1. WHEN TRAGEDY
HITS HOME
EZEKIEL CHAPTERS 2-24
JUNE 22, 2014
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
USA

2. Malachi 3:10
10 “Bring all the tithes into the
storehouse, that there may be food
in My house, and try Me now in
this,” says the LORD of hosts, “If I
will not open for you the windows
of heaven and pour out for you
such blessing that there will not be
room enough to receive it.”

3. Let Freedom Ring
Concert & Block Party
Sunday, June 29
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

4. THURSDAY NIGHT
TOGETHER
FOR
MEDIAN AND
SENIOR ADULTS
THURSDAY, JULY 10
6:30 P.M.-8:00 P.M.

5. http://www.johnmaxwellactor.com/images/john_maxwell_headshot.jpg
John Maxwell

6. Presenting:
“A Fish Tale”
CLC 3rd FLOOR
AUDITORIUM

7. $8.00 per ticket
Catered Meal
Tickets MUST be
purchased in advance!

8. What’s the number one thing?

9. http://dynamiqueprofesseur.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/liftupthecross1c.jpg
The Glory of God!

10. 1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV
31 Therefore, whether you
eat or drink, or whatever
you do, do all to the glory
of God.

11. http://a5.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Podcasts6/v4/32/5f/79/325f79f3-a0f1-02e5-5382-
d8d519585dbe/mza_8884854500008393311.255x255-75.jpg
J. Vernon McGee's
Thru The Bible

12. http://christiandfahey.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/chuck-missler.jpg
A Prophet for our
Time: Ezekiel
Chuck Missler

13. http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4939299503409857&pid=1.7
Ray Stedman 1917-1992

14. http://onedesertrose.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/wiersbe_warren.jpg
Warren Wiersbe

15. The Bible Exposition
Commentary (BE Series) -
Old Testament
www.WalkwiththeWord.org

16. *The Book of Ezekiel has
the most logical
arrangement of any of the
prophetic books.
*It contains three sections,
each of which addresses a
different subject matter.

17. Chapters 1–24 concern the
fall of Jerusalem.
Chapters 25–39 contain a
series of oracles addressed
to foreign nations.

18. In the second section, the
future of Israel (its
restoration which started
in 1948) is contrasted with
that of the foreign nations.

19. The third section,
Chapters 40–48, presents a
plan for rebuilding the
Temple and reorganizing
the restored state of Israel
(during the end times).

20. The theme of the book of
Ezekiel is the final
restoration of Israel.
http://www.ldsces.org/inst_manuals/ot-ssg/images/167-1.gif

21. Of the many fascinating
Scriptural descriptions of
heavenly things in
Ezekiel's vision, the one in
chapters 1 and 10 is by far
the most stunning and
complex.

22. The description of the
throne of God is full of the
splendor of flashing light,
so brilliant that the details
are minutely revealed, but
so dazzling that they are
not clearly seen.

23. http://ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608032099314502599&pid=1.7
Who, but the sovereign
Lord, could have a throne
like a chariot and move as
quickly as
He
pleased?

24. No matter what message God
gave him to preach, or what
opposition arose from the
people, Ezekiel would be
encouraged and strengthened
because he had seen the mighty
throne of God in the midst of the
fiery trial and had seen the glory
of God!

25. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_c2EaITj360k/TTK3uPM1VEI/AAAAAAAAAEc/cpnjM2r1qOY/s1600/God%2527s+throne.jpg

26. The old saying, “Be
careful what you wish for
– you may get it” is
certainly true in the case
of most people’s desire for
a prophet – a TRUE
prophet of God, that is.

27. Many people claim the
title of prophet who elicit
a large following because
they promote a message
that people want to hear
rather than what they
need to hear.

28. True prophets of God
come only in times of
extreme spiritual distress
and generally as God’s
last resort after people
have rejected all other
forms of His Word.

29. *Once you understand the
calling of a true prophet
of God, you will never
wish to see one.
*It would mean you’re in
so much trouble, that it
may be too late.

30. In chapters 2-9, Ezekiel
moves quickly into
prophecies at great length
that have to do with the
failure of man (they had
gotten themselves into
deep trouble).

