The whore just loves religion and even carries a Bible to give her traditions of men added value and make them appear holy, as if they came from Him when in fact they did not. She is deluded indeed.
This same exact city Jerusalem that we are reading of in Ezekiel as documented 14 verses later in Rev. 17:18 "And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." is symbolic of false religion.
Do you have a favorite location that you just love to go? Perhaps you even wish you could live there all year 'round. Well, our Father does have a favorite location on earth, and He does intend to live there forever, and He will. It is the City of Jerusalem, as we will see in this 16th chapter of Ezekiel.
Chapter 16 is written as an allegory, which means as a symbolic representation, depicting the love, even the sensuous love, that our Father has for the City of Jerusalem. Why is it written so? So that we can hopefully understand His heartfelt emotions by drawing from the feelings of our own human experiences.
Many would say that God has no emotions and that He is just a Spirit or a Force without shape or form. But apparently they haven't read in Genesis that we were created after His image and His likeness, which Jesus Christ confirmed in the New Testament when He said to Philip, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." (Jn. 14:9) So He looks like us, or we look like Him, i.e. like Father, like son or like daughter.
In the following account, our Father will declare His love for the City of Jerusalem as a love for a beautiful woman. He begins by revealing her unclean birth, and then describes her growth and maturity into womanhood when He takes her to be His wife. We need always be reminded of the importance of this great city as the focal point of Bible prophecy for this final generation.
Let's begin.
God's watchman, Ezekiel, the type and predecessor of those whom God strengthens, even God's elect in this generation, is to make Jerusalem to know her abominations, all of them, including the Past, the Present, and especially the Future. For it is written in Mark 13 that in the last days the "abomination of desolation" himself will enter into and stand in God's beloved city of Jerusalem and take her and claim her to be his own.Ezekiel 16:1
Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,[2] Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
So the reason the allegory of God's love for Jerusalem is presented to us in the following tender fashion is so that we can understand how deep His love is for Jerusalem, and thus how deep the hurt and the anger He will feel when He has to pour out the vials of His wrath upon that great city (Rev. 17:18) who even now has the name written upon her forehead, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH (Rev. 17:5).
Here then is what the watchman is to know and teach:
The Amorites and the Hittites were the largest and most powerful tribes of the Canaanites and therefore representative of the whole of the Canaanite nations, and so it is that the city of Jerusalem was born, i.e. founded, in heathenism. Amorite means "mountaineer" and Hittite means "terror".[3] And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.
She was born in uncleanness, without any purification whatsoever, i.e. no one cared for her enough to even cut and tie her umbilical cord.[4] And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
"No one had the slightest interest in you; no one pitied you or cared for you. On that day when you were born, you were dumped out into a field and left to die, unwanted." L.B. What a way to begin life![5] None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.
God saw her there lying in her own blood and filthiness, abandoned unto death, and He said unto her, "Live".[6] And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.
Note: This is a really good graphic image for the "elect lady" (2 Jn. 1:1) to SEE with her mind's eye the abject helplessness of her own birth into sin before our loving Father said unto her, "Live".Our Father then tended the newborn whom He cleansed, and nourished her like a young budding flower of the field, and she grew healthy and beautiful and developed the charms of mature womanhood until such time as she was ready to be taken to wife!
Through God's grace and love and attention, she developed into a beautiful young lady.[7] I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.
God then married the city of Jerusalem, yes, the geographical location itself![8] Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.
Note: To "spread my skirt over thee" is a Hebrew idiom denoting the consummation of marriage as in Ruth 3:9.In other words, God entered into an everlasting marriage covenant with Jerusalem to be His wife forever and ever, world without end. He made her His!
God cleansed her and anointed her and took her to wife as His own. (Unfortunately it wouldn't be long before she would become polluted and unclean again, and play the role of a whore, even the great whore, until such time as He cleanses her again when Yashua returns at the 7th Trump.)[9] Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.
So now that God has married this beautiful young woman, He proceeds to "dress her up real pretty" with fine linen and jewelry, and even places a tiara upon her head.
