Lots of Questions Part I

[chloe_fantastic]

The passage below implies that Israel will no longer have neighbors that are malicious, but to me, this seems untrue. It doesn't seem like Israel is getting along with much of anybody.

 

No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God. Ezekiel 28: 24-26

We get a better idea of what this passage is discussing when we start reading a little further up:

 

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.

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.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2028&version=KJV

 

If we look at verse 22, we see that what follows is a description of things that are to occur after "and I will be glorified in the midst of thee" and "when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her". When will this occur? When Jesus returns! So verses 23-26 are describing conditions how things will be after Jesus' return.

[OneLight]

+rep @OneLight

 

That was a great read. Wow.

 

Now, I'm still going to ask questions just because there are things that I'm curious about and some things don't make quite a lot of sense to me. So here comes my next question. 

 

The passage below implies that Israel will no longer have neighbors that are malicious, but to me, this seems untrue. It doesn't seem like Israel is getting along with much of anybody.

 

No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God. Ezekiel 28: 24-26

You have to realize that when you read the prophets, they are not always speaking in the present time, actually , hardly ever, since they are prophets.

 

The passage you quoted, Ezekiel 28:24-26, are actually the end of one proclamation and the beginning of another.  Allow me to post the two so you can see.

Ezekiel 28:20-26

Proclamation Against Sidon

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

 

“Behold, I am against you, O Sidon;

I will be glorified in your midst;

And they shall know that I am the Lord,

When I execute judgments in her and am hallowed in her.

For I will send pestilence upon her,

And blood in her streets;

The wounded shall be judged in her midst

By the sword against her on every side;

Then they shall know that I am the Lord.

“And there shall no longer be a pricking brier or a painful thorn for the house of Israel from among all who are around them, who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord God.”

Israel’s Future Blessing

‘Thus says the Lord God: “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob. And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God.”’

 

Sidon was a city south west of the Dead Sea, where the Hittites ruled.  Ezekiel was prophesying against Sidon.  This is separated from the future blessings.  This is "in the process" this day as God is calling those back to Israel from all over the world.  It is not fulfilled yet, but will be.  Once Christ returns, He will rule with a rod of iron as proclaimed in Revelation 19:11-16.

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND

LORD OF LORDS.

[Guest]

Amen~!

[Temp Name]

Hey people, I just want to take this time to say thank you so much for bearing with me and taking time to answer my questions. You didn't just give me quick answers, you gave me your all in answering. I can definitely see that. It's taking me some time to get used to spending time with the Lord again because I fell so far trying reevaluate my beliefs. If you could pray that God would continue to reveal himself to me and that I would become even more faithful, especially after this huge endeavor, towards Him. Again, thank you. Thank you thank you thank you.

[Guest]

Praying~!

[kwikphilly]

Dearest Temp,

     Give Glory to God ,it is He that is drawing You near to Him,it is He who puts His Words on the lips of those He uses to speak to you,it is He that loves You SOOOOO much..Hallululiah!

     It is  very plain to see that your'e so sincere when you ask questions,so thirsty,so hungry for the Lord,....I'm sure everyone will agree that it is a privilege and an honor to be there for one another and to glorify God together by talking about things eternal and things above and of God Almighty....you are as much a blessing to all as well...it thrills me that you are seeking God as you are and yearning to be nearer Him.

     You asked for prayer..............Heavenly Father,in the Name of Jesus thank You for bringing our brother "temp"here,within Your flock.....thank You for the Power of Your Holy Spirit that gives us Wisdom & Understanding....I give You all praise ,all,honor and all glory that You are more than worthy of.I ask that You continue to draw Him near You Lord and that You will reveal Yourself and Your Will to Him.....Father refresh temps indwelling of Your Holy Spirit ,let him be sensitive to Your promptings and guidance...I plead the Blood of Jesus over him and entrust him in Your care....Bless temp Lord,and keep his heart soft,his ears & eyes open and his spirit teachable.....help him Father God to not just know about You but to know YOU...strengthen his faith and his relationship with you precious Lord & Savior,Christ Jesus!

                                                                                                                      With love,in Christ-Kwik