"Then They Shall Know That I Am The Lord" - Part Two

Last week we started a new series learning that in Ezekiel 36-39 our Lord repeats continually the phrase "Then They Shall Know That I Am The Lord." We also learned why Jehovah God makes this declaration in addition to learning He is bringing His People back to Israel locating them on the Mountains of Israel.

We will now look at Ezekiel 36:28, 29, 31, 32 that says, "Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My People, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your unclean-nesses . . . Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good . . . Not for your sake do I do this," Says The Lord God.

There are numerous messages from our Lord in these verses. Initially, God reminds His People "You are My People and I am your God." Then He reminds them that He will cleanse them, their land will be fruitful and they will remember their evil ways. Jehovah God then ends these messages by proclaiming, "Not for your sake do I do this." Why would Jehovah God make such a statement?

Our Lord continues this important message by saying in Ezekiel 36:33-36, "On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the city and the ruins shall be rebuilt. The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. So they will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden.'"

Again, our Lord is presenting multiple messages. He reminds His People He is cleansing them and they will dwell in rebuilt cities. Jehovah God then proclaims He rebuilt the cities so the nations surrounding the Mountains of Israel will know The Lord God Almighty Accomplished This Task! What A Mighty God We Serve!

In closing, what have we learned in this message? Jehovah God is bringing His People back to the Mountains of Israel; He will cleanse them but He did not do this for their sake. He desires for all surrounding nations to know He is The One who rebuilt the cities.

Why did Our Lord accomplish all this? Ezekiel 36 ends with this proclamation:

Then They Shall Know That I Am The Lord! 

Amen And Amen!

Lord Bless And Keep Us In Your Tender Care,

Frank     

"Then You Shall Know That I Am The Lord"

Our message this week starts a new series in which Jehovah God says repeatedly in Ezekiel 36 - 39 "Then You Shall Know That I Am The Lord." A proper place to begin this new series is to raise this question - why would our Lord declare this statement over and over again? 

A place to start is to look at Ezekiel 36:1-3 saying, "And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, 'O mountains of Israel, hear the word of The Lord!' Thus says The Lord God; 'Because the enemy has said of you, aha! The ancient heights have become our possession,' Therefore prophesy and say, Thus says The Lord God; 'Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations.'"

This is a prophetic word to the mountains of Israel that comprise the Eastern half of Israel with the Jordan River as the Eastern boundary. These mountains include Judea and Samaria and run North to South from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea with Jerusalem in the center.

Looking now at this prophetic word from Jehovah God is extremely appropriate. Why is this so? This land is the disputed land that the Palestinians believe belong to them, world media call it the West Bank.

What does our Lord have to say about the Mountains of Israel? Ezekiel 36:5 says, "Therefore thus says The Lord God; 'surely I have spoken in My burning jealously against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave My land to themselves as a possession.'" Jehovah God says He has "Burning Jealously" against the nations who took this land as their possession. Then The Lord says in verse 7 that He will cause those nations to "Bear Their Own Shame."

How is Jehovah God going to make this happen? Please take note Ezekiel 36:8-10 says, "But you, O Mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My People Israel, for they are about to come. For indeed I am for you and I will turn to you and you shall be tilled and sown. I will multiply men upon you all the House of Israel."

Jehovah God is saying the People of Israel will come back to the Mountains of Israel from all over the world causing the land to be fruitful. He also says He will multiply His people on this land. This is taking place and has been for many years and will continue resulting in the population of Israel increasing each year.

In closing, please notice that Ezekiel 36:11 says, "Then you shall know that I am The Lord." Our Lord repeats this phrase numerous times to emphasize to all of us:

He Is Lord God Almighty . . .

He Rules And Reigns From His Throne . . .

He Keeps All His Promises . . .

He Fulfills All His Prophetic Words . . .

He Takes Care Of His People Israel . . .

AMEN AND AMEN!

May Our Lord Bless You Mightily Today And Always,

Frank      

"Your Enemies Make A Tumult"

Psalm 83:1-4 says, "Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still, O God! For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, 'come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.'"

Last week's message revolved around Psalm 2 that says there is a coalition of nations and groups who are working together to eliminate Israel as a nation. However, Psalm 2 also proclaimed that Jehovah God is still reigning from His Throne Room and will destroy all of Israel's enemies in the future. Bless His Holy Name!

We believe God desires for us to clearly understand this message since Psalm 83 is the same message but in a different format. The first four verses again reveal a coalition of nations plotting to destroy Israel. In fact, verses 5 through 8 actually identifies the nations in this coalition but uses their Old Testament names:

Moab and Edom are areas of current day Jordan

Amalek Is Syria

Philistia Is Gaza

Tyre Is Part Of Lebanon

Assyria Is Iraq

The last half of Psalm 83 actually becomes a prayer or request to Jehovah God "To Deal With Them" who we know are Israel's enemies. The remainder of Psalm 83 illustrates this prayer to Jehovah God suggesting how He should deal with these  enemies:

Make Them Like A Whirling Dust - Verse 13

Pursue Them With Your Tempest - Verse 15

Frighten Them With Your Storm - Verse 15

Fill Their Faces With Shame - Verse 16

Let Them Be Put To Shame And Perish - Verse 17 

In closing, Psalm 83 ends by explaining why God should defeat Israel's enemies, "That men may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth." Amen And Amen!

May Our Precious Lord Bless You Today And Every Day,

Frank

   

"Why Do The Nations Rage?"

Psalm 2:1-3 says, "Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against The Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 'Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.'"

News headlines recently declared that a ceasefire between Israel and the terror group Hamas had been established. This was after an eleven day conflict in which Hamas fired 4,000 rockets and missiles into Israel. The Iron Dome Defense System in Israel shot down the majority of the rockets and missiles so the number of deaths and physical damage in Israel was minimal.

This is the fourth time in ten years that a similar conflict has taken place. Why? The Palestinians and a major portion of Arab nations believe the land of Israel belongs to the Palestinians. This is totally untrue according to the Word Of God! Immediately after Jehovah God established the Abrahamic Covenant He said to Abraham in Genesis 15:18, "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates." The land God gave to His Covenant People includes all of current day Israel and almost all of the Middle East!

Please notice how Psalm 2 starts by asking, "Why do the nations rage?" The first verses say kings and rulers of nations have joined together to destroy Israel. This includes all the following nations or groups of people: Iran, Turkey, Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah, the European Union, the United Nations, Fatah and segments of the United States Government.

How does Jehovah God react to these last eleven days of conflict? Please notice in Psalm 2 the following statements illustrate how God will react to Israel's enemies:

He Shall Laugh - Verse 4

He Shall Hold Them In Derision - Verse 4

He Shall Speak To Them In His Wrath - Verse 5

He Shall Distress Them In His Displeasure - Verse 5

Jehovah God is still in control on His Heavenly Throne; He knows all about every earthly event and the day is coming when He will defeat all of Israel's enemies! Amen and Amen! 

May The Lord Continue Blessing You Every Day,

Frank