Based on Ezekiel 21:1-27 (New King James Version)
“And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel; and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked from you. Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north, that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore.’ ’ Sigh therefore, son of man, with a breaking heart, and sigh with bitterness before their eyes. And it shall be when they say to you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ that you shall answer, ‘Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,’ says the Lord God.’ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ Say: ‘A sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished! Sharpened to make a dreadful slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we then make mirth? It despises the scepter of My son, as it does all wood. And He has given it to be polished, that it may be handled; this sword is sharpened, and it is polished to be given into the hand of the slayer.’ ‘Cry and wail, son of man; for it will be against My people, against all the princes of Israel. Terrors including the sword will be against My people; therefore strike your thigh. ‘Because it is a testing, and what if the sword despises even the scepter? The scepter shall be no more,’ says the Lord God. ‘You therefore, son of man, prophesy, and strike your hands together. The third time let the sword do double damage. It is the sword that slays, the sword that slays the great men, that enters their private chambers. I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that the heart may melt and many may stumble. Ah! It is made bright; it is grasped for slaughter: ‘Swords at the ready! Thrust right! Set your blade! Thrust left—wherever your edge is ordered! ‘I also will beat My fists together, and I will cause My fury to rest; I, the Lord, have spoken.’ The word of the Lord came to me again, saying: And son of man, appoint for yourself two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to go; both of them shall go from the same land. Make a sign; put it at the head of the road to the city. Appoint a road for the sword to go to Rabbah of the Ammonites, and to Judah, into fortified Jerusalem. For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use divination: he shakes the arrows, he consults the images, he looks at the liver. In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem: to set up battering rams, to call for a slaughter, to lift the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to heap up a siege mound, and to build a wall. And it will be to them like a false divination in the eyes of those who have sworn oaths with them; but he will bring their iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken. ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand. ‘Now to you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end, 26 thus says the Lord God: ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown; nothing shall remain the same. Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted. Overthrown, overthrown, I will make it overthrown! It shall be no longer, until He comes whose right it is, and I will give it to Him.’ ’ ”
This passage speaks of a judgment from God upon His people—one that would bring destruction not only to the wicked but also to the righteous. Many of us would agree that it is just for God’s punishment to fall upon the ungodly and the wicked; yet, how can it be that God also brings destruction upon the righteous? Is God not supposed to care for the righteous? And if such destruction—whether by the sword or death—befalls both the righteous and the wicked, then what advantage is there in being righteous if one suffers the same punishment?
We must understand the historical context that gives meaning to this matter. The people of Israel had long been in rebellion against God, profaning His name and committing idolatry—the sin most repugnant to Him. God had tolerated this great evil among His people for a long time. What ultimately provoked the wrath that brought destruction upon everyone was the fact that both the vast majority of the people and their leadership were committing the same evil. It was this sin—committed by so many and at every level—that brought about such judgment; specifically, the persistence of this sin across all levels. There were times in Israel when the people became defiled, yet the leadership—particularly the religious and even the political leadership—remained faithful to God. At other times, the leaders became corrupt, yet much of the people remained faithful. But in this instance, God’s wrath was manifested in such a way that His fury fell upon everyone, without exception. At that moment, the vast majority—great and small, rich and poor—had transgressed against the Lord, and God’s patience and mercy had reached their limit. Simply put, God could tolerate it no longer. This is what happened to Israel when God Himself brought a pagan king—Nebuchadnezzar—against His people to put an end to the rampant waywardness that manifested as idolatry. God used Nebuchadnezzar to cleanse the land of Israel of all the sin that had reigned for so long.
Now, one might ask: Why does God judge? And how could God use a pagan king, of all people, to punish His own nation? Idolatry is universally wrong, is it not? The reality is that God will eventually judge the entire world; however, His judgment falls even more severely upon those who are not ignorant of His truth—those who, despite knowing what is right and good, choose to do the opposite. The knowledge of the Truth carries with it a certain responsibility. The message of the Gospel is glorious—the greatest thing in existence—bringing freedom and eternal blessing; yet, if it is consciously ignored and despised, there is no longer grace, but rather judgment. Nebuchadnezzar did not know the Lord or His law; he was completely ignorant of the Truth. But this was not the case for the people of Israel. They knew the full Truth, and God even sent prophets to warn them, urging them to turn away from their wickedness. Yet, the vast majority chose to ignore God.
This brings us to our present situation, and explains why we will once again witness the judgment of God. The sin most prevalent today among God’s people—both within the general congregation and among the leadership—is idolatry. The primary idol we see today is the idol of "self," for the goal is no longer to do God’s will, but rather to fulfill selfish desires. Such is the nature of this sin that most attempt to use God merely as a means to gain what they want. Many among the people today commit the worst of blasphemies and idolatry by trying to turn God into their servant. There is no greater sin or insult. As it is written: “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence?’ Says the Lord of hosts to you…” Malachi 1:6a. Judgment for this great evil is already at the door—the sword is drawn, and things will only get worse. We will all die one day, some sooner than others. But, ultimately, when you stand before the throne of the Most High to give an account, what works will God see? Ask yourself this: Do I honor Him as the Heavenly Father that He is, and do I live to serve Him as the Lord that He is—or am I pursuing something else? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel!