EZEKIEL 12:1 - 14:11
WHEN YOUR LIFE IS FALLING APART: It is a sign to you that you need to repent and call on the Lord for deliverance. Those people who "pet" you and say that God wouldn't tear your life up, will be judged for prophesying out of their own heads. But these idolaters have their pants on backwards. They didn't believe anything Ezekiel told them! Of course, they hadn't believed Jeremiah either. And obviously, they didn't believe God because judgment was delayed until they didn't believe judgment was coming anymore! They actually supposed that they were getting away with something. But, read what the Holy Spirit is saying, (Eze 12:23-28 and Heb 3:7-15) It is the enemy's bait to tell you that judgment is a long way off! The flesh does not like God's interference, and sees God's commands as intolerance. And because sin is deceptive, we believe that stuff!
PRETENDERS, FAKES AND HYPOCRITES: These are claiming to have wisdom and knowledge and the ability to lead, but they are just saying what you want to hear. Not only are they condemned by God, but they are taking you with them! It says that they (13:2) "follow their own spirits and have seen nothing!" They have the unmitigated gall to say, "The Lord said...." They don't want God to keep you from them, because they want you to serve THEM instead! They are overbearing, condescending, flattering, and phony. They are seducers and manipulators. They refuse to "go up into the gaps" or to "make up the hedge" or to "stand in the battle". They could get hurt! No! They expect YOU to do it, though! These false leaders expect you to sacrifice yourself for them. Real leadership is a living sacrifice, and they go first, modeling and leading the way. Imagine being so twisted that God declares you to be His enemy!!! They were undermining God's Name and God's glory, and had to be flushed out and flushed down. Their names were blotted out of the registry and they lost any claim on the Kingdom of God.
When manipulation and seduction didn't work, the women used MAGIC to seduce people to think they could prolong their lives. That they would be spared by their arch-enemy if they stayed faithful to their charms. These women were pandering for food! God said He would neutralize their power in order to rescue some from their clutches. RESULT? 1 Tim 4:1-2 says, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;" Those trapped in this deception are made bold in their opposition to God. Their lifestyle appears easier than being righteous. It was the softer, more acceptable route to take. Going against the flow brings rejection, humiliation, persecution, isolation. But if you are on the easy road, you will die of starvation and drought, or in battle. Spiritual food and drink can ONLY come from the Lord.
The pretenders, fakes and hypocrites have one more trick up their sleeves: (chap14) "Let's pretend to ask God what to do, even tho we have no intension of obeying Him." But God isn't stupid. God is street-smart and savvy. They thought they could insult God by worshipping "idols of the heart" and shamelessly lead others astray - - - and then expect God to give them "a word". God wants to recapture their hearts and the hearts of their followers.
RESPONSE: This really tears me up. I WANT to repent for the people I love. I want them to "get it". I don't want to see them suffer, but know that it is inevitable because of their hardness of heart. Hardness of heart makes them blind and deaf to the truth. They can't understand it anymore. That is how people get deceived and way "out there". Trying to deceive God leads to self-deception. So, if that's you - "TURN".
HEBREWS 7:1-17
This is a continuation of the 3rd warning about refusing to "grow up", but instead allowing our flesh to be sacrificed to obedience, and taking responsibility as a Christian. Part of that responsibility is to become a priest of the Lord. God's original purpose (Gen 1:26-28; Gen 19:6; 1 Pet 2:5; Rev 1:5-6; 5:10) was for a "nation of priests" - that's us! But this is a "better priesthood" (Heb 7:7) than anything that pre-existed because it is able to get results. The great point in this chapter is that with no more sacrifices and a better covenant, this new system has the power to perfect and mature the sons of God.
WHO IS MELCHIZEDEK? Jesus is our forerunner - meaning He expects us to follow His example and be priestly like He is. Melchizedek was given as a living example of what is expected and what grace is given to us to fulfill our purpose. The first useage of the word "priest" in the Bible is associated with Melchizedek (Gen 14:18), which makes the Melchizedek priesthood much more ancient than that priesthood of Aaron. Melchizedek, like true believers, has no past and has an endless (eternal) future. The fact that Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek signifies that the Melchizedek priesthood is superior to that of Aaron. The tithe is hereby lifted into the spiritual realm and is a spiritual matter, no longer under the law. It is for the mature believer.
RESPONSE: Being a "liberated" 21-Century person, I used to think of MY money as "mine"! But in Hebrews 7 we learn that the tithe was around BEFORE the law, and even AFTER JESUS! The tithe is an acknowledgement of our dependence on God, and not on Mammon (any substitute for God that sustains our lives). It also documents our gratitude to God, Who gives us "all things" (1Tim 6:17; Heb 1:2; 1 Co 6:12; 10:23; 2 Co 6:10; Phil 3:8). ALL our money actually belongs to God, but He is willing to accept the tithe as representative of the WHOLE.
PSALM 105:37-45
THE WORLD IS GLAD TO GET RID OF US! That's what Psa 105:38 says! This is not talking about a "rapture", but an escape from the enemies of our soul. When we leave the world system and their claims behind us (getting born again), the enemy is chasing us, breathing threats. It is when we usher in the Presence of God - go into His Presence as we walk thru Wal-Mart, then the enemy is AFRAID of us! Now he's running from us! We don't work to overcome the enemy. We work to stay connected to God - denying our flesh, denying our own agenda, our own rights, our own arguments - because being with God is "better" (see Hebews). "Praise ye the Lord!"
PROVERBS 17:3
God is being compared to a "melting pot" and a "fiery furnace". We can come easy, or we can come hard. The fire (distress, pressure, hindrances) will reveal what's in us. My mom used to say, "What you are when you are offended, is what you are." Ouch!
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