In Ezekiel 24, God gives Ezekiel a message to give one last warning of the coming destruction of Jerusalem. The people who have not yet been taken into exile are living in false confidence that they are safe and "better" than the others who had already been taken. God turns that around quite fast. He lets them know total destruction is coming because of their evil wickedness. Ezekiel has been a faithful, radical prophet and servant for God so he could declare God's Word. They just refuse to list...
Sep 28, 2023•17 min
In Ezekiel 23, God warns of coming destruction for Jerusalem and explains why this judgment is coming and why it is just. Judah forgot God. They compromised. They lusted after false gods and nations around them. They treated people with all out injustice and depended on nations around them for help instead of God. They fell in to complete unbelief. They worshipped idols and killed innocent people - even their own children. God said enough. It was time for judgment. Rather than turning to God in ...
Sep 28, 2023•20 min
In Ezekiel 22, God has Ezekiel deliver a message against Jerusalem to the leaders- princes, priests, prophets - as well as the people of the land. Judgment is here. God is going to destroy His city and the Temple. His people continue to choose and love sin and refuse to turn back to God, even as He waited and warned again and again so patiently - time has run out. Idolatry, injustice, and abuse of power is everywhere. They have forgotten and disregarded God and have become their own selfish gods...
Sep 26, 2023•16 min
In Ezekiel 21, God tells Ezekiel to warn again of coming judgment. God's chosen people refuse to turn from their sin. They refuse to turn to God and stop worshiping false idols. God warns that time is running out. God's people are blatantly choosing sin and loving sin instead of God. God is going to let them have the sin they are choosing and let them experience it to the fullest. God will not force us to choose Him. He calls out to us. He cries out to us. He pursues us. But He will not force us...
Sep 25, 2023•12 min
In Ezekiel 19 & 20, God again gives repeated warning. To say they were warned plenty before judgment arrived would be an understatement. He tells them judgment is coming. Sin will have to be paid for and God's wrath against sin and evil will come. Those who choose God. Those who repent and turn from sin and evil. Those who choose Jesus as their Lord and Savior. God will save. God's faithful remnant stood firm and out of that remnant came our Lord and Savior Jesus. Our Messiah. Soon, our Lord...
Sep 22, 2023•20 min
In Ezekiel 17 & 18, God shifts from national punishment to individual sin. We choose our lives. We can't control what our parents or grandparents do, but we can control our responses to it and our choices and decisions for our own lives. We can break the sin cycle. We can learn new things, make better choices, and become who we want to be. We can choose Jesus and be set free from sin for all eternity. God looks at our hearts and sees who we are. We cannot get to heaven based on our parents f...
Sep 21, 2023•15 min
In Ezekiel 15 & 16, God compares Israel to a useless vine, a prostitute and an adulterous wife. After repeated warning, they refuse to repent and turn to God. They refuse to lay down their idols and stop worshipping false gods. They are even sacrificing their own children to these gods. God reminds His people of how much He loves us, adorns us, delights in us, wants to hold us, comfort us and protect us. He gives us free will and free choice and desires us to choose Him more than anything; h...
Sep 20, 2023•19 min
In Ezekiel 14, God has Ezekiel call out the leaders of Israel who are prophesying falsely, worshipping false idols, and embracing things that cause them to fall into sin. They are trying to "fake it till they make it", but you cannot fake it with God. You won't make it. God sees the heart. He's after our hearts. We need to be living how we talk each day. There's no time to "play" church. Anything we do for our own glory, instead of God's is an idol and needs to be checked at the cross. He remind...
Sep 19, 2023•15 min
In Ezekiel 13, God gives warning to false prophets and people to mislead God's people into thinking they are "fine" and that nothing will happen in their lifetime anyways so they may as well keep worshipping false idols, keep drinking, and keep trucking along as they are. God reminds them of Who He Is. He again lets them know judgment is coming and sin and evil will be dealt with. False prophets will be dealt with. People who try to ensnare the souls of God's people with deviation and magic will...
Sep 18, 2023•10 min
In Ezekiel 12, God has Ezekiel actually act out the vision God gives him. It is the vision of the exile of the remaining Israelites and the destruction of Jerusalem. Ezekiel is radically obedient and does everything God asks. There are times obedience may be at the cost of yourself, your life, or your belongings so someone else will understand the Word of the Lord. We are called to radical obedience. They dismiss all the warnings and illustrations and don't believe any of it will happen in their...