31. We are struck again by the
glory of the Lord in
chapter 3 which is one of
the key elements in
Ezekiel (3:12, 23; 8:4; 9:3;
10:4, 18-19; 11:22-23; 39:21;
43:2, 4-5; 44:4).

32. This first section of
Ezekiel (chapters 1-24) is a
sad era in the history of
Israel.
The Glory of the Lord had
led Israel out of Egypt.

33. http://worshippingchristian.org/images/blog/burning_bush.jpg
Then the Glory of the
Lord had appeared to
Moses, in the burning
bush on
Mt. Sinai
(Ex 3:3-4).

34. *The very presence of God
appeared to them in a
cloud by day, and a pillar
of fire by night.
*God had nurtured Israel
in the wilderness,
providing food and water.

35. Four hundred years after
Israel took possession of
the land, they were
instructed to build a
House for the presence of
God in Jerusalem.

36. http://www.truthnet.org/Ezekiel/4-Ezekiel-8-11/Solomon's%20Temple.jpg

37. *Solomon completed this
Temple in 960 B.C.
*The presence of God, the
Glory of the Lord,
affirmed and blessed the
House, by filling it with
His presence.

38. 1 Kings 8:10-11 NKJV
10 And it came to pass,
when the priests came out
of the holy place, that the
cloud filled the house of
the LORD,

39. 11 so that the priests could
not continue ministering
because of the cloud; for
the glory of the LORD
filled the house of the
LORD.
1 Kings 8:10-11 NKJV

40. Ezekiel chapters 8-11
reveals how the presence
of God, leaves His
Temple, Solomon’s
Temple, because of the
sins taking place.

41. Before He leaves, Ezekiel
is brought to the Temple
to witness why God’s
presence is leaving the
Temple.

42. He witnesses the idolatry
taking place in secret and
how the nation’s leaders
worshipped abominations
in the Temple.

43. http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4e/9e/84/4e9e840ea2caa6b7ba9c354c18924fed.jpg
Ezekiel testified to what
the nation’s leaders were
doing in secret,
thinking God
did not know.

44. God asks Ezekiel in 8:12:
12 Then He said to me, “Son of
man, have you seen what the
elders of the house of Israel do in
the dark, every man in the room
of his idols? For they say,
‘The LORD does not see us,
the LORD has forsaken the
land.’”

45. The prophet will watch
God's glory leave the
temple and go over the
Mount of Olives, and he
will also see it return to
the Kingdom Temple.

46. God allows Ezekiel to see
the events in the spiritual
realms as He calls His
angelic “Guards” to slay
the idolaters in the city
(Ezekiel 9).

47. http://endtimepilgrim.org/templedest.jpg
This action is later
fulfilled when the armies
of Babylon destroy the
city and slay
its
inhabitants
in 586 B.C.

48. In Ezekiel 11:13b, after
witnessing the slaughter and
judgment in the spiritual
realms, Ezekiel asks God,
"Ah, Lord God! Will You
make a complete end of the
remnant of Israel?"

49. Ezekiel 11:16b NKJV
16b Thus says the
Lord GOD: “I shall be a
little sanctuary for them in
the countries (Babylon)
where they have gone.”

50. Even though the Temple
was about to be destroyed
by the armies of Babylon,
God Himself would be a
“little sanctuary” to the
captives in Babylon.

51. *God is also promising a day of
restoration - even though they
are judged, they will be restored.
*God will bring them back to the
land and put a “New Spirit in
them”, they will be given a
“heart of flesh”, they will then be
“My people”.

52. http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs50/i/2009/318/3/6/Ezekiel_36_26_by_DelorienAz.jpg

53. Because of Israel's sins, the
glory left the temple; but
God's promise is that one
day the city of Jerusalem and
the temple will be blessed by
the glorious presence of the
Lord once again.

54. http://spiritualbattleground.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/7-jehovah-shammah.jpg
The city will be called
"Jehovah Shammah—the
Lord is there"(Ezek 48:35).

55. The greatest reward a
person can ever have is
the presence of the Lord!
We are to practice that
presence now, moment by
moment (through prayer).

56. Even though the events in
this section of the book of
Ezekiel seem bleak for the
nation, God is not done
with Israel, they will be
restored.

