirit will always remind us that God is with us not matter what is going on in our life.   

Next. We will look at the Book of Ezekiel.

Isaiah Review Continued

 Isaiah also said that there was coming a day when the people would come to God by faith.  When this day came, those that put their faith in Him would turn their swords into plowshares.  They would want the peace of God and not the wars of the world.   Jesus Christ did not come to wage war with the world, and we as His followers are not called to wage war with the world, but we are called to proclaim peace through faith in Him. 

Isaiah prophesied a lot about the coming judgment of God and called on the people of Israel and all who would put their faith in God to remain faithful to Him.  He also often called on them to repent and return to worshipping God alone.  We must do the same today.  We must come to Jesus Christ by faith and if we allow sin back into our life, we need to repent and return to obeying God.   

Isaiah also prophesied about the Jews returning to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon and Jerusalem being rebuilt.  This did happen, but this was only a physical thing and though it was important, it did not forever save those who returned.  Being physically in a church building for every service that is held there will not save us, just as it couldn’t save the people of Judah in that day.  Only by faith in God and the coming Messiah could they be saved, and only by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah Who came, can we be saved.  

Isaiah often took on the prophets of other gods, and he always defeated them, at times even mocking them.  We need to be willing to battle the false gods of the world today, and we will always be victorious when we do. I don’t believe that we should mock those who worship other gods though, but we should share the gospel with them and pray that they will put their faith in the only God that there is. 

Isaiah often did things at God’s command to get the attention of the people but would have caused the people to whom he was witnessing to look on him as being very strange.  For example, he was called to walk around naked for a period of time.  Whether he was totally naked or not, the consensus is that at least his butt was exposed.  I can imagine how people would react if a preacher showed up in such a state of undress today, and I have a feeling that few would do so even if they thought God might be calling on the to do so. Though still strange, this would have been less so in Isaiah’s day. 

Isaiah Review

 

 I am going to review just a few of the things we find in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah was a great prophet of God who prophesied during the same time as Hosea, who was the first prophet to record his prophesies according to Matthew Henry, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah.  The Book of Isaiah is placed first because it is larger and has the most prophesies in it.  \

The first verse says that this is the vision, or revelation from God, to Isaiah concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah the king.  Had it just been something Isaiah thought, then the prophesies he spoke to the people would not have come true, but they did, some of them centuries later.  When we share about God with the world it needs to be based on His word, and never on something we may believe because of some vision or dream we had.  Like Isaiah, if we have a vision concerning God, it must come from God.  

Isaiah began by denouncing how the people of Judah had rebelled against God.  This did not make him popular with those who heard him.  We have to speak out against sin today, especially if it is being promoted by those who profess to be followers of Christ.  God was going to judge them with an everlasting judgment one day.  

Isaiah also said that they would have been hopeless if God had not preserved a remnant.  When looking at the number of people in the world today, even the number who profess to be Christians, we want to make sure that we are a part of the remnant, those who have truly put their faith in Jesus Christ and live under the direction of the Holy Spirit.  

Isaiah also said that their sacrifices meant nothing to God, because those offering them were not doing it sincerely, but they were just going through the motions of worshipping God, and we need to make sure we never do that as Christians today.  

Isaiah 66:18

Isaiah 66:18 says, For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.  God said He knew not only their works but their thoughts.  We may fool people, but we will never fool God.  God also said that all nations would come before Him to see His glory.  This referred to the remnant who had remained faithful to God, but for too many, this will be a time when they see His glory too late since they will be sent away to everlasting punishment. 

Verse nineteen adds, And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.  God said that those who remained faithful and had escaped persecution would have His sign set among them and they would be dispersed to those who had not heard His name. Matthew Henry says there is not a clear understanding of where these countries mentioned here were located, but to me, it just means the rest of the world who had not heard of God's saving grace. It was always God's plan to save everyone who would put their faith in Him and He was going to carry out His plan when the time was right. This happened after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ when He was born and lived in total obedience to God.  

Verse twenty continues, And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.  God said that those sent to other countries would bring all those who accepted His gift of salvation to Him. They would come as clean vessels to Him, and our bodies are made spiritually clean vessels by the blood of Jesus Christ. 

Verse twenty-one states, And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord.  God said He was going to take these Gentiles as priests and Levites.  The priests and Levites were set aside to perform the work in the Temple and were God’s representatives on earth. When the Gentiles became a part of God’s people, they needed people to do the same thing.  Of course, we know that as Christians we become a part of the priesthood of believers and are set apart from the world to do the work of God, and some are set aside even more to be preachers and teachers.  

Verse twenty-two adds, For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.  God said that just as surely as He was going to create a new heaven and earth, those that put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord would remain with Him forever.  This didn’t just apply to them then, but it applied to their descendants as well. This applies to Christians today and their descendants as well if they accept God’s gift of salvation. 

Verse twenty-three continues, And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. God said there was coming a day when everyone would worship Him.  I believe this refers to the time after the second coming of Christ, though we are to share the gospel so that as many as will come to worship Him today. We are under the new covenant of grace, and this verse seems to say that we should worship God continually, and not just on the Sabbath as it refers to here or the Lord's Day that we worship on as followers of Christ. 

Verse twenty-four concludes, And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.  God then stated the future of those who did not believe in Him, and that was everlasting punishment.  We can either accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, or we will one day go away to everlasting destruction. Those are the only two choices.