The following four verses describe how God adorns His wife:
He clothed her with beautifully colored embroidered needlework, fine leather shoes, sheer linen undergarments, and a beautiful silk gown. (Hey, it works for me!)Ezekiel 16:10
I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.
Next, a trip to Tiffany's, not Wal-mart. (God is loaded. His real estate holdings alone span the entire universe.)
Is God opposed to women wearing jewelry and necklaces and earrings (next verse)? If you think He is, then you'll have to answer a much larger and more serious, almost blasphemous question, "Is God a hypocrite?" Look how He dresses His wife![11] I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
Jerusalem received her crown when David took the city from the Jebusites and occupied it and made it the Capital of Israel. Her name was then changed to Yeru-shalom, Jerusalem, meaning "foundation of peace". Of course so far it has been the city of more wars and controversies than any other city on earth. But she will eventually live up to her name, for her name does not change in Rev. 21:2[12] And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
Jerusalem did become exceedingly beautiful and prospered into the kingdom of Israel and then into the kingdom of Judah. And it was the Lord GOD who made her so![13] Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
Jerusalem's renown reached its pinnacle under the reign of King Solomon as her reputation spread abroad unto the queen of Sheba, unto Hiram, etc. But unfortunately her beauty and the glory and the wealth bestowed upon her by the Lord GOD will prove to be her downfall, as she turns away from the One who loves her so much, and begins to prostitute herself and follow after other gods.[14] And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
So let's consider how beautiful and lovely our Father made His wife, Jerusalem, and how much He truly loves her.
In this 16th chapter of Ezekiel we have been reading about the location that Almighty God has chosen as His favorite spot in all the universe. It is the location that will be His future dwelling place following the Millennium and will remain His home for the rest of eternity (Rev. 21). That location is non-other than the great city of Jerusalem, which was originally a heathen town called Jebus before He made it His own.
Our Father speaks to us about His love for this location in such a way so as to show us His emotions, i.e. how He feels about this city and what has transpired there since He chose it. He likens His Jerusalem to an unclean baby girl who was left to die in her own birth blood, and nobody even cared enough for her to cut and tie her umbilical cord or give her a bath, until He came by and saw her and had compassion on her. Our loving Father then cleaned her and nourished her and raised her to become a beautiful young lady, mature enough to marry. So He took her to be His own wife by placing His skirt over her, and He bestowed upon her fine linens and precious jewelry and great status as His wife. She was even given a crown of glory when David took her and made her the capital of Israel.
How can we as human beings, even Christians, come to an understanding of how our Father feels about our many religious traditions and practices which, although they "appear" to be worshipping Him, really constitute complete and utter idolatry, which God likens to adultery and whoredom. We often times don't see what is so bad about what we do, but then without the knowledge of His Word, how would we know? If you don't know something, then you don't know that you don't know it!
That's
pretty graphic and hardly seems like Bible language, right?
WRONG!
Therefore
all of the following graphic expressions of lewd, licentious activities
in this chapter are to be interpreted as IDOLATRY, and not to the sins
of the flesh which are merely used as allegory.
It is by our understanding of how a husband must feel when his beautiful
wife that he has so graciously and amply provided for, even rescued from
certain death, turns from his loving arms and becomes a slut and a tramp
and gives away all the nice things her husband gave to her to all her lover
boys.
Here are the words of the Lord concerning His beautiful wife, Jerusalem, as she turns from Him.
"But you thought you could get along without me - you trusted in your beauty instead; and you gave yourself as a prostitute to every man who came along." L.B.Ezekiel 16:15
But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.
She took her clothes off and decorated her bed with all the nice things He gave her, and then played the harlot. Unbelievable! He never saw anything like it![16] And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
She took all of her husband's valuables and made "male" images, and worshipped them.[17] Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
Do you remember the "asherah" in chapter 8? (See appendix 42 in the Companion Bible.)
She committed adultery, big time!
She took all His wonderful blessings which He gave to her and she made sacrifice with them to her lovers and gave all her attention to them, not her husband. Notice again who is speaking here: "saith the Lord GOD."Ezekiel 16:18
And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.[19] My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.
