Then clouds opened up and a hand was stretching out to me and gave me a scroll of a book. On it were words on the front and back of lamentation and mourning and woe. And He said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll and go speak to the house of Israel.”
O that the clouds might open yet again with tears from the throne of heaven! Eat and be filled with My Word and go out and proclaim it to the house of Israel. Again we see the calling, delivered of God and sent out. But they will not listen, their foreheads are hard and their hearts are stubborn. I think that this word is more true today than ever before. Many who call themselves after the name of the Lord in this day very closely resemble that of the condition of Israel right before God came in judgment. We must hear these words with fear and trembling. We are the chosen generation set aside for the praises of Him! He has set us free. We have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light! The son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.
Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. All my words that I shall speak to you, receive in your heart and hear with your ears. Go to the exiles, to your people and say to them, “Thus saith the Lord God” whether they hear or refuse to hear. Then the Spirit lifted me up and took me away.
With the hand of the Lord strong upon him, Ezekiel goes to the exiles at Tel-abib who dwelt by the Chebar canal. He sits among them overwhelmed for seven days. At the end of seven days the word of the Lord comes to him: “Son of man I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.”
A warning to the wicked: God warns the wicked to turn from their wickedness by the hand of His righteous that they might live. The wicked who do not turn from their ways will die in their iniquity. The righteous who do not warn them will be held responsible. We have been given a serious responsibility that we ought not take lightly.
A warning to the righteous: Why would God ever warn the righteous? Why did Jesus warn the churches if they already had the righteousness of Christ? Jesus said in Matthew 25 that the kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom. Half of them did not walk in the Spirit, they were unprepared when the bridegroom came and the door to the kingdom was shut to them. In the same chapter, the one talent servant who did nothing with what his Master gave him was stripped of his talent and cast out of the kingdom. Paul says in Romans 8 to believers, “If you live by the flesh you will die.”
As we consider some of these passages, let us conclude with this thought in light of the judgment seat of Christ that we must all appear before:
“What did you do with what I gave you to advance the gospel of the kingdom?”
Be zealous in the fields. Work because the night is coming, work because the harvest is drawing near, run like you’ve never run in all your life.