The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet #4379

My Hi-lite:   Ezekiel 17:24  And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.

 We are talking about two trees, a haughty arrogant one, and a lowly humble one. These are those same two trees from the beginning, even in the garden of God: the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the Tree of Life.

Ezekiel 17:24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.

The high [haughty] tree, Satan as antichrist, will be brought down at the return of the low [humble] tree, Jesus Christ, who will be exalted as the King of kings and Lord of lords and under whose authority all people shall dwell forever more. Here are the definitions of "high" and "low" from Strong's Concordance:

high = gaboahh, gaw-bo'-ah, Hebrew 1364; or (fully) gabowahh, gaw-bo'-ah; from Hebrew 1361 (gabahh); elevated (or elated), powerful, arrogant :- haughty, height, high (-er), lofty, proud, × exceeding proudly.

low = shaphal, shaw-fawl', Hebrew 8217; from Hebrew 8213 (shaphel); depressed, literal or figurative :- base (-st), humble, low (-er, -ly).

And ALL the "trees" of the field, i.e. every single individual, shall KNOW it was the LORD's doing! We will soon be studying the 31st chapter of Ezekiel which explains so well what "trees" are symbolic of in the Bible. Of course no one is going to write to us and contest that the trees and branches and twigs in chapter 17 of Ezekiel are anything other than people, and the same will be true of the 31st chapter of this book. And no one disputes that the Tree of Life in Revelation is anyone other than Jesus Christ. But they will argue until they are "blue in the face" that the tree that was in the midst of garden of Eden, whose "fruit" produces nothing but pain and heartache and death, had apples on it!

Here is what and who that tree in Eden was:

Ezekiel 31:3
Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.

There is a note in the Companion Bible regarding this word "Assyrian" which actually means "box cedar". It is symbolic, as you will see, of Satan who wanted to be a "great fir tree" like our Father calls Himself in Hosea 14:8: "Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found." You GET YOUR FRUIT from Him, not from the Tree in the midst of the garden, NOT from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil!

[4] The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.

All these same "trees of the field", who we just read of in Ezk. 17:24, are going to see this tree BROUGHT DOWN! And they are going to KNOW it was the LORD who did it!

[5] Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.

[6] All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.

He exalted himself and became world ruler, the king of Babylon [confusion], even in the "world that then was" before God overthrew him the first time.  He is coming again as world ruler and high priest (the antichrist) and God will overthrow him and bring him down again.

[7] Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.

[8] The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.

[9] I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.

Any question about who "trees" are? They are persons.

Let's repeat the last verse of Ezekiel 17:

Ezekiel 17:24
And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.

What is this "green tree" and "dry tree"? A green tree is a living tree and a dry one is dead. This refers to Jesus Christ who used this VERY SAME analogy concerning Himself as He walked to His crucifixion:

Luke 23:28
But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.

He was teaching even as He marched to His death!

[29] For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.

His bride is supposed to be a virgin when He comes to marry her, but unfortunately many will be seduced, impregnated in their minds, by someone else who they think is their husband. In other words, they will think that Satan, soon coming as antichrist, is in fact the real Jesus. They are supposed to WAIT and remain virgins.

[30] Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.

They will be so ashamed when the real bridegroom shows up and they are nursing someone else's baby [this is a spiritual allegory].

[31] For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

If they crucified Christ while He was yet alive in the flesh, what will they do when He gone away? He already answered that.

So what then is the "riddle" of Ezekiel chapter 17? Actually it was summed up in the words of our Father at the conclusion of the lesson:

Ezekiel 17:24
... I the LORD have spoken and have done it.

You see, the Word of God declares that the king of Babylon is coming to take the House of Israel captive once again in this final generation. Many Christian preachers and ministers are running around telling people not to worry and they are safe and secure because God is going take them up in the Rapturemobile and they won't be taken captive! Sorry! It ain't so! We are going into captivity. The religious leaders lied to the people back then and they continue in their ignorance to lie to the people today.

That which is written SHALL HAPPEN exactly as it is written. That is what the Lord meant: I have spoken it and I have done it! Whatever He does PROSPERS. If we go against his plan, "SHALL IT PROSPER?" Having your "eyes" put out is not my definition of prosperity!

We are to SEE and UNDERSTAND that the sequence of events in chapter 17 goes directly from the captivity, which was a TYPE for us today, to the restoration of the kingdom of God. The parable therefore concerning the actions of God's people is written for us in this final generation, for we who are going into captivity and face the king of Babylon.

The example has already been SET FORTH. We can either understand and do things God's way, or we can try to circumvent the PLAN OF GOD. The king of Babylon WILL COME and he WILL PROSPER because it is God's will. You can either be part of the plan or you will quickly become part of the problem.

Remember that the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Thes. chapter 2 that the son of perdition is coming BEFORE we gather back to Jesus Christ and he will deceive the whole world, causing the great apostasy by sitting in the temple of God claiming that he is God, that he is Jesus Christ?

It is going to happen exactly that way, because it has been God's Plan from the beginning. The coming king of Babylon SHALL PROSPER during his reign.

Daniel records it for us too:

Daniel 11:32
And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

Go against the plan of God and you will suffer the consequences.
Zedekiah learned the hard way.
We don't have to.
Those who know their God and His Word will prosper.

[36] And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

"That that is determined shall be done!"
No "ifs", "ands" or "buts".
It SHALL BE DONE!

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.