She took God's children, born under the covenant of Israel, called them after His name (now called Christians), and through her idolatrous practices, have caused them to be spiritually consumed by the "devourer", Satan, himself. It was not enough that she was a whore herself, but she sacrificed His children, too! It is no small matter, indeed! It makes our Father VERY angry as we shall see in verse 26![20] Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
This refers to the practice of Molech worship where children were actually burned as sacrifices to this pagan diety of the children of Ammon. (Consult any reputable Bible dictionary for additional information.) This practice was strictly forbidden to God's people and specifically written in the law:[21] That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?
Even so, would you believe that a man of God whom He had appeared to TWICE, could turn away and permit such a thing?Leviticus 18:21
And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
Here's a sad story:
David committed some very sinful acts, even sending Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, to the frontlines of battle where he would face certain death. But even though he committed such sins, he never once departed from worshipping the true God. It was not so with his son Solomon.1 Kings 11:6-9
And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
It was Josiah, the 15th king of Judah and whose name means "Yahveh heals", who destroyed the abominable altars that Solomon built on one of the summits of Mount Olivet.[7] Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
Solomon was responsible for much whoredom (idolatry) in Israel and it angered our Father greatly.[8] And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
Today, in most of Christianity it is taught that an everlasting burning hell fire exists right now, just as the tradition of Dante's Inferno depicts, and the unsaved children go there to be tortured for ever. Funny thing is that even Satan himself is not in a burning hell at this point, for he is soon to be cast out of heaven to this earth (Rev. 12:7-9) and will appear to the world as Jesus Christ, though he will be the false-christ. No, the lake of fire appears at the end of the Great White Throne judgment and will last for but an instant when all that is wicked will perish just as John 3:16 says. It will be the second death, the perishing of the soul, not the first or second torture![9] And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
Let's return to Ezekiel 16 and continue with God's narrative concerning His beloved city of Jerusalem.Rev. 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
How quickly she forgot from "whence she came". She owes her very life to His mercy and kindness and yet she has become a whore.Ezekiel 16:22
And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.
She built "eminent places", i.e. brothels, whore houses, on every street corner. Now remember, this is symbolic of idolatry so these cat houses are really temples, meaning she built churches on every street. An high place is a place of worship.[23] And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord GOD;)[24] That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.
She set up a whore house in the most frequented areas and spread her legs, i.e. threw her feet open, to everyone who came along, in an endless stream of prostitution. She just couldn't find enough new gods and idolatrous practices to satisfy her.Ezekiel 16:25
Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.
[26] Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.She even made alliances with Egypt and brought in eastern religious practices. Jerusalem, Israel, was not supposed to make treaties with other nations and buy them off and rely on those alliances for her peace and security. She was to rely on her husband and trust in Him. Instead, she tried to buy her friends and lovers.
Well, as it is written in Ecclesiastes, there is no new thing under the sun. The practice of giving away big bucks to the peace processes around the world is alive and well. Just ask the American taxpayer.
Our Father didn't like it then and He doesn't like it now, and it provokes Him to anger.
We have been given this "tell it like it is", graphically descriptive 16th chapter of Ezekiel in order that we might see and understand the love our Father feels for His favorite location in all the universe and also the anger and hurt and jealousy He feels about the type of religious, idolatrous worship His beloved city Jerusalem and her children have taken on, even into the Americas.. He describes it as lewd, licentious, brazen whoredom! And it hurts Him and makes Him angry and makes Him jealous.
Our people were told "flat out", in plain and simple language, not to go after other forms of worship and religious practices of the neighboring peoples, i.e. do not follow after other gods. It is written in the unchangeable law:
Perhaps after we have completed this 16th chapter we will better understand His feelings of jealousy and anger! Think about how you would feel.Deut. 6:14-15
Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;[15] (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
Didn't we just learn that God's wife, Jerusalem, had erected brothels (spiritual whorehouses) on every busy street.
Even the heathen stuck with their own idolatrous practices and unlike lewd Jerusalem, they did not hop from one idolatrous practice to another and adopt every idol that came along. So God "stretched out His hand" over her and brought punishment and judgment upon her.Ezekiel 16:27
Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.