Sep 15, 2023•13 min
In Ezekiel 11, Israel's leaders are met with judgment. They tell people not to worry, that they are "safe" inside the city. Even after warning and warning from God through Ezekiel. God calls them out and says no, you are not safe. They have not repented and turned back to God. They don't believe any of this will happen in their lifetime. There is a faithful remnant who stands firm and will not be shook by the world around them. They are safe. They may be scattered for now, but God will gather th...
Sep 14, 2023•11 min
In Ezekiel 10, God's glory leaves the Temple. His people have brought sin and false idols into the Temple. They are putting themselves and all their "things", and false gods above and before God. And they've brought that into the very place God resides so that He can be near and dwell with His people. God cannot reside where sin resides. Sin cannot reside where God resides. He gave His people tons of warnings and pleadings to repent and turn back to God, but they refuse. They love their sin more...
Sep 13, 2023•13 min
In Ezekiel 8 & 9, Ezekiel again sees Jesus and the glory of God. God shows him the evil going on inside the Temple. The very place God was residing with His people, the very place God's people were to worship Him - the One and only true God - this very place was riddled with false idols and pagan worship. The leaders even turned their back to the sanctuary and worshipped the sun instead. They have been given warning after warning and God says enough - the time has come. He removes His presen...
Sep 12, 2023•14 min
In Ezekiel 6 & 7, God warns of the coming judgment. They are currently in Babylonian exile and he says to get comfortable because it will be a while since they refuse to repent and turn from false idols and sin in their lives. He is going to wipe out all the idols and all the people will know God is the one true God. There will be a faithful remnant that repents and mourns for the sins of the people. There will be no where to turn to escape the judgment of God, but the faithful remnant will ...
Sep 11, 2023•16 min
In Ezekiel 4 & 5, Ezekiel is called to bring a visual demonstration of what is coming for God's people because they refuse to repent and turn to God rather than their false idols and selfish indulgences. God gives a warning that 1/3 of His people will die in a fire, famine, and disease. One third will die by the sword of the Babylonians. And 1/3 will be scattered. Out of the scattered, a few will stand faithful to God and not be shook from submissive obedience and trust in God and God alone ...
Sep 08, 2023•15 min
In Ezekiel 2 & 3, Ezekiel receives a divine assignment from God. He experienced God's presence and now it's time for the calling. He is told he is to bring God's message regardless if they listen. God knows they are stubborn and rebellious, but still wants them to have an opportunity to hear the truth and repent. If they chose to listen and repent, they could have escaped exile sooner but they refused God as well as His blessings. If he brings the message and they refuse to listen, it's on t...
Sep 07, 2023•15 min
In Ezekiel 1, Ezekiel is a priest and prophet who has been in Babylonian exile with his fellow Israelites about 5 years when he receives the vision and call of God on his life to be God's messenger for His people. God gives him a vision of His glory and it shows up in a flashing of light. He sees 4 magnificent living beings who quickly carry out all that God commands. They are covered with eyes and have wheels of judgment. They sound like waves crashing against the shore or the shouting of a mig...
Sep 06, 2023•15 min
In Isaiah 65 & 66, God says He has been ready to respond but no one was asking for help and ready to be found but no one was looking for Him. He is crying out "Here I am, Here I am" just waiting for each and every one of us to seek Him and ask Him into all the moments of our lives. He opens His arms to us in our rebellion and He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us when we were rebellious enemies of God. He loves each of us that much. He makes Himself available to us, we just have to choose to...
Sep 05, 2023•18 min
In Isaiah 63 & 64, God tells us He is coming to save us. He is the only One who has the power to save. His love is unfailing and eternal. Jesus did come and He came to save us all from our selves - from our sins. He died and rose from the grave so we could choose Him as our Lord and Savior and receive His gift of salvation for all eternity. Death cannot hold life down and Jesus is life. He sent us an option for rescue. He sent us an option to be forgiven, redeemed, and restored to righteousn...
Sep 03, 2023•10 min
In Isaiah 62, we see the certainty of God and His desire for all nations - every person - to see and experience God's righteousness and glory. He wants every one of us to repent, accept Jesus as our Lord, experience freedom from the bondage and consequences of sin. He tells us to not stop praying for each other until every last one of us has "salvation that blazes like a burning torch." Every person who turns to Christ is no longer seen as forsaken or desolate. God rejoices over each and every o...
