The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet #8030 zekiel chapter 30

Seven times hotter lets us know that the fire in the last days will be spiritual

In chapter twenty-nine God declared in a two-fold prophecy that Egypt would be 1.) reduced to, and 2.) always remain, a "base" nation. Why? Because Pharaoh had an ego the size of the great pyramids and decided he could deliver Israel out of her 40 year captivity which God said would happen. Just who does Pharaoh think he is anyway? He found out what happens when a nation conspires against the plan of God. Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, who approached and conspired with Pharaoh, found out too, didn't he? All of his sons were killed right before his eyes and then those eyes were "put out" and in darkness he was taken to Babylon where he died. Hopefully with his eyes closed he could now SEE the great sin he committed in rejecting and disobeying God and turning to pitiful Pharaoh for help. Hopefully.

We have seen many times and so we should have learned well in this book of strengthening, that God recompenses both nations and individuals according to their ways and their deeds, i.e. justly, because He is loving, fair, and just to all. The reason judgments are brought upon nations and individuals is for one reason and one reason only, so that "they shall know that He is the Lord GOD".

And so we see those words and are constantly reminded of His loving purpose following each judgment, lest we are overwhelmed by the flesh manifestations and fall prey to the idea that God is mean and cruel, instead of loving and kind. We are not to worry about what happens to the flesh and who or what can kill it, for it is but a temporary vessel anyway. Jesus said to fear Him who can kill your soul. That would be Almighty God.

Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
In our last study we saw that God delivered Egypt into the hands of his servant, king Nebuchaddnezzar, who would break the pride of Egypt's power and take the spoils of her enormous wealth and resources as compensation for his "great service" against the city of Tyre.

All this we have seen in history.

But once again, we need to always keep in mind that the types and the events that happened in HIStory are physical ensamples of the way things are going to be spiritually in the final generation. It is as Jesus Christ said in Mark 13:23 "Behold, I have foretold you all things", and it is through His direct words and those He spoke through the prophets along with the ensamples that He has given us, that we have been foretold. All we have to do is read His Word and understand it.

We have now come to chapter thirty, which at first glance will seem somewhat like a repetition of chapter twenty-nine, except for one very major difference, which is given to us in verse three.

Let's begin.

Ezekiel 30:1
The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

[2] Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day.

Whenever we read the strong saying "thus saith Adonai Yahveh (the Lord GOD)", it is to alert those "strengthened in the Word" to the importance of what follows.  Ezekiel was to give this as prophesy, for it concerns the Day of the LORD (next verse). The Lord GOD told him to "Howl!" Wail!  Say, "Woe be to that day!" Say, "Warning, warning."  And it will certainly be a time of "woe" for what follows shall happen during the time of the "woe" trumps.

Here's how Dr. Moffat translates verses 2 & 3:

Ezekiel 30:2
Son of man, utter this prophetic word from the Lord the Eternal: 'Wail aloud, woe for the day!

[3] For the day draws nigh, the Eternal's day draws nigh, a day of doom for the nations.' (Moffat)

The king of Babylon (Satan) is coming (at the 6th Trump, which is the 2nd Woe Trump) to execute God's judgment upon all the nations, before Jesus Christ returns at the 7th Trump to take over supreme rule as king of Kings and Lord of lords. It shall happen, for it is written.
Ezekiel 30:3
For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.
Do you know why it is called the Day of the Lord? Well for one thing, it will be on "that day" that every knee shall bow to the Lord Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of the phrase that we have read so often will be complete, and that is that everyone and every nation "Shall know that (the) I AM (is) the Lord GOD".
[4] And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.
The worldwide judgment of the heathen nations begins with Egypt, the historical symbol and chief of the gentile nations. Interestingly enough, Egypt not only made a covenant to protect Israel against the king of Babylon of old, she made a peace pact in these last days at the Camp David peace accord, too! Soon afterwards her leader Anwar Sadat was brutally assassinated during a public display of her arms, i.e. her military troops.

Notes: Ethiopia (Cush) was allied with Egypt. "Pain" means "writhing" as in travail of a woman in childbirth.

[5] Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.
All of the gentile nations, many with the same names today, are going to face the final king of Babylon. Always remember that the final onslaught by the king of Babylon described in the Book of Revelation is a spiritual battle for the souls of men. The swords therefore that are used in the final generation are spiritual swords. Satan's sword is the sword of deception and lies that shall come against the nations and cause them to fall. The sword of the Lord is His Word (Rev. 1:10). You had better read it!

Here is verse 5 from the Moffat Bible:

[5] Ethiopia and Put and Lud, all the Arabians and Libyans and Kerethites along with them, shall fall by the sword. (Moffat)
All of the gentile nations that are allied with and support Egypt shall fall by sword, which is to become spiritually dead from Satan's lies and deception.
Ezekiel 30:6
Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD.
In that day, in the final generation, all of Egypt, marked from Migdol to Syene (see 29:10), i.e. from the north to the south, shall fall to the sword and she shall give her power to the king of Babylon and become spiritually desolate.
[7] And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.
This desolation shall be caused by the "desolator", who is the abomination of desolation Christ spoke of in Mat. 24 and Mark 13, who is the same desolator spoken of by Daniel the prophet. It is none other than Satan himself coming as the king of Babylon, the false-christ.
[8] And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed.
Fire really gets people's attention because the very word itself brings forth visions of flames in the mind's eye. The fire we can see is merely the combustion (consuming) of that which is physical but it cannot burn that which is spiritual. You can burn with desire but you cannot actually set physical fire to love or to an attitude.