And
just so you know that this has again come to pass in our day as our people
have been delivered unto the will of the sons (the word daughters is "ben",
which means son) of the Philistines, which means "migratory or wandering
ones", i.e. the sons of Cain, the "wanderer" (Gen 4:12). They
exercise their will over us as they control the Four Hidden Dynasties of
education,
economics,
politics
and religion,
which are the four horns (powers) of Zechariah 1:18 and the four horses
(also strength and power) of Revelation 6. They
are the first four of the seven Trumpets of Revelation and they are all
blowing extremely loudly right now, if you have ears to hear them.
She sought a league with the Assyrians and along with it adopted their idolatries. Today there are many religious practices and beliefs and even holidays, all reworded, repackaged and renamed Christian, that have come directly from ancient Assyria and Babylon! Have you ever heard of Ishtar eggs and "quick like a bunny"?[28] Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
Then there is the endless stream of new and various gimmicks, quick and easy "feel good" doctrines and activities, and all sorts of entertaining attractions that churches advertise to lure people to their Beth-avens, "houses of emptiness". Why don't they just put some food in the trough and then they won't have to coerce, trick, anesthetize or beat the sheep to "come on down". Why don't they teach the Word of God line by line? Because most churches don't believe you can hold a congregation if all you do is teach God's Word. How sad and how wrong they are.
So just like whores they can't seem to get enough new religion to be satisfied!
She brought in all the Babylonian idolatries and even that wasn't enough.Ezekiel 16:29
Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.
"How weak is your heart" means how sick and perverted is your mind! Here's another translation:[30] How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;
She's not even a good harlot. Most prostitutes charge for their services, but not her, she's different, she PAYS THEM![30] L.B. "What a filthy heart you have, says the Lord God, to do such things as these; you are a brazen prostitute, [31] building your idol altars, your brothels, on every street."[31] In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;
She will take on any religion that comes along except the truth of His Word.[32] But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!
Usually men pay whores with gifts and money, while instead, she gives away all her Husbands precious blessings in order to get complete strangers to be her friends and allies, i.e. lovers.[33] They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.
She follows and chases after her lovers when they aren't following after her. She bribes them and gives them money and receives nothing in return. That sounds just like our current U.S. foreign policy, doesn't it? The problem is, you just can't buy friends, even at the national level. Where is wisdom?[34] And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.
Filthiness means money, which she blew on her lovers.Ezekiel 16:35
Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD:[36] Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;
Here's Strong's definition:
The children were given over to false religion and mis-information and so they have lost their identity and along with it the knowledge of their true heritage. Most of the House of Israel call themselves gentiles.filthiness = nechosheth, nekh-o'-sheth, Hebrew 5178; for Hebrew 5154 (nechuwshah); copper; hence, something made of that metal, i.e. coin, a fetter; figurative base (as compared with gold or silver) :- brasen, brass, chain, copper, fetter (of brass), filthiness, steel.
She loved all that heathen, Babylonian, emotional, religious style of worship; clap your hands, dance in the isles, stomp your feet, shout Praise the Lord, and wave your hands in the air, gobble like a turkey, knock 'em down on stage, give the Lord a big hand of applause, demand your miracle today cause you have faith brother! (What do we mean "there's a famine for hearing His Word?" Read Amos 8:11.) And so it would be that her "lovers" would be the very ones who would take her captive. You see, the king of Babylon was about to come following this writing. And come against her he did, in a fury, and took her away![37] Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
And so it will be in these last days also, that her lovers will be the very ones who will come and take her captive. She loves churchianity and religious worship and she all but ignores the Word of her true Husbandman, Jesus Christ, and so the king of Babylon (Babylon means confusion) will come in a fury, posing as the true Christ, and will take captive her heart and soul. You have never, ever seen anyone as religious as Satan! Just wait until you see him disguised as Jesus Christ.