57. This restoration of
obedience will take place
in the last days, the end-
times, when Israel comes
to know their Messiah.

58. http://www.stonechurch.us/images/message-series/end-times.jpg
Ezekiel 36 to 48 deals with
this progression of events.

59. http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?&id=HN.608023243087086825&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0
Many people in their flesh
misunderstand God’s
judgment.

60. Ezekiel’s, references to
God’s discipline are
usually followed by
the words:
"Then you will know that
I am the Lord."

61. http://www.thegodmurders.com/images/80.jpg
We can begin to grasp the
message that God was
giving us
through
His prophet,
Ezekiel.

62. *Though His people were
in exile and their nation
was about to be
destroyed, God was still
on the throne and able to
handle every situation.
*He is above the storm!

63. http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=HN.608000179115131180&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0
In His marvelous
providence, He moves in
the affairs of nations and
works out His
hidden plan.

64. Romans 11:33 NKJV
33 Oh, the depth of the
riches both of the wisdom
and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His
judgments and His ways
past finding out!

65. *Israel wasn't the victim of
Babylonian aggression.
*It was God Who enabled the
Babylonians to conquer His people
and chasten them for their
rebellion, but God would also bring
the Medes and the Persians to
conquer Babylon, and then Cyrus,
would permit the Jews to return to
their land.

66. http://biblica.frih.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Cyrusking.jpg

67. *Those taken to the land
of Babylon would be the
seed of the future nation,
while those left behind
would be destroyed.
*This is also a picture of
the Rapture to come.

68. http://disciplegideon.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/rapture2.jpg
Just as the exiles were, we
will be suddenly snatched
away to become part of
God’s future Kingdom!

69. http://a4.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/8/c1908992b7c2d06e0b82dddf86d62443/l.jpg
Sometimes seemingly bad
things happen in our lives
so we might be
protected from
truly worse
events.

70. The wicked men in
Jerusalem thought their
being left behind was for
their financial and
personal gain when in
reality they were being
left behind to be judged.

71. “I will gather you” (Ez20:34)
Israel would be gathered
again in preparation of the
coming of the Glory of the
Lord, Jesus Christ, Who
would die for the sins of the
world at His First Coming
(Isaiah 53).

72. Israel will also be
gathered again before the
Second Coming, when the
Glory of the Lord returns
in power and glory (Zech
12:9-10, Matt 24:30-31).

73. When Tragedy Hits Home
The theme of chapter 24 is
to draw close to God and
to continue to seek His
will during times of
personal tragedy.

74. http://th01.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2013/031/2/8/ezekiel_s_valley_of_the_dry_bones_by_ufrugger-d5tc7n3.jpg
God gave Ezekiel six
visions: of Himself,
a scroll, a plain, twice of
Jerusalem, dry bones, and
the New
Temple.

75. As well as ten visual signs
for the people (a brick,
posture, bread, shaving,
packing belongings,
trembling, sharpened a
sword, furnace of fire, his
wife’s death, and 2 sticks).

76. Ezekiel lost his nation and
his wife all in the same
day in 588 B.C.
We don’t know her name
nor even whether she had
children or not.

77. Ezekiel 24:15-18 NKJV
The Prophet’s Wife Dies
15 Also the word of
the LORD came to me,
saying,

78. 16 “Son of man, behold, I
take away from you the
desire of your eyes with
one stroke; yet you shall
neither mourn nor weep,
nor shall your tears run
down.

79. 17 Sigh in silence, make no
mourning for the dead;
bind your turban on your
head, and put your
sandals on your feet; don’t
cover your lips, and do not
eat man’s bread of sorrow.”

80. 18 So I spoke to the people
in the morning, and at
evening my wife died;
and the next morning I
did as I was commanded.
Ezekiel 24:15-18 NKJV

81. *Ezekiel’s wife was the
delight of his eyes as
Israel was the delight of
God’s eyes.
*The Temple was the
delight of the eyes of the
children of Israel.

82. http://gorepent.com/wp-content/uploads/posts26/ezekiel-wife.jpg
Things had not gone as
planned for Ezekiel and
his lovely wife.

83. http://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/map_judah_babylon_shg1.jpg
They had been suddenly
uprooted from their home
and now they were 1,000
miles
away
from
home.

