Ezekiel

Ezekiel Chapter 28

• Ezekiel 28:1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 
• 2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:

This is similar to how Satan feels about himself and how other kings throughout the ages felt when they reigned supreme and ruled over many nations. The latter day beast or antichrist will also have this attitude but they are always brought down and not allowed to overstep their bounds. 

The antichrist will not rule longer than 7 years at the most. Some say it is closer to only three and one half years.

• Ezekiel 28:3 Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: 

Daniel would have made a good ruler. He was very wise and could interpret things that were hard to understand. He was different than this person though in that Daniel had a heart after God. 

This king of Tyrus was so lifted up in pride that he thought he was God and he was full of wisdom even greater than Daniel in a worldly respect. However, since true wisdom includes the knowledge of God, I would say that this king was not wiser than Daniel in that respect but only in a worldly way. His knowledge of things and his understanding was even greater than Daniel meaning that if He was a man after God's heart, he would have truly been wiser than Daniel in all ways.

• Ezekiel 28:4 With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: 

There are men like this today who know how to increase in wealth. They can start with nothing and end up wealthy. This does take a lot of worldly wisdom and cleverness. True wealth however, is the knowledge of God and having our treasure laid up for us in heaven. 

• Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 
• 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 
• 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

Like the bible says; money is the root of all evil.  Power has a way of corrupting those that get greedy and forget the poor.

• Ezekiel 28:5 By thy great wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches: 

This is the danger of laying up for ourselves treasure on earth. It causes us to be lifted up in pride. There are very few humble rich men or women because they depend on their wealth to gain approval and prestige instead of having to rely of God. 

That is why Jesus said that it is harder for a rich man to enter heaven than a camel to go through an eye of a needle. He tends to be puffed up and fails to understand that he is in just as much need of God in his life as a poor man with nothing. 

• Ezekiel 28:6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; 
• 7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. 
• 8 They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. 
• 9 Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. 
• 10 Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. 

All evil dictators especially those that exalt themselves as gods, end up this same way. Their kingdoms do not last and they are brought down by other kingdoms that are stronger than they were. It happens every time. We never get away with evil. 

Hitler's full reign did not last over 12 years. He was brought down and even took his own life in the end. These guys do not last. 

• Ezekiel 28:11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
• 12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 
• 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 

Now we know the one being described here is Satan who is actually behind all evil rulers and dictators. Here we see that he was beautiful, full of wisdom and had a very exalted position. 

• Ezekiel 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 
• 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 

This chapter is one of the best teachings are the subject of pride, beauty and riches which can exalt any of us and cause us to lose out with God because we think higher or ourselves than we should think. Now we see this perfect one, created by God was found with iniquity. 

• Ezekiel 28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

As he held a high position, he was cast down. This happens to all that follow his footsteps and are lifted up with pride, rich and increased with goods and even get to the place where they defy the commandments of God. 

Even the church in Laodicea was guilty of this:

• Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 
• 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 
• 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. 
• 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 

Being rich and increased with goods lead to this pride and causes us to be less dependent upon God. It even tends to create in us a false sense of security to where we think God is the one giving us all these things.

In some cases God may very well be the one blessing us with wealth but it is given so that we can use it for His glory. It is never given so that we can gloat and say to the poor believer that he or she has no faith or they would be rich too. It is never given to put on a show of higher spirituality.

Whether one is rich or poor has not bearing on his or her standing with God. We are not more spiritual if we are poor, neither are we more spiritual if we are rich. Usually the rich, forget the poor and do not help or give to them. However sometimes they use their riches to build businesses that provide employment for many to be able to support their families.

• James 2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 
• 2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 
• 3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 
• 4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 
• 5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 
• 6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 
• 7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? 
• 8 If ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: 
• 9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 

In say all this though, I want to remind us who do not have riches not to envy them or covet what they have. This is just as evil and it is the sin of idolatry and covetousness. We must never want to take from those that have riches. 

If they get a heart after God and provide a living for the poor, they will be blessed but we are never to set up governments that force them to do this. It must be willing from their hearts. 

Communist types of governments become more oppressive than the rich people ever get. Love and compassion for the poor is not something that any of us can force on anyone. God will judge those that could help the poor but do not, we are not to do the judging before God's time. 

• 1Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. 

Pride is a dangerous trait for any of us.

• Ezekiel 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 

All the wisdom that an evil person has is wasted and for nothing. No matter how smart a person is, it is wasted if they lack compassion and the love of God. It will all be for nothing. The same can be said of beauty, riches and all things that accompany those possessing these things. 

• Ezekiel 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 
• 19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. 

This will be true of Satan and any evil world ruler both past and present. 

• Ezekiel 28:20 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
• 21 Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it, 
• 22 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her. 
• 23 For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 
• 24 And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 

This is another city that exalted itself against Israel and gloated when Babylon destroyed her. They also were oppressors of Israel. They once were rich in trade and commerce like Tyre. 

• Ezekiel 28:25 Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob. 
• 26 And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God. 

These last two verses jumps ahead to the release from captivity to Babylon and also the latter days when Israel is gathered back into their own land and will become sanctified in the sight of the heathen. 

The first part of this prophecy was fulfilled 70 years after their captivity to Babylon, the next was in 1948 when they became a nation. This prophecy still is in the process of being fulfilled. According to other prophecies though, many enemies of Israel will still try to destroy them and they will almost succeed during the years of the final tribulation or the Time of Jacob's trouble. Jesus Christ himself will save them at that time. 

Then the second part of the prophecy is fulfilled and they will dwell safely and all other nations will fear and tremble for Christ is to rule the world from Israel. 

All rulers that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God will be brought low no matter how big and powerful they become. In the end the Lord wins. So I would advise casting one's lot with God and keep His commandments until the end. We must not seek to excel in this life only and see things that are visible and neglect the things that are for eternity. This life is a drop in a bucket, temporary and nothing compared to that which is eternal. We now have the commandment to believe in the one God sent to save us. His Son Jesus our Christ and our Lord. DC

• Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 

Ezekiel Chapter 29

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