Yes, the false-christ will "seduce" her and her children and that is why Jesus would say concerning the last days:
Jesus wasn't talking about being physically pregnant, but about her having been seduced by her main squeeze, her lover, who she will think is Jesus Christ her husband, but it will be the son of perdition, Satan, standing in the temple claiming that he is God. (2 Thes. 2)Luke 21:23
But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
How do you think Christ will feel when He comes to take His virgin bride and finds her nursing a young child, which is a figure of speech meaning she has been in bed with someone else? Jealousy and anger are definitely the right words!Ezekiel 16:38
And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.
That's also why Christ said:
Again, Jesus is not talking about pregnancy, but He means blessed are those who remain true Him, as spiritual virgins, who do not become impregnated by the false messiah, Satan, who comes first and deceives the whole world.Luke 23:29
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.
Remember, this entire 16th chapter of Ezekiel was given to us so that we could understand our Father's feelings about all this spiritual whoredom!
The type was fulfilled in Nebuchanezzar when even the walls were dismantled.Ezekiel 16:39
And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.
A "company" is a military host. Again this was fulfilled in type by Nebuchanezzar, the king of Babylon, but it is written in Revelation that the king of Babylon of the end times, Satan himself, will also come against the people with his army, that "locust" army spoken of in Rev. 9:7 who will devour the souls of men (not their flesh but their souls, for the battle is spiritual, not physical). That is why God's elect are instructed to put on the Gospel Armor (Eph. 6) and get ready to take a stand against his sword and his fiery darts.[40] They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
This comes to pass on the first day of the Millennium when the King of kings returns and all false prophets are silenced, all idolatry is stopped, and there will be peace on earth, for the Prince of Peace shall reign with discipline (a rod of iron) along with His saints, God's elect. The last nine chapters of this Book of Ezekiel are all about the Millennium.[41] And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.
We look forward to that glorious day, however, right now He is still angry.Ezekiel 16:42
So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.
Fretted = provoked to anger. Lewdness = heinous crimes. This applies both nationally and individually. We as a nation have forgotten the Lord GOD. We have even allowed the will of the sons of the first wanderer (Cain) to kick Him out of our public schools. We are in big trouble and the recompense is on its way![43] Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord GOD: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.
In this 16th chapter of Ezekiel we have been reading about our Father's feelings regarding the unbelievable, abominable idolatries (which He likens to whoredoms) that His covenanted city of Jerusalem, which of course means His children, has committed. So there will be chastisement and recompense come upon her, according to her ways.
It seems to be a difficult concept for some people to understand that there is a "negative" side to God's overall plan. However, even common sense (if you can find any today) declares that disobedient children must receive correction from their parents else they become spoiled, as in rotten eggs. So if a parent truly loves his or her child then he or she will see to it that correction is meted out fairly and in accordance with the severity of the child's transgression, and there is no parent who loves His children more than our Father. We need always remember that when we read about the chastisement that He brings upon His people. It is for the good of their souls toward their salvation in bringing them back to their Father who loves them.
In the remainder of this study we will read that God has made an eternal covenant with the city of Jerusalem and no matter how perverse or filthy she has been or yet becomes, even when the "abomination of desolation" stands on her temple hills declaring he is Christ, when the final judgment of the condition of men's souls is concluded at the Great White Throne Judgment, He will keep that covenant and He will come to dwell at that location He has chosen, to be with His people for ever and ever.
There is a restoration coming and at the conclusion of this chapter 16 our Father will once again remind us of that so that we can always keep focused on the positive outcome of His loving and merciful plan being worked out here on earth.Rev. 21:2
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.[3] And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
[4] And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Meanwhile, back at the brothel ranch, things have deteriorated all around the great city.
The proverb we use today is "history repeats itself" which actually means, if you think about it, that "History is Prophecy". You see, we are to learn from these types and examples that happened of old so that we can know with certainty what to expect in these last days. Paul told us that in 1 Cor. 10:11 "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."Ezekiel 16:44
Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.
Let's see what happened concerning Jerusalem, who turned into a whore after God married her.
Jerusalem sure turned out to be the true daughter of her no-good, heathen, Hittite mother, just like (actually worse) than her sister cities around her![45] Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
Samaria became the capital of the 10 northern tribes of Israel where Jeroboam made idolatrous images of calves to worship, and Sodom... well, you know about Sodom.Ezekiel 16:46
And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.