84. http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/lookandlearn-preview/M/M800/M800221.jpg
They had coped with the
major changes in their
lives - but now this!

85. “The two had become one
flesh” so death, for
whatever reason, was a
ripping of that one flesh
and that was very painful,
yet God told Ezekiel not
to grieve publically.

86. Centuries later, the same
God Who took Ezekiel’s
wife’s life was the same
God Who gave the delight
of His eyes, Jesus, to die
for these rebellious people
(and that would be us!).

87. Romans 5:8 NKJV
8 But God demonstrated
His own love toward us,
in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.

88. Ezekiel 24:19-24 NKJV
19 And the people said to
me, “Will you not tell us
what these things signify to
us, that you behave so?”

89. 20 Then I answered them,
“The word of the LORD
came to me, saying,

90. 21 ‘Speak to the house of Israel,
“Thus says the Lord GOD:
‘Behold, I will profane My
sanctuary, your arrogant boast,
the desire of your eyes, the
delight of your soul; and your
sons and daughters whom you
left behind shall fall by the
sword.

91. 22 And you shall do as I
have done; you shall not
cover your lips nor eat
man’s bread of sorrow.

92. 23 Your turbans shall be on
your heads and your
sandals on your feet;
you shall neither mourn nor
weep, but you shall pine
away in your iniquities and
mourn with one another.

93. 24 Thus Ezekiel is a sign to
you; according to all that
he has done you shall do;
and when this comes, you
shall know that I am the
Lord GOD.’”
Ezekiel 24:19-24 NKJV

94. The Israelites thought:
“God would never
destroy our Temple,
would He?”
While we wonder: “God
would never destroy the
USA, would He?”

95. God told Ezekiel, "Don't
act like you're mourning
at all." And the people
didn't understand it. The
people came to Ezekiel
and said, "What in the
world does this mean?

96. *Your wife has died, and
you are not mourning at all!
*What kind of man are
you?"
*All of this Ezekiel is doing
to get a message through to
the people.

97. http://graceologydotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/1jesus7.jpg
The bottom line here is
that God wanted Ezekiel
to be a living
example of a
spiritual reality.

98. The point is profound and
painful:
God’s temple is as
precious to Him and to
the Israelites as Ezekiel’s
wife was to Ezekiel.

99. *Still, God was willing to destroy
His own temple to eventually
redeem His people.
Isaiah 53:10a HCSB
10a Yet the LORD was pleased to
crush Him severely.

100. Verse 24 is the key to this entire
Book of Ezekiel:
Ezekiel 24:24
24 “Thus Ezekiel is a sign to you;
according to all that he has done
you shall do; and when this
comes, you shall know that
I am the Lord GOD.”

101. http://www.journeyofworship.com/wp-content/uploads/deut-7-9.jpg

102. *God knows that if you give
your devotion to anyone other
than to Him, you can never be
whole.
*At the very moment that the
Israelites were asking Ezekiel
why he showed no remorse,
Jerusalem was being destroyed.

103. *Later on word came to
the captives about its
destruction:

104. Ezekiel 33:21
21 And it came to pass in the
twelfth year of our captivity,
in the tenth month, on the fifth
day of the month, that one who
had escaped from Jerusalem
came to me and said, “The
city has been captured!”

105. Into the camp came these
stragglers; they must have
looked terrible.
They said, "We've escaped
from the city.
The false prophets were
wrong.
The city is burned.

106. The temple has been leveled,
and the city is debris and
ashes."
Ezekiel was right in not
mourning.
The reason they were not to
mourn is found in Ezekiel
24:27.

107. 27 On that day your mouth
will be opened to him who
has escaped; you shall speak
and no longer be mute. Thus
you will be a sign to them,
and they shall know that I
am the LORD. Ezekiel
24:27

108. http://techlinkonline.net/ps100/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/faithful_god.jpg

109. "They shall know that I
am the Lord."
Jerusalem was God's city,
and the temple was His
house.
They were God's witness
to the world.

110. And when the people of
Israel failed, God said,
"I will destroy even My
own witness on the earth.
I want you to know the
city is destroyed.

111. The rest of your people
are being brought into
captivity. But there's no
use weeping, there's no
use howling to Me now. I
have done this -- I am
responsible for it."

