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Ezekiel

CHAPTER 36

1 Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD: 2 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: 3 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: 4 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; 5 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. 6 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: 7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. 8 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. 9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: 10 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: 11 And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 12 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men. 13 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations; 14 Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD. 15 Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord GOD.

God had just given prophecy about the destruction of Edom and its proud mountainous regions. But now God speaks of wonderful things to come for the mountains of Israel.

Notice verse 8. The prophecy is SOON to be fulfilled. Seventy years of captivity will be completed, then many Israelites will return to the land.

There will also be another great "return" of Israel to the land. It will be when Messiah Jesus comes the second time and sets up the millenial kingdom on earth.

Then, Israelites will flood to the land, believing in Jesus, and the land will be blessed (see verses 33-35).

The second fulfillment of this prophey is also "soon" to be completed! The rapture of the church could happen at any time. Upon that event, Jewish people will turn to Christ, and they will begin to flood into the "promised land."

16 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. 18 Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: 19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. 20 And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. 21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. 22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

The REASON for the desolation of the land occuring was because people did "their own thing," instead of doing God's express will (verse 17).

All the world, and all that is IN it belongs to God. When people refuse to acknowledge Him and surrender to His leadership and guidance, they DEFILE the land!

When people "do their own thing" instead of following God's leadership and guidance, the people themselves are UNCLEAN (verse 17, see also Isaiah 64:6).

Because Israel had worshipped idols, God had removed them from the land (verses 19-20). But God will preserve His HOLY NAME (verse 21). As pastor Rick Warren had said in his book "The Purpose Driven Life," -- "It's not about YOU, it's about GOD!"

God will "sanctify" His Holy Name (verse 23). God KEEPS His Name holy at all times. In doing so, there are some other things that result from His action. He "casts out" those who DEFILE His name. But He also "returns" them after discipline for His own Glory (see verse 24).

25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. 31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. 32 Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. 33 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. 34 And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. 35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. 36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. 37 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. 38 As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Only God can cleanse people! He washes us in the pure water of His Word and fills us with His Spirit (See Titus 3:5).

When God puts HIS Spirit in us, it changes our rebellious ("stony") heart to a pliable and moldable heart ("heart of flesh")((verses 26-27)).

Our "uncleanness" is so great that we cannot save ourselves from it - only God can (verse 29).

God created us for His own pleasure (Revelation 4:11). His purpose for us is to be like Christ. When we defile that purpose we should be "ashamed and counfounded" (verse 32).

But God has a desire to CLEANSE us, and restore us to the perfection for which He intended us to have. The only way that we can receive that restoration is to repent and surrender to Him. He cleanses for HIS GLORY and not for our sakes.

When Messiah Jesus returns to set up the millenial kingdom, those Israelites who have returned to the land will have come in repentence and sorrow. They will have come pleading forgiveness and asking for cleansing. Then, God will grant them the joy of living in the land (verse 33).

When Christ becomes the FOCUS of their lives, the land will be like "the Garden of Eden" (verse 35). EVERYONE in the world will then know that God has done this for HIS GLORY, and that all people are created for the purpose of bringing Him pleasure.

You can count on it to be done, because God Himself has SAID it (verse 36).

What if Christ came for His church and the rapture occured today?
Or, what if you DIED today? Life IS brief and uncertain!
Are you READY?
Please continue in Bible study with us tomorrow.