The sins of her sisters and the villages around them were minor compared to the corruption of Jerusalem.[47] Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.
Her sister Sodom was lustful and prideful and lazy and selfish.Ezekiel 16:48
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.[49] Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
Furthermore, they committed their sins with an "In your face, God!" attitude. That will get you wiped off the map, as they found out the hard way![50] And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
Our
country (The United States of America)
is ever increasing with the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah and if we don't
do something
about it, God will. Remember,
"History is Prophecy!" Peter even said so in 2 Peter 2:6 "And turning
the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow,
making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;".It
is written!
You see, Jerusalem claimed she was godly and righteous, while the heathen didn't claim to be of God. The hypocrisy itself multiplied her abominations.[51] Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.
Jerusalem looked down upon and judged her sister Sodom for her sins, meanwhile she is many times more the spiritual whore than she was a physical one. Yes, the little old church goers of today look down upon and would never be caught near a brothel, when the spiritual whorehouse they sit in is much more disgusting to our Father! They look down upon those sots drunken with Thunderbird and Budweiser, yet they themselves are drunken with the wine of fornication which they sip directly from the golden chalice cup of Babylon, as it is written:Ezekiel 16:52
Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.
This woman is this same exact Jerusalem, symbolic of false religion, that we are reading of in Ezekiel as documented 14 verses later in Rev. 17:18Rev. 17:4
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Yes, after a few sips of 1830 Vintage Rapture imported from Glasgow Scotland along with a couple of hard boiled, traditional Ishtar eggs, you'll soon be so intoxicated you'll be gobbling and speaking in unintelligible syllables and claiming the Holy Spirit made you do it. Worse yet, you'll think you are a good little Christian. Of course, it's not what we think that counts. Fortunately, if you have made it thus far in the Book of Ezekiel then no one has to tell you what God thinks, right?
Jesus will soon return and He will restore Jerusalem and Sodom and Samaria, etc.Ezekiel 16:53
When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:
The shame of Sodom and Gomorrah will not be near as bad as that of Jerusalem. Again, the spiritual whoredom is much worse. Here's what Jesus said: Luke 10:12 "But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city."[54] That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.
The restoration all happens at the same time.[55] When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.
"In your proud days you held Sodom in unspeakable contempt. [57] But now your greater wickedness has been exposed to all the world..." (L.B.)[56] For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,
Note: In Hebrew the word for Syria is "aram". However, the Daleth (the letter "d") and the Resh (the letter "r") are very similar in appearance in Hebrew and can be easily mistaken one for the other. There is some discrepancy therefore as to which letter should be used because some codices have a "d" instead of an "r" and read "Adam" instead of "Aram". It was Jerusalem, the descendants of Adam, who was reproached by all those round about her.[57] Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about.
The whore just loves religion and even carries a Bible to give her traditions of men added value and make them appear holy, as if they came from Him when in fact they did not. She is deluded indeed.Ezekiel 16:58
Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD.
God did not break the covenant with Jerusalem and His people. They broke it. But as we noted in the beginning of this study, God always keeps His word when He makes a covenant.[59] For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.
Our Father never breaks a promise. When He makes an everlasting, eternal covenant, it's a done deal.Ezekiel 16:60
Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.
Can't you just envision everyone standing there, sinners from Sodom along with those religious folk from Jerusalem, and the self righteous are more naked and more embarrassed because their recompense was greater in measure than the sinners they condemned and looked down upon?[61] Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.
At the sound of the 7th Trump, Jesus Christ will return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem to rule with His saints for 1000 years. And as we read in Rev. 21, Jerusalem, His chosen and covenanted location, will be our Father's eternal home when all things are restored and all wickedness is consumed in the lake of fire.Ezekiel 16:62
And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD:[63] That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.
Though there was, and is, and is
yet to be shame and hurt and pain until the time of restoration, we know
that our Father is a God of Love and that His plan is positive and that
we can look forward to spending eternity with Him in the New City of Jerusalem.
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