God's children,
created in His image, have been given free will and can use it to make
choices in the life given to them by God. Since God created us with a free
will to choose right from wrong, He gives us and does not take away that
freedom to exercise that right.
We know that a computer can
be programmed to respond at your command. We also know that by conditioning
a dog or any animal for that matter with rewards and punishments, you can
teach it to obey. Trainers do that all the time.
But every parent knows, that
children are not so easily taught. People have wills and must choose
to
submit, to follow or not, the instructions of those who have authority
over them.
Without a doubt discipline
is part of this long process and it is every parent's responsibility to
teach their boys and girls that they will reap the consequences of disobedience.
Ezekiel was a man who
chose to obey God
From the beginning
of Spring of 2004, I have been reading and studying the prophet Ezekiel.
It is here that I want to use him as an example of this wonderful gift
God has given all of us, His people.
Although he was a priest, he
also served as a Jewish “street preacher” for twenty two years in
the streets of Babylon.
He would go around telling
everyone about the judgment of God but also about His mercies goodness
and His salvation.
He called everyone that heard
his voice to repent and obey. Not only did he go around speaking as the
oracles of God, Ezekiel lived what he preached.
During the time he walked
the earth, God told him to illustrate His messages with lessons that were
dramatic and severe.
Most of these lessons used
by Ezekiel to teach the people were so dramatic and drastic that some thought
of him as a mad man.
For starters, some of these
lessons were. . .
To eat only one
eight once meal a day over manure lying on his side for 390 days.
The Lord asked him to
shave his head and beard.
The Lord asked him not to
show sorrow when his wife died and Ezekiel obeyed and faithfully proclaimed
God's word.
Although God may not ask
us any of these things today, what He may ask of us could be considered
by the world's standards just as drastic and severe.
However the question remains
true today for all of us.
Would we be willing to obey
God in all He requires of us?
Because of Ezekiel's obedience
to God, he was promoted to “watchman for Israel.”
When he was commissioned
as such, Ezekiel immediately began to preach and demonstrate God's truth
and POWER.
He predicted the approaching
siege and destruction of Jerusalem. This devastation was God's judgment
for the people's idolatry.
As a man of God, he challenged
Israel to turn away from their wicked ways and obey God. Of course from
reading his book we know that Israel didn't obey the warning given by Ezekiel
and as a result they have been scattered all over the world until this
very present day.
He was also given a vision
where he saw Israel's enemies come against her to destroy her. He preached
this message, the Word of God, to the exiled Jews in the streets of Babylon.
Yes, twenty five hundred
years before it actually happened, Ezekiel was given detailed prophecy
in the
Perfect
Now by God foretelling that modern day Russia would become one
of the dominant nations helping the enemies of Israel to be destroyed.
Ezekiel has gone as far as
predicting that the allies of Russia would march with her to the mountains
of Israel to completely destroy the Jewish people from the face of the
earth.
Anyone of us can turn to
the major television news channels anywhere in the world and confirm that
this statement made by Ezekiel twenty five hundred years ago is true today.
Israel's enemies are bold,
they have no reservations as to how they feel towards Israel. They want
her complete destruction and would go to all extremes to accomplish what
they feel is true and at the same time they have no reservations when declare
to the world the hatred they feel for her.
Yes, they want Israel's complete
destruction.
Yet, these future invaders
will be less successful than the Nazis from W.W.II.
Why?
Because Ezekiel has also predicted
that God will supernaturally interfere by destroying the armies that come
attacking Israel, the apple of His eye.
By doing this, God
will show His omnipotent power to the nations of the world and demonstrate
to Israel, His chosen people, that He still has business to take care of
with her.
Ezekiel goes on to say that
God will be quick, sure and swift in His judgment with these invaders that
dare come against His people. When they decide to attack, God will destroy
them utterly.
He goes on to say that Israel's
allies see the attack coming. Feeling helpless and thinking that they cannot
do anything to stop these angry nations, all that her allies do is to send
a delegation to Russia to kindly question her intentions.
As of November, 2008, Russia
has realigned her weapons to point towards the country of Poland.
(Interserted November 5th,
2008)
“This is what the Sovereign
Lord says:
At that time evil thoughts
will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme.
You will say,
‘Israel is an
unprotected land filled with unwalled villages!
I will march against her
and destroy these people who live in such confidence!
I will go to those once-desolate
cities that are again filled with people who have returned from exile in
many nations.
I will capture vast amounts
of plunder and take many slaves, for the people are rich with cattle now,
and they think the whole world revolves around them!’
But Sheba and Dedan and
the merchants of Tarshish will ask,
‘Who are you to rob
them of silver and gold? Who are you to drive away their cattle and seize
their goods and make them poor?’
Ezekiel
38: 10-13 KJV
Pray
For The Peace Of Jerusalem