112. To each of the seven
churches in the Book of
Revelation, the Lord Jesus
said, "You had better be
careful of your witness to the
world, or I will come and
remove your lampstand."

113. The lampstand of all
seven of those churches
has been removed.

114. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w4TgliI9jGM/T9Ot-VG4ShI/AAAAAAAAAXw/DssBGn8pNww/s1600/7+Churches.JPG
Not one of those churches
remains today.

115. This ought to be a
message to our churches:
If you are not going to
stand for God today, He
will remove your
lampstand -- there will be
no light.

116. *The family (one man, one
woman and their
children) was God's first
institution, but today man
seems to think it is the
worst institution.
*We must take a stand.

117. This is a strong message;
it is not the lovey-dovey,
sloppy stuff we hear so
often.
Hear Ezekiel! He is still
speaking for God today.

118. He has said again and again,
"The word of the Lord, came
unto me, saying."
If you want to argue with his
message, take it to the Lord,
but remember He's right and
we are the ones who are
wrong.

119. Our task is to discover
how God sees things and
get our lives in line with
His ways.

120. How did the people know
that the prophet was
telling the truth?
They didn't have instant
news service as we have
today.

121. God said that a messenger
would arrive in Babylon
with the news of the fall
of the city and the
destruction of the temple,
and this did occur five
months later.

122. The day after the
messengers arrived, God
opened the prophet's
mouth and removed the
discipline He had
imposed at the beginning
of his ministry.

123. Ezekiel 24:25 NKJV
25 ‘And you, son of man—will
it not be in the day when I take
from them their stronghold,
their joy and their glory, the
desire of their eyes, and that
on which they set their minds,
their sons and their daughters:

124. http://worshippingchristian.org/images/blog/destruction_temple.jpg

125. Ezekiel 3:26-27 NKJV
26 I will make your tongue
cling to the roof of your
mouth, so that you shall
be mute and not be one to
rebuke them, for they
are a rebellious house.

126. 27 But when I speak with you, I
will open your mouth, and
you shall say to them, ‘Thus
says the Lord GOD.’ He who
hears, let him hear; and he
who refuses, let him refuse;
for they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 3:26-27 NKJV

127. *From this point on, the
prophet was free to speak
as he felt led, and at the
same time, the focus of his
ministry shifted.
*A new ministry of hope
and consolation began.

128. *He had exposed the nation's sins
and announced her judgment.
*Now he would announce God's
plans for the Gentile nations,
including victorious Babylon; and
then he would minister hope to
the Jewish exiles and share with
them visions of the kingdom yet
to come.

129. http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608044653502334500&pid=1.7
Ezekiel traces the
degradation of man, the
result of men's rejection of
God's amazing grace.

130. He tells how God
struggles with those
people, calling them; how
He tries to win them, to
waken them to the
foolishness of turning their
backs on the glory of God.

131. At last they go through times of
difficulty and heartache and
discipline, as God seeks constantly
to bring them to their senses, to
waken them to what they are doing
– to show them that man is made to
fellowship with God and that
without God he only goes farther
and farther into weakness and folly
and degradation.

132. Here you find the reasons
why man is debauched
and degraded, and
Ezekiel sets forth the
righteousness of God's
judgment.

133. http://deliniation.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/11-judgement2.jpg
When man chooses to
avoid the God Who made
him, what else is there but
judgment?

134. If we neglect God, Who is
utterly essential to our
being, and we refuse to give
heed to His love and His
grace, then the only thing
left for us is to experience
the results of turning our
backs to Him.

135. http://bocsupportnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/admin/1113/02/turn-back-on-god.gif

136. How do we put into
action what we have
learned so far in the book
of Ezekiel when we are
struck by tragedy?

137. 1) Remain open to God’s
guidance and the Lord
will help you prepare for
and deal with experiences
of personal grief. Don’t
turn away from Him
when trouble comes.

138. 2) Draw close to God and
rely on Him in times of
personal grief, and He
will use your testimony
and example to help
others turn to Him and
seek to know Him better.

139. 3) Trust that when others
see God at work in your
life during a time of grief,
they also may be drawn to
trust Him.

140. (Finding purpose in your pain.)