The fire sent forth in the final generation from our Father is spiritual fire, for He Himself is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29 "For our God is a consuming fire." Remember that king Nebuchaddnezzar made his fiery furnace seven times hotter? Seven in Biblical numerics is "spiritual perfection", seven times hotter lets us know that the fire in the last days will be spiritual. That fire did not even singe the hair on the heads of God's servants Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. But that spiritual fire will spiritually consume those who do not have the spiritual Gospel Armour (Eph. 6) on to protect them.

So the fire is coming, spiritually speaking, and here is Jesus telling us so:

Luke 12:49
I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I if it be already kindled?
In fact the fire is already kindled, for Christ's ministers of fire, His elect, are here. And the fire breathing dragon is no match for them, because they wield the sword of the Lord. Hebrews 1:7 "And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire."
Ezekiel 30:9
In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh.
God makes known His plan through His servants, His messengers, but most will not take heed in this final generation.
messenger = mal'ak, mal-awk', Hebrew 4397; from an unused root meaning to despatch as a deputy; a messenger; specifically of God, i.e. an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher) :- ambassador, angel, king, messenger.
A "ship" is any vehicle that carries the messenger or the message of the messenger. One can sail the waves of the sea or the waves of the air (airwaves).
[10] Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.
It is the king of Babylon of the Book of Revelation who will make spiritually desolate the multitude (population) of Egypt.
Ezekiel 30:11
He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain.
Hopefully by now you are able to read this verse in the prophetic sense that God had Ezekiel write it.
[12] And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the LORD have spoken it.
The wicked and the strangers are the locust army that comes with the king of Babylon in Revelation.
[13] Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.
Now we get to the reason for the judgment of the people of the nations. It is because of their "idolatry" in following after other gods and religions that judgment comes upon them. Noph is Memphis, the capital of Middle Egypt and stronghold of idols.
[14] And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No.
[15] And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No.
You can look up all these names in a good Bible dictionary and see them on a map. The point that is being made is that in ALL of Egypt, from the Golan heights (Zoan), to Sinai (Sin), to Aswan, His fury will be poured out, which "fury" is the wrath of God.
Ezekiel 30:16
And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily.
Christ said in Luke 21:25 that there will be "distress of nations" in these last days, and so it has begun and so it shall increase daily.
[17] The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity.
"Aven" means "vanity" or "nothingness" and it refers to the Egyptian city of On, called Heliopolis in Greek, where stood the "temple of the sun" called Beth-shemesh in Jer. 43:13.

Pi-beseth, or Bubastis, in Lower Egypt was notorious for her goddess worship (Coptic, Pasht), and there remain granite stones of the once magnificent temple built to her honor.

Idolatry, idolatry, and it continues to this very day. Yes, judgment is order for the nations.

[18] At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.
Tehaphnehes is named after the queen of Egypt mentioned in 1 Kings 11:19. It the same as Daphne, a royal residence of the Pharaohs (Jer. 43:7, 9). The point is, the fun and games are over! It shall be a day of darkness and gloominess for the nations (Joel 2). God, not man, will use the king of Babylon to break the yokes of the heathen nations and they shall all be taken spiritually captive.
[19]Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Again, why will Egypt, symbolic of all the gentile nations, receive her judgments? So that "they shall know that I AM the LORD".
Ezekiel 30:20
And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Watchmen should take note that this is about four months before the fall of Jerusalem.
[21] Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.
It was God Himself who broke the sword arm of Pharaoh (i.e. his might as a superpower) because he attempted to relieve the siege of Jerusalem against God's Plan when he formed an alliance with king Zedekiah of Judah.
[22] Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.
Now he shall have the other, i.e. both arms, broken by the soon coming king of Babylon and he shall be completely powerless before him.
Ezekiel 30:23
And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.

[24]And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.

Though God uses the king of Babylon as His instrument of chastisement, it is God's judgment against the heathen nations, not the king of Babylon's. That is why God says I will put MY SWORD in his hand. No wonder it says in the next verse that the king of Babylon's arms will be strengthened.
Ezekiel 30:25
But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt.
[26] And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
We have read these words, "they shall know that I am the LORD", dozens of times already in this book of strengthening, even four times in this chapter alone. So let there be no doubt whatsoever. At that day, "even the Day of Lord (vs. 3)" which is near at hand, all Egyptians (and all her allies, meaning all heathen nations) from the Pharaohs of old to the people who inhabit the land today, will know one thing for sure: In the the words of Adonai Yahveh, "They shall know that I AM the LORD".
To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

This"American Wisdom Series" pamphlet

is

Published by:

Rhine Publishing Co.
E-mail address: americanwisdomseries@verizon.net

If you would like to have your essay published
as part of the American Wisdom Series
submit your manuscript to Rhine Publishing Co
at the address above for consideration, or e-mail us
at the address shown on our home page.

Click Here to Return to "The American Wisdom Series" home page.