Take a look at what the Prophet Ezekiel in the 6th-century BCE said concerning YHWH’s people Israel - and try to count the many similarities you see today! (And folks, Scripture warns us that it will only get worse before it gets better, which is why it is imperative that we get ourselves "right" with ADONAI immediately.)
Ezekiel 22:
1 The word of ADONAI came to me: 2 "Now, human being, are you prepared to judge? Are you prepared to judge the city drenched in blood? Then make her realize how disgusting all her practices are!
3 Say that Adonai ELOHIM says, 'City that sheds blood within yourself, thus speeding your own doom, and that makes idols for yourself that defile you: 4 you are guilty because of the blood you have shed, you are defiled by your idols that you have made. You have shortened your days, you have completed your years; therefore I have made you an object of scorn for the nations and a laughingstock for every country.
5 Those close by and those far off will taunt you, you who have such a defiled reputation and such great disorder. 6 "'The leaders of Isra'el in you all use their power in order to shed blood.
7 In you, they make light of fathers and mothers, they oppress foreigners, they wrong orphans and widows. 8 You treat my holy things with contempt, you profane my shabbats. 9 In you, people gossip to the point of inciting bloodshed; in you are those who go to eat on the mountains; in you, they commit lewd acts; 10 in you, they commit incest; in you, they force themselves on women during their menstrual impurity.
11 In you, one commits an abomination with his neighbor's wife; another commits some lewd act defiling his daughter-in-law; still another humbles his sister, his own father's daughter. 12 In you, people take bribes to shed blood; you demand and accept interest on loans; in greed you make profits off your neighbors by extorting them; and you have forgotten me,' says Adonai ELOHIM. 13 "'Therefore, I am clapping my hands together because of your ill-gotten gains and the blood shed in you.
14 Can your courage last, can your strength continue during the days when I deal with you? I, ADONAI, have spoken it; and I will do it. 15 I will scatter you among the Goyim and disperse you throughout the countries; thus I will remove your defilement from you, 16 and you will cause yourselves to be profaned in full view of the Goyim. Then you will know that I am ADONAI.'"
17 The word of ADONAI came to me: 18 "Human being, the house of Isra'el has become an alloy of base metals for me; they are all copper, tin, iron and lead mixed together in the crucible, the dross left over from the silver. 19 Therefore Adonai ELOHIM says this: 'Because you have all become dross, I will collect all of you inside Yerushalayim.
20 Then, just as they collect silver, copper, iron, lead and tin into a crucible and blow fire on it to melt it down; so likewise I will collect you in my anger and fury, throw you in there, and melt you down. 21 Yes, I will collect you and blow on you with the fire of my rage, and you will be melted down in it. 22 As silver is melted down in a crucible, so will you be melted down in [Yerushalayim]. Then you will know that it is I, ADONAI, who have poured out my fury on you.'"
23 The word of ADONAI came to me: 24 "Human being, tell her this: 'You are a land that is neither cleansed nor rained on in the day of fury. 25 There is a conspiracy of prophets in it like a roaring lion tearing up the prey; they have devoured people, seized wealth and valuables, and widowed many in it.
26 Her cohanim have done violence to my Torah, profaned my holy things, made no difference between the holy and the common, not distinguished between unclean and clean, hidden their eyes from my shabbats, and profaned me among themselves. 27 Her leaders in it are like wolves tearing up the prey to shed blood and destroy people, in order to benefit unjustly.
28 Her prophets have "plastered" for them with whitewash, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, "Thus says Adonai ELOHIM," when ADONAI has not spoken. 29 The people of the land have extorted, robbed, wronged the poor and needy and unjustly oppressed foreigners.
30 "'I sought for a man among them who could build a barricade or stand in the break to oppose me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. 31 Therefore I am pouring out my fury on them, consuming them with the fire of my rage, bringing their own ways on their own heads,' says Adonai ELOHIM." (CJB)
Considering that Ezekiel wasn't just sent to the house of Judah, but to us also....I agree!!!
ReplyDeleteEze 3:1) Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find—eat this scroll. Then go, speak to the house of Israel.”
Eze 3:2) So I opened my mouth, and He gave me that scroll to eat,
Eze 3:3) as He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” I ate it and it tasted as sweet as honey.
Eze 3:4) Then He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak My words to them.
Eze 3:5) For you are not sent to a people of unintelligible speech and difficult tongue, but to the house of Israel,
Eze 3:6) nor to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult tongue, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you.
Eze 3:7) But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel has a hard forehead and a stubborn heart.
Eze 3:8) Look, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.
Eze 3:9) I will make your forehead like adamant, harder than flint. Do not fear them. Do not be dismayed by their faces, for they are a rebellious house.”
Eze 3:10) Furthermore, He said to me: “Son of man, receive in your heart and hear with your ears all My words that I will speak to you.
Eze 3:11) Go to the exiles, to the children of your people. Speak to them. Tell them, ‘Thus says Adonai Elohim.’ Whether they will listen or whether they will refuse to listen.”
Eze 3:12) Then the Ruach lifted me up. I heard behind me the sound of a great earthquake—“Blessed is the glory of Adonai from His place!”—
Eze 3:13) also the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, the sound of the wheels beside them and the sound of a great earthquake.
Eze 3:14) The Ruach lifted me up and took me away. I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit. The hand of Adonai was strong upon me.
Eze 3:15) I came to the exiles at Tel-Abib who lived by the river Chebar. I sat where they were dwelling. I sat there overwhelmed among them for seven days.
Eze 3:16) Now at the end of seven days, the word of Adonai came to me saying:
Eze 3:17) “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.
Eze 3:18) When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak to warn the wicked of his wicked way, to save his life, that wicked person will die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood from your hand.
Eze 3:19) Yet you, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul.
Eze 3:20) When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and acts perversely, I will lay a stumbling block before him and he will die. Because you have not warned him, he will die in his sin. His righteous deeds that he has done will not be remembered—but I will require his blood at your hand.
Eze 3:21) If you warn the righteous person not to sin and the righteous person does not sin, he will surely live, because he took warning. You will have delivered your soul.”
RIGHT ON, Sons of Nunn! Thanks for those scriptures!
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