Sep 01, 2023•9 min
In Isaiah 60 & 60, God tells us yes, we are sinful - very sinful, but God. God has us covered. God sent us Jesus. If we choose to submit ourselves and let God pick us up, and cling to Him like our life depends on it - because it does - a day is coming when our eyes will shine and our hearts will thrill with joy. We will experience God's mercy and grace, His peace and righteousness, and His amazing glory like nothing we could imagine. There is a day coming when there will be no more war, no m...
Aug 31, 2023•13 min
In Isaiah 58 & 59, God lets us know what He thinks of false worship and pretend fasting. God looks at the motivation behind our actions. He looks at our hearts. He wants real and true worship just because we love Him. He is God. He deserves our worship. He is seeking submissive salvation, true hearts after God who reflect His character, His values, His heart, and His desires. We need to always be ready to worship in ways we aren't used to and be ready for more because God continually wants t...
Aug 30, 2023•13 min
In Isaiah 56 & 57, God's people are encouraged to get ready, watch, prepare, and worship in anticipation of Jesus. Jesus came, died, and rose again to free all of us from sin and condemnation. Condemnation and judgment is coming but if we choose to accept Jesus and His gift of salvation and let Him be Lord over our lives, we are free from it all. We are safe in the strong and mighty hands of God. God says in these verses that yes, Israel are his first chosen people, but all people - everyone...
Aug 29, 2023•13 min
In Isaiah 54 & 55, God gives an offer of freedom from sin, shame, and disgrace. how we respond is up to us. He desires for every last one to choose life, choose love, and choose eternity with Him. But it is still up to us. He gives an invitation to "come" with our ears wide open and pleads with us to listen so we find everlasting life and unfailing love. He asks us to "seek" Him while there's still time. Jesus came to earth and died so we could have freedom from sin and sin's consequences an...
Aug 28, 2023•10 min
In Isaiah 52 & 53, God lets His people know freedom will come. Hope will come. Deliverance will come. Jesus does come. Jesus was crushed and took all our sin - all our stuff - so we could have life and live in eternity with Him. He died so we could be free from our past sins and run in freedom with God for all of our days. He says "rise from the dust" - don't stay there - get up and be free. He says "put on your beautiful clothes" - don't keep the tattered and worn out clothes on from exile....
Aug 25, 2023•16 min
In Isaiah 50 & 51, God shows how the promise of hope will be fulfilled. It is fulfilled on the cross. It is fulfilled when our Messiah didn't turn away from His call and purpose. It is fulfilled when our amazing God offered His back to those who beat Him and His cheeks to those who pulled out His beard. It is fulfilled when He set His face like a stone and determined that no matter what God's will is coming forth. And it did. And He did. And it still is. And He's returning. He asks the quest...
Aug 24, 2023•10 min
In Isaiah 49, God's faithful Servant, our Messiah - is spoken of through Isaiah. Emmanuel, God with us, is fulfilled through Jesus. He is our hope, our redeemer, our salvation, and our restoration. He is everything. God is with us every moment of every day of our lives when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. He gives us the Holy Spirit and never leaves us. He cannot forget us because God says so. God says our name is written on the palm of His hands. Judgment is coming and sin and evil will...
Aug 23, 2023•15 min
In Isaiah 47 & 48, Isaiah prophesies about the fall of Babylon. They refuse to turn from trusting in false idols, false gods, magic, and astrology so they will endure God's judgment and wrath. Those who repent and turn to Jesus will be free from the captivity of sin and seen as righteous before God but those who do not and refuse to turn from wickedness will have no peace. God does not share his glory with false gods or idols. He expresses His love for Cyrus and the call on his life before h...
Aug 22, 2023•13 min
In Isaiah 45 & 46, God speaks of reformation and restoration after exile and speaks of Cyrus by name as the one who will free His people from exile. God has a plan - even if things aren't fully in place yet - and He will bring it forth. He knows all our tomorrows and wants us to trust Him with our lives. He wants relationship with us and wants us to know He is God. He is in control. We can trust Him. He does not change His mind about who we are and who He made us to be and what He wants to d...
Aug 21, 2023•11 min
In Isaiah 44, God calls out the ignorance and foolishness of worshiping false gods and idols in our lives. God reminds us of who He is, that He created us, cares for us, and will be there with us through every step of everything we face, and that He is the only Rock - He is our Rock. We don't have to be afraid because God has us. He is our Redeemer. He speaks about a shepherd He will send to help the Israelites out of exile - a shepherd named Cyrus. Cyrus won't be born for almost 200 years but G...
Aug 18, 2